388. A 1950s PEPSI COOLER PROJECT

371. 1950s,COKE 6-BOTTLE ALUMINUM CARRIER

For quick pick-ups, pick up a couple of Cokes in a nifty 6-bottle aluminum carrier from the 50s. Found in an local online ad, the Coke bottle carrier has a stamped  "Drink Coca Cola" graphics on the body with a wooden handle.

This is a rarely-seen U.S. made version as the most common carriers available are all-aluminum with a wire handle. Vintage aqua Coke bottles are shown snuggly fitted into this portable midcentury Coca Cola relic-- a great memento of those times when all it took was a Coke to refresh you best!

368. Advertique: '60s PEPSI 'The Big One" STORE SIGN

A well-preserved piece of Filipiniana merchandising for the other softdrink icon--Pepsi Cola. In the mid 60s, Pepsi came out with a bigger size bottle and came up with the solgan--The Big One--to describe it. A barong-clad Filipino holding a Pepsi bottle became the trade character of the campaign, always shown alongside the red-white-and-blue Pepsi logo. For just 12 centavos, one could enjoy the big taste of Pepsi--"Big size. Big value. Big refreshment"--so went the advertising.

The image and the slogan were widely used in print ads and merchandising materials, like this sari-sari store sign flange in good-to-fair condition. The frame of the the painted tin sign is still intact, and it dates from 1966. Of course, modern exterior store signs are now made of framed tarpaulin or canvass. Though lighter, they are less durable than this Pepsi tin sign that has managed to retain its vibrant colors after half-a-century.  And still to this day, everyone continues to enjoy "The Big One'--Pepsi Cola!

347. Advertique: ROYAL TRU-ORANGE SIGNBOARD

Now here's a great advertising sign that's truly Pinoy--a wooden signboard for Royal Tru-Orange that dates from the 60s. Royal Tru-Orange was originally formulated and sold commercially in 1922 by San Miguel Brewery before it was eventually bought by Coca-Cola. The brand name is silkscreened in bold colors on a lawanit (pressed wood pulp) board that was a cheaper alternative than conventional tin. This must have been for indoor use--say, a canteen or a large grocery store--as lawanit is not water-proofed.

Some of the memorable campaigns of Royal Tru-Orange emerged from the 1960s and 70s--harping on the natural ingredients of the popular orange soda drink: "Kitang-kita ang ebidensya---'yung may pulp bits syempre!" (You can see the evidence--the one with real orange pulp bits). The 70s gave us "Come Taste and Love It" and in the 80s, the "Royal--Natural, Ganito Talaga ang Buhay!" campaign starring RJ Ledesma, all done by McCann Erickson.

242. A Case in Point: 50s COKE ALUMINUM CASE

One of my earliest Coca Cola collectibles is this stamped aluminum carrying case that can hold 24 bottles. I remember picking this up from good old Makati Cinema Square, which, back in the '80s , was  a favorite hunting ground for all things old, vintage and collectible. I've seen a few aluminum cases here in the Philippines; I don't think these were produced locally--local crates were of wood until the 70s, when plastic replaced them. The crate is divided into niches by means of metal rods that are covered in rubber. I just checked ebay and currently there's one similar to this priced at $96.00--with an hour to go before the end of the auction. Past examples were sold for $70 plus. As you can see, this aluminum crate is a nifty way to display my collection of vintage Coke bottles. What a way to "open happiness!"

225. Advertique: COKE "LEYTE" WARTIME AD

I found this full page, full color ad of Coca-Cola with a WWII theme in a U.S. flea market. It's a fascinating piece of ephemera, blending product sell with a bit of world history. What makes it even more interesting is the fact that depicts a Philippine scene---with reference to MacArthur's place of return, hence the headline: .."Yank friendliness comes back to Leyte".

This particular ad was part of a post-War advertising campaign mounted by Coke in 1945, as the world prepared to put the war behind and move forward. Similar ads--both in color and black and white--featured scenes from countries such as Brussels, France and Admiralty Island.

The artwork for the Philippine realistically depicts a village with nipa huts, with two Pinoy husband-and-wife vendors giving out Coke to their amiable "amigos'. "Ice-cold Coca-Cola has become a symbol of goodwill--and everyday example of how Yankee friendliness follows the flag around the globe"--so goes the copy. Wartime Coke ads are very collectible, redefining the brand role in difficult, critical times by associating the product beyond refreshment, in this case, elevating the soda as a symbol of patriotism and American international goodwill.

201. PEPSI COLA SHELF

A retro mid-century moderne Pepsi Cola wall shelf given as a premium to stores in Thailand, found at the famous Chatuchak weekend market in Bangkok. Classic free-form amoeba shape back panel dates this to the 50s. The tin shelf ledge itself is very narrow, so maybe this was used to hold match boxes, or collect discarded Pepsi crowns. Pepsi collectibles have always played second fiddle to Coke items, but this is a rare piece as localized advertising premiums of international brands like Pepsi are hard to come by in Thailand. When I found it, I sure had a Pepsi Day!

166. COKE COOLER RADIO is it!

It's the real thing!
A hard-to-find Coca Cola radio set from the '50s--and made in the Philippines! This was perhaps a store giveaway or a premium item that one could win in a past Coke promo. This is a working model, manufactured by Maharlika Radio, and is made from molded wood, that looks like 'lawanit'. This cool Coke Cooler Radio used to have non-working radio glass bulbs, but I have since had it 'transistorized', so it works just as fine. Wouldn't it be fun and creepy if it only aired 1950s programs like "Tayo'y Mag-Aliw", "Lux Hour" or "Reyna ng Vicks"?

