The first two photos show people gathered around a Mills 47-N, manufactured between 1939 and 1945. These machines are located in workplaces for the use of the employees. In the first instance, there are bus drivers taking a break, and the second photo appears to be taken inside a beauty salon. (Note the vintage Coca-Cola advertising on the wall behind the soda machine.)

The next two photos are of the Mills 47-A, manufactured between 1938 and 1940. The first location appears to be a school and the second is most likely an office break area. From the looks on the faces of the people in the pictures, it appears that the Coca-Cola Company was able to find an abundance of willing subjects to be photographed using their Mills vending machines for promotional advertising.

It’s very interesting to note the original selling prices for these Coca-Cola coolers. The prices ranged from $6.50 for the Counter cooler to $155.00 for the DeLuxe Frigidaire Complete cooler, (the first mechanical Glascock chest cooler). All Glascock coolers had replaceable side panels to display the Coca-Cola logo. And all were painted the classic Coca-Cola red and Moroccan green.

Produced: Late 1920s to Early 1930s

Manufactured by:
Glascock Bros. Manufacturing Co.
Muncie, Indiana

The Mills 45 Coca-Cola vending machine was manufactured for only 2 years: 1941-1942. It was the smallest Mills vending machine made pre-WWII. It is the most desired model for Mills collectors due to its smaller size. It has a small bottle capacity; only 26 bottles, which made it ideal for use in lower volume situations, such as in an office. There is also space to pre-cool 26 additional bottles. This is believed to be the only Coca-Cola machine ever made that vended the bottle crown first.

As you can see in this brochure, Mills referred to the 45 as the “Baby Cooler”, due to its smaller footprint and capacity. The 45 did not use the earlier conveyor method for vending, but rather dispensed bottles using two gravity-fed rotating drums. The compressor is on the bottom of the machine and is easily accessible by removing the lower front panel. The bowed front door unfortunately led to the machines getting pretty dented up over time.

The first of the photos below shows the features of the Mills 45, including the construction, height, weight and capacity. The last photo shows the Mills production plants located in Chicago.

Dimensions: 62”H x 25”W x 22”D
Weight: 415 lbs.

Manufactured by:
Mills Industries, Inc.
4100 Fullerton Ave.
Chicago, Illinois

These items are 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.

The Glascock Deluxe cooler, when it was built was the best Glascock had to offer. The $36 price tag was considered a lot at the time (the Standard cost only $15) but came with special features, such as a stainless steel lid and bottle racks. This model was created for storeowners that wanted a more attractive soda machine in their stores.

When the Deluxe was first released in 1930 it was an icebox. Later versions came out as mechanically refrigerated boxes with a price tag of $155. The electric powered compressor was located in the base inside the stand. The vending process was like that of earlier coolers, where a warm bottle had to be inserted into the cooler in order to vend a cold bottle. The vending capacity was 64 bottles of Coca-Cola, with 66 bottles in reserve.

Dimensions: 41 1/2”H x 31”W x 29”D
Produced: Early 1930s
Weight: 418 lbs.

Manufactured by:
Glascock Bros. Manufacturing Co.
Muncie, Indiana

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.

This is a Glascock Portable Cooler from the early 1930s. It is based on the Glascock Standard, with the addition of wheels (2 large on the sides, one smaller in the rear), and a push handle. The cooler could hold 72 bottles of Coke and 50 lbs. of cracked ice. Three cases of additional bottles could be stored below. As on other Glascock coolers, there is a bottle opener and crown catcher. The sides had removable panels and it is painted in the standard green and red colors. This cooler would have been just the thing to deliver bottles of cold Coca-Cola to people walking on the street or attending sporting events or fairs.

Dimensions: 40”H x 53”W x 28”D
Produced: Early 1930s

Manufactured by:
Glascock Bros. Manufacturing Co.
Muncie, Indiana

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.

The vintage photo above is of a Coca-Cola Dispenser Service delivery truck. This is a great old photo, not only of the 1919 Ford Model T truck, but it also shows a variety of vintage Coca-Cola bottle dispensers. These coolers were probably destined for Mom and Pop stores throughout the neighborhood.

The dark colored cooler on the rear of the truck is a Glascock Standard. This is the red and green chest cooler that Glascock manufactured from the late 1920s through the 1930s. It was the first standardized icebox that was manufactured for the Coca-Cola Company. The space under the cooler could accommodate up to 4 cases of bottles of Coke, in addition to the 72 bottles that fit in the ice-filled cooler.

As far as the other Coca-Cola coolers on the truck, if you can identify any of them, please send us your comments.

The Vendo 39 and 59 machines were actually made by Westinghouse. Vendo purchased the Westinghouse Standard machines from them and then added their own coin-operated lids and inner mechanisms.

The V-39 was manufactured from the late 1930s to the early 1940s. Dimensions are 34” high x 34 ½” wide x 27 ¼” deep and it held 39 bottles. The V-59 was manufactured from 1948 through 1951. Dimensions are 37” high x 34 ½” wide x 27” deep and it had a 59 bottle capacity. A drawback of these machines is that they were only able to vend a single flavor at a time. Also the V-39 could fit only 8-ounce bottles and the V-59 could only accommodate 6 1/2-ounce bottles.

This is a photo of a repairman that is servicing the V-59. He is holding what appears to be the refrigeration unit. The next photo shows a full bottle drum inside the V-59.

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.

We have some great vintage photos of Vendos that we wanted to share with you. The photos vary in subject from production lines to staged publicity shots, but we thought they were interesting and that you might enjoy them. The following two photos were taken in a Vendo soda machine factory.

And then we have the assorted “chatting around the Vendo 83” photos. These illustrate the Vendo 83 in different environments such as the workplace and a grocery store.

The next two photos are of models posing with a bottle of Coca-Cola and a Vendo 83. Those are followed by a man dressed as a Vendo soda machine serviceman beside and open Vendo 83. He is pointing to the loading instructions inside the door of the machine.

This last photo is interesting in that it shows a Vendo 83 embossed in Spanish. Rather than “Drink Coca-Cola”, it says “Tome Coca-Cola” and instead of “Ice Cold”, it says “Bien Helada”. Vendo evidently built this machine for the booming Coca-Cola market in Mexico. We hope you enjoy all of these vintage Vendo 83 photos and we will continue to post more like these in the future.

Dimensions: 63”H x 32 1/2”W x 18”D
Vending capacity: 83
Precools: 75
Weight: 450 lbs.
Manufactured: 1946 to 1957

Manufactured by:
The Vendo Company

The three Mills Coca-Cola vending machines shown in this photo are representative of some of the model 47 series that consisted of the model designations 47-A, 47-B and 47-N. These machines are either 47-As or 47Bs. The A and B versions look very similar to each other, while the 47-N was promoted as a new and improved version of these former models with a slightly different appearance and greater vending capacity.

The Mills model 47-A was built from 1938 to 1940 and the 47-B version was manufactured from 1941 to 1945 and was an improved version of the A model. Typically these machines were painted in the distinctive Mills color scheme of two-tone red and green. They had the capacity to vend 60 bottles and pre-cool 42. These are both very collectible soda machines.

Dimensions: 62”H x 36”W x 23”D

Manufactured by:
Mills Industries, Inc.
4100 Fullerton Ave.
Chicago, Illinois

These items are 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.

This illustration is from an old advertisement in our archives for a Coca-Cola water cooler/bottle vendor combination. Based on the Coke logo and the styling of the unit, it most likely dates from about 1920 to 1930. This innovative vendor is a water cooler with a cooling box to hold bottles of Coca-Cola. It’s really a clever marketing piece, since even if you prefer a cup of water, the Coca-Cola ad and the tempting cold bottles are right there, promoting the soft drink product. This stand was probably designed for use in an office.

Produced: 1920 to 1930

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

Frozen Cokes were first made available in the early 1970s, here in the US. They have been released once again in certain parts of the country in restaurants like Burger King and Race Trac and at some gas station convenience stores. The drink served at Burger King was called a BK Coke Float and was a combination of frozen Coca-Cola and soft serve ice cream. Frozen Coke, which resembles a 7-11 Slurpee and comes out of the same type of machine, can still be found in different areas of the country.

This cup dates to the 1970s and was produced by the Lily-Tulip Cup Corporation. Let us know if you’ve seen any place in your area that still serves up Frozen Cokes.

Manufactured by:
Lily-Tulip Cup Corporation
New York, NY

This item is not for sale.

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

In our blogs, we’ve been featuring a different promotional or corporate restaurantware product made over the years. This is another in the group of cool retro cups, glasses or mugs from our large collection. Here we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about it and we welcome your additional input and comments.

This is a paper cup from the 1960s used to distribute free samples of Coca-Cola. It bears the words “Free Sample” and has the distinctive diamond logo pattern used by Coca-Cola from 1966 to 1970. It was referred to as the Harlequin design. The cup also has both “Coca-Cola” and “Coke” printed on it, as well as the phrase, “Ask for it either way, both trademarks mean the same thing”. Although the Coca-Cola Company registered the Coke trademark in the 1940s, they were still trying to get the public used to using the two names interchangeably when referring to their product.

Manufactured by:
Lily-Tulip Cup Corporation
New York, NY

The Multiplex 44 soda fountain dispenser was made by the Multiplex Faucet Company from 1961 to 1962 and total production was about 2,000 machines. It was the last metal model dispenser that they made as they changed over to plastic after 1961. The Multiplex 44 was a dual-valve dispenser made for dispensing two flavors of soft drinks.

The back of the machine is embossed with the Coca-Cola logo and the slogan, “Have a Coke” appears over one dispensing valve. The other valve is unspecified so a decal could be added for any other soft drink. The plastic nozzles mixed the carbonated water and the soft drink syrup as it dispensed them.

Manufactured by:

Multiplex Faucet Company
St. Louis, MO

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 styling, could vend 500 cups of pre-mixed Coca-Cola. It was a relatively small machine, at 60 inches high, and collectors today regard it as a rare machine.

Manufactured by:

Worthington Pump & Machinery Corp.
Harrison, New Jersey

The machine featured in these photos is a Mills 47-N. It was manufactured from 1939 to 1945 and has a 104-bottle vending capacity. It has the distinctive cathedral top and two-tone (red and green) paint. This machine was made by the Mills Novelty Company of Chicago, Illinois, the largest manufacturer of coin-operated machines until they closed in 1953.

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 Coca-Cola. These large glass panels also keep the product visible, making it easy for the customer to find what they’re looking for. There is plenty of space for Coca-Cola in 6-packs and cans, as well as other Coke products such as Tab and Sprite.

The signage is illuminated and, combined with the clearly marked six-packs within, make this refrigerated cabinet a clever merchandising tool. As this ad states, “Every inch of width is equal to one cubic foot of effective signage and display space”.

Manufactured by:

Beverage-Air Company
Spartanburg, S. Carolina

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. This machine can vend 23 bottles and precool 9. They were produced from the late 1930s into the early 1940s. The earlier coolers were ice cooled, but later versions were refrigerated with electricity.

The brochure illustrates the other spin top models available in the Vendo series. They range in size from the 23-bottle Junior to a 59-bottle Master.

Dimensions: 42 5/8”H x 28”W x 17 1/8”D

Manufactured by:

The Vendo Company
Kansas City, Missouri

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.

We have already written a blog on the very rare Vendo Decapper soda machine, but I came across this photo and wanted to post it. It shows a production line full of Decapper soda machines. This is a rare photo, given that very few of these machines were manufactured and very few survived.

