Love for Vintage Coca-Cola Vending Machine is The Real Thing

Q: My father recently passed away. He was an enthusiastic Coca-Cola collector. This vending machine was part of his collection. Of all his pieces, this is my favorite. From the metal tag on the back of the machine, I can tell it was made by the Vendo Company in Kansas City. Can you tell me anything else about it?

A: We can see why this Coca-Cola vending machine is your favorite from your dad’s collection. It’s a beauty. In the early part of the 20th century, prior to the use of coin-operated vending machines, soda bottles were distributed from coolers packed with ice, and payment was on the honor system. As strange as it may seem now, it worked. But times change. Capitalizing on the lack of effective payment collection, brothers Elmer and John Pierson of Kansas City developed a coin-operated locking lid to be placed on common ice chests. This, in effect, created the first vending machine. From 1937 to 1956, the brothers’ Vendo Company of Kansas City, Missouri, built and maintained Coca-Cola machines throughout the Midwest. As you noted, Vendo made your machine. The company merged with Vendorlater, a former Pepsi-Cola bottling company, and moved to California.

On May 8, 1886, the world’s first Coca-Cola was served at Jacobs’ Pharmacy in Atlanta. It was the creation of Dr. John Pemberton as a tonic for common ailments. The Coca-Cola Company was founded in 1892 and discovered early on the importance of brand recognition. Emblazoned at the top of all Coca-Cola vending machines is the soft drink company’s name. Today, Coca-Cola remains the best example of this modern marketing tactic. The mass production of Coca-Cola items makes it a popular genre for collectors. Vending machines are a favorite with collectors. Depending on condition, your vending machine is worth between $1,000 and $3,000.

 

A Coca-Cola vending machine made by the Vendo Company of Kansas City

 

Coca-Cola Mirror

Q: I have a Coca-Cola advertisement mirror that pictures a woman in a pink bonnet. It says “Delicious, Refreshing, 5 cents.” The frame measures 39 1/2 inches by 27 1/2 inches and the mirror is 35 inches by 23 1/2 inches. The mirror has a silver back and gold leaf decorations. Is it a saleable item?

A: John Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist, invented a syrup he claimed could cure headaches, heartburn and other ailments. His bookkeeper chose the name Coca-Cola because the original formula included cocaine. It was first sold at a soda fountain in Atlanta in 1886. Cocaine was removed from the formula in 1903. Asa Griggs Candler, another Atlanta pharmacist, bought the rights to Coca-Cola in 1891. Advertising calendars with a picture of a movie actress were issued that year. Advertising trays picturing the actress were made in 1897. A female opera singer was pictured on advertising items in 1905. After that, a series of “Coca-Cola girls” were pictured on calendars and trays. The woman pictured on your mirror is Betty, who was pictured on the 1914 Coca-Cola trays. Original Coca-Cola items are sought after and sell for high prices. Many reproductions and fantasy items have been made since the 1970s and sell for lower prices as decorative items. Your mirror is a fantasy item. Coca-Cola didn’t originally make it. Value is about $20.

Vintage Advertising Attracts Attention

Vintage advertising has been popular with collectors for years, especially in the 1960s and 1970s. A recent sale by Morford Antique Advertising Auction featured 132 lots of antique and vintage signs, displays, tins and more. Prices ranged from $224 for a wooden barber shop sign to $14,455 for an unused Adams Chiclets chewing gum countertop […]

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola, a soft drink introduced at an Atlanta soda fountain in 1886, is one of the world’s best-known brand names. For more than a century, the company has been promoting the popular soft drink—and creating thousands of ads on bottles, trays, calendars, signs, toys, lamps, and other memorabilia that can be found in shops and […]