A&W ROOT BEER BOTTLE SEARCH

[SODAPOPBOB]

Just when I thought it was safe to go back into the water, my daughter threw a shark into the pool which generated this search of mine for an image of the very first A&W Root Beer bottle. My daughter found the mug below and gave it to me as a gift. There is nothing rare or valuable about it, but I was able to date it as being available from 1948 thru 1961. Overall it has an unusual pink tint to it, but the handle itself is crystal clear. The copy/pasted info is where I came up with the date. More than likely everyone has one or more of this type of mug. And even though they are obviously not bottles, the do display nicely.

For starters I did a little research on A&W and discovered it came into existence in 1919, and was named after the first letters of the last names of it's two co-founders, Roy Allen and Frank Wright. The first A&W stand was in Lodi, California (Between Sacramento and San Francisco) and opened in 1919. It believe it was the first drive-up stand of it's kind, and used what was then called "tray boys/girls" that was later changed to "carhops." The A&W company had it's ups and downs through the Depression and World War II, but hung in there and is the popular brand of soda we all know and love today.

But the real nature of this thread is to ask for help in locating an image of A&W's very first acl bottle that was intoduced in 1971. (Same year as the can). On the page following this one I will show what I believe to be their first acl, but the image had no specific date associated with it, so at present I am not 100% sure. Plus, everything else I found was kind of vague too when it came to dates.

REQUEST : If someone has a "for sure" 1971 A&W bottle in their collection, please share a photo of it with the rest of us.

Thanks in advance. And I hope this topic will be of genuine interest to others.

SODAPOPBOB

Mug Dating Info.

Logo History
[*]

1919 - A plain glass mug was used without letters or words. The A&W name was not yet used.
[*]1921 - The letters 'A&W' appeared raised on the glass mug.
[*]

1948 - Red & Black Bulls Eye Logo on white background.
[*]

1961 - Brown & Orange Bulls Eye Logo on white background.
[*]

1968 - Orange & Brown oval Logo on white background.
[*]1969 - Removed white from behind the Orange & Brown Oval Logo.
[*]1972 - Map of United States in Orange with Brown divisions for states behind Orange & Brown oval logo.
[*]1976 - Returned to Orange & Brown Oval Logo on white background of 1968. Currently use this logo.
[*]

1994 - Orange & Brown Oval Logo against a diamond with yellow, teal with the words "75 Years" and "Authentic Since 1919".
[*]

1995 - Return to Orange & Brown Oval Logo on white
[ul][/ul][/align]The mug my daughter gave me.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Is this what the first A&W acl looked like ???

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

And what about this amber one? What is the date of it?

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Early "barrel shaped" A&W stand.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Early "Tray-Girl" (Carhop).

 

[TJSJHART]

AS USUAL I WENT TO GONO.COM THEY LIST 11 DIFFERENT BOTTLES WITH ONLY ONE PICTURE AND THIS IS IT. TEN, TWELVE , SIXTEEN , AND EVEN A 32 OZ. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR QUEST..

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

TJ ~

Thanks. Gono.com was the first place I looked. Which partly added to my confusion. As seen below, they show the other bottles you mentioned from various years.But the the earliest they show is from 1973. No doubt this 1973 bottle is also what their 1971 looked like. But I just wasn't sure and was hoping somebody had one in their collection with the 1971 date embossed on the bottom.

Thanks again,

SPBOB

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

P.S. ~

According to Gono.com's list it indicates that the "H" bottle above is the 1973. I suppose it's possible, but it seems strange to me that one of their first bottles would be a 32 oz. screw cap. (However, screw caps were definitely being made in 1971).

 

[Lunick]

so i take it this one is from 1976? it is a 32 oz

 

[GLASSHOPPER55]

so i take it this one is from 1976? it is a 32 oz

That'd be my guess. Most sodas are dated similarly.