COCA-COLA PAINTING

Q: My dad worked for Coca-Cola for many years. He won this oil painting by Haddon H. Sundblom at a convention in Atlanta. On the back it says D'Arcy Advertising Co., St. Louis, Mo. Does the painting have any value?

A: Coca-Cola's advertising agency from 1906 to 1956 was D'Arcy Advertising Co. Haddon Sundblom (1899-1976) was a commercial artist in Chicago who began doing paintings for Coca-Cola ads in the 1920s. The painting looks like the original art for an ad. Sundblom is best-known for his paintings of Santa Claus that appeared in Coca-Cola ads from 1931 to 1964. His images changed the way Santa was portrayed and the rotund Santa was pictured as a friendly, jolly fellow. The original Santa Claus paintings have been exhibited all over the world and are worth several thousand dollars each today. His paintings of other subjects may not be as valuable, but if your painting is really an original oil painting and not a copy on textured canvas, it is very valuable and should be seen by a local expert. An interesting side note: Sundblom didn't drink Coca-Cola. He is quoted as saying "I never could stand the stuff."

COCA-COLA SIGN

Q: I have an old Coca-Cola tin sign that is tacked to a wooden frame. On the left side are the words "Relieves Mental & Physical Exhaustion." In the upper right it says "Delightful Summer and Winter Beverage." On the back it says "Kaufmann & Strauss Company NY." Any idea of its date, history and value?

A: Kaufmann & Strauss was a company that made tin signs and advertising trays from 1890 to the early 1930s. It is unusual to find the printed name of a company on the back of a sign; usually the printing is only on one side. Coca-Cola used the picture of a girl in a blue dress sitting at a table on its 1898 calendar and other advertising items. A 20-by-28-inch tin sign is pictured in Petretti's Coca-Cola Collectibles Price Guide, 10th ed., with a value of $15,000. In 1886 John S. Pemberton, a pharmacist in Atlanta, developed Coca-Cola syrup as a patent medicine that was advertised as a cure for headache or "tired feeling." By 1900 it was usually advertised as a soda fountain drink and not as a headache medicine. Your sign, even bent, rusted, and filled with holes, could sell for a few thousand dollars if it's original. Beware. The frame is new and the sign has a surprising number of holes; it's possible it's a copy. The actual sign, not a picture of it, should be seen by an expert to determine the value.

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EBAY TRIES YET AGAIN

Ebay has again rewritten its policy on counterfeits in its Purchase Protection Policy. AuctionBytes.com interviewed John Pluhowski, an eBay spokesperson, to get clarity. The word "non-authentic" has been changed to "counterfeit" because it refers to illegal items prohibited on eBay (like fake Rolex watches, we assume). It does not include pieces described as "authentic Chippendale," evidently because Chippendale is not a trademarked brand. We are still confused. Are only modern brands with intellectual property rights, like Coca-Cola or Chanel, protected by the new policy? And are antique pieces described, for instance, as "Schimmel" folk carvings or "Ohr" pottery protected instead by eBay's "item not as described" policy? In the second case, if eBay has to settle the dispute, the seller could be in trouble.

COCA-COLA GUM

Coca-Cola Gum

Q: I'm trying to find any information I can on the value and demand for this Coca-Cola Spearmint Gum wrapper.

A: Coca-Cola gum was made from c.1903 to c.1920. The gum was not made by the Coca-Cola beverage company but by another Atlanta company, the Coca-Cola Gum Company, which used both the Coca-Cola name and the logo. The Coca-Cola Gum Company was bought by Franklin Manufacturing (later called Franklin-Caro Co.) and moved to Richmond, Virginia, in the early 1900s. The beverage company did not like this use of their trademark and bought out the gum company by 1924. Your "wrapper" looks like it might be a label used on a box or glass jar. Coca-Cola Gum items are rare and usually bring high prices. Coca-Cola Gum glass jars have sold for several hundred to over a thousand dollars, and several years ago a wrapped stick of the gum reportedly sold at auction for $8,000.