To learn more about this machine check out our previous blog: http://www.vintagevending.com/vendo-coca-cola-bottle-decapper

This is a little German Coca-Cola picnic cooler that we restored. It was small—about the size of a Progress airline cooler and able to hold about 6 bottles. Unlike the Progress cooler, the lid comes completely off and there are no hinges. “Trink Eiskalt” translates as you might guess, to “Drink Cold”. We’re unsure of the manufacturer or the date, but would guess it is a 50’s piece.

The Westinghouse Half Junior was a countertop ice chest produced from the late 30’s to the early forties. The cooler had embossing on the front and back, as well as the sides. It was designed to hold 24 bottles of Coca-Cola and 20 pounds of ice. These little countertop coolers are rare, although we did own two at one time and restored at least one. You can find them with built-in recessed handles or with no handles at all.

Dimensions: 14”H x 25.5”W x 12”D
Manufacturer:
Westinghouse Corporation
Springfield, Massachusetts

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.

I love these photos. These appear to be promotional photos distributed by the Vendorlator/VMC Manufacturing Company and they’re most likely from the 1950’s.

Photo number one is of the VMC 88, which is basically the same thing as two VMC 44’s built side-by-side. Although it’s rare, it’s not the most desirable machine. Yet it does have a great embossed Pepsi logo.

Photo number two is of the classic VMC Pepsi 81. Besides the Jacob’s 56 Light-Up, it’s probably the most sought-after and collectible Pepsi soda machine that was made.

Photo number three is of a VMC Pepsi 302. As we have said in the past, the model number of a machine indicates how many bottles it is capable of holding. This machine is a monster, especially for its time. Look how small the young lady looks standing next to it. This machine is not the least bit desirable to collectors. However, the plastic Pepsi disc on the front of the machine is pretty cool and does light up.

The last photo is of a VMC 72 Coca-Cola machine. It has been said that this machine has the largest embossed logo of any other Coca-Cola vending machine ever produced. I also believe it was the smallest dual chute machine ever manufactured.

To learn more about the Vendorlator Manufacturing Company check out our previous blog.
http://www.vintagevending.com/the-vendorlator-manufacturing-co-a-soda-machine-company

The Victor Products Corporation started out as a commercial refrigeration manufacturer in the 1920s. They became well known for producing their uniquely styled, yet functional counter coolers. Victor built a series of counter coolers for the Coca-Cola Company that included one-, two-, three- and four-door styles, in addition to the very rare Victor Kooler Grill.

The C-31 was a 3-door counter cooler. It had a large capacity, able to hold 756 bottles of chilled Coca-Cola. The bottles were placed in the cooler horizontally, positioned on top of each other in alternating directions, to fit together like a puzzle. The doors on the cooler were roll-top style so they could be pushed up out of the way to access the soda bottles. The cooler was available with an optional black laminate countertop. It extended the length of the cooler and served as a sales and lunch counter. There were two built-in bottle openers with cap catchers and all four sides were embossed with Coca-Cola logos.

A restored Victor cooler such as this one would make a terrific retro style bar in a home or business and would also make a great addition to a gameroom or home theater.

Capacity: 756 bottles
Dimensions: 40”H x 75 1/2”W x 29”D
Weight: 605 lbs.
Produced: Early to mid-1950s

Manufactured by:
Victor Products Corporation
Hagerstown, Maryland

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.

This countertop cooler is from Mexico. The embossing on the front and back reads “Tome Coca-Cola”, or “Drink Coca-Cola”. The manufacturer is unknown. It was probably produced in the 1950s. The design is rather unique, with the very thin, flat lid that covers the entire top of the cooler. We got this cooler in pretty poor condition and have restored it to new condition.

The first Latino countries to be given permission to bottle Coca-Cola were Cuba and Panama in 1906. Coca-Cola was first bottled in Mexico starting in 1926 and is still very popular there today.

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.

The Glascock Junior was a single case cooler, capable of holding 36 chilled bottles. This makes it the same size as the Glascock countertop. The Junior had storage beneath for two cases of bottles and came on legs with casters.

It was equipped with a bottle opener. The sides were covered in removable panel inserts that could be changed out for different soft drink brands or messages, such as “Please Pay the Clerk”. They were painted a distinct Moroccan green that the Glascock coolers became known for. The bottles of Coke were kept cool with ice water.

Glascock was the first manufacturer to produce officially approved coolers for the Coca-Cola Company. The Junior model followed its predecessor, the Standard and was intended for stores with limited floor space. Coca-Cola was vended simply by lifting the lid of the cooler and removing a bottle. The customer then paid the store clerk for the soft drink. The original price for the Junior was $7.95.

Dimensions: 30”H x 17 1/2”W x 17 1/2”D
Produced: In the early 1930s

Manufactured by:
Glascock Bros. Manufacturing Co.
Muncie, Indiana

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.

These are a series of brochures for some vinyl Coca-Cola picnic coolers with dates ranging from about 1939 to 1957. The dates are determined by the slogans used. “Whoever you are, whatever you do…” was used by the Coca-Cola Company beginning in 1939 until about 1942. “Sign of good taste” was slogan used in 1957.

These coolers were made of plastic, or what we refer to now as vinyl. Some of the brand names of these products are “Ideal”, “Werner-Freeman” and “Nappy”. These must have made super picnic coolers, since they were insulated to keep food and drinks cool and the waterproof plastic could easily be wiped clean. The Coca-Cola Company promoted these coolers in order to make it more convenient to have cold Coke on hand, no matter where you happened to be going. These also served as an additional mode of advertising for their soft drink. All the coolers look as if they were made to accommodate two six-packs of Coca-Cola bottles: either side-by-side or with them stacked one over the other.

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.

The pages pictured here are from an old Coca-Cola Company equipment brochure, describing some of the equipment available for use by the vendors of Coca-Cola soft drinks. These are mobile, or stadium cup vendors that could be utilized at various events, such as sports, fairs or others gatherings. These appear to be manufactured by the same company as a stadium cup vendor we already blogged—the Glasco Corporation. They were all produced in the 1950s.

The first vendor featured on these pages is the 400-drink mobile dispenser. This vendor was designed as a pushcart and had space for four soda tanks and ice to keep the drinks cold. In addition to the Coca-Cola tanks, it would have also been necessary to add a cylinder of carbon dioxide for carbonation. The cold Coca-Cola was dispensed into the paper cups that were stored on the cart.

The 100-drink mobile vendor was a smaller version of the Coca-Cola pushcart. It could carry 1 tank of soft drink in an insulated compartment. There wasn’t any room for ice on this one, so the tanks had to be pre-cooled (for approximately 8 hours) before the vendor set off.

The last vendor is a carry pack. It was able to dispense 50 drinks from a pre-cooled tank that was inserted into an insulated compartment. This carry pack was equipped with a heavy-duty strap so it could be worn over the shoulder. The pack also had a compartment for paper cups as well as a small platform for the cup to sit on while the Coke was dispensed into it.

These are all clever designs, and The Coca-Cola Company appears to have gone to great lengths to get their product out to where people were seeking relaxation and entertainment—and getting thirsty. We believe these would not have been manufactured in very large numbers. If you have more information about vendors like these, please blog-in and share your thoughts.

As you can see by the “before” photo of this un-embossed cooler, it definitely was produced as Coca-Cola. This was a great little cooler with a detachable tray on the bottom where you could keep things dry. There also were places inside the lid for a can/bottle opener and an ice pick. This was a relatively small cooler with not much room for more then eight to ten bottles of Coke. Manufacturer is unknown.

The Cornelius Deluxe Draft Arms was the name for a compact pre-mix soft drink dispenser, designed for use in upscale bars and restaurants. They were produced exclusively for the Coca-Cola Company in the late 1950s. The dispenser was available as a single draft arm, two-, three- or a four-draft arms unit. It was designed to be elegant “to harmonize with the finest stainless or chrome fixtures in the best establishments”. The draft arms had a slim design to use a minimum of counter space. The melamine valve handles had large labels to promote Coke sales and to identify the product easily. One of the arms would naturally be reserved for dispensing Coca-Cola while the others were most likely used for mixers. This dispenser came with a drip tray and mounting base that could easily clamp onto counters and bars. It was a remote soft drink dispenser since the product was fed to the valves through refrigerated product lines from the canisters like the “Remote Super-Serve 200”.

Manufactured by:
The Cornelius Company
2727 North Ferry Street
Anoka, MN 55303

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.

A big change in soda fountain dispenser design was seen with the introduction of the Dole Citation Dispenser in June of 1958. Manufactured by the Dole Valve Company of Chicago, Illinois, it reflected a totally new, modern design. It was Dole’s first dispenser to be made mostly of plastic. It was a square countertop model with a 1-gallon capacity.

Technology had advanced by 1962 so that dispensers were offered as either ice-cooled or mechanically refrigerated systems. The Dole Citation was produced through 1964 and was the predecessor to the multi-head self-serve soft drink dispensers we see in use at fast food restaurants nowadays.

Dimensions: 13.5”H x 17.75”L x 10.5”W
Weight: 39 lbs.

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.

This is a Glasco GBV-50 Starlet Soda Machine we restored. It was restored to original condition, but without the Glasco logo and we painted the cap catcher black, rather than red. We have replicated the classic Coca-Cola “fishtail” logo used from 1958 to 1965. Please note we are no longer in the restoration business.

Glasco actually began as the Glascock Brothers Manufacturing Company, a company that was founded in 1892 to build washing machines. In 1929 they produced their first Coca-Cola cooler. It was a cooler that held 72 bottles of Coke that was cooled with ice. It had space below to hold 3 additional cases of soda. The Standard, as it was called, was the first mass-produced Coca-Cola cooler. Because of this, Glascock is often referred to as the “grandfather” of all Coca-Cola vending machines. The company name was changed to the Glasco Corporation in the 1930s. Through the early 1960s, Glasco only made soda vending machines for the Coca-Cola Company. The Universal Match Company acquired Glasco in the 1960s.

The GBV-50 was a very significant vending machine for the Glasco Corporation. It marked their re-entry into the bottle vending business after dedicating several years to producing vendors that dispensed pre-mixed Coca-Cola into cups. The Glasco 50 was manufactured from the late 1950s to the early 1960s.

We’d also like to share these 1960 brochures we have for the Glasco GBV-50 Starlet. The Glasco 50 was built for dispensing bottles of Coca-Cola. This machine operated manually by opening the lid and sliding the bottle to the opening in order to remove it. The bottle was released once the coin was deposited into the coin box. This is a slider-style chest cooler that had the capacity to dispense 50 bottles and pre-cool 25. It was a dry cooler that used a compressor to cool the drinks. It was intended to hold a fair amount of product without taking up a lot of floor space as you can see in the brochure page. It was touted as being both compact and counter-high. It was also promoted as a soda vendor that could hold up to five different products. The slider had 5 rows that could each be filled with a different drink selection. It could hold regular or king-size bottles.

A very similar looking slider vendor had been introduced a few years earlier by the Ideal Dispenser Company. Where Glasco manufactured soda vendors exclusively for Coca-Cola, Ideal made machines for all the other soda manufacturers except Coca-Cola, with an exception. Ideal manufactured an Ideal 55 slider embossed with “Drink Coca-Cola in Bottles” in the late 1950s. It was the only machine they made for Coca-Cola, and therefore, is very rare. The Coca-Cola coolers were not embossed, while the Ideal 55B coolers were.

