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COCA-COLA GIRL. Luling resident Krystal Gaubert (above) says that she’s been collecting Coca-Cola memorabilia all her life.

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Millions of people all over the world enjoy the hobby of collecting - with just about everything being a collectible, from baseball cards to stamps to comic books.
But in the case of 23-year-old Luling collector Krystal Gaubert, her passion lies with Coca-Cola memorabilia.

“I have collected Coca-Cola items ever since I could remember,” said Gaubert. “My mom collected the miniature items like 6-packs and bottles, and I always wanted to play with them and keep them in my room. So eventually she started getting me a couple of things of my own. My collection just grew from there.”

Like her mother, Gaubert says that the first item to become a part of her collection was a tiny glass Coca-Cola bottle, but points out that she has other favorites, too.

“One of my absolute favorite items is a 50th anniversary glass with the Coca-Cola emblem on one side and a name emblem on the other side,” she said. “It has my name on it - the way I spell it, and when I saw it, I knew that I had to have it.”

Other favorites include a lamp and a more-permanent item, her trademark Coca-Cola tattoo.

“Last year, I figured that if I liked Coca-Cola so much, then why not take if with me 24/7 and shout it to the world,” added Gaubert. “So, under my right wrist I have a Coca-Cola tattoo.”

Items for Gaubert’s collection come from many different places. Some she finds at flea markets and garage sales, and others at online auction sites like eBay.

“Coca-Cola is my weakness,” she said. “I went to the mall the other day to get a shirt for a party and instead I came home with four new Coke items to add to my collection.

“A lot of pieces are gifts from friends and family either for holidays or just because they saw something and knew that I’d like it. It’s easy to shop for me because they always know that I’ll like it if it’s Coca-Cola.”

And just when you think that Gaubert’s love for Coca-Cola couldn’t go any further - it does.

“Some of my friends call me CC - with CC being short for Coca-Cola,” said Gaubert, who is also a member of the Coca-Cola Collectors Club.

“And I hate the ‘P’ word - Pepsi. If you say the ‘P’ word and I hear you, you better start running.

“I also did my senior project in high school on Coca-Cola. So not only do I collect it, I have a lot of knowledge about it’s history.”

Part of Gaubert’s Coca-Cola collection is on display at the East Bank Regional Library in Destrehan through the end of March.

“I have so much Coke stuff that when I picked out certain items for the library display, you still couldn’t tell that anything was missing.”