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

This is a brochure for a Squirt advertising scale from the 1940s. The scale was manufactured by Hamilton Scales and would have made for great point-of-purchase advertising. In addition, the storeowner displaying one of these would be making profits from the coin-operated scale.

If you have additional info on this unique item, please blog-in. Let us know if you’ve ever seen one of these.

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 is from a Mister Donut franchise and dates from some time between 1960 and about 1980. It’s hard to determine, as there aren’t any marks at all on the mug to help date it. The saucer was made by Shenango China of New Castle, Pennsylvania. It dates from the 1920s to the 1940s and was not the original companion to the cup.

Mister Donut was Dunkin’ Donuts’ largest competitor in the U.S. until it was bought out by their parent company, Allied-Lyons, in 1990. The Mister Donut company was started by Harry Winokur in 1955. He was the partner and brother-in-law to Dunkin’ Donuts founder, William Rosenberg. Winokur disagreed with Rosenberg’s decision to franchise the Dunkin’ Donuts shops, but ended up doing just that with his very successful Mister Donuts shops. Today Mister Donut has a strong presence in Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines.

This Progress A1 picnic cooler is referred to as the “tall” version. It shares the same dimensions in width and length as the smaller A1 coolers, but this model is 2 ½ inches taller. It has a 38-bottle capacity and is embossed with the Red Rock Cola brand. Red Rock was a soda brand founded in 1885 by Lee Hagan and G. T. Dodd of Atlanta, Georgia. When they started the Red Rock Company their first soda flavor was ginger ale. In 1894 they added a cola to their line that was sold in 12-ounce bottles. In their early days, Red Rock was a leader in soda distribution, but by the late 50’s their business was in serious decline. Today the distribution rights to Red Rock Cola are owned by American West Beverages of Kennesaw, Georgia.

Unrestored Progress A1 Cooler

Dimensions: 19L x 13”W x 21 ½”H
Produced: Late 40’s to 50’s

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 first police call boxes were created in 1883 for the city of Washington, D.C. They made it possible for both the public and the police to contact the local police station in the event of an emergency. The idea quickly caught on across the U.S. and call boxes were installed in other large cities. Police walkie-talkies eventually made call boxes unnecessary in most cities by the late 1960s.

This aluminum call box was manufactured by The Gamewell Company of New York in the mid-1900s. The original Detroit police call boxes were painted a solid blue. This one has been redone with a striking black, white and gold color combination, as well as the modern-day slogan, “No Drugs” painted on the side. Inside is a wall-style telephone. Northern Electric made this particular model called the Uniphone sometime in the 1940’s or 50’s.

Dimensions: 16”H x 11”W x 5”D
Produced: Mid-1900s

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 photos are of two models of water cooler manufactured by the Westinghouse Electric Company some time in the 1940s. These are not simply water bubblers, like those commonly seen in public places. These models were designed to be used in a different setting, such as an office. They both have a freezer compartment for ice cube trays, as well as a refrigeration compartment to accommodate bottled soft drinks, with enough room to store bag lunches. One model even comes equipped with a bottle cap catcher. The design of these is very practical and machines like these must have appeared in many workplaces across the US.

Produced: 1940s
Manufactured by: Westinghouse Electric Company

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 order to keep food from spoiling back in the days before electric refrigeration, it was necessary to keep it in an icebox. These units were made of wood or metal and the food was kept chilled by adding blocks of ice. The ice was delivered by the iceman on his horse drawn ice truck. He knew which customers were in need of ice by the sign the woman of the house would leave in a window that was visible from the street. The sign was on a square piece of cardboard with varying amounts of ice printed on it. For example: 25, 50, 75 or 100 lbs. of ice. The customer would turn the desired amount to the top of the card as a signal to the iceman so he would know how large a block of ice to cut. This was very handy to the deliveryman to prevent lugging a massive chunk of ice up several flights of stairs, only to find out the inhabitants didn’t need it. Stories tell of icemen hurling unwanted ice over balconies to avoid carrying it all the way back down. The ice smashing onto the street would be much to the delight of the children below who would pick up the pieces of ice to suck on them.

This unit was manufactured by the White Frost Refrigerator Co. around 1918 and was called the White Frost Sanitary Refrigerator. The ice was deposited into the top compartment of the icebox. The food was placed on one of three tiers of wire below. These racks turned, like a lazy-Susan. The ice normally lasted about three days before it had to be replaced. Water drained from out the base of the icebox to a pan that was positioned below. This pan had to be emptied as the ice melted, to avoid flooding the kitchen. This model also has a water dispenser located on the side.

Electric-powered refrigerators were made available to the public as early as 1913. But either because of economic considerations, or resistance to change, many people were still using ice and ice boxes in the US until as recently as the 1960s.

Produced: About 1918
Manufactured by: White Frost Refrigerator Co.

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.

Here are some before and after pictures of a 1930’s Steelcraft hook & ladder pedal car. As you can see from the before pictures, it was in decent shape for its age and was complete, except for the ladders. It was rusty but had no major dents, so the restoration was pretty straightforward. This was restored some years ago. Looking at the pictures now, I noticed we did not put the trim back on the side of the car. I am not sure why, but in any case, I think it came out just fine. And one other note: this pedal car was found in a basement in Methuen, MA.

