7up 3-1-3 bubble bottle!

SODABOB said:

Rich

This bottle was described as being embossed on the base with "Los Angeles Seven Up Bottling Co." and dated 1937. I don't have time right now, but eventually I'll look for others like it and hopefully find one with a pic of the base. But at the present I have no reason to doubt the description. Notice it has 8 bubbles and an embossed neck. But whether the 1938 through 1940 Los Angeles bottles are like this one, I don't know yet.


Especially notice that its marked 6 1/2 Ounces


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This is from Post #103 and I believe its the same Los Angeles bottle that I just posted except this one was described as being a 1937.

Based on everything I have found and seen during the course of this discussion, I believe the following will be necessary in order to put a final bottle-cap on the 3-1-3 7up bottles mystery ...

1. We need to find confirmed examples of 1939-40-41-42 7up bottles from Bakersfield to see what the bubble placements look like. That way we will know for certain if they have the 3-1-3 bubbles and when they were produced.

2. We need to find confirmed examples of 1940 and 1942 7up bottles from Los Angeles and San Bernardino. We already know the 1941 bottles from both of those locations have the 3-1-3 bubbles, but we need to see the 1940 and 1942 bottles in order to determine what the bubble placements look like on them. That way we will know for certain if 1941 was the only year they were produced or if the 1940 and 1942 bottles also have the 3-1-3 bubbles.

To summarize ...

As it stands now, I am of the opinion that the 3-1-3 bottles started in Bakersfield and the 3-1-3 bottles from Los Angeles and San Bernardino came later. But in order to confirm anything, the first thing we need to do is find the bottles listed above.

Just for the record, here are the labels again on the 1941 3-1-3 bottles from Los Angeles and San Bernardino. They appear identical to me, including the bubbles above the swimsuit girl.


[ iggy's two Los Angeles bottles ] 23 <(I)> 1.




[ San Bernardino ] 23 <(I)> 1.

So I'm going to put a temporary "The End" to my participation for the time being, but will continue to look for the bottles I listed. You will definitely hear from me if/when that occurs.

Hmm ... Just when we thought we had the 3-1-3 bubbles figured out this 3-3-3 cardboard sign turns up. But there's no way I'm going to research it because I already have enough irons in the fire without adding another one



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The End

Well, I found 'something' Even though neither of the attached base pictures are from California, nor are they 3-1-3 bottles, they should help us to recognize 1940 and 1942 bottles. As for the copy/pasted information that follows, its what I call "The Rest of the Story" regarding the new 1939 Bakersfield 7up bottling plant. Maybe it will assist us in the future.

Especially notice where it says ...

1. "Months of thought and preparatory work went into the planning"

2. "7up was originally brought to Kern county in bottles processed in Los Angeles and distributed by trucks"

7-UP Bottling Company of Bakersfield Adds Further Strength to the Enviable Industrial Structure of This Metropolis

Its New, Beautiful and Pretentious Building, 230 East Eighteenth Street, Heralds to the World Bakersfield’s Progress; 7-UP Is a Delicious, Health-Promoting Beverage Recognized for Its Flavor, Purity and “Zip”; a Solution to the Hostess’ Problem.


The story of 7-Up (1939) - Click Americana

By R Kenneth Evans

The company is the newest acquisition to Bakersfield’s industrial structure, with its imposing and handsome building, representing an investment of more than $200,000. D W Washburn envisioned this bottling plant in Bakersfield as one most completely equipped for the purpose of bottling only one beverage. Months of thought and preparatory work went into the planning. The plant was formally opened to the public June 14, 1939. 7up was originally brought to Kern county in bottles processed in Los Angeles and distributed by trucks.The plant is recognized as the best planned bottling plant in the western section of the United States, having a floor space of more than 16,000 square feet. The building, two stories in height, of concrete construction, is strictly modern in every detail and the appearance enhanced by beautifully landscaped grounds surrounding it. Offices, bottling equipment and storage space are on the ground floor level while the mixing laboratory, isolated for sanitation, is on the second floor. On this floor is also a public auditorium, well planned for environment and available to Bakersfield civic service clubs and individuals for private meetings. Located in the basement are the water filters, air conditioning units, and water pumps. The bottling rooms on the main floor are of tile construction with stainless steel throughout. Emphasizing the industrial aspect and value of this new plant in Bakersfield is that it maintains an annual payroll running into many thousands of dollars. It is definitely a Bakersfield industry, giving regular employment to more than 20 trained people, headed by D K Washburn as president and direct management of A J Crocker. In the beginning many looked with askance on Mr Washburn’s idea of developing an industry with one beverage as his product.


