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All Forums >> [Bottle Forums] >> Sodas - Embossed, Paper Label and ACLs. >> 1941 COCA-COLA CHECK TO OWENS-ILLINOIS GLASS CO.

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1941 COCA-COLA CHECK TO OWENS-ILLINOIS GLASS CO. - 7/26/2010 4:10:24 PM    SODAPOPBOB Posts: 3588 Joined: 3/10/2010 Status: offline I recently purchased this old (cancelled) check from a Monticello, Florida Coca-Cola bottler to the Owens-Illinois Glass Co., which is in the amount of $494.29 and dated September 9, 1941. It no doubt was for the purchase of the still embossed Coca Cola bottles. (Coca Cola acls were not introduced until around 1957). And even though I've done some initial research, I'm still not quite sure what the going price was for new Coca Cola bottles in 1941. I do know that the population of Monticello today is about 3,000 residents ... and suspect it was considerbly less in 1941. Thus, by my standards, would be what I call a "small town."  I also know that Tallahassee is only about 35 miles away, which surprises me that there would be two Coca Cola bottlers so close together. But my main thing (question) here is how many bottles do you think could be purchased in 1941 for $494.29, and do you think this was for a "weekly" purchase or a "monthly" purchase. All I can do at this point is speculate, and hope someone has more specific information/answers to my questions. And last but not least, does anyone recognise the signature? It appears to be S? Kee??  Plus, is the Monticello plant still in operation, and if not when did it close?  One final note of interest is that the check was written only three months prior to the start of World War II (Dec 7, 1941). As we all know the world changed dramatically at that time and things could no longer be considered "Business as usual."  (The check was perforated/cancelled on Sept. 16, 1941). I look forward to all replies ...  Thanks, SODAPOPBOB  Attachment (1) < Message edited by SODAPOPBOB -- 7/26/2010 4:14:26 PM > Post #: 1

RE: 1941 COCA-COLA CHECK TO OWENS-ILLINOIS GLASS CO. - 7/27/2010 3:48:50 PM    SODAPOPBOB Posts: 3588 Joined: 3/10/2010 Status: offline Just this morning I stumbled onto a somewhat confusing website that indicated {semi-quote} "prior to World War II a 24 case of Coca Cola bottles sold wholesale for .85-cents." Which, if my math serves me correctly, this averages out to be about 3.5-cents per bottle. But what it didn't specify was whether or not this included the wood cases. Obviously the bottlers had to get their cases from somewhere, but whether they were supplied by the glass maker or not it didn't say. Irregardless if this was the "case" or not (no pun intended) I will assume for the time being that a single un-used Coke bottle cost the bottler 3.5-cents each. Thus, by using this number and calculating it by the $494.29 on the check ... it indicates this amount would cover the cost for approximately 12,000 individual bottles. Does this sound right to you?  It doesn't to me! But then again I have no idea as to how many bottles a smalltown bottler might distribute on a regular basis. Nor do I know whether this particular purchase was a monthly or yearly transaction.  ???  I realize this is all somewhat speculative and "off the wall," but I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on this subject ... especially if you have "confirmed" information regarding the wholesale cost of a typical Coca Cola bottle from 1941. I do know that during the war everything changed, causing prices to increase, but that is the topic of another discussion. Thanks, SPB        (in reply to SODAPOPBOB) Post #: 2

RE: 1941 COCA-COLA CHECK TO OWENS-ILLINOIS GLASS CO. - 7/27/2010 4:24:56 PM    SODAPOPBOB Posts: 3588 Joined: 3/10/2010 Status: offline P.S. ~ Not that anyone really needs this reminder ... but just for the record I wanted to emphasize that a bottle of Coca Cola prior to World War II could be purchased at most stores for a "NICKLE!" (But you already knew that, didn't you?)  SPB Coca Cola ad ... 1942 ... w/ "Sprite" mascot. Attachment (1) (in reply to SODAPOPBOB) Post #: 3

RE: 1941 COCA-COLA CHECK TO OWENS-ILLINOIS GLASS CO. - 7/27/2010 4:59:49 PM    ncbred Posts: 947 Joined: 6/20/2008 Status: online How creepy looking is the Sprite Boy! How did he get that name anyway? (in reply to SODAPOPBOB) Post #: 4

