Earliest ACL Royal Crown Cola redux

[SODAPOPBOB]

Hey, squirtbob Are you absolutely certain that's a G1 and not a GI

 

[squirtbob]

OK, I've carefully looked at my squirt collection and other bottles that are Glenshaw produced and a couple ebay sales that lend some information. Here's what I have.I have 33 squirt bottles manufactured by Glenshaw. I have neck labels, K,L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, W, X & Y. The advertising on the back of the bottles confirms that the neck letter corresponds to the Glenshaw chart that we know about. I don't have any doubts about that beginning with my K bottle.So, what about the infamous G1or GI. I have an Upper 10 bottle with that lip and it has a banner under the name that says "It Alkalizes". I also have an Owens-Illinois Upper 10 bottle with the banner also reading "It Alkalizes" It also has the Good Housekeeping label on the back. The OI bottle definitely dates to 1937. Later examples of Upper 10 bottles changed the banner to say "Picks You Up".Recently on Ebay someone sold a 7 up bottle with the G1 or GI label and listed it as 1935 (and I think they must have been reading our discussion to make that statement). The problem with it was that the advertising on the back was more in line with 7 up advertising from 1937. "A Cooler Off, A Fresher Up". I have OI 7up bottles with that slogan and they date 1937 or 1938. I also have an OI 7UP dated 1936 and it has an earlier slogan.Sometime on Ebay I believe I saw an RC bottle with a Good Housekeeping Label. It was Glenshaw produced and it had a J neck ...consistent with being a 1938 bottle.So based on the posts that indicate the possibility of a GH bottle and a GJ bottle I now believe the my Upper 10 bottle is GI, that's the letter I, not a 1 (one).If this theory holds then Glenshaw ACL's would be G=1935, GH=1936, GI=1937, GJ=1938, perhaps then transitioning to J=1938, K=1939 and then consistently ascending in alphabetic order. I believe my squirt sample is large enough to sustain the date method from K forward. Perhaps others will check these things out and let us know what they have. Pretty soon we'll have it figured out. What do you think SODAPOPBOB? And someone please find me a J or GJ Squirt!

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

squirtbob What I think is that your examination and findings are the possibly the most comprehensive and helpfully informative of any ever recorded. I scoured the Internet during the original RC thread and doing the same now and have not found a single commentary as well researched as what you just posted. I'm not sure who the individual or individuals were who compiled the chart we normally refer to, but it seems obvious now that they missed a few things, especially the existence of the double-letters on the reinforcing rings of more than just a few bottles. In other words, well done. You are to be commended and your findings definitely shine a whole new light on things. I'm not sure what it all means yet, but you have at least established what I would call a logical sequence.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

P.S. To add to your sequence theory, perhaps in the beginning of the code system they intended for the G to stand for Glenshaw, I.E., Glenshaw/H = 1936, but for some reason changed it to single letters when they got to K The reason I'm even suggesting this is because, as far as I know, there are yet to be found any single letter G's H's I's J's ... and if those particular single-letters do exist, and anyone who reads this has one, please share it with us.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

I'm going on a limb here and suggest the possibility that the Glenshaw Glass Company's first lip coded ACL might have been a GH for 1936 ??? < Please note the question marks. Of course, I will immediately ditch this suggestion if/when any single-letter G's are found.

 

[squirtbob]

It would be great if the two members who had GH and GJ bottles would post pictures. If GJ exists then I'm thinking that it was in 1938 when they began to transition to a single letter. I am positive I saw a Glenshaw bottle that sold on Ebay recently and the seller noted the "J" on the neck with a perfectly clear picture. Naturally, I didn't save the listing but you SODAPOPBOB are great at locating that kind of detail.Maybe you can find it, it wasn't that long ago.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

I'll try and find a J, but no need to locate a K cause you already have one of those []

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

One Glenshaw ACL to look for that might have a J is a Whistle bottle because it was part of their lineup in Morb's 1931 Ad. I'm not sure when the first Whistle ACL was produced, but it could be a possible candidate.

 

[carling]

I have two bottles with a GJ. I posted here once long ago questioning the double letter mark.I also have one bottle with a J.It will be a couple days before I can post (my camera died and will need to borrow one). Maybe somebody else will post examples before I will have a chance. Rick

 

[morbious_fod]

[attachment=Royal+Crown+Bottle...m+May+2014+(3).jpg]

While Squirtbob makes an excelent examination, he has forgotten to acknowledge the actual evolution of the Royal Crown Cola bottles themselves. I don't think that the G1 we are looking at is actually GI which would mean that my pointed pyramid embossed is a 1937. Every 1937 I have ever seen has the debossed flat top pyramid with the star over it. Then the logo is embossed on the 1938 and 1939, if the 1939 doesn't have the neck label acl.

I don't think the assumption that G1 is actually GI stands up, because it doesn't match the evolution of the on the bottles themselves, as can be seen in the original photo posted on the old thread. I'm willing to bet the advertising actually backs this evolution up as well.

BTW I never agreed that G1 meant 1936, and have even shifted further away from that as I have been doing my own research in the Glenshaw ads, and finding out that they once used a G on the lip as a trademark before adopting the G in a square in 1932. The G on the lip which was so prominent in their earlier advertising is no longer used about halfway through 1932. A FULL THREE YEARS prior to this date code system, which is why Soda's comparing the size of the Gs makes no sense.

The use of this earlier mark means a plain G wouldn't be used when it was resurrected, so they throw a 1 in there, they may have even continued with a GH, GI, GJ. Yet again, I say that what we are calling a G1 matches the evolution of neck embossing/debossing on the Royal Crown Cola bottles, and this leads me to continue to theorize that G1 was 1935.

It's the old dot beside the single number on Owens Illinois bottles thing all over again.