Schmidt Coke Museum Auction

[JeffDean]

SPB - Wonderful letter to my grandfather! I see we both share many of the same "what ifs". I will share your letter with my father when I talk to him again. I'm sure he will appreciate it.

As promised, here is the play by play video of the auction on Dec 3rd, 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WERmqcl3E7M

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Jeff ~

I'm glad you enjoyed the letter ... and a special thank you for the video link. It was like being there all over again! I jotted down the bidder's numbers, which were ...

Sketch: Bidder #816
Bottle: Bidder #815

And because of the number's closeness, I suspect they "might" be by the same bidder. But I'm not sure because I don't know how the registration, issuence of the numbers worked. In any event, I'm sure it won't be the last we ever see and/or hear regarding the sketch and bottle. No doubt they will resurface again "one of these days" ...

... I hope! []

Thanks again.

Bob

 

[sodapops]

Got this in a e-mail the other day as I'm sure most of you did.Round two.
Great news. We are preparing for our second auction here at the Schmidt Museum of Coca-Cola Memorabilia in Elizabethtown, Ky. Mark these dates on your calendar – March 24 & 25, 2012.

This auction will have 700 pieces that include some of the biggest and oldest items in our collection. They include a Liquid Carbonics soda fountain from the 1893 Columbian Exhibition, large outdoor lighted signs, rare bottles, posters, banners, serving trays, lights and toys. There’s even a Pemberton's 1880s French Wine Coca mirror pre dating Coca-Cola.

We’ve put together a news release that gives some more information about the next auction. Click here to see it. We’re still updating our website, so check back often to get more information and see more images of items in the next auction.

This past September, we held our first-ever auction, and it was an overwhelming success because of people like you. We appreciate everyone who came to the event and participated online or on the phone. We’ve received numerous emails asking for the price list. We now have that posted on our website – click here to view.

This is a bittersweet time here at the museum. We closed the museum earlier this year so we could prepare for the auctions. For forty years, we have been collecting some of the most amazing Coca-Cola advertising art ever seen. Now it’s time for others who’ve always wanted these pieces to have an opportunity to own them.

Stay tuned and we’ll provide more updates as we move toward the next auction. In the meantime, have a wonderful and safe holiday. Hope to see you in March.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

I'm still wondering who won the prototype bottle at Julien's Auction? I wonder if it was someone who lives in California as seen against this vintage scarf of the state? Hmmm, ... I wonder? []

SPB

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Answer :

It weren't me! That's the picture of a prototype "reproduction" bottle that my daughter gave me for Christmas. But I had ya going there for a minute, didn't I? (Lol). []

Have a Happy New Year.

Bob

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Jeff ~

The reproduction prototype bottle I got for Christmas came with this 36 page book that involves a short history of the The Coca Cola Company. The bottle and book were released as a set in May of this year (2011). On page 13 it states that in 1915 Alexander Samuelson designed the contour prototype bottle and that it was patented by the Root Glass Company.

I'm surprised that a 2011 Coca Cola publication continues to claim that it was Samuelson who designed the bottle and not your grandfather, Earl R. Dean. Not once is your grandfather's name mentioned in the book. Your father's book, "The Man Behind The Bottle" has a copyright date of 2010. Does the Coca Cola Company still doubt the bottle's true designer? If so, shame on them!

Thanks.

Bob

1886 to 2011 = 125 years.

 

[JeffDean]

Hi Bob, you're the second person to bring this to my attention. Yes, it's a bit annoying to say the least. My father and I have been experiencing this type of thing for years. One moment they credit my grandfather, and the next the credit goes right back to Samuelson. I'm going to try to contact some people over at Coca-Cola and see if I can get them to correct this error.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[JeffDean]

Hello all,

Imagine if you will, going back in time to the 1916 Bottlers Convention. As you know there had been numerous other design entries from numerous bottling companies throughout the country hoping that their bottle design would be chosen as Coca-Cola's new distinctive bottle. To date, those other bottle submissions have been a complete mystery to all. I personally have always wondered about the other bottles that went up against my grandfather's design and would have loved to have known what they looked like.

Now, what if I was to tell you that during that convention, a man had walked into the room where all the bottle submissions were. The man asked about the bottles, which were sitting on a table in the room, and was told that they were the bottles that were submitted to the Coca-Cola Company and that they were all going to be destroyed..."except for this one (motioning to Earl R. Dean's contour bottle)". After hearing this, the man...probably thinking, "well if they're going to destroy them, they probably wouldn't mind if I took one of them", picked up one of bottles and stuck it into his pocket and walked out with it.

Yes, one of the bottles that went up against the winning contour bottle in 1916 survived and this bottle still exists today!

Back to the present; I was just contacted by this man's grandson...and he sent me pictures. If anyone is interested, I'll be happy to post them here. I would be very interested in your thoughts about it.

Jeff

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Jeff ~

Good to hear from you. Great story.

Heck ya! Post them thar pictures. How often is it we get to drool over a million dollar soda bottle?

Thanks a lot and Happy Holidays to you and yours.

Bob

 

[JeffDean]

Here they are: