Gathering collectibles from the past is a popular hobby and also a profitable business for many people. Many collect memorabilia related to popular brands of carbonated beverages like vintage soda bottles from Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, and many other soft drink makers and even vending machines.

Many people have recently become very interested in starting a vending machine collection. Early on, vending machines were nothing more than a cabinet with a coin cup. Automated machines soon followed which dispensed soda bottles for a nickel. One of the first major breakthroughs were machine which were actually able to make change.

Since so few Pepsi machines were made in years past, it can be difficult to find vintage machines. Pepsi's bottles were made larger than those of their competition. These larger bottles didn't slide into the standard vending machines. Custom-made machines were not a viable option for the soda company.

Pepsi were not interested in using vending machines for their drinks as they found the cost prohibitive. Vending machine manufacturers had to make different machines for all the different sized soda bottles produced by the soft drink companies which pushed up costs. So collectors will find the machines difficult to source as a limited number of machines were made.

Then there was the advent of electronic devices that have a small computer and gathers information like sales, among others. These devices will soon be collectibles. Maybe, soon enough, you will come across a machine that, with the swipe of a card, will handout soda. Other appliances handout cans and latest models even dispense the 20 ounce nonbreakable bottles. These later appliances have not attained the rank of collectibles right now, even if they are acquired by some people to be used as decoration.

A favorite among some collectors are working models of the rare machines that gave the buyer a fountain drink in a cup. The oldest models were relatively small and rest easily on a counter or table. These machines take up little room, but collectors who truly want the larger models will find places to store them.