This picnic cooler is most likely from the 1960s. This is based on the logo design, as I was unable to find another cooler like this as reference. It has a great toolbox design to it, making this durable cooler useful in a garage or as an airline 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.

Originally the Atlas 18 was available with a sandwich tray. There is a bottle opener and a drain located on the side of the cooler, and interlocking handles on the top. Atlas also manufactured a variety of other items including ice cream vending machines and household fans. These picnic coolers are not only very collectible, but are a lot of fun to use today for picnics or tailgate parties.

Dimensions: 17”L x 9 1/4”W x 15 1/2”H
Capacity: 18 bottles
Produced: 1950s

Manufactured by:

Atlas Tool & Mfg. Co.

5147 Natural Bridge Blvd.

St. Louis, 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.

This machine bears the slogan, “The friendly ‘Pepper-Upper’” that was used by the Dr. Pepper/7-Up Company throughout the 1950s. The logo was changed from the original old-fashioned script to a more fun and friendly font. The chrome Selmix logo is visible in the second photo and is positioned toward the top of the machine.

This model soda dispenser was made for general use by a variety of soda manufacturers, such as Diet Rite Cola and Hires Root Beer, in addition to Dr. Pepper.

Produced: 1950s

Manufactured by:
Selmix Dispenser Corporation
St. Paul, Minnesota

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 machines were manufactured sometime in the late 1950s. The Cavalier 96 is a popular machine today because it was made with adjustable shelves that allow a variety of bottle sizes to be vended. Bottles ranging in size from 6.5 ounces to 10 ounces are able to fit into the machine. It’s also possible to change the amount charged per bottle; the machine can be set to charge up to $1.00 per bottle.

Vintage soda vending machines are great to use in your home or office since you can fill your drink box with your favorite bottled beverage. With a 96-bottle capacity, the 96 is a good size vendor to have in your home. It makes for a fun and functional piece that’s also a real conversation starter.

Dimensions:
67”H x 24 3/4”W x 21 7/8”D

Manufactured by:
Cavalier Corporation
1105 East Tenth Street
Chattanooga, Tennessee

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 picnic cooler has an enameled steel exterior as well as a galvanized liner. On the interior there would have been a sandwich tray but it’s had to find a cooler today with the original tray. There are two handles on the cooler (one on the lid, one on the sides) that lock together for carrying. There’s also a convenient bottle opener mounted on the side, as well as a cap catcher on the cart. This cooler holds up to 32 bottles, as well as room for storing food above the bottles on the sandwich tray. This design was great, since it would keep the sandwiches above the bottles and ice, so the food could stay cool, but dry. There is also additional space on the rack below for uncooled bottle storage or empties.

Dimensions: 19”L x 13”W x 19”H
Weight: 33 lbs.
Produced: Late 1940s to early 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.

Introduced in 1959, the 17-inch tabletops were the most common models. Their cabinets came in a variety of colors. These models were called the Princess and the Debutante. The Predicta Princess was available in a 17”inch or 21-inch B&W screen.

Many people collect the Predicta for its unique appearance, but from its early days was known as being a difficult television to repair. There are reproduction Predicta televisions being manufactured today with color TV screens. These are being sold under the Predicta Telstar name. Shown here is the Princess model, made to resemble the original 1959 TV.

Measures: 25.5”H x 26”W x 20”D

Manufactured by:
Philco Corporation
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The KD-200 was a Select-O-Matic, so it was able to offer 200 possible selections from both sides of up to 100 45rpm records. The song titles are displayed on a drum that rotates when a button is pushed. The KD-200 was manufactured with an electronic memory unit that could store multiple selections and recall them when it came time to play them.

Dimensions:
57”H x 34.75”W x27”D

Manufactured by:
J.P. Seeburg Corporation
Chicago, Illinois

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.

In 1951 M&S was purchased by the Wayne Pump Company, who then moved all their manufacturing and headquarters from their Ft. Wayne, Indiana location to the M&S plant in Salisbury. For a short time after the sale of M&S, new gas pumps carried both the M&S and Wayne brands on them. But within just a few years the M&S was dropped and all the pumps manufactured in the Salisbury plant bore the Wayne brand name. These pumps became known as the Wayne 80 model.

The most collectible model of the M&S pumps is the model 80, shown here. This is a restored 1950 M&S 80 that has what is called the “Ad Glass top”, which refers to the illuminated inset on the top of the pump. The model 80 was also available as a “Script Top” with the oil company name stamped out of the metal with letters that were illuminated.

Manufactured by:
Martin & Schwartz Pump Company
Buffalo, New York

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 “All-Syze” was available in the Model 80 with an 80-bottle capacity and the Model 128 with a 128-bottle capacity as well as space for 100 lbs. of ice. The display rack was able to accommodate 72 bottles. Both models came with a blue porcelain top and gray enamel body. All were equipped with mechanical refrigeration. Casters were standard equipment, as well as the cap catcher on the front of the cooler.

Manufactured by:
S & S Products Co.
123 W. Hee Street
Lima, Ohio

Note the stainless steel delivery tray that comes with an optional “Sanitary Lift Cover”. This plastic cover was an available option to keep candy clean until it was removed from the delivery tray.

The final photo is of an illustration of the Univendor Junior on a stand. This machine with the stand measures 71 inches tall x 24 inches wide x 13 inches deep and weighs 185 lbs.

Manufactured by:
Stoner Mfg. Corp.
Aurora, Illinois

The first meters were installed on pumps between 1905 and 1910. These early meters were soon replaced by clock meters, which became the standard through the 1930s. In 1933 the “computer” meter was invented and within a few years all the major gas companies were using them. Computer gas pumps were made with 3-digit dial readouts for the price of gas per gallon, the number of gallons pumped and the total sale amount. This was because, back then, it was inconceivable that gasoline would ever be more than 99.9 cents a gallon. This also meant that a total sale could never exceed $9.99. (Imagine that today!)

Well, the day did come when gasoline sold for $1.00, and more. The Oil Embargo of 1973 resulted in climbing gas prices. Many gas companies and station owners were taken by surprise. As a result, some pumps can still be found today that have handpainted gas prices on them. Many station owners, in order to create an interim solution, displayed prices on their pumps that were indicated as being 1/2 of the actual price per gallon. When the customer was finished pumping, they paid double the amount on the pump. Following the price increases, new gas pumps were manufactured to accommodate 4-digit gas sales as well as gas prices up to $9.99/9 per gallon.

Computer style gas pumps were made well into the 1980s, but for the most part, have since been replaced by digital gas pumps. First released in 1975, digital pumps were to be the solution everyone hoped would allow for never-ending flexibility with prices.

