Coke collectors need help with cooler Please

[beckyscountrycottage]

Need help please, is this real or reproduction?   Has rivet bottom, galvanized metal inside. The corner are made of heavy metal.    lady said she has had it for years in her basement   

is t

[maxine*j]

All I can tell you is that a bit of research on the web shows the originals from the 1950s:

First, had the word "Drink" above the word Coca-Cola"; 

Second, had a removable tray that sat above the ice and the bottles, to keep sandwiches and the like dry;  and

Third, were made by the Acton Manufacturing Co, Kansas City, KS, and were so marked. 

So, I  do not think you have an original from the 1950s.

[beckyscountrycottage]

thank you

[maxine*j]

You're welcome.  But do your own research, too, along the lines of the info I gave you.

[pargran3]

I find Coca cola almost impossible to determine age. Coke completely shot themselves in the collectible foot with issuing reproductions.

Radine

[pargran3]

The one thing in the photos that might be a clue is the bottle opener on the side.

Radine

[argon38]

Not the slightest scratch on the gleaming red paintwork, and not a minimal trace of rust on the handles or the rivets. No sign of bumps or dirt. Design features aside, I'd say it just doesn't look  60-70 years old.

[little.font.lord.leroy]

People still love and collect the reproductions. This has a place in many a man-cave.

[sonomabarn67]

"lady said she has had it for years in her basement "

Lady could be right. If she bought it say, in the year 2000 and it sat in her basement for 19 years, that would qualify for "years in her basement".  And... if she bought it from an elderly person, why then it would automatically qualify as an antique, Case closed!

[sonomabarn67]

Another thing to consider is the over-restoration that Coke collectors seem to love on these coolers and machines when they sand blast/pound out dents, repaint gloss paint put on new hardware etc, ie, the auto body resrorations. There was that restoration show where they took antiques and made brand new items from them.

[maxine*j]

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@pargran3 wrote:

The one thing in the photos that might be a clue is the bottle opener on the side.

Radine

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The original, from the 1950s, had the same bottle opener on the side.

[maxine*j]

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@little.font.lord.leroy wrote:

People still love and collect the reproductions. This has a place in many a man-cave.

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That's right, because there are far from enough originals to meet the demand for this stuff for decoration.   There are literally hundreds of these listed right now.   (Many, if not most, are misrepresented as to age but, hey, this is eBay.)

[maxine*j]

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@sonomabarn67 wrote:

Another thing to consider is the over-restoration that Coke collectors seem to love on these coolers and machines when they sand blast/pound out dents, repaint gloss paint put on new hardware etc, ie, the auto body resrorations. There was that restoration show where they took antiques and made brand new items from them.

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Yep.  One group of people bashes and beats and chips and  genenrally distresses  new stuff to make it look old, while another group smooths and polishes and paints and generally spiffies up old stuff to make it look new.  Thus, collectors must tread carefully, eh?. 

[beckyscountrycottage]

thank you all for your input. I appreciate it

[mopata]

Coca Cola advertising has always been very consistent in how the logo was shown on any authorized products. The "Registered" symbol with the "R" inside a circle wasn't widely used by Coca Cola until the early '60's and is still in use today. A white "wave" was added to the logo in the late '60's. That would, hopefully, put your cooler in the 1962 to 1968 period. However, the older coolers had a raised logo and had markings that identified the manufacturer. They reintroduced the old style script on some promotional products in 2007. So, the logo on the cooler could also date it to the last 12 years. I suspect that this is the case with your cooler.