Lessons Learned: How much is this bottle worth?

Last month I introduced a new series called “Lessons Learned,” where I’ll try and answer some of the most common questions I get on my blog.

Though it’s a fairly broad topic, I’m often asked how much Coca-Cola bottles are worth. There are, of course, many kinds of Coke bottles, so I’ll start by talking about the basic Coke bottle -- one that looks like the picture here.

Question: I’ve found an old Coke bottle. How much is it worth?

Answer: The Coca-Cola contour bottle was introduced in 1916. Even if you have a bottle that is decades old, the bottle will only be worth a few dollars.

Most people are really surprised by this, since usually age helps determine value. In the case of Coke bottles, though, they are so durable, and there were so many made, that there are still a lot of bottles around and they simply don’t sell for “big bucks.”

Another surprise with the contour bottles: This is one case in which condition doesn’t make a big difference in the value of the piece. If the bottle is in bad shape, or is broken, then of course you may not have any buyers. But if you have a bottle in beautiful shape, you’re still looking at a sales price of just a few dollars!

Please note: The bottles I’ve described look like this one. If you have an old bottle that doesn’t have the curvy shape, you might be holding more than a few dollars!

As I mentioned, the subject of bottles is enormous. I hope you’ll check back for future “Lessons Learned” to read about other kinds of Coke bottles and collectibles.

Lessons Learned: How to sell a Coke piece
Lessons Learned: Coca-Cola pub mirrors
Lessons Learned: Newer Coca-Cola collectibles