Produced: late 1930s
Manufactured by: Steelcraft Co.

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 very unique looking dispenser. It is a juice dispenser made by the Simplex Manufacturing Company for the Mission Dry Corporation of Los Angeles, California, makers of Mission Orangeade. This Art Deco style model was called the Model H Simplex Dispenser and was constructed of metal for both the body and the footed base.

The spigot is positioned on the back of the dispenser so the stylized front with the great oranges on top would have faced the customers as the drink was poured. It’s a very striking dispenser and must have been very a successful point-of-purchase display promoting Mission’s “Real fruit juice” drink.

Produced: 1930s
Dimensions: 33”H x 16”W

Manufactured by:
Simplex Manufacturing Company

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 Canada Dry Multiplex soda fountain that we once owned. The restoration was not extensive, as this came to us in pretty decent shape. We just had to clean it up a bit. This style of dispenser became known as “tombstone” due to the shape. This is a great little soft drink dispenser that doesn’t take up a lot of space, but was still able to fill tall glasses as well as shorter cups.

Produced: Late 1940s
Manufactured by: Multiplex

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

These are a series of brochures for Pelco chest coolers made in the 1950s. They are to promote their electric chest coolers as low-price, yet high quality. These ads are targeted at soft drink bottlers in the hope they will buy these coolers for placement in stores and other establishments in order to sell their bottled soda. One brochure shows a series of different colored coolers with embossing from different soft drink manufacturers.

By the time these brochures were distributed in the 1950s, it states that the manufacturer of Pelco coolers already had 50 years of manufacturing experience. They must have gone out of business some time ago, as there isn’t much information available on them today.

Manufactured by:
Portable Elevator Mfg. Co.
Bloomington, 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 machine can vend up to 81 cold bottles of Coca-Cola and has room to pre-cool 17. There are nine shelves, so a machine restored for use today has the capability of vending up to nine different flavors, depending on your needs. The slant shelves can accommodate bottles ranging in size from 6 ½ ounces to 12 ounces, giving you even more flexibility. The vending door has a fluorescent light inside, to illuminate the soda bottles within, making it easy to see your selection.

The original Pepsi VMC 81s were painted a solid “Pepsi Blue”. We have restored this machine with a deeper blue, added the white top and changed the embossed lettering from white to red, creating much more of a contrast.

The resulting red, white and blue is very striking and would look great in any gameroom or office. Whereas Vendo only produced the 81 for the Coca-Cola Company, Vendorlator (or VMC, as they’re also called), produced soda machines for many soda companies. Despite the fact that the Pepsi VMCs had the second highest production rate (second only to Coke), these machines are not that easy to find today.

Dimensions: 58”H x 27”W x 16”D
Weight: 286 lbs.
Produced: 1955 to 1958

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

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

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

The second photo is of the Lubbock, Texas RC plant. It features classic 1930’s or 40’s industrial architecture. The building has a brick front and small windowpanes throughout. There’s an overhang over the door with a deco treatment to it. It’s hard to see, but another RC neon sign off is to the right. I wonder how many times Buddy Holly drove by the place?

The third photo shows a building with lots of glass blocks. There is no mistaking what the purpose of the building is by the size of their signs.

The last photo shows the entrance to the Charlotte, NC bottling plant. Again, another great neon sign welcomes all who visit the plant.

All the buildings appear to be small, which makes sense, given Royal Crown’s market share behind Coke, Pepsi, and probably, Dr. Pepper. We have some other great Royal Crown Cola blogs to check out. Just click on the links below.

http://www.vintagevending.com/royal-crown-cola-advertising-and-celebrity-endorsements

http://www.vintagevending.com/rc-bottle-shaped-fountain-dispenser-draft-arm

Here is a fiberglass sign featuring the Howard Johnson’s Pie Man and Little Boy that we restored a few years back. These once graced the entrance to every Ho Jo’s in the country. Restoration is pretty straightforward; a very light sand or bead blast, body filling, sanding, priming, sanding again and finally, painting. This is really a great piece of Americana when it’s all finished.

To learn more about the history of Howard Johnson’s read our blog about it on Retroplanet.com.

http://www.retroplanet.com/blog/character-of-the-week/simple-simon-and-the-pieman/

Sometimes I can’t recall where some of the things came to us from years ago when we were in the restoration business. Take for example, this Dallas Country Club 13th hole golf ball washer. This probably came to us as part of a larger collection we purchased. In any case, it was a neat little item as well an easy restoration. The work consisted of some light sandblasting, some textured red powder coating and some hand lettering. When you’re finished, you have a neat little piece of golfing memorabilia.

Here is a cool little upright candy machine that used to be manufactured in Haverhill, MA—practically in our own backyard. It is the DuGrenier Candy Man Candy Bar Machine, and at the time, it sold for $41.50. The machine held 72 bars and displayed up to 12 different brands. The optional stand for $6.00 could be locked and was a good place to store extra candy. Loading and servicing was performed through the sides of the machine. Although we owned several of these over the years, we never restored one.

Manufactured by:
A.H. DuGrenier, Inc.
15 Hale Street
Haverhill, MA

How is this for an unusual soda machine? I have never seen this machine before, except for in this photo. I am not sure this machine was ever actually produced and wonder if this was just a prototype.

