On this page I’ve compiled a list of what are generally known as “Liquor Bottle Permit Numbers“. (They were sometimes called “Bottle Manufacturers’ Permit Numbers” or “Glass Manufacturers’ Permit Numbers” in the earlier contemporary records). These numbers were assigned by the U.S. government (the Bureau of Internal Revenue, renamed Internal Revenue Service in 1953) to glass factories in the United States that were authorized to manufacture (and presumably would have had the ability to make) liquor bottles. Most of these numbers were in use for at least some period of time between 1934 and the 1980s.
If the liquor bottle permit number can be clearly identified, this can give information that helps us to know where a particular bottle was made.
The requirement for these code numbers to be marked on bottles was instituted November 1, 1934, along with several other US federal regulations involving the sale and distribution of liquor, including the implementation of the phrase ” FEDERAL LAW FORBIDS SALE OR REUSE OF THIS BOTTLE”.
I don’t have an exact timeline to indicate exactly when these permit numbers were no longer required on bottles, but have been told that the requirement was ended in about 1964 (along with the “Federal Law Forbids Sale or Reuse of this bottle” phrase). However, I’ve seen liquor bottles with these code numbers on the base that date all the way from the mid-1930s into the 1970s and 1980s. In fact the latest bottle I know of that carries one of these numbers is from 1991 (!) – a flask made by Hillsboro Glass Company, bearing their “76” permit number.
So, evidently many glass companies did not stop immediately, but continued to use older molds with the permit number engraving on them long after they were required by the US government to carry it, without taking the time or expense to remove the code from the mold (which, ultimately, would have been seen as wasted time, effort and money). Some codes are seen on containers made from bottle molds that look to have been produced decades after 1964, so presumably those glass factories had their own in-house, logical (albeit unknown) reasons for continuing to include those numbers on their bottles.
Many of these bottles, especially those made before the 1970s, also carry the “Federal Law Forbids Sale or Reuse of this bottle” phrase in raised lettering marked somewhere on the container.
Typically, the liquor bottles would be marked with a pair of numbers, such as “56 – 44”. The glass company logo or “manufacturer mark” would also appear somewhere on the bottom of the container. The number (usually, but not always) on the LEFT was the LBPN, and the number on the RIGHT is a date code. (These particular numbers as seen on liquor bottles and flasks should not be confused with other numbers in similar configurations, or with other purposes, that are frequently seen marked on bottles of other types – i.e. those that were not intended to hold liquor).
The date code typically consists of two digits, but occasionally a date code with only one digit is seen. The numbers may or may not be separated by a dash. In some cases in which there are quite a few different digits on the bottle base, it may not be immediately apparent which number is the actual LBPN. But, in general, the permit number tends to be “balanced” with the date code number, with or without the dash, or a glassmaker logo or mold design number placed in between, and more commonly the permit number will appear on the left side of the bottle base.
(Probably the most prolific glass manufacturer to produce liquor bottles during that time period was Owens-Illinois Glass Company. Their logo, a diamond and oval with a small I in middle, was usually placed to the right of this pair of numbers, and is often tipped on its side – vertically oriented, as in the photo below).
(Other numbers also frequently seen on liquor bottles include “D-numbers” (Distiller identification code numbers) and “R-numbers” (Rectifier identification numbers). In some cases a number (usually of 3 or 4 digits) was marked on the base which identified a particular style of bottle, or bottle mold in production at a glass factory). Those numbers are not discussed in this article.
To make this page as simple and easy to use as possible (hopefully), I’ve opted to list the numbers in simple numerical order.
Please note there are cases in which a particular number was used over a very long time during which multiple company/name changes took place at a particular glassmaking facility / location. Some numbers were used for only one specific physical plant. Other numbers (especially in later years, as smaller companies were taken over by larger corporations) were eventually used by one company but covered bottle production from a number of different glass plants under their control / ownership.
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In the list below, the year given to the right of the LBPN is the year(s) the company was listed in permit lists found online. Please note that some of the listings from 1940 were of INACTIVE glass companies (or expired permits), so it cannot be automatically assumed that they were definitely making liquor bottles during that particular year. The years in parentheses do NOT represent beginning or ending dates of a company, or the year any particular bottle was manufactured, but merely indicate that the glass company (and corresponding permit number) was included in a list of permit numbers that was published or updated that year. Also, the then-current official company name, as listed, may have been in effect long before and/or after the year given here.
