Vintage Coca-cola Machine: History And Types

Author: Dan Wright

2007-11-07 Word Count: 414 Category: Hobbies

Old Coca-Cola machines are prized by lots of Coca-Cola enthusiasts, and quite a few want a Vintage Coca-Cola machine that really works and vends a Coke bottle when they drop their nickel or dime inside. Lucky for them, a good number of these machines have survived and are readily available by specialists who refurbish them as well as provide parts for an enthusiast to do their own restoration if they wish.
Often, some of the most antique Coca-Cola machines are not much more than a metal box with the recognizable Coca-Cola script logo emblazoned across it. Essentially these were ice boxes designed specifically to be stocked with bottles of Coke and ice. Glascock was one manufacturer of such early vending units.
The next stage in the progress of a device to serve Coke to the public was similar to the first type, but this next vintage Coca-Cola machine was refrigerated and did not require any ice. It was less messy and required no steady supply of ice, but of course had to be near a source of electricity and could need expensive repairs. These seem to be harder to find than the non-refrigerated models because they likely broke down and were discarded.
Coin operated vending machines came next in common use and popularity, although some were seen as early as the end of the 19th Century. The history of coin operated machines actually goes back to the 1st Century when a coin resulted in vending holy water. One type of coin operated machine had a glass door through which bottles were seen and, after a coin was provided, a customer could pull out one bottle. If you weren't careful, you might not pull properly and would lose your coin.
The next era of coin-operated Coke vending came when companies like Vendorlator and rival Vendo produced machines that would vend the bottles individually without the mechanical malfunctions prevalent in earlier machines.
Most early coin machines were nickel machines, and you needed an actual nickel coin. As they became more sophisticated, some could make change, at first only from a dime, and eventually for other coins and, in modern times, even for dollar bills. For most, changing the price was pretty much impossible.
Bottle vending machines were supplanted when canned soft drinks became available in the 1960's. Cans were less likely to break than bottles, chilled faster and needed no bottle openers or cap receptacles.

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