It looks like a big machine, judging by the guy standing next to it. Based on the fact that he is wearing a uniform, we could probably date this machine to the 1940’s. It’s an interesting concept; the different soda bottles are displayed behind glass. It looks like the top marquee could be a light-up sign or perhaps Bakelite plastic.

We would love more information on this machine, so if you have any, please blog-in. Even better—if you have any photos of this machine in any condition we would love to post them.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Ford Eco Air Meter Model 93 Tire Pump

We restored this Model 93 Eco air meter using a Ford theme, utilizing Ford graphics and colors. It is the same model air pump mentioned in our earlier blog featuring an air meter with Texaco graphics. This is an example of a great piece of roadside Americana that has been beautifully restored and updated so it can be used today as a display piece in a home, garage or business.

Many of us can remember pulling into a gas station to use one of these, or to watch our parents use one. These air meters have the distinctive bell that rings as the air is pumped into the tire. Each infusion of air was accompanied by a “ding” as the meter checked to see if the amount of pressure set on the gauge had been reached yet. These meters also were equipped with a handy reel and automatic recoil to wind the hose back onto the reel once tire inflation was completed.

Produced: From 1947 to late 1950s.

Manufactured by:
Service Station Equipment Company

The Bennett Pump Division
Muskegon, 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.

This is a 1950s picnic cooler made by the Progress Refrigerator Company for the makers of Squirt soda. This Progress A1 picnic cooler was made of steel with a galvanized liner. They originally came with a sandwich tray, but today it is hard to find examples with these intact. Squirt is one of the many soda companies Progress produced coolers for. They also manufactured the A1 cooler for the makers of Canada Dry, Royal Crown, 7 Up, Dr. Pepper and Barq’s. Some of the cooler’s features are two handles that lock together for carrying and a side-mounted bottle opener. There’s also a handy drainage spout positioned on the front for dispensing the water once the ice has melted. This model was able to hold up to 24 bottles of soda in addition to the food that would have been placed on the sandwich tray above, keeping is nice and dry.

Dimensions: 18”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.

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

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

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

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

Manufactured by:
Victor Products Corporation
Hagerstown, Maryland

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

Here is a theater ticket-shredding machine from the 1930s that we restored. Stands like these were positioned in a theater lobby and manned by a ticket-taker, or usher. They collected admission tickets to shred them as the patrons entered the theater. The tickets were dropped into the top of the machine and then the ticket-taker turned the wheel on the side of the stand to grind them up. The reason behind destroying the tickets was so they couldn’t be used by another patron to gain entrance to the show, and perhaps also, to avoid ticket resale by the usher. In theaters today they tear the ticket in half and ask you to hold onto the remaining stub so you can prove you paid to get in.

We restored this machine to reflect the art deco design trend that was so popular in the 1930s. The art deco style is reflected in the graphics and type style, as well as the chrome details on the stand.

Produced: Late 1930s

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 Royal Crown Company had marketing pros that understood the value of advertising and product promotion. With the help of their marketing agency, BBD&O, Royal Crown Cola experienced incredible growth through the 1940s.

Starting in 1939, RC Cola became the sponsor for the CBS radio program “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” with Robert Ripley. The show was broadcast every Friday evening and both the program and the RC Cola commercials were heard from coast to coast.

Another major component of RC Cola advertising was their print advertising. Starting in 1940 they had color inserts placed into magazines such as “The Saturday Evening Post” and “Good Housekeeping”. They also had ads printed in nearly 600 daily newspapers across the U.S.

Beginning in 1946 they used celebrity likenesses as well as endorsements. The advertisements featured famous movie stars like Lucille Ball, Loretta Young and Joan Crawford. Other stars in their ads were Lauren Bacall, Gary Cooper, Shirley Temple, Bob Hope, Gene Tierney, Barbara Stanwyck, Bing Crosby and Jerry Lewis. 1947 RC Cola ads featured the glamorous Hollywood actress Hedy Lamarr. A nationwide campaign was begun to promote RC Cola as the best of all available colas, proven in independent taste tests. They started using the slogan, “Best By Taste Test” and the stars appeared in their ads declaring, “RC tastes best!” Unlike RC’s main soft drink competition, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, the people at Royal Crown liked the idea of linking their cola to movie stars.

Other forms of advertising were billboards, point-of-purchase displays, metal signs, no-drip paper bottle protectors and bottle openers. Nancy Sinatra did two RC Cola commercials during her one-hour television special, “Movin’ with Nancy”, in 1967. In the mid-1970s Sharon Stone, a then undiscovered actress, was in an RC Cola commercial riding a skateboard while delivering pizza. This was part of the RC Cola ad series titled “Me and My RC”.

The Royal Crown Cola Company commemorated its 100th Anniversary in 2005. They are now owned by Cadbury Schweppes and continue to be very successful all over the world.

The Wurlitzer family had a reputation for purchasing and making very fine instruments dating back to the 17th century in Saxony (a German-speaking region that became part of Germany in 1945). In 1853, 22-year-old Franz Rudolph Wurlitzer emigrated to the U.S. to make his own way, rather than joining the family business as was traditionally done. Starting out in New Jersey and travelling to Philadelphia, he was unable to find employment until he found a job in Cincinnati as a door-to-door salesman. In 1854 he got a cashier job at a bank and was able to save enough money to contact his family back in Europe and request they send him some of their high-quality instruments. He sold a selection of woodwind instruments direct to local retailers that had previously gone through a succession of middlemen to import their instruments.

