Remember These?

Do you remember these Coca-Cola machines? I do! Along with several other models, my friends and I put a lot of dimes (10 cents for those of you outside the U.S.) into these machines on hot summer days. Recently, I saw this one in a corner of a little country store.Ten cents for a 6.5 oz. (192ml) bottle of Coke. Ice cold and very refreshing. Remember those small bottles? Just enough to quench your thirst on a hot day. Back then, they used real sugar in Coca-cola, not fructose corn syrup for sweetening. It had a different taste than the Cokes today. As I remember and one of the things I thoroughly enjoyed (even though it was probably really bad for us) was how it kind of burned my throat as I swallowed it. It felt good going down. Now, I’m thinking that was a bit strange.A little internet research tells me this machine is a Vendo 39 made by the Vendo Company of Kansas City, Missouri. This model was manufactured between 1949-1958. It was phased out in the 1960s as its capacity was too…