Cocaine Kola Nuts

November 11, 2016 9:14 PM

Are there still bottles, kegs—anything—out there in the wild that contain Coca-Cola from back when Coca-Cola contained (trace amounts of) cocaine? If yes, would I be breaking laws by purchasing it?

I'm assuming that, yes, I would be able to purchase it (as a collectible, of course: I certainly do not intend to drink Coca-Cola from the 1800s!) as cocaine was not yet illegal at the time the product was made, but I really don't know how laws work in cases like this.

Important info:

1. I'm from Canada.
2. I realize that if there any bottles of Coca-Cola out there that contain cocaine that they obviously would cost an arm and leg. But that's fine: I'd be willing to spend a lot on something as cool as that. (Note: cocaine's not cool—old collectibles are.)

Thanks, folks.

posted by GlassHeart to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (3 answers total)

Doing a quick eBay/Google search for "unopened coke bottle" etc found a few references - looks like you'd need a pre-1903 bottle - a few of which are known to be around but are easily in the high four figure price range. Also sounds like from a few eBay postings I looked at that there is some risk of you being sold an old bottle which has been refilled and capped with random brown liquid. Buyer beware I guess.

Also there is a Coca-Cola Collectors Club (with Canadian chapter). See www.cocacolaclub.org for membership details (you have to pay to join). Looks like they have private forums on Facebook that are probably a good place to try and track a bottle down

Good luck!
posted by inflatablekiwi at 1:43 AM on November 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

Coca cola still contains trace amounts of cocaine fyi. Coke is the only non pharma company that is allowed to import coca leaves into the usa and while they decocainize the leaves just like woth decaf coffee you can never remove it all perfectly.
posted by TestamentToGrace at 8:38 AM on November 12, 2016

According to Snopes, Coca Cola had trace amounts of cocaine in it until 1929, when it became totally cocaine free. Before 1902 was the real Real Thing.
posted by irisclara at 9:56 PM on November 12, 2016 [2 favorites]