ACL SODA BOTTLE PARTS W/ DEFINITIONS

[SODAPOPBOB]

I realize this is basic information for most soda bottle collectors, that's why it is primarily intended for the novice/newbie collectors among us, especially when they ask questions like ...

A. What is the difference between the base and the heel?

B. What does acl mean?

C. What is case wear?

D. Etc; etc.

Hopefully the following definitions will help answer some of those questions, with the focus being on crown cap acl soda bottles.

1. Crown Cap ... Cork Sealed ~ Patented in 1892 by William Painter.
2. Lip ... Extreme upper portion where cap is attached.
3. Reinforcing Ring ... Just below lip ~ Adds strength to lip/cap portion to prevent breakage during opening.
4. Neck ... Slender upper portion.
5. Side ... Wide portion.
6. Case Wear ... Rough looking glass typically caused by bottles rubbing against one another.
7. ACL ... Applied Color Label / Lettering ~ Painted Label ~ Introduced in the early 1930s.
8. Heel ... Outer circumference at bottom ~ Sometimes embossed with letters/numbers.
9. Base ... Flat underside that supports bottle in upright position ~ Often embossed with Makers Mark ~ Date ~ Etc.
10. Embossing ... Words/Numbers/Letters/Images that are permanently formed into the glass ~ Raised.
11. Debossing ... Similar to Embossing but recessed/indented instead of raised.
12. Makers Mark ... Various symbols and letters identifying which glass manufacturer made the bottle.

I might have forgotten something, but this should cover the basics.

As always, feel free to ask questions whenever in doubt.

Any member who wishes to eloborate on any of this, please do so.

Happy Hunting ~ Collecting ~ And Identifying.

Sodapopbob

 

[Eric]

Never understood it being called case wear.. bottle aren't gonna chip against the wood cases it's usually caused
from them being returned and smacking against each other while going through the process of being
cleaned, refilled and capped as they go rolling down the conveyor belts. Metal carriers would scratch but I
wouldn't think the wood would hurt them... and the wear is always where 2 bottles hit/touch each other
never where the case touches the bottles.
But nice little reference poster you have there for new collectors.

 

[OsiaBoyce]

Is not what you call the 'side' usually referred to as the 'body'?

See what I refer to.

http://blog.containerandpackaging.com/2011/03/bottle-body-parts.html

http://www.sha.org/bottle/morphology.htm

Here are some non-soda bottles w/ named parts.

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=parts+of+a+bottle&gbv=2&rlz=1W1ACGW_enUS330&gs_l=heirloom-hp.1.0.0l4j0i30l6.1763.8487.0.11030.17.12.0.5.5.0.187.1699.0j12.12.0...0.0...1c.1.LgbttHKEREY&sa=X&oi=image_result_group

For the sake of accuracy.[]

 

[TJSJHART]

VERY NICELY DONE BOB

 

[UncleBruce]

Never understood it being called case wear.

I refer to that kind of damage as HIGH POINT WEAR.

 

[surfaceone]

Howdy BOB,

Good start, sir. Got a few more precincts that wanted to be heard from. [8D]

From.

 

[CreekWalker]

Thanks for posting the info, Bob! Let's not forget the future of the hobby, the young diggers and newbie collectors!

 

[Asterx]

Could anyone describe the "blank seam" as shown in surfaceone's illustration? Is this the wavy line that is sometimes seen which is more concave than convex? And its purpose? If the picture is illustrating an effect I'm thinking of, I've wondered how and why its there...

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

I wasn't sure what type of response this thread would get but glad to see it generated some interest. Sometimes its the little things that are often taken for granted that even advanced collectors can benefit from.

~*~

Eric and Uncle Bruce ~

I agree that case wear is a misleading term and that glass rubbing against glass is typically what causes it. But even with that said, collector slang seems to have taken precedent because that is how it is most often described on eBay and elsewhere. It would be interesting to know when the term originated. It might even go back as far as the Hutchinson era, or possibly even earlier, when many of the shipping boxes didn't have divider slats. High Point Wear is another good term, but one you don't see used all that often.

~*~

Osia ~

Thanks for the links. You're right about the main part of the bottle being called the body. I chose the term side because of what we often think of as straight-sided bottles. Also because the side is where bottles like Coca Cola hobbleskirts contain the makers marks and dates. I have never heard of the term straight-bodied bottle.

~*~

TJ ~

Thanks for the compliment.

~*~

Surf ~

Thanks for the illustration. Very helpful. Even old dogs can learn a few new tricks. Meaning, I have never heard of the term "Sealing Surface." I bet you included that because of the word "surf." (Lol).

~*~

CW ~

Ditto! Without newbie interest to carry on the hobby, all of our coveted bottles might end up back in the dumps where we found them in the first place.

~*~

as80 ~

I am familiar with "blank seams," which are also referred to as "ghost seams," but I will let surfaceone answer your question because he is the one who drew attention to it with his illustration.

Thanks again to all.

Bob

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

PS ~

Regarding case wear ...

It might be related to and the result of cardboard six-packs.

http://www.gono.com/museum2003/museum%20collect%20info/earlydaysofsoda/earlydaysofsodapop.htm

1923 ~ COCA-COLA introduced the first take-home carton.