Coca-Cola 1960s Fountain Cups

These are Coke fountain cups that I have acquired. Also known as paper cups or dixie cups, fountain cups are used when consumers buy Coca-Cola from soda fountains. These fountain cups are from USA, however the year they are produced is not mentioned. We can determine these, by observing the design.




The first and second cup should be from a similar time period, as they bare the same slogans. They should be from 1940s to 1960s, as they bare the words "REG. U.S. PAT. OFF." The slogan "Sign of Good Taste" confirms this to be from around 1957. The third cup is obvious, from 1984.




The first and second cup is from the same time period, the second cup is a smaller "Free Sample" version of the first cup. The diamond logo design was used by Coca-Cola from 1955 to 1970. This type of diamond logo design known as the Harlequin design (multi-diamond design), however, was first used in 1966. The third cup is guessed to be from around 1963, based on the slogan "Things go better with Coke". The fourth cup is believed to be from early 1970s, when Frozen Coke was first introduced.

Vintage 1906 "Diamond Label" Straight-Sided Bottle

This straight-sided bottle is a reproduction of the original 1900-1916 "Diamond Label" bottles, nowadays often called the straight-sided bottles due to its straight side as opposed to the curvy side of the Contour Bottle which made its debut in 1916.

The straight-sided bottles were similar to the bottles used for other beverages, distinguished only by the trademarked diamond-shaped paper labels. The diamond labels featured either "Atlanta, Ga." or the signature of Asa Chandler, who was then president of The Coca-Cola Company.



This reproduction straight-sided bottle features the early 20th century Coca-Cola Spencerian script logo and "Diamond Label" design elements. Straight-sided bottles are the successor to the "Hutchinson Bottle" which was first used to bottle Coca-Cola.

Coke Can NZ - Over The Years

The above photos show NZ cans from (left to right) 1989, 1991 and 1993. The design is the same, however these photos show the evolution of the cans themselves. The 1989 can still have the old 'throw away' tab and the 'water drop' shaped opening. Starting from 1991, the cans started utilizing the 'lif tab-push back' type openings. From 1993 onwards, we have the cans with longer neckings.

Note the modified Dynamic Ribbon Device integrated within the Coca-Cola name. This design was popular in the 1980s and 1990s.




The above photo shows the 2008 design for Vanilla Coke PET bottle and Coca-Cola can. Notice that the Dynamic Ribbon Device is now outside of the Coca-Cola name. Also, there's a special flower design integrated with the Vanilla Coke's Dynamic Ribbon Device.

Brief History of Coca-Cola

Somebody commented on my previous post, asking about the origin of Coke. This post is a response to his/her question..


Anonymous said...

Good Evening,
For someone who is so interested in Cokes, i guess you might be the right person to ask.. Did you know which country invented Coke?.. Its a product invented for export purpose only, if its so good, why is it not sold in its origin country?

Monday, 09 March, 2009



Hi Anon,

Thank you for your question. I'm confused with your statement that Coke is a product invented for export only. When you said Coke, did you mean cocaine? If you mean cocaine, then I have no interest. But if you mean Coca-Cola, then perhaps you have a different version of history from mine.

So here's a brief description of Coca-Cola origin.

Coca-Cola was first invented in 1885 by a druggist named John Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was initially developed as a patent medicine containing, among others, coca leaves (cocaine) and kola nut (caffeine) - hence the name Coca-Cola. It was claimed to stop headaches and calm nervousness. Although initially marketed as medicine, Coca-Cola was intended to be taken as carbonated drink right from the start.

In 1888, Asa Griggs Candler, a businessman, established The Coca-Cola Company and purchased exclusive rights to the formula. Coca-Cola later emerged as a dominant soft drink in the world. Today, Coca-Cola is widely accepted all over the world, and especially in it's origin, United States.

Most of the information here is gathered from Wikipedia, but you can also find more materials from The Coca-Cola Company's website.

Coca-Cola was initially manufactured as a patent medicine, and was still dispensed as medicine long after it has been developed as beverage. Cola syrups (various brands) are still available as household medicine.