Coca Cola cooler in Stainless Steel?

[Lee In Bend]

I have a TempRite Coca Cola cooler in stainless steel that I have come upon.  Presently it has been painted in gray primer in preparation for the red paint but I figure it needs to be stripped and buffed back to stainless.  It measures roughly 17" wide, 12" deep and 19" tall.  It has a domed lid (with a few dents) and all the exterior hardware (corners and handle) but no inner tray or bottle opener (is it supposed to have one?)  and the cap for the drain is missing.  I'm not "into" old Coke coolers and have absolutely no idea of age, value or scarcity.  I've seen some described as "Airline", what's that?

Any help for me?       Thanks in advance.

ANYBODY??? 

[SIGNGUY]

We need to see pictures..

I'm not familiar with a Temprite cooler ? 

Photos will tell the story and you'll get more responses..

[tkaz]

Here's one that sold on Ebay, does it look like this one?  http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-Stainless-Steel-TempRite-MFG-Co-Coca-Cola-Cooler-7up-Coca-Cola-/161072335828?nma=true&si=PpJ28dz5lYQ8JURRT7MPzk09L2I%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

[Lee In Bend]

Yes, looks like the one on eBay.  Mine does not have the bottle opener on the side, no tray (if it ever had these), and missing cap for the drain.  It's presently painted in primer gray, apparently the previous owner (?) was going to paint it red.  I also got a can of red paint for that purpose.  But I'm thinking it needs to be chemically stripped and the stainless steel polished.

This cooler has no rust but the lid has some dents and missing the rubber seal.  Actually the body is in fairly good condition but that will be seen after it's stripped.  I have all four corners and the lid handle.  The bail is in good condition too and it appears that it will be good enough to latch.

I cannot find any dates or "hidden" info on the cooler.  I am wondering about manufacturing timeline and possibly value.  I collect Model A Fords and do not need another thing to start collecting.  My kids will have enough to get rid of someday. 

Thanks for you replies.

[SIGNGUY]

It's early to Mid 50's most likely.. as far as value,,, condition is key.

125-150 in average condition,,, more if not all dented up... and polished nicely ..

[Lee In Bend]

SignGuy- Thanks for the reply, at least I have a "ballpark" number.  I paid $25 so I guess I didn't get hurt.  Except that now I need to put a bunch of hours in getting it to look as pretty as possible.

[Creighton]

Welcome to the board!
That sounds like a TempRite Giant. Here is page 19 of Jeff Walters 1st ed. Cooler Guide description:

Size: 19" L x 13" W x 21 1/2" H. Capacity 48 bottles. SS with embossed lettering.
Produced 50's. Average condition $100.00
"As is the case with most larger coolers, this Giant is not extremely popular since it's not and easy "haul" to the lake. Like other non-painted coolers, nice examples are rare."

Will be a great cooler polished and sitting next to an "A". Bath with warm Dawn dish washing soap followed with Novas 1 and micro-fibre towel hand polish should be a good start. Power buffer can and will damage the embossing. Quite a few here on the board do the vintage car thing as well. Any pic's of the "A"'s?
Thanks,
Creighton