Pirate teddy bears, 1000 piece puzzles and silver platters… Just what you’d expect to see at Congers Flea Market on a Saturday afternoon.

But Coca-Cola’s Limited Edition Centennial Pack? Not so much! That’s right my friends – six mini bottles with the 100th Anniversary sticker that I’m sure once gleamed brilliantly on pack. A showcase for this iconic bottle’s story from 1899 to 1986. Starting with the ‘Hutchinson Bottle’, we see this beauty go from curve-less to curvaceous through 90 years of design evolution.

“Buy! Buy!” I hear you shout. I tried. By the time I spotted this gem, it was already in the clutches of a crazed Coca-Cola collector. She’d just picked up the pack for a mere $10 and flatly refused to sell. Fine.

My persistence in trying and her persistence in shooing me away led me to question a different matter. Why did we both want this? Why were we oohing and ahhing over a beat-up pack with one leaking bottle that a lot of people would’ve chucked in the trash? If it were a different brand, would I still have haggled so hard? Probably not.

As one of the most prominent brands to move into the collectible category, Coca-Cola reaches out to consumers through collection to win, in my view, the ultimate brand loyalty. Connecting with people on an emotional level, this is some deep stuff.

To many, Coca-Cola is more than an icon; it is a recaptured memory of happiness and youth. People like ‘Ms Coca-Cola-Crazed’ search all over the globe for new memorabilia, no matter what the cost. There’s even a Coca-Cola Collector’s Club… I kid you not.

So, I guess I really had no chance of getting this pack off her hands. But I would love to see her collection. I imagine it to be a little something like this…

A collector’s dream indeed and lookie here folks, I spy the Centennial Pack! Do you? I know your eyes are going Coca-Cola crazy now. Second shelf up, hint hint.