This 1950s picnic cooler was manufactured by the Progress Refrigerator Company of Louisville, Kentucky. It has been restored and painted with the colors and graphics for the Hancock Oil Company of California.

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

Dimensions: 19”L x 13”W x 19”H
Weight: 33 lbs.
Produced: Late 1940s to early 1950s

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