15 Most Valuable Coke Bottles Ever Made

Coca-Cola is one of the world’s most recognizable brands. Originally invented in 1886, Coca-Cola’s popularity quickly grew due to its unique taste and marketing approach (early promotional items included calendars, comic books, and clocks).

While you might have a few Coke bottles lying around at home that your grandmother gave you — there are few Coke bottles out there with the historical value and coolness that the following 15 most valuable Coke bottles have, maybe you have a few sitting around collecting dust on your shelf. These bottles, if in mint condition (unopened), are quite valuable! I decided to do some research into the 15 Most Valuable Coke Bottles ever made, here’s what I found!

15 Most Valuable Coke Bottle Value Chart

No.	Name	Year	Price Sold
1	Set of 6 Coca-Cola Collectible Green Glass Hobble Skirt Bottles	1950\1960	$235.00
2	Antique Coca-Cola Bottle 12 Fluid Ounces with Ribbing and Bottom Stamping	1955	$199.99
3	Carnival glass Orange Tree Coke Bottle Loving Cup	1800	$198.00
4	Antique 1959 Coca Cola Bottle	1959	$100.00
5	Set Of Vintage Cola Bottles	1960	$150.00
6	Rare Straight Side Amber Coca Cola Bottle	1900s	$250.00
7	Antique Coca-Cola Mr. Coke Bottle	1997	$110.00
8	Antique Rare Coca Cola Bottle Collection Commemorative Olympics Ryman	1950	$99.00
9	Vintage German Bild Lilli Barbie Plastic Coke Bottles	1940s	$99.99
10	1978 Coca Cola 75th Anniversary Commemorative Beveled	1978	$125.00
11	Set of Two Vintage Coca Cola Bottles	1970	$38.00
12	Vintage 1983 Coca Cola Coke Soda Bottle	1983	$9.99
13	1022 Grams Black Fossils Orthoceras Coke Bottle.	1900	$44.99
14	Vintage 1-Liter Bottle Of Coca-Cola	1980	$37.51
15	Set of Two Vintage Coca Cola Bottles	1980s	$38.00

1. Set of 6 Coca-Cola Collectible Green Glass Hobble Skirt Bottles

Year: 1950s-1960s

Price: $235.00

Being one of the rarest and most expensive on our list today, this is surely a vintage all-time Coca–Cola classic. This is the original model used for the patent in the 1950s. with its beautiful green glass bottles and hobble-skirt design also known as a contour. It is indeed remarkable.

2. Antique Coca-Cola Bottle 12 Fluid Ounces with Ribbing and Bottom Stamping

Year: 1955

Price:$199.00

Rumor has it that this bottle of coke is one of the rarest. It was created around the mid-1900s. Under the embossed labeling, you can find extra information which states the trademark registered contents. This 9 1/2″ tall 1955 classic has its material made from glass, Antique Glass, Antique Bottle, Vintage Glass, and Green Glass. More information is found opposite the label as well. If you’re a collector, this bottle would act as a nice display.

3. Carnival Glass Orange Tree Coke Bottle Loving Cup

Year: 1800

Price: $198.00

This bottle is exactly 6 inches tall with a 3.3 inches base, if you consider the handles, then you can say it is 6 inches wide as well. The pattern used on this coke bottle is known as the orange tree pattern and it was designed as well as produced by Fenton in 1912 up till 1919. The unusual color makes it quite an eye-catcher as well.

4. Antique 1959 Coca Cola Bottle

Year: 1959

Price: $100.00

This vintage Coca-Cola bottle is an original make, a very interesting and intriguing one, it still has its coke content in it, and it has not been opened since it was made. Now that it is “antique-worthy”, the content is “not for consumption”, and it is still in perfect condition. Another shocking spotting is that this vintage Antique Bottle is Green in color, I’m sure you would’ve never guessed.

5. Set Of Vintage Cola Bottles

Year: 1960

Price: $150.00

Here’s an image that shows that you can sell your old crate of coke bottles, These coke bottles come in a crate and were produced in the 1960s. It sells on eBay for $150.00, for all 24 bottles, that’s a standing history. It is most definitely an antique worth having. Who knows, the value might increase significantly in the future.

