People who are fans of soft drink related collectibles are often collectors of the many different Coca-Cola bottles and now even cans. No other brand is more familiar in the world than theirs, and the characteristic bottle shape and cursive red logo of the name is just as well known. The current shape is not much different now than when it first appeared in 1916.

Brand recognition of this product is so potent that "Coke cola" is the obvious synonym some use to mean any soft drink at all. The company is not entirely happy about other brands being called by their copyright, but it shows how pervasive their product really is.

Coca-Cola bottles appeared some time after the Atlanta, GA druggist John Pemberton whipped up the first batch in 1886, and sold it for five cents per glass at the soda fountain in his pharmacy. The familiar name signature is a copy of the exact handwriting of his accountant, Frank Robinson. Records indicate that Robinson is the one who actually picked the name as well. In 1884, a man named Joseph Biedenharn sent the company marketer samples of bottles sodas, but it took five years before these were sold commercially.

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but in business it can cut into sales when competing products are too similar. The company wanted a bottle that was so distinctive you were sure you had the "real thing" and came up with the idea of a bottle so different you tell the moment you held it that it was authentic. They had a contest for a bottle that you could identify in darkness or blindfolded, and the rather feminine curve of the now standard Coca-Cola bottles was the clear winner.

While the basic contour of Coca-Cola bottles has remained, it has been refined several times for various reasons. The first was a practical one. The first contour bottles were wider in their middle section than they are now, and were not very steady on conveyor belts. They had to be made thinner to prevent tipping, but most people think the appearance is also more balanced and attractive.

Slight differences were required for the design of plastic 20 ounce bottles when these were produced and used commonly in vending machines. The very large sizes like the two liter and three liter family size Coca-Cola bottles are not contoured for technical and manufacturing reasons and are an exception to the standard shape.