Posted 12 years ago
duckzter
(1 item)
This is a Coca-Cola sign that hung in front of a rural store in North Carolina for many years. I grew up near this store. My friends and I used to pick up bottles along side the roads and return them here for deposit (5 cents each) in order to buy a Coke.
My Dad bought this sign from the last owners of the store when it finally closed down. It is a two-sided sign -- both sides are identical. It hung out from the gable of the store building over the main door. The button is about 2 1/2 feet in diameter. The whole thing stands about 5 feet tall. Each of the individual sign pieces are porcelain, although the store name is painted on the porcelain signs on top. There is a 1-inch chrome ring around each of the four sign pieces. All in all, it is a very solid (and heavy!) sign.
Does anyone have any idea if this is a common sign from its time? I've never seen one like it, although each of the pieces by themselves are fairly common. Did the Coca Cola company go around putting together custom signs for various stores?
Great sign! I've had all the pieces separately but never together.
It's cool to see a sign like this in the original form. Almost always because of size/difficulty of display and value of the individual elements, they are taken apart and pieced out. Though I haven't seen this particular configuration, I do know the company offered many variations of "custom" design outdoor signs for merchants who sold the Delicious and Refreshing. The way it's bracketed together seems to be an indication it was a stock sign (though obviously "private label"). Thanks for sharing this beauty.
Thanks for the comments! I know what you mean, Daddy -- I'd love to display it but I have no idea how. And I'm not about to take it apart!
BTW, Daddy, what do you mean by "private label"? Are you referring to the store name painted on it? I can see traces of green lettering under the current red lettering -- I'm pretty sure it is the same as the red lettering, but I've no idea if there is some other store name under the green lettering. I just know that it hung over this store as early as the early 70's.
Seen one like it recently down a Tennessee back road and they wanted about $2200 for it. It was clean like yours! Also had the rectangular portion by itself. Alan Petretti said it was a part of a larger sign like yours. Awesome find!
Thanks again. Which edition and what page of Petretti?
Have not seen it in a Petretti book. I took a picture of my rectangular bottle sign and sent it to him prior to the internet. He responded with the answer above.