Unfortunately, not all privately owned gas stations have been able to make the changeover to digital pumps. Many “Mom & Pop” stations, because they can’t afford to replace their computer style pumps, are going to be or have been forced out of business. This occurs when the local price of gas exceeds $3.99 a gallon. Many pump manufacturers did not have the foresight to see that gas may cost $4.00 or more per gallon at some point and the pumps were made without a “4” in the dollar dials. Either the pumps or the dials would need to be replaced in these cases. To make matters worse, many of these same pumps cannot count over $99.99 for the total gas purchase.

The Continental 2 is able to play up to 200 selections from either 45 or 33rpm records and features the AMi Stereo Round sound system. Still a relatively new concept, the first stereo jukebox was made by Wurlitzer in 1959.

AMi was founded in 1909 as the National Automatic Music Co., making coin-operated player pianos. AMi developed the first electric jukebox amplifier in 1927, greatly increasing the popularity of jukeboxes. They merged with Rowe Corp., a vending machine manufacturer, in 1959. Today the company is known as AMI Entertainment Inc. and is a worldwide supplier of digital entertainment, such as touch screen games and Rock-Ola jukeboxes.

Dimensions: 65”H x 30”W x 29”D
Weight: Approx. 350 lbs.

Automatic Musical Instruments, Inc.
Grand Rapids, Michigan

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 Gilbert & Barker Manufacturing Company was located in Springfield, Massachusetts. They began manufacturing gas pumps around 1902. The company name was changed to Gilbarco in 1965. In 1966 they relocated to Greensboro, North Carolina where they operate today as Gilbarco Veeder-Root, a subsidiary of the Danaher Corporation. They remain one of the leading gas pump manufacturers in the world 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.

Built between 1948 and 1951, these machines are relatively easy to find, since most were used indoors and did not suffer from exposure to the weather. It vends up to 27 6.5-ounce bottles and had the space to pre-cool an additional 10. The bottles are loaded into an interior drum which rotates to vend each bottle. These machines originally sold for $125. This is a soda machine we restored when we were in the business years ago.

Dimensions: 27”H x 24”W x 19”D (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.

The Wall-O-Matics were manufactured between 1948 and 1958 and were initially released with a painted finish. The chrome finish was introduced in 1950. This early set has been restored and painted a trendy turquoise. These units were a very common sight in diners and restaurants and are recognized today as true icons of the jukebox era.

This is a vintage Ford gum vending machine from the 1950s. This model was set up to vend gum for 1 penny. The glass globe has a flat top, because originally there was a metal frame positioned on the top of these gumball vendors that displayed the name of whatever local charity the vendor was collecting for. These machines had the capacity to fit 4 lbs. of gumballs. We restored this chrome gum vendor back when we were still in the restoration business.

Dimensions: 12”H x 8”W
Weight: 13 lbs.

Ford Gum and Machine Co., Inc.
18 Newton Ave.
Akron, New York

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 Streak-O-Lite’s styling was based on that of the Zephyr streamline trains with their Art Deco design. In addition to the streamline design, the coaster wagon came with details like control dials and functioning headlights. It retailed for $5 at the time.

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 Universal Cooler Corporation was a division of the International Detrola Corporation of Detroit, Michigan. Other Detrola-owned companies were manufacturers of radios, washing machines, furniture and machine tools. In 1950 the Universal Cooler Corp. was acquired by the Tecumseh Products Company of Tecumseh, Michigan.

Dimensions: Approx. 11” diameter x 12” high

Manufactured by:
Universal Cooler Corp.
Marion, Ohio

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 early Louis Hanson barber chair was built before the turn of the century. It probably dates to around 1880, since chairs built later in the 19th century utilized hydraulics to adjust the chair height. The decorative carvings in this oak chair were typical in that time period, as well as the plush upholstery. Other features were the adjustable footrest and the swiveling seat, which could also be put in a reclining position.

We no longer own this item, but it is a great example of early Americana. Items such as these are highly desirable by collectors of barbershop ephemera.

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 famous Oilzum slogan appears on this restored gas station sign and reads, “If motors could speak we wouldn’t need to advertise”. This design was used from the 1930s to the 1960s.

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.

Priced at $300, these were considered the first affordable refrigerators for the typical American family. GE made it possible to make monthly payments of $10 a month, which was conveniently added on to the family’s utility bill. These were not the first household fridges, but they were the first to be sold in such great numbers.

Small changes were made through the years of its production, such as the condenser coils being enclosed and the addition of slide out shelves. But the basic design of the Monitor Top stayed pretty much the same for the nine years it was made. Cooling was accomplished with the use of either sulfur dioxide or methyl formate. It was the first fridge to come with an all-steel cabinet. The Monitor Top was available as a one-, two- or three-door fridge. The single-door fridge was the model most widely used in private homes, and provided 5 to 7 cubic feet of storage.

The Monitor Top is believed by many to be the best and most reliable fridge ever manufactured. As a matter of fact, many of them are still in use in homes today, like this model unit that we restored for a customer. This model is a 1929 or 1930 Monitor Top that was restored and finished with vintage ads for Frostie Root Beer, Squirt Soda and Kayo Chocolate Drink. (Please note we are no longer in the restoration business.)

Dimensions: 64”H x 24”W x 21½”D

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 new cabinet design was introduced with this model. This was one of the last Seeburg designs where the playing mechanism was visible. The graphics were getting larger on the newer models, and began to restrict the window space for displaying the inner workings of the jukebox.

This is a jukebox we restored that we no longer own. On the display at the back of the jukebox was space to list additional song titles. There is also an ad for the LP titled “Elvis Sails”. This album had recordings of the press interviews with Elvis when he enlisted in the US Army, just before he sailed from the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Brooklyn, New York on September 22, 1958. The album was released in December 1958. Graphics like this could be replaced on the jukebox, as new ads became available.

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.

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

This is a gas pump we restored with the Sun Ray Gasoline logo and colors. This is a National A-1 gas pump manufactured by the National Oil Pump and Tank Company of Dayton, Ohio. The company was founded in 1907 and by 1930 the name had changed to the National Pumps Corporation. Tokheim bought National in 1948, and although they did use the National name on some of their pumps, the name was very soon eliminated.

The A-1 is a computer dial pump with an inside sight gauge. This style pump was manufactured from 1936 to 1940. It has an art deco design and an illuminated top unlike any other gas pump. The restoration process would have involved sandblasting, sanding, repairing of any damage and repainting. Finally, the pump was clear-coated and the decals added. This restored pump is an example of how colorful the original pumps could have been.

This cooler would have been used in a store and placed on the countertop, probably near the cash register. The customer could simply lift the lid, take as many sodas as they wanted and then pay the cashier. There is a bottle opener and a drain spout for emptying out the water once the ice had melted.

If you have anything to add, we’d love to hear from you.

