Welcome back to Mets Cardboard Memories, Mets fans! In this eighth installment of our nostalgic journey, we turn from cardboard back to aluminum as we explore the In 1967 Coca-Cola Baseball Bottle Cap Collection. In 1967 soda bottles cost just 29 cents—a small sum that felt significant to many children. However, if their parents bought a bottle—or even better, a six-pack—of Coca-Cola, they received an exciting bonus for baseball enthusiasts. That year, Coca-Cola began using collectible bottle caps featuring images of Major League Baseball players, bringing delight to young fans.
Coca-Cola, along with its brands Fanta, Tab, Sprite, and Fresca, introduced these collectible caps showcasing baseball stars. These caps, around an inch in diameter, were protected by a clear plastic liner to preserve the player's photo. While many images had team logos airbrushed out, some retained these logos, adding to their appeal.
The player's name appeared in block letters below their photo, with the team name above. The top of the cap displayed a baseball logo next to the word "Coke," indicating the hidden collectible. Some larger, more expensive Coke bottles also featured these special caps.
An Intriguing Numbering System
The set had a distinctive numbering system. The "Major League All-Stars" series included 35 caps, each with a number beside the player's image. Additionally, there were American League (AL) and National League (NL) all-star sets with numbers prefixed by an "A" or "N." In regions with major league teams, a letter prefix indicated the team—such as "O4" for Frank Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles. Completing the entire set required collecting 580 caps, a daunting task for any collector.
Preservation Challenges
Collecting these caps presented significant challenges regarding their condition. In the 1960s, bottle caps were removed using openers, which often bent or pierced them, damaging the player images. Additionally, the metal caps were prone to rust, making well-preserved examples rare.
Street Games and Cap Wear
In New York, bottle caps were essential for a street game called skully (also known as skelly or skelsy, depending on local dialect). Players flicked caps through a numbered maze, and many kids added wax or clay to their caps for better performance, often damaging the images. Some even smoothed the caps on asphalt, further degrading their condition. Due to such wear and tear, professional grading companies like PSA no longer grade the 1967 Coke caps, making mint-condition caps exceptionally rare.
Collecting Today
Despite the wear and tear, many caps are still available for collectors today. Prices vary, with common players selling for a few dollars, while stars like Mickey Mantle can fetch over $140. Other notable players like Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Pete Rose, and Carl Yastrzemski also command significant prices. However, entire team sets for lesser-known teams can be quite affordable. For instance, all members of the 1967 California Angels, New York Mets, and Cleveland Indians sets can be found for under $6 each on average.
Coca-Cola also provided cap saver sheets for collectors, who could mail in caps to receive prizes like team photo cards from Dexter Press. These sheets, along with those sold at coin shops, were perfect for storing the caps.
Spotlight on the Mets
The 1967 Mets set included 17 players:
- V19 Chuck Hiller
- V20 Johnny Lewis
- V21 Ed Kranepool
- V22 Al Luplow
- V23 Don Caldwell
- V24 Cleon Jones
- V25 Bob Shaw
- V26 John Stephenson
- V27 Ron Swoboda
- V28 Ken Boyer
- V29 Ed Bressoud
- V30 Tommy Davis
- V31 Roy McMillan
- V32 Jack Fisher
- V33 Tug McGraw
- V34 Jerry Grote
- V35 Jack Hamilton
Personal Connection
This set holds a special place in my heart because my grandfather owned a bungalow colony in Swan Lake, NY. Outside the colony's casino, there was a Coca-Cola machine with a built-in bottle opener, which collected all the caps inside. My grandfather would save these caps for me, knowing how much I loved baseball. Visiting him and receiving those saved bottle caps was a dream come true for a seven-year-old baseball fan like me. It was a cherished part of my childhood that made the Coca-Cola caps more than just collectibles—they were memories of my grandfather and the joy of discovering which player was hidden under each cap.
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