The Covert-O-Matic-a Revolutionary Vending Machine

In the early 1960s, the Coca-Cola Company was changing the way it went to market. For the first time, Coca-Cola was not the only brand that was available to bottlers. Fanta had made its appearance soon to be followed by Sprite and Tab. Additionally, new king-sized bottles were in distribution along with steel cans.

Vending machines had been designed to dispense the standard 6.5 oz contour bottle for years, but all of these new packaging and product changes demanded a change. In 1960, the Westinghouse Electric Corporation introduced the Convert-O-Matic, a vending machine that could handle multiple products and packages.The machine could handle 6.5, 8, 10 and 12 oz bottles and could also be adapted to handle cans. It also had the capability to price products at either 10 or 15 cents.

A few weeks ago, I received an email from a collector who had one of the most unusual machines in this line. This version only vended steel cans and had a built-in can opener where the bottle opener would normally reside. That is definitely a rare machine for anyone to have in their collection. Check out these photos.

       

Collector Focus - Krystal Gaubert

Last week I posted a story about James Love and his Coca-Cola Collection, I have also received a Twitter post from Krystal Gaubert with some photographs and a link to a newspaper article on her collection that I wanted to share with you.

Krystal sent me the some information on her collection.

I have been collecting since I was 7. One piece at a time, till it has now grown into something beyond my control! I have a few favorites! Its impossible to choose just one. A few favs: a Coca-Cola neon sign I received as a Christmas gift, a couple cans from various countries with all the text in a different language, a Coca-Cola hoodie, an old Coca-Cola pocket book with its original paper and lead pencil, and some old Coca-Cola blotters!

I have included some of the photos Krystal sent, including one with the Coca-Cola script tattooed on her arm.  Now that is dedication.  If anyone is participating in the sharez contest on mybrands.com, vote for Krystal as the Coke rep.

 

Collector Focus - James Love

We recently received photographs and a letter from a young collector that I wanted to share with you.  James Love is only 17 years old, but he has already amassed a wonderful collection.  I reached out to James with some questions and here are his answers.

What was your first item and how did you begin collecting?

As a young child, I sort of grew up with Coke.  My aunt worked for The Coca-Cola Company and sent me a stuffed polar bear when I was about 5.  In 2000, when I was 8, we took a trip to Atlanta to visit my aunt, and she took us The World of Coke Museum. I saw an old 1950’s vending machine, and there were people around the machine putting quarters in it and a glass bottle would come out.  I was completely drawn toward this machine because I had never seen a glass bottle before and I thought it was very unique.  I drank one of the glass bottles, loved the taste, and saved the bottle as a memory.  Later that night my family went to a grocery store and I saw a six-pack of glass bottles.  I had to have it. I bought it drank them all and saved them.  Well we got back home and I put these bottles on a shelf in my room as a memory.  Then I remembered that stuffed polar bear that I was given to me; took it out of the toy chest and put it on display as well. 

What are your favorite items in your collection?

I think the most important ones would have to be the stuffed polar bear and those glass bottles that started it all. I don’t think that I would have a collection if it were not fore these items.  Next, I think back to the summer of 2008 when I returned to Atlanta. My aunt set up a meeting for me with a vice president, Mary Riddle, who is also from Danville.  I showed her pictures of my collection and she loved them.  A couple weeks later she came by my house and gave me an Olympic pin and coin set.  This was very special to me because it is very rare and it was given to me by someone of The Coca-Cola Company.  Another item or set of items that is very important to me is my National Geographic magazines. I have about 150 National Geographics. Every one has a Coca-Cola add on them.  The reason they are special is the dates of the magazines.  The National Geographics dates range from 1937 to 1964.

How do you get the items for your collection?

My collection has grown tremendously since that first bottle.  However, I have purchased maybe 10 percent of my collection.  90 percent has been given to me as gifts.  For 10 years I have received Coca-Cola memorabilia for both Christmas’s and birthdays.  Many kids want toys and electronics but I wanted Coca-Cola.  Many of my friends say I am addicted to Coca-Cola, but I always tell them, “ It’s not an addiction, it’s dedication.”