In 1856 Wurlitzer officially founded The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company in Cincinnati, Ohio as a musical instrument import business. He started out operating out of 3 small rooms on a part-time basis while still working at his job as a cashier at the bank. Wurlitzer’s import business grew quickly and moved to a new building in 1858. He opened a retail store with a showroom in 1860. He supplied drums and other musical instruments to the U.S. Army during the Civil War and by 1865 he was the largest supplier of band instruments in the country.

Wurlitzer made the transition from importing to manufacturing, and in 1880, Wurlitzer built and sold the first American-made Wurlitzer piano. The manufacturing took place in a factory located in North Tonawanda, New York. In 1889, Wurlitzer’s son, Howard joined the business. In 1896 they introduced the first coin-operated electric piano, called the “Tonophone”. In 1901 the Tonophone won the Gold Medal Award at the Pan American Exposition. The next major innovation produced by the Wurlitzer Company was the Mighty Wurlitzer. This was an organ that was used in cinemas and theaters during the silent movie era, supplying some background music.

The combination of “talkie” movies and the onset of the Depression of 1929 created very hard times for Wurlitzer. Their stock had fallen from a high of $119 a share in 1928 to $10 in 1933 and the company was in serious debt. The Wurlitzer Company convinced Homer Capehart to join their company to serve as their general manager and bring with him his rights to the Multi-Selector record-changing system that he had bought from the Simplex Manufacturing Company. This device allowed customers to insert a nickel and select a particular record to listen to on a phonograph, rather than only being able to listen to the records play in the order in which they were stacked. The Wurlitzer Company knew that Prohibition would soon be coming to an end and there would be a huge demand for coin-operated music. By 1937 Wurlitzer had sold over 100,000 phonographs and they dominated the phonograph market. The jukebox became known as the “small man’s concert hall” and today the Wurlitzer jukebox will always be associated with the Big Band Era due to its great success during that time period from the 1930s to the late 1940s. This is referred to today as the Golden Age of jukeboxes.

In 1946 the model 1015 Wurlitzer jukebox was introduced and they sold 56,000 units in less than two years. But Wurlitzer lost their edge in the jukebox market with the creation of the 45-rpm record. Their chief competitor, Seeburg, released a phonograph that was able to hold 50 records as opposed to Wurlitzer’s 24. Also, Seeburg’s jukebox was capable of playing both sides of a record, making it the first 100-selection juke. Wurlitzer was not able to come out with a competitive mechanism and Seeburg succeeded in dominating the jukebox market throughout the 1950s.

By the early 1970s Wurlitzer had virtually given up all jukebox production. They had some success in the 1980s with a return to retro and the re-release of the Wurlitzer 1015 jukebox. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1015 in 1986, it was released once more and called the “One More Time”. It was a unique juke, with 1946 styling and state-of-the-art music technology. The Gibson Guitar Corporation bought the Wurlitzer Jukebox Company in 2006 and they continue to produce jukeboxes today in their manufacturing plant in Hullhorst, Germany.

This is a cigar vending machine that we restored. It was made by the Cigaromat Service Corp. some time in the 1950s. They were available in either a smaller tabletop 3-selection style, or like this floor model 6-selection style. The pull handles are made of Bakelite. The graphics are ours and are not original.

This is an interesting machine as it dispensed a single cigar at a time. It was probably placed beside cigarette vending machines in the lobbies of restaurants, theaters and nightclubs.

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.

Orange Crush has always been a very popular soft drink, and still is. This soda fountain dispenser was made by a manufacturer called Adco, but there is not much available out there about them. This dispenser is from somewhere around the mid-1930s to the early 1940s. It worked by mixing the flavored syrup and carbonated water when the handle was pulled and the drink was dispensed. The dispenser would have been mounted onto the counter of the soda fountain.

The lid of this dispenser has the Orange Crush mascot, Crushy, mounted on it. This stylized figure is shown holding an orange, supposedly squeezing the juice out of it as he is seen doing in vintage Orange Crush advertisements.

Produced: Mid-1930s to early 1940s

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 Hupp Console-Cup Cold Drink Machine was an automatic drink vendor that was marketed for use in all types of locations. These 1949 ads show them placed in a bowling alley, gas station, bus station, theater, supermarket, company lunchroom and on a factory floor. Although it may not have been a very attractive machine, they were touted as being economical to operate and having an innovative design.

The Hupp Corporation is not usually associated with vending machines, but rather, with the automobile industry. They started in Detroit in 1908 as a manufacturer of the Hupmobile car. The company was formed by Robert C. Hupp and named the Hupp Motor Car Company. They moved to Cleveland in 1928 where they manufactured a less expensive Hupmobile model as well as automobile parts. Automobile production was halted in July 1940 as Detroit struggled to recover from the Depression. During WWII they manufactured munitions for the U.S. Government and following the war, they made parts for other automobile manufacturers. Hupp returned to Cleveland in 1946 and began making appliances, including the Hupp Console-Cup Cold Drink Machine we see pictured here.