Dimensions: 37”W x 20”D x 41”H
Weight: 230 lbs.

Manufactured by:
Glasco
Muncie, Indiana

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.

The Coca-Cola Company certainly made an effort to get their name out wherever they could, as evidenced by these brochure pages for a Coca-Cola school zone sign. On this page dating to 1966, the sign was categorized as “outside advertising” and was probably suggested safety and marketing equipment directed at storeowners in the vicinity of schools. These signs would not have been used by the local highway department. The text says they were “redesigned to conform with city and state regulations, which prohibit the use of signs similar to official regulatory signs”. They were an opportunity to advertise while also projecting a “good neighbor” image.
The sign itself was constructed of half-inch plywood with a laminated surface sheet, with a front and a back as you can see here. The sign bolts onto a rust proofed base designed to make the sign stable. The graphics are reflective and, interestingly, the copy says that if the sign is accidentally left out at night it will provide “additional advertising value”.

We restored the base of this Coca-Cola school zone sign. The plywood placard was in nice shape already.

Dimensions: 16”W x 50”H
Base diameter: 24”

We restored this Dole Deluxe Coca-Cola soda fountain dispenser. It’s a countertop soda fountain dispenser that was introduced in 1947 by the Dole Valve Company. It was the very first dispenser they produced following WWII. Because of its shape, it was called the “outboard motor”. The design was created by Raymond Loewy, a famous industrial designer. The shape was reflective of the popular “streamline” style, suggesting speed.

The Dole Deluxe was manufactured from 1947 through 1951 and over 30,000 were sold. Although the dispenser had numerous improvements over previous models, it was still only able to dispense one 6-ounce glass of Coca-Cola at a time.

Manufactured by:
Dole Valve Company
Chicago, Illinois

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.

This is a 1960 Coca-Cola tire rack and 2-sided metal sign combination. Never missing an opportunity to advertise, this clever solution was designed for filling stations that also sold Coca-Cola. It was made of tin with a carry handle on top. It’s a very clever design solution since the inclusion of the tire will also promote tire sales for the filling station owner as well. As the text states, “It helps the dealer by suggesting a check of tires and possible sale, and also suggests that the motorist ‘Enjoy Coca-Cola’”. They’re pretty rare and one of these in very good shape recently went for $2,600 at auction.

Dimensions: 17”W x 32”H

We blogged recently about a Coca-Cola VMC 27 we restored and that blog can be read here: http://www.vintagevending.com/the-vendorlator-27.

We have since come across these original ads for the machine and wanted to share them. One of the ads shows the Kay Display base we reference in the first blog. The Vendorlator 27 is a neat little machine and can still be found in nice shape, given they were almost always kept inside because of its smaller size.

Found this interesting picture in one of the old magazines we have around here. The Middletown, Ohio Coca-Cola Bottling Company has their float ready for the Old Fashioned Days celebration. Looks like they took one of their Coca-Cola Company Ford pick-ups and decked it out in all things Coke. What I find most interesting is the size of that six-pack and I wonder if it survived? Is it in someone’s garage or warehouse or did it get tossed and is it gone forever? What the heck is that thing made out of? Were they mass-produced, and if so did any survive?

Found this interesting photo of a bunch of Coca-Cola Cavalier 51 soda machines on the production line at the plant in Chattanooga, TN. The Cavalier 51 was a widely produced machine from the early 1950s to the late 1950s. It is not the most collectible machine because it is kind of large and is a single selection machine.

For more information on the Coca-Cola Cavalier 51 visit our previous blog on this machine.

A much rarer machine is the Cavalier 102. It has two C-51 doors on a larger cabinet. In other words, it was like two Cavalier 51s back to back so it could vend from either side. Nothing was shared by the two machines; each had its own coin mechanism, vending system and refrigeration. It would have probably been freestanding in a location with lots of traffic like a factory floor. As far as I know, it is the only machine like it and very few were produced. We have included a rough photo of a 102 we once owned. We never restored a 51 or a 102.

This is a Dole Small Coca-Cola dispenser that we restored. The Dole Valve Company introduced this half-gallon model in 1941 as a smaller version of the one-gallon Junior that they manufactured from the late ‘30s to early ‘40s. Because only about 7000 of the Dole Small dispensers were produced from 1941 to 1942, it is a very rare soda dispenser. Due to its smaller size, many of these were put into service on military ships during WWII.

Like the Junior that preceded it, the Dole Small was able to dispense Coca-Cola soft drinks more consistently than was previously possible. The machine could be packed with ice to keep the drinks cooled.

Manufactured by:
Dole Valve Company
Chicago, Illinois

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.

I think this little picnic cooler is great. It is a vinyl-clad picnic cooler that is from the early 60’s. I have seen it in two different sizes and have also seen it in white vinyl. I believe the white versions are rare. Usually these are not in great shape as the vinyl tended to crack and peel over the years. You really cannot restore a cooler like this except to maybe clean the vinyl and polish up the stainless accent pieces. As with any of these old picnic coolers, if you have the original box it is much more valuable.

Manufactured by Royal-Mieco Inc.
135 East Frisco Ave.
Clinton, Oklahoma

The Dole Super Dispenser was introduced in April of 1951. It was manufactured by the Dole Valve Company of Chicago, Illinois. It was Dole’s first soft drink dispenser with a continuous flow valve and was designed to compete with the Selmix soda dispenser. The Super would have been mounted on a counter-top.

In 1955 the Dole Improved Super was introduced in 1955 to replace the Super, but both were continually in service until the mid-1960s. The Super turned out to be the top-seller for Dole.

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.

This is a Coca-Cola Stadium Vendor that we restored. Many collectors refer to these as “bottle carriers” but they were more than that. These were not used simply to transport bottles of Coca-Cola. They were used at baseball games and other events where there were large crowds. A hawker would circulate through the crowd and shout out that he had refreshing, cold soft drinks to sell.

You can imagine that these stadium vendors could get pretty heavy after a while. They were loaded up with glass Coca-Cola bottles and plenty of ice to keep them cold. In addition, this stadium vendor had a unique feature of also have designated spaces for both paper cups and straws. This particular stadium vendor was made some time in the 1950s.

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.

In the 1950’s we entered the Jet Age and America was very excited about it. So why not design your products to take advantage of that excitement, even if it’s just a trash can? The Deluxe Jet by Superior is one cool-looking trash can. Looks like you could just hang it under a wing and off you would go.

Made by Superior Manufacturing St Paul, MN

A Coca-Cola Large Capacity Pre-Mix Soda Fountain Dispenser

The 1965 Cornelius Universal 400 soft drink dispenser was designed as a high-capacity, low-cost machine. Its intended use was at places that attracted big crowds like drive-ins, restaurants and bars, and even the beach. There was an optional wheel kit available to make the unit portable. It could also be used with 6-inch brushed chrome legs as a freestanding unit, or without the legs to fit under a counter.

The dispenser featured a prominently placed, illuminated panel printed with the Coca-Cola slogan of “Things go better with Coke”. There were 4 valves, allowing up to 4 products to be dispensed. The soft drinks were premixed and cooled and this dispenser could serve 400 cold drinks, figuring on 8 drinks dispensed per minute. There was a cooling recovery rate of 3 drinks per minute.

Manufactured by:
The Cornelius Company
2727 North Ferry Street
Anoka, MN 55303

Weight: 138 lbs.
Dimensions: 38”H x 16 3/8”W x 16”D (without legs)
44”H x 16 3/8”W x 16”D (with legs)

Also known as the “Spin Top”, the Vendo 23 vended 23 bottles and pre-cooled 7. Introduced in 1949, it was a smaller cooler, made specifically to fit into smaller spaces. It was intended as an alternative to the bulkier upright vendors available at the time.

Behind the large pullout door there was storage for empties or additional bottles of Coca-Cola. It had an all-steel construction with a baked enamel finish and featured automatic defrost.

This machine was designed to accept 5 cents, 6 cents, or 10 cents and was unable to make change. The vending was done manually, by rotating the handle and lifting the lid to remove a soda.

Dimensions: 20”D x 24”W x 36”H
Weight: 156 lbs.

Manufactured by:
The Vendo Company
Kansas City, Missouri

Pictured here is an assortment of vintage sales and promotional literature for different models of the Westinghouse WC-42T. There are also two mailers die cut to resemble the shape of the machines.

Today the WC-42T soda vending machine is the most commonly found and popular of the Westinghouse upright machines. Although it is the smallest of the Westinghouse upright vendors, it is heavy for its size. The WC-42Ts were manufactured from the early to mid-1950s. The earlier models were painted solid red and had “Ice Cold” embossed on the door and “Here’s a Coke For You” embossed on the sides. We believe this is the only upright soda vending machine to have had this side embossing.

Beginning in 1956 when Coca-Cola changed its paint schemes, the new 42s were painted in a two-tone scheme. The body of the machine was red with a white top. In addition, the door embossing was eliminated and the Coke slogan on the side was no longer embossed but painted.

All models of the 42 have the distinctive Westinghouse “ribs”, or horizontal embossing added purely for aesthetic purposes. The WC-42T vends 42 bottles and has space to pre-cool 10. It is a single selection machine that was designed to vend 6 ½ ounce bottles of Coca-Cola. We have never restored one.

The Westinghouse WD-12 Soda Machine is a dry cooler, meaning it cools without the use of water. It is very similar to the Westinghouse WE-6 except that machine is a wet box, and because of that, held fewer bottles. Also the WD-12 has the addition of stainless steel details. This Coca-Cola soda cooler has a stainless lid and trim and could hold 140 bottles. The two lids are hinged in the middle so a soda can be removed from either side. The WD-12 was manufactured from the mid-1940s to early 1950s. Pictured here is a machine we restored.

Dimensions: 28 1/2”D x 45 1/8”W x 36 1/4”H
Weight: 255 lbs.

Manufactured by:
Westinghouse Electric Corp.
Monroeville, PA

View the video of this Coca-Cola Westinghouse WD-12 Soda Cooler

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.

The Cornelius Slim-Lite Ambassador was the same machine as the Cornelius Ambassador. The only difference being that it had a smaller lighted top. It was offered along side of the Ambassador, for anyone who may have required a smaller machine with “just the right amount of point-of-sale display”.

Manufactured by:
The Cornelius Company
2727 North Ferry Street
Anoka, MN 55303

Weight: 21 lbs.
Dimensions: 17 3/4”H x 11”W x 9”D

The VMC 27 is the smallest soda machine made by Vendorlator. It is only 27 inches high and dispenses 27 6.5 ounce bottles. It had space to pre-cool 10 bottles. It is one of the smallest Coca-Cola soda machines ever made. It’s called the “Tabletop” because it could be placed on a counter. There were a variety of stands made for it, including a pipe stand made by Vendorlator and an all-wood stand made by Kay Display Products.

These machines were made between 1948 and 1951. Pictured here is a VMC 27 that we restored.

Dimensions: 19”D x 24”W x 27”H (without stand)
Weight: 100 lbs.

Manufactured by:
The Vendorlator Manufacturing Co.
4000 Railroad Avenue
Fresno, California

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.

This is the second part of our blog on the Victor Kooler Grill. Be sure to check out Part One where we give you a little history of this unique Coca-Cola cooler also known as the “Hot Dogger”.

Our restoration of the Victor Kooler Grill was probably one of the most challenging and time consuming restorations we had ever undertaken. According to the owner at the time, the cooler was found in a shed that pool chemicals were stored in. This left a lot of the parts in pretty tough shape because of the corrosive effect of years of being around chemicals.

