While moving machines around my shop yesterday getting a few 81s ready to be delivered to their new home I discovered something very interesting.
I picked up this rough Vendo 81D a few months ago, I noticed it had a large vent cabinet, I didn't think much of it and figured it was swapped out years ago. I sat it in the corner of my shop and forgot about it.
Yesterday before I loaded it, I looked it over a little harder. First thing that caught my eye was the red bottle door gasket, of the 50-60 Vendo 81Ds that I've owned I don't ever remember a red bottle door gasket. I looked at the wire for the bottle door light, Like many 81s that Ive owned that had their cabinets switched over the years the wire was always cut and spliced back together. This one was intact and never cut. The refrigeration unit was a large compressor early style unit often found in many A and B model 81s.
I pulled the numbers off the tag and did a little more research. According to Vendo Records D models were built in 1957-1958
The number off the Tag Reads 61121071 first three digits are the date code 6 = 1956, 11 = November
Year Coca Cola Vendo H81 Serial Numbers
1955 #1001 – 11779 model H81A, VT1B Tecumseh cooling system
1956 #11780 – 21213 model H81B, Two-tone paint scheme, VK1 Kelvinator cooling system
1957 #21214 – 33162 model H81D, New coin mechanism, larger coin door, VT1D Tecumseh cooling system, bottle mechanism face painted Antique White, bottle door “Have a Coke” medallion White and Gold
1958 #33163 – 37737 VT1E Tecumseh cooling system, small “Coke” arrow decals added to the top 4 selections of the bottle mechanism face
1959 Discontinued
In my opinion this was one of the first D model Cokes built and they were using leftover parts off the B models
