The Walrus Manufacturing Company of Decatur, Illinois was one of the many manufacturers that tried to cash-in on the ongoing soft drink craze in the early 1900s. This advertisement is from the “National Bottlers Gazette”. Walrus, like other manufacturers, was marketing their product directly to bottlers in the hope that they could become their cooler [...]

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These are a series of ads for Arnold Bottle Chest Coolers. These were manufactured by G. J. Arnold Bottlers’ Supplies Co. in the late 1930s and early 1940s. They must be quite rare, as I was only able to locate one source that even knew about the Arnold coolers: in the book titled “Classic Soda [...]

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This brochure illustrates the Lyon 500 Coca-Cola cup vending machine. It was built in the early 1950s by the Worthington Pump & Machinery Corp. It was marketed by Lyon Industries of New York City, who partnered with Worthington in order to sell and distribute soda vending machines.
The Model 500, with its unique art deco [...]

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Here are some interesting photos of a unique looking soda vending machine. These are of the American Vendor model 120 that was built from the mid to late 1940s. What makes this vendor different is its rounded shape. A stainless steel drinking fountain was optional, as were steel or rubber casters. It could vend 62 [...]

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This is an eye-catching cooler manufactured for dispensing and promoting the sales of Coca-Cola in bottles and cans. It was manufactured in the 1960s by the Beverage-Air Company of South Carolina. It has a very large capacity, with 12 display racks. There are two glass doors that open to provide access to the cold the [...]

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This is a Vendo Model 123, or Junior. The cabinets were manufactured by Westinghouse and purchased by Vendo, who added the coin-operated top. They are referred to as “spin top” vendors because of how the coin-operated top vends. After the coin is inserted, the top is turned to access the next available bottle of Coca-Cola. [...]

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