Newbie with a Coca cola bottle questions

[SODAPOPBOB]

I just sent an email with attachments to Bill Porter. He's really good about responding to my inquires the same day I send them, but this may not occur until this evening when he gets home from work. Below is a picture of how he displays most of his bottles. He has them fully catagorized, I believe, alphabetically by state. If anybody knows what 5K and 8P stand for, Bill will.

SPB

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Apparently Bill was home (or else got my message at work) and just this minute sent me this reply ...

Bob,

Very interesting in that they have the full "D Patent" writing on the sides. I have some like these, but most I see from Pacific hoards are only marked "TRADE-MARK" on the side. I don't know the meaning of the letters in the mold numbers.

I would be interested in a couple of sets if they are as nice as those in the pictures.

But the really big question is - do any have city names? The ones I have do not, although I have some city-named (green) Cokes with letters in the mold number.

Thanks - Please tell me more!

Bill

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Bill just sent me another reply and would like to know if the 5K and 8P bottles have city/states embossed on the bottoms? And if so, which city/states in relation to each specific code?

I have to leave for work in 15 minutes, so you won't hear from me again until sometime this evening.

Thanks again.

Bob

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Quick PS ~

Please think about what it would take and how much it would cost to acquire several (in near mint condition if possible) examples of the 5K and 8P bottles? We'll discuss the details later after you determine how many variations you have or can gather up from the dumps. We will be sure to make this worth your while. Plus, you will likely be establishing never before seen information that will assist not only Bill Porter (who is the guru of hobbleskirts) but also collectors worldwide.

Bob

 

[daven2nl]

Bob - very cool - I would love to assist!

The 5K is embossed on a green bottle with Oakland CA on the bottom, one of the more commonly found cities I do stumble across.

The vast majority of bottles I find are hazed - either from contact with the limestone, acid rain, sun, or a combination of things. It is permanent - muriatic acid does not clean them up which tells me it's the glass which is etched, not a deposit.

There are clear ones to be found however.

Let me run into the jungle this week. I'll take a survey of different characteristics, along with some additional photos of how they look "in the wild".

-Dave

 

[OsiaBoyce]

ORIGINAL: hemihampton

Have you ever found any Beer cans the US military left behind in Guam? I'd be interested in those. Especially the olive drab Camouflage ones. Let me know? LEON.

I bet you would []

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Dave ~

Sounds good. And please keep your eyes peeled for two really nice 5Ks and two really nice 8Ps. Bill Porter and I would like one each if possible. But before getting too involved, please let me know what it would cost to purchase the bottles and have them shipped to the states?

If possible, Bill was also hoping you could take some notes, such as ...

1. How many different city/states you find with the 5K mark?
2. If any of the clear 8Ps are marked with a city/state?
3. Any variations or other marks you find.
4. Anything else you think of that would be of interest.

But please do not spend any more time on this than your interest allows. It won't be the end of the world if it doesn't work out.

Thanks a lot.

Bob

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Additionally ...

Bill Porter has done more research on Coca Cola bottles than anyone else I know of. And when he gets a whiff of a couple of bottles he doesn't already have, he's like a hound on the hunt. To date he only has a select few with letters as part of the codes. Here's a sampling he sent me some of the ones he already has in his collection ...

Petaluma, California ... 2A <(I)> 44 (1944)
Susanville, California .. 3A <(I)> 47 (1947)
Pocatello, Idaho ......... 8A <(I)> 50 (1950)
Reno, Nevada ............ B3 <(I)> 50 (1950)

He thinks the letters might represent a number, but is not sure why the Owens-Illinois Company would do that.

Thanks to you, Bill can now add the following to his list ...

Oakland, California ...... 5K <(I)> 44 (1944)
???????, ??????? .......... 8P <(I)> 44 (1944)

Congratulations!

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

PS ~

One thing I noticed about the bottles with letters, is they are all from bottlers located in the western part of the United States. But whether there is a regional/distribution connection between them of some kind, or what the letters might represent, I cannot say.

So far, there are ... A, B, K, P

SPB

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

PS ~ PS

Alphabetically/Numerically they equate to ...

A = 1
B = 2
K = 11
P = 16

But cannot be Owens-Illinois plant numbers because some of the corresponding plants closed in the 1930s and the others just don't connect properly to a plant. The only one that does is the number 2 for the O-I plant in Huntington, West Virginia.