Barq's Root Beer

[SODAPOPBOB]

Oops! I almost forgot this gem ...

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

I'm finding examples of this bottle and most descriptions say they are from St. Paul, Minnesota and made by Owens-Illinois in 1956. There are none on eBay right now but I'm going to look around and see if I can find one elsewhere ...

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Here's one of the descriptions ...


This is a Very Unusual Barq's Soda Bottle. Most Likely this did Not have Root Beer in it and was a Barq's Beverage or Flavor Soda. It has an Image of a Cross-Section of a Sliced Citrus Fruit---maybe an Orange. It has Mostly White Paint with Blue. It reads: BARQ'S---TRADE MARK REG. on one side and: BARQ BOTTLING CO.---MINNEAPOLIS & ST. PAUL, MINN.---CONTENTS 7 FL. OZS. It also has a Circle with BARQ'S 3 Times on Shoulders. This bottle was made by the Owens-Illinois Glass Company and dated 1956.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Here's another description ...

Note: The seller uses the words "Fruit Slice" bottle as if its a well known term, which it might be in Minnesota, but I've never heard that term nor ever seen one of the bottles until now. Based on the references I've seen, they typically sell between $30 and $50. I wonder who bottled the one from Baton Rouge, Louisiana?

This is what's known to collectors as the "fruit slice" bottle. There are three different versions. One 7 oz from Baton Rouge, LA with Barq's in red, and a 7oz and 10 oz from Minneapolis St. Paul, MN in blue lettering. Up for sale is the 7oz blue version from Minneapolis St. Paul. The bottle does not say Minneapolis St. Paul but that is where it is from, only the 10oz has the town and state on it. Bottle is dated 1960. Bottle has wear and staining to the ACL label. I've seen quite a few of the 10oz versions but only a couple of the 7oz version. The Baton Rouge version is just as rare with only two known. The fruit slice bottles held Barq's other flavors while the diamond design, blue labeled bottle, was used for Root Beer.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

The Plot Thickens ...

I really like where the last seller said ...

1. One 7 oz. from Baton Rouge, LA with Barq's in red.
2. The Baton Rouge version is just as rare with only two known.

As it turns out, the Barq's bottling operation in Baton Rouge was part of Jesse Robinson's territory that was granted to him when he and Edward Barq signed an agreement in 1934. And even though Jesse Robinson died in 1949, and the "Orange Slice" acls I've seen references for date between 1956 and 1960, Jesse's heirs still held the Baton Rouge territory in the 1950s and 1960s. But what I don't know, and hope to find out, is where the "Orange Slice" acl originated. Was it in Minnesota or in Baton Rouge?

I don't know very much about the Baton Rouge operation yet, but I did discover that their address was ...

4912 North Street
Baton Rouge, La.

This newspaper article is from 1979 and briefly discusses Jesse Robinson's Baton Rouge territory ...

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

P.S.

Notice in the 1979 article where it says ...

"They don't use ... our graphics"

I wonder if the "Orange Slice" acl was an example of them not using the standard Barq's graphics?

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Next Question ...

I wonder who had the St. Paul, Minnesota Barq's territory in the 1950s and 1960s? Was it the Barq heirs or the Robinson heirs?

If it was the Barq heirs, it doesn't seem likely they would allow a non standard bottle. But if it was the Robinson heirs, well, that's a horse and a bottle of a different color!

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

My initial findings indicate it was the Pepsi Cola bottling plant that bottled Barq's in St. Paul, Minnesota in the 1950s and 1960s. But I don't know if they were under the parent umbrella of the Biloxi Barq's or the Louisiana Barg's.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

P.S.

For the time being I am calling into question where the seller in post #224 said ...

The bottle does not say Minneapolis St. Paul but that is where it is from

If not marked as such, how does he know his bottle was from Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota?

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

P.S. - P.S.

Its a little confusing but where he says ...

only the 10oz has the town and state on it

... apparently means the 10 ounce bottle has Minneapolis/St. Paul on it but the 7 ounce bottle doesn't. Which, if correct, indicates there is definitely a 10 ounce "Orange Slice" acl from Minneapolis/St. Paul