True Manufacturing Company has been building all kinds of merchandising coolers since 1945. True manufactured coolers that have been used for all kinds of food and drink, flowers and even live fishing bait. Shown here are ads for soft drink merchandising coolers. They are referred to as “merchandising” because the glass doors allow for the 6-packs to be displayed as well as to be easily located in the store by the customers. The branding on the cardboard carriers can be read through the doors and catch the customer’s eye as they walk by.

These ads are from the 1960s, although the look of these coolers hasn’t changed all that much over the years. The machines featured here are branded for 7Up soda. The green ad for the True GDM 30-20 and 20-15 shows a machine that could hold 15 cases of bottles in 6-packs. The orange ad for the GDM40-30 features a machine that could hold 30 cases of soda. These two vintage ads are the type of ads that were handed out to store owners by salesman for the True Manufacturing Company to promote sales of their machines.

These two photos are from a vintage brochure that features machines made for the Coca-Cola Company. The photos show the Mills 120-B and the Mills 120-B2. These machines had the capacity to vend 120 8-ounce bottles and pre-cool 58. The Mills 120 machines were very heavy for their size, weighing 550 lbs., so they’re not all that popular with collectors today.

Dimensions: 80 1/4”H x 26 3/8”W x 27 3/4”D

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

These items are not for sale. We show restored items and vintage advertising 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 vintage photos show a trade show for soda vending machines from the 1950s. On the floor are machines that illustrate the manufacturing history of the Vendo Company through to the late 50s.

In the first photo, you can see what appears to be a barrel or tub on legs that was probably the very first version of a dispenser to vend bottled Coca-Cola. Beside that is the Vendo “Washtub”. It was the first rendition of a vending machine with a horizontal rotating vending mechanism. The next two machines look like Vendo Standards with coin-operated lids. After that are a V-80 and a V-216.

In this photo the two larger machines were replaced by a single machine: the V-83. There is also space reserved for the latest Vendo soda machine model to be positioned.

The final photo is of the trade show floor. Here you can see all types of vending machines: candy, cold food, milk and soda among them. Wouldn’t it be great to go back in time and walk this floor so you can see these machines when they were new?

Glasco manufactured soda vendors exclusively for Coca-Cola and the GBV-60 was manufactured in the early 1960s. It cools “with dry forced-air to eliminate defrosting”. It is constructed of steel with a baked enamel finish.

Dimensions: 37 1/2”H x 21”D x 42 ½”W
Weight: 224 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.

This cooler was manufactured about 1940. It has dual lids that share a center hinge. It has a bottle opener and cap catcher located on the front. This cooler had a 96-bottle capacity and additional storage on the rack below for a few cases of warm soda bottles or to put the empties. Casters were standard equipment. This model originally sold for $8.75 as you can see in the ads.

Dimensions: 31” high x 32” wide x 23” deep
Weight: 70 lbs.
Capacity: 96 bottles

Manufactured by:
S & S Products Co.
Lima, Ohio

The Harris Automatic Coin Changer was designed to operate on all kinds of vending machines including soda, cigarette and candy vendors. It could be modified to return change in many different combinations, as needed. An important feature at the time was the ability to prevent “jackpotting”, or releasing a gush of coins all at once.

The introduction of the automatic coin changer was announced in the August 1946 issue of “Billboard” magazine, with a projected release date of three months later. The device was named after Charles F. Harris, the inventor. According to a 1947 article in “Popular Science”, Harris got the idea for the machine years prior while he was working as an executive of a railroad. He was attending a murder trial at a courthouse on a very hot day when he tried to get a cold soda from a vending machine. He didn’t have the proper change and had to go a number of blocks to find a store where he was able to get a nickel. This frustrated Harris enough that he set about inventing a coin changer to be installed in the vending machines. Harris later served as head of the research and development department at Johnson Fare Box Company where they manufactured his coin changer.

The Johnson Fare Box Company was a manufacturer of fare boxes for trolleys, cable cars and later, buses. They developed the very first fare box around 1905. In 1955 the company was acquired by Keene Corporation, and in turn General Fare Industries bought them in 1980. They still operate today as GFI Genfare.

Manufactured by:
Johnson Fare Box Company
A Subsidiary of Bowser, Inc.
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 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.

Pictured here is a Westinghouse WD-5 machine that we restored years ago. The Westinghouse WD-5 Soda Cooler was a popular self-service soda machine because of its compact size. It needed a minimum amount of floor space but still had adequate storage space. It holds up to 120 bottles, which is a lot, considering the cooler’s size. The bottles position on their sides inside the cooler, rather than standing upright. The cooler lid lifts and the bottles are simply removed from the top of the machine.

The WD-5 is a dry cooler, which means it cools with cool air rather than with water or ice. This cooler is embossed on all four sides with the Coca-Cola logo. The WD-5 was manufactured from the late 1940s to late 1950s.

Dimensions: 28 1/2”D x 28 5/8”W x 36 3/8”H

Manufactured by:
Westinghouse Electric Corp.
Monroeville, PA

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.

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 10-ounce vintage soda glass for Tru Treat Grapefruit Drink. Tru Treat was a carbonated grapefruit drink that disappeared sometime around the late 1960s. Although their logo is similar to that of Tru Ade soda, I wasn’t able to find a link between them.

This glass, once used at a soda fountain, has a fill line that indicated to the soda jerk how much syrup to put in the glass before adding ice and carbonated water. The molded mark (script “L”) on the bottom of the glass indicates it was made by Libbey. The Libbey Glass Company was founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1818. In 1888 the company was moved to Toledo, Ohio. In 1935 Libbey merged with Owens-Illinois, and remain one of the largest glassmakers in the world today.

Manufactured by:
Libbey Inc.
Toledo, Ohio

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.

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 NASA coffee cup was made by Walker China in 1961. It was utilized in the cafeteria, or maybe a conference room at the Kennedy Space Center. NASA was founded just a few years earlier, on October 1, 1958. NASA was formed from the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, a group that was already functioning with 8,000 employees and an annual budget of $100 million. NASA’s mission was to catch up to the Soviets that had launched Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957. This had created what Americans perceived as a dangerous gap in technology.

Walker China was started in May 1923 by investors Albert Walker and Henry Bailey and was originally incorporated as the Bailey Walker China Company. The two men purchased the Bedford China Works manufacturing plant in Bedford, Ohio and resumed pottery-making operations. They produced personalized vitrified china for hotels, restaurants, churches, clubs and other institutions.

The company name was changed to The Walker China Company in 1942. It left the Walker family in 1967 when Alco Standard Corp. purchased the company. In 1976 they were bought by the Jeanette Corp. and were sold again in 1981 to the Mayer China Company. They closed permanently shortly thereafter.

Manufactured by:
Walker China
Bedford, Ohio

There were a huge variety of can and bottle openers made by Vaughan. They stamped their products with a brand name or advertisement to personalize them for a their customers. The openers were given interesting names too, like “Nifty”, “Dainty”, “Opens-All” and “Never Chip”. Vaughan was in business until 1984 and their products are very collectible today.