As you can see from the ‘before’ picture, the stainless steel was in bad shape and it all needed to be remade or restored in some way. It was missing some parts like the hot dog grill itself and all of the signage. We also installed all new refrigeration equipment.

The Kooler Grill is essentially a three-door Victor with about a foot added to accommodate the grill, sink and bun warmer. Approximately the remaining two-thirds comprises the refrigerated section. As you can see by these photos we took the machine totally apart.

If not for all of the corroded and missing parts it would have been pretty much a straightforward restoration. The process was to take it apart, sandblast, execute bodywork, paint, reassemble and update the electrical and refrigeration systems. Of course, cleaning and remaking a lot of the stainless pieces including the distinctive arch, slowed down the process.

I understand that this cooler has changed hands a couple of times since the restoration and recently sold for a huge amount of money. So keep your eyes open, I am sure there are more of these sitting around somewhere collecting dust waiting to be found and restored. I hope you enjoyed our blogs and the photos of this unique machine.

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.

This was a very interesting dispenser put out by the Glasco Corporation. First introduced in 1956, it was a stadium or event vendor that was used to vend cold cups of Coca-Cola. The stainless steel tank was pre-chilled and was able to keep the Coke cold for at least 2 hours. This was considered a pre-mix dispenser, since it contained both syrup and carbonated water. Each soft drink dispenser was capable of dispensing 40 servings in as little as 10 minutes. The cup holder was able to hold up to 50 7-ounce paper cups.

This ad claims that 49,811 cups were sold by 12 roaming vendors at a large stadium event. We owned one of these years ago but never restored it. Just one of the many items I wish we still owned.

Weight: 19 lbs. without product, 35.5 lbs. when full

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.

The VMC 3D-33 is nearly the same machine as the VMC 33. One minor difference being the one-piece coin door on the 3D-33 where the 33 has a two-piece door. Also, the “empty” decal changed from white to yellow. The VMC 33 was designed to increase the vending capacity that was available on the VMC Dual 27. The same round drum design was used, but the center was widened to accommodate 6 additional bottles. The VMC 3D-33 was produced in the mid-1950s. It vends 33 bottles and pre-cools 27. This photo is of a VMC 3D-33 Coca-Cola machine that we restored.

Dimensions: 17 1/2”D x 26”W x 52”H
Weight: 231 lbs.

Manufactured by:
The Vendorlator Manufacturing Co.
4000 Railroad Avenue
Fresno, California

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.

Today’s blog is part one of a two-part blog about the Victor Coca-Cola Kooler Grill. In part one this week, we’d like to introduce you to the one-of-a-kind Victor Kooler Grill and outline it’s history and uses.

This was one of the most unique coolers ever to be made. The Victor Coca-Cola Kooler Grill was a soft drink cooler and hot dog grill all in one. It was extremely functional and eye-catching as well. They were made exclusively for the Coca-Cola Company. They were manufactured in 1954 and there were only 50 of them produced. Only 9 of them are known to be still in existence today.

They were designed to serve as fully functioning snack bars. The built-in bun steamer and chili pot were standard equipment. As were the stainless steel hot dog rollers on the Roll-a-Grill. There is a cutting board, a stainless steel countertop and chrome trim throughout. The grill is set behind plexi-glass so patrons could watch the hot dogs while they sizzled. The cash register was made to match the rest of the cooler. There were optional accessories that were also available. These included a rack for empty bottles, a cup dispenser, a wastebasket and a drop-in pre-mix soft drink dispenser. It’s a very large machine, taking up more than 18 square feet of floor space. As if this weren’t enough to attract attention, atop the grill is a distinctive arch made of stainless steel tubing. Sitting atop the arch is an illuminated sign made up of a horizontal tube reading “grilled hot dogs” and a round halo sign with the Coca-Cola logo that lights up and revolves.

This Kooler Grill was a groundbreaker in both product merchandising and food service. Next week we’ll discuss the restoration we did of one of these unique Coca-Cola coolers.

Dimensions: 90 5/8”W x 31 9/16”D x 88 5/8”H
Vending capacity: 510 bottles and 510 hot dogs
Weight: Approximately 895 lbs.

Manufactured by:
Victor
Hagerstown, Maryland

Watch the Coca-Cola Kooler Grill Video

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.

The Vendo 81D may be one of the most sought-after soda machines, also called “drink boxes”, among collectors. It was introduced in 1955 and was made exclusively for the Coca-Cola Company by Vendo. If you find a similar machine embossed with another soda brand such as Royal Crown, Pepsi or 7-Up, then it is not a Vendo 81-D, but rather a VMC-81 made by the Vendorlator Company. They are very similar machines, but made by different companies.

The V-81D pop machine is very similar to its predecessors; both the 81A and 81B, but has a much larger coin door. The V-81D is a “white-top” model, like the V-81B, whereas the V-81A is solid red with a white Coca-Cola logo. And the embossing is larger and positioned more to the right than on the V-81A. The V-81D was manufactured from 1955 to 1958.

The internal workings of the V-81D are still very much like those in the earlier models. It vends 6 to 12 ounce bottles of soda. It has nine shelves and dispenses 81 bottles. There’s space to pre-cool 17 bottles. A fluorescent light illuminates the bottle door allowing you to view the various selections. The larger coin door on the V-81D accommodated a coin mechanism with a coin changer, unlike the small door machines. One feature that makes this machine so popular is the gravity-fed slant-shelf design. This allows you to vend a variety of flavors and sizes of bottles.

We have restored many of these over the years. Follow this link to Retroplanet.com and our Blog About the Vendo 81, 44 and 39 Service Manuals in the PDF Library. There you can download a copy of a Vendo 81 Soda Machine Manual.

Dimensions: 58”H x 27”W x 16”D
Weight: 286 lbs.

View the video of this Coca-Cola Vendo 81D Soda Machine

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.

In the 1960s Coca-Cola and other soft drink manufacturers put a lot of emphasis on making their beverage available at popular venues like bowling alleys, restaurants and drive-ins. Soft drinks were now dispensed premixed and cold as a result of advances in technology.

The Cornelius Co. has now been in business for almost 70 years making coolers and beverage dispensers. They manufactured the Diplomat for the Coca-Cola Company from 1962 to 1969. It is classified as an electric, self-contained, over-the-counter soft drink dispenser. This catalog page states that the “Crisp, clean lines and a bold, lighted sign on each side give the Diplomat styling that attracts costumers, adds prestige to any location!” It also adds the promise of “ice cold refreshment” due to the “Cornelius Ice-O-Matic design”. The cooling device was self-contained within the machine, so there was no need to add ice. The design and illuminated logo served as point of sale advertising and as an enticement to have some refreshment.

The dispensing unit could be mounted on a counter or bar, taking up a minimum amount of space. The dispenser could serve as many as 4 different products and up to 150 cold drinks, figuring on 6 drinks dispensed per minute. There was a cooling recovery rate of 1 drink per minute.

Manufactured by:
The Cornelius Company
2727 North Ferry Street
Anoka, MN 55303

Weight: 110 lbs.
Dimensions: 24 ¾”H x 18”W x 22 ¼”D

The VMC 27 was made for Coca-Cola from 1948 to 1951. This tabletop vending machine had a unique mailbox-type shape that attracted customers, so these were very popular among storeowners. There was an optional stand made by Kay Products for this machine that had additional storage space below. The VMC 27 was capable of vending 27 cold soft drinks, and pre-cooled 10. This machine was a friendlier size for use in Mom and Pop establishments where space was at a premium. These places wouldn’t have had any use for the gargantuan Vendorlator Master and Jumbo models that were made during the war for use in factories. (The Master could vend 84 bottles and pre-cool 80 and the Jumbo could vend 124 bottles and cool 104!) Unfortunately for the 27, the Coca-Cola Company wanted something that could vend more drinks than these were able. In the early 1950’s Vendorlator made the upright Dual 27 for Coca-Cola that was an improvement with the capacity to vend 27 and pre-cool 27 more. As the competition between the soft drink manufacturers grew, Coke felt the 27 still wasn’t big enough. The answer was the VMC 33 that could vend 33 bottles and cool 27. These replaced the model 27 product line and were manufactured from the early to mid-1950’s. And the vendors got larger still, with very popular models like the VMC 81 that was made for dispensing Royal Crown, Pepsi-Cola, 7Up and Dr. Pepper. These classic machines were produced from the mid- to late-1950’s and are very collectible today.

In 1956, Vendorlator merged with its former rival, the Vendo Company of Kansas City, Missouri. Prior to the merger, Vendo worked almost exclusively with the Coca-Cola Company, so the combination of the two companies made them the primary supplier of vendors to the soft drink market. Within two years, the companies were completely consolidated and operating out of the Fresno location. In 1988 Vendo became a subsidiary of the Sanden Corporation of Japan. Vendo moved its headquarters to Dallas, Texas in 2005 and the name changed to SandenVendo America Inc. They still operate today as a manufacturer of vending machines, in addition to commercial freezers, and automotive air-conditioning systems.

The Vendorlator Manufacturing Company
4000 Railroad Avenue
Fresno, California

These two ads were part of an advertising series appearing in a trade publication from 1949. They feature Coca-Cola button signs manufactured by Temco Inc. of Nashville, Tennessee. The signs are pictured in these ads with the Taj Mahal and Stonehenge to illustrate how “timeless” and long-lasting Temco porcelain enamel signs are. I also came across another ad online featuring the Matterhorn. There may have been more ads pairing up the Temco Coke signs with other indestructible icons. Maybe you could let us know if you’ve seen one.

As you can see, these Coca-Cola button signs were designed to withstand years of outdoor use. They were used outside filling stations, neighborhood grocers and drugstores. They were very often used as part of a larger sign or in combination with others and could have been hung on a wall or installed on a stand. These Temco signs came in sizes ranging from 12 inches to 36 inches in diameter. In addition to the red signs shown here, with the Coca-Cola logo, there were also versions made that were white and/or had a Coke bottle on them as well as the logo. Some said “Drink Coca-Cola” or “Drink Coca-Cola in Bottles”. Because of their durability, you can still find these button signs today, although they don’t come cheaply.

The VMC 72 is a considered a small machine to have dual bottle chutes. It may be the smallest ever made. Typically the dual chute design appeared only on the larger soda machines. The VMC 72 has a very large Coca-Cola logo that manufacturers believed would attract more customers. It has the same coin door design as on the VMC 3D-33. The VMC 72 was manufactured from the early to mid-1950s. It vends 72 bottles and pre-cools 6. These photos are of a VMC 72 Coca-Cola machine that we restored.

Dimensions: 15”D x 25”W x 58”H

Manufactured by:
The Vendorlator Manufacturing Co.
4000 Railroad Avenue
Fresno, California

Embossed VMC 72

Coin Door on VMC 72

VMC 72 Coin Mechanism

Inside of VMC 72

Vending Rack Compressor

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.

The Cornelius Deluxe Ambassador was a lightweight pre-mix soft drink dispenser that was designed for The Coca-Cola Company to be used in upscale bars and restaurants. It was the exact same machine as the Cornelius Ambassador, but with simulated wood grain panels instead of prominent Coca-Cola advertising. It was intended as a “quality dispenser for serving fine quality pre-mix for mixed drinks”. Among the mixers of course, was Coca-Cola.
This machine was the smallest and lightest of the Ambassador line, since it had eliminated the lighted dome entirely. It still clamped easily to a countertop and only required 4 ½ inches in counter depth. In addition to the wood grain, this dispenser had black trim, allowing it to blend into even the most elegant settings.



