Hunting old soda advertising signs

[morbious_fod]

While the trip to the dump was the main objective of the day, a side project was also in the works as well. Remembering some of the fading soda advertising we had passed last time I came armed with a camera this time, and found some great old fading soda advertising to take pictures of.

Here is a RC Cola sign from the 1970's. If you look closely you will see it's 1960's counter part starting to bleed through after being painted over all those years ago.

 

[morbious_fod]

On the otherside of this building is this beauty, an Upper 10 from the late 1950's and 1960's. You don't see Upper 10 signs all that often, a great find.

 

[morbious_fod]

This was the second reason I brought my camera. I really liked this sign the first time I saw it, it's a truly great sign that has a certain air about it, plus it's freaking huge and covers the entire second story of the store.

Yet again there's another earlier incarnation fading through.

 

[morbious_fod]

I had actually forgotten about this one being on the side of Toney's store. I can't believe I did but it happened. This, and it's cousin on the other side of this store my be the last signs left from the Sun Rise Bottling Company of Tazewell, VA. It is a Rhythm Punch, which was their own local brand, sign, and I about fell over when I rediscovered this gem. Of course I had to get a picture of this fading treasure.

 

[morbious_fod]

While not a painted on sign, I thought that this was an interesting rusted 7-Up sign over the garage door. Most likely this sign came from the Richlands 7-up bottling company.

 

[morbious_fod]

One of the metal signs was saved from the store by one of the original owner's sons. I met him and he was kind enough to let me take a picture of it. It's a beautiful Dr. Pepper sign from the 1940's. I would love to find one of these in good shape some day. He also told me that there used to be two large Coca-Cola button signs on the building as well but his brother got those down and one of them ended up being destroyed. I would have loved to seen this building in it's heyday, completely covered in soda advertising I bet it was a sight to see.

 

[wonkapete]

Great stuff man!! I love taking pics like this too. That DP sign reminds me of a Coke sign I have from my grandfather's old store. It has old rusty initials carved all in it. When I got it from him, my parents were great help decipering all the initials since it was a small comunnity, they knew everyone. While not in mint condition, it's priceless cause it's so personal. Great stuff!

 

[madman]

hey joe great stuff there thanks for sharing!!!!!

 

[morbious_fod]

ORIGINAL: wonkapete

Great stuff man!! I love taking pics like this too. That DP sign reminds me of a Coke sign I have from my grandfather's old store. It has old rusty initials carved all in it. When I got it from him, my parents were great help decipering all the initials since it was a small comunnity, they knew everyone. While not in mint condition, it's priceless cause it's so personal. Great stuff!

I particularly like the bullet holes in the sign, an yes being in the backwoods of Tazewell County those are bullet holes, buck shot, or at least pellets or bbs. Crazy bunch of sign shootin' rednecks in that part of the woods. You can also see some initals in that sign as well. It was real nice to relive the history of a store like that.

 

[morbious_fod]

I don't know if I had posted these or not, but I'm always looking for a good sign when I'm out looking for these old bottler locations, and here are a few that I have found.

This one is in Johnson City, Tenn. and is older than the 1920's because in a picture from that era you can see what was sticking out of the sign while the building that was beside this one was still there.