Glass Manufacturers’ Marks on Coke / Coca-Cola Bottles

        

NOTE:  For a little more background info on some of these companies that are known to have manufactured Coke bottles (including the approximate date range they were in business), please check the alphabetically-arranged  “GLASS BOTTLE MARKS” pages on my site, starting here with PAGE ONE.

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Most Coke bottles (although not all) bear a glass manufacturer’s mark (logo, emblem, trademark, or initials) somewhere on the bottle, that may help to identify what glass company made it.     In general, glass manufacturers’ marks are usually seen on the base, but sometimes appear on the side or lower heel of the bottle.  In many instances (especially in the case of Owens-Illinois Glass Company bottles), the glass manufacturers’ logo is in combination with a year date code and mold number.

There are many collectors of antique and vintage Coke bottles who try to find examples with the names of different cities or towns and states marked on the bottom, for instance “JACKSON  MICH”,  “LOUISVILLE  KY”,  “DECATUR ILLS”  or “TUCSON ARIZ”.   Bottles from larger cities are usually easiest to find, and, in general, the smaller the town or city, the scarcer the bottles.  Some collectors specialize in searching for bottles from a certain state (or states) or from a particular region of the country.

Some very small or obscure towns had only a small number of Coke bottles made for them, and in such cases any bottles bearing such a town name can be VERY hard to find, and thus highly sought after!

There is a common misconception that the city name marked on the bottom indicates where the bottle was actually made.   In general, the city or town name, in most cases, has nothing to do with the location where the bottle itself was manufactured.  The city name usually indicates the location where a local soda bottling franchise or distribution center was situated, and where the bottles were supposed to be originally circulated.

Some of the larger glass manufacturing companies, such as Owens-Illinois Glass Company and Chattanooga Glass Company,  made Coca-Cola bottles (and other soda bottles) for hundreds of different cities around the United States.

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NOTE: Anyone who is seriously interested in collecting early straight-sides and/or the hobbleskirt style Coke bottles with town/city names on the bottom might want to get a copy of the booklet published by The Coca Cola Bottle Collectors Club: “COKE BOTTLE CHECKLIST” by Bill Porter.  This is an invaluable listing of all known Coke bottles that bear the “Coca-Cola” brand logo written in cursive script.

Porter has published this in 5 editions, and the fifth edition was recently released, in 2018.  He lists all towns and cities that he’s seen or heard about…….. over 1,500+ cities in all, just within the United States!!  This booklet has a lot of good background info and details for the specialist, including information indicating which cities and bottle variants are the hardest to find!  I heartily recommend it!

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   *NOTE* (this paragraph added to webpage on January 4, 2014) :   There are many types of authentic older amber (“beer bottle brown”) glass Coke bottles in existence (from a variety of cities across the US), but they are usually the “STRAIGHT SIDES” types made between approximately 1900 and 1920.

If you run across an “Amber” HOBBLESKIRT STYLE Coke bottle……. any of the main 4 types including those with the Nov. 16, 1915 patent date, the Dec 25, 1923 date, the “D-105529 PATENT, or “U.S. PATENT OFFICE / 6 or 6 1/2 oz., it is a recently color-altered bottle, having been subject to IRRADIATION to change the color from the original light green-aqua to a weird “burnt dark mustard/brown” or “olive brown” color. This irradiated color is NOT natural ……. no Coke bottles of this style were made in such a color originally.

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Some newer collectors may be confused by these types of bottles appearing on online auctions, at flea markets and antique malls in these odd colors. Contrary to what some sellers may say, the irradiation does not really increase the true market value of old Coke bottles. It is a form of alteration, and is considered to be DAMAGE by many experienced bottle collectors.  Just a warning….hopefully this might help to educate a few people who would otherwise not be aware of what is going on.  A few Coke bottles might be found in a medium to dark purple; this is also from “nuking” the glass.  This is also happening with a lot of other types of glass – bottles, insulators, pattern glass, etc.  Please see my page on Artificially purpled glass here.

