eBay

pdxmaven · ‎11-22-2020

These little bottles are 2 1/2" high. Coca Cola is embossed on front and back. On the bottom are the numbers 7 (at 9 o'clock), 2 (at 6 o'clock) and 8 (at 3 o'clock). I assume these marks give a clue as to when these were made, but I have been unable to find anything. Any help in dating this would be very much appreciated. And also anything you know about the how they were used/sold. Lastly, is this what is known as a "waisted" or hobble skirt bottle?

many thanks in advance

argon38 · ‎11-23-2020

There seem to be multiple zillions of these, it is astonishing:

https://www.worthpoint.com/inventory/search?query=%22coca+cola%22+%22crate%22+%22bottles%22+%22minia...

smiling66 · ‎11-23-2020

Search Google and eBay for miniature coca cola wood crate advertising bottles.

maxine*j · ‎11-23-2020

As some sort of give-away premium for advertising is possible, I guess. I found scads of them as toys -- for play stores, for toy delivery trucks, and the like. I admit gave up trying to find OP's particular crate and bottles, though.

argon38 · ‎11-23-2020

I think I saw someone on a forum say they were given out if you returned your glass bottle, but I've lost the link and can't verify it.

argon38 · ‎11-23-2020

@argon38 wrote:
I think I saw someone on a forum say they were given out if you returned your glass bottle, but I've lost the link and can't verify it.

I found the link, but it is secondhand information, and only relates to South Africa:

https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/264592-miniature-coca-cola-bottles-and-crate?in=activity

maxine*j · ‎11-23-2020

Okay. Since it would cost more to make the incentive to return the bottle than it would cost to make the bottle, that seems odd to me, but WDIK?

pdxmaven · ‎11-23-2020

This was really helpful - thank you.

I actually had not known about WorthPoint. Just joined. So helpful to have prices going back beyond what one can see with EBay's completed listings.

There are many many bottles this size, but in different types of crates, or 24 to a crate, etc.

I had previously found very similar bottles on EBay, in what looked like the same wooden crate, and description said they were from the 1930's and salesmen's samples or for a toy coca cola delivery truck. ...... but seems these might be somewhat newer.

The only other listing on WorthPoint I Have found so far that talks about numbers on the bottom, like mine, does not indicate an age.

Still looking........

pdxmaven · ‎11-23-2020

thanks for this, and supplying the link. The ones I have are in a slightly different type of crate. It does make no sense why you would get such a great little premium is you just returned your glass bottles.

maxine*j · ‎11-23-2020

@pdxmaven wrote:
...and description said they were from the 1930's and salesmen's samples or for a toy coca cola delivery truck.

"Salesman's sample" is pretty much seller puffery, as a way to make some small knick-knack seem much more than it is. Of all the "salesmen's samples" ever sold on eBay, maybe a fraction of a fraction of one percent were actually that.

Miniature products made as salesmen's samples were always a rarity, necessary only if the object being sold was too big to carry around for potential buyers to see. Even at that, with big things like furniture or stoves, most salesmen carried around pictures. Miniatures, in any medium, are difficult to make and require special expertise to make properly, especially if they have moving or multiple parts. Also buyers then, just like buyers now, prefer to see what they're actually getting , and that is especially true of merchants acquiring inventory for resale.

I could go, but you get the idea: True salesmen's samples are few and far between, and nearly all the small versions of real objects that are sold as "salesmen's samples" were never that. If they had any commercial connection, they were simplified and fairly crude versions of a company's items, made for promotional give-aways. Otherwise, they were made as toys or novelties.

Well, that was a bit of lecture but sometimes I just have to take one of my pet peeves out for a walk. 😄 😄

oneglassman · ‎11-26-2020

The best thing to do is research the history of the Logo, that will give you a starting point for the dates.

sonomabarn67 · ‎11-26-2020

Not salesman's samples but perhaps salesman's premiums. I bought a lot of premiums from a lady who said her dad was a salesman was a distributor/salesman for Coca Cola and later 7UP and all kinds of Coke items were in there: pencils, bottle openers, etc, I still have a few of the folding openers kicking around here. Happy Thanksgiving pie!

argon38 · ‎11-27-2020

I see at least some of the 24-bottle versions were sold as a game:

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1950s-coca-cola-bottle-hop-game-1836444516

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-coca-cola-bottle-hop-1974722619

But it looks like they included special "gold" bottles.

sonomabarn67 · ‎11-27-2020

" who said her dad was a salesman was a distributor/salesman for Coca Cola and later 7UP and all kinds of Coke items "

Sorry for the word salad I served up with this one. Was it the Tryptophan or perhaps a deeper cry for help from the holiday gods? Well, to clear it up, "in space they can't hear you merlot!" What about that monolith anyway?