ROYAL CROWN COLA BOTTLE / GLENSHAW GLASS CO.

[SODABOB]

Even though this thread did not provide us with a Royal Crown Cola bottle that can definitely be attributed to the Glenshaw Glass Co. from either 1935 or 1936, it did focus a little more attention on the Glenshaw codes and that the GH might stand for 1936 and the GI code might stand for 1937. I say "might" because I'm still not entirely convinced that the codes are accurate. Maybe one of these days something will turn up that will solve that mystery once and for all. However, there is one thing I am totally confident about, which is the existence of 12 Oz. Royal Crown Cola bottles and labels from 1935. Even though I do not know what the bottles and labels looked like or who made them, there is ample evidence that it was being bottled and sold in 1935. The attached ads and articles should confirm it. I saved them in the pdf format because pdf's include all of the necessary dates and sources. As you will see, I focused on Lexington, Kentucky because they were one of only a handful of Nehi bottlers who advertised Royal Crown Cola in 1935. In fact, there are over 1,000 ads for Royal Crown Cola in the Lexington newspapers between 1935 and 1945. What you see here is just a sampling. Even though most of the ads I attached do not include an illustration of a bottle, they clearly indicate that it was being sold. The earliest ad that shows a bottle is from 1938. What I find strange about it is that the bottle has a paper label. But I can't say for certain if that depicts the type of bottle they were using all along. It isn't until 1940 that they start showing ACL bottles. If anyone who reads this now or in the future has a bottle from Lexington (paper label or ACL) please share it with us. In the meantime I will keep searching for one.

(More later - but not a lot more - I'm almost done)

Bob

 

[SODABOB]

I received the Royal Crown Ginger Ale bottle yesterday that I spoke about in Post #39. Even though I have done some extensive research to try and date and identify it, it's still a total mystery. The bottle is in near-mint condition and the label is real and appears to be original to the bottle. But other than that I'm at a loss as to who bottled it and when. The base has the Whitall-Tatum mark with a WT in an inverted triangle - which was apparently first used in 1924. Even though I can't say for certain, it's possible the label is a lot older than the bottle and was applied later. As for the "Royal Crown Ginger Ale" brand name, I found references for it as early as 1899 and 1902 which was several years before Claud Hatcher's brand that he apparently developed in his basement in 1905. As you will see in the attachments ...

1899 = Benish & Meyer - Selma, Alabama
1902 = Christian Valaer (Bottling) - Charlotte, North Carolina

So your guess is as good as mine when it comes to making sense of this. I suppose only with time and more research will we eventually be able to figure it out. All I can say at the moment is that I am leaning toward the possibility that the paper label on my bottle is not related to the Claud Hatcher legacy and that it was possibly used by someone else?

Based on everything I am currently aware of, the Claud Hatcher / Royal Crown timeline is as follows ...

Columbus, Georgia

1905 - Union Bottle Works - First Royal Crown Ginger Ale
1912 - Union Bottling Works changed to Chero Cola Bottling
1924 - Chero Cola Bottling changed to Nehi Bottling
1934 - Royal Crown Cola introduced
1938 - Royal Crown Cola Bottling Co. established

(More later)

Bob

 

[SODABOB]

Due to the controversy involving real paper labels vs fake paper labels, I consider this label on the Collector's Weekly website to be a real label. The main reason I say that is because the bottlers name is on it, which is from Duluth, Minnesota. It seems highly unlikely to me that if someone was going to make a fake label they would also put the bottlers name on it, especially on such a tattered label. I will explain later where I'm going with this. For now I just want to establish what a real label looks like vs the fake (counterfeit) ones. As for the bottle it's attached to, I don't know if it's original to the label or not.

PAPER PYRAMID LABEL RC COLA BOTTLE DULUTH MN | Collectors Weekly

Shop for—and learn—about vintage and antiques. Browse the best of eBay, connect with other collectors, and explore the history behind your favorite finds.

www.collectorsweekly.com

Bob

 

[SODABOB]

Now that we have a good idea of what an original paper looks like, compare it to the examples I attached. I received the photos via a personal email from an individual who was looking for help and hoping to date not only the paper label but also the bottle. The bottle is marked on the base with LGW 3 which is a Laurens Glass Works mark. These bottles were discussed extensively on this thread started by member iggworf in 2015 ...

https://www.antique-bottles.net/threads/rc-cola.671684/

Unfortunately, like so many of the discussions related to RC bottles they usually end up with more questions than answers. If you read iggy's thread you will see where we never did determine exactly what the numbers stood for. We have seen them 1 thru 10 and always accompanied by the LGW. Even though I can't say for certain I'm pretty sure they are not dates codes and are most likely mold numbers. But the bigger question is why some of the Laurens bottles did not have date codes when they were consistently used as early as 1919. Even though it was speculated that some of the RC bottles like the one shown here were experimental bottles, no evidence has surfaced that I know of to confirm that possibility. The even bigger question is whether the Laurens (LGW) bottles were the first RC bottles? I for one am willing to entertain that possibility - but unfortunately I can not prove it at the present time.

Even though the paper label on this particular bottle is in near mint condition and appears too good to be true, the individual who sent the photos said he has been involved with printing processes for 35 years and that the label is definitely not a re-print done by inkjet or any of the other modern processes. But it's not only the label that's in pristine condition, the bottle is too. Hence, I am prepared to go out on a limb that this could very well be the first Royal Crown Cola (Nehi) bottle and paper label ever used. However, like all of the previous discussions this one also ends without absolute proof and only with time and more research will we likely know for certain.

