Help with Hobbleskirt ID

[Canadacan]

Curious about Canada ...

Transition from straight-side to hobble-skirt June 1918 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada ???

Ever notice in the ad for the Hobble skirt that the date is Nov 16, 1916 ?.... my Toronto Globe clipping from 1918 has the same 1916, vs the actual bottle 1915. I always wondered if that was just a random error by the artist or if it was purposely done as the 1915 patent did not belong to the updated bottle.

 

[SODABOB]

Canada

I have noticed that - but not only in ads - there are various types of errors on the bottles themselves ...

Bob

P.S. - Errors on bottles would have been because the mold engraver was asleep at the wheel - as well as the inspector.

 

[SODABOB]

Even though these ads won't solve the mystery surrounding Ivy's bottle, they might provide a clue or two - plus they were just too cool to pass up ...

Bob

P.S. - Unfortunately, I'm almost done here because I am running out of resources that will provide any more information than I already have about Ivy's bottle. However, I have a couple of more things I'm working on and will post them soon.

 

[SODABOB]

To Summarize / Personal Opinion / Despite any claims I made previously / Confidence is not proof ...

1. I'm confident that the 576 can be attributed to the Graham Glass Company.
2. I'm confident that the letter 'E' can be attributed to the Graham Glass plant in Evansville, Indiana.
3. Even though I don't know what the other codes stand for - such as the 'P' - I no longer believe they are dates.
4. I'm confident that the Root Glass Co. made all of the 1916 bottles.
5. I'm confident that various other bottle manufacturers were involved in making the bottles in 1917 and later.
6. I'm confident that Ivy's bottle was made by Graham Glass at their Evansville plant.
7. I'm confident that Ivy's bottle was made sometime between 1917 and 1919.
8. All things considered, I'm confident there is more information to be found and that this discussion is inconclusive.
9. Even though I have been unable to find another bottle that has the same marks as Ivy's bottle, I did find this one ...

576 ER / Cairo, Georgia

10. Unfortunately, I don't know any more about that code than I do about the code that's on Ivy's bottle.

Bob

 

[SODABOB]

576 EG 20 / Cairo, Georgia

 

[hemihampton]

I got a G20. What exactly would a G20 mean?

 

[Ivybriana]

It’s been a super interesting discussion, I feel honored to have started it and love how it’s evolved into so much more!

 

[SODABOB]

Leon

Does your mark look anything like the one I attached? And does your bottle have a city/state on the base?

This one is marked 576 G 20 and has Leaksville, N.C. on the base.

Based on the consistency of double-digit numbers I have seen (19 thru 28) I'm confident they are date codes - with the 20 being for 1920. I'm also confident that the 576 is a designation code that Graham used on all of their 1915 Coca Cola bottles. As for the 'G' I can only speculate based on similar bottles I have seen coupled with what little reliable information I have been able to find. Even though I can't say for certain, I'm thinking the 'G' stands for one of two things.


1. G = Graham
2. G = General (General line of bottles / generic)

In addition to this I have also seen the 'G' accompanied by an OP - as in 576 OP G 20. With the OP apparently a code for the Graham plant in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. So, if any of this is even close to accurate, I'm guessing that your bottle might have been made at the Okmulgee plant in 1920.

Bob

 

[SODABOB]

Ivy

I think I speak for most of us when I say that we are also honored to be a part of your thread. If not for you, we may not have discovered the numerous ads for the 1916 hobble-skirts. Not to mention all of the other goodies that turned up. On another note, it might be of interest to briefly address why a bottler would purchase bottles from a glassworks that was hundreds of miles away in a different state. Based on what I know about such things, it was primarily do the cost of the bottles. If a bottle manufacture was offering their wares for one cent per bottle, and another manufacturer's offer was one and a half cents per bottle, even with shipping cost factored in, the bottler typically went with whichever one was the cheapest overall. There seemed to be very little loyalty when it came to tight budgets. I mention this to exemplify that the Leaksville bottle might have been purchased from the Graham Glass plant in Oklahoma. Even though your bottle was made in Evansville, it could have been sold to a bottler in Louisiana or any other state in the south. Of course, you bottle could have gotten to New Orleans by way of someone traveling from one state to another. Have you checked it for fingerprints and/or DNA? (Lol)

Bob

P.S.

If I remember correctly, one 'gross' equals 144 individual bottles - which is six cases. It was not uncommon for bottlers to order thousands of bottles at a time.

 

[SODABOB]

There is an interesting feature on the base of my ice blue bottle that I have not seen on any other 1915 hobble-skirt. If anyone who reads this has the same feature on one or more of your 1915 bottles, please let us know. As you will see in the attached photo, there are actually two odd features ...

1. A straight seam across the bottom.
2. A perfect circle that is slightly offset from the center.

I'm almost certain that the features came from the cast iron mold. I know that most molds were typically in two parts and hinged. Sometimes the molds came in three parts - with the third part being a removable base plate. At times they used the same body mold and then changed the base plate if a city/state was needed. One thing that's weird about the base seam is that it does NOT line up with the side seams. Because the base seam is perfectly straight, I'm sure it is not an anomaly of some type. The same goes for the circle - perfect! Even though I have not researched those features yet, they could be tell-tale indications of a particular type of mold. And when I say mold, I mean a hand-blown mold and not a machine mold. Anyway, if anyone has any ideas, please let us know - especially if you have a bottle with the same or similar seam/circle. Thanks.

Bob