Any self-proclaimed Coca-Cola freaks with a bulging wallet, listen up. You have an opportunity to bid on a piece of Coca-Cola history that may never come up on the auction block again. A rare Coca-Cola bottle from the early 20th century is up for auction and is estimated to be worth a whopping $100,000 to $150,000. What makes this glass bottle so appealing to collectors? Well, it may just be the only one of its kind.
“This is the only known bottle of its type that has surfaced completely intact,” the description on the Morphy Auctions site reads. “Advanced bottle collectors we have consulted consider it to be extremely rare and important.”
According to the auction house, in 1915 — the dawn of Coca-Cola’s existence — the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Atlanta asked several glass houses to design a bottle to house their liquid gold. Each of the eight design proposals submitted came accompanied with a sample bottle. Ultimately, the company decided to go with the bottle designed by Earl R. Dean from the Root Glass Company.
Of course, a few alterations had to be made to Dean’s design in order to work with the bottling machinery at the time. When Mr. Root submitted the altered rendition, Coca-Cola tested how the bottle worked at Birmingham and Anniston, Alabama; Augusta, Georgia; and Nashville, Tennessee bottling plants.
Morphy Auctions
These bottling tests were confidential, and ultimately more edits had to be made to the final bottle design. The city of origin was moved from the “heel” to the bottom, and the patent date was moved to below the Coca-Cola trademark.
Because the bottle up for auction is one that shows the city on the heel, and looks as though it was never used, experts believe that it is one of the rare original prototypes that came before the final design.
“The bottom view matches the original Root design, with the Coca-Cola logo boldly embossed on the bottom of the bottle,” the site claims. This is big because these bottles simply don’t exist.
Morphy Auctions
After testing was completed, nearly all prototype bottles were destroyed, as ordered by Coca-Cola. Experts believe this may be the only remaining 1915 Coca-Cola bottle in existence.
Morphy Auctions
Morphy Auctions writes that there have been only two examples of the 1915 bottle to come to auction — however, both were not nearly as pristine as the one pictured above. One of the prior bottles sold for $240,000 at auction in 2011.
This newly discovered bottle is estimated to be worth, at most, $150,000. But a bidding war for this rare item could result in it being sold for much more.
Morphy Auctions
With the starting bid opening at $50,000, the auction house welcomes serious bidders only. If you’re willing to invest, you have about two weeks left to do so.
"things go better with Coke♪ " 🤟
— Ramon tan (@myongerism) March 29, 2019
So basically, that old Coke bottle you picked up at a yard sale for its ~aesthetic~ could be worth some serious dough. *Puts on white gloves and crosses fingers.*
This bottle was found in a Coca-Cola collection acquired from a retired employee of the company. See? This is why it pays off to collect stuff, MOM.
Yeah I have a rock collection, what about it?! pic.twitter.com/VjjQTsyc3U
— Saarbrücken 1978 (@ThatWeirdKidSam) March 31, 2019
Although… some collections probably have more potential than others. Sorry, plastic duck guy.
Maybe these “weird felt friends” will be worth megabucks in a hundred years. Or maybe not.
my ever-growing collection of weird felt friends, the newest of which i found at work today pic.twitter.com/fYj0vLOAXt
— longlex 🌈💀🌈 (@coralbluenmbr5) March 31, 2019
And perhaps one of those fancy doorknobs once was attached to a door in Versailles. It probably wasn’t, but you never know!
Okay, fine. These magnets are just fun and cute and not worth anything. But who doesn’t love collecting magnets from places they’ve been?
And collecting experiences won’t add to your funds, but will certainly add layers of richness to your life. And also layers of embarrassment.
However, collecting old stuff sometimes ends up making you some money. Just ask the retired Coca-Cola employee who will hopefully be at least $50,000 richer in a couple of weeks.
Who would have thought a single Coca-Cola bottle could make a person rich? Excuse us while we root around in the trash for our own piece of treasure…
