Thanks for stopping by and visiting our tribute to Coca-Cola. We
started collecting Cokes bottle about six years ago and we have had so much fun.
We've branched out our collection to include about anything with Coke on it. From a
baseball bat to polar bears (and as much in-between)! We are lucky enough to own two
Coca-Cola machines.
We are also interested in trading coke bottles with other collectors,
along with helping collectors to find bottles that have only come out in our area
(Indiana). So please take a look at our links to the left and see our current
collection. If you would like to eMail to us to talk about Coke, alert us to bottles
in your area, or propose a trade, please eMail the address below. Thanks!
On May 8, 1886, Atlanta druggist Dr. John Stith Pemberton (former Confederate officer)
invented "Coca-Cola" syrup. It was mixed in a 30-gal. brass kettle hung over a
backyard fire. It was marketed as a "brain and nerve tonic" in drugstores. Sales
averaged nine drinks per day.
The first year's gross sales were $50 and advertising costs were $73.96.
"Coca-Cola" was first sold for 5¢ a glass as a soda fountain drink at Jacob's
Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia.
By 1903, the use of cocaine was controversial and "Coca-Cola" decided to use
only "spent coca leaves." It also stopped advertising "Coca-Cola" as a
cure for headaches and other ills.
In June 1904, advertising for "Coca-Cola" appeared in consumer magazine for
the first time.
On April 12, 1960, the shape of the 6½ oz. hobbleskirt bottle was registered as a
trademark.
In 1962, the trademark "Coke" was authorized to appear on all bottles.
In July 1985, "Coca-Cola" was the first soft drink enjoyed in outer space on
the Space Shuttle Challenger. A special space can was developed.
July 12, 1944 first-billionth gallon of Coca-Cola syrup manufactured.
April 9, 1953 second-billionth gallon of Coca-Cola syrup manufactured.
May 1959 third-billionth gallon of Coca-Cola syrup manufactured.
June 6, 1963 fourth-billionth gallon of Coca-Cola syrup manufactured.
Mid-1966 fifth-billionth gallon of Coca-Cola syrup manufactured.
January 1969 sixth-billionth gallon of Coca-Cola syrup manufactured.
January 1971 seventh-billionth gallon of Coca-Cola syrup manufactured.
The billion gallon marks then came so frequently the Company ceased to record and
celebrate them after the seventh.
In 1962, Volkswagen of America produced a magazine advertisement titled "Two Shapes
Known the World Over." Focusing on the uniqueness of the Contour Bottle and the shape
of the Beetle, the advertising copy suggested that the shapes were so well known that
they blended into the scenery and that the two products were almost universally
available. At that time, Volkswagens were sold in 136 countries and had service centers
in as many locations. However, Beetles were not sold at the North Pole while consumers
could still obtain a Coca-Cola there, leaving the ad to conclude with these words:
"Which makes us suspect there's only one thing that can get through ahead of a
Volkswagen. A Coke truck."
In 1929, the Glascock Brothers Manufacturing Company of Muncie,
Indiana, introduced the first standard cooler sanctioned by The Coca-Cola
Company. This open-top, oblong box held 72 bottles, 50 pounds of ice, and
had enough extra storage space left to hold four additional cases of
Coca-Cola. Priced at an inexpensive $12.50, bottlers purchased more
than 32,000 coolers during their first year of availability. The machines
were self-service units that required the consumer to pay a store clerk
for the purchase.
From its inception, the traditional retail price of Coca-Cola, whether
sold in the 6 1/2 ounce bottle or at the soda fountain, remained at a
nickel. By the late 1940s, production costs were soaring and a handful of
bottlers broke from the normal cost structures and charged dealers $ .90
to $1.00 per case rather than the standard $ .80 charge. The resulting
effect to the consumer meant that the cost of a bottle of Coca-Cola varied
between $ .06 to $ .10 at the retail level. The first recorded price
increase occurred in 1946 in Los Angeles with bottlers in Louisiana,
Illinois, and the Pacific Northwest quickly following. Atlanta was one of
the last major markets to increase prices when it finally imposed the
$1.00 wholesale case price in March 1959. By 1960, with a few isolated
exceptions, the nickel Coca-Cola had disappeared from the American scene.
The first athletes to endorse Coca-Cola were
professional bicycle racers who enjoyed great popularity at the turn of
the 20th century. World Champion Jack Prince, in a 1903 advertising
campaign, attested that he drank only Coca-Cola while in training and that
he took Coca-Cola to Australia with him when he entered races there.
Wheelsmen Bob Walthour and his partner Bernie Munroe also endorsed
Coca-Cola as instrumental in their success in six-day marathon bicycle
races.
Please note that I am not expert in Coca-Cola
memorabilia or its value. I collect simply as a hobby. All references to Coca-Cola, Coke,
Diet Coke, Sprite, and Fanta are copyright The Coca-Cola Company.