 

Friday Spotlight on the World of Coca-Cola - 1930s American Flyer Kite

One of my favorite items on display at the World of Coca-Cola is one of the more unusual and fragile artifacts.  The "logo" portion of the Milestones of Refreshment Gallery features a number of items which have the standard spencerian Coca-Cola logo.  I have blogged about several of the other items in this case including the airline cooler and the sandwich press so you know we have fun stuff in this case.

The image to the left is a 1930s American Flyer kite.  Because paper disintegrates over time and kite are rather fragile and prone to end up in trees, this is a pretty rare  item.  The one on display was acquired by the Archives in the mid 1990s and we had it restored.  The most recent price guide list the estimated value of a kite in good condition between $ 250 and $ 350 dollars.

Spotlight on the World of Coca-Cola - Collectors Around the World Video

This week for our Spotlight on the World of Coca-Cola we wanted to celebrate our biggest fans, Coca-Cola Collectors.  Just in case you have not had a chance to visit the World of Coke, I am posting the video that runs in the Collectors Corner section of the Pop Culture Gallery.

The video was directed by acclaimed documentary filmmaker, DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus and was shot at The Coca-Cola Collectors Club's conventions in Pittsburgh and Atlanta and in collectors homes or museums in Reading Pennsylvania, Avignon France, Lausanne Switzerland and Taiwan.

I love this video because I believe it represents that best of the collectors world, people who are brought together by their common love of collecting. Having attended many conventions, I know they love to trade stories of their latest find, items they are still looking for and even more importantly sharing time with friends.

More Resources for Collectors

One of my objectives in developing this blog was to provide collectors with resources they could use to enhance and evaluate their collections. I hope that this blog is becoming one of the best places collectors can visit fo find information that will add to their knowledge and appreciation of collectibles bearing the Coca-Cola trademark.

A few weeks ago, The Collectors Weekly published an interview with Florida collector Ray Kilinski that would be of interest to anyone who has a collection or is interested in starting one. During the interview, Ray shares his personal philosophy on collecting and provides some good tips for both the novice and experienced collector on collection development. Unlike most newspapers or magazines that publish occasional collector stories, the Weekly does not have space limitations and provides in-depth profiles of the personalities they feature. Here is a link to that story:

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/an-interview-with-vintage-coca-cola-collector-ray-kilinski/

Another great resource is a magazine called The Cola Conquest. Published in Canada and edited by Blair Matthews, the publication is loaded with articles, interviews, eBay sales results, photographs and advertising that will appear to a wide range of collectors. Of particular interest to bottle and can collectors, are the features that highlight unusual packages and collections.In recent months, there have been lengthly interviews with myself and Jan Schmidt of the renowned Schmidt Museum of Coca-Cola Memorabilia. here is a link to the magazine's website:

http://www.sodaspectrum.com/conquest.html

Within the next few weeks, we will be adding a new feature to the blog. Visitors to this site will find an area where they can find all of the posts that I have done on the value of collectibles. Since I cannot respond to individual requests for information on the value of specific items, this segment of the blog will point readers in the right direction to get that data. Stay tuned!

Spotlight on the World of Coca-Cola - Contour Radio

When you visit the World of Coca-Cola, one of the galleries in the Milestones of Refreshment exhibit is devoted to the contour bottle.  The case is filled with a variety of items in the classic contour shape.

One of my favorite items in the case and a very valuable collectible is the 1933 contour bottle radio produced by the Crosley Radio Company of Cincinnati, Ohio.  This bottle radio is very impressive standing 23" inches tall and 7.5" in diameter and weighing nearly 15 pounds.  The radio case was molded of "Durez" a red plastic material that was similar to Bakelite.  The words "Drink Coca-Cola" were typically painted silver as was the bottle cap.  The two nobs on the front controlled the station and the volume produced by the five tube radio.

The radios cost $ 18.75 dollars in 1933, which was a considerable amount of money for a merchandising item during the depression.  Given this price, the radios were used for different purposes than many of the promotional item of the day.  They were used as dealer incentives to sell the standardized Glascock Coolers, sales incentives for salespeople as part of a refrigeration push or often just loaned to prized customers.