The company was bought by John O. Ekblom in 1955 and he combined Hupp with several other companies he had acquired. Hupp diversified into several manufacturing areas including air-conditioning, heating, appliances and aviation. About 35% of the overall business was made up of appliance manufacturing. Hupp was sold three more times and declared bankruptcy in 1991.

The unique-looking Hupp Console-Cup Cold Drink Machine was manufactured for several soft drink companies, including Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, Hires and Royal Crown. It vended the soft drink into a cup, as well as ice. These are rare machines and we’d love to hear if you’ve come across one.

Dimensions: 36”H x 32”W x 27”D
Weight: 400 lbs.
Produced: Late 1940s

Manufactured by:
Hupp Corporation
Cleveland, 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.

The Modern Tool & Die Company was started in 1932 by three men: Theo Moll, Emil Jochum and Erwin Gerhard. A new division was added in 1953 called Midwest Industries. They made their first pressed steel pedal car in 1956 and rapidly built a reputation for high-quality craftsmanship. The pedal car they produced was the Studebaker Jet Hawk sedan. It was based on the actual 1956 Studebaker Hawk car series (there was a Golden Hawk, Flight Hawk, Sky Hawk, Powerhawk and a Silver Hawk).

There were only three car styles made based on the single chassis stamping of the Studebaker pedal car. The sedan style was called the Jet Hawk and originally came with tail fins and a large hood ornament. The Sportster and Strato-Jet were produced from the same body with modifications to the paint and graphics.

Slight modifications to the body were made over the next few years including adding a platform to the rear to adapt the car to a hook-and-ladder fire engine model. Another change was to make the grille more flat and minor adjustments were made to the hood to create a new appearance.

Because of the short production period of these cars, and the fact that they were never mass-produced, they are not that easy to find examples of. This is a Studebaker Strato-Jet that we restored. The colors are not original, but rather, this is a custom paint job with airbrushed flames and grille.

Dimensions: 37”L
Produced: 1956 to 1962

Manufactured by:
Midwest Industries
Willard, Ohio

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in our museum for viewing, information and to further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also just want to share the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

Produced: Beginning in 1947

Manufactured by:
Service Station Equipment Company
The Bennett Pump Division
Muskegon, 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.

In the 1930s the Good Humor ice cream company saw the need to be able to sell ice cream where people spent their time in the good weather—outdoors. Their solution was to send out a fleet of ice cream vending tricycles. They went directly to Schwinn and asked them if they were interested in designing something for them. Schwinn turned them down, but not before directing them to Worksman, a small bicycle manufacturer in New York that was already producing something like that. Worksman was busy producing Good Humor ice cream vending trikes for 40 years. They still manufacture all sorts of recreation and vending bicycles today.

This 1950s ice cream tricycle is one that we restored. As you can see by the old paint, there was a generic brand of ice cream painted on it originally. All of the trike’s components are the original pieces. Everything was stripped, repaired and repainted. The restoration was completed with a custom paint job and new wide whitewall tires.

Produced: 1950s
Dimensions: 100″L x 25″W x 40″H

Manufactured by:
Worksman Cycles
Queens, New York

This Royal Crown bottle-shaped soda fountain draft arm is an interesting piece. It was used at fountains to let customers know Royal Crown Cola was available. We found these pictures of the RC draft arm in use at various soda fountains from the 1950s. The photo of the one on the wooden stand is from our collection. This particular draft arm helps decorate our company lunchroom.

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

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

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

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

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

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

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

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

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

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

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

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

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

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

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

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

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

This is a picnic cooler made by the Progress Refrigerator Company in the 1950s. It is embossed with the Canada Dry logo and this model is referred to as the Progress A1. Canada Dry is just one of the many companies Progress produced coolers for. Some of the other soda companies they made coolers for were Royal Crown, 7 Up, Dr. Pepper, Squirt and Barq’s. The cooler is made of steel with two handles that locked together for carrying the cooler. There is a bottle opener mounted on the side and a drainage spout on the front. This model was built to hold 24 bottles of soda. Collectors will be aware that A1s with the Canada Dry embossing are not that easy to find. Some years ago we restored this cooler back to its original glory, but please note we are no longer in the restoration business.

Dimensions: 18”L x 13”W x 19”H

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.

Here are some photos of a great Gulf Oil display we once owned. We really did not do much to it as far as restoration goes besides giving it a good cleaning. This is an unusual piece and I would guess it could have been found in the corporate offices of a refinery or maybe given as an award to certain dealers? If you have any information please blog-in and let us know. We do not own this anymore but had the photos and wanted to share them.

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

Here is a Vendo coin changer painted in Pepsi colors and fastened to a custom-made stand with custom graphics. Vendo put out the coin changer so you could get nickels in place of a quarter or a dime, primarily so you could buy a Coke from one of their soda machines. You would find them mostly painted in Coca-Cola red, but they could also be found in a generic color scheme. Not sure they were available in Pepsi colors, we just decided to paint one Pepsi blue for a change.

This Vendo ice cream vending machine was a very challenging restoration. The exterior was pretty straightforward but the vending component was difficult to get right. If you attempt this restoration, make sure you document the process of taking the machine apart with photos and notes. Also, the machine should be complete, as parts cannot be found for it unless you buy another machine for spares.

