My dad is a true picker and really does enjoy learning the history behind the things that he brings home. For his first post, Dad is sharing his tips for dating old coca-cola bottles. Have you ever found an old soda bottle and wondered just how old it really was? Dating aspect of collecting old bottles that I have always enjoyed is age-dating them. When it comes to dating older Coca-Cola bottles issued in the United States, there are several telltale cola that I rely upon.
First of these is bottle shape: Is the coca contour shaped, straight sided, or the distinctive Hutchinson patent style? Once this determination has been made, there are a number of other features that can often reveal the manufacture year. All contour bottles have the familiar crown-top lip. The earliest of these will most often have small date marks also known as date codes embossed on the waist as two-digit numbers, followed closely by other number-letter-symbol combinations.
During the s Coca-Cola ended this practice of date-marking its bottles. With few exceptions, contour Coca-Cola bottles manufactured before the mids are labeled entirely with embossed lettering. Thus, an embossed Coca bottle is almost always older than a painted-label one.
Contour Coke bottles first appeared in aboutwhen blown-in-the-mold bottles were being replaced by early machine-made bottles. Contour Coke bottles with embossed lettering and no painted label will therefore date between and about Various distinguishing features may be identified on individual bottles to date with greater precision nearly all bottles from this year period.
Having made this determination, one should then look closely for a specific date mark elsewhere cola the bottle. You may need a cola glass for this step. If a bottle is from one of the first three time periods listed above there will likely be a small embossed date code visit web page on the waist left or right of a letter or bottles.
In the case of contour Coke bottles from and earlier, some will have date marks, and some will not. Some date marks for bottles from the s and late s will appear as embossed two-digit numbers on the waist. In other instances, bottles from the s, as well as some dating back to aroundwill have date marks found as small two-digit numerals embossed on the heel the smooth bottom rim at the base of the bottle. It is best to search for these date marks with a magnifying glass and good light as they are easily overlooked and, even when found, seldom easy to decipher.
When located on the heels of early contour Coke bottles, these tiny date marks will often be embossed together with letters identifying the name of the glass company that made the bottle. Of the 22 Coke bottles in my collection that date from the period to12 have date marks on the waist, 9 have date marks on the heel, and 1 has no visible date mark. Of the 25 Cokes I have from the period tonone has a date mark on the waist, 21 have date marks on the heel, and 4 have no visible date mark.
When it comes to dating straight side Coca-Cola bottles, all of which are from circa tothe process is frequently more challenging, and the final determination often less certain. But first a few words about straight side Coke bottles. Prior to the advent of automatic bottle machines in the early s, and dating bottle-making technology allowed for the manufacture of contour shaped bottles, soft drink bottlers relied on cylinder shaped bottles made with straight sides in two-piece wooden molds. All of these were crown-top bottles.
Also, the two seam lines that run from base to neck on these early continue reading do not extend coca the top since that uppermost part of the bottle was made and applied separately. As bottle-makers improved their manufacturing processes, they soon learned to make complete bottles by machine, eliminating the need for applying the top of each bottle separately and by hand. Soon early automatic bottle machines were producing finished bottles much more rapidly, and these bottles may be distinguished from ones with applied tops by noticing that two mold lines run straight up the side of the bottle to the top of the lip.
As for dating straight side Coca-Cola bottles, lack of uniformity in bottle production throughout this era prevents consistent accuracy. In some cases, Coke straight-sides bottles date marks on the heel similar to those found on many contour Cokes from toas described above. Among the 42 straight side Coke bottles in my collection, 13 have date marks on the heel. In the absence of such markings, however, collectors are generally left to speculate as to a manufacture date with little reliable evidence to go on.
Others rely somewhat on whether the top was applied by hand or machine. Yet by some reports, at least one bottle manufacturer, Laurens Glass Works of Laurens, SC, was still producing Coke bottles with hand-applied tops as late asbottles after others were making their bottles entirely by machine. Thus, many straight side Coca-Cola bottles cannot be dated with certainty, other than to say that they were all made between about and Slightly older, and far more bottles, are Hutchinson-style Coca-Cola bottles.
These are blown-in-mold, hand finished bottles featuring straight sides, high shoulders, and the patented Hutchinson-style closure. These bottles, when embossed with Coca-Cola labeling, are so scarce that I have never seen cola original one. Beware of reproductions! These Hutchinson-style soda bottles would have been issued, after all, by the first ever Coca-Cola bottling and distribution sellers, which began operation in the middle to late s in places like Birmingham, AL and, some have reported, Chattanooga, TN, when Coca-Cola was first being sold in bottles to a few local segments of the American public.
Thanks to my dad for sharing his tips on dating old coca-cola bottles. I must admit, I had NO clue how to date these old coke bottles until now. Remember, you can always reference this page too when you are out and about to help you determine the age of dating bottle that you may find. Just click for source hunting to each of you! Very helpful information. I went and got my 4 old Coke coca and was able to date them, thanks to this info. I bought them because of them being marked Vallejo, Ca.
My 85 yr old go here used to work for Coca-Cola in Vallejo in the s. Your Dad is such a sweet man and so knowledgeable about his finds!!! Such great Coca Cola bottle information. I am definitely saving this for future reference.
DATING OLD COCA-COLA BOTTLES
Thank you Dating and Pops! Thank him for us. Love this post! Have enjoyed watching you and your Dad together on IG for a whole now. I love seeing you make the memories! God Bless to you and your sweet Pops!
Error: No feed found. Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed. Now I am on the hunt for some old Coke bottles! Thanks for equipping me with this info. Shelly Bartz. Link error message is only visible to WordPress admins Error: No feed found. Simply enter your email below!
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