Coca-Cola Flapper Girl Tray

Q: After reading your article in the newspaper about the Coca-Cola tin signs, I was wondering if there might be any value in a metal Coca-Cola serving tray my husband has. It says “Drink Coca-Cola” in gold letters at the top of the frame and pictures a young girl holding a glass of Coca-Cola. She’s wearing a blue dress, white fur wrap, and a pearl necklace.

A: The first Coca-Cola trays were made in 1897. The image on this tray is known as “Flapper Girl.” It was originally made in 1923 but reproductions and fakes have been made since the 1970s. The original 1923 tray was rectangular and measured 10 1/2 inches high and 13 1/4 inches wide. Round or oval trays are reproductions or fakes. Your tray is a fantasy tray made in 1973. An original tray in good condition sold for $510 earlier this year. Your fake tray is worth about $20.

 

Union Pacific Belt Buckle

Q: I think this brass belt buckle came from my children’s great-grandfather. There are two clasped hands on the front and the words “Union Pacific, Railroad Company, Links East to West, 1866” on the front and “Made in USA” on the back. I’d like to know if it’s the real thing. What is it worth?

A: This belt buckle isn’t old. Reproduction (fake) belt buckles with vintage designs and the names of old companies were made in the late 1960s and ’70s. Although the design on the buckle seems to commemorate the linking of eastern and western United States by the completion of the first transcontinental railroad, that wasn’t accomplished until 1869. Union Pacific laid the tracks going from east to west, while Central Pacific Railroad laid tracks going from west to east. Union Pacific reached the 100th meridian, considered the dividing line between eastern and western U.S., in 1866. This was cause for great celebrations because the company had to cross the 100th meridian by 1867 in order to continue to receive government funding. The Golden Spike (the last spike) was driven in at Promontory Summit in Utah Territory on May 10, 1869. “Reproduction” belt buckles sell for $10 to $20. When first made and thought to be old, some sold for hundreds of dollars.