Coca-Cola Trays

There was a time when every Coca-Cola Collector was judged by the Coca-Cola trays they had and the ones they needed! The most important item by far was the Coca-Cola tray. This caused more emphasis to be placed on the condition of Coca-Cola trays than other Coke items. It can be very difficult for books to place values on Coca-Cola trays because they can’t see the item.

The 1897 “Victorian Girl” tray is considered to be the first Coca-Cola tray produced and of course the most important and hardest to find. Trays from 1897 - 1901 were 9¼ round. In 1903 round 9¼ and a larger oval tray.

In 1905 until 1909 the company produced a smaller oval and a series of medium and larger oval trays. Tip or change trays varied from 4” to 6” circular types until 1907, when the standard 4¼ x 6” until 1920 when they quit producing them.  We have a few tip and larger vintage trays available! 

In 1910 a rectangular tray was brought into the family and became standard, this size us used all the way up to the early 1960’s. An interesting piece of trivia is that from 1910 - 1919 the rectangular Coca-Cola trays were only produced in the years 1910,1913, and 1914. In 1916 a completely different size tray was produced, 8½ x 19”. After that no more trays were made until after WWI. Production resumed in 1920 producing at least one tray each year until 1942 when again production was stopped due to the war effort of WWII.

After WWII and all the way into the 60’s Coca-Cola trays were irregular. TV trays, plastic, and commemorative trays replaced the beautiful trays of the 20’s and 30’s.

Remember that it is essential to protect your trays, most important thing is to avoid humidity. If stored in a damp place such as a basement they will gradually become pitted unless you use a dehumidifier.

Another big problem is dust, it seems to collect in the bottom rim of the tray, and if allowed to build up it becomes difficult to clean. Be careful when cleaning, if not done correctly it can create a series of light scratches which will lessen the value.