To sum up, the date code (usually, but not always, placed to the right of the LBPN) should give the necessary (and the best) information as to when the bottle was actually manufactured. (One notable exception for the placing of date codes on liquor bottles is Thatcher Glass) – sometime – apparently starting in the 1960s, the date codes were moved from their more usual position on the right, to the upper left side of the bases on most their liquor bottles, an example being shown in the photo below.
There is no guarantee that ALL of these numbers in the table below have been confirmed on actual bottles. Presumably, most of the numbers were used at one time or other, but it is also possible that a particular permit number could have been assigned to a factory where, for one reason or other, no liquor bottles were ever actually made.
The following information has been extracted / gleaned from previously published Public Domain material found on the web, including https://sha.org/ (the Society for Historical Archaeology), and https://www.hathitrust.org/ , a comprehensive and valuable online Digital Library database site. (Thank you to Hemingray Glass Company researcher and collector Bob Stahr for directing me to the hathitrust site!!)
The documents found on hathitrust.org were originally published by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (1940-1942), and scanned from material archived by the University of California. The entries from 1969 are from an anonymous source paper archived on the sha.org site. The entries from 1973 are derived from a typewritten list compiled and issued by the Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Washington, D.C. on July 1, 1973.
Several pottery / ceramic and plastic container companies are also included here, as they were included in the list of manufacturers from which this information was taken.
Liquor Bottle Permit Number Manufacturer / Company Name Factory Location
1 (1940) F. E. Reed Glass Company Rochester, New York
1 (1969, 1973) Castle-Hanson Corporation Rochester, New York
2 (1940) Olean Glass Company, Inc. Olean, New York
2 (1969, 1973) Thatcher Glass Manufacturing Company Saugus, CA; Tampa, FL; Streator, IL; Lawrenceburg, IN; Wharton, NJ; Elmira, NY. [Note: the “2” was instituted for all then-operating Thatcher Glass plants sometime between 1941 and 1945 – exact transition year uncertain].
3 (1940) Glendale Glass Company Glendale, New York
4 (1940) Thatcher Glass Manufacturing Company Elmira, New York
5 (1940) Thatcher Glass Manufacturing Company Dunkirk, New York
6 (1940) Thatcher Glass Manufacturing Company Lockport, New York
7 (1940) Thatcher Glass Manufacturing Company Long Island City, New York
8 (1940) Thatcher Glass Manufacturing Company Streator, Illinois
9 (1940) Anchor Hocking Glass Corporation Salem, New Jersey
9 (1969) Anchor Hocking Glass Corporation Los Angeles, CA; San Leandro, CA; Jacksonville, FL; Gurnee, IL; Winchester, IN; Baltimore, MD; Salem, NJ; Connellsville, PA; Houston, TX.
11 (1940) T.C. Wheaton Company Millville, New Jersey
12 (1935-1938) Whitall Tatum Company Millville, New Jersey [some bottles made for Continental Distilling Corporation are found with the “W T inside of an inverted triangle” emblem along with the “12” permit number. Evidently WTCo made at least some liquor bottles after 1935 and up till the time the company was purchased by Armstrong Cork Company in 1938].
12 (1940, 1969) Armstrong Cork Company Millville, New Jersey
12 (1969) Armstrong Cork Company Dunkirk, Indiana
12 (1973) Kerr Glass Manufacturing Corporation Dunkirk, IN; Millville, NJ; Huntington, WV; Waxahachie, TX; Sand Springs, OK; Santa Ana, CA
13 (1940) Anchor Hocking Glass Corporation of PA. Connellsville, Pennsylvania
14 (1940) Brockway Glass Company Brockway, Pennsylvania
14 (1969, 1973) Brockway Glass Company, Inc. Montgomery, AL; Oakland, CA; Pomona, CA; Lapel, IN; Rosemont, MN; Freehold, NJ; Zanesville, OH; Muskogee, OK; Brockway, PA; Crenshaw [Brockway], PA; Ada, OK; Washington, PA (plants #7 & #11).