Manufactured by:
The Cornelius Company
2727 North Ferry Street
Anoka, MN 55303
Weight: 20 lbs.
Dimensions: 11 1/2”H x 11”W x 9”D (without dome)

This photo is of a page from The Coca-Cola Company’s 1957 catalog featuring commemorative Coca-Cola jewelry, made by the L. G. Balfour Company. Since the turn of the century, The Coca-Cola Company has believed in creating employee incentive and rewarding loyalty with acknowledgment that may have come in the form of merchandise, gift cards or discount vouchers. As seen by these catalog pages, in 1957 Coca-Cola turned to the L.G. Balfour Company of Attleboro, MA to create gifts with their insignia. Balfour has been making quality jewelry since 1913. Lloyd Garfield Balfour originally started the company to make items for fraternities and sororities on college campuses. During WWI the US Government hired them to make military insignia for the Armed Forces. When the war was over, Balfour created new product lines including a wide array of company service awards. The Coca-Cola Company awarded pins to their employees after completing every five years of service up to what appears to be 50 years according to the catalog. The pins were 10K gold and included enamel and/or genuine precious stones. The last pin shown is in a classic Coke bottle shape and is listed as a “Pledge Pin” for the modest price of $1.50. At the bottom of the catalog page you can see they also offered a genuine Rolex watch for the phenomenal 1957 price of $50.75.

The next page of the catalog illustrates a wide array of additional items awarded by The Coca-Cola Company and made by Balfour. Included are a makeup compact, bracelets, a necklace, tie clips, a keychain, a money clip, a lighter and a belt buckle. Noted is the option of having the item made with a “50th Anniversary mounting, Coca-Cola Bottle mounting, or Coca-Cola (logo) mounting”.

This 1962 catalog page shows that Bulova also made merchandising items for The Coca-Cola Company. These products were also directed at the management at Coca-Cola as gifts and awards for their employees. Each quality watch bears the Coca-Cola logo painted in red on the watch face. The ad states, “With these beautiful watches Bulova helps you say ‘Thank You’ in an unforgettable way”. I’m sure the lucky recipients were very happy to receive these gifts and also very proud to wear them.

The Cornelius 5-Product Bar Valve
A Coca-Cola Pre-Mix Soda Fountain Valve Dispenser

This catalog page shows the 1965 model of the Cornelius 5-Product Bar Valve. It was proclaimed the “modern way to serve drinks in bars and taverns”. These were manufactured for The Coca-Cola Company and offered 5 different mixer flavors. This was “paired up with a Cornelius 5-Flavor Cold Plate”, making it a cost-effective alternative to the larger soft drink dispensers. Five flavors were available on the valve that could be dispensed with the touch of a finger. A molded valve rest was attached under the bar to store and protect the valve when it was not in use.

Manufactured by:
The Cornelius Company
2727 North Ferry Street
Anoka, MN 55303

1965 Cornelius Ambassador

A Coca-Cola Lighted Dome Pre-Mix Soda Fountain Dispenser

The Cornelius Ambassador was a lightweight pre-mix soft drink dispenser with a modern look that was made by The Cornelius Company in the late 1960s. It offered an optional dome that lit up and displayed the Coca-Cola slogan, “Things go better with Coke” that also served as a “billboard”. The Ambassador was designed for “Maximum Point-of-Sale Display” with “trademark identification and powerful sales impact”.

Because of its small size, the Ambassador required very little counter space (4 ½ inches of counter depth) and yet was able to dispense up to 4 products. A remote refrigeration system could be conveniently placed up to 25 feet from the dispenser and connected to it with insulated tubing. The tubes were referred to as “Refrigerated Product Lines” or a “python”. The illuminated part of the dispenser was not only placed high for advertising purposes, but also the distance served to prevent the light from warming up the product. The dispenser could be very easily clamped to any counter.

Manufactured by:
The Cornelius Company
2727 North Ferry Street
Anoka, MN 55303

Weight: 27 lbs. with the dome, 20 lbs. without the dome
Dimensions: 23 3/4”H x 11”W x 9”D (with dome)
11 1/2”H x 11”W x 9”D (without dome)

Dixie Produces Paper Cups for Coke, Tab and Sprite

The trend in soda vending machines throughout the 1960s was to serve up pre-mixed soft drinks in paper cups, rather than dispensing them in bottles or cans. Machines that dispensed soft drinks in paper cups were popular at places of business, clubs and in schools. But the original idea of a cup vendor dates back to before WWII.

In 1939 the president of the Vendo Company, E.F. Pierson, came up with the concept of a machine that became known as the “Decapper”. This machine opened a bottle of Coke and poured it into a cup before dispensing it. The customer never had to be bothered with discarding empty bottles. The complexity of the machine made it expensive and it never really caught on, resulting in only 251 of them being manufactured. Vendo’s next try at selling a cup vendor was ten years later, in 1959 with the Model V-800. This pre-mix cup-dispensing machine led the way to further advances in cup vending technology and the increased demand for them in the 1960s. Cup vendors continued to be popular into the 1970s.

Making all of the cup vendors possible, of course, was the invention of the paper cup. The onetime use paper cup was invented in 1907 by Lawrence Luellen of Boston, MA. He had taken on the task of inventing such a product after a business associate was approached by investors who expressed an interest in starting a company that could make a flat-folded paper cup. They wanted to dispense the cup from a vending machine connected to a watercooler. They hoped to address health issues arising from the practice of drinking from community water pumps and water barrels, usually using the same ladle or cup.

Luellen came up with a pleated cup made of paper treated with paraffin. He also invented a machine that dispensed water into a paper cup for the price of a penny. Remaining was the task of convincing the public that disposable cups were necessary and that reusing drinking containers could make them sick. (Up until the turn of the century most people were unaware that germs even existed.) In 1908 Luellen joined forces with a man by the name of Hugh Moore to educate the public about the health benefits of disposable cups. In 1909 they formed the Public Cup Vendor Company and named their product the Health Kup. At that time their main business was leasing their water dispensing machines to railroads and train stations. They also sold their cups in bulk to these customers.

Scientific studies of the time boosted sales of paper cups. It may be hard for us to believe it today, but schools had a single drinking vessel that was used by all of the students. Public places had common drinking cups, or the “tin-dipper”, and railroad stations supplied a shared drinking glass beside water coolers. In 1908 a biology professor published his study called “Death in School Drinking Cups”, which did wonders to eliminate the practice of sharing a glass. The flu epidemic of 1910 also greatly increased the demand for the paper cups.

In 1910 the company was incorporated as the Individual Drinking Cup Company of New York. Luellen handed over his paper cup patents to the company and received money and significant stock in the company in return.

In 1919 the cup was given a new name: Dixie. The company’s name was changed to the Dixie Cup Company and it continued to grow. In 1921 the company was moved to a newly designed and constructed plant in Easton, PA. They experienced great success throughout the course of WWII due to their watertank-cup dispensers being widely used on US military bases and factories.

Dixie’s growth continued after the war, and in 1946 they worked with The Coca-Cola Company to create a cup vendor. The evolution of the Dixie Cup included improved printing methods in the 1960s that allowed them to print company brands on them. This brochure page shows some of the Dixie paper cups made for Coca-Cola in the 1960s. In addition to the Coca-Cola flavor of soft drink cups are cups for The Coca-Cola Company’s Sprite and Tab brands.

Since 2000 Georgia-Pacific Corporation of Virginia has owned the rights to the “Dixie” name. In 2002 the Dixie division of GP and The Coca-Cola Company united once again, collaborating in a product line of plastic Coca-Cola cups to be sold at retail stores. Included in the line is a disposable greenish plastic cup, shaped in the classic fluted Coca-Cola bell-shape. At Retroplanet.com you can find a variety of similar glass versions.

The Vendo V-83 Coca-Cola Vending Machine

The V-83 has the distinction of being Vendo’s first coin-operated, upright soda vending machine to be mass-produced. Like all other Vendos, it was made exclusively for the Coca-Cola Company and was produced from 1946 to 1955. There were more of this model machine made among upright Vendos, than any other machine up until 1960.

The vending couldn’t have been simpler; just insert a nickel and lift the dispenser door to lift out your Coke. It is a single-selection machine that vends 83 bottles and has space to pre-cool 75. The 6.5-ounce bottles were loaded into individual compartments in a honeycomb-shaped drum. By lifting the door to remove a Coke, the drum was rotated to the next available bottle.
This Vendo 1947 V-83 brochure states that demand is so high for this machine, that they may have difficulty filling orders for them in the following year—so you had better put your order in early! Not so true anymore, as this is such a heavy machine, that it’s not all that popular with collectors. In addition, it can only hold the original 6.5-ounce bottles.

Dimensions: 63”H x 32 1/2”W x 18”D
Weight: 450 lbs.

Manufactured by:
The Vendo Company
Kansas City, Missouri

The Jewett Bevador Giant Circular Cooler

The Bevador cooler is a beast, but yet a very interesting item! With the dome top it measures 7’ 6” tall and weighs in at 1050 pounds. It was produced in the 1950’s by the Jewett Refrigerator Co. of Buffalo, NY. Inside the cooler are seven revolving adjustable shelves. The door has five feet of white neon tubes between the glass. We owned one of these and considered restoring it several times but never got around to it. I have seen them restored as Coke bottles, but our idea was to take off the top and restore it like the 1960’s Coca-Cola Diamond pattern can. The one we owned was just in too bad a shape to do anything with so we sold it ‘as is’.

I believe the company is still in business and manufactures blood refrigeration cabinets. I’m not 100% sure, so if anyone has any information please blog-in and let us know.

Jewett Refrigerator Co.
94-98 Pearl Street
Buffalo, NY

Are you looking for some cool 1950’s atmosphere to add to your home, and a soda vending machine that you can use today? How about the Coca-Cola Vendo 39? This machine is not only one of the most recognized Vendo models, but it’s also able to dispense the 8-ounce bottles the Coca-Cola Company is distributing today.

The Vendo 39 was made for the Coca-Cola Company from 1949 to the mid-1950’s. There were some 80,000 of these made, so they are still fairly common today. They graced the fronts of filling stations and storefronts all over 1950’s America. This single-selection machine is equipped with a honeycomb-shaped wheel that turns to dispense a nice, cold Coca-Cola. It is capable of vending 39 8-ounce bottles and pre-cools 20. And with its characteristic rounded corners and sleek design, this is a classic, and highly collectible model.

It is important to note that the Vendo 39 that was made from 1949 to the mid-1950’s, like the one we have here, was always painted a solid red. The later 39s, made from the mid- to late-1950’s were painted red and white.

Every soda machine we restored at Vintage Vending followed the same process. First the machine was completely disassembled and all painted parts were sandblasted. All other parts were re-chromed, powder-coated, repainted or cleaned. The coin mechanism was re-plated and rebuilt. Automotive bodywork was performed on all of the sandblasted parts. The machine was painted with PPG automotive paint. Then the machine was reassembled with a new refrigeration compressor and all electrical was replaced.

Dimensions: 58” high x 27” wide x 16” deep

Weight: 285 lbs.
Manufactured by:

The Vendo Company

Kansas City, Missouri

View the video of this restored Vendo 39



This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby.

To view more pictures of the completed restoration visit the RetroPlanet.com Museum.

