One of the best known and most valuable brands in the world is Coca-Cola. This brand value translates into the world of collectibles as well. Items branded with the Coke logo can actually be a good investment. The rarer items, in demand by collectors, can bring a high price when sold on the open market. For true Coke collectors, even the lesser valued items find a use as accents around to be enjoyed around their homes.

One of the primary appeals of collecting Coca Cola memorabilia is that people often associate Coke ad therefore Coke collectibles with happy times in their lives. Coke's marketers often used Santa Claus or attractive women in their advertising to promote this association. The ads were so common that some people believe Coke played a large role in developing the current popular image of what Santa Claus should look like.

Aside from these pictures, Coca-Cola collectibles are available back to the 1800s but these items are from the high priced collector. After 1970 there have been many Coca Cola collectibles that have been reproduced or copied to look like the older items and sold as originals. Calendars, trays and the like have been copied to just about perfection where even an expert is sometimes tricked into believing they are the real thing.

Coca-Cola collectibles can be old or new. The newer items are sometimes made to look antique, so a novice collector has to be careful. Most vendors do not intentionally set out to deceive, but an uninformed collector might make an incorrect assumption as to the age of an item. It always pays to ask to make sure you are not paying a high price for something that is new. Do a little research to avoid making a costly mistake.

There are also collectors of Pepsi products. To protect yourself and others, it's wise to purchase expensive pieces from a trustworthy dealer and to have items you own authenticated by an expert before trying to sell them for big bucks.

Even though there is a lot of questionable activity, it is still possible to avoid reproductions and fantasy items when you are having fun collecting Coke items. Buy something affordable, new or old, and you can have fun with Coca Cola memorabilia.