15 (1940) Brockway Glass Company Monaca, Pennsylvania
16 (1940) J. T. & A. Hamilton Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
18 (1940, 1969, 1973) Diamond Glass Company Royersford, Pennsylvania
19 (1940, 1969, 1973) Glenshaw Glass Company Glenshaw, Pennsylvania
20 (1940) Pierce Glass Company Port Allegany, Pennsylvania
20 (1969, 1973) Pierce Glass Company (Div. Indian Head, Inc) Port Allegany, Pennsylvania
22 (1940) Knox Glass Bottle Company Knox, Pennsylvania
22 (1969, 1973) Glass Containers, Inc. Antioch, CA; Hayward, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Forest Park, GA; Gas City, IN; Indianapolis, IN; Baltimore, MD; Jackson, MS; Knox, PA; Marienville, PA; Parker PA ; Palestine, TX.
23 (1940) Marienville Glass Company Marienville, Pennsylvania
24 (1940) Oil City Glass Bottle Company Oil City, Pennsylvania
25 (1940) Wightman Bottle & Glass Mfg. Company Parkers Landing, Pennsylvania
26 (1940) Wilcox Glass Company Wilcox, Pennsylvania
27 (1940) Pennsylvania Bottle Company Sheffield, Pennsylvania
28 (1940) Buck Glass Company Baltimore, Maryland
29 (1940) Carr-Lowrey Glass Company Baltimore, Maryland
30 (1940, 1969, 1973) Maryland Glass Corporation Baltimore, Maryland
31 (1940) Swindell Brothers Inc. Baltimore, Maryland
32 (1940) Universal Glass Products Company Parkersburg, West Virginia
33 (1940) American Glass Works Paden City, West Virginia
34 (1940) Laurens Glass Works Laurens, South Carolina
35 (1940) Hazel-Atlas Glass Company Clarksburg, West Virginia
36 (1940) Hazel-Atlas Glass Company Lancaster, New York
37 (1940) Hazel-Atlas Glass Company Blackwell, Oklahoma
38 (1940) Hazel-Atlas Glass Company Ada, Oklahoma
39 (1940) Hazel-Atlas Glass Company Zanesville, Ohio
40 (1940) Hazel-Atlas Glass Company Zanesville, Ohio
41 (1940) Hazel-Atlas Glass Company (Plant A) Washington, Pennsylvania
42 (1940) Hazel-Atlas Glass Company (Plant B) Washington, Pennsylvania
43 (1940) Hazel-Atlas Glass Company (Plant C) Washington, Pennsylvania
44 (1940) Hazel-Atlas Glass Company Grafton, West Virginia
45 (1940) Florida Glass Manufacturing Company Jacksonville, Florida
46 (1940) Knape Coleman Glass Company Santa Anna, Texas
47 (1940) Three Rivers Glass Company Three Rivers, Texas
48 (1940) Knox Glass Bottle Company [Pearl City] Jackson, Mississippi
49 (1940) Chattanooga Glass Company Chattanooga, Tennessee
50 (1940) Lamb Glass Company Mt. Vernon, Ohio
51 (1940) Lancaster Glass Company Lancaster, Ohio
52 (1940) Owens-Illinois Glass Company Columbus, Ohio
53 (1940) Owens-Illinois Glass Company Newark, Ohio
54 (1940, 1969, 1973) Owens-Illinois Glass Company Fairmont, West Virginia
55 (1940, 1969, 1973) Owens-Illinois Glass Company Huntington, West Virginia
56 (1940) Owens-Illinois Glass Company Charleston, West Virginia
57 (1940, 1969, 1973) Owens-Illinois Glass Company Bridgeton, New Jersey
58 (1940, 1969, 1973) Owens-Illinois Glass Company Clarion, Pennsylvania
59 (1940) Owens-Illinois Glass Company Brackenridge, Pennsylvania
60 (1940, 1969, 1973) Owens-Illinois Glass Company Gas City, Indiana
61 (1940) Owens-Illinois Glass Company Muncie, Indiana
62 (1940) Owens-Illinois Glass Company Terre Haute, Indiana
63 (1940) Owens-Illinois Glass Company Evansville, Indiana
64 (1940, 1969, 1973) Owens-Illinois Glass Company Alton, Illinois
65 (1940, 1969, 1973) Owens-Illinois Glass Company Streator, Illinois
66 (1940) Kimble Glass Company Chicago Heights, Illinois
67 [# in use 1934-1937] General Glass Corporation Winchester, Indiana
67 (1940) Anchor Hocking Glass Corporation Winchester, Indiana