6. Rare Straight Side Amber Coca Cola Bottle

Year: 1900s

Price: $250

This rare amber straight-sided Coca-Cola bottle is embossed with the words “Coca Cola New York N.Y. O.B. Co.” and has a bottom labeling it as a 1213 I bottle. It’s in very good condition, with no chips or cracks. To make their product stand out from the competition, Coca Cola made its bottles amber-colored in 1906 and 1907. It also added a diamond-shaped label in order to be more distinctive.

7. Antique Coca-Cola Mr. Coke Bottle

Year: 1957

Price: $110.00

This is a vintage coke bottle that was created around 1957 to 1991. It is an incredible find, not just because of the red label which already makes it stand out but more so because of the stamp ‘ENVASE EXCLUSIVO PARA REFRESCO HECHO EN MEXICO’ it has. This coke bottle will make an incredible collection item.

8. Antique Rare Coca Cola Bottle Collection Commemorative Olympics Ryman

Year: 1996

Price: $99.00

This is a Very remarkable Coca Cola Bottle Collection, in Commemorative Olympics Ryman. Despite the number of years this Antique has proven its durability and originality, it dates back to the 1996 Olympics. The rare set contains 10 of the 1996 bottles with the 75^th anniversary commemorative bottles for Nashville and Chattanooga, two of which are from 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

A grand ole opry bottle for Nashville. The 1980 Olympic games commemorative bottle, three extra bottles with the coke label.

9. Vintage German Bild Lilli Barbie Plastic Coke Bottles

Year: 1940s

Price: $99.99

This is a very rare vintage German Coca Cola bottle. It was created around the 1940-1950s. There are Vintage German 1940-1950s BAKELITE era Plastic Bodo Hennig Crate Bottles. These fit perfectly with Crailsheimer Brio and are a great Mid-Century Modern Doll’s House accessory and will look great on your coffee table.

10. 1978 Coca Cola 75th Anniversary Commemorative Beveled

Year: 1978

Price: $125.00

Produced and bottled in the United States, this 1978 Coca Cola 75th Anniversary Commemorative Beveled & Numbered Sealed Bottle is brand new, unused, unopened, undamaged. For a 1978 bottle this is a must have in one’s Antique collection, its bold red color makes it even more appealing. Its current value sits at $125.

11. Coca-Cola Glass Bottle Lamp Recycled

Year: 1970s

Price: $75.00

This is a vintage 32oz glass Coca-Cola bottle lamp created in the 1970s. It is quite common as it was mass-produced during the time, for only $75 I must say, truly spectacular. It has been recycled into a lamp hence increasing its worth.

12. Vintage 1983 Coca Cola Coke Soda Bottle

Year: 1983

Price: $9.99

This full vintage 1983 bottle speaks for itself, it is a must have in your Antique Collection, produced and bottled in the United States and stamped by the Mayor Richard C.H. It was awarded first place in its year.

13. 1022 Grams Black Fossils Orthoceras Coke Bottle

Year: 1900s

Price: $44.99

This is a vintage Coca Cola bottle weighing 1022 Grams. It is 7.5″ tall and 3.6″ wide. It was created in the 1900s using Black Fossils Orthoceras. If you have this coke bottle in your collection it should be worth $74.99.

14. Vintage 1-Liter Bottle Of Coca-Cola

Year: 1980s

Price: $37.51

This is a vintage Coca Cola bottle of 1 liter that was created in the 1980s, specifically 1986. The bottle was bought in Poland and still looks very well kept for its age. It is 23.9″ tall. Very well preserved for its age, without any damage to it.

15. Set of Two Vintage Coca Cola Bottles

Year: 1980s

Price: $38.00

This is a unique bottle of Coca Cola. This is because of the logo which is in Cyrillic. This logo was done in Cyrillic as a condition for Coca Cola company to sell their product in Bulgaria

It is 20.7″ tall.

The Evolution Of Coke Bottles

It’s been over 100 years since the first coke bottle was made, and from then till now, just like almost everything else, COCA-COLA bottles have evolved into what it is today. However, as time went on, other competitors copied the same design, creating discord in the market among consumers.