145. The Green and the Amber: 7-UP BOTTLES

One American soft drink brand that reached the Philippines in the 40s was 7-UP, that fizzly bubbly drink created by Charles Leiper Grigg in 1929. Originally, 7-UP was named "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda", because it contained lithium citrate, a mood-stabilizing drug used to cure hangovers. But it proved popular to the mainstream soda market, and soon, millions 7-UP in green bottles were staples ion picnics, parties and the homes, providing a refreshing aletrnative to cola drinks.

Its signature green bottles showing a woman in swimsuit with 8 bubbles in the front lable came out first in 1937. The design was kept the same till the 50s, although the bubbles were reduce to 7, in keeping with the 7-UP name. An interesting and rare Philippine 7-UP bottle is of amber and was used in the mid 50s and 60s. This bottle followed the 'non-swim' design produced until 1953. 7-UP's popularity has waned considerably with the introduction of Sprite, but there was a time when everyone was "'un for all, all for 'un, 7-UP the UnCola!".

90. SAY 'PEPSI', PLEASE!

Pepsi Cola was first introduced to the world in 1898 by Caleb Bradham, who made it at his pharmacy where the drink was sold. It was later named Pepsi Cola, after its main ingredients--pepsin and kola nuts. Pepsi would soon become Coca-Cola's chief competitor, rivalling it in marketing and promotions by coming up with unique merchandising materials such as this in-store enamel sign of the Pepsi crown. These giant crowns bearing the Pepsi Cola logo with its familiar flourish were common sights on storefronts in the 50s and early 60s, where a pair often flanked the store name. In the 70s, these 2-dimensional crowns were replaced by flat tin sheet, which in turn gave way to cheap, easy-to-print tarpaulin sheets. This example was found in a Makati basement thrift shop--one of my first 'advertiques'. Come alive!

75. COCA-COLA COOLER COIN BANK

Coca Cola made a lot of these tin coin banks in the shape of the classic red Coca Cola cooler as advertising premiums. These proved to be very popular, as for many years, these coin banks were updated and re-issued. This example dates from the 1950s and has better details than later editions. For instance, the shape is very faithful to the traditional Coca Cola cooler, with rounded corners, deeper red paint and finer lettering (later 1970s coin banks had sharper corners, paler red painting. Indeed, savings go better with Coca Cola!

65. A Case in Point: MINIATURE COKE CASES

These small made-in-the-Philippines Coca-Cola cases were popular collectibles in the 1950s--the yellow painted wooden divided cases date them to that period. Although they look like salesman's samples, they were treated as miniature curio items or even as toys, to be displayed and kept in glass cabinets. Missing are the small, clear Coca Cola bottles (24 to a case) complete with embossed logos and tin crowns, mini replicas of the classic bottle. Finding an intact set is very difficult these days, as bottles were sold separately (I only have two bottles). If found complete, the whole caboodle would be worth about Php3,500. This slightly damaged pair were found at the annual Greenhills collectibles fair, priced at Php500 each (see the price sticker peeking from the case?). But since it was the last day of the evnt, I got the two for half the price. Now if I could only find more Coca Cola bottles...

49. AN UN-SEXY COKE BOTTLE

In the 60s, "Coca Cola Body" was used to describe a lady with a sexy, hourglass figure, in reference to the familiar shape of the Coke bottle. But early 1900s Coca Cola bottles actually had straight sides, as this ca. 1908 American example shows, bought from a Cebu collector. The color, too, is aqua, and the brand font seems cruder than the more flowing typeface used today. But whether sexy or straight-sided, vintage Coke bottles are one of the hottest collectibles in the market today--the pasue that continues to refresh!

29. 'TIPOS DEL PAIS'

When visitors from the West came to visit the Philippines, they found the everyday Pinoy so interesting--from his features to his clothing and the props he carried to make a living. So much so that figurines of "Filipino types" -- the neighborhood vendor, the farmer, the milk peddler, the fisherman -- were produced to satisfy Pinoy-struck, souvenir-hunting Western tourists. I. Beck's at Escolta, the leading department store founded by Jewsih businessman Isaac Beck, made sure it carried stocks of these figurines. Here, you have two charming examples from the shop (the bases are marked "I. Beck's") , from the early 1930s. The pair of 8-inch Filipina types (a water bearer, a 'kakanin' vendor) were molded from escayola or plaster of Paris, a more contemporary material--early tipos del pais figures were carved from wood. Great ebay finds, but I had to pay a little more than a hundred dollars for the two figurines that are quite difficult to find in the country (Remember, these were made for the tourist market.) . The ebay seller wanted to throw in a 3rd slightly damaged figurine for 20$ more, but I had to decline.The spirit was willing but my credit card power is weak.

8. HAVE A COKE AND A TRAY!

They don't serve Coke on trays anymore.

But back in the '50s, Coke in glasses was served at soda parlors on colorful metal trays such as this original "Menu Girl" tray. Even the ad slogans are on the rim of this tray: Thirst knows No Season and Have a Coke. Gives you something to read while waiting to make your move on your date. Tray measures 10-1/2" x 13-1/4". The slight paint chip and normal wear do not detract from the vibrant charm of this tray which I picked up in a Chatuchak collectible shop in Bangkok. Now how do you say "Have a Coke and a smile" in Thai? Hmmm..