Vintage X-TRA Soda Wooden Crate Wolcott CT Dunning Advertising Beverage Case For Sale

Original vintage X-TRA soda wooden beverage crate from Wolcott, Connecticut, a fantastic surviving piece of Connecticut bottling and advertising history.Made for the X-TRA Beverage Company of Wolcott, these heavy wooden cases were built to carry returnable glass soda bottles during the era of home beverage delivery.The crates feature the large original red X-TRA advertising on the sides along with “DEPOSIT REFUND,” “WOLCOTT, CONN.” and the company’s 879-1070 telephone number.Inside are original manufacturer markings from Dunning Corporation, Darien, Connecticut, a longtime manufacturer of wooden boxes and cases. Examples in this collection bear period production markings including 4-69 and 5-71, dating them to 1969 and 1971.These weren’t decorative boxes when they were made, they were working commercial delivery crates. The wear, fading, scratches, stains, splits, old nails and battered edges are part of decades of actual use and give each one its own character.FOUR CRATES AVAILABLE: PRICE IS FOR ONE CRATE.Each individual crate is clearly identified in the photographs as CRATE #1, CRATE #2, CRATE #3 or CRATE #4.Please message us with the crate number you would like to purchase PRIOR to purchasing so we can confirm that specific crate is still available.Each crate is unique and has different markings, production dates, fading, wear and condition. The photographs labeled with each crate number show the actual individual crate you will receive when selecting that number. Please review the photographs for your chosen crate carefully.• Brand: X-TRA Beverages
• Location: Wolcott, Connecticut
• Manufacturer: Dunning Corporation, Darien, Connecticut
• Era: Late 1960s–early 1970s
• Material: Wood
• Construction: Finger-jointed/dovetail-style corner construction with nailed wood base
• Original red advertising graphics
• Cutout carrying handles
• Original commercial beverage delivery crate
• Quantity available: 4
• Price is for ONE crate🐇 The Rabbit Hole Fact:X-TRA wasn’t simply another national soda brand whose cases happened to survive.It was a family-run Wolcott business started by Morris and Helen Relyea in the 1940s at a small bottling plant on Munson Road. Instead of relying primarily on grocery-store shelves, X-TRA sent trucks through Wolcott, Waterbury and Bristol delivering cases of soda directly to people’s homes.And there was plenty to choose from. X-TRA produced flavors including strawberry, lime, cherry, orange, cola, root beer and birch beer. Historical accounts describe customers being able to mix and match flavors in their cases.The system was remarkably reusable long before anyone called it sustainable: customers exchanged their empty case and bottles when the next case arrived. The returned bottles went back to the plant, where they were sterilized, refilled and loaded into wooden cases again.That means the wear on these crates isn’t artificially distressed “farmhouse” decoration. These were part of the actual circulation system that moved X-TRA soda from the Wolcott bottling plant into Connecticut homes more than half a century ago.The Wolcott Historical Society has preserved an X-TRA wooden case in its own collection, a great indication of how closely these crates are tied to the town’s local history.Condition:
Authentic vintage commercial-used condition with age-appropriate wear throughout. Each crate has its own condition and should be evaluated individually using the numbered photographs.Crates show varying degrees of fading, staining, scratches, splits/cracks, chips, worn edges, discoloration, old nails/fasteners and other evidence of decades of use. Some have more pronounced damage or wear than others. No attempt has been made to restore or refinish them.Please examine ALL photographs associated with the crate number you are considering, as those photographs are an important part of the condition description and show the actual crate you will receive.Crate Selection:
This listing is for ONE crate. Four individual crates are currently available and are identified in the photographs as Crate #1, #2, #3 and #4.Please message us PRIOR to purchasing with the crate number you would like so we can confirm availability. Do not assume a particular numbered crate is still available simply because the listing quantity shows crates remaining.Once a numbered crate has sold, that specific crate will no longer be available.Returns:
All sales are final. Please review photos and description carefully before purchasing.Shipping:
Calculated based on buyer location. Paid by buyer.
Message with ZIP code for an exact total. Item weight is actual piece only, excluding packaging materials.Payment & Availability:
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