New, Full 12 Ounce Can of Pepsi’s “Orange Crush” (USA 2009).

NOTE: This offering is for ONE collectible can. It is NOT for a six-pack. NOT for a 12 pack. NOT for a truckload. It is for ONE collectible can, as stated.

FAQ: Why So Expensive?

DETAIL: Traveling internationally as part of my occupation, I continually have friends and customers ask me to bring back to the USA Pepsi and Coca-Cola cans and bottles from elsewhere in the world. Surprisingly, I have had many friends and customers outside of the USA ask me to secure for them collectible cans of Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Here’s one such offering, a full can of Orange Crush (vintage 2009). Crush was originally produced as "Ward's Orange Crush in 1911 (with bits of orange pulp inside). Though invented in Chicago (Evanston) Illinois, the flavor was perfected in 1916 in the company's Los Angeles laboratory located close to Southern California's famed orange groves. The orange flavor was quickly followed by a lemon flavor in 1919, then a lime flavor in 1920. The company was sold to Proctor & Gamble in 1980. Today Crush is generally associated with Pepsi Distributors, though technically it is owned by the Dr. Pepper/Snapple Group, and it is distributed by Coca-Cola Distributors in Latin America. But here in the USA, Crush is still generally associated with Pepsi. If you’re in the USA, this might not at first blush seem a “collectible”. But then in Eastern Europe or Central Asia for instance, a can of Coca-Cola printed in their alphabet might not seem very unusual or collectible. But to an American, that same can is quite collectible. Likewise in Europe or Asia, American cans, especial those of limited production, are likewise quite collectible. So for all of my friends in Europe and Asia, here’s a genuine, full can of Orange Crush circa 2009 for your collection.

SHIPPING & RETURNS/REFUNDS: Domestic shipping is $10.49 for Priority Mail. Domestic rates include USPS Delivery Confirmation. Canadian shipments are $25.99 for Air Mail or $34.99 for Global Priority Mail. All other International shipments are $36.99 for Air Mail, $48.99 for Global Priority Mail. Your purchase will ordinarily be shipped within 48 hours of payment. We package as well as anyone in the business, with lots of protective padding and containers. All of our shipments are fully insured against loss, and our shipping rates include the cost of this coverage (through stamps.com, Shipsaver.com, the USPS, UPS, or Fed-Ex).

International tracking is provided free by the USPS for certain countries, other countries are at additional cost. Please note for international purchasers we will do everything we can to minimize your liability for VAT and/or duties. But we cannot assume any responsibility or liability for whatever taxes or duties may be levied on your purchase by the country of your residence. If you don’t like the tax and duty schemes your government imposes, please complain to them. We have no ability to influence or moderate your country’s tax/duty schemes.

ADDITIONAL PURCHASES do receive a VERY LARGE discount so as to reward you for the economies of combined shipping/insurance costs (postal costs for additional cans from the third onward typically only cost $1 each for domestic shipping – in some cases, even for international shipping). So as to maximize your discount, please ask for a rate quotation and instructions BEFORE checking out. We do offer U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail, Registered Mail, and Express Mail for both international and domestic shipments, as well United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (Fed-Ex). Please ask for a rate quotation.

If upon receipt of the item you are disappointed for any reason whatever, I offer a no questions asked 30-day return policy. Send it back, I will give you a complete refund of the purchase price; 1) less our original shipping/insurance costs, 2) less non-refundable eBay payment processing fees. Please note that eBay does NOT refund payment processing fees. Even if you “accidentally” purchase something and then cancel the purchase before it is shipped, eBay will not refund their processing fees. So all refunds for any reason, without exception, do not include eBay payment processing fees (typically between 5% and 15%) and shipping/insurance costs (if any). If you’re unhappy with eBay’s “no fee refund” policy, and we are EXTREMELY unhappy, please voice your displeasure by contacting eBay. We have no ability to influence, modify or waive eBay policies.

ABOUT US: Prior to our retirement we used to travel to Eastern Europe and Central Asia several times a year seeking antique gemstones and jewelry from the globe’s most prolific gemstone producing and cutting centers. Most of the items we offer came from acquisitions we made in Eastern Europe, India, and from the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean/Near East) during these years from various institutions and dealers. Much of what we generate on Etsy, Amazon and Ebay goes to support worthy institutions in Europe and Asia connected with Anthropology and Archaeology. Though we have a collection of ancient coins numbering in the tens of thousands, our primary interests are ancient/antique jewelry and gemstones, a reflection of our academic backgrounds.

Though perhaps difficult to find in the USA, in Eastern Europe and Central Asia antique gemstones are commonly dismounted from old, broken settings – the gold reused – the gemstones recut and reset. Before these gorgeous antique gemstones are recut, we try to acquire the best of them in their original, antique, hand-finished state – most of them originally crafted a century or more ago. We believe that the work created by these long-gone master artisans is worth protecting and preserving rather than destroying this heritage of antique gemstones by recutting the original work out of existence. That by preserving their work, in a sense, we are preserving their lives and the legacy they left for modern times. Far better to appreciate their craft than to destroy it with modern cutting.

Not everyone agrees – fully 95% or more of the antique gemstones which come into these marketplaces are recut, and the heritage of the past lost. But if you agree with us that the past is worth protecting, and that past lives and the produce of those lives still matters today, consider buying an antique, hand cut, natural gemstone rather than one of the mass-produced machine cut (often synthetic or “lab produced”) gemstones which dominate the market today. We can set most any antique gemstone you purchase from us in your choice of styles and metals ranging from rings to pendants to earrings and bracelets; in sterling silver, 14kt solid gold, and 14kt gold fill. When you purchase from us, you can count on quick shipping and careful, secure packaging. We would be happy to provide you with a certificate/guarantee of authenticity for any item you purchase from us. There is a $3 fee for mailing under separate cover. I will always respond to every inquiry whether via email or eBay message, so please feel free to write.

How did we get "into" soda pop cans? Pepsi and Coca-Cola are probably the most instantly recognizable cultural icons anywhere on the globe. And for that reason, somehow, Cultural Anthropologists, Sociologists, Archaeologists, etc., and other enthusiasts of these social sciences are irresistibly drawn to them. Our studies and travels have taken us from the frozen tundra of Siberia to the deserts of India and the Middle East, to communist countries, democracies, and dictatorships. And bizarrely, you can always find machines or shops vending Coca-Cola and Pepsi (and Marlboro, Pall Mall, Viceroy, Lucky Strike, and Camel cigarettes).

When we used to travel every year to Eastern Europe and Central Asia, friends and colleagues would ask us to bring back Coca-Cola or Pepsi cans. Christmas issues from various countries were always frequent requests (like Europe's Grandfather Frost and his Elves). We would put extras on our eBay store. Before long colleagues in Europe asked for cans from the USA. Not just iconic Pepsi and Coke cans. But especially limited edition Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper cans. We accommodated them too. And the extras went onto our eBay store. And suddenly, over 20 years, it grew to 500 offerings. They’re a complete money loser. It’s probably an obsession only a cultural anthropologist (or psychiatrist!) would understand. But we have thousands of followers around the globe, and we can’t let them down.