Vintage collectibles are a popular hobby and a big business as well, and many collectors specialize on quite a few different things, many of them related to soda pop. Many prefer to make collections of vintage soda bottles often sticking to one brand. Other prefer signs or clocks, wearing apparel, jewelry or in some cases vending machines.

Finding a Pepsi vending machine is far more difficult as few were ever made. Pepsi positioned their beverage as a bargain product and sold a larger bottle at the same price as their competition. The larger bottles would not fit in the standard vending machine and Pepsi did not opt to have custom machines built for their bottles.

Vending machine makers were forced to make entirely different machines for the different bottles and this increased the costs. Since Pepsi management was very focused on being low cost and operated on a narrow profit margin, they did not jump at the possibilities of vending machines and it is just harder to find a Pepsi vending machine because fewer were made and fewer survive.

The very first vending machines were nothing more than a self-service bin with a container for payment which worked on the honor system. Next came automated machines that dispensed bottles of Pepsi after a nickel was dropped into a coin slot. The next big innovation were machines that could make change for a dime.

The next big breakthrough was the electronic machines that could change many coins and eventually even currency. Currently, these include small computer systems to operate and collect machine sales and other data. Some of these will go on to be collectible someday, strange as that seems to us now. Machines in the future may vend a soda by swiping a card or even by reading your thumbprint or retina pattern.

A big prize for a collector would be a functional model of the rare machines that dispensed a fountain style drink in a paper cup. Since some of the older models were very small enough to place on a table or counter, often only holding approximately 20 sodas, collecting these machines does not take up a lot of room. Although collectors that want the larger machines will make room for them.

Other Pepsi vending machine models dispense cans, of course, and the modern 20 ounce size unbreakable bottles. A few of these later models are unusual enough to be collectible, but most people get these for home use just for fun or as part of their entertainment area decor. Some people with pools just like to have their own soda machine near the pool.

Browse hundreds of vintage soda bottles and many Coke and Pepsi vending machines at Soda-Pop-Collectibles.com. New collectibles daily!