The second photo shows an ad for bottle openers made by Walden Inc. of Cambridge, MA. I was unable to find any history about this manufacturer but found some interesting information about bottle openers in general. The necessity for bottle openers followed the invention of the first successful bottle cap (or crown) design that was put into use in 1894. The first opener was made of cast iron by William Painter of Baltimore, Maryland. It was developed as a necessity while he was trying to make a better bottle crown.

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 one cup in the series of “Frosty Treat Design” cups made by Dixie Cup. This 10½ ounce paper cup was made about 1950 and was part of a series printed with women participating in a variety of sports in beautiful winter scenes. These cups were used for ice cream, shakes and other cold drinks.

Manufactured by:
Dixie Cup Division
American Can Co.
Easton, PA

The Coca-Cola cooler in this photo is the Hemp 9022. It resembles a fishing or tackle box and is a fairly rare cooler. The 9022 was the smallest in the series of 9020-series Hemp coolers. Originally these coolers were painted with white tops. This example has been restored with a solid red color scheme.

Hemp and Company was a division of the American Thermos Products Company. The first thermos, or “vacuum flask” was manufactured in 1892 by the scientist, Sir James Dewar. In 1907 the American Thermos Bottle Company of Brooklyn, New York purchased the Thermos trademark. They began manufacturing insulated picnic jugs and coolers in 1955 and many of them were for the Coca-Cola Company.

This ad features four models of the Hemp line of coolers: the 9022, 9023, 9024 and the 9025, all manufactured in the mid to late 1950s. These have all been embossed with the Coca-Cola Company logo. They are insulated and have galvanized aluminum liners with places to attach bottle openers and ice picks in the lid.

Manufactured by:

Hemp & Company
Macomb, Illinois

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.

A “Snowball” was a drink made with Squirt soda and gin. This glass was one in a series made to advertise Squirt soda as a drink mixer. The Snowball was made by mixing 1 part Advocaat liqueur with 2 parts Squirt soda and serving over ice.

This glass is 4 ¾ inches high and was manufactured in 1955 by the Federal Glass Co. This was the last in a series released each year beginning in 1949. During the 1950s, the Federal Glass Co. was a division of the Federal Paper Board Company. They closed in the late 1970s.

The Bastian-Blessing Company began in 1908 as a company that manufactured soda fountain equipment. At one time they supplied soda fountains to every Walgreens store in the country. They are probably less well known for their vending machines. In 1946 they announced they were entering the vending machine market with three new machines. These machines were released the following year. The new models included a 48-bottle, a 192-bottle, and a 224-bottle machine. All three were to have a Harris coin changer attached and were to be manually operated. One of these vendors is shown in this old advertisement.

This cup and saucer, both with the fun Peter Pan illustration, are from the Peter Pan’s Snack Shop in Chicago, Illinois. They date to the 1950s. A vintage menu from the restaurant states, “America’s Finest Snack Shops” and features Peter Pan with a plate of fries and a juicy burger. The Peter Pan Snack Shops were started by Chris Carson in 1945. He sold the chain in 1953. Carson started other restaurant chains as well. The successful Carson’s, a BBQ rib restaurant chain, is still in business today in the Chicago area.

This cup and saucer were manufactured by Shenango China of New Castle, Pennsylvania. As with many diner sets, the cup and saucer date from different years. The cup was manufactured in 1954 and the saucer was made about 1957. The Shenango China company was a leader in the restaurantware making business from the 1920s until the late 1980s, having acquired many of their competitors over the years. They were sold to Interpace Corporation in 1968 and then to Anchor Hocking Corporation in 1979. Shenango China production ceased in 1991 due to economic pressure from overseas competitors and falling profits.

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.

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.

Pepsi-Cola was invented in 1893 by Caleb Bradham in New Bern, North Carolina. First known as Brad’s drink, it was officially named Pepsi-Cola when Bradham purchased the brand name in 1898. This cup is from the late 1950s to 1960 when the company introduced the slogan “Be sociable, have a Pepsi”.

This 10 ½ ounce paper cup was made by Dixie Cup, a division of the American Can Company of Easton, Pennsylvania. Dixie merged with the American Can Company in 1957. Invented in 1912, the Dixie Cup was first called the Health Kup. It was given the Dixie name in 1919. Today the Dixie Cup name and product line are owned by the paper and chemical manufacturer Georgia-Pacific.

Manufactured by:
Dixie Cup Division
American Can Co.
Easton, PA

These photos capture Vendo Company in its earliest days. The Vendo Company was founded by two brothers, Elmer and John Pierson, who invented the first efficient coin-operated vending lid for chest coolers, known as the “Red Top”. They quickly became leaders in the vending machine marketplace.

Two views of the Vendo Company Building.

The Vendo Company Christmas Party 1939

Executives of the Vendo Company, January 5, 1940

Offices at Vendo Company outfitted with a Vendo Red Top Chest

Stages of Vendo cooler design, from concept to manufacture.

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

The Steak ‘n Shake restaurant chain was started in Normal, Illinois in 1934 by Gus Belt. The restaurant, which still exists today, lays claim to the creation of the “premium burgers and milk shakes” idea. The slogan “In Sight It Must Be Right” refers to the fact that Gus Belt used to bring in a barrel of steaks and grind them into burgers within view of the customers, so they could see that his premium burgers were really made from great cuts of ground steak. The original restaurant offered curbside service as well as a dining room. By 1939 there were eight Steak ‘n Shake restaurants throughout Illinois. Today Steak ‘n Shake claims 51 United States locations all over the Midwest and South.

The markings on the bottom of this mug read, “Shenango China, U.S.A. Copyright by Interpace, C P-31. According to the Shenango China dating system with 1941 as “1”, this mug was made about 1972. The Shenango China Company was incorporated in 1901. From 1909 to 1935 they manufactured only commercial china for hotels, restaurants and other institutions. Beginning in 1936 they formed partnerships with fine china makers such as the Theodore Haviland Company of France and Rosenthal China of Germany. Through the years Shenango China was bought, sold and merged with several other companies. In 1989 they were sold to Pfaltzgraff Company of York, Pennsylvania and shortly after that, they were permanently closed.

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.

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

It’s interesting to see the different promotional and corporate products made over the years. Every week we will feature a cool retro cup, glass or mug from our large collection. We’ll share what we’ve learned about them and welcome your additional input and comments.

This glass was manufactured in the 1950s by L. E. Smith, an American glassmaker that was founded in 1907 and is still in operation. It was used at a soda fountain or lunch counter that served Sealtest ice cream. It would have been used to serve up an ice cream soda, a glass of milk or perhaps a small milkshake.