I wish I could give you some more specific tips, but this restoration was done many years ago and our notes have been lost. Besides, we only restored one of these and we would have never done another.

All the graphics on the finished machine were custom, this machine was not originally painted like this. They were usually found painted light blue like the Vendo milk machine and the upright Vendo ice cream vendor.

Dimensions: 34 ¾”W x 29 ½”D x 36 ¼” H
Produced: 1950s

Manufactured by:
The Vendo Company
Kansas City, Missouri

This is a Coca-Cola Cavalier Junior Cooler we restored. They were manufactured from 1948 to 1952. These are often referred to as “airline” coolers because they were taken on board small passenger planes to serve cold Cokes to the passengers during flights. The Coca-Cola Company and Delta Airlines are both based in Atlanta, Georgia and have been partners since the 1930s, supplying Coke to Delta passengers.

The Cavalier Junior coolers were designed to be very sleek and compact to fit within the confined space of the passenger airplanes of the time. This model has a baked enamel finish and is lined in stainless steel to prevent corrosion from the ice that was used to keep the sodas cool. They also came in an all-stainless steel version, which is very rare today. The cooler has a sturdy carry handle, two double-hinged, safety release lid clasps and a bottle opener on the side. This airline cooler was made by the Cavalier Corporation, which manufactured soda vending machines exclusively for the Coca-Cola Company into the 1960s.

Manufactured by:
Cavalier Corporation
Chattanooga, Tennessee

Dimensions: 17”L x 7”W x 12.5”H
Weight: 12 lbs.
Capacity: 12 bottles of Coca-Cola

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

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

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

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

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

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

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

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

Is Refreshery even a word? In any case, we had this photo of what looks to be a movie theater concession stand. Really great 1950’s styling for the back wall with “Refreshery” spelled out in a great-looking script set on top of alternating square panels.

There’s a popcorn machine, candy counter, self-serve ice cream and a cup vending soda machine, all you would ever need to watch a movie.

Does anybody remember where this might be? Bottom of the photo has “Kingston” written out. Please blog-in if you know where this may have been.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Manufactured by:
Glasco
Muncie, Indiana

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

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

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

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

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.

What today has become the number one selling root beer nationally started at a roadside stand in Lodi, California. In 1919 Roy Allen sold root beer to people attending a parade that was held to honor returning WWI veterans. His soft drink beverage was so popular he took on a partner and opened a second roadside stand in Sacramento. Until 1971 A&W Root Beer was only available in A&W Restaurants. The soda was first sold in bottles and cans in 1971 starting in Arizona and California. By 1986 A&W soda was being distributed nationally. In 1995 Cadbury Schweppes of London acquired the A&W brand.

This A&W Root Beer paper cup was most likely manufactured for use in an A&W Restaurant from the late 1970s to early 1980s. The colors are very reflective of the orange/brown combination that was popular at the time. The image of the contiguous United States indicates the national distribution of A&W Root Beer.

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

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

Manufactured by:
Dole Valve Company
Chicago, Illinois

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

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

Dimensions: 17”W x 32”H

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 soda fountain glass from a Friendly’s Restaurant. I don’t believe it’s very old and they’re still very plentiful on the Internet. But it is an interesting example of company branding. The front of the tumbler says “Friendly Cola” and on the reverse it reads, “The only cola served in this shop”. I’m not sure where this glass was manufactured. There is a star mark on the base, but the mark inside the star is unreadable. It was probably made by Libbey, who used a star among several other markings over the years. Libbey was a very big manufacturer of restaurant glassware and they still are today.

The first Friendly’s Ice Cream Shop was opened in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1935 in the middle of the Great Depression. It was started by two brothers, Prestley and Curtis Blake, who were only 20 and 18 years old, respectively. They began by selling only double-dip ice cream cones for 5 cents. The ice cream shop name was originally “Friendly”, in order to project a welcoming and neighborly feel. The Blake’s second shop was opened in 1940 in Springfield, MA. They began to add food to the menu, starting with a hamburger. Friendly had become a chain with 500 restaurants by 1974, servicing the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. In 1979 the restaurant chain was sold to the Hershey Foods Corporation. Donald N. Smith bought Friendly from Hershey Foods in 1988 and the following year the “s” was officially added to the Friendly name. Friendly’s was purchased by Sun Capital Partners, Inc. in 2007. Today Friendly’s operate as full-service restaurants with take-out windows. The first concept store opened in 2008 in Fairhaven, MA to sell Friendly’s products exclusively.

Manufactured by:
Libbey Inc.
Toledo, Ohio

This late 1950s Cavalier CS-96 soda machine is a one-of-kind vending machine. On it we did a custom restoration for a college fraternity. The colors are inspired by their fraternity insignia and rather than dispensing soda, the shelves were adjusted so vending long neck beer bottles is no problem.

The Cavalier 96 is popular today because it was originally constructed with the adjustable shelves and also allowed varying amounts to be charged for dispensing. It is possible to charge up $1.00 per bottle and bottles from 6.5 ounces to 10 ounces are able to fit in the machine.

It’s a good example of how vintage soda vending machines can still be used in your home or office. Even if you keep the Coca-Cola embossing, you can fill your drink box with any bottled beverage that will fit for a fun and functional conversation piece in your home.

