HAVE A COKE AND A CARD!

AT A TIME WHEN TOPPS OFFERED THE ONLY MAINSTREAM HOCKEY SERIES, THE SOFT-DRINK GIANT FILLED A NICHE WITH A SERIES THAT STANDS THE TEST OF TIME.

The mid-60s were a tough time to be a hockey card collector. After starting out with four straight years of two manufacturers pumping cards into the marketplace, Parkhurst dropped out of the picture after their epic 1963-64 release, leaving Topps as the only game in town. The New York-based confectioner came on strong with the 1964-65 Tall Boys set, one of the most iconic, and valuable, of the decade but a one-set season meant hockey card collecting had just a short window... and was over far too soon. Fortunately, the following season offered another series to pursue. While not a classic “cards in pack with stick of gum” product, it was wildly popular with collectors while offering its own unique challenges. And all it took to build was a willingness to down a lot of specially marked bottles of Coca-Cola or Sprite. The 1965-66 Coca-Cola hockey card series was a brilliantly executed promotional scheme that encouraged hockey fans to guzzle down the soft drinks and collect specially marked bottle caps with an NHL team’s nickname on the liner. Once a collector acquired 10 caps featuring one team’s nickname, they could mail them in for an 18-card perforated strip of player cards from that team (along with a 19th card that could be redeemed for a now highly sought after collector’s album). The unnumbered cards themselves were fairly plain and printed on thin paper, offering a black-and-white image on the front with the player’s name along the bottom. On the back were player vitals, including their complete stats in the NHL. Not the most visually striking collectibles, but what they lacked in eye appeal was made up for with inclusivity. It all added up to a 108-card series that was nearly as representative of the league as Topps’s 128-card series that season. There are a number of noteworthy cards in the set, including rookie year issues of Gerry Cheevers, Phil Esposito, Yvan Cournoyer, Ed Giacomin, Paul Henderson, Dennis Hull, Ken Hodge and more. It also features a single of Bernie Parent that pre-dates his 1968-69 Topps/OPC RC by three years and pictures the future Hall of Famer with his first NHL team, the Boston Bruins. The contemporary popularity of the series upon its release is evident by how readily these singles can be found online and at major card shows. That makes them surprisingly affordable for a set that’s more than half a century old and is highly subject to condition sensitivity. All told, the Coke cards are an easy entry point for collectors looking to venture into vintage collectibles. Detached, raw singles can easily be had for less than $20, even those of Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Jean Beliveau, Sawchuk and Glenn Hall. They’re more desirable when found in intact strip form, however, although even then they’re shockingly affordable – the effect of a product that’s non-traditionally sized and therefore difficult to store Considering the affordability and the star-studded checklist, this series is a worthwhile add to any collection.