Sealtest Dairy Company was a division of the National Dairy Products Corporation. It was launched in 1935 as an ice cream brand to replace several regional brands. Sealtest produced milk and ice cream in factories across the United States and had a reputation for making all natural ice cream. Beginning in 1940, “The Sealtest Food Adviser” was published with recipes that used Sealtest milk. In 1949 Sealtest published and distributed a booklet with ice cream recipes called, “New Ways with Ice Cream”. These booklets helped fuel the ice cream craze that was already well under way. Recipes for sundaes, parfaits and sodas were also published in “Life” magazine in the 1950s. Sealtest even had an ice cream parlor in the Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Florida. Today the Sealtest brand is owned by Natrel of Quebec, Canada and is no longer available in US stores.

Manufactured by:
L. E. Smith Glass Company
Mount Pleasant Township, Pennsylvania

These machines look like they’re ready for final inspection before leaving the factory. What a collector’s dream it would be to be able to walk down that line today and see the different brands on this display of VMC 81s!

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 paper cup was manufactured by the Lily-Tulip Corporation in the 1960s. It was made for use in a Dr Pepper cup vending machine. It is called a “broad base cold drink vending cup”. It measures 3 ¼ inches tall and has a 3-inch diameter across the top. The yellow and red two-tone design and funky type reflect a 60s aesthetic.

Cup vending machines were a popular choice among soda machines in the 1960s. To dispense the drink, first the cup was dropped and the premixed soft drink was poured into the cup.

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

Above are photos from a 1941 ad for a soda dispensing machine. It was a soda can vendor, able to dispense 3 different flavors of soda. The capacity and dimensions of the machine are unknown.

The vendor was made by Kalva Vendors, Inc., a company that was in business from 1937 to 1950. H. T. Larrimore started Kalva in 1937 in Chicago, Illinois. The company merged with the Searles Welding & Manufacturing Company in October of 1948. They continued to manufacture Kalva vendors until 1950 and then closed the factory permanently.

This is a unique machine, but we don’t know all that much about it. Please blog-in share whatever information you may have if you’ve ever seen one.

Manufactured by:
Kalva Vendors, Inc.
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.

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 cup and saucer are from a restaurant chain called the Chicken in the Rough. They once had restaurants all over the US, including several located on historic Route 66. The chain was founded in 1936 by Beverly and Rubye Osborne, two Oklahoma restaurant owners who had lost all their savings as a result of the Great Depression. The story claims that Beverly Osborne had a ‘lightbulb moment’ when out driving with his wife. Rubye was trying to eat chicken while Beverly drove. The chicken slipped out of Rubye’s hands and she reportedly exclaimed. “This is really eating chicken in the rough”. Traditionally chicken had been eaten with a knife and fork up to that point. Beverly realized fried chicken could serve as inexpensive finger food at a time when people had little to spend. He and his wife began what was the very first chicken franchise. Up to that point, the only model for franchising had been gas stations. Their motto became the “meal that created food service and fried chicken franchising”. Their advertising proclaimed, “Every Bite a Tender Delight”.

Today the recipe and cooking method for Chicken in the Rough is franchised only to existing restaurants. There are currently only three restaurants that offer it: two in Michigan and one in Ontario, Canada. Their corporate office is in Tinley Park, Illinois.

This cup, made by Syracuse China, had the Chicken in the Rough logo on the front. The chicken is shown dressed and outfitted for a game of golf and he is glancing at his golf ball, which has landed “in the rough”. This cup and saucer are Syracuse China Adobe Ware, which was manufactured from 1932 to 1972. Syracuse China is located in Lyncourt, New York and was founded in 1871. Originally they were called the Onondaga Pottery Company. The factory closed in 2009, after having been in business for 138 years. Production of Syracuse China was moved overseas.

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

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

It’s interesting to see the different promotional and corporate products made over the years. Every week we will feature a cool retro cup, glass or mug from our large collection. We’ll share what we’ve learned about them and welcome your additional input and comments.

This is a glass made for the Mr. Nibbs brand of beverages, which were drink mixers made in the 1940s by the Heinz Beverages division of the H. J. Heinz Company. The drink mixers they made included Ginger Ale, Club Soda and Grapefruit Mixer. After getting its start in 1888, the Heinz Company grew rapidly, producing a huge variety of food and beverages in the US and abroad by the 1920s. There isn’t a lot of information available about Mr. Nibbs, but evidently, the drink mixer business was another one that Heinz dabbled in during the 1940s, when this glass was made. It measures 4 ¾ inches high and was made by Libbey about 1944.

Manufactured by:
Libbey Inc.
Toledo, Ohio

This 1950s picnic cooler was manufactured by the Progress Refrigerator Company of Louisville, Kentucky. It was produced for the Grapette Company, makers of Grapette Grape soda in Camden, Arkansas. Grapette Soda was first created in 1939 and is still being made today.

This picnic cooler has an enameled steel exterior and a galvanized liner. It would have had a sandwich tray originally, but it’s had to find one of these with the tray. Progress also manufactured the A1 cooler for the makers of Squirt, Canada Dry, Royal Crown, 7 Up, Dr. Pepper and Barq’s. The cooler has two handles that lock together for carrying and a bottle opener mounted on the side. A drainage spout is positioned on the front to drain off the water after the ice has melted. This cooler could hold up to 24 bottles, in addition to storing food on the sandwich tray above.

Dimensions: 19”L x 13”W x 19”H
Weight: 33 lbs.
Produced: Late 1940s to 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.

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 cup dates to 1954 and was manufactured by the Lily-Tulip Cup Corporation for the world famous fried chicken chain, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). The KFC legend began with Harland Sanders, who later became known as the “Colonel”. In 1930 Sanders opened a Shell gas station in Corbin, Kentucky. The following year, he moved across the street to a Gulf station where he added on a restaurant. This grew into the Sanders Court & Café, a full-service motel and restaurant complex by 1937. It was there that Sanders developed his famous recipe for fried chicken. He convinced other restaurants to put his recipe onto their menus and pay him a small portion of the proceeds. This arrangement led to the fast food franchise restaurant chain known as Kentucky Fried Chicken.

In 1991, when they changed their name to KFC, the Colonel’s image was dropped from food packaging and restaurant signage, as was the slogan, “Finger lickin’ good”. The Colonel’s image has returned once again, but in a very stylized rendition. So this cup is a special memento of KFC history and its founder, Harland Sanders. Today KFC is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.

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

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.

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 commemorative cup and saucer set manufactured by Syracuse China. Syracuse China was started in 1871 as the Onondaga Pottery Company. They made a durable line of dishware called Syracuse China with airbrushed stencil designs. The name of the company was changed to Syracuse China in 1966. The quality and beautiful colors of Syracuse China have made it very desirable among collectors. In the 1930s they decided to make Econo-Rim china, a line of durable, but smaller restaurantware to meet the needs of the many roadside diners being started. The idea was to make strong china that would fit on the smaller diner tables. The Econo-Rim line was manufactured from 1933 to 1967 and this set is part of that line.