From the very first bottle to carry coke as a full beverage produced in 1889, the Hutchinson model with metal cap, to various other models that were all cool and usable.

Well, almost all Coca-Cola’s contour bottle prototypes were designed in 1915, by Earl R. Dean wasn’t exactly an excellent success due to its middle diameter being larger than its base, hence making it unstable on conveyor belts. But still, it was the beginning of a tremendous development that was going to affect consumer’s lives for all time.

In 1915, the Coca-Cola bottling company association decided to solve the issue of uniqueness once and for all with the burning goal and desire of “creating a bottle that would be so unique that one can recognize it simply by feeling even when it is dark.” Dean solved this issue by reducing the size of the bottle’s middle diameter, and that was the birth of today’s contour shape.

On the 25th of December 1923, the patent was renewed, and the Christmas bottle was created. This bottle is popular among collectors. On the base plate of its “Christmas” bottles, you would see the name of the city where they were first filled.

Then came another major game changer, in 1957, the Coca-Cola bottling company stopped using paper embossment, and in its stead, their label was painted on to the bottle in white Applied Colored Labeling (ACL).

The bottle was registered as a trademark on January 31st, 1893, becoming the 2nd package in history to be trademarked at the time.

In 1961, as the ACL process became fully established and even more sophisticated, the label was expanded into a 2-color full wrap appeal. The bottle took on a very colorful appearance with the white Coca-Cola trademark on a red background.

This two color version soon gained wide acceptance and became predominant in the international markets. 1961 also marked the 76th anniversary for Coca-Cola.

Since 1915, the shape and design of the Coca-Cola bottle have undergone some modifications and the process of evolution is discussed below.

1915

The very first prototype designed by Earl and his team never got to production because of a design error that caused instability when placed on conveyor belts. This was a result of the middle diameter which was larger than its base.

1916

This design was just the corrected version of the earlier version. Earl and his team simply decreased the bottle’s middle diameter and the base plate bore the name of the city where they were filled.

1957

Initially, Coca-Cola has always embossed its trademark written in the Spenserian script logo on the bottle, but in 1957, this method of the trademark was done by labeling in white applied color (ACL).

1961

Here, the design was improved and two colors as well as a full wrap label were designed and were used up till 1994 when plastic bottles were introduced.

1994

A 20 Oz plastic bottle was introduced by Coca-Cola which retained the same trademark contour shape.

2007 to 2008

Another variation of Coca-Cola made with aluminum was introduced but to specific markets.

2008

The two-liter bottle was introduced which was once again aimed at specific markets.

This chart shows coke bottles from 1899 – 2007.

How To Date An Old Coke Bottle?

Have you ever come across a very old Coca-Cola bottle and got intrigued as to the age of that bottle?  Well, wonder no more!

Luckily, there are certain telltale signs which can enable you to know what age these coke bottles really are.

It’s usually normal for these Coke Bottles to bear a mark from the glass manufacturing company. This mark could range from an emblem or logo to anything. However, it is not always so for every Coke bottle.

One of the obvious things to check for in determining the age of a coke bottle is the shape. Is the bottle-shaped in a contour, or is it straight? Or does it in fact have the distinct patent style of Hutchinson? Once you determine which shape the bottle is, you’re one step closer to identifying the age of the coke bottle.

Contour Bottles (1916-Present)

Most contour bottles have a widely known bottle cap, check If the bottle has small date marks usually a combination of numbers and letters embossed on the waist, such as “64.23“, then it’s highly likely that the bottle was produced in 1964.

The number at the far right usually represents the mold used in making that bottle while the symbol before the last number usually represents the glass manufacturing company that produced the bottle.

However, this practice of date marking Bottles by Coca-Cola ended in the 1980s.

Any contour coke bottles which are embossed trademark usually fall between the middle of 1960s. If the coke bottle has the trademark embossed and no painted label, it should fall between 1916-1965.

After determining this, the next step is searching particularly for another date mark on the bottle, and you might need to get a magnifying glass for this.

