EARLIEST OWENS-ILLINOIS SODA BOTTLE MARK (NON-ACL)

[SODAPOPBOB]

Howdy ~

I haven't been around lately - been busy with a variety of things, including catagorizing and photographing my extensive collection of approximately 500 Southwest related items. Just the postcards alone took me almost a week.

Anyway, the following is something I have been wanting to do for some time now, and thought it might be interesting and fun to invite others to participate. What I would like to do is find as many of the earliest Owens-Illinois bottle marks as we can find - and the brands that used them.

As most of us know by now, the Owens-Illinois merger was officially approved on April 17, 1929. However, even though there are claims of the mark being used as early as April 20, 1929, there still appears to be come controversy surrounding this early of use. The <(I)> mark itself was not officially registered (#269,225) until April 1, 1930.

According to Julian H. Toulouse, actual production began sometime in 1930. Irregardless of the exact year, it would pre-date acl (painted label) bottles which first started to appear around 1934/35. Of course, Duraglas would not join the Owens-Illinois team until 1940.

So what I'm looking for are those "possible" 1929 examples if they exist - and definitely the 1930 thru 1933 examples.

Here's are some links if you would like to brush-up on your Owens-Illinois history. And please note this is not intended to create a debate involving the dot / no-dot discussion. I think most of us will agree that if the bottles in question are non-acl and of the deco-style variety, more than likely whatever mark they have, whether it be a single 9 or a zero/0, the odds are it is either a 1929 or 1930 bottle. I realize that some bottlers were still producing non-acl deco styles as late as 1939, but I believe they will be far and few between.

First let's just see what we can find with a single ...

9 ~ 0 ~ 1 ~ 2 ~ 3

... and if any 9s turn up, then we will take a vote as to whether they are 1929 or 1939.

The earliest example in my collection is the "Quality" bottle pictured below.








Bill Lockhart Articles[/align] [/align]http://www.sha.org/research_resources/newsletter_articles/lockhart.cfm[/align] [/align]http://www.sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/OwensIll_BLockhart.pdf[/align] [/align]Owens-Illinois Plant Locations/Numbers[/align] [/align]http://www.angelfire.com/tn/traderz/owens.html[/align] [/align]Bottle Makers and Their Marks / Diamond Superimposed ...[/align] [/align]http://www.myinsulators.com/glass-factories/bottlemarks.html[/align][/align]

I expect this to be a brief thread, as I am doubtful of many 1929 thru 1930 Owens-Illinois bottles turning up. Most will likely be 1931 thru 1933. And if you post, please show a picture of both the bottle itself (with a description) as well as a picture of the base. One picture is worth a thousand words.

Note: The first O-I plant location/number is No.1 Toledo, Ohio. But whether they actually made the very first bottles, I would expect so, but not sure.

Thanks in advance to all who participate.

SODAPOPBOB

[ Quality ~ Fremont, Nebraska ~ Coca Cola Bottling Co. ~ 3 <(I)> 1 ~ Fairmont, W.VA. ~ 1931 ]

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

[ Base ]

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

[ Owens-Illinois List ]

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

1929s

Do They Exist?

 

[TheCaliKid]

Where have you been?

I'm heading out to Randsburg on Saturday morning.....gonna get me some moar. There are three different shops there that sell bottles - mostly western ones I might add.



You wanted to know where the 29's are, did you? Apparently in Randsburg:

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Kid ~

What do you mean "Where have I been?" You only have 187 post compared to my 3184 post! Where have "you" been? Lol (Just kidding). []

And if you like "wide" imagery, check out this website link that goes straight to a timeline of major events for 1929.

We still need to go bottle huntin' "one of these days."

Take care,

Bob

1929 Timeline Link: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~1930s2/time/1929/1929fr.html

 

[TheCaliKid]

Wow, that site is really cool. Whoever put that together really put some effort into it. Bookmarking for later.

Well, yes, I have a low post count.....but hey, I don't have 500 bottles to go off and take pictures of either! So, there's your lack of motivation right there.


Yes, I would like to go hunting still. I think I have kinda given up on the "side of the road" method. I'd like to get into digging at remote sites. I hear the BLM is cracking down on activities like this tho.

If you could find out, would you like to try to dig in the Darwin area? I heard of a guy that does it the last time I was in Lone Pine and a lady who owns the rock shop there in town said her brother does it. (he lives in Monterey of all places)

Knowing my luck, there won't be anything left to find, at least not soda bottles. There is a real finite supply, if you know what I mean. Besides, people have been scrapping those places for decades already. This isn't the midwest or east coast folks! We have to remember too, there just weren't a whole lot of people out here in these remote places to begin with.


Did you see my thread about the museum I went to in Laws yet?

https://www.antique-bottles.net/forum/Some-bottle-pictures-from-Laws%2C-California/m-447904/tm.htm

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Kid ~

Great tour of the museum and it's bottles. But I wouldn't call that a thread ... it's more like a "rope!"

Good job!

By the way ... I wonder if Dean would send me a Ruby Red, too? Lol [] Just kidding, Dean. Don't you dare offer me one! I'd feel terrible if you did.

Now back to the 1929'ers

Where the heck is one?

Not in my collection, that's for sure!

SBB

 

[TheCaliKid]

Thank you for the complements!

Not to thread jack, but you should take a gander at my other two recent threads, since you've been absent as of late.


The soda shards of our lives:
https://www.antique-bottles.net/forum/The-soda-shards-of-our-lives/m-447900/tm.htm


Kern County California bottle:
https://www.antique-bottles.net/forum/Kern-County-California-bottle-%2D-need-helpimas-please%21/m-447886/tm.htm


Well, I'm going to be gone for 5 days on an epic camping/road/hiking trip with my wife (girlfriend, but we might as well be married, actually we will be Common Law married soon if this keeps up.) to the eastern Sierra and environs. The aspen trees are gonna be turning colors! (for those of elsewhere in the nation - don't get mad, it's just that as a native-born Californicator I never get to experience seasons!)

When I get back, where is the best place on the forum to share vacation pictures?

Here's a sneak "peak" (as we are going back to some of the same places.)


A little slice of heaven @ 10,000 feet:

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Kid ~

1. This thread will likely be slow going anyway. I doubt many members are in a hurry to check every one of their non-acls for a "maybe" 1929/1930 Owens-Illinois mark. So don't worry about what you post here. Anything goes for now. But if it takes off and a lot of O-I bottles start showing up, we might want to cool it.

2. Circumstances don't allow me to get out much these days. So I will have to take a rain-check on going anywhere. I haven't been able to go bottle hunting in months. Just a few antique shop finds.

3. That picture you posted looks like the Mineral King area. I was there years ago. Did you know that Walt Disney wanted to build a "Mountain Theme" amusement park there at one time? The Sierra Club put a stop to it.

4. I'll check out your other threads soon. I'm sure they will be worth a look.

Have a good trip ... but I'd take your longjohns along if you plan on visiting anything at 10,000 feet this time of year.

Later,

Bob