Help with Hobbleskirt ID

[Ivybriana]

Hi, found this one recently and having problems finding much online about it. Had to photo edit a little to get (very faint) mark to show in pics. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Eric]

I don't know what the number along the heel represents.. the date will be on the side on the waste.. there will be a number then a circle/diamond shape then another to the right of that.. Was told the number on the left is a mould number the number to the right is the date... the bottom of the bottle will have the bottler's town/state. Sure someone can give you more info or can correct me if I'm wrong... post more pics of the bottom and sides... thanks

 

[Canadacan]

I don't know what the number along the heel represents.. the date will be on the side on the waste.. there will be a number then a circle/diamond shape then another to the right of that.. Was told the number on the left is a mould number the number to the right is the date... the bottom of the bottle will have the bottler's town/state. Sure someone can give you more info or can correct me if I'm wrong... post more pics of the bottom and sides... thanks

I could not make out the the writing under the CC script myself.

 

[hemihampton]

Looked like a 1915Coke to me. In this case those #'s along bottom would be date as they moved up farther on skirt on later bottles. Whats the very Bottom say? any city or state name? LEON.

 

[hemihampton]

The 576 looks like a graham glass co # used by the plant in Evansville Indiana. What comes after the 576? EP is it? LEON.

 

[Raymond1804]

I believe the 576 is a Mould Code used by the Graham Glass Co. for it's Evansville factory. (I'm going to correct myself on what I said previously.)
Grahams complex codes for it's soda bottles generally consisted of four parts, Mould Codes, Plant codes, Bottle type codes and Date Codes. Plant Codes consisted of a single letter that identified the Plant. I believe the 576 is the Mould Code.
(E) is for the factory code, Evanston, Illinois and then this was usually followed by either a G. P. or S. (G) for Graham or general, (P) for Proprietary and (S) for Standard which described the "bottle type". Then beginning in 1916, Graham added a unique date code system. These codes were based on letters starting with "P" - the 16th letter of the alphabet, (P)= 1916 (Q) =1917, (R)= 1918 and (S)=1919. Production in 1920 introduced the two-digit, numerical date codes.
So, from what I've researched I'm Not seeing a fourth code (Date) on your bottle?
There should be 576 E P (?). From what I'm seeing on your bottle and my research, I Can't say there's a date code or numbers visible... STILL, I do believe your bottle is early!!

 

[SODABOB]

Happy New Year to All

Hi, Ivybriana

I noticed you haven't posted since you stared this thread. I hope you are receiving these updates because it could turn out that your Coca Cola bottle might be of historical significance. And only you will likely be able to determine that. It primarily depends on properly identifying the heel-marks. As stated earlier, your bottle was manufactured by the Graham Glass Company at their Evansville, Indiana plant. The heel-mark appears to be 576 EP. As you will see in the attached articles, that mark is definitely attributed to Graham Glass, and the 576 was their designated number for Coca Cola bottles. However, the 'P' is of particular interest. Notice in both articles that the 'P' is discussed, and that it represents 1916. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but if it is a true 'P' that has NOT been modified, then it could be the first known example of a 1916 Coca Cola bottle. According to every reliable source, the very first hobbleskirts were issued in the spring of 1917, despite the fact that the bottle was patented in 1915. As you will see in the articles, Bill Porter is not aware of a 1916 Graham bottle, and states that the earliest Graham Coca Cola bottle in his massive collection is marked with an 'R' for 1918. He also states that the 'R' was likely modified from the letter 'P' but is not a 'P' if that makes any sense. Anyway, the thing is, if you can confirm that your bottle has a true 'P' that has not been modified, then you just might have the earliest known example, despite the poor condition that it's in. I enhanced your images, especially the heel code, but can't say with any certainty if the 'P' has been altered or not. That's why I say it's up to you. It would be very much appreciated if you could examine the mark closely and see if the 'P' has been altered. It would also be appreciated if you could provide us with a better, focused image of the mark. Lastly, I am in contact with Bill Lockhart almost every day, and Bill Porter on occasion. If it turns out it is a true 'P' I will gladly share it with them and see what they think. But before doing that I think it's best to see what you come up with first.

Thanks a LOT - we hope to hear from you soon.

Bob

Footnotes:

1. Especially see Page 49 of the 2010 Lockhart/ Porter article
2. Especially see Page 436 of the Graham Glass Co. article

 

[hemihampton]

I was curious & kinda stumped on the P myself. She never responded back to my Question?

 

[Canadacan]

What Bob said!!!...that would be incredible!!!

 

[SODABOB]

Just for the record ...

Bob