Hide Article Text (OCR)
By D'ANNE DODD ‘Drake University Jour nalism Student Distributed by the Iowa ‘Daily Press Association DES MOINES—David “Cargill, an Iowan who ‘claims to be the largest “collector of Coca-Cola memorabilia, has turned his ‘hobby into a lifestyle. The home and office of Cargill, a 3-year-old Des ‘Moines resident, are decorated in what he terms ‘“Coke.”’ He sometimes ‘drives a 1948 Harley Davidson motorcycle painted with coke slogans. is five-month-old son, Asa, and his pet parrot, “Doc ‘Pemberton,’ are namesakes ‘of Asa Chandler, Coca-Cola co. founder, and John S. Pemberton, Coke inventor. , Cargill said his Coke hobby is a ‘‘way of being ‘different, a way of investing ‘and it's become a way of life.”’ Cargill and his wife, Angela, a former motorcycle mechanic, first became interested in the Coke company because of the Harley Davidson chopper. “We wanted to build it into a show bike and were looking around for painting ideas. “Then we saw this Coke truck and got the idea for painting the motorcycle in Coke. We started research ing the (Coke) company and since then (1973), Coke memorabilia has become almost a mania.” About 250,000 different Coca-Cola advertising mementos have been produced since Asa Chan dler of Atlanta, Ga., founded the company in 1892, Cargill said. Collectibles, manufactured primarily between 1910 and 1950 as ‘give-aways,’ are ex tremely rare, said Cargill, who estimates he has 5,000 Coke artifacts. Red and white, the main colors used in Coke ad vertising, predominate in Cargill's home, where about 75 tin trays featuring various “Coca-Cola Girls” hang on a wood paneled living room wall. Cargill said the girls symbolize Coke's ad vertising through the years—‘‘beautiful — girls surrounded by beautiful things was the key to Coke's success. On an opposite wall, Coke-sponsored records, such as ‘‘Lone Ranger and “Superman,” rest on a shelf above a 20- inch Coke bottle aquarium. On Cargill's corner bar, a Coke dispenser, circa 1930, is surrounded by Coke signs, postcards and dishes. Next to the bar is an antique showcase filled with Coke glasses. Over the living room mantle a wooden calendar Coke clock (circa 1915) is suspended above Cargill's most prized and valuable item—a tin tray known as “The Nude. “The Nude’ (200 copies were produced) was manufactured in 1908 by Western Coca-Cola, a bot tling franchise in Chicago. The trays were ‘‘made against the wishes of the national company, ’ Cargill said. Besides featuring a semi-nude woman, the tray advertised Coke as an alcoholic mixer, which was also a ‘“‘first’’ for the com pany, Cargill said. In a basement room of the Cargill home, dozens of 1940s Coke toys cover the carpeted floor. In the center of the room, a 1930 Coke kite is displayed (among Coke card decks) in a glass case. Bottles made by Coke over the years circle the walls of another basement room and a showcase is filled with Coke knives, cigarette lighters and watch fobs. Cargill, vice president in a civil engineering consulting firm, has also decorated his office in ‘*Coke.”’ A 1909 wall clock advertising Coke ticks silently beside a 1950s Coke festoon. A reproduction of the original Coke syrup dispenser is flanked by two original seltzer bottles. Cargill doesn't own an original syrup dispenser “because it would cost at least $2,000 and it’s not worth it,” he said. Coke, invented by Pem berton, an Atlantan phar macist, in 1886, was not bottled until 1899 by Ben Thomas in Chattanooga, Tenn. Prior to bottled Coke, seltzer water was added to Coke syrup. Coke was first bottled in Iowa in Des Moines in 1905. There are now 12 bottlers in Iowa. Many early Coke items are being reproduced today, Cargill said. One mirror, which Cargill thought was made in Canada during the 1930s, was actually manufactured in 1975. ‘‘A lot of stuff is being reproduced today and it’s very hard to tell the difference from originals,’’ said Cargill, who belongs to the ‘‘Coke Clan.” The Clan, ‘‘which tries to alert members to rip-offs,” is a national Coke collectors’ club, said Cargill. The 1,200- member organization also has an annual convention and publishes a newspaper. At the August 1977 Coke Clan convention, Cargill said he bought all the Coke memorabilia that decorates his office. He said he has a “fantasy” of one day moving his 5,000 Coke items from his office and home to a Coke museum. “I know a lot of people are interested in Coke and the admission charges ... would help pay off some of my investment in the Coke company,’’ Cargill said.
Newspaper Details
Ames Daily Tribune
Ames, Iowa, US
Sat, Nov 12, 1977
Page 41
Full Page
Clipped by
Kaleb W.
USA 28 Aug 2026
Other Publications Near Ames, Iowa
Ames Daily Tribune
Ames Daily Tribune Times
Ames Daily Tribune and Ames Evening Times
Ames Evening Times
Ames Intelligencer