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Here is a great article about the history of the Coca-Cola bottle, at the official Coca-Cola Company website:
Coca Cola Contour Bottle

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Root Glass Company, of Terre Haute, Indiana, produced the first “Hobble Skirt” shaped Coke bottles (the design was loosely based after the shape of the cocoa bean) with the new design officially patented on November 16, 1915.  The original prototype bottle had a somewhat “fatter” profile. The design was later altered slightly (slimmed down) and the first Coke bottles with the skinnier look (that is – the hobbleskirt design now used and recognized worldwide) were in production by 1916 or 1917.   The trademark  characteristic light greenish-aqua color was termed “Georgia Green” (in honor of the state where the Coca Cola company was originally based).

Here is another informative and interesting article, with background  information on Coke and the Root Glass Company:
The Root Family and Coca-Cola

The list of glass bottle manufacturer marks below is certainly not complete, and I hope to eventually add more information as time allows.   This includes makers of Coke bottles covering a very wide time period, including the earlier “straight-sides” types (most commonly found in amber glass, but also in aqua) and the later “hobbleskirt” classic shaped bottle usually made in “Georgia Green”.  This list covers makers of Coke bottles in North America, primarily the United States.  Of course, there are bottle manufacturers from other countries around the world that also made Coke bottles that are not listed here.  (Note: In general, marks indicating local/regional Coke bottling companies – who were not actual bottle–making companies – are not included in the list).

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• A.B.CO. ……………………………..American Bottle Company, Chicago, Illinois
• A.G.W………………………………..American Glass Works, Richmond, Virginia (1908-1925)
• A H K ……………………… Alexander H. Kerr  (Kerr Glass Manufacturing Corporation), Millville, New Jersey,  Dunkirk, Indiana and other factory locations.
• Anchor logo entwined with a capital “H”………….Anchor Hocking Corporation, Lancaster, Ohio
• Bottle (upside down bottle superimposed over a capital G, shown in photo above)…………… Graham Glass Company, Evansville, Indiana.
• B in a circle………………………….. Brockway Glass Company, Brockway, Pennsylvania.
• C in a circle………………….Chattanooga Glass Company, Chattanooga, Tennessee. Chattanooga was a HEAVY producer of Coca-Cola bottles.
• C inside a diamond………….Chattanooga Glass Company, Chattanooga, Tennessee.
• D inside a diamond……………… Dominion Glass Company, Montreal, Quebec, Canada and other factory locations (1913-1976).  Most, if not all Canadian Cokes made by Dominion are in clear or “off-clear” glass. Many of them bear the logo on the base with a mold number to the left and a date code positioned to the right.
• Diamond & O (oval) entwined/superimposed, with an I in center, looks something like an eye or the planet Saturn……………………Owens-Illinois Glass Company, head office Toledo, OH.  (See a number of pics showing this frequently encountered mark at that page).  This firm probably made more Coke bottles than any other glass manufacturer in the United States, at least during the 1940s and 1950s.  Chattanooga Glass would possibly take second place in total production.
• D.O.C. ……………………………………………..D. O. Cunningham,  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• DURAGLAS…………………………………..trademark/brand name applied to their improved, more durable container glass formula, introduced in 1940:  Owens-Illinois Glass Company.
• EG (along heel, with numbers)…………Graham Glass Company, Evansville, Indiana.
• Eye (emblem that resembles an EYE or the planet SATURN …. this is the trademark (Diamond & Oval with I inside) that was used by Owens-Illinois Glass Company.
• F within a hexagon………………………Fairmount Glass Company, Fairmount, Indiana  & Indianapolis, Indiana.

