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12 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, March 11, 1986 Coke is the Only Thing for | avid collector buff Foi Barry Townsend, Coke is not just the real thing, it's the only thing. Barry is a collector of what he terms Coca-Cola nostalgia .or memorabilia; anything with the familiar red and white Coke or Coca-Cola logo on it. He's been gathering Coke items for more than 20 years and now the 1500 or so pieces in the collection fill two large rooms in the basement of his Port Perry home. The Coca-Cola logo has been around for nearly a century. It is probably the most recognized cor- . porate logo in the world. And little wonder as the product is sold in vir- tually every country, including the People's Republic of China. But another part of the *'recogni- tion factor" is that over the years, Coca-Cola has put that logo on an amazing number of non Saft-drink items and products, everything from playing cards to oven mitts, clocks to openers, thermometers to t-shirts. And that's what fascinates a Coke collector like Barry. 'Coke is full of history, it's really a part of heritage and traditions," he explained in an interview with the Star last week. A sample of just some of the dif- ferent items in Barry's collection in- clude playing cards, coolers, an old steel sign, tie pins in-laid with tiny diamonds and rubies, openers or all shapes and sizes, drinking glasses, pens, buttons, clocks, bottles of all different sizes and from several countries, many still with Coke in them, ash trays, NHL players pins from the 1960's, miniature trucks, jackets, caps, an inflatable life-raft, cardboard Coke cases and serving trays. Barry says that of all the pieces in his collection, he enjoys the ser- ving trays most, and he's got more than 120 of them. The serving trays, of course, changed with the passing years and the smiling faces on them reflect the era through the hair styles, clothing, even make-up on the faces of the people painted on the trays. The oldest tray Barry has dates from 1934 and contains a picture of Maureen O'Sullivan and Johnny Weismueller plugging the famous movie "Tarzan." Christmas trays, with Santa in various poses (enjoying a bottle of Coke) are also favourites with Barry. In fact, of all the Coke nostalgia pieces that Barry would most like to find, he says a serving tray from 1900 is his favourite. It has the words "ideal brain tonic for headaches and exhaustion." Barry says that if he could find ~ one of these trays, he'd gladly pay up to $1000 for it, depending on the condition. He'd also like to find a miniature toy stove that came out in the late 1930's and a radio shaped like a Coke vending machine from about the same era. Barry first started collecting Coke stuff more than 20 years ago, and the first piece of his collection was a plain metal bottle opener. From there he just started saving everything he could get his hands on, so long as it has the Coke logo on it. He finds the pieces at yard sales, or people know that he collects Coke stuff and bring him items that have been around basements or garages or attics for years. Barry says there is a fairly large number of people in Canada and the United States like himself who col- lect Coke nostalgia, and from time to time, he'll swap items or buy part of a collection outright from another collector. He doesn't know what the dollar value of his collection is, or even how much he's put into it, but he knows one thing for certain: he won'tpart with all or any of it. SHUR-GAIN o]fe) (Clea {[e]g teat dip / A soothing iodine formulauon designed for dipping teats night after every milking. Prevent mastitis causing organisms infecting teats and udders. Teat dipping is the single most effective practice to drastically reduce mastitis. SHUR-GAIN DIVISION Canada Packers Inc Now available at Shur ® Gain Service Centres H & M WRIGHT FEED CO. LTD. 14 Scugog Street, Blackstock Telephone: 986-4201 In fact, he's looking to add another 3000 or so items to the col- lection and ultimately open a small museum where the public could browse their way through a century of Coke nostalgia. Barry doesn't collect other Coca- Cola products like Diet Coke, Cherry Coke and so on. But he admits that in a few years, these too will come to have value as collectibles. One of the toughest Coke nostalgia pieces to find is a store sign from the Second World War era. With steel strictly rationed during that era, Coke signs were made of wood or cardboard and they just didn't stand up to the elements. Along with the Coke stuff, Barry also enjoys collecting old milk bot- tles and containers for such things as cookies or flour. And yes, he says, he enjoys a drink of Coca-Cola from time to time, just like people have for the last 100 years. bd No, this is not an ad for Coke. Barry Townsend of Port Perry ; is a collector of Coca-Cola nostalgia -- anything with the Coke name 1 ~ and logo on it. He has more than 1500 pieces in his collection. oLp "VIENNA BEER OW SPECIAL . YH id Coke trays are Barry's favourite, and he has more than 120 of them. And he also has a few beer and ale trays lining the walls of two rooms Barry shows off a tray that helped plug the famous _--_-- in the basement of his Port Perry home. He's been collecting Coke stuff for more than 20 years. and original Tarzan movie from the 1930's.