68 (1940) Fairmount Glass Works, Inc. Indianapolis, Indiana
69 (1940, 1969) Foster-Forbes Glass Company Marion, Indiana
69 (1969, 1973) Foster-Forbes Glass Company Burlington, Wisconsin
70 (1940) Armstrong Cork Company Dunkirk, Indiana
71 (1940) Sterling Glass Division (The Warfield Co.) Lapel, Indiana
72 (1940, 1969, 1973) Obear-Nester Glass Company East St. Louis, Illinois
73 (1940) Ball Bros Glass Company Muncie, Indiana
74 (1940) Ball Bros Glass Company Wichita Falls, Texas
75 (1940) Ball Bros Glass Company Huntington, West Virginia
76 (1940) Ball Bros Glass Company Hillsboro, Illinois
76 (1969, 1973) Hillsboro Glass Company Hillsboro, Illinois
77 (1940) Ball Bros Glass Company Sapulpa, Oklahoma
78 (1940) Ball Bros Glass Company Okmulgee, Oklahoma
79 (1940) Liberty Glass Company Sapulpa, Oklahoma
80 (1940) Alexander H. Kerr & Company Sand Springs, Oklahoma
81 (1940) Alexander H. Kerr & Company Huntington, West Virginia
82 (1940) Connelly Glass Company Caney, Kansas
83 (1940) Glass Containers, Inc. Vernon, California
84 (1940) Latchford-Marble Glass Company Los Angeles, California
84 (1969, 1973) Latchford Glass Company Los Angeles, California
85 (1940) Maywood Glass Company Los Angeles, California
86 (1940) McLaughlin Glass Company Vernon, California
87 (1940) Hazel-Atlas Glass Company Oakland, California
88 (1940) Owens-Illinois Pacific Coast Company Vernon, California
88 (1969, 1973) Owens-Illinois, Inc. Vernon, California
89 (1940) Owens-Illinois Pacific-Coast Company Vernon, California
90 (1940) Owens-Illinois Pacific-Coast Company San Francisco, California
91 (1940) Owens-Illinois Pacific-Coast Company San Francisco, California
92 (1940) Northwestern Glass Company, Inc. Seattle, Washington
92 (1969, 1973) Northwestern Glass Company, Inc. (Div of Indianhead, Inc.) ” ”
93 (1940) General Glass Products Corporation Glendale, California
94 (1940) Brock Glass Company, Limited Santa Ana, California
95 (1940) Fenton Art Glass Company Williamstown, West Virginia
96 (1940) Metro Glass Bottle Company Jersey City, New Jersey
96 (1969, 1973) Metro Glass Division (National Dairy Prod. Corp.) Jersey City, NJ; Carteret, NJ; Dalton City, IL; Washington, PA.
97 (1940) Anchor Hocking Glass Corporation (Plant #1) Lancaster, Ohio
98 (1940) Cork Crown & Seal Company, Inc. Baltimore, Maryland
99 (1940) Radiant Glass Company Fort Smith, Arkansas
100 (1940) Memphis Glass Manufacturing Company Memphis, Tennessee
101 (1940) Owens-Illinois Pacific Coast Company San Francisco, California
101 (1969, 1973) Owens-Illinois, Inc. Oakland, California
102 (1940) Anchor Hocking Glass Corp. of PA Lancaster, Ohio
103 (1940) Demuth Glass Works, Inc. Brooklyn, New York
104 (1940) New Martinsville Glass Company New Martinsville, West Virginia
105 (1941) Brockway Glass Company, Inc. Crenshaw, Pennsylvania
106 (1941) The Tyler Glass Corporation Paden City, West Virginia
107 (1942) Knox Glass Bottle Company of Miss. Palestine, Texas
108 (1941) Hofbauer Glass Company, Inc. Vineland, New Jersey
111 (1969, 1973) Owens-Illinois, Inc. Waco, Texas
119 (1969, 1973) Wheaton Glass Company Millville, New Jersey
120 [plant opened 1947] Hazel-Atlas Glass Company Pomona, California
123 (1969, 1973) Gayner Glass Works (Div. Star City Glass Co.) Salem, New Jersey
123 (1969, 1973) Star City Glass Company Star City, West Virginia (1948-1966), later plants at Coventry, RI; Rockdale, IL; Parkersburg, WV.
132 (1969, 1973) Obear-Nester Glass Company Lincoln, Illinois
133 [bottle with 1966 date] Obear-Nester Glass Company Location?
