Confused about Christmas Coke

[chosi]

I recently bought this Christmas Coke bottle (i.e. the patent date embossed on it is Christmas day, December 25th 1923). I collect Washington DC bottles, and it has "WASHINGTON DC" embossed on the bottom. So I was thinking it was an old bottle, from the 1920's or 1930's.
It still has the contents in it, and a bottle cap. The bottle cap looks old, but it says "Coca Cola Classic", and "BOTTLED UNDER AUTHORITY BLUEGRASS COCA-COLA BOTTLING COMPANY, LOUISVILLE, KY". The Bluegrass company appears to be recent, as does the term "Coca Cola Classic". I beleive the cap is less than 10 years old.
So what's the deal? Does Coca-cola still make hobbleskirt bottles with the Christmas patent date on it? Or is it possible I have an old bottle with a new cap on it? Can anyone explain this to me?

 

[GuntherHess]

Can you post a photo of the bottom?
If it has the small embossing for the city name its probably one of the newer commemorative christmas cokes.

http://www.antiquebottles.com/pics/SpotXmasRepro.jpg

The bottom center one in this photo is the 1989 repro

 

[chosi]

It looks a little different from the ones at your posted web site, but the bottom has a ribbed ring around it that also seems indicative of a newer bottle.

 

[cc6pack]

Chosi

Here's the rest of the page that Gunther posted the pic from. Read the notice under the 1923 Christmas Coke. Hope you didn't pay to much for the NDNR bottle.

http://www.antiquebottles.com/coke/

 

[GuntherHess]

I'm certainly no coke expert. I just know there were later made christmas cokes.

 

[digger mcdirt]

That bottle was reproduced 3-4 times the last time in the 90's. The old ones always have the city in large letters on the bottom. Look on the side there are two numbers that will date it. I get calls all the time on Christmas Cokes and many turn out to be the restrikes. They were used just like a regular Coke they are lighter glass and like I said the bottom tells on them. bob

 

[digger mcdirt]

See if this helps the bottom on the left is what you see on the original Christmas Cokes note the large Jackson Tenn. The one on the right is a restrike from 1989 note the small letters in city and state verse the original large size. Also the restrike is numbered on the sitde with the date code as left 1st number in this case 89 and the original is date coded with the year on the right in this case 1934. All will have a series of #'s on lower side somewhere some are 2 #'s and some are 3 #'s on older ones the right # is the year 34 = 1934. On later ones the year code is 1st # in this case 89 =1989. Hope this helps bob

 

[glass man]

Mcdirt ,on CHOSI'S 1923 it has the ridges on the bottom ,ain't that also a clue to it being newer?[aware not all have the ridges ,but all that do are newer,true?]

 

[digger mcdirt]

Good point Yes you see it more on the 90's restrikes, but some of the 80's restrikes also had those none of the originals ever had them. You also see them on most other soda bottles of the 90's era. The most telling way to date any Coke is by the base and side # they don't lie. Coke went to a smaller type base lettering in the 50's but the Christmas Coke never had the small letter embossed base.

 

[bamascavenger]

Another way to tell is, below the lip on the neck...you have to look VERY close almost at angles at times and you will see a very faint black bar code on the new restrikes. Hope this helps too.