OWENS-ILLINOIS MARK 4285G ~ WHAT DOES IT STAND FOR?

[bottleopop]

Very interesting!

I hope that you can at least include fluid ounces since that results in a different mold number - size matters!
The others, I agree, are details.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Let's try it this way instead and see if the info is easier to read ...

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Next one ... 2 of 3

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Last one ... 3 of 3

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Reminder ...

All of the above bottles are 1930 examples and embossed only. No acls are listed.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

It case it hasn't dawned on anyone yet, there are going to be multiple challenges involved with trying to match up the 1930 mold numbers from the catalog to actual bottles, which are ...

1. I can't recall ever seeing a confirmed 1930 Owens-Illinois bottle irregardless of whether it had a mold number or not.
2. Even 1931 through 1933 examples are not that abundant, nor are they likely going to be easy to identify and find either.
3. Its possible that the catalog mold numbers weren't even embossed on the bottles.

If someone finds even one Owens-Illinois embossed only bottle with a mold number on it, even if the date is questionable, please share it with the rest of us for evaluation. Just one confirmed non acl from circa 1930 to 1933 with a mold number on it is all it would take to make my day.

Thanks.

Bob

 

[bottleopop]

SODAPOPBOB -

I like the pages!
I am typing them into a spreadsheet.

I am hoping that you could provide corrections if I either post the spreadsheet's pages here in draft form or send them to you first.
Then the spreadsheet pages can be shown here.

 

[wisodas]

From a Wisconsin soda water bottle perspective: The Owens-Illinois Glass company plants 9, 7, and 3 located in Streator, Illinois; Alton, Illinois; and Fairmont, West Virginia used design numbers designated by the letter G followed by a 2, 3, 4, or 5 digit number. And the design numbers were shared by the 3 plants - in other words a bottle blown in a G94 mold would look the same from Streator, Alton, or Fairmont.
The design numbers have nothing to do with glass color, and don’t indicate whether a bottle had applied color lettering or not. They simply indicated a particular body shape, height, diameter, capacity, and embossed decoration in the form of lettering, ribbing, texturing, etc. Of course, certain, plainer designs lent themselves to ACL lettering better than others. On later bottles there is usually a dash between the G and the number.
From a quick perusal of my Wisconsin cataloging information, the earliest OI design number I saw was on a 1930 “quart†proprietary design bottle from Green Bay (G1657), although early 1930’s OI bottles usually don’t have a design number. I also saw G211 on a 1931 quart proprietary soda bottle from Chippewa Falls.
In general, 2 digit design numbers seem to have been used for fairly plain, unembossed soda bottles. G94 refers to an unembossed 7 ounce capacity bottle. G76 is its 12 ounce counterpart. And G102 is commonly used for unembossed 24 ounce “quartsâ€. The preceding three bottles were extensively in ACL bottle production. As additional examples, G127 is a bottle with textured sides, and G491 is a 32 ounce bottle with textured sides and smooth areas for the application of ACL labels.
Early 3 digit OI design numbers seem to occur on national brand bottles like Orange Crush and Dr. Pepper. 4-digit numbers occur on proprietary and plate mold bottles starting in the 1930’s. 5-digit numbers started appearing after 1950. The design numbers have nothing to do with U. S. design patent numbers. Alton used four digit design numbers on its bottles in the 1920’s, but OI did not seem to adopt those numbers. Root Glass Co, used 2, 3, and 4 digit design numbers, often associated with one or two letters. And Thatcher used 4-digit design numbers on its soda water bottles in the late 1940’s-early 1950’s.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

wisodas ~

Welcome to the forum.

The information you posted is exactly the sort of think I have been hoping to uncover for a long time now but just never had enough bottles to make comparisons with. It will require a little time to digest everything you posted, but it is definitely very helpful from a collector's stand point. It appears you have spent a great deal of time examinining a whole bunch of different Owens-Illinois bottles from various time periods, and are to be commended both for your time and dedication. I for one truly appreciate it. Perhaps it would interest you to take a look at another thread here on the forum regarding a similar discussion. Its the one titled "Agana Guam Hobbleskirt Coke." Please check it out and see what you think.

Thanks again.

Bob

 

[wisodas]

Bob,

I guess I should be calling "design numbers" by their name in the OI catalog - "mold numbers". And the numbers usually located below the OI symbol I should be calling “mold cavity numbersâ€. I've been cataloging Wisconsin OI soda bottles for 40 years and always called mold numbers "design numbers", and mold cavity numbers I referred to as "mold numbers".

So, in an OI glass bottle factory there would be a bunch of G94 molds sitting on the shelf, ready to use. And it is likely that the mold number AND the mold cavity number would also be lettered on the outside of the mold. That way, if defective bottles started appearing on the line, one could check the mold cavity number embossed below the OI symbol on the defective bottles, and, in turn, yank the offending mold.

I did read through some of the comments on Guam Coca-Cola bottles, and while I am not familiar with the glass company marks on those bottles, it did remind me of something I’ve been puzzled about for years with respect to Wisconsin Coca-Cola bottles. Many Wisconsin Coca-Cola bottles were blown by the Chattanooga Glass Co. Their mark in the 1940’s was a (1 or 2 digit mold cavity number) (C in a circle) (last 2 digits of the year manufactured). For example, for Madison, Chattanooga blew bottles dated 47 (1947) using dozens of different mold cavity numbers. And for 1948 the same thing, etc. Are they really mold cavity numbers? Or is this something else about glass bottle manufacturing that I don’t understand?