Due to the breakable nature of the Durez plastic, these radios are pretty rare and are quite valuable, generally selling between $ 7,500 to $ 8,000 in excellent condition.

Spotlight on The World of Coca-Cola - Betty and Elaine

When you visit The World of Coca-Cola, in the Early Marketing gallery in the Milestones of Refreshment, keep an eye out for Betty, Elaine and Constance.

During the 1910s, Coca-Cola advertising featured a different “Coca-Cola Girl” each year. Often the same image of a woman was used on calendars, trays, pocket mirrors and other collectible pieces for the year.

In a few instances, the Coca-Cola Girl was referred to by name, such as “Betty,” “Elaine” or “Constance.”

However, those names were not the names of the models themselves! They’re actually names assigned to the artwork by someone in advertising!

Collectors know these pseudonyms, and we use those names in the Coke Archives as well.
 
Betty, Constance and Elaine have appeared on Coke collectibles well after their original years, including modern-day licensed items. So just because that tray you have features “Betty,” don’t think you have a fortune in your hands!

As you walk through the gallery, you will find one "Betty" and two "Elaine" items, but poor "Constance" did not make it in.

Betty is pictured on top in on a 1914 tray and Elaine below on a 1916 self framed tin sign.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Coca-Cola Bottles

I  must confess that bottles have never been my favorite category of collectibles. I can admire and appreciate the different varieties of Hutchinson, straight-sided, and contour bottles that have been used for Coca-Cola over the years, but I have never had a great desire to either collect or document every variation of this packaging.

Fortunately, there are collectors who are obsessed with knowing everything they can about bottles and are willing to share that knowledge with their fellow collectors. Doug McCoy is one of those dedicated researchers/collectors who has assembled a mass of useful information on bottles used for Coke in two very useful tools. The first is a newly published book titled The Coca-Cola Bottle. In 96 very informative pages, Doug shares his insights and experiences on collecting bottles. This is a must read for anyone remotely interested in bottle collecting. You can purchase a copy for $30 on eBay now or wait a few weeks to buy it at Amazon.com.

Doug has also started a blog called the Coca-Cola Bottleman's Blog earlier this month.It is an ongoing report on bottle collecting and the resources he has found helpful in expanding his personal expertise.You will definitely want to bookmark this one.

http://cocacolabottleman.wordpress.com/

The Collectors Weekly-An Interview and a Resource

One of the great things about my job is that I am always learning new things and discovering new resources that are available to collectors. Recently, I was contacted by a publication I was not familiar with-The Collectors Weekly- to do an interview about Coca-Cola memorabilia.Attached is a link to that interview:

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/an-interview-with-coca-cola-historian-and-archivist-phil-mooney/

This on-line, free newsletter covers the entire spectrum of collectibles from glass and furniture to stamps and coins. It is very inclusive and offers something for anybody who is a collector.There is a special section of the newsletter that is devoted to Coca-Cola that includes interviews with collectors, links to collector galleries and websites of interest, including this one, and news articles about Coke collectibles.

One of the outstanding features of this site is their coverage of eBay auctions. If you ever have tried to browse through eBay offerings about Coca-Cola, you know how frustrating and time-consuming it can be.This site simplifies the process and gives you information on the top Coca-Cola items currently being auctioned.Additionally, it allows you to see prices realized for Coca-Cola items for the last week. What a great service to collectors trying to get a sense of what their prized possessions are worth in the open marketplace! This is truly a one stop resource that is well worth a bookmark. Here is a link to that section of the site and some of the other features referenced:

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/coca-cola/overview:

I do receive lots of comments on the blog requesting evaluations of items they hold. As long term readers know, I am unable to provide individual appraisals but try to use the posts to talk about trends in the marketplace and to highlight specific auctions.The Collectors Weekly site is the closest thing you will find to an instant appraisal. Even the best researched, most complete price guide is dated from the moment it is published. To see real values ina a real auction environment, the eBay tracker is tough to beat.

I should also note that the Weekly has selected this blog for their Hall of Fame. I am greatly appreciative of this recognition.

I would love to hear your impressions of this site after you have visited.