Please note we are no longer in the restoration business.

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

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

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

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

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 an interesting vintage cup and saucer set from Dunkin’ Donuts. It’s reflective of the fact that restaurants bought large quantities of china and as they were used washed and reused, what once were matching pieces would have been mixed up. The cup was manufactured by Jackson China about 1954. The saucer was made by Syracuse China in November of 1970. Vintage restaurantware has become very collectible, especially the finer brands like Jackson and Syracuse China.

The first Dunkin’ Donuts was opened by Bill Rosenberg in 1950 in Quincy, Massachusetts. It started as a donut shop with coffee “by the cup” and has become the largest coffee and baked goods chain in the world. The logo on this cup with the doughnut boy is probably the earliest Dunkin’ Donuts logo. It is being used by the company once again on “retro” t-shirts available for sale on their website.

Manufactured by:
Jackson China
Falls Creek, Pennsylvania

Syracuse China
Lyncourt, New York

This is a 1940s cigarette machine that we restored. With smoking as popular as it was at the time, these machines would have been used nearly everywhere. Its beautiful art deco design indicates that it was probably used in a nice restaurant, nightclub or theater. We’re not sure who the manufacturer is, so if you have an idea, blog-in and let us know what you think.

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.

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

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

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

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.

The Orange Crush Company was incorporated in 1916 by Clayton J. Howel of Los Angeles, California. He had previously introduced the successful soft drink syrup, Howel’s Orange Julep. He worked with his partner, Neil C. Ward to perfect the formula for a new and improved orange-flavored soft drink. Their invention was introduced as Ward’s Orange Crush. Today the Orange Crush brand is owned by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group in Plano, Texas.

This glass was made by the Federal Glass Company, as shown by the cap “F” and shield marking on the base. Federal Glass began using this marking after 1930. It reads, “Orange-Crush Fruit Flavored Beverage”. This type of glass was used at soda fountains in the 1930s. The line across the base indicated the amount of syrup to be added to the glass. Then the carbonated water would be added to finish the drink.

Manufactured by:
Federal Glass Company
Columbus, Ohio

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

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

Manufactured by:
Dole Valve Company
Chicago, Illinois

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

Here is a New York City Fire Department call box we restored some years back. Not sure, but I would have to guess it was from the 1920’s or 30’s given what the insides looked like. You can still see these poles all over NYC, but the cool front doors and insides have been replaced with modern and efficient communication equipment.

What made this restoration somewhat challenging was its weight of roughly 400 pounds. Also, it was covered with many years of paint that needed to be removed. Once the paint was stripped, hundreds of little pits were revealed in the cast iron. It took hours and hours of filling these holes with Bondo that was applied by fingertip. Sanding before paint was also a very time-consuming process, especially trying to get into all the ornate details.

The lesson here is that it’s easy to underestimate the work involved when you first look at an item for restoration. It may not turn out to be as easy as you think. Sandblasting and throwing a coat of paint on an item can turn into a hundred hours if you want it done right.

This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby of collecting and restoration. We also enjoy sharing the photos of the many items we have restored over the years.

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

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

Now this is an Orange Crush Dispenser! This is an ad from a 1959 Diner Drive-In Magazine. Great eye-catching display, Orange Crush fountain with a huge cup on top. This really must have sold a lot of Crush. I do not believe Crush was carbonated back then, which made it possible to have these kinds of dispensers. If I have that wrong, please blog in and let us know.

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.

The manufacturer of this cup and saucer was the Walker China Company of Bedford, Ohio. They were originally incorporated in 1923 by Albert M. Walker and Henry Bailey as Bailey Walker China. The name was changed in 1942 to The Walker China Company. By then they were making durable dishware for restaurants, hotels, clubs and steamships. The mark on the bottom of the cup reads “2-39”. To date Walker China, you add 1922 to the second number. Therefore, the cup dates to 1961 and the saucer, that reads “11-37” dates to 1959.

This cup and saucer were made for the Esso Oil Corporation for use on their oil tankers. Heavy-duty dishes like these would be a necessity in a mess hall, due to their repeated use. Esso began as the first foreign offshoot of the Standard Oil Trust in 1888. The name “Esso” was first used in 1926 and was officially changed to the company name in 1951. By 1972 the name was changed to the Exxon Corporation.

Manufactured by:
The Walker China Company
Bedford, Ohio

This is a 1940s Stoner Candy Vendor that we restored some years ago. It has a very art deco look and was probably used in ritzier venues such as the lobby of an elegant hotel. It has a light on top that shines on the mirror below, as well as bulbs behind the “Fresh” and “Candy” signs to illuminate them. There’s a lot of pinstriping and chrome on this vending machine, making it a very beautiful example of a vintage Stoner Candy Vendor.

If you know more about this machine, or own one yourself we’d really like to hear what you know about it, so please blog-in.

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.

Seeburg HF100R Jukebox

A Swedish immigrant named Justus P. Seeburg founded the J.P. Seeburg Piano Company in 1902. The company began as a manufacturer of coin-operated electric pianos. These pianos were equipped with a music roll that indicated the notes to be played. The rolls could be changed depending on what music was popular at the time. In 1910 instruments were added to the automatic pianos, like violins, a mandolin, flute, snare drum, triangle and other percussion instruments to add to the quality of the sound it produced. This new design was called the “Orchestrion”.