The image on this cup is of the Old Man of the Mountain that was located in Franconia Notch, New Hampshire. This cup dates to the 1960s. Sadly, the Old Man fell in 2003.

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

It’s interesting to see the different promotional and corporate products made over the years. Every week we will feature a cool retro cup, glass or mug from our large collection. We’ll share what we’ve learned about them and welcome your additional input and comments.

This glass is for Wonder Orange Drink made by the Wonder-Orange Company of Chicago, Illinois. Wonder Orange soda was made with real orange juice and their motto was “The Golden Wonder Drink for Fresh Fruity Flavor”. Wonder Orange was one of the many orange drinks produced in the 1940s to take advantage of the orange craze among consumers. The company appears to have been thriving in the mid-1940s, but seems to have disappeared by the 1950s.

This glass was manufactured by the Federal Glass Company of Columbus, Ohio. Federal opened in 1901 and became the largest machine-made glass manufacturer in the US by 1925. They became a division of the Federal Paper Board Company in the 1950s and stopped making glass products in the late 1970s.

Manufactured by:
Wonder-Orange Company
223 West Erie St.
Chicago, Illinois

This picnic cooler for Dr. Pepper was manufactured, we believe by Progress. It appears to be a rare example, since we’ve been unable to locate any in reference books or online. If you can share anything about this cooler, please add your comments.

The slogan, “Good For Life” appears on the front of the cooler and was used on Dr. Pepper products throughout the 1940s. This picnic cooler has a unique fastening clamp to hold the lid in place. In addition, there is a bottle opener positioned on the side of the cooler, and a drain plug on the front.

Produced: 1940s
Manufactured by: Progress?

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.

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.

These two photos are of the lunchroom inside a Vendo vending machine factory lunchroom sometime in the 1950s. As you can see in the first photo, the lunchroom was fully stocked with Vendo vending machines of all kinds. These were soda, fresh food, ice cream, milk, juice and coffee machines.

The second photo shows a more humorous take on the assortment of food and drink vendors available to the employees. This room has been set up to look like a town in the old West. Instead of the words “Coca-Cola” over the vending machine, a rustic –looking sign with “The Cold Bottle” is displayed overhead, making it look more like an old saloon. Old storefronts have been painted on the walls. What a fun place to have lunch—“How ‘bout a nice cold Coke, Pardner?”

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 coffee cup and matching saucer were made by a company called Homer Laughlin in 1969. This set is part of the “Best China” brand that was introduced in 1959 as a line of vitrified hotel china. This exact design also appears on restaurantware made by Syracuse China. They call it the Longhorn Steer and Camp Fire design. Dinnerware like this is also called shadoware or stencilware because of the image transfer process.

Homer Laughlin was formed in 1871 in Liverpool, Ohio. Their most notable pattern is Fiesta dinnerware, designed in 1936. In the 1950s, Homer Laughlin changed their focus from manufacturing domestic dinnerware to producing dinnerware for the food service industry, including hotels and restaurants. They are still in business today.

This is an assortment of Park-O-Meter parking meters. They were manufactured by the Magee-Hale Park-O-Meter Company. The founder of this company, Carl C. Magee, is recognized as the first person to receive a patent for a paying parking meter. His patent was issued in 1938. Magee’s invention of the parking meters was the result of a request by the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce to solve their downtown-parking problem. People were parking in the parking spaces for too long, including people who worked downtown that parked in the spots all day. This resulted in lost income for the local merchants. Paying for a parking spot assured that people would move once their time was expired on the meter. In addition, the meters earned significant revenue for the town of Oklahoma City.

The meters pictured here allowed 2 hours of parking for a nickel. They were manufactured in the 1950s and have been restored and painted in different colors. A great reuse of one of these meters would be as a conversation piece in a gameroom or office.

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.

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.

Vernor’s Ginger Ale was created by James Vernor in 1866, years before any of the other big-name soft drinks were invented. And it is the oldest ginger ale to be continually manufactured to the present day. This cup dates to the mid-1950s and measures only 2.5 inches in height.

Manufactured by:
American Can Co.
Easton, PA

These photos are of the restoration process we went through with a fire department call box. It came to us in pretty bad shape and required sandblasting, repair work, wiring and repainting. The manufacturer is unknown, but the style strongly resembles that of Gamewell fire boxes of the 1940s and 1950s. Gamewell Corp. of Massachusetts has been a major manufacturer of fire and police call boxes since 1879.

The box was missing the upper door that would originally have had a pull down alarm, but this was remedied by adding the telephone with a light above. The vintage wall phone is also from the 1950s. The finished product is a functional telephone stand as well as a great conversation piece. This is a great example of how vintage items can be restored and repurposed to use in your home or office today as a truly unique decorating touch.

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

Vintage Cups, Glasses and Mugs

It’s interesting to see the different promotional and corporate products made over the years. Every week we will feature a cool retro cup, glass or mug from our large collection. We’ll share what we’ve learned about them and welcome your additional input and comments.

This is a Chaser Lithiated Soda glass. Chaser was a lemon-flavored soda that contained lithium citrate, an anti-depressant. Lithiated drinks was believed at one time to be a curative for indigestion and hangovers and many of the bi-name soda manufacturers produced them, including 7 Up and Moxie. This soda, manufactured by The Chaser Company of Memphis, Tennessee, appears to have disappeared after the late 1940s. The glass is printed with the words “Chases the Imps”, with an arrow pointing to curious little imps labeled “Thirst”, “Hangovers” and “Indigestion”.

L. E. Smith Glass Company is the manufacturer of this glass. They have been in business since 1907, making American-pressed glass. Today they are one of the few remaining hand-molded glass factories left in this country.

Manufactured by:
L. E. Smith Glass Co.
Mt. Pleasant, PA

The Walrus Manufacturing Company of Decatur, Illinois was one of the many manufacturers that tried to cash-in on the ongoing soft drink craze in the early 1900s. This advertisement is from the “National Bottlers Gazette”. Walrus, like other manufacturers, was marketing their product directly to bottlers in the hope that they could become their cooler supplier. These two models are the Walrus Blizzard Beverage Cooler (top) and the Walrus Beverage Cooler. They were produced in the late 1920s to early 1930s.

Both of these models were self-serve, and used the honor system, where the customer would pull out a bottle of soda and then pay the storeowner. They have openers and cups attached for discarded bottle crowns. There is also a cup to hold straws. Both coolers were manufactured of painted metal and were available with either turquoise blue or tan paint finishes.