  

• FV (connected, as shown above)…………………FEVISA (Fábrica de Envases de Vidrio S.A. de C.V), Mexicali, Mexico.  This mark is seen on some of the “Mexican Coke” bottles imported into the United States.  Although this company began in 1987, I’m not sure if the mark has been in actual use that entire time.  I have a Coke bottle with the mark which is date coded for the year 2006, and a Jarritos soda bottle with a 2023 date code.
• G23 (or similar letter/number, lightly embossed along the lower heel)……….. Graham Glass Company, Evansville, Indiana.  (Not to be confused with the “G-number” [bottle style/design codes] seen on the base of many Owens-Illinois soda bottles).
• G (with upside down bottle superimposed over it)……………. Graham Glass Company.
• GRAHAM…………………………………..Graham Glass Company, Evansville, Indiana.
• H entwined with (superimposed over) an “Anchor” emblem…………. Anchor-Hocking Corporation, Lancaster, Ohio
• Heart inside a circle…………..what appears to be a heart inside a circle  is actually the letters V and M (entwined / superimposed) inside a circle.  This mark has been reported on the side of “Georgia Green” (typical green-aqua) hobbleskirt-style Coca-Cola bottles. This is one of the logos used by Vidriera Monterrey, of Monterrey, Mexico (1909-to date).  According to information on this webpage, the mark probably dates between c. 1936 and c. 1985:  https://sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/MexicanMarks.pdf
• I inside an O (may be described as the letter “O”, a zero, circle or oval)………………….this is the second major trademark used by Owens-Illinois Glass Company, after the mid- to late 1950s.
• IPG inside triangle…………………Illinois Pacific Glass Corporation, San Francisco, CA; Los Angeles & other plant locations (c. 1925-c.1932).
• I.S.G.CO…………………Inter-State Glass Company, Kansas City, Missouri.
• Kerr (in cursive script)…………………….. Kerr Glass Manufacturing Corporation, Millville, NJ, Dunkirk, IN and other factory locations).
• KPP (inside an oval)…………………………Kerr Packaging Products (division of Kerr Glass)
• Lbg …………………………………………………Lynchburg Glass Works, Lynchburg, Virginia
• L – G  or  L  G ………………………………………………..Liberty Glass Company, Sapulpa, Oklahoma

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• L (with numbers to the right and/or left) …………. Laurens Glass Works, Laurens, South Carolina (1910-1996)
• L G W (letters may be widely separated around perimeter of base) ………………………………………….. Laurens Glass Works, Laurens, South Carolina.
• MG (connected) …………………. Maywood Glass Company, Compton, California (1930-1959).
• N.B.B.G.CO. ……………..North Baltimore Bottle Glass Company, North Baltimore, OH; Albany, Indiana, and Terre Haute, Indiana.
• O-I ……….. Owens Illinois, Inc. (see more on this and other marks on my webpage about Owens-Illinois Glass Company).
• O-N ……………………  Obear-Nester Glass Company, East St. Louis, Illinois.
• O.V.B.W. …………Ohio Valley Bottling Works, Cincinnati, Ohio. Initials as reported to me on the bottom of a circa 1910s-1920s amber straight-side Coke bottle. This was apparently a short-lived local bottling operation, not a glassmaker.
• R within a triangle………………………..Reed Glass Company, Rochester, New York.
• REED…………….Reed Glass Company, Rochester, NY. (Reported by Taylor McBurney, embossed along lower heel)
• ROOT…………………………………………. Root Glass Company, Terre Haute, Indiana.  Root was the first company to produce the classic “hobbleskirt design” glass Coca-Cola bottle.
• S within a star………………………………………Southern Glass Company, Los Angeles, California.
• Saturn (logo that looks like the planet Saturn, or an “Eye”.  Please see my page on Owens-Illinois Glass Company.  Owens-Illinois made more Coke bottles than any other manufacturer.
• S  G  Co (within a downwardly slanted segmented parallelogram – each letter is “boxed” -separated by a vertical line -all  within a horizontal rectangle)……………….. Southern Glass Company, Los Angeles, California.
• UGB …………………………United  Glass Bottle Manufacturers, Limited (a combine of several glass bottle companies in the UK).  These bottles were made in Great Britain.
• V, actually a highly stylized letter “V” logo  (on the glass surface, the “un-raised” part of the mark is the V, somewhat similar to a check mark).  On the bottle, this trademark typically looks like a group of 3 small triangularly-shaped raised “spots” or “bumps“………….. Vitro Packaging LLC, Monterrey, Mexico.  This mark is seen on huge numbers of containers imported into the United States, including soda bottles as well as many other types of food and beverage containers.
• VM or MV logo (inside circle)…… see the “Heart inside a circle” entry.

