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How to Collect Old Coke & Pepsi Bottles

The history of pop or soda-bottle collecting dates back to the 19th century, when many of the well known soft-drink brands were first introduced. Today it's rare to find soft drinks in bottles, but soft drinks such as Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper and Pepsi-Cola were first marketed in glass bottles. Even with aluminum cans and plastic bottles -- making soft-drink distribution cheaper and easier to manage than using glass bottles -- the collecting of vintage soda bottles continues to thrive. This is mainly due to the unique and sometimes iconic bottle designs released over the years such as the classic Coke contour green bottle. While collecting soda bottles is not limited to the big two dominant cola brands, Coke and Pepsi are among the most-sought-after collectible bottle types.

Instructions

- 1
  Research the history of both soda brands and the different styles of bottles each company used. Some websites -- such as antiquebottles.com/pepsi/ and antiquebottles.com/coke -- give a detailed history of the brands themselves. Both pages show the changes in Pepsi and Coke bottle styles over the years, and what to look for if starting a collection.
- 2
  Determine if you are collecting for fun or for potential profit. Hobby collectors generally collect what appeals to them regardless of condition or scarcity. The for-profit collector needs to set a budget and search for items that have historical significance or cachet among those in the hobby. Among serious collectors, the 1915 "hobble-skirt" Coke bottle and the 1910 Hutchinson-style Pepsi bottle are consider the "holy grails" of collectible soda bottles.
- 3
  Go online and bid at auction sites such as Ebay.com or check Craigslist.org under the collectibles section. While deals sometimes can be found on these sites, professional collectors prowl online auction sites and have driven up the market especially for vintage Coke memorabilia.

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