The Blizzard was the smaller of the two models. It cooled 36 bottles and the display held 44 additional bottles to be rotated into the ice. It took 35 lbs. of ice to cool the bottles in the Blizzard. The dimensions were 39”W x 27”D x 36 ½”H and it weighed 130 lbs. The larger cooler held 64 bottles and displayed 112. It held 75 lbs. of ice and the dimensions were 45”W x 28”D x 68”H.

These two machines are very rare, and we’d love to hear if you’ve ever seen one. Blog-in if you have any additional information to share.

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.

Tab, a product of the Coca-Cola Company was the first major brand of diet cola. It was introduced into the soft drink market in 1963 as a soft drink for consumers trying to watch their weight. Tab was very popular until Diet Coke was released in 1982. Tab is still sold today, but with limited distribution. This cup is stamped with the words “Free Sample” and probably dates to the earliest days of Tab’s history when it was first being introduced to the public.

Manufactured by:
Dixie Cup Division
American Can Co.
Easton, PA

This is an illustration of a unique soda vending machine from the 1930s. This vendor was built by Gertner Manufacturing Company about 1932. It was a unique machine for the time in that it required two nickels to get a bottle of soda. One nickel was to pay for the soda and the other was a deposit on the bottle. Once the two nickels were inserted into the machine, a bottle of soda was dispensed. One of the nickels was returned to the customer once the empty bottle was placed into the drawer in the lower part of the machine. This drawer was opened using the crank handle.

The dimensions for this vendor were 69”H x 23”D x 31”W. It weighed 380 lbs.

Have you ever seen one of these? We’d love to hear from you if you have any additional information to share about this unique machine.

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.

Mission Orange Soda was first produced by California Crushed Fruit in Los Angeles, California. In 1933 the first Mission soda was bottled using distinctive black glass bottles. The Mission soda brand existed until 1970. This cup dates from about the late 1960s to 1970.

Manufactured by:
Continental Can Company, Inc.
Newark, NJ

We know that this is a Vendo V-240 case vending machine, but have not seen any more information on this machine. It looks like a model designed specifically for factories and other large places and was probably produced in very small numbers. It was a very large machine, capable of dispensing 10 cases of soda, or 240 bottles.

The way this machine dispensed soft drinks is unique too. Rather than starting out with bottles being loaded into a drum or onto shelves, the entire case of soda was loaded into the machine. As you can see in this diagram, the conveyor transported the whole case around the interior of the machine as each case was emptied. The motion resembles that of a Ferris wheel. Once a bottle was released, gravity would take over and the bottle would drop into the chute.

As clever as this design is, it obviously didn’t catch on, as this is the only machine like this that I have seen. Please let us know if you’ve seen one of these.

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.

Mello Yello is a soft drink created in 1979 by the Coca-Cola Company to compete with Pepsi’s Mountain Dew. Like their competitor’s soda, Mello Yello is a citrus-flavored soft drink with caffeine. This cup dates to the 1980s and was manufactured by the Solo Cup Company of Chicago, Illinois. Solo Cup was founded in 1936 by Leo Hulseman, a former employee of the Dixie Co.

Manufactured by:
Solo Cup Co.
Chicago. IL

This is a gas pump that we restored at Vintage Vending years ago. It is a twin pump model called the Tokheim 350-P. Manufactured from 1956 to 1960, this pump was made by the Tokheim Corporation of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. There is a large “face” on each side, allowing gas to be pumped from both sides as well as offering two different brands of gasoline on each side.

Restoration consisted of stripping, repairing and painting with our auto body restoration process. It was clear-coated and detailed with the Sky Chief and Fire-Chief Texaco brands.

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

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

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 cup and saucer set that was manufactured by Syracuse China, manufacturers of restaurant, hotel and railroad dinnerware. Some of their notable clients were the Union Pacific Railroad, the Bell Telephone Company and New York’s Embassy Hotel. The Syracuse China company was started in 1871 and was originally named the Onondaga Pottery Company. In 1966 they changed their name to Syracuse China. Today they are owned by Libbey, Inc. but beginning in 2009, the manufacturing of Syracuse China was moved overseas.

This particular cup and saucer date to 1977 and 1976, respectively. The diamond pattern is called “Jubilee” and was one of the stock patterns available from Syracuse China.

Based on these advertisements, Arnold manufactured a range of soda bottle coolers in metal and wood. The liners were galvanized iron. The Arnold Junior Cooler also had a galvanized iron exterior.

The Club House Box was made with a wooden exterior with a mahogany finish. These were generic chest coolers that storeowners could hammer a tin sign onto featuring a particular soda brand.

This Quick Cooling Chest is also wooden and very similar to the Club House Box, except that it could be ordered in 6 different lengths, ranging from 3 feet to 8 feet. It was available with a ground cork insulation.

Pictured here is another Arnold’s Quick Cooling Chest that was being offered by the Frank F. Pasch Co. of Wisconsin. Frank Pasch was a German immigrant that settled in Milwaukee and was involved in several different businesses, one which evidently included the distribution of Arnold cooler chests.

Manufactured by:

G. J. Arnold Bottlers’ Supplies Co.
1131 South Broadway
St. Louis, MO

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.

Bubble Up is a lemon-lime flavored soda that was created in 1917. It was first made by Sweet Valley Products Co. in Sandusky, Ohio ten years prior to the creation of what became its major competitor, 7 Up. Today Bubble Up is licensed to and made by The Dad’s Root Beer Co., LLC of Jasper Indiana. This cup was made in the late 1950s to 1960s.

Manufactured by:
Dixie Cup Co.
Easton, PA

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

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 mug is from the Original Pantry Café that first opened in 1924 in Los Angeles, California. They’ve been in business for over 80 years and continue to be a famous Los Angeles landmark. In their current location since 1950, there are great neon signs out front, a 1950s diner style counter with stools, in addition to a dining room. Open 24 hours, they never close their doors. The motto of the Original Pantry Café is “We never close. We’re never without a customer.”

This sturdy coffee mug was made by Delco Atlantic China. It is most likely from the 1970s. The Original Pantry Café sells mugs today as souvenirs to their customers.

These are photos of a U.S. mailbox that we restored some years ago. It dates to the late 1950s or some time in the early to mid-1960s. The manufacturer is unknown, but the style of the box is very much like the early designs conceived of by Postmaster David C. Owens in the early 1900s. The original boxes Owens designed were made of cast iron and were produced until the 1940s. Because of the resemblance to those boxes, this style box has become known as an Owens-style mailbox. This particular box is made of a sheet metal and is modeled on the earlier Owens design.

Here are some interesting photos of a unique looking soda vending machine. These are of the American Vendor model 120 that was built from the mid to late 1940s. What makes this vendor different is its rounded shape. A stainless steel drinking fountain was optional, as were steel or rubber casters. It could vend 62 bottles as well as pre-cool 62 bottles. The machine measured 39 inches high by 32 inches in diameter and weighed 325 lbs.

