Tallone
Hero Member
I picked up a few worthwhile items yesterday, one of which is a bit of a mystery. No mystery in these items:
A cool looking retro pencil sharpener made in Czechoslovakia. Only found one of these on eBay. That one sold for $15. Paid $5.
A Fiestaware pitcher bought for $2. Probably worth $20 - $30.
A box of about 100 National Geographic maps from 1930 - 1970. About half of them are from the 30s and 40s. Paid $10. Probably worth about $100.
We needed a bedside floor lamp for the "antique room". Picked this one up for $45. I really like the green marble ball and cylinder on the post.
And now for the mystery....
This Coke item is a cardboard replica of an historic Coca-Cola bottling plant building built in Los Angeles in the 1930s. There is quite a bit of information about this building on the web (see this page for example: Big Orange Landmarks: No. 138 - Coca-Cola Building). However, I can't find anything about this cardboard replica. I have looked through hundreds of Coke listings on eBay and can't find anything even remotely similar to it. The item is in great shape and it clearly has some age but there is no date on it.
The LA Municipal Arts Department was formed in 1925 and is now titled the Department of Cultural Affairs. According to their web site, the Department was reorganized in 1980 which is, presumably, when they made the name change. The building was designated a Cultural Monument in 1975 so this piece was probably produced in the late 1970s. What I am not clear about is who produced it. If it wasn't produced by the Coca-Cola company, they must have, at the very least, given it their imprimatur. It seems odd to me that the Municipal Arts Department would have produced such an item but then it has the official City of LA logo on it. Did the Municipal Arts Department run a gift shop or something?
Anyway, I think it is a cool item. It has a lot going for it; Coke item, great condition, famous architect, historic building, etc. As almost everybody knows, there are tons of Coca-Cola collectors out there so I'm hoping a few of them would be excited to bid on it. I have no idea what it might sell for. BTW, I paid $5 for it.
A cool looking retro pencil sharpener made in Czechoslovakia. Only found one of these on eBay. That one sold for $15. Paid $5.
A Fiestaware pitcher bought for $2. Probably worth $20 - $30.
A box of about 100 National Geographic maps from 1930 - 1970. About half of them are from the 30s and 40s. Paid $10. Probably worth about $100.
We needed a bedside floor lamp for the "antique room". Picked this one up for $45. I really like the green marble ball and cylinder on the post.
And now for the mystery....
This Coke item is a cardboard replica of an historic Coca-Cola bottling plant building built in Los Angeles in the 1930s. There is quite a bit of information about this building on the web (see this page for example: Big Orange Landmarks: No. 138 - Coca-Cola Building). However, I can't find anything about this cardboard replica. I have looked through hundreds of Coke listings on eBay and can't find anything even remotely similar to it. The item is in great shape and it clearly has some age but there is no date on it.
The LA Municipal Arts Department was formed in 1925 and is now titled the Department of Cultural Affairs. According to their web site, the Department was reorganized in 1980 which is, presumably, when they made the name change. The building was designated a Cultural Monument in 1975 so this piece was probably produced in the late 1970s. What I am not clear about is who produced it. If it wasn't produced by the Coca-Cola company, they must have, at the very least, given it their imprimatur. It seems odd to me that the Municipal Arts Department would have produced such an item but then it has the official City of LA logo on it. Did the Municipal Arts Department run a gift shop or something?
Anyway, I think it is a cool item. It has a lot going for it; Coke item, great condition, famous architect, historic building, etc. As almost everybody knows, there are tons of Coca-Cola collectors out there so I'm hoping a few of them would be excited to bid on it. I have no idea what it might sell for. BTW, I paid $5 for it.
