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Many people gather collectibles from the past as a hobby and it is also a profitable business for many as well. A lot of people collect memorabilia such as popular brands of carbonated soft drinks like old soda bottles from Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Mountain Dew and many other carbonated beverage makers. Some even collect vending machines.

Some people are interested in collecting vending machines. The first vending machines were just self-service bins which had a coin cup. Afterwards, you could find automated vending machines that dispensed the soda bottle when the nickel was dropped in a slot. The advent of vending machines that made change was a huge breakthrough at that time.

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.

Due to this vending machine manufacturers had to make various machines according to size and design of bottles. This led to the hike in the price of machines. Pepsi people were very cautious about the cost of the machine. They didn't upgrade their machines. Only a few of them were installed and today you can hardly find any.

Then came the turn of electronic machines with a small computer which can collect sales and other data. In future these equipments will become collectibles. The day doesn't seem far when you can find a soda dispenser machine by swiping your card. Machines dispensing cans and 20 ounce size unbreakable bottles are quite familiar. Currently these models are not regarded as collectibles, however, a few people still buy these as part of their home decor.

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.