Acton Manufacturing is responsible for some very collectible items. The Acton Standard picnic cooler is fairly common, but finding one in mint condition with the box is hard to do. The Acton Junior or “6-Pack” is probably one of the most desirable Coca-Cola picnic coolers for collectors. Acton also made the “Low Boy”, another hard-to-find and collectable picnic cooler. But without a doubt the hardest to find, most desirable Acton item is the Coolerette stand. It was a stand they manufactured that was made to hold the Standard cooler, turning it into a low volume vendor.
Included here is an old Acton magazine ad as well as pictures of a few Acton items we restored at Vintagevending.com.
This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.
18 responses so far ↓
1 Betty B. // Nov 13, 2008 at 9:37 am
Hi,
I enjoyed your pictures very much. We inherited a coca cola picnic cooler. I think thats what it is. It is stainless steel with red letters. I believe it is the prototype for the 6 pack cooler?
Can anyone help me with this research?
2 Køleanlæg // Jan 12, 2009 at 12:16 am
nice pictures, thanks for sharing!
3 Dan // Feb 14, 2009 at 11:02 am
Does anyone know when this ad was published?
4 Keith // Feb 14, 2009 at 11:42 am
Hi Betty,
The six pack as well as other models were available in stainless steel. They are much rarer then the painted versions. Send a photo along and we could identify it for you.
5 rita // Apr 7, 2009 at 11:10 pm
i have a acton low boy needs restoring
what would be the price
6 vintagevending // Apr 8, 2009 at 8:22 am
Rita,
We aren’t in the restoration business anymore, so we don’t know the current price of having a restoration done.
7 Steve // Feb 25, 2010 at 1:30 pm
I also own a Stainless Steel Coca Cola picnic cooler (Acton Mfg.)
which is the same size model shown in the top item above. complete with a sandwich tray insert.
It is in perfect condition
How rare is this cooler and what is its
approx. value??
8 vintagevending // Feb 26, 2010 at 3:36 pm
Steve,
It is more rare than the colored coolers, but we aren’t able to estimate the value. You could try ebay or Craig’s List, sometimes these items pop up, and you can see what the going price is.
9 Steve // Mar 8, 2010 at 3:56 pm
thanks for the advice
10 Tony // Mar 28, 2010 at 2:22 pm
How do you determine the year the cooler was made? Are there any particular identifiers?
11 vintagevending // Apr 6, 2010 at 11:34 am
Tony,
As far as we know, there are no specific identifiers to date them to a specific year. They were made in the 40s and 50s, but that’s all the information we have right now.
12 Susan LeBeau // Oct 29, 2010 at 4:15 pm
I have an ice cooler made by Acton but it has Hawthorne on the front of it. It has a bottle opener on the side. Any info on it? It is in near perfect condition.
13 Henrietta McClellan // Mar 7, 2011 at 6:06 pm
I own a coke boy by Acton that measures 11 1/2″ wide x 9″ deep x 12″ high. Has an opener on the side, no drain. It is in good condition. Raised letters, Acton Mfg Co, Inc.
Arkansas City, Kansas, Made in USA, US Pat No D 152580, 2570300 2576874, Can Pat No 86, Folio 15064, Other Pats Pending.
What model is this and what is the value?
14 Barry Griefenstine // Jul 23, 2011 at 9:37 pm
I have what appears to be the “standard” picnic cooler. Mine does not have the the side offsets in the handle like the ones pictured. I’m thinking wondering if the differnce in handle style may p0ssibly help determine the age. Maybe someone out there has some knowledge that could help me on the handle issue. Mine also has the sandwich tray, but I’m missing the lid. Would anyone know how I might be able to obtain a lid to fit my cooler?
15 Karen // Aug 24, 2011 at 12:45 pm
I have an Acton vintage cooler that says Drink Coca Cola in bottles” has opener on side and a number. I have seen the ones for sale but cannot find info in the number (207) that is stamped on the end opposite the opener. Can you tell me the significance of this number? Thank you for any info.
16 ALLEN // Nov 10, 2011 at 7:14 am
I HAVE A ACTON COOLER PAT#152580 LIKE THE ONE ON THE TOP EXCEPT MY HANDLE IS STRAIGHT AND DRAIN IS ON THE FRONT . I AM IN DESPERATE NEED OF THE FOUR CHROME CORNER PIECES AT THE TOP AND THE HANDLE TO THE LID I HAD SOME ONE PAINT MINE AND THEY LOST THESE PARTS ANY IMFO. WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED . THANKS
17 Sharon // Nov 20, 2011 at 9:57 pm
I have an Acton Home Opener and am unable to locate any others or find its worth. Would anyone be able to assist or direct me to locate any information on this item? Thanks!
18 Shelley // Nov 27, 2011 at 3:02 pm
We have an Acton Coca Cola cooler Model # 1 in great conditon in the box. Does anyone know what it may be worth and how we would go about finding a collector.
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