Collecting Coca Cola: It’s the real thing

I believe I have gremlins in my house. Some months ago, I cleaned up and left on my kitchen table three small vintage Coca Cola collectibles I had just gotten in a box lot at auction. An old Coke button, a bottle opener and a tiny lighter in the shape of a Coke bottle.

When I went back to get them, they had disappeared. I looked everywhere. If not taken by gremlins, I’m assuming that I inadvertently tossed them in the trash. Or maybe they’re among some other small items in a box somewhere in my house.

I hate when I do that. These were lovely little items, but I must admit, though, that they can’t match some of the real neat Coca Cola collectibles I’ve seen at auctions and on the web. Coke collectors are avid buyers, and collecting these trademark red & white pieces is hugely popular in the United States and abroad. I found several collectors who’ve created websites to show off what they have (and to sell some items). Of course, there’s a Coca Cola Collectors Club, international in its membership, founded in 1974.

The Coca Cola company itself has historical information on its site, much of it from its in-house archivist Phil Mooney. He gives you the low-down on the collectibles, and warns you away from fakes. Coke put its name on a lot of items, but not everything. So if you’re interested in seriously collecting, it’s a good idea to go to the company’s site and those of other experts before you spend any money. As one collector noted in an interview with Collectors Weekly, Coke items are highly collectible but can be overpriced. Here’s also a Collectors Weekly interview with Mooney.

In my auction forays, I’ve bought a few Coke soft-drink bottles, some of which had names of cities on the bottom. The first batch I bought were originals. I got a couple hobbleskirt December 25, 1923 “Christmas Cokes” bottles, straight-sided bottles made in plants in Philadelphia and Bethlehem, PA, and some sports-specialty bottles. I picked up a second batch that were not so original. Once I got them home, examined them and Googled, I found that they were fake Christmas Cokes. How could I tell? There was a circular line around the bottom connecting the names of the cities.

Historically, I found that the earliest Coke bottles from 1899-1916 were not standard-looking, and are the most collectible. The contour-shaped bottle that we all are familiar with today wasn’t invented until 1915. Take a look at these early Coke bottles on the web.

I’m not really a Coke collector, but if I come across something interesting with the name on it, I may buy it. I was at one of those tourist shops at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco some years ago and came across a Coke tray. The design was from a painting of a little black girl who had bested her brother at marbles. It was produced in 2000 as part of a Coke “Smiles” series by artist John Solomon Sandridge of Alabama.

I snatched it up because I don’t come across these images very often.

A few months ago, one of my favorite auction houses had a special sale of advertising, ephemera and coin-operated slot machines that included lots of Coke memorabilia from the 1950s and 1960s – some vintage and some small reproductions. Coke bottles, trucks and cars, signs, clocks, trays, bottle openers, coasters, thermometers, ice picks, ashtrays, pocket knives, radios (in boxes), coolers, large syrup bottles and soda machines.

None of them went for especially high prices, but it was a good place to start a mid-century vintage collection.

The most expensive item was a Coca Cola Vendo 10-cent Spin Top Machine, Model A-23, 36″ high, 24″ wide and 20″ deep. In working condition, the auctioneer said. The bidding started at $500, and dropped in increments of $100. When the nudging hit $100 and there were still no takers, the auctioneer passed on it and went on to the next item. The Vendo is the vending machine at left in the photo above.

Some samplings:

Pair of 1960s freestanding metal store display racks (82″ x 25″ x 6.5″). $30.

1960-1963 tin advertising sign (18” x 54”). $65.

Repainted 1950s cooler. $20.

1941 advertising sign mounted in a wood frame (24″ x 59.5″). It had lots of rust and the front appeared to be washed out. $75.

1941 tin thermometer (7″ x 15″). $95. 

1950s tin thermometer (17″). $12.50.

For some  real auction prices, go to the collectors club site.

I also like thumbing through old magazines and finding Coke and other ads. I stumbled on a nice one on the back cover of a November 1948 Saturday Evening Post of two nurses grabbign a Coke. The cost then was 5 cents.