1967-68 Coke Caps

[steve B]

Impressive batch of cap backs! I've been collecting the caps off and on for years, and I don't have any non- coke ones. The Khosher for Passover one should be the toughest, and may be NY area only. RC cola did a similar thing on their cans one year, but only from the New Rochelle NY plant, and only in the few weeks around Passover.

There may also be caps with a built in pull tab that makes a removed one look a bit like a baseball cap. I've only seen them with football players, so they may have given up on them by 67.

I'm not real sure about variations, besides the 67/68 differences. The different bottling plants used different liners, which can make sorting a big batch of one team a little easier.

The 68 set is the only one with the text plays, One of them may be very tough. I think there was some sort of prize for completing the set that was a bit more value than the set of dexter press pics they gave out in 67.

Steve

[sayhey24]

I loved collecting these bottle caps as a kid.
Here's a store display sign.

[cardinalcollector]

Very impressive research. I collect almost every oddball set made that has Cardinals in it. For some reason the 1967-68 Coke caps did not have ANY St. Louis Cardinals. They were in the World Series both years.

Does anybody know why this is?

[toppcat]

I suspect the lack of Cardinals is somehow related to Anheuser Busch and it's relationship with the Redbirds (Owned the team at the time). Perhaps there was a dispute over distributors at the time or competing products affected matters?

[cardinalcollector]

Hi Dave, I doubt that the Busch connection had anything to do with it. Beer and soda competitors back then had no overlapping product. Even today, there is very little.

I think there was only one other team that didn't have the Coke caps, I'd have to look it up. (Angels?)

[toppcat]

Originally Posted by cardinalcollector

Hi Dave, I doubt that the Busch connection had anything to do with it. Beer and soda competitors back then had no overlapping product. Even today, there is very little.

I think there was only one other team that didn't have the Coke caps, I'd have to look it up. (Angels?)

Hi Randy!

I goggled this a bit last night and found Busch was selling soda products in the 60's. They seem to have had a line of non-cola's like grape and ginger ale. There also seem to have been some shenanigans with exclusivity of bottling plants at the time. Could all be a coinkidink too.

Anyway, it's always a bummer when old sets have say 13 out of 16 or 19 out of 20 teams; seems to have happened quite a bit back in the good old days.

[hcv123]

Didn't really expect to find anything so quick, but here is the Fresca King back you are missing. Be well. Howard