At first the machines were built to be completely round. Later models, like the 1949 pictured here, were given a new design with a flat front. Also in the photos you can see both a woman and a man getting a soda bottles out of the vendors. These machines had decals applied for multiple soda manufacturers and could vend up to 62 different flavors, according to the brochure.

Manufactured by:

General American Transportation Corp.
Los Angeles, California

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.

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 Manners Big Boy. The Big Boy franchise is one of many that sprung from the hugely successful Bob’s Big Boy restaurant begun in 1936 in Glendale, California. The concept expanded into a chain with locations across the country. Today there are seven states where you can still find a Big Boy restaurant.

The franchise called Manners Big Boy was located in Northeastern Ohio. The first location, near Cleveland, opened in 1939. It was the first California-type fastfood drive-in to appear in that area. They grew to more than 30 restaurants in Ohio, and had over 300 locations in countries other than the U.S. The Manners chain was purchased by Marriott in 1968.

This 6-ounce paper cup is called a “Handi-Handle Cup”. Mostly likely intended for small children, it has a handle built into it that lies flat until you pull it out to use it. This cup was manufactured by Sutherland Paper Company of Kalamazoo, Michigan and Santa Clara, California. In the 1950s the company became the KVP Sutherland Co., so this cup probably was made in the late 40s or early 50s. The pastel color is very reflective of the style of that time.

Vendo was founded in 1937 in Kansas City, Missouri. Their initial product line consisted of chest coolers, but after WWII they became known for their upright vending machines, which were made exclusively for the Coca-Cola Company. This chest cooler is one of the earliest—if not one of the first chest coolers made by Vendo.

This cooler is embossed for Cleo Cola, a soft drink that was introduced in 1935 by the Whistle soda company. Cleo Cola was named after the cigar favored by the company’s owner (presumably Antonio y Cleopatra cigars, manufactured since 1879). Advertising for the soda featured Queen Cleopatra of Egypt, which may explain the use of what then was considered an “oriental” typeface.

In addition to the photo of the Cleo Cola chest cooler, there are also photos of artist renditions of the Vendo chest and an additional cooler embossed with the Coca-Cola logo, in what appears to be an office. Perhaps this gentleman is a Vendo Company executive. In this last picture, it is possible to see the top of the machine with the rotating vending mechanism. This chest cooler represents an early version of the soda vending machines that Vendo continued to develop and became famous for.

Manufactured by:

The Vendo Company
Kansas City, Missouri

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 Squirt soda fountain glass, copyright 1948. It is about 5 ¼ inches high. There aren’t any markings to determine the manufacturer. It’s a soda fountain glass that advertises Squirt soda.

Squirt is a grapefruit-flavored soft drink that was first introduced in 1938. This carbonated fruit drink was created by Herb Bishop of Dallas, Texas. The character featured on the glass is called “Little Squirt” and was created by Bishop and his partner, Ed Mehren in 1941. Squirt continues to be one of the best-selling grapefruit drinks in the U.S. today.

Here is a photo of a Vendo Ark Pie ice cream vendor. I really do not know much about this machine or what an Ark Pie is, but I thought it was a neat picture. If anyone is familiar with this machine or what an Ark Pie is, please blog-in and let us know.

Manufactured by:

The Vendo Company
Kansas City, Missouri

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 beautiful red candy machine is a 1950s Stoner Theater Candy Vendor that we restored. It is one of several that we restored over the years. They are the most rare of the Stoner candy vendors, with an illuminated front panel. They are capable of vending up to eight different types of candy and accept nickels, dimes and quarters. These vendors, with their upscale Art Deco styling, would have been positioned in the lobbies of nicer movie theaters.

As you can see by the Univendor brochure, we took some creative license when restoring this machine, since they originally had a walnut finish. This model was even available as a 16-item vendor called the Dual De Luxe Theater Model that was able to hold 320 units of candy. If you go to the Retroplanet.com Museum, you’ll see two other Stoner Theater models we restored: one is blue and the other is maroon.

Manufactured by:

Stoner Mfg. Corp.

Aurora, 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 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.

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 glass used to serve Modox soda, known as “The New Nerve Drink”. It is made of pressed glass and the date and manufacturer are unknown. It’s a very striking glass, decorated with an impressive Indian and the words, “Drink Modox”. Glasses like these were used to hold free samples of Modox or to serve the soda to paying customers at soda fountains.

Modox was one of many “nerve drinks” to spring up following the success of Moxie soda that was invented around 1870. As a matter of fact, the company owner, James Stephen Barry, was sued in 1908 by Moxie for copyright infringement. The similarities between the two products were striking. Moxie’s slogan was “Nerve Food”, while the Modox slogan was “The New Nerve Drink”. They both used an Indian in their advertising and the names were very much alike. Moxie eventually won their case against Modox and Barry and his Providence, Rhode Island soda company were forced out of business.

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

Here are some photos of an Adco Orange Crush dispenser. This was simply the valve; all of the syrup and carbonation would have been under the counter. Most likely it would have been positioned on the soda fountain, with the back facing toward the customers sitting at the counter. The orange-colored stand was something we made and was not part of the original dispenser. Our restoration was minor, but included giving it a good cleaning, replacing the drip tray (which are always missing) and making the before-mentioned stand.

Adco was a fairly minor player in the soda fountain dispenser business, but they manufactured some interesting and now very collectible pieces.

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.

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 mug symbolizes a piece of local New England history that will soon be coming to an end. This is s a coffee mug from the Cedar Crest Restaurant in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The Cedar Crest has been in business serving Italian-American food since 1936. It was a great meeting place local people and politicians, having both a diner section, as well as a more formal dining room area.

The mug was made by Westford China in Westford, Massachusetts. They have since moved their factory and offices to Nashua, New Hampshire. This mug is difficult to date, as there are no codes to define when it was made, but I’d guess it was from the 1970s or 80s.

You may also want to stop by Retroplanet.com to see Keith’s blog under the heading of New England Memories for his thoughts about the Cedar Crest Restaurant. It’s an entertaining account of the history of a local gem.

Here is a brochure for a Dr. Pepper Guiberson Double-Quick Vendor, Model GCD-144. The machine has an interesting design. It’s clean and simple—almost clinical, with just a small Dr. Pepper script sign and painted the standard Dr. Pepper green.

The Guiberson Corporation was located in Dallas, as was Dr. Pepper. I am not sure what their business arrangement was, but the majority of Guibersons you see are Dr. Pepper machines.

This is most likely a 1960’s machine with a capacity of 144 bottles. It was available with an optional coin changer. Someone has written the pricing on the front of the brochure, $505.00 w/o coin changer, $560.00 with coin changer.

We have never owned one of these and I have never seen one. If you own one, please send in some photos no matter what the condition. We’d love to see them and share them with visitors to our website.

Dimensions: 72H x 40W x 22D
Weight: 500 lbs