Sherwin-Williams Coca-Cola Truck Brochure

These are scans of a very early Sherwin-Williams brochure for painting Coca-Cola trucks. Looks like it could be from the twenties by the look of the truck. There’s a great graphic of the truck along with a color chart spelling out the use of all the colors and where to purchase them. This is another example of how important it was to Coca-Cola to have a consistent look, even way back when.

You can download a larger version of this and other truck-painting brochures at the Retroplanet.com PDF library.

The 1920’s Icy-O Coca-Cola Vendors

Following the first efforts at bottling Coca-Cola in 1894, the Coca-Cola Company decided they needed a way to display and sell cold bottles of Coke. Originally, the solution was a wooden barrel sawed in half and filled with ice. A sign was usually attached to the front of the barrel. This tub-style Icy-O vendor was the first of the Coca-Cola Company’s improvements to the more crude former method. In this vendor, the bottles were displayed beneath a clear door. A crank of the handle would allow the customer to see and select a bottle. The door in the front of the vendor was for the empty bottles.

If the merchant did not have enough floor space for the tub vendor, the Coca-Cola Company’s solution was the Icy-O countertop model. Ice was placed inside to keep the soft drinks cold. This is a self-service cooler that was made of metal, but finished to look like wood.

Manufactured by:
The Icy-O Company, Inc.
Peachtree St. and Clement Ave.
Charlotte, NC

Both the tub and countertop models are very rare. Do you happen to be lucky enough to have one? Send us an email and let us know.

The Cavalier C-27 Coca-Cola Dry Vendor

Designed as a smaller, indoor Coca-Cola vendor, the Cavalier C-27 was produced from the late-1940’s to the mid-1950’s. It was intended for use in offices and reception rooms where there was limited traffic. It was easy to operate; you inserted the proper change, turned the crank and a cold bottle of Coca-Cola was dispensed. There was a small red light beside the coin slot to let you know when the machine was empty. The original handle design was referred to as a “ship wheel handle”. Later versions of this model had a “star” handle. Examples of the original ship handle version are rare and hard to find.

This Coca-Cola vending machine could vend for 5 or 6 cents per bottle. It was equipped with a crown catcher and a slug rejecter and was able to be fitted for a changer.

Dimensions:
22”D x 18”W x 41”H

Weight: 175 lbs.

Manufactured by:

Cavalier Corporation

Chattanooga, Tennessee

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.

The F. L. Jacobs Company, A Soda Machine Company

F. L. Jacobs originally specialized in manufacturing home appliances like the Jacobs Launderall washing machine out of Detroit, Michigan. They began manufacturing soda vending machines for Coca-Cola in the 1940’s from a plant in Indianapolis, Indiana. Their machines have a unique shape referred to by collectors as the “mailbox” shape. They are believed to be one of the few manufacturers that the Coca-Cola Company authorized to continue making Coca-Cola soda vending machines in limited quantities through the course of WWII. Like all machines made in that time, they had large capacities for serving the workers in the wartime factories. One of these was the enormous J-144. It weighed 580 lbs. without any soda in it and measured 65”H x 34”W x 35”D.

In contrast, the smallest, most sought-after and fortunately, most common of Jacobs soda machines is the Jacobs 26. The 26 was produced in the late 1940’s and measures 54”H x 19”W x 26”D. Like all Jacobs machines, it has the classic mailbox shape. This design is to accommodate the interior drum from which the soda is vended. The drum rotates to dispense the bottles. Like all the Jacobs Coca-Cola models, it vends from the narrow side of the machine and the bottles are loaded from the wider side.

Other postwar machines include the Jacobs 50 and 56 manufactured in the early 1950’s. The Jacobs 50 was a 50-bottle model that used decals to advertise Pepsi-Cola. On the other hand, the model 56 is a slicker looking machine, with an illuminated Pepsi-Cola soda “cap” on the door. Collectors have given this model the name “Pepsi Light-Up”. The Jacobs 56 was made for only two years, from 1952 to 1953. Due to its short production time and the scarcity of models with the “cap” intact, this is one of the most sought-after soda machines and is a rare model to find today.

In addition to the models already mentioned, Jacobs made the model 35, produced in the late 1940’s to the early 1950’s. It is identical to the 26, except that the drum was redesigned to hold nine additional bottles and there was room in the machine to cool 41. Jacobs also produced what turned out to be their final model, the 108, proclaiming it the “fastest loading medium cooler made”. The F. L. Jacobs Company moved to Traverse City, Michigan around 1950. Unfortunately, there weren’t to be any more Jacobs soda machines coming down the production line. It seems that in 1951 the F. L. Jacobs Company was encouraged by the U.S. Department of Justice to repay $15 million “in excess profits from producing necessities and munitions of war during World War II”. They voluntarily paid back the money, and it obviously put a strain on the company. They closed their doors in 1953.

F. L. Jacobs Company

1100 W. 21st Street

Indianapolis, Indiana

Originally starting as a sawmill, the Tennessee Furniture Company of Chattanooga opened in 1865. It began as an offshoot of the sawmill, in order to sell off the flawed pieces of wood that wouldn’t have sold otherwise. Gaston Raoul was the second owner of the furniture company. He bought an additional enterprise, the Odorless Refrigeration Company, in 1905, which enabled the Tennessee Furniture Company to rapidly become the largest manufacturer of ice coolers in the country. They chose the name “Cavalier” in 1923 for their line of cedar hope chests and soda coolers but they continued to make furniture in the division known as the Tennessee Furniture Company until 1960.

In 1935, during the Depression, the Cavalier division of the Tennessee Furniture Company began a long-standing relationship with the Coca-Cola Company. Under the name “Cavalier”, they made soda machines, coolers and picnic chests to the exacting specifications of the Coca-Cola Company. In 1938 the company name was officially changed to the Cavalier Corporation. Some of the early coolers made by Cavalier include the Junior, Standard, Master and Giant model chest coolers. Cavalier made products exclusively for Coca-Cola right through the 1960’s. In 1958 Cavalier advertising proclaimed they had sold “more than half a million coolers since 1935”.

Post-WWII most vendor manufacturers were focusing on the production of upright machines, but Cavalier continued to concentrate on coolers. In 1945 they introduced the model FD-2, or the dry office cooler. It was designed for low-traffic areas like offices and retail stores. Cavalier joined other manufacturers in producing upright coin-operated vending machines in 1953 when they introduced the C-51. It had a very similar appearance to the Vendo-39; only it was larger and able to vend 51 bottles, as opposed to the Vendo’s 39 bottles.

One of the most popular Cavalier models of vending machine is the CS-72 that was produced from 1958 to 1959. This is still a very desirable machine, since it is able to vend up to nine different flavors of soda. It holds eight bottles on nine slant shelves, instead of using a conveyor system that was capable of vending only one type of soft drink. This innovative model was the first to be designed without the crank handle on the outside. Instead, once the money is deposited, the “Have a Coke” lens lights up, indicating the door is ready to be opened and a bottle of soda pulled out. Cavalier was responsible for many “firsts” in the vending market. The Cavalier Corporation was also the first to introduce a vending machine that was able to dispense either bottles or cans of soda. This was the “square-corner” C-55D vendor introduced in 1959. In the 1960’s Cavalier was taken over by the Seeburg Corporation. In turn, Seeburg was taken over by a succession of companies. In 1987 the Cavalier division filed for bankruptcy and was spun off as an employee-owned company. In August of 2000 the plant was closed for good.

Cavalier Corporation

1105 East Tenth Street

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Coca-Cola Cavalier 72 Soda Vending Machine

The Cavalier 72 is a round-top model Coca-Cola vending machine that was introduced in 1958. It was built by one of the largest manufacturers of soda vending machines for the Coca-Cola Company, the Cavalier Corporation. This machine is one that we restored at Vintage Vending.

Every soda machine we restored at Vintage Vending followed the same process. First the machine was completely disassembled and all painted parts were sandblasted. All other parts were re-chromed, powder-coated, repainted or cleaned. The coin mechanism was re-plated and rebuilt. Automotive bodywork was performed on all of the sandblasted parts. The machine was painted with PPG automotive paint. Then the machine was reassembled with a new refrigeration compressor and all electrical was replaced.

This machine was restored with the original color scheme. As was popular in the late 1950’s, this machine is predominately white. It is a slant-shelf machine that holds up to 72 bottles, 8 bottles on each of its 9 shelves. These shelves can be adjusted to accommodate bottles ranging from 6 to 12 ounce sizes. This also allows for the vending of up to 9 different flavors. There’s space to pre-cool 17 bottles. Collectors appreciate this machine’s versatility, making it a very desirable model and one of the most popular Coke machines.

The Cavalier 72 also has great style with its small profile and rounded corners. In addition, after depositing your money, the “Have a Coke” lens on the bottle door lights up, indicating that you can pull a soda out. There’s no need to pull down a handle to dispense the soda, as the slanted shelves and gravity make the bottles readily available. Older soda machines were equipped with mechanical coin mechanisms. Because the Cavalier 72 has an electro-mechanical coin mechanism, this machine also allows you to set the price of the sodas up to $1.00, making this vendor an option for use today in a restaurant or store.

Dimensions:
67” high x 24 3/4” wide x 21 7/8”
deep
Weight: 256 lbs.

Manufactured by:

The Cavalier Corporation

Chattanooga, Tennessee

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby.

To view more pictures of the completed restoration visit the RetroPlanet.com Museum.

New Coca-Cola in Italy and Egypt Blog Post.

There’s a new blog at Retroplanet.com with some really great photos from the 1940’s showing sales and distribution of Coca-Cola in both Italy and Cairo, Egypt. Check out the blog, and also stop by the Retroplanet PDF Library to see lots of additional photos, not included in the blog.

Official Coca-Cola Company Uniforms

Are you in the mood for a little nostalgia? These photos are of vintage brochures advertising various styles of Riverside uniforms made for the employees of the Coca-Cola Company. The Riverside Manufacturing Company has been in business since 1911, and still makes corporate uniforms today out of Moultrie, Georgia.

Similar to the example we saw in an earlier blog about standardized painting of Coca-Cola trucks, it was also important to the Coca-Cola Company that their employees have a ‘uniform’ look. They understood the value of a standardized look and the customer loyalty and sales that were generated by this attention to detail. All the coordinated elements (advertising, soda machines, trucks, employee uniforms) combined to create a total corporate identity. In addition, this uniformity made the employees themselves feel better, as it created a sense of a democracy and working together as a team, as opposed to emphasizing a workplace hierarchy.

Coca-Cola still has their employees wear uniforms today, but they are a far cry from the crisp, military styles of the past. Where today you will see drivers and delivery people wearing a polo shirt or casual button-down shirt paired with a baseball-style cap, in the 1940’s and 50’s the uniforms were designed to look very similar to those worn by military personnel. This applied to both men and the women. The uniform for the men consisted of a crisp long or short-sleeve shirt and slacks with a military style cap. The women’s uniform was a dress resembling those worn by nurses during WWII with a cap to complete a polished, professional appearance. In addition to creating a sense of professionalism, the uniforms also created an authoritative air. Because, after all, Coke had a lot of fierce competition, all vying for the bulk of the soft drink market. Standardized trucks and uniforms were an effective way to give a trustworthy and dependable appearance to the man delivering “The Pause That Refreshes” and to give Coca-Cola the upper hand in the marketplace.

