COCA COLA / 1915 PROTOTYPE / EARL R DEAN / RAY A GRAHAM

[SODAPOPBOB]

ORIGINAL: digdug

Another photo....

digdug ~

Except for the Coca Cola signature and the arrow, the bottle you posted definitely looks like what is typically referred to as a fruit flavor bottle. I have never seen one like yours and have to wonder (because of the embossed script) if it was intended for Coca Cola itself / flavors / or both? I also wonder if there is a connection between the verticle arrow on your bottle and the arrows seen on the straight-sided amber bottles which I believe date from about 1912 to about 1916? It wouldn't surprise me to discover that the original Graham version of a similar bottle was one of the entries at the 1916 Coca Cola bottlers convention. But finding confirmation of that is another question and the primary focus of this thread.

Below is the Graham patent again for comparison to your bottle.

Thanks for sharing and bringing your bottle to our attention.

Bob

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Just for the record ...

Here's another Robert C. Graham patent of a similar bottle dated 1923. Notice the sculptured neck and stars.

 

[zecritr]

Robert C. Graham and Frank R. Miller of the Graham Glass Company of Evansville, Indiana. Robert's Father had started the glass company and it operated from 1913-1930. After 1916 it was a subsidiary of the Owens Bottle Company, Toledo;

http://www.bottlebooks.com/designer%20sodas/designer_soda_bottles1920.htm

So did they go broke in designing for the coke contest and had to give over later to Owens? who used a type from the contest? into the above bottle?
And is there a way to find out?

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

z ~

I'd like to draw your attention to the following link I posted on page one of this thread regarding the Graham brothers. They definitely did not go broke but rather sold their glass company and began manufacturing trucks.

As to yor question about who used the flavor style of bottle, (the basic one without the Coca Cola signature) I'd say just about every bottler in the country used it. But whether everyone who used it was a Coca Cola franchise bottler or not, I do not know.

Bob

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham-Paige

Graham Brothers:

After successful involvement in a glass manufacturing company (eventually sold to Libbey Owens Ford) brothers Joseph B. Graham (September 12, 1882–July 1970), Robert C. Graham (August 1885–October 3, 1967) and Ray A. Graham (May 28, 1887–August 13, 1932) began in 1919 to produce kits to modify Ford Model Ts and TTs into trucks.

http://www.allpar.com/trucks/graham-brothers.html

[ Graham Brothers Trucks ~ I'm not sure of the dates on these particular one's ]

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

P.S. ~

According to the second link I posted, the Graham brothers started their truck company in 1916

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

In search of ...

The answers to many of our questions might be found in the following written by Coca Cola co-founder Asa Candler, titled ...

"Confidence In Your Product" ( 1916 Bottlers Convention Booklet )

If anyone has an original copy or finds anything related to in online, please share it with us.

Thanks

Bob

[ Scroll to page 478 / Paragraph 47 ]

http://books.google.com/books?id=bSAChoqpnHUC&pg=PA478&lpg=PA478&dq=Asa+Candler+confidence+in+your+product&source=bl&ots=JuUmjZhlgf&sig=WYoZ5TSBJ8GeknZvG86c4umZ034&hl=en&sa=X&ei=zsOBUenjEqKV0QGqhoGwCg&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Asa%20Candler%20confidence%20in%20your%20product&f=false

 

[zecritr]

Whoops sorry missed that,figures
ok not broke lol

 

[OsiaBoyce]

A well worded retort and the power goes out.......................................now that just sucks.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

For the record ...

Just because the Graham brothers sold their glass company in 1916 and went into the truck making business, that doesn't mean there are no Coca Cola bottles with the Graham mark later than 1916, because there are. In fact, Graham marked Coca Cola bottles can be found as late as 1929 and possibly even 1930. I will post some links later so you can read all about it.

Bob

Graham Glass Company, Evansville, Indiana; Loogootee, Indiana; and Okmulgee, Oklahoma (1907-1929). Another plant location also was operated at Chekotah, Oklahoma until 1923. Graham owned by Owens Bottle Company after 1916, plants became part of Owens-Illinois in 1929.

[ Insert from Bill Porter's book ]

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

P.S. ~

What I find even more interesting and ironic regarding the Graham sell-out is, even though the Graham brothers were well established truck makers by 1923, brother Robert C. Graham apparently still had a passion for soda bottles at the time as evidenced by this bottle he patented in 1923.

http://www.google.com/patents?id=xjBbAAAAEBAJ&printsec=abstract&zoom=4#v=onepage&q&f=false

[ I realize having posted this same patent recently, but I didn't fully explain the 1916 vs 1923 dates ]