Schmidt Coke Museum Auction

[SODAPOPBOB]

Jeff ~

Super! Thanks.

Questions:

1. What does the embossing say below the Coca Cola script?

2. What does the guy intend to do with it?

3. Is there a statute of limitations on a 96 year old theft?

Bob

 

[JeffDean]

1. Not sure. Most likely "Trademark Registered" I'll have to get a confirmation on that.

2. He sounds like he wants to sell it.

3. The perp has since passed, which may mean that he committed the perfect crime []. But I can tell you that someone knew that he had taken the bottle and called him and asked for him to return it. His response was something to the effect of, "over my dead body".

Jeff

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Jeff ~

It looks as if the designer might have been peeking over your grandfather's shoulder when he came up with the idea, what with the fluted columns and slight curvature near the base.

Do you happen to know ...

4. How many different bottles were initially submitted?

5. If any of those other bottles still exist - or perhaps drawings of them?

Thanks again.

Bob

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

For comparison here are the two bottles show together ...

[ Dean Design ]

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

[ Loser's Design ]

 

[JeffDean]

What I find interesting is that you can see how the designer took his stab at thinking outside of the box to come up with his interpretation of a distinctive bottle.

4. We believe there that there was 11 contenders.

5. Before being contacted about this particular bottle, it has been believed that no bottles or drawings in regards to the other bottle entries exist that we know of. The owner of this bottle did say that his grandfather was told that the bottles that were not chosen would be destroyed. I believe this is why the owners grandfather grabbed one of the bottles.

Jeff

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Jeff ~

Thanks for the info. Please keep us posted regarding what develops with the "loser's bottle." As for the "winner's bottle," I recommend everyone buy your dad's book and read "the rest of the story."

Take care.

Bob

 

[JeffDean]

Thanks Bob, I'll keep you posted.

Jeff

 

[digdug]

I talked to the owner of this bottle a few times this year. When I first saw it, I told him my thoughts, that it was one of the bottles that lost the design contest mentioned above. He didn't agree with me at the time, maybe now he is thinking that may be true. Then I heard from him in the last month about a price for the bottle. He told me he wanted $400,000 for it. All I could do was wish him luck, I can't pay that kind of money for a bottle, no matter how cool of a bottle it is.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Re: RE: Schmidt Coke Museum Auction

I'm resurrecting this thread which started in August of 2011 in order add the following update. As most of us know, the Coca Cola contour bottle was designed by Earl R. Dean in 1915 and selected to be the standardized bottle at the 1916 Coca Cola convention held in Atlanta, Georgia. 2015 marks the 100th centennial of the contour bottle and the "HIGH MUSEUM" in Atlanta, Georgia is celebrating it with a special Coca Cola exhibit that started on February 28, 2015 and will last until October 4, 2015. But that's only part of the story. For those who followed and participated in this thread back in 2011 and 2012 will recall that no one apparently knew who purchased the Dean prototype bottle and accompanying sketch that sold respectively for $240,000 and $228,000 at the Julien Auction House in December of 2011. Even Jeff Dean, who is the grandson of Earl Dean and who was involved in the sale of the bottle and sketch doesn't know who bought it - it was a silent auction and whoever bought the items did so via a middleman over the phone. Anyway, it appears the Dean bottle and sketch have resurfaced. Both are being displayed at the High Museum exhibit. Please note, The World Of Coca Cola museum in Atlanta and the High Museum in Atlanta are two different museums. Even though The World Of Coca Cola has one of only two known examples of the Dean prototype bottle, the bottle and sketch at the High Museum exhibit is the one the Dean family sold in 2011. Unfortunately, I can not find any information as to whether the bottle and sketch are owned by the High Museum or loaned to them for the exhibit. All I know is, they have resurfaced and can be seen by anyone living in or visiting Atlanta. The following links tell the story best. The first link has pictures of the prototype bottle and sketch ...
THE COCA COLA BOTTLE: AN AMERICAN ICON AT 100 ~ High Museum Exhibit

http://m.ajc.com/gallery/lifestyles/photos-coca-cola-bottle-american-icon-100/gCRJB/


HIGH MUSEUM ATLANTA, GEORGIA ~ Tickets, etc.

http://www.high.org/Art/Exhibitions/The-Coca-Cola-Bottle.aspx?sc_device=default


THE WORLD OF COCA COLA MUSEUM ATLANTA, GEORGIA

http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/the-world-of-coca-cola