Interested in Purchasing the Coca-Cola Formula?

Coke formula claim

The secret formula for Coca-Cola is evidently for sale on eBay at the moment. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Coca-Cola-Recipe-Formula-Letter-January-15-1943-Historical-Document-/121110740676#ht_634wt_1202

I have seen the ‘secret formula’ turn up every few years. The man claims to have found this one at an estate sale. The document once belonged to a chemist.   This version that was found is from 1943. I know during WWII it was difficult to find all the ingredients, so substitutions and adjustments  had to be made. I think this is just an alternate formula for a cola drink, not necessarily for Coca-Cola.

Plus, I am sure it does not compare to the modern formula now used by The Coca-Cola Company.  But if you have a spare $15 million you could own your own ‘copy’.

Coca-Cola Estate Sale of Epic Proportions!

I was able to attend an Estate Sale over the weekend that was ALL Coca-Cola items.  There were old, vintage items all the way to newer reproduction items.  A little bit of everything.  

 If you live in the Atlanta area you might want to check it out: http://estatesalecompany.com/

Check out the photos of the items.  Directions and hours of the sale are listed at the website.

You might find something to take home!

 

75,000 and Counting!!

Over the weekend I hit the 75,000 visitor mark. Thanks everyone for stopping by!

May is Here

 

Well, with spring here, I’ve been too busy to get to my blog and post anything.    What with yard work, etc. I hadn’t had a chance to do much of anything with bottles.   

Although I did find some time to hit a local antique store I hadn’t been to in several months.  I found several bottles, most of them were upgrades for ones I already had, but one bottle, that I almost did not buy was my best find.    It is easy to get into a habit of looking at bottles too quickly and passing something over that turns out to be a unique bottle.     I always look at the bottom of the embossed Coca-Cola bottles to see what City/State they have. I found a Marietta, GA bottle. I have several Marietta bottles already and decided not to buy it. But, it was only $1, so I thought I would go ahead and get it.    Once I got it home and started cleaning it, I noticed it was not an ordinary bottle. This bottle was from the late 1940′s, so one side should have had the Patent Number embossed in it, with the other side showing the 6 Ounce markings. This bottle has the 6 Ounce markings on both sides, no Patent Number markings!    I try to collect all variations and had never seen this particular year bottle have the ounce size on both sides.

So, get out, hit those local antique stores, flea markets and yard sales and look closely at those items you find. You never know what you might end up with!

Happy Collecting!

Springtime in Atlanta

Last week the Atlanta Chapter of The Coca-Cola Collectors Club hosted its annual convention…Springtime in Atlanta.

It was a BUSY week!  What with several selling rooms set up with great items for sale, a silent auction, regular auction, a luncheon with a former Coca-Cola Bottler (Frank Barron Jr of Rome, GA) speaking, an opening party, a banquet and of course visiting with Club friends from around the U.S. and from around the world (We had people from Spain, Japan and Belgium this year) made for an incredibly busy and hectic week.

I am always so tired afterwards, but it is always worth it. If you aren’t a member of The Coca-Cola Collectors Club, you should look into it.

  Here is a picture of one of my better finds last week. It is a Coca-Cola bottle that had been made into an electrical insulator during WWII by the Seabees. I had seen one at The World of Coca-Cola Museum, but nowhere else.

 

Before and After….

Here are the bottle photos I promised, after I cleaned them and before 

The Peaches to the Beaches Yard Sale

Royal Palm Mcrae, GA

 Last weekend we were able to check out the Peaches to the Beaches Yard Sale here in Georgia. It was a 200 mile yard sale that stretched from Barnesville, Georgia to the coast on Highway 341, ending in Brunswick.   Unfortunately we only had one day to go to the sale, only averaged 12.5 miles per hour and made it a little over half way.  In between the towns we were able to do the speed limit, but once we hit a town their was a LOT to see!

  I was hoping to find some Coca-Cola bottles from some of the small towns we went through such as Fort Valley, Helena and McRae. I was able to find some Royal Palm Flavor bottles from the McRae Coca-Cola Bottler.  The only Coca-Cola bottles I found were from Hawkinsville, Georgia.  And those bottles I just lucked up on.    At every stop I would ask about Coca-Cola bottles and get pretty much the same answer- “Some guy bought all the Coke bottles I had this morning…” We never did catch up with this guy, so I was always a little too late to get some bottles.

 The three I eneded up with from Hawkinsville, were just pure lucky find. Someone was cleaning out a building, was not set up at the yard sale. I just happened to see a box full of various bottles and asked about Coca-Cola bottles. They weren’t interested in the Coke bottles and was happy to sell them. They weren’t much to look at, here is before.  Here is the  After picture

Finding Coca-Cola Stuff…..

Being known as that “Coca-Cola Bottle Man”, I have people send me a lot of photos of stuff they find. It’s great! I get to see things that I otherwise wouldn’t have a chance to see.  Here is something my brother-in-law came across in Northern California. He was out there helping his son (my nephew) bottle around 500 bottles of his own wine. (Can’t wait to get a few bottles of it, Sean)  While out one day he came across this Coca-Cola cooler that has found a new life as something else……

Coke cooler

70,000 and Counting

I hit the 70,000 visitor mark this week!  Thanks everyone for stopping by.

Roaming Around Rome

A few weeks ago I was able to travel to Rome, Georgia for the 41st Annual Rome Antique Bottle Show.  It is a small show, but always a good one. Here is an article from the local paper on the bottle show: http://www.romenews-tribune.com/view/full_story/21600145/article-Bottle-collectors-see-one-man%E2%80%99s-trash-as-their-own-treasure-?instance=home_news

I grew up as a “Navy Brat”, and then joined the Navy once I was old enough. So, we never really had a ‘home town’ growing up, but if I could pick one it would be Rome, Georgia. The rolling hills, the river, a great downtown area with lots of restaurants and shops. Of course Rome has several great antique stores to check out too.  It has the conveniences of a large town, but has a small town feel to it.

While there I got to speak with Frank Barron Jr. His family started the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Rome around 1901. (I wrote about Frank’s book a few years ago: http://cocacolabottleman.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/another-good-read/) He is certainly an interesting man to speak to. I enjoyed talking ‘Coca-Cola’ with him and asking him about the bottling side of the business.

Also while in Rome Frank took me over to the Rome Area History Museum. Some of his collection is on loan to the museum and I was eager to see it. While there I met the Executive Director of the museum, Leigh Barba.  She runs a GREAT museum!  There were MANY interesting exhibits on display. If you are ever in Rome, be sure to check it out.  http://www.romehistorymuseum.org/

All in all it was a great day in Rome: found a few bottles at the Rome Show I had been trying to find for awhile and saw some bottle collecting friends, got to meet Mr. Barron and speak with him, got to tour the museum and even had time to  hit a few antique stores.

Rome Area History Museum

Rome History Museum