RE: 1941 COCA-COLA CHECK TO OWENS-ILLINOIS GLASS CO. - 7/27/2010 5:19:48 PM    SODAPOPBOB Posts: 3588 Joined: 3/10/2010 Status: offline I realize this is somewhat of a one-man-show ... but that's okay because I'm not sure where this thing is headed anyway.  However, I did just discover that the typical soda bottle (not just Coca Cola) was recycled (redistributed) on the "average" of five times. So using this average (speculation again) it suggest that the "average" return (dollar-wise) to the bottler would suggest the following ... Cost per bottle ...........................................  3.5 cents (?) Cost of ingredients per bottle ......................  0.5 cents (?) Misc cost/overhead per bottle .....................  0.5 cents (?) Total cost per filled/capped bottle ...............  4.5 cents (?) So if my crazy assumption is even close to accurate, it means that a bottler had to have their bottles returned in order to realize any kind of profit. And if we didn't realize this already, now we know why it was so important that the bottles be returned, and why bottlers initiated a return deposit policy. Little did people realize that everytime they tossed a bottle out of a car window or into a dump they were potientially putting some bottler out of business.  Shame on them ... but good for us soda bottle collectors!  Lol  SPB 1949 ad ...   Attachment (1) < Message edited by SODAPOPBOB -- 7/27/2010 5:20:43 PM > (in reply to SODAPOPBOB) Post #: 5

RE: 1941 COCA-COLA CHECK TO OWENS-ILLINOIS GLASS CO. - 7/27/2010 5:24:40 PM    SODAPOPBOB Posts: 3588 Joined: 3/10/2010 Status: offline ncbred ~ I was wondering the same thing. If no one beats me to it I will do some research on it. But I believe it had something to do with faries and the like ... ??? Thanks, SPB (in reply to SODAPOPBOB) Post #: 6

RE: 1941 COCA-COLA CHECK TO OWENS-ILLINOIS GLASS CO. - 7/27/2010 8:21:49 PM    fla cokeman   Posts: 35 Joined: 2/20/2010 From: Tallahassee, Fl Status: offline Hey Sodapopbob, I've worked for Coca-Cola in Tallahassee for a long time and grew up in Monticello. The Coke plant in Monticello closed in 1976 and was owned by the Keen family. I called a fella named Britt Keen one day and asked him if he was related to the Keen's that owned the plant in Monticello. I can't remember if he said his grandfather or great grandfather started the plant. At that time he had no interest in Coca-Cola, I told him that was part of his family history that he was ignoring. I took him digging with me one day and we dug a Keen soda water bottle. That was all it took! Now he is an avid collector. He's also started the antique bottle show here in Tallahassee. The Keen family also owned Coke plants in Marianna and River Junction, Florida. I am always looking for any items from Tallahassee or Monticello, so if you come upon anything from either please let me know. Any soda waters, ACL, Meds, or paper goods. Just thought I would send you this info. Thanks, Jim _____________________________ Always looking for any type of bottle from north florida, especially Tallahassee and Monticello (in reply to SODAPOPBOB) Post #: 7

RE: 1941 COCA-COLA CHECK TO OWENS-ILLINOIS GLASS CO. - 7/27/2010 11:17:53 PM    SODAPOPBOB Posts: 3588 Joined: 3/10/2010 Status: offline Jim ~ Wow ... small world.  That answers the question as to who's signature is on the check.  Do you happen to know the first name and middle initial?  I haven't seen your name pop up before and noticed this is one of your first post.  Welcome to the forum ... or as some of us call it; the "For fun."  If you or someone you know is interested in the check we can discuss it through a personal message/PM.  If you have never done that before just click on my blue profile name where you will find the e-mail option.  Perhaps we can make a trade of some kind.  I'm easy. Just let me know what you think.  I wish now that I had bought all 40 of the checks.  The entire stack was from the same Monticello Coca Cola plant.  But most of them were for utilities and that sort of thing.  What interested me most about this particular one was because it was to the Owens-Illinois Glass Co.  And if the check should somehow wind up in the museum you spoke of that would really blow my mind! By the way ... do you happen to know "for certain" what the wholesale cost might have been for a Coca Cola bottle in 1941?  I realize the larger the order the lower the price, but I'm primarily looking for an average ... plus something to either support or discredit what I posted earlier regarding the 24 bottle case for .85-cents. If/when you respond ... please post any bottle related stuff here for all to see, as I am sure it will interest them.  And we can discuss the check stuff via PM's. Thanks a lot. I look forward to hearing from you. Bob   (in reply to fla cokeman) Post #: 8

