Coca-Cola Reproduction Trays

Q:         My father found a metal Coca-Cola serving tray in the attic of a railroad depot being torn down in Fayette, Mo., in the early 1980s. It has been hanging in my parents’ home ever since. I have tried researching it but haven’t had any luck. The tray is rectangular and 24 by 34 inches. It has a green border surrounding a red inner border. In the center is a picture of a woman in a white gown wearing a tiara and holding an open black fan. Her right elbow is resting on an elaborate pedestal with flowers on it. The words on the tray are: “Delicious, Refreshing, Drink Coca-Cola, At Fountains 5¢, In Bottles 5¢.” Can you help?

A:         Your tray is a reproduction that dates from the late 1960s or ’70s. The woman pictured is Lillian Nordica (1857-1914), a famous American opera singer. Coca-Cola used her image on oval serving trays in 1905. A 1975 tray similar to yours but with a bottle of Coke on the pedestal was made to celebrate the 75th anniversary of an Atlanta bottler. That tray, with a history printed on the back, sells for about $20 today. Other trays like yours have a glass of Coke on the pedestal. Many authorized and unauthorized reproduction and “fantasy” Coca-Cola trays (a fantasy tray uses an old image but doesn’t copy a vintage tray) have been made since the 1970s. They sell for $5 to $75, depending on quality, condition, rarity and whether or not the tray was authorized by the company or a bottler.