EARLIEST "CROWN TOP" SODA BOTTLES 1892 - 1900

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hemihampton

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Thanks, Leon

Finding Baltimore and/or Norfolk beer bottles is the easy part - but accurately dating them can be a Nightmare on Elm Street - especially when it comes to narrowing it down to a single year such as 1892. These links are to Bruce Mobley's site and include some of the bottles you mentioned. Take your pick as to which of them was made in 1892.

Baltimore

https://brucemobley.com/beerbottlelibrary/md/baltimore/bauernschmidtf.htm

https://brucemobley.com/beerbottlelibrary/md/baltimore/babreweries.htm



Norfolk




Thanks, again

Bob


I've always agreed with that, that narrowing down a exact date on any 1890's crown top would almost be impossible, unless the Brewery was only used or in Operation a couple short years. Even dates embossed into them I think are questionable since I think they could & would use those same molds/dates for years afterwards. if not then why not have a different date embossed into each bottle for each year, haven't seen that. I'm talking about big full dates, not little morse code 2 digit bottle maker code needing deciphering. LEON.
 

UncleBruce

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Here is the great thing about crown top lips. Bottling companies didn't have to use the crown cap they could still put lightning closures on them. I have several of these with similar closures.
finlay.JPG
 

SODABOB

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Bruce

Thanks for the observation - it reminds me of this 1897 article that I posted earlier.

Everett Glass Crown Cork_ Co._Everett_Press_Penn_Fri__Dec_24__1897_.jpg



I recently acquired a copy of Maureen O'Prey's 2011 Book "Brewing In Baltimore" and she cites the source for the information on page 37 as coming from the BMI / Baltimore Museum of Industry. The CCS at the bottom of the page stands for Crown Cork & Seal located in Baltimore. I'm still reading the book and as far as I can tell she knows her stuff and is a professional author and researcher - which suggest that her claim about the Bay View Brewery in Baltimore being the first to use a Crown Cork is probably accurate. However, that being said, we still have to figure out how to accurately date those particular bottles - which likely won't be easy.

Brewing In Baltimore Book Maureen O'Prey 2011.png


Maureen O'Prey.jpg


Bay View Brewing  In Baltimore 2011 Maureen O'Prey.jpg


I'm also looking for a copy of the book "Background to the Crown" by Cecil J. Parker. I'm not sure when it was published but believe it was in the 1950s. Somewhere in it there is a discussion about a closure invented by William Gedge that looks a lot like a Crown-top. Just for curiosity sake I would like to see what it has to say. William Gedge was from England.

Crown Cork History Book Cecil J Parker circa 1950s.jpg


Gedge Patent 1878 England.jpg


1878 London Patent Journal - British patent number 2481 - June 21, 1878

Gedge Berthoud Stopper Patent June 21, 1878 England Patent Gazette.jpg


Later Alligators - There is still a lot of research that needs to be done - which I plan to do as time allows and will be back if I find anything substantial. And if anyone else finds anything of interest, especially if it pertains to a 1892 Crown-top bottle, please share it with us.

Thanks again to all

Bob
 

SODABOB

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P.S.

I also plan to buy this book "The Bottle King" when I can find an affordable copy. The cheapest one I have found so far is $30 - but I don't want to pay that much. Its about the Edward Everett Glass Co. and might have some helpful information. They were in operation in 1892 and the book might say when they produced their first Crown-top bottle. This is the same company connected with the 1897 article I just posted.

https://www.amazon.com/Edward-Hamlin-Everett-Bottle-King/dp/B003X5WHMS

Everett Book 1991.jpg
 
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nhpharm

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English and from 1910ish. I've dug those as well, usually from resort dumps.
 

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