The Jacobs 56 Pepsi-Cola Vending Machine
The Jacobs 56 Pepsi-Cola Vending Machine is one of the most sought-after Pepsi machines ever made. Serious collectors consider it the “Holy Grail” of all soda machines. Having been manufactured for only two years, between 1952 and 1953, makes this a very rare machine. We are proud to have restored several of these machines, and you can see one of them in our Retro Museum at Retroplanet.com.
Collectors know this vendor as the “Pepsi Light-Up”. This is because the Pepsi “cap”, or logo on the front lights up, by way of two bulbs located behind it. Above the cap, to either side, are a red and blue (or sometimes green) lens. The red lens indicates when the machine is empty, and the blue reads “nickels only”. This machine vends 56 bottles of Pepsi and can vend bottle sizes from 10 to 12 ounces. It also has the capacity to pre-cool 37 bottles. This model, unlike the Jacobs Coca-Cola machines, uses slant-shelves to vend the sodas.
The shape of the machine is typical of Jacobs soda machines. They have a rounded top, resembling a mailbox. This makes for a very unique and appealing appearance. So in addition to its rarity, these machines are also very desirable for their style. It can be difficult to find an original Jacobs 56 that has the Pepsi “cap” intact and in good condition which can complicate the restoration of one of these models.
Every soda machine we restored at Vintage Vending followed the same process. First the machine was completely disassembled and all painted parts were sandblasted. All other parts were re-chromed, powder-coated, repainted or cleaned. The coin mechanism was re-plated and rebuilt. Automotive bodywork was performed on all of the sandblasted parts. The machine was painted with PPG automotive paint. Then the machine was reassembled with a new refrigeration compressor and all electrical was replaced.
Dimensions: 61” high x 27” wide x 21 ½” deep
Weight: 280 lbs.
Manufactured by:
F. L. Jacobs
Traverse City, Michigan
This item is not for sale. We show restored items in this blog to encourage discussion, prompt questions and further the hobby.
To view more pictures of the completed restoration visit the RetroPlanet.com Museum.
4 responses so far ↓
1 Duane Davenport // Jan 26, 2009 at 11:32 am
Regarding Pepsi Jacobs 56:
I have one of these in original condition some wear and the compressor is not working , but overall quite beautiful. A local bottle collector is after it. I have owned tis since 1976. What is it worth? Thanks in advance for your response.
Duane Davenport
lookinup444@yahoo.com
2 Keith Orr // Aug 17, 2009 at 2:41 am
I have a Pepsi Vendo 56 soda machine that is in very good condition. It works very well, and we use it today. Can you tell me what a machine like mine is worth?
Thank you,
Keith
3 vintagevending // Aug 17, 2009 at 9:49 am
We aren’t able to give estimates on the value of an item. If you keep an eye on Ebay or Craig’s List, your item is sure to be listed at some point. That may give you a rough idea of it’s value but keep in mind prices vary greatly depending on condition. You can also contact fun-tronicsllc.com (217) 857-1759 for more specific information on machines. If anyone can help with a value of this item please comment.
4 Kathy // Oct 7, 2009 at 12:14 am
I have a Pepsi vendor machine model P-95, serial #2052 in storage. My husband is disabled & we are trying to relocate. I cannot find any information on this machine; including, trying to contact Pepsi. I would like to sell the machine, bu have no idea what to list it for. Can anyone e-mail me and give me some insight on how to list this?
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