Vendo Coke Machines

The most widely know soda machine manufacturer is Vendo.  Formed in 1937 in Kansas City, Missouri, the Vendo Company's product line was chest coolers.  After World War II Vendo Company  entered the upright machine market.  In 1950 Vendo was the dominant upright Coca-Cola machine maker.  The machines that Vendo made were exclusively for Coca-Cola.

It was the company's introduction of a new line of upright coin-operated machines which earned them the recognition among collectors today. Beginning with the V-83 in 1946 and followed closely by the V-39 in 1949, these two machines accounted for over 200,000 units on location between the years 1946 to 1957. Of these two, the Model V-39 ranks as the single most widely recognized Coke machine among collectors today. The crank handle and small bottle door are the two distinguishing features which people most remember about the Coke machine during the 1950's. And while there were other machines which embodied these same features, the V-39, through its sheer numbers and length of production (over 80,000 units in 9 years), ranks it as number one.

If the V-39 ranks as the most recognized machine today, its smaller cousin, the V-44, ranks as the single most highly collected of the upright coolers. To go along with its compact size, only 16" wide x 57½" high, the V-44 has the look, with its crank handle, that makes it desirable.

While not rare, a little over 8000 units were made between the years 1956-1959, it is certainly less common than, for example, the V-39. It should be noted that the Vendorlator Company made thousands of a virtually identical unit to the V-44, the only real difference being the absence of the chrome coin entry bezel found on the Vendo version. Both machines use two vertical chutes to vend 44 6 ounce bottles with room in the bottom to pre-cool another 9 bottles. The machines came priced originally as either 5 cent, 6 cent or 10 cent and with the optional changer, 5 cent, 6 cent, 7 cent or 10 cent. Another noteworthy feature of the 44 was its original color scheme of white over red. Beginning in 1955, the Coca-Cola Company was encouraging distributors to bring all red coolers in from location and undergo the new color scheme.  In the words of Dupont, manufacturer of much of the paint used on vintage machines, the top 12" or so of each machine was to be painted with multiple coats of "pure 'iceberg white that suggest the cooling natural goodness of a Coke."

Another desirable model from the company is the V-81. Often found as a white-top machine (it was introduced in 1955), the V-81 is physically the same size as the V-39 but radically different in its method of dispensing bottles. Departing from the usual drum mechanism, this machine holds 9 bottles on each of 9 shelves. The shelves are slanted towards a glass (actually Plexiglas) door on the left of the machine. The shelves are adjustable to accommodate 6, 10 or 12 ounce bottles giving this machine more versatility than most of the other models.

As an example of its dominance of Coke machines, 1956 saw the Vendo Company offering no less than 6 highly collectible models in the V-23, V-39, V-44, V-80, V-81 and V-110.

  

    
Vendo 56 (V-56)

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       Vendo 80 (V-80) 

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       Vendo 81 (V-81)

 
Vendo 83 (V-83)

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       Vendo 110 (V-110)

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Copyright © March 12,1997

Last updated on November 20, 2000