OKIE COLA

actionsaxon · Mar 14, 2013

I am 49 years old. I bought this Okie Cola at an antique store when I was 14 years old and was told then that it was very old. I'm trying to find out an approximate value for it. I don't necessarily want to sell it, but I am extremely curious as to it's rarity. I have had it stored in my dresser drawer for all these years, so it is in pristine condition, as you can see. Also, does the fact that it is unopened add to the value?
Thank you in advance for any advice you can offer.
Kevin Saxon

ScottBSA · Mar 14, 2013

Hi, a quick internet search showed that it was bottled by the Tulsa Bottling Company for a few years starting in 1970. So its about 40 years old. I think the value lies in some one from Tulsa or Oklahoma State U. I would keep it stored on it's side to keep the cork wet so the contents won't leak out.

Scott

epackage · Mar 14, 2013

Welcome to the forum, I wish the value was higher but it's a $5-10 bottle.... Being full doesn't have an effect on the value.

actionsaxon · Mar 14, 2013

Thank you both for your replies. I'm kind of disappointed, but at least I know the value now. Will put it back in the old drawer for another 35 years...LOL

surfaceone · Mar 14, 2013

Hello Kevin,

Welcome to the Blue Pages, and thanks for showing us your soda. I do not think it was a good seller in Tulsa.

"In the late 1960s Gov. Dewey Bartlett attempted to make the word a complimentary name for Oklahomans, and in 1970 an Oklahoma writer, Mike McCarville, also attempted to dignify the term in his book Okie. Commercial companies joined the movement; the Tulsa Bottling Company even bottled a soft drink, "Okie Cola," for a short time. The attempts failed, for you cannot change a derogatory word into a compliment by declaring that it is merely an abbreviation for state origin. Most old-time Oklahomans still resent the insulting implications, for they are Oklahomans, not "Okies." From.

I suspect there may have been cases found.

Unsold example.

actionsaxon · Mar 15, 2013

Thank you for this bit of history. I find it interesting. I never knew the term as derogatory. I used to sing along with Merle Haggard when he sang "Okie from Muskogee". Maybe I misunderstood the antique dealer when I bought it. Perhaps she said it would be a collectors item, since they no longer were in business, and it definitely wasn't very old when I bought it. As usual the joke's on me. LOL
Thanks again for taking the time to explain it to me.

zecritr · Mar 15, 2013

Might be a derogatory term to okie's

but not to a lot of us outside Oklahoma with roots there

may not be today but who knows may be collectable later

OKIE COLA

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