134 (1969, 1973) Jeannette Glass Company Jeannette, Pennsylvania
138 (1969, 1973) Corning Glass Works Muskogee, Oklahoma
143 (1969, 1973) Hall China Company East Liverpool, Ohio
145 (1969, 1973) Regal China Corporation Antioch, Illinois
146 (1969) Pfaltzgraff Pottery Company York, Pennsylvania
149 (1969, 1973) Owens-Illinois, Inc. Portland, Oregon
151 [on 1957 bottle] Hazel-Atlas Glass Company Plainfield, Illinois
151 (1969, 1973) AHK (Division of Kerr Glass Mnfg Corp) Plainfield, Illinois
153 (1969) Royal China, Inc. East Palestine, Ohio (plants #1, #4)
153 (1969) Royal China, Inc. Sebring, Ohio
155 (1969, 1973) Owens-Illinois, Inc. Hapeville (metro Atlanta), Georgia
161 (1969, 1973) Ball Bros Company, Inc. El Monte, CA; Mundelein, IL; Asheville, NC; Okmulgee, OK
162 (1969, 1973) Chattanooga Glass Company Chattanooga, TN; Mt. Vernon, OH
168 (1969) Western Stoneware Company Monmouth, Illinois
171 (1969, 1973) Owens-Illinois, Inc. New Orleans, Louisiana
175 (1969, 1973) Owens-Illinois, Inc. Brockport, New York
176 (1969, 1973) Glenshaw Glass Company, Inc. Orangeburg, New York
177 (1969, 1973) Owens-Illinois, Inc. Tracy, California
179 (1969, 1973) Owens-Illinois, Inc. North Bergen, New Jersey
180 (1969, 1973) Owens-Illinois, Inc. Charlotte, Michigan
182 (1969, 1973) Owens-Illinois, Inc. Chicago Heights, Illinois
185 (1969) Sikeston Ceramics, Inc. Mayfield, Kentucky
185 (1973) Roman Ceramics Corporation Mayfield, Kentucky
186 (1969, 1973) Owens-Illinois, Inc. Lakeland, Florida
190 (1969, 1973) American Can Company Hillside, New Jersey
195 (1969, 1973) Leone Industries Bridgeton, New Jersey
201 (1969) Midland Glass Company Terre Haute, Indiana
201 (1973) Midland Glass Company, Inc. Cliffwood, New Jersey
202 (1969, 1973) Owens-Illinois, Inc. Toledo, OH; Edison, NJ; Cincinnati, OH; St. Louis, MO
203 (1973) Nelson-McCoy Pottery Company Roseville, Ohio
204 (1973) Continental Can Company, Inc. Paterson, New Jersey
205 (1973) Imco Container Company Goleta, CA; La Mirada, CA; Union City, CA; Itasca, IL; Jeffersonville, IN; Louisville, KY; Kansas City, KS; Belvidere, NJ; Rockaway, NJ and Harrisonburg, VA.
207 (1973) Indiana Glass Company Dunkirk, Indiana
208 (1973) Continental Can Company, Inc., Plastic Container Div. Elk Grove Village, IL; Milltown, NJ; Piscataway, NK
209 (1973) Lancaster Glass Corporation Lancaster, Ohio
210 (1973) Bay Ridge Specialty Company, Division of the Star Porcelain Company Trenton, New Jersey
211 (1973) Aim Packaging, Inc. Port Clinton, Ohio
212 (1973) Flexible Plastics Corporation So. San Francisco, California
213 (1973) Madera Glass Company Madera, California
214 (1973) Underwood Glass Company New Orleans, LA; Mineral Wells, MS
215 (1973) Anchor Hocking Corporation Lancaster, Ohio
216 (1973) Heirlooms of Tomorrow, Inc, DBA California Originals Torrance, California
217 (1973) John Sharpe, Jr. DBA Adobe Molino Ceramic Suppliers Seattle, Washington
218 (1973) Northwest Containers, Inc. Tacoma, Washington
221 (1975) Owens-Illinois, Inc. Winston-Salem, North Carolina
222 (1975) Owens-Illinois, Inc. Mansfield, Massachusetts
Glass Bottle Marks website HOME PAGE
Alphabetical List of Glass Manufacturers’ Marks seen on antique and modern glass bottles, jars, tableware, etc. This link points to Page One.
Also, please check out this page for some basic info about Numbers seen on the bases of glass bottles and jars.
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