Riverside Manufacturing Company
Corporate Office
301 Riverside Drive

Moultrie, Georgia

The Cavalier Coca-Cola vending machine was designed by Cavalier to compete directly with the Vendo 39. It vends 51 cold bottles of Coca-Cola and pre-cools 36 bottles, which is a greater volume than the 39 vended, 20 cooled of the Vendo 39. Other features you can see listed in this brochure are that it’s easy to load, has an all-metal construction, chrome-plated hardware and a large crown catcher. Each bottle travels on a belt in its own aluminum tube, so the bottles are not rubbing together as they are stored and dispensed.

These soda machines were made from the early 1950’s to the late 1950’s, but they were not as popular as their competition.

Dimensions:

24 ¾” wide x 20 ¼” deep x 64 9/16” high
Weight:
360 lbs.

Manufactured by:

Cavalier Corporation

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Have you seen a Cavalier 51? Please blog-in with your feedback/comments.

Coca-Cola Vendo 44 Soda Vending Machine

The most desirable Coca-Cola soda machine ever made, the Vendo 44 was produced exclusively for the Coca-Cola Company from 1956 to 1959. The very narrow width of this machine has made it a highly collectible machine for both the veteran collector as well as newcomers to the hobby. These machines, when new, were very popular with storeowners because they didn’t take up a lot of floor space. They were always painted what has become the classic Coca-Cola red and white. It can vend 44 8-ounce bottles, and pre-cools 9. The Vendo 44 that appears here is a machine that we restored at Vintage Vending.

Every soda machine we restored at Vintage Vending followed the same process. First the machine was completely disassembled and all painted parts were sandblasted. All other parts were re-chromed, powder-coated, repainted or cleaned. The coin mechanism was re-plated and rebuilt. Automotive bodywork was performed on all of the sandblasted parts. The machine was painted with PPG automotive paint. Then the machine was reassembled with a new refrigeration compressor and all electrical was replaced. Also, this machine has been modified to vend 12-ounce cans in addition to bottles.

Dimensions:
57 1/2” high x 16” wide x 15 1/2” deep

Weight: 225 lbs.

Manufactured by:

The Vendo Company

Kansas City, Missouri

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby.

To view more pictures of the completed restoration visit the RetroPlanet.com Museum.

What do you do when you have a couple of undesirable, enormous and basically worthless Vendo 144 soda machines? You turn them into restroom doors. These are photos of the restrooms that were in our retail store in Salem, NH. We took two Vendo 144 doors and restored them to like new condition and bolted them to a couple of solid doors. If you try this, keep in mind that they are heavy and you may have to reinforce the doorjamb and hinges. But the extra work is worth it; the doors always received great compliments and a second look from everyone who saw them.

1960 Coca-Cola Vendo Soda Machines

This is a Vendo Company brochure announcing their available soda vending machine line for the year in 1960. Note the Vendo 44, which was introduced in 1956, was still being manufactured. This was a very popular model, and tens of thousands of these were manufactured.

As the Vendo soda machines were modernized and improved, they were also getting larger, as you can see in this photo of a Vendo V-304-4 Multi-Drink model. This machine was capable of vending 304 regular or king (10 oz.) bottles, as well as cooling an additional 36 bottles. It could vend up to 4 different beverages. With its large capacity, this vendor was designed for high-traffic areas.

Blog-in with any comments you may have.

Coca-Cola Vending Machine Conversion Kits

Beginning in the 1950’s, the trend among soda machines was to offer vendors with multiple flavor selections. What was to be done with all of the single-selection soda dispensing machines already in use? The Selectivend Corporation came up with a solution. They introduced conversion kits for the more popular Coca-Cola Vendo machines. The conversion kits could be installed, changing a single-selection machine to a multivendor, able to dispense up to twelve different flavors.

Some of the models that kits were available for include the Vendo V39, V144, V216 and the V83. This idea may have been innovative, but it never really caught on, as the conversions were pretty involved, and once done, the machines were most likely very troublesome.

Maybe you have some feedback about this blog. We’d love to hear from you.

Service Manuals for Coca-Cola Vendo 81, 44 & 39 Soda Machines

At the Retroplanet.com site we are offering free downloads of PDFs of service manuals for three models of Coca-Cola soda machines from the 1950’s. They are the Vendo 81, 44 and 39. These PDFs can be found at the Retroplanet PDF Library.

It is important to note that in the beginning of the manual you will see photos of vending machines that were restored by us at Vintage Vending. They may have been restored to look different from the machine you may have. The rest of the manual PDFs are of the actual manual and schematics. There are also photos and parts lists. Our hope is that these photos are of help to you.

The soda machines we have restored are not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby.

There is a great blog at Retroplanet.com about Coca-Cola coolers being used in various establishments in Southern California in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The photos included with the blog are literally snapshots of a way of life that is no longer with us. Head over to Retroplanet.com and the Blog heading of Vintage Vending Archives. Scroll down to “Coca-Cola Coolers”, and enjoy a trip down Memory Lane and remember what it was like when there were neighborhood grocery stores and filling stations, and of course, coolers of ice cold Coca-Cola.

Glascock Countertop Cooler

In 1929 the first officially approved retail cooler for dispensing bottles of Coca-Cola was introduced. It was a Glascock cooler. This particular Glascock countertop cooler was introduced in 1931. This open-top cooler was both the smallest and least expensive cooler made by Glascock. It hit the market priced at $5.95. It held 36 chilled bottles, with no additional storage space. Galvanized metal was used for its sturdy construction. Essentially, it was the same as the Junior model offered in 1930, but without legs. It was designed to sit on a countertop in a retail environment. As with other soft drink coolers of the time, it was based on an honor system, where the customer selected a bottle of Coke and paid the store clerk.

Filling the cooler up with ice chilled the bottles. There was a faucet at the base to drain excess water from the cooler after the ice melted. The cooler is painted a “Moroccan Green” in addition to the standardized red and white. The embossed logos on the cooler sides were panels that could be pulled out and changed. Glascock coolers are considered the “Grandfathers” of all Coca-Cola vending machines that were to follow. This particular Glascock cooler is rare and very desirable to collectors.
For more photos of our restored Glascock cooler, visit the Retroplanet Museum and look under “Chest Coolers”.

Dimensions: 14” high x 18” wide x 26” deep

Capacity: 36 bottles plus 20 lbs. of ice

Manufactured by:

Glascock Bros. Manufacturing Co.

Muncie, Indiana

“Coca-Cola Truck and Car Paint Schemes” at Retroplanet.com

Standardization of the Coca-Cola identity is discussed at the Retroplanet.com blog, “Coca-Cola Truck and Car Paint Schemes”. Click on http://www.retroplanet.com/blog/category/vintage-vending-archives/ to see the Standardization Bulletins issued by the Standardization Committee of Bottlers of Coca-Cola in 1948 and 1957. They’re very interesting!

The Evolution of Soft Drink Dispensing

Recently, while doing descriptions for the soda fountain dispensers in the Retroplanet Museum, I was struck by how little I knew about how these IN-dispensable drinks evolved. Drinks like Coca-Cola and Pepsi have become such a staple in the American diet that I think many of us take them for granted.

The first attempts at making a carbonated drink date back as far as the early 1770’s, when it was believed that natural mineral waters had curative powers. People flocked to spas where mineral water bubbled naturally out of the earth. Early scientists tried to replicate these bubbly drinks with health benefits for everyone to enjoy. In the early 1770’s a Swedish chemist and an English scientist invented equipment that combined water and carbon dioxide. This bubbly water was called soda water. In 1806 a Yale chemistry professor, Benjamin Silliman, purchased an apparatus and began selling mineral water (unflavored then) in New Haven, Connecticut. Sometimes Dr. Silliman added wine and sugar to his bottled mineral water, but it was Eugene Roussel of Philadelphia that is credited with making flavored soda water popular. In the late 1830’s he added a “soda counter” to his perfume shop where he offered soda water flavored with orange, cherry, lemon, teaberry, ginger, peach or root beer syrup. His success can be measured by the fact that he had nearly 50 competitors in his city within a very short time.

By the end of the Civil War, soda fountains were a common sight, and flavored soft drinks were commonly dispensed in drugstores at the soda fountain counter. These locations became even more important when the US government passed Temperance Laws forbidding the consumption of alcohol. Soda fountains allowed people to continue to gather and socialize, but without the presence of alcohol. The problem was that the drinks could vary greatly from one to the next, as there was not really a standard method of concocting them. After a pump or two of the syrup, the pharmacist would fill the glass up to the fill-line with ice-chilled carbonated water. This was then stirred and served to the customer.

In 1888 Jacob Baur started the Liquid Carbonic Co. that manufactured carbon dioxide in tanks. This led to the manufacture and sale of Liquid Carbonic soda fountains in the early 1900’s. This made it possible for pharmacists to make their own carbonated water, rather than having to buy it from a supplier. This arrangement still required mixing syrup and water by the pharmacist and therefore, room for variation.

The first automatic soda fountain dispenser that mixed the syrup and the carbonated water together was made in 1933 by Dole and was introduced at the Chicago World’s Fair. This model was the Dole Master Dispenser. Simply by pulling the handle, the syrup and carbonated water were mixed together. In order to cool the drink, ice could be packed into the dispenser.

Dole then released the Dole Junior in 1936. This was a much smaller, 1-gallon capacity dispenser. It could duplicate the same flavor in each ice-cold drink, much faster than was previously possible. The next major development in dispensers came in 1949 in the shape of the “Outboard Motor” design dispensers, like the Selmix Fountain Dispenser. Designed by the famous industrial designer Raymond Loewy, this dispenser was capable of dispensing a continuous flow of mixed carbonated water and syrup with only one pull of the handle. They were then followed by “Super” models that could dispense two types of soda, and in 1955 the Multiplex Faucet Company introduced the Red Barrel dispenser, the first multiple-drink Coca-Cola dispenser that was designed for use at places like movie theaters and drive-ins.

A very drastic change to dispenser design occurred in June of 1958 when the Dole Citation model was released. It was square and constructed mainly of plastic. It had a totally new and modern look. By 1962 dispensers were available as ice-cooled models or with mechanical refrigeration. These dispensers evolved into the 12- to 16-head self-serve dispensers seen in fast food restaurants we see today.

Help Us Identify Our Coke Cooler

We have added information in the Retroplanet Museum about our coolers. One of these is a Coca-Cola cooler from Mexico that we know very little about. Take a look and see if you might be able to help identify the name of the manufacturer and the approximate date.

The Cavalier Coca-Cola Office Cooler

The Cavalier Corporation produced this machine in the late 1940’s, early 1950’s. This Coca-Cola cooler was designed to be much smaller than the standard soda vending machines so it could be used in an office for use by employees, customers or patients. In other words, Coca-Cola was also interested in being in places where they would make low-volume sales in addition to more high-profile locations.

This 2-case cooler is powered by a Frigidaire motor and was not coin-operated. The cold bottles of Coke either would have been offered as a courtesy, or there would have been an honor system in place.

Cavalier Corporation

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Cavalier began making Coke coolers in 1935, and closed in November of 2000. Perhaps you’ve seen a Cavalier cooler? Let us know. Blog-in using the form below.

The Coca-Cola VIP Cooler

This VIP cooler was made for Coca-Cola who directed their marketing for this product toward smaller venues, like offices, social clubs, hair salons, waiting rooms and hotels. It could fit 120 6.5-ounce bottles of Coke, was equipped with two ice cube trays and had additional space for “party fixings”. The VIP was available with either a Coca-Cola design or with walnut-clad sides.

Dimensions:
22” long x 26” wide x 38.5” high

Beverage-Air Company

700 Buffington Road

Spartanburg, South Carolina
Founded in 1944 by Herman Buffington, the Beverage-Air Company is still in business today.

