Hello I have have all ten of these bottles. Two are stubby and two are actually stii filled and caped. Oops three, all clear varieties. I am not sure if they were all filled at one time or not. Only one has a cap with the president of Grays bottling Co.
Western Canadian Soft Drink Association -bottles 1972-1985
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Canadacan
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All 10 bottles?...there is more than that in the series...14 total (that I know of) in the WCSDA series spanning from 1972-1985. I have 12 of them and am missing the '1972 Calgary' and the '1974 Winnipeg' So you say all clear varieties?...the only clear ones I was aware of were the last three I have pictured 1983, 1984, 1985.And stubby ones?..hmm sounds interesting. I had been told ages ago by a former Grays employee they were not filled, but who really knows maybe a few were.Can you post some pictures of your bottles?...I'd be interested in seeing them!...Thanks.Sawguy said:
Those are cool finds! I have the Gray Beverage 30th anniversary bottle (two of them) with the picture of Mr. Gray on the cap. It was never filled. I got it at the actual business party for that anniversary, held at the Hotel Vancouver with the Irish Rovers supplying music. I was working at that Boundary Road plant at the time. The 1986 Edmonton opening...was that a new building? I know Gray had a plant there at least by the early 70's, my uncle was the manager of it. Still have one of his old business cards, but not the bottle. 
Thanks for sharing those memories.
Thanks for sharing those memories.
Canadacan
Well-Known Member
Hey Photon440 thankks for sharing that, and I appreciate the comment []. I still run into quite a few of those 30th bottles ...but really the graphics are killer!On that bottle the building with the 'Gray' on it and the tractor trailer below it...do you know if that is the Boundary road plant?...I would assume it is but it may also be the Winnipeg building except in the pictures I have of that plant I don't see those set of stairs? Here is a quick quiz for: you do you know the building on the other side with the old flat bed truck depicted?.....need a clue?...lolNow about that 1986 plant bottle from Edmonton, yes that would have been a new building...very scarce bottle, hope you find one!..keep hunting[]
]. I still run into quite a few of those 30th bottles ...but really the graphics are killer!On that bottle the building with the 'Gray' on it and the tractor trailer below it...do you know if that is the Boundary road plant?...I would assume it is but it may also be the Winnipeg building except in the pictures I have of that plant I don't see those set of stairs? Here is a quick quiz for: you do you know the building on the other side with the old flat bed truck depicted?.....need a clue?...lolNow about that 1986 plant bottle from Edmonton, yes that would have been a new building...very scarce bottle, hope you find one!..keep hunting[]Sorry for the late reply, Canadacan. To answer your question, yes that set of stairs was at 1875 Boundary Road. I walked up those steps in the 70s. That building location now houses a Harley Davidson museum. As for your quiz...nope, not sure. I assumed it was the building used before the Boundary location was built, was it somewhere around the Burrard street bridge? I remember visiting my uncle there in the 60s but was a kid and don't remember much of it.
Canadacan
Well-Known Member
Photon440 thanks very much for confirming my suspicion on that 7up anniversary bottle!Yes that is correct on the building depicted..it was the former location of 7up at 1460 Burrard st, which used to be known as Country Club Beverages....and prior to that it was the location for Thorpe and Co.
Canadacan
Well-Known Member
A new bottle!... and title correction 1972-1987
A recent ebay search revealed to me a new bottle I missed!.....I passed on the opportunity to get this bottle last summer for $5 bucks assuming it was just a slight variation of the Edmonton 1976 bottle.
whoops!!!...turns out it is from the 1987 convention in Edmonton, it resembles most of the 1976 one but has the Gray logo on the front and Safeway on the back instead of the glass plants. There is some rearrangement on the front with possibly something new added but the pictures were not clear to know exactly what they are.
so the New title revision is now fro years 1972-1987......but wait what about the 1986 bottle then?.......guess what?...I have never seen it!
This it the front of the 1976 and the front and back of the 1987
A recent ebay search revealed to me a new bottle I missed!.....I passed on the opportunity to get this bottle last summer for $5 bucks
assuming it was just a slight variation of the Edmonton 1976 bottle.whoops!!!...turns out it is from the 1987 convention in Edmonton, it resembles most of the 1976 one but has the Gray logo on the front and Safeway on the back instead of the glass plants. There is some rearrangement on the front with possibly something new added but the pictures were not clear to know exactly what they are.
so the New title revision is now fro years 1972-1987......but wait what about the 1986 bottle then?.......guess what?...I have never seen it!
This it the front of the 1976 and the front and back of the 1987
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Canadacan
Well-Known Member
I have to make a rebuttal on the last post...I was wrong in concluding that 1987 Edmonton bottle was part of the WCSDA series, I failed to notice it says on the lower heel 'Safeway Merchandising'
So what about a 1986 bottle then?...well as I said ..never seen one, so it probably dose not exist.
So what about a 1986 bottle then?...well as I said ..never seen one, so it probably dose not exist.
Canadacan
Well-Known Member
Well Friday I picked up the last two bottles in the series and now have a complete set. It was bitter sweet as it has brought to an end a quest that started back in 1995 when I found my first.....the Regina 1979 bottle. I have been on and off with collecting but always dabbled in something and kept most of my bottles over this time, and in reality it has only been just under the last 3 years that I have finally put them all together. It involved endless hours of searching and late nights looking through ebay, craigslist, Kijiji, etc....so while not impossible to do but you have to put a lot of effort and time into it.
Hopefully one day a new or young collector stumbles across this and finds the information useful.
Calgary 1972 and Winnipeg 1974....the last 2!
WCSDA bottles 1972-1985.....the complete series.
1972- Calgary, Alberta
1973- Vancouver, British Columbia
1974- Winnipeg, Manitoba
1975- Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
1976- Edmonton, Alberta
1977- Victoria, British Columbia
1978- Winnipeg, Manitoba
1979- Regina, Saskatchewan
1980- Calgary, Alberta
1981- Victoria, British Columbia
1982- Winnipeg, Manitoba
1983- Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
1984- Red Deer, Alberta
1985- Winnipeg, Manitoba
Hopefully one day a new or young collector stumbles across this and finds the information useful.
Calgary 1972 and Winnipeg 1974....the last 2!
WCSDA bottles 1972-1985.....the complete series.
1972- Calgary, Alberta
1973- Vancouver, British Columbia
1974- Winnipeg, Manitoba
1975- Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
1976- Edmonton, Alberta
1977- Victoria, British Columbia
1978- Winnipeg, Manitoba
1979- Regina, Saskatchewan
1980- Calgary, Alberta
1981- Victoria, British Columbia
1982- Winnipeg, Manitoba
1983- Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
1984- Red Deer, Alberta
1985- Winnipeg, Manitoba
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iggyworf
Well-Known Member
Very cool! A very colorful set of bottles. Thanx for sharin!
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