1940 Owens-Illinois 7up Base

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1942 Owens-Illinois 7up Base

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And here's me going out with a "Bang" ...:fireworks:

iggy/Rich

I didn't expect to be back this soon but discovered something "Verry Intrresting" that I thought was worth mentioning. I was searching for any 1941 7up bottle from any location and found several of them. But what I discover is that without exception every one of them is an 8 Bubble bottle. As it stands now, your two Los Angeles bottles and the one San Bernardino bottle are the only ones I'm aware of that have 7 Bubbles. My search is still ongoing and I need to look at more 1941 bottles, but I'm already seeing a trend that could point to the 3-1-3 bottles as possibly being the first to be produced with 7 Bubbles. Those of us who are familiar with 7up's history have heard the story that goes something like this ...

"Somewhere along the line someone noticed the 8 bubbles and suggested changing it to 7 bubbles to match the brand name"

Well, what if that someone was D. K. Washburn or A. J. Crocker and the somewhere was Bakersfield or Los Angeles?

I guess the only way to shed more light on this is to keep looking for other 1941 bottles and see if the trend I mentioned holds up. If it does, then its possible that the Kern County, California 1941 7up bottles were the verry first to have the 7 bubbles, which I consider kind of significant if not historical. Here's a list of the 1941 8 Bubble bottles I have found so far. All but one of them has an ACL neck logo. The bottle from Epping Bottling in Louisville, Kentucky is the only one on this list that has the embossed neck logo ...

Clarksdale, Mississippi
Epping - Louisville, Kentucky
Aberdeen, South Dakoda
Houston, Texas (Amber)
St. Joseph, Missouri
Lincoln, Nebraska
Jamestown, North Dakota

Note:
If anyone finds any 1941 7up bottles that are not on my list, please add them. Please note if they are 8 Bubble or 7 Bubble bottles, and if they have an embossed or ACL neck logo - Thanks

I now have another computer and so far so good.

I searched hundreds of 7up bottles and did find one 7 bubble dated 1940 from Chicago. Made at the Fairmont WV plant. I also own a 1940 7 bubble all white 7up bottle from Houghton Michigan. Also made at the same plant. ?Both with the regular 2-2-3 pattern. My Houghton one has an ACL neck logo also.





It would have been nice to fit into the theory of the SOCAL being the first with 7 bubbles in our 3-1-3 pattern.

iggy/Rich

Welcome back

Two things ...

1. If the 1940 Chicago bottle you mentioned is the one pictured, the 4. with Duraglas is a 1944 bottle, not 1940. A 1940 looks something like this ... 23 <(I)> O

2. When I said the first 3-1-3 bottles might have originated in SOCAL, what I meant is that they might have come from the Bakersfield plant - which began operation in the spring of 1939. As we know, it was at the Bakersfield plant where the 3-1-3 sign was erected in 1939. I'm thinking their first bottle (if there was one ?) might have been a 3-1-3 to match their sign. If so, that would date the first 7 bubble bottle at 1939. But we will never know for certain until we find a 1939 or 1940 bottle from Bakersfield. As a reminder, here's the only early Bakersfield bottle again that I'm aware of. I do not know when it was made or what the bubble placement is, but it does have an embossed neck logo. Where there's one bottle, there should be others. But finding one is a horse of a different color.

Here's the base on a 1939 7up

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And here's a 1940


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And here's a tid-bit of information from one of Bill Lockhart's articles ...


Many of the post-1937 Seven-Up bottles have another code embossed on either
the base or the heel (e.g., 4285G on one base or G94 on another). This is the model or
catalog number. These apparently varied from factory to factory, even within the same
company. The 4285G number, for example came from plant #23 (Los Angeles), Owens-
Illinois. However, plant #7 (Alton, Illinois) of Owens-Illinois used G94 on its Seven-Up
bottles.

Thanx for the correction Bob. I rechecked my Owens Illinois info to see my mistake. Good work and we will just keep on searchin!