Wartime Coke??

[SODAPOPBOB]

I know they aren't particularly rare but what are these bottles worth?

Based on what I hear about the ample supply in your current neck of the woods, it sounds like they are "free" for the picking. [] But on a more serious note, my guess is that a stateside, clear WWII Coca Cola bottle would value at about $10.00, perhaps more if it was in pristine mint condition. Good luck in your travels and bottling hunting, wherever they might take you, and be sure to stay tuned in. I sometimes think it is the bottles that seek us out and not necessarily us seeking them. Bob

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

This article isn't about Guam, nor does it mention clear bottles, but it does shed some light on the question as to whether Coca Cola was bottled in the states or bottled overseas during WWII. Check it out ... From: The Morning Herald ~ Hagerstown, Maryland ~ June 24, 1944 ~ (Pages 1 & 4 / Cropped)

 

[jennygrace08]

I never gave Coca Cola history a second thought until 2 days ago. Now I can't get enough. It is all so interesting. Who'da thought!

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Jenny:

Because your clear WWII era Coca Cola bottle sparked my interest in this subject again, I thought I'd put together this little summarization. But first, I'm not entirely sure how it got centered like it did and hope it copy/paste properly and is readable. And just in case it doesn't post properly, I will try and edit it later.

The following is a collection of some of the major observations and quotes related to wartime Coca Cola bottles which I feel are the most significant of those related to this discussion. Based on this particular information and other references similar to it, the general consensus appears to be that the clear Coke bottles were produced mainly so they could be identified as "overseas" bottles and not because of a lack of copper due to wartime rationing. Even though the threads I posted links to earlier cover this in greater detail, I thought this capsulized version might be in order. However, based on my recollection, I believe this is the first time the actual 1943 Dwight Eisenhower telegram has been posted, which I found extremely interesting. Unfortunately, my attempts to enlarge the telegram failed, but the word-for-word account of it can be viewed by opening the first link at the bottom. The second link taps into the site where I found the picture of the telegram. It appears to me that the only unsolved mystery to all of this, or at least the only "major" mystery, is determining what the apparently random letter and number codes stand for. Some of them are obviously dates, but nowhere can I find a logical explanation as to what the rest of the codes stand for. Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to figure out exactly what the 8A and similar markings represent. Lastly, this correspondence will self destruct five seconds after reading it! (Lol). [] Seriously, thanks for sharing your bottle. With Memorial Day approaching your timing could not have been better.


Bob


The attachments are as follows ...

1. Original June 29, 1943 Eisenhower telegram.

2. Newspaper ad ~ The Salt Lake Tribune ~ Salt Lake City, Utah ~ June 1, 1943 ( I especially like this ad because of the content and because it was published about a month before the Eisenhower telegram). 3. Reminder!








December 1941- Robert W. Woodruff announced The Coca-Cola Company’s wartime policy: “We will see that every man in uniform gets a bottle of Coca-Cola for five cents wherever he is and whatever it costs the Company.”[align=center]
In 1943, General Dwight D. Eisenhower sent a telegram
requesting 10 Mobile Bottling Plants be sent to the European war front. The Cablegram also requested that three million bottles and complete equipment necessary for producing the same quantity twice monthly be sent.[/align][align=center]
Bottle production began in 1943. The bottles were to be made using clear glass and no City/State markings on the bottom.[/align][align=center]
There are two theories about why clear glass was used instead of the normal Coke Green in manufacturing these bottles. One was that it made the bottles easily identifiable as military bottles. The other is that copper is needed to create the Coke Green glass and, due to a shortage of copper, it was necessary to manufacture them with clear glass. This latter theory may not be correct since all U.S. Coca-Cola bottles manufactured during the War years were in the standard Coke green glass.[/align][align=center]
The first bottle manufactured in 43 was simply the PAT’D D-105529 bottle in clear glass with no City/State markings. A new bottle mold could not be made quickly to allow a different style bottle for Military use only. By 1944, the new style bottle began production with the word ‘TRADEMARK REGISTERED' below the Coca-Cola script. This bottle was produced until 1946[/align][align=center] [/align][align=center]http://books.google.com/books?id=bSAChoqpnHUC&pg=PA199&lpg=PA199&dq=eisenhower+1943+coca+cola+telegram&source=bl&ots=JvOfl1bgbh&sig=m3QZ2mPAsDix0nlDzBR_B9uESJY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-d18U5byMpefyAShm4L4Cw&ved=0CEoQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=eisenhower%201943%20coca%20cola%20telegram&f=false[/align][align=center] [/align][align=center] [/align][align=center]http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/2010/06/eisenhower-cable.html[/align]

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Here are two more articles I thought everyone would enjoy ... 1. I especially like this one because it was written by the famous wartime reporter "Ernie Pyle" ( Council Bluffs Nonpareil ~ Council Bluffs, Iowa ~ January 26, 1944 ) 2. I found this same article (almost word for word) in numerous newspapers nationwide, all of which were published sometime in June of 1945, but related to different bottlers in different states. ( The Atchison Daily Globe ~ Atchison, Kansas ~ June 16, 1945 )

 

[hemihampton]

I would not be surprised if they were clear because shortage of Copper. I know they did a similar thing with the war time beer can. LEON.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Leon: I agree there is a possibility that the clear bottles had something to do with copper rationing, but the confusing part for me, and apparently others is, how do we explain the WWII era stateside bottles being the standard "Georgia green" color? I'm inclined to think if there was a strict copper rationing in effect that it would have included their entire production of bottles and not just the ones that showed up overseas.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

P.S. I'm currently searching to see if I can find any public announcements the Coca Cola Company might have released regarding the change to clear bottles. If any of the clear bottles were intended for the stateside market, I find it hard to believe they would have placed them in stores without first notifying consumers as to the reason for the change.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

P.S. ~ P.S. As I attempted to point out earlier, there is an almost uncountable number of articles regarding the sugar shortage and that the cut-off/curtailing date for sugar in every instance was July 1, 1945. In every article it states that the Coca Cola Company would not compromise the flavor or quality of their beverage by using substitute sweeteners and that because of this the supply of Coca Cola in markets would be limited. So if this aspect of rationing was important enough to warrant public announcement nationwide, then why not do the same thing if their bottles suddenly changed from green to clear? But then again ... The term "rationing" doesn't necessarily mean none whatsoever, which might suggest that they decided to use their allotment of copper at home and cut back on it in other places such as the warzones. ???

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

This link has a (somewhat) readable image of the July 29, 1945 Eisenhower telegram, plus some other cool pictures. Check it out ... http://www.pararesearchteam.com/Trademarks/Trademarks-CocaCola-05.html Also check out these pictures. It's hard to say for certain, but some of them look like clear-glass bottles. Especially notice the second picture - I wonder why the liquid line at the bottle's neck appears to be straight across? But then again, maybe it's just the light that's causing it to look that way. ???