COCA COLA QUESTION / QUANDARY

[SODAPOPBOB]

CreekWalker ~

Thanks for the support. I hear ya ...

Actually, I offered the dealer $150.00 for it at one point, but he declined it saying that he had already "promised" it to someone else. The dealer guy actually wanted me to have it because of all the time and research I had done on it. He even felt bad when the buyer stopped in to pay for it and pick it up.

So I guess it's just another case of being $50.00 too much and a day too late! []

SPBOB

 

[fer_de_lance]

Dear Soda, I'm on a similar quest for information on Coca-Cola hutch boxes.I recently purchased one and I think the paint scheme is questionable. But I would like to first address/discuss your questions about Evansville,IN.As being a native resident of Evansville and a bottle collector I have researched the companies mentioned in your article.The Libby-Owens Glass company was once the Graham Glass Works, which if you own a straight sided or Hobble-skirt Coke with manufacture code starting with EG it was produced with one of their molds, to my knowledge they did not manufacture hutches for Coke,if someone knows differently I would be interested in that discussion. Some of their buildings still stand although the facades have changed. The Coca-Cola plant still exists at the same address you mentioned. I also have a hutch crate manufactured by McFersen & Foster although it appears to be a city delivery model as it does not have a hinged lid,in fact it was my research of this crate manufacturer that lead me to your article.I purchased this crate based on it was designed to carry hutches and I like the idea of storing my collection in period containers.Upon further examination I noticed the McFersen & Foster stamp from Evansville, wow! imagine that I purchased a item from someone in Crown Point,Indiana that advertised a product from Ohio in a crate that was actually made by a company from my home town,what are the odds of that happening? I'll leave the discussion of my coke crate for later as my photo files are to large to upload.

Tim

http://www.historicevansville.com/site.php?id=grahamglass

 

[fer_de_lance]

SPB,
I've attempted to attach photo of my O-Cola hutch crate, it was a Coca-Cola knock-off manufactured by The Western Ohio Bottling Works Van Wert,Ohio. This is the crate made by McFersen & Foster that I mentioned previously.Another thing of interest is the O-Cola advert was painted over the top of another company's name -Puraq,which was a water distiller in Ft. Wayne,In. Again I say I attempted to attach,it showed upload successful but I cannot see attachment.I'll try to send my Coca-Cola crate next

Tim

 

[fer_de_lance]

SPB, I paid a little over $100.00 for what now I feel is a re-painted Coca-Cola hutch crate. Note the painted interior and the brightness of the paint, most examples I have found do not have painted interior.It makes me feel someone repainted original Coca-Cola or took another company's crate and painted over original name.I have noticed some crates I own were made for taller bottles and I did the same comparison with hutches and straight sides and thought maybe they redesigned crates for dual use with crown finished bottles but I have also found they made numerous sizes of hutches so that theory does not hold water or soda in this case.
Tim

 

[Andrewt]

Congrats, I like it!

 

[celerycola]

If you have read the entire thread you know that most of these so-called "Hutchinson Crates" never went anywhere near a Hutch bottle. The reason initials or brand names are on the bottom of most Crown soda bottles well into the 1930's is they were packed bottom up in these crates with the holes for the necks. A quick look at the bottoms of the bottles would tell the bottler whether he had his own bottles returned.

Your Coca-Cola crate exactly matches the red/yellow color scheme adopted by Coca-Cola Standardization Committee in 1929. Their 1929 report includes pictures posted earlier of a typical 1929 soda crate with the holes in the bottom. Your Coke crate was likely re-painted in the 1930's to match Coca-Cola Company Standards.

I love the O-Cola crate. I've seen a lot of O-Cola bottles but never a Hutch. I'm sure this one was made for the crown O-Cola bottles I see at bottle shows.

ORIGINAL: fer_de_lance

SPB, I paid a little over $100.00 for what now I feel is a re-painted Coca-Cola hutch crate. Note the painted interior and the brightness of the paint, most examples I have found do not have painted interior.It makes me feel someone repainted original Coca-Cola or took another company's crate and painted over original name.I have noticed some crates I own were made for taller bottles and I did the same comparison with hutches and straight sides and thought maybe they redesigned crates for dual use with crown finished bottles but I have also found they made numerous sizes of hutches so that theory does not hold water or soda in this case.
Tim

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

fer_de_lance ~

I apologize for taking so long to reply but for some reason I didn't get an email notification and just by accident noticed your posting.

Please use this link in regards to my following comments. The link is to a 1906 Illinois Glass catalog.

http://www.sha.org/bottle/igco_1906.htm

1. Scroll to the Soda bottle pages (especially pages 240-241) and you'll notice that Hutchinson bottles were still available in 1906.
2. Scroll to the Boxes pages (especially pages 266-267) and you'll notice a similar box to mine - item(s) No. 3 and No. 3 1/2
3. I realize my box was made by the McFerson & Foster Company of Evansville, Indiana, but I just wanted to point out that similar boxes were being offered at the time, and were very possibly intended for Hutchinson bottles as well as Crowns. Notice the small holes in the boxes pictured below and that it also shows bottles placed upside down.

Celery ~

I'm no expert on Hutchinson bottles nor on shipping boxes, but I am a little confused where you stated ...

"most of these so-called "Hutchinson Crates" never went anywhere near a Hutch bottle."

Maybe I'm assuming incorrectly, but based on the 1906 catalog it seems probabale that Hutchinson bottles were shipped in boxes. What exactly do you mean by your comment above?

Thanks to both of you.

Bob

[ Hutch Bottles From Catalog ]

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

[ Boxes From Catalog ]

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

PS ~

Once you open the link to the 1906 catalog and it's various pages, be sure and notice that you can double-click on any given page and zoom in on it for details.

Bob

 

[fer_de_lance]

Bob,
Thanks for the great link to catalog.I agree with you that boxes could have been used for either bottle finish.I call them hutch boxes as I feel the perforated bottoms were originally designed for that style bottle finish, whether or not the boxes in question actually held them we will never know.I have yet to confirm that The Western Ohio Bottling Works produced a hutch with O-Cola embossed on it, however the "HutchBook" site lists a hutch embossed The Western Ohio /Bottling Works/Van Wert,OHIO. I've also included address for Cecil Munsey's site, look in misc douments for 1885 National Bottler's Gazette- shipping and peddling boxes for beer,ale,soda bottles etc. cases. I think that indicates at an early date why boxes were designed in this fashion.

Best Regards,
Tim

www.hutchbook.com

http://cecilmunsey.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=25&limit=20&limitstart=0&order=name&dir=ASC&Itemid=37