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Clear Coca-Cola bottles shipped to US Military personnel during World War II

Occasionally, collectors have run across Coke bottles in clear glass that don’t seem to fit into the typical classification of bottles normally seen in the United States.  These are older and bear date codes from the WWII years, and are similar in weight and appearance to Coke bottles of that era, but were made in clear glass. (Not to be confused with more recent, lighter-weight “No Deposit No Return” type clear Coke bottles that were heavily produced in the 1970s).     These bottles are not marked in quite the same way as the typical “Georgia Green” (light green) bottles distributed within the US. They do not carry city/town names on the bases.

Over the years, quantities of clear glass Coke bottles have been found in the Pacific area –  reports from Guam, Hawaii, Japan, Marshall Islands, Iwo Jima, Midway, Okinawa, etc., indicate many clear bottles were made by US glassmakers and shipped overseas to US military servicemen during WWII.  Most of those bottles were evidently made by three glass companies:  Owens-Illinois Glass Company, Chattanooga Glass Company, and Laurens Glass Company.

A theory published on the web (origin uncertain) maintains that clear Coke bottles were made for the military because copper was in short supply and needed for the war.  This is almost certainly NOT correct,  as huge numbers of ordinary Coke bottles in the typical  Georgia Green were ALSO made during WWII for the regular US domestic market.  In any case, the green color seen in Coke bottles resulted primarily from iron in the sand, a naturally occurring element and impurity present in nearly all sand used for glassmaking.

In some cases, the number to the left of the glassmaker logo (which on most typical green Coke bottles,  is a plant location code) does not seem to fit, and probably stands for something else.  For an example, the code “10” is seen on some bottles that bear a date code of 1945 (“45” to right of logo), but according to Owens-Illinois plant records, there was no plant #10 operating between about 1934 and 1957.  So that number would have to have a different, unknown meaning.  This is mentioned in the treatise written by Dirk Spennemann (link below).

For more background information on the WWII era clear Coke bottles, check out these articles:

Coca Cola and the Military – Coca Cola Bottle Man website article

Some observations on World War II-era Coca-Cola bottles manufactured by Owens-Illinois Glassworks,  by researcher Dirk H. R. Spennemann

 

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For an extensive list of glass manufacturers’ marks seen on bottles, fruit jars, electrical insulators, tableware and other glass items, please click here to go to the main Glass Bottle Marks page.   (I have more information there on many of the marks listed on this page.)

Please click here to go to my website  Home Page.

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Here is a website with lots of info on collecting Coke bottles:       http://www.antiquebottles.com/coke/

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I would also recommend readers to check out this .pdf article about Owens-Illinois Glass Company, written by archaeologist, researcher and author Bill Lockhart and others. Although most of the article discusses Owens-Illinois marks as seen on other kinds of bottles,  Bill also has a paragraph (“Coca Cola Bottles”, on page 13) discussing the mark and code placements as seen on typical Coke bottles.  Owens-Illinois made HUGE quantities of Coca-Cola bottles, so the date code information presented there is helpful:

Owens-Illinois – PDF article

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Another informative article (.pdf file), written by Bill Lockhart and Bill Porter, this one is about the history and evolution of the Hobbleskirt style Coke bottle :   

Coca Cola bottle – Bill Lockhart and Bill Porter article

 

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