Lifestyle
Ever Competitive, Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola Signage and Ephemera Topped the List of Fizzy Favorites at Morphy's $2.4M Soda Pop & Advertising Auction
Elusive signage from the earliest days of the American soft drink industry delivered an effervescent $2.4-million result at Morphy's August 18-20 Soda Pop, Advertising & General Store Auction. The 1,780-lot selection was dominated by rare Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola antiques, some commanding more than four times their high estimates.
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[{"type":"text","content":"Circa-1880s bottle for Pemberton's French Wine Coca, a forerunner to Coca-Cola, served up a $31,980 top bid, while circa-1920s Pepsi-Cola fountain syrup jug went 4x estimate at $27,060","length":188,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"DENVER, Pa., Sept. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Elusive signage from the earliest days of the American soft drink industry delivered an effervescent $2.4-million result at Morphy's August 18-20 Soda Pop, Advertising & General Store Auction. The 1,780-lot selection was dominated by rare Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola antiques, some commanding more than four times their high estimates.","length":383,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Leading the formidable array of Coke collectibles – the largest grouping ever to be offered by Morphy's – was a circa-1880s clear glass bottle with its original paper label identifying it as John Pemberton's "French Wine Coca." This concoction, touted as being an "Ideal Nerve Tonic / Health Restorer / Stimulant," was the forerunner to the beverage its inventor would release in 1886: Coca-Cola. Embossed with the product's name on its shoulder and with a label roughly 85% intact, the condition-8.0 bottle rocketed to an invigorating $31,980 against an estimate of $6,000-$12,000, making it the top lot of the sale.","length":649,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"An exceptional circa-1933 Coca-Cola double-sided porcelain sign with a Christmas bottle graphic and detailed filigree adornment across the top was marked Tennessee Enamel Mfg. Co. Nashville. It would have been hard to improve upon this bright and glossy sign, which rose to $30,750 against a $10,000-$20,000 estimate.","length":317,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Another high-flier was a circa 1910s-1920s single-sided lithographed printer's proof on paper depicting a man swimming up to a dock to accept a fountain glass of Coca-Cola from his lady friend. Presumably, the proof would have served as the basis for a die-cut cardboard window display. In 9.25 condition, it sold for $27,600 against an estimate of $10,000-$20,000.","length":369,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"A historically-important affinity lot consisted of a circa-1880s bottle embossed Pemberton's Wine Coca; an 1868 Pemberton medicinal ad from the Rome (Ga.) Courier; a May 1886 newsp...