A very small, embossed combination of numbers and letters would be found on the waist of the bottle for example 50 L 99 where we know that it was produced in 1950 since there were no coke bottles with embossed trademarks after 1965.

It is in your best interest to check for these date marks using a magnification glass and sufficient light because they can be easily unseen and sometimes when found, being able to understand the marks poses another problem.

The patent statement embossed on the side of any contour Coke that is not a painted label bottle can tell you when it was made.

Patent Statement	Date Issued
U.S. Pat. Office, 6 oz.	1951-1958
U.S. Pat. Office, 6-1/2 oz	1958-1965
Pat. D-105529	1938-1951
Pat’d Dec. 25, 1923	1928-1938
Pat’d. Nov. 16, 1915	1916-1928

Hutchinson Style Bottles (1890-1901)

These are very rare types of coke bottles. These bottles are completed by hand and can be identified by the straight shape of their sides, the noticeably high shoulders, and finally, the closure which is made in a style that is Hutchinson patented. If the bottle happens to be embossed with a Coca-Cola label, then it automatically makes that bottle a very rare item.

To be able to know the age of that bottle, it is important to know the beginning date of that town’s first Coca-Cola bottling operation and most operations began in the middle the two late 1890s

Straight Side Coke Bottles (1900-1920)

The dating of straight-sided Coca-Cola bottles from the early 20th century is frequently more challenging and less certain. But first let’s take a closer look at straight coke bottles. Prior to the invention of automatic bottle-making machines, soft drink bottlers used two-piece wooden molds to make cylindrical bottles with straight sides. These bottles were crowned with metal caps.

Date marks on straight-side Coca-Cola bottles are inconsistent. Some bottles have the same kind of marking that is found on Coke contour bottles 1916 to 1938. The dating of Coca-Cola straight-sided bottles is not as precise as the dating of Coca-Cola contour bottles. We don’t know with certainty how old many straight side Coca-Cola bottles are, but we do know they were made between about 1900 and 1920.

How Much Are Old Coke Bottles Worth

If it’s a common vintage Coke bottle, then the selling price would start around $10, however, if it’s a special edition coke bottle or an anniversary model, then it might be able to sell for around $30 according to CountryLiving.

Although the value of each coke bottle rises with age, it’s hard to find a valuable coke bottle because of the mass production of these coke bottles during that time.

If the coke bottle happens to be straight shaped, then depending on how unique and the state it currently is in, the selling price can vary from $25 up to around $400.

Straight bottles which are amber in color are usually more valuable than the clear or green bottles because of their reduced availability.

Quick Tip: You can know the value of your coca cola bottle by browsing through the almost endless list of Antique Coca Cola bottles on eBay and Etsy.

Where Can I Sell Old Coke Bottles

Are you worried that you might not be able to find a buyer for your old coke bottles? Well, there’s no need for that! There are many platforms, mostly online where you can sell your old Coca-Cola bottles, and some of these platforms are mentioned below:

• Amazon:Amazon is one platform that handles large retail all over the world and has thousands of items varying across many categories for sale.
• Etsy:This is an online platform where products can be directly sold. It serves as a community as well for people who love vintage as well as crafts and art.
• Bonanza: Bonanza is an upcoming online platform that has a lot of varied products for sale.
• Craigslist:This is a classified website in which almost everything can be for sale.
• Rakuten: This platform was previously known as buy.com. Rakuten is Japan’s largest online company for making sales.
• eCrater: This is an eCommerce store that is totally free and requires no payment to place sales, it even gives sellers amazing templates to compile their products.

Conclusion

Although collecting old vintage Coca Cola bottles might seem like a worthless expedition, it can be quite an enjoyable experience. And though you might not make a fortune from these coke bottles, you can get a needed extra dollar or two. More importantly, you do not have to break your back in collecting these coke bottles because it was usually mass-produced at each point in time.

So, if you happen to have an old shed full of old coke bottles, don’t just discard them as junk, you might be sitting on the opportunity to solve a need. So go on to one of the platforms mentioned above if you happen to have an old coke bottle in your home and see what value you can get in return for your item.