Fixed price of Coca-Cola from 1886 to 1959

Between 1886 and 1959, the price of a 6.5 US fl oz (190 mL) glass or bottle of Coca-Cola was set at five cents, or one nickel, and remained fixed with very little local fluctuation.

[1] The fact that the price of the drink was able to remain the same for over seventy years is especially significant considering the events that occurred during that period, including the founding of Pepsi, World War I, Prohibition, the Great Depression, changing taxes, a caffeine and caramel shortage, World War II, and the company's desire to raise its prices.

At the time, soda fountains were the predominant way of consuming carbonated beverages in the United States.

[4] Although Candler predicted differently, bottling did indeed become popular (surpassing fountain sales in 1928); the non-expiring contract meant that Coca-Cola had to sell their syrup for a fixed price.

However, in part because of the costs of rebranding (changing all of their advertisements as well as the psychological associations among consumers) the price of Coca-Cola remained at five cents until the late 1950s (equivalent to $0.52 in 2023).

In another attempt, The Coca-Cola Company briefly implemented a strategy where one in every nine vending machine bottles was empty.

Throughout its history, the price of Coca-Cola had been especially sticky, but in the 1940s, inflation in the United States had begun to accelerate, making nickel Coke unsustainable.