Question about dating an ACL

[MichaelFla]

I don't usually collect ACL bottles, primarily because I grew up drinking out of some of them and refuse to acknowledge that they are old. However, I picked up this little 8 ounce Pepsi this morning for $2 simply because it was from Jacksonville, FLA. I know it's not in the best of condition.

My question is, the base has the Anchor Hocking logo, marked on the left side with 5 and on the right 37. I assumed this was the date, until I looked below that and saw another alphanumeric sequence that says 14-B-58, or maybe 14-B-5B. The last character, thinking it is an 8, makes me wonder if this is a 1958 bottle or if my original guess was correct in thinking it is a 1937 bottle.

Any ideas which is the correct date? When did they switch to the single dot?

 

[surfaceone]

Hello Michael,

"During Al Steele's reign, two changes significant to collectors of Pepsi memorabilia were made. In 1951, a logo change from two dots, or a semi-colon, between the words "Pepsi" and "Cola" (double dot), to one dot, or a period (single dot), was made. These different logos are not only used as a dating means for Pepsi items, but they also serve as specific divisions in categories for many collectors. Another change made at this time was a switch to a swirl-designed bottle." From.

 

[MichaelFla]

Okay, by that the earliest it could have been is 1951 (change to single dot logo), and no later than 1958 (change to the swirl design, from). But how do you read the date code? The bottle design came out in 1940, so obviously the 37 beside the logo is not it. And I'm not sore sure that the other code is a number. It might be 5B. Is there an easy way to date these?

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

MF ~

Try these ...

http://www.glassbottlemarks.com/anchor-and-h-entwined-mark-anchor-hocking-glass-corporation/

http://www.fruitjar.org/PlantCodes/Anchor%20Hocking_files/image003.jpg

http://www.anchorhocking.com/heritage.html

 

[23baseball3]

ORIGINAL: MichaelFla

Okay, by that the earliest it could have been is 1951 (change to single dot logo), and no later than 1958 (change to the swirl design, from).

I've got one from 1959 though...? (Sorry about size of image)

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

23B3 ~

Transition is the key word here ... It took about four years (1958 to 1962) for glass makers and bottlers alike to transition from the 'Wave' bottle to the 'Swirl' bottle ... and possibly even a little later than that in some regions.

This ad is dated 1959 and is the earliest on gono.com depicting the Pepsi 'Swirl' bottle. Notice that the 1958 ads still show the 'Wave' bottle.

 

[OsiaBoyce]

ORIGINAL: MichaelFla

I don't usually collect ACL bottles, primarily because I grew up drinking out of some of them and refuse to acknowledge that they are old.

As a given whole, we as collectors of ACLs are not collecting 'old' bottles, but are collecting lables. They just happen to be on bottles.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Oops ... I forgot the gono.com link

http://www.gono.com/museum2003/museum%20collect%20info/pepsi/pepsi2.htm

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

ORIGINAL: OsiaBoyce

As a given whole, we as collectors of ACLs are not collecting 'old' bottles, but are collecting lables. They just happen to be on bottles.

From page 64 of Rick Sweeney's 2002 book "Collecting Applied Color Label Soda Bottles"