(Stand by for one more "new" discovery)

Bob

Note: These are some of the best photos of an RC bottle I have ever seen and my hat is off to the individual who sent them to me! I wish eBay sellers were just as talented.

 

[SODABOB]

New Discovery / New Bottle / In Search of

This may not be a new discovery for some of you but it is to me. I wish I could find something similar that describes and illustrates the new Royal Crown Cola bottle from 1935. But since that will have to wait for another day I see no reason why we can't try and find one of these 1956 bottles. Notice in the first article where it says ...

"made its first appearance in market test in Chicago last June,
and since has been utilized in other franchise areas."

The rest of the articles and ads are self explanatory. I searched high and low but could not find one of the new 1956 bottles from anywhere - nor one with a 1956 date on it. The closest example I could find is this one on eBay from 1957 ...

https://shorturl.at/fjtRS

If anyone has one, or finds one in the future, please share it with us. I can think of no better way to end this thread than with a new discovery, especially when you take into account that my attempt to find a (100% confirmed) old discovery fell flat. Oh well, life goes on and so do soda bottle collectors.

Bob

 

[SODABOB]

It took me a several hours of searching but I finally found a 1956 12 Oz. RC bottle. This is the only one I found so they must be super rare. There is no indication where it's from. Nor do I know if it was a test market bottle. All I know is that where there is one there must be others. This particular example was made by the Owens-Illinois Glass Co.

The search continues ...

Bob

 

[iggyworf]

Great Bottle Bob. I still have my Royal Crown Ginger ale labels. Now you have one on a bottle. Awesome. I have a couple of those style RC bottles. I will check them to see what dates on them.

 

[SODABOB]

Thanks, Rich

I'm not certain but this RC bottle on eBay might be a 1956. The reason I'm not certain is because the second digit might be a 58 for 1958. But even if it is a 1956 I'm holding out for one in better condition. If anyone wants to take a chance on it you might be able to get it by offering the seller $15 and see what happens.

As near as I can determine, the transition from the old bottles to the new bottles took about two or three years. I have seen a lot of the older bottles from 1956 through 1958, but I can't find a 1959 in the older style. All of the 1959 bottles I have seen are the newer version with the diamond label. Speaking of the diamond label, it was registered on May 2, 1957 and claims a first use of June 1956. The June 1956 date ties in with the newspaper ads and articles I posted earlier.

eBay bottle link ...

Vintage Royal Crown Cola Red Diamond White Crown 12 OZ Bottle | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vintage Royal Crown Cola Red Diamond White Crown 12 OZ Bottle at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

shorturl.at

Bob

 

[SODABOB]

These articles depict a Muskogee, Oklahoma bottler's transition from the old bottles in 1956 to the new bottles in 1959. Even though there are similar transitions, I selected this one because it includes a lot of cool information and photos. They apparently began bottling Royal Crown Cola around 1938. There are examples of their early bottles with their name on them. I don't think very many, if any, of the newer bottles have locations on them. At least I haven't seen any that do. If you are from Oklahoma these articles may be of particular interest. There might be someone mentioned in them that you are related to or knew. I hope you enjoy them. You might have to download them first in order to more easily read them.

Bob

 

[SODABOB]

Last but not Least? / Paper Label Timeline?

It's one thing to try and date the bottles, with the later ones being a lot easier to date than the earlier ones. But it's another thing altogether to try and date paper labels. Please keep this in mind because the following is based on a number of factors, including approximate dates as well as a number of best guesses. Two of the labels are mystery labels, which I will point out in the text. I have listed them according to what I believe is the earliest first and the latest last. Additionally, please be reminded of these dates, which are based on almost every history I have seen ...

1905 - Union Bottle Works - First Royal Crown Ginger Ale
1912 - Union Bottling Works changed to Chero Cola Bottling
1924 - Chero Cola Bottling changed to Nehi Bottling
1934 - Royal Crown Cola introduced
1938 - Royal Crown Cola Bottling Co. established


1. Royal Crown Ginger Ale - Mystery Label. Because of the name it would be easy to assume this label is related to the others. However, I can't find anything definitive to make the connection because it doesn't have a date, bottler, or location on it. It could be related to the 1899 newspaper ad I posted earlier for Benish & Meyer from Selma, Alabama. I really don't know for certain.

2. Royal Crown Ginger Ale - Union Bottling Works - Columbus, Georgia. Even though I do not know the exact date, because of the bottler and the location it is certainly a solid connection, which I am circa dating sometime between 1905 and 1912. Only example I have ever seen.

3. Royal Crown Ginger Ale - Chero Cola Bottling. Exact dates and locations unknown but Chero Cola suggest circa 1912 or later. But how much later I do not know.

4. Royal Crown Ginger Ale - Highland Bottling Works - San Mateo, Cal. Exact date unknown but research done on the bottler indicates early 1930s.

5. Royal Crown Bounce. Exact date and location unknown but likely early to mid 1930s.

6. Royal Crown Cola - Mystery Label. Date and location unknown but almost identical to earlier Ginger Ale labels with pyramids and camel. Could this be the very first Royal Crown Cola paper label? If so, possibly circa 1934-35. Only example I have ever seen.

7. Royal Crown Cola - Nehi Bottling Co. - Grand Rapids, Michigan. Date unknown but typical of the labels we have seen from 1936 and later until the ACL (painted) labels were introduced in 1937.

If anyone has one of the mystery labels or knows anything about them, please let us know. Thanks!

Bob