Another Amber 7up Question

[SODAPOPBOB]

Speaking of amber 7up bottles ...

I came across this example from London, England. I don't know when it was produced or much else about it other than it is a seven bubble and has the acl shield on the neck. Maybe one of you can approximate the date by the slogan on the back. I would have tried to date it myself but just found it and haven't had the time. I don't know if its genuine or if its been altered / nuked ...

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Jb

I'm checking now to see if I can figure out what the 29S6 might stand for and if that same code is on any other 7up bottles. The only thing I can say at the moment is that I'm confident the amber 7up's from San Diego were only produced in 1935 and 1936 but doubt that code refers to a date. Its most likely a style/mold code of some type ...

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

For the record and research purposes ...

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Here's a possibility for the 29S6 but it needs more research because the dates don't quite jive ...

16S (or with other 2-digit number between 16 and 29). In most cases indicates production by the American Bottle Company, at their Streator, Illinois plant location. Mark is seen mostly on the lower heel area on soda and beer bottles. The number usually precedes the letter, but in some cases the order may be reversed. These marks were used by ABCO at least during the 1916-1923 period, and evidence from bottle collectors indicate these date code markings may have been used as early as 1905 (when American Bottle Company was incorporated), all the way up to at least 1929 in some cases. Owens Bottle Company, which purchased the six glass plants of the American Bottle Company in 1916, continued the operation of only two of those ABCO plants (their Newark, OH & Streator, IL locations) under the American Bottle Company name until 1929, and used this type of marking on many of their bottles. See “AB”, “A.B.CO.” and “17N” marks.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

P.S.

Is it possible the 'S' stands for "Streator"

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Which takes us to this ...

Note: Maybe the 29S6 was a 'carry-over' mold/style that Owens-Illinois used for some reason as late as 1935-36 ???

A.B.CO... American Bottle Company (1905-1929). Chicago, Illinois (office – 1905-1916); Toledo, Ohio (office – 1916-1929). Glass plants were located at Streator, Illinois; Newark, Ohio; Belleville, Illinois; Massillon, Ohio & Wooster, Ohio. The American Bottle Company was purchased by Owens Bottle Machine Company in 1916 (with some of the plants being closed soon afterwards) but the Streator and Newark plants continued to operate under the American Bottle Co. name until 1929, when they became part of the merger that resulted in Owens-Illinois Glass Company. (For Streator and Newark plant marks from 1916 to 1929, see “17N” and “16S” entries). Most, if not all, of the “AB”, “AB CO.” and “A.B.CO.” marked bottles are believed to date between 1905 and 1916. However, it is possible that some bottles with these markings might date between 1916 and 1929, but, if so, could only have been made at either the Streator or Newark plants.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

And maybe it translates like this ...

29 = A.B.CO. carry-over code used later by Owens-Illinois
S = Streator, Illinois Plant
6 = 1936

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Advanced reading for possible clues to 29S6 mark ...

https://sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/AmericanBottleCo.pdf

https://sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/American_BLockhart.pdf

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Jb

It strikes me as more than coincidence that your amber 7up bottle has the same type of mark as that of the American Bottle Company. In fact, the ABCO is the only glass maker I can find that used a mark like that! Notice at the bottom of the attached chart where I placed a red X where it says the following about the 25S through 31S marks ...

"The use of these codes continued for the first year or so after the plant became part of the Owens-Illinois Glass Co."

Note: The Owens-Illinois Glass Company was formed in 1929

In other words ...

I'm thinking your amber 7up bottle was made by either the American Bottle Company at the end of their tenure in 1929 or by Owens-Illinois at the beginning of their tenure 1929. But regardless of which of the two companies made it, I believe its highly possible that it was made in 1929. Another reason I suspect this is because your bottle does not have u7p embossed on the neck. Yours is the first and only amber 7up from San Diego I've ever seen that doesn't have u7p on the neck. Notice on pages 345 and 346 of this link where it talks about a national trend in the soft drink industry around 1916 to move away from fully embossed bottles and move towards bottles with paper labels.

https://sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/AmericanBottleCo.pdf

Because your bottle doesn't have u7p on the neck, or any other type of brand identification, I'm thinking it was made in 1929 and intended for a paper label. I'm also thinking that your bottle was part of the left-over inventory when Owens-Illinois bought out the American Bottle Company.

In other words ...

I'm thinking its highly possible that your bottle started our as a generic stock bottle and was then repurposed by Owens-Illinois when the ACL process became available around 1934-35. With that said, I no longer think the 6 stands for 1936, but that the 6 is merely part of the original 29S6 code and is possibly a mold number for a bottle that was actually made in 1929.

In other words ...

If my assertions are correct, I'm thinking its highly possible that your 29S6 amber 7up bottle precedes those with the u7p on the neck and that your bottle could very well be not only the first 7up ACL bottle from San Diego but possibly one of, if not the very first, 7up ACL bottle made by anyone. I just wish there was some way of determining exactly when the 7up ACL label was applied to your 1929 bottle. The earliest known 7up ACL was made in 1935. Wouldn't it be cool if the ACL label was applied to your bottle before 1935?

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

P.S.

I'm not certain when the Star Beverage Company of San Diego was established, but I do know they are listed in the 1933 San Diego city directory, which is early enough for our purposes here!