The Vendo V-81’s and VMC-81 Soda Machines, Similarities & Differences

The Vendo Company eventually merged with its rival, the Vendorlator Manufacturing Company in 1956, but originally they were two separate entities building some very similar soda machines. In the mid 1950’s the Vendo Company was manufacturing the Vendo 81 exclusively for The Coca-Cola Company, and the Vendorlator Manufacturing Co. was making VMC-81’s for competing brands like Pepsi, 7-Up, Dr. Pepper and Royal Crown. Once the two companies merged, they continued to make machines under the two product names as before, making The Vendo Company the primary supplier to of the soft drink market.

There were three V-81 models manufactured by the Vendo Company from the mid to the late 1950’s. There was the Vendo V-81A, V-81B and V-81D. Up until 1956, Coca-Cola machines were painted a solid red, like the Vendo V-81A. Beginning in 1956 with the V-81B, The Coca-Cola company painted their machines red and white to emphasize Coke’s “clean and refreshing” image. The “Coca-Cola” logo that had been smaller and positioned closer to the bottle door was repositioned to be centered on the space to the right of the bottle door and the logo was enlarged. The logo was also made more prominent by being embossed in red on a white background, instead of in white on a red background.

The Vendorlator Manufacturing Company’s competing soda machine was the VMC 81. The Vendo 81 and the VMC-81 both held a total of 81 bottles for vending. Space inside the machine allowed for the pre-cooling of 17 additional bottles. Both machines had nine interior shelves, allowing them to vend up to nine different soda flavors. They used “slant shelves” that could be adjusted to accommodate different bottle sizes ranging from 6 ½ to 12 ounces. That flexibility makes these machines very popular today, since you are able to fill them with almost any soda, beer or wine coolers. These soda machines have the classic upright, “round-cornered” cabinet design of the 1950’s. Both the V-81A and V-81B are referred to as “small door” models, and the V-81D is called the “large door” model. This came about because the V-81D had a different coin mechanism that necessitated a larger door. The coin mechanism was redesigned to give change back, where previously the coin boxes only took nickels. The bottle doors in both the Vendo and VMC-81’s had lights placed within them to illuminate the bottles.

1958 was the last year of production for round-cornered soda machines made by The Vendo Company, with the exception of the Vendo 44. All of the Coca-Cola Company Vendo 81’s and the various brands of VMC-81’s are very collectible today. The Vendo 81’s are the most desirable of all the different models of Coke machines manufactured throughout the 1950’s. Fewer VMC-81’s were produced than Vendo 81’s, and of all the brands embossed on the VMC-81’s, Royal Crown soda machines are the most rare and collectible with the 7-Up machines close behind. Any of these soda machines would be quite a statement in any gameroom, den or office.

Dimensions: 53.75 in. high x 25 in. wide x 17.5 in. deep
Weight: 286 lbs.

Please blog in and tell us about your soda machine collection. We’d love to hear about your acquisition and restoration stories. If you have questions about your restoration, blog in and ask us as we’ve done many ourselves and would enjoy being of help to you.

The Vendo Galaxie Soft Drink Dispenser

The Vendo Galaxie Soft Drink Dispenser was the first pre-mix soda dispenser. Up until its creation in 1960, dispensers mixed the syrup and carbonated water when the handle was pulled. With this model, the syrup and carbonated water were stored premixed, outside of the dispenser. The complete soft drink was pressure fed by carbon dioxide gas through the dispenser. The futuristic look of the Vendo Galaxie was a result of the design collaboration of Clare Hodgman, a famous automobile and appliance designer, and the Engineering Department of The Cola-Cola Company. It was available in 1, 2, 3 or 4 dispensing valves. This model was made exclusively for Coca-Cola.

This counter-mounted dispenser was advertised as “The most modern way to dispense Coca-Cola (Pre-mix!).” Covered in a baked enamel with chrome and stainless steel accents. The top of the machine was illuminated and displayed the “Drink Coca-Cola” logo.

As the brochures show, the Vendo Galaxie soft drink dispenser was also marketed to be sold with an ice-making machine, like this Polar Chips Icemaker. The dispenser was installed directly onto the ice maker, making it quicker and more convenient to make a nice cold Coke.

Manufactured by:
Vendo Company
Kansas City, MO

You may have seen one of these drink dispensers or something very similar, since this machine can still be in use today. Blog-in with any additional comments you may have.

Vendo Bottle Decapper

The Vendo Coca-Cola Bottle Decapper soda machine was manufactured between 1948 and 1949. It was very innovative for the time. A very large vending machine, it automatically opened a bottle of Coke, dispensed it into a cup, and then vended the cup to the customer without them ever coming into contact with the bottle. It could vend 194 bottles of Coke, and dispensed them into 6 oz. cups. These machines predated the “pre-mix” dispensers. Being very expensive models, only 251 of them were sold, making them very rare today.

Manufactured by:
Vendo Company
7209 N. Ingram Ave.
Fresno, CA

Dimensions: 78 in. high x 46 in. wide x 19 in. deep
Weight: 825 lbs.

Are you fortunate enough to own one of these Decapper models? Or perhaps you have something interesting to add. Blog in and let us know.

The Vendo Company History

The Vendo Company is known worldwide as having been a leader in the manufacture of vending machines for more than 50 years. Vendo was founded as a small company in 1937 in Kansas City, Missouri as a manufacturer of bottled soft drink vending machines. Prior to this, early vendors had not been coin operated machines, but rather self-serve coolers packed with ice. This system relied on the customers’ honesty.

The first coin-operated vending machines appeared in the early 1880’s. They were first used to dispense postcards and books. These early models did not work well, often jamming. They also did not have the necessary safeguards and could not distinguish between a coin and a slug.

In the late 1930’s, two brothers named Elmer and John Pierson saw a need for improvement to the earlier designs and took out a patent for a vending lid that could be added to existing coolers. This lid called “The Red Top”, was simple, reliable and inexpensive. The lid was locked on top of the cooler and could be opened after a coin was inserted. The lid rotated to the next available bottle, eliminating the need to dig through the ice. At first the lids were added to Frigidaire and Westinghouse coolers that were already in use. Vendo then began buying coolers from Westinghouse and outfitting them with The Red Top and selling the resulting vending machines under the Vendo name. Early examples of this were the Vendo Junior and the Vendo Master (both from the late 30’s to early 40’s). In the 40’s, a compressor was added to soft drink bottle coolers, eliminating the need for ice altogether.

Red Top lids went to war during WWII, after the US War Department declared that soft drinks were necessary to the morale of military personnel. 5,000 Red Tops were made to be placed in military training camps and wartime factories. Vendo also manufactured radar detection systems which aided in the war effort. After the war, Vendo went back to designing soda vending machines, and produced the V-83 in 1946. The V-83 was Vendo’s first mass-produced upright coin-operated machine. A nickel was inserted, and then you simply had to lift the small door to get your bottle of Coke. This model’s great success was followed in 1949 by another highly successful vendor—the V-39.

In the 1950’s Vendo diversified its product line and produced machines that could vend other items like hot food, ice cream and milk. They also experimented with fully automated restaurants, convenience stores and drive-ins that were served only by vending machines. Vendo merged with its competitor, Vendorlator in 1956. They had, like Vendo, been founded in 1937. But where Vendo worked mainly with Coca-Cola, Vendorlator had been working with both Pepsi-Cola and Royal Crown. The merger of these two companies made Vendo the primary supplier to the soft drink market. Vendo also went public in 1956 and their stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in 1961 and continued to for the next 20 years. Vendo also expanded internationally, working with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan starting in 1962, where they manufactured Vendo beverage coolers. They also licensed operations in England and Mexico. In 1964 they opened new facilities and contracted out to Belgium, Australia, Italy, Germany, France and Canada. The 60’s also brought Vendo’s introduction of the canned soft drink dispensers.

In the 1970’s, due to the energy crisis, vending machines were determined to be nonessential and the vending industry began to suffer. Vendo left Kansas City and sold its snack vendor division. In 1988 Vendo was bought by the Sanden Corporation of Japan. This infused new life into the Vendo company, and led to many innovations in vending machine design. These include programmable electronic vending machines, high-capacity vendors that can hold plastic bottles in many shapes and sizes, and machines that will take a debit card. Today Vendo is expanding into territories like Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

Not only has Vendo produced many highly collectible vendors in their past, but they also continue to be a significant presence in the manufacturing marketplace.

Blog in to add to the information presented here. We’d love to hear from Vendo machine collectors or anyone who remembers using them.

The Coca-Cola Vendo 6-Case Vertical Cooler

I like this machine, but this upright cooler never really caught on with collectors. I would guess that’s because of its size. I refer to it as a cooler because there is no coin mechanism. Therefore, it’s not fair to call it a soda machine, even though it looks like a Vendo 81 except for the glass door on the right side. Vendo did make a version of this machine with a coin mechanism and it was called the Vendo 110. But if you have the space and are looking for a machine to restore, this is a good candidate. There are no coin or vending mechanisms to mess with and because they were self-service coolers and not vending machines, they were usually kept indoors so you can still find them in pretty good shape. The shelves inside are adjustable so it will hold different size bottles, including longneck beer bottles. Judging by the name I’d guess it holds 144 bottles; 110 ready to vend and 34 pre-cooled. I don’t recall us ever restoring one at Vintage Vending but we did own quite a few over the years.

Vendorlator also made this machine in Pepsi, Royal Crown, Dr. Pepper and (not 100% sure, but would assume) 7-up.

Size:
63” high
32.5” wide
18” deep

Weight: 200 pounds

Produced from the late 40’s to mid 50’s

Manufactured by:
Vendo Company
7209 N. Ingram Ave.
Fresno, CA

If you have ever restored one of these, please ad to the blog with some restoration tips.

Coca-Cola has always done a great job getting their products into as many locations as possible. The Vendo D-56 was an attempt to get Coke into locations where a soda machine might be out of place, like an upscale office. The D-56 was basically a soda machine with a decorative door on the front. The doors were offered in five styles; warm and exciting Mediterranean, bold and sleek Danish, sculptured and classic Provincial, light and charming Colonial and crisp and trim Traditional. I don’t think the concept really took off, but it was an interesting idea. Coca-Cola offered many smaller machines for low volume situations over the years and we will be posting others soon.

The Coca-Cola Company used many different manufacturers for their dispensers and coolers. The 1930’s Moss Cooler is one that does not seem to have withstood the test of time. Its main competitor was the Glascock cooler. Moss coolers are very rare today, where the Glascock are easier to find. Vintage Vending was fortunate to have owned a Moss cooler.

The Moss bottled beverage cooler was made of durable metal construction. It was painted in a dark green, oven baked crackle finish. The hardware was nickel and cadmium plated. There was a bottle opener and a cap catcher for the customer’s use. It had casters so the heavy cooler could be moved more easily since these weighed 44 and 55 lbs. without the ice and bottles. The bottler supplied the signs to be inserted on the sides of the cooler. One, two or four signs could be installed. The coolers came in two sizes: 2-case and 4-case.

Manufactured by:
J. Moss Equipment Co., Inc.
78 19th St.
Brooklyn, NY

It is interesting to note that the reverse of this brochure was used by someone who typed a story about Dizzy Dean, the pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1930-1937. Perhaps this copy was to be used for a news broadcast or was a rough draft for a newspaper story.

Blog in and let us know if you’ve ever seen one of these or have anything interesting to add.