Amplification was introduced in the 1920’s and allowed for a great improvement in the quality of 78-rpm record sound. Unfortunately, this also made player pianos less desirable, and as a result, less profitable. In 1927, the coin-operated non-selective phonograph was introduced and Seeburg stopped making player pianos and organs altogether.

In 1928 the “Audiophone” was introduced, which was a coin-operated 8-selection phonograph that played 78-rpm shellac records. It had 8 individual turntables that were mounted on a “Ferris-wheel” mechanism that was turned by a pneumatic pump. The large wheel with turntables would spin, allowing the customer to choose their songs. The cabinet for this phonograph was rather wide, to allow for the “Ferris-Wheel” within.

Seeburg was prospering in early 1929 and their engineering department developed a smaller and less expensive version of the Audiophone called the Audiophone Junior. Unfortunately, the stock market crashed later that year and the U.S. entered in to the Depression. Seeburg sales were nearly nonexistent so few Audiophone Juniors were sold, making it a rare model today.

During the Depression, the J.P. Seeburg Company had to diversify into other areas of manufacturing. They created coin meters for washing machines and refrigerators. They manufactured arcade games like the 1936 Seeburg Ray-O-Lite that utilized a revolutionary new light ray technology, developed by Seeburg. This game was encased in a beautiful wooden cabinet, as were the early Seeburg jukeboxes.

When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, Seeburg saw an increase in jukebox sales. They went back into production and introduced the “Selectophone” 10-selection phonograph. This new design had 10 separate turntables placed vertically on a spindle, each spaced so the tone arm could go up and down and between each turntable to play all of the records. This phonograph played 2 selections for a dime or one for a nickel. It was designed with an art deco-styled walnut cabinet that only needed 3 square feet of floor space.

In 1937 Seeburg introduced the “Symphonola” and the Melody King line of jukeboxes. This group consisted of the first machines with illuminated selection panels. In 1940 Seeburg added automatic record changers and phonographs to their line and became the largest supplier for companies like Stromberg-Carlson and RCA-Victor. Seeburg also manufactured their first bottle vending machine in 1940.

During WWII, Seeburg was dedicated solely to the development and production of electronics used by the US military. This earned Seeburg three Army-Navy “E” Awards (excellence awards). After the war, in 1948, Seeburg introduced “The Industrial and Commercial Music System”. It produced background music in offices, stores and factories with a 110-record automatic phonograph. The technology that made this possible was known as the Select-O-Matic mechanism. This was an impressive device that stored the records in a vertical position and was able to play both sides of both 78- and 45-rpm records. This technology was adapted and used in coin-operated phonographs as well, the first being the famous M100A. This very quickly made Seeburg the most successful manufacturer of jukeboxes. With improvements to record-making technology, the 45-rpm microgroove disc was introduced and Seeburg made the M100B that played 45-rpm records exclusively.

Seeburg M100C Jukebox

The years that followed brought many improvements to music systems that were copied by other manufacturers. In 1953 Seeburg was the first to introduce high-fidelity reproduction with a wide-range, low-distortion, multi-speaker instrument called the HF100G. In 1955 they came out with the first 200-selection phonograph.

Seeburg HF100G Jukebox

In 1956 the Seeburg family sold their company to Fort Pitt Industries and the Seeburg Company became a subsidiary of Fort Pitt. In 1958 a Seeburg phonograph was introduced with a 160-record selection. This proved to be the ideal capacity for a phonograph. It was also in ’58 that Seeburg returned to the manufacture of vending machines. They produced an electric cigarette vendor and in 1959 followed that with hot and cold drink vendors.

In 1961 Seeburg addressed the introduction of the 33½-rpm record by introducing two phonographs that could play both 45 and 33½-rpm records. They were the AY-100 and AY-160. The Select-O-Matic DS100 and DS160 followed these in 1962. Seeburg was active in promoting the 33 1/2 –rpm record as the next big-profit item for manufacturers.

Throughout the 1960’s, Seeburg, or one of its affiliates acquired various companies including those that made electronic organs, musical instruments and vending machines. They expanded their operations abroad. They also continued to make electronics at their industrial division for the US government. In 1968 Seeburg was sold to Commonwealth United and then in 1972 to Seeburg Industries. Again the company was sold in 1984 to a group of industry inventors that formed the Seeburg Corporation. In 1986 they introduced the first CD jukebox, called the Seeburg SCD1. The production of CD boxes led to the end of the Seeburg jukebox’s popularity, and by the late 1990’s the company was finally closed.

Here is an interesting brochure we came across featuring the V-17 “Office Vendo Top”.

I have never seen one of these and I doubt it was ever manufactured, given this is just a drawing. What’s interesting is that the Vend Top is on what is clearly a Cavalier Office Cooler, but the top appears to be from Vendo given it’s name of “V-17 Office Vendo Top”. Vendo always named its models by how many bottles they would vend, preceded by a “V”. For example, Vendo-81, Vendo 110, Vendo 39 and so on.

If anyone has any information on this, please blog-in and let us know. If it does exist, some photos would be great.