RE: 1941 COCA-COLA CHECK TO OWENS-ILLINOIS GLASS CO. - 7/28/2010 9:38:35 AM    kwalker Posts: 731 Joined: 5/14/2010 From: Woodstown, NJ Status: offline It could have been payment as an accounts payable check or a memorandum sort of system. The company would have an account set up with the bottle maker, in this case Owens, in which it would charge to when purchasing bottles. The company would have a certain amount of time to pay the bottler back and often times, multiple payments were made. This check could have been part of an overall larger total which is why it may be less than you would expect. Companies do this all the time as a way to buy larger amounts of supplies without paying a lot up front which could be a financial risk or the company may not have enough money for. (in reply to SODAPOPBOB) Post #: 9

RE: 1941 COCA-COLA CHECK TO OWENS-ILLINOIS GLASS CO. - 7/28/2010 1:14:35 PM    SODAPOPBOB Posts: 3588 Joined: 3/10/2010 Status: offline ncbred ~ Here's a link on the origin of "Sprite Boy."  Plus the site itself has a lot of other neat nostalgic stuff. Link :  http://www.retroplanet.com/blog/retro-archives/vintage-vending-archives/coca-cola-sprite-boy-coke-advertising/ Kwalker ~ You're right ... the check could have been for any number of things, including partial payement, etc.  Mainly I'm trying to determine the wholesale cost of soda bottles in the 1940s. The only thing I have come up with so far is the .85-cents for 24 bottles = appx. 3.5-cents each ... but I'm not 100% sure how accurate this is.  ??? Thanks to both, SPB Attachment (1) (in reply to kwalker) Post #: 10

RE: 1941 COCA-COLA CHECK TO OWENS-ILLINOIS GLASS CO. - 7/28/2010 1:52:52 PM    SODAPOPBOB Posts: 3588 Joined: 3/10/2010 Status: offline This graph w/text regarding Coca Cola bottlers will hopefully shed a little more light on how things progressed and then declined over time.  Of course it doesn't answer my question as to the price of bottles. But at the beginning of the article (not shown) it does touch on the extremely thin profit margin regarding the sales of soda pop, and how important it was to have bottles returned to the bottler to help boost this margin. Notice where it says that the introduction of "cans" help seal the fate for a number of "bottlers."  SPB    Attachment (1) (in reply to SODAPOPBOB) Post #: 11

RE: 1941 COCA-COLA CHECK TO OWENS-ILLINOIS GLASS CO. - 7/28/2010 2:52:16 PM    SODAPOPBOB Posts: 3588 Joined: 3/10/2010 Status: offline I have no intention of making this a full-on history of the Coca Cola company, (there are a jillion websites dealing with that) but, as most of you know, I get side-tracked from time to time. Which put me on to the link below regarding the origin dates of various Coca Cola slogans. This can be very useful when trying to date certain "go-with's" involving other Coca Cola collectibles. I stumbled onto this particular site while researching the origin of "Sprite Boy." And even though his introduction date is clearly 1942 (along with the first use of the word "Coke.") this particular site doesn't list the use of the word Coke until 1944. But irregardless of this so called error, it is really somewhat irrelevant to me on the "exact" date. My main reason for sharing this is link is for general interest purposes only. Hopefully it will be of some help to others who may never have seen this type of "timeline" stuff.                     My Webster's Dictionary defines "Sprite" as ...  "an elf, fairy, or goblin." SPB Coca Cola Slogan Timeline Link :  http://www.adglitz.com/2009/07/13/coca-cola-slogans-history-coke-punchlines-over-the-years/      < Message edited by SODAPOPBOB -- 7/28/2010 2:53:50 PM > (in reply to SODAPOPBOB) Post #: 12

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