Collector’s Paradise

Meet the Coca‑Cola Collectors Club Down Under

Bruce Tindall was a young boy at the Royal Queensland Show when he first laid eyes on a Coca‑Cola branded yo-yo. There must have been something hypnotic in its up-down-up-down action because today he has about 500 Coca‑Cola branded yo-yos, including that very first one from the Ekka – as the Queensland Show is affectionately known.

Tindall, the president of the Coca‑Cola Collectors Club’s Queensland Chapter, is still a passionate collector, with six bookshelves filled with yo-yos and designer aluminium bottles. His partner collects Coca‑Colabeanie bears, and his 17-year-old daughter has a collection of Coca‑Colaproducts with her name on them.

Bruce Tindall, the president of the Coca‑Cola Collectors Club’s Queensland Chapter, has a collection of around 500 Coca‑Cola branded yo-yos, including the very first one that came into his possession as a young boy.

Tindall’s best find so far, however, is an enamelled Coca‑Cola sign from the 1960s. “Most of them rusted through or were damaged with shotgun holes,” Tindall said. He found the sign in a junk shop in Toowoomba and paid just $10 for it. It’s now valued at about $600.

It’s not the financial rewards that entice Tindall, however. “There’s just something about the brand with Coke,” he says. “It is, after all, the second most-used word in the world apart from OK.”

“Coke Collectors are an extraordinary group of people who show how amazing the story of Coca‑Cola is and the love people have for the history of our brand,” Coca‑Cola Public Affairs Manager Sarah Prestwood acknowledged. Featured, Club President, Bruce Tindall.

One brand – 20,000 items

Tindall, who presided over the 13th National Convention of the Coca‑ColaCollectors Club on the Sunshine Coast in early October, acknowledges that his collection is only
a fraction of the size of some – but the passion for collecting is what binds this group together.

For Steve Fick, the Queensland Chapter’s vice-president, the enthusiasm for collecting is still growing 23 years after joining the club. “I started collecting as a boy,” Fick said. “I joined the Collectors Club when it first started in Australia, answering a newspaper ad.”

Fick, like many passionate collectors, has visited Atlanta – home to Coca‑Cola headquarters and major international Collectors’ meetings. While he stopped collecting cans when he reached the 5000 mark, he says he has perhaps as many as 20,000 items of memorabilia housed floor-to-ceiling in his rumpus room.

Collectors capture the Coca‑Cola story

Tindall says that 87 members throughout Australia registered to attend the weekend-long National Convention, with the event throwing open its doors to the public for the Sunday Swap Meet.

Coca‑Cola Public Affairs Manager Sarah Prestwood, who also attended the convention, said that the company truly valued the dedication and passion of Collectors in Australia and abroad.

“Coke Collectors are an extraordinary group of people who show how amazing the story of Coca‑Cola is and the love people have for the history of our brand,” Prestwood said.

“We have been around for 129 years yet our product and its design have barely changed. In fact, our trademark logo is near identical to what it was when created in 1886. Our brand remains one of the most recognised in the world, and people are fascinated by how it is marketed. It can also be found on everything from tea-towels to utensils and sleepwear.”

Robin Simpson, secretary of the Queensland Chapter, has one of Australia’s biggest Coke bottle collections, with more than 6500 – including rare “wrapped” bottles from Chile and limited edition KISS bottles.

This resonates particularly with Robin Simpson, secretary of the Queensland Chapter, who has one of Australia’s biggest Coke bottle collections, numbering more than 6500 – including rare “wrapped” bottles from Chile and limited edition KISS bottles – housed in a purpose-built room with display cabinets and special lighting.

“When you collect Coca‑Cola, you can collect something from everywhere, from cutlery for the kitchen to a mirror for your bathroom,” Simpson said.

You also become part of an international and passionate group of international Collectors.

See you in Sydney in 2017.    

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