(1929-to date)
(Owens-Illinois, Inc. ~ since 1965)
This corporation is now generally known simply as “O-I”.
Owens-Illinois Glass Company was the result of the 1929 merger between two glass-making giants of the industry: Owens Bottle Company (Toledo, OH – predecessor Toledo Glass Company began operation in 1896) and Illinois Glass Company (based in Alton, Illinois, with glass production dating from 1873). See this page on Illinois Glass Company’s “I in a diamond” trademark.
Formerly headquartered at Toledo, OH; now based at Perrysburg, OH, Owens-Illinois, Inc. had (and has) many glass manufacturing locations worldwide. (See list of 20 currently operating glass container plants in North America, farther down on this page).
Known as Owens-Illinois, Inc. since 1965, (and officially known as just “O-I” since 2005), this corporation is currently (2024) the largest manufacturer of glass containers in the world.
“Diamond and oval with I inside” trademark
Several trademarks have been used over the years by Owens-Illinois. Shown on this page are pictures of typical trademark variations used on glass containers, especially during the early years. Most of the pics show the first and most widely recognized mark used, beginning in 1929.
As pictured, it can vary slightly from one container to another. This mark consists of a “Diamond and O (oval) entwined, with an I in the center” and dates from 1929 into the middle and late 1950s. (Latest confirmed date code with this older trademark embossed on a bottle is 1966). The mark may not have been, in actual practice, engraved onto all their bottle molds (in their inventory or being used at that time) until sometime in the year 1930, simply because of the time and effort involved in re-tooling/altering large numbers of molds already in use. The mark is sometimes misinterpreted as the representation of an “eye” or of the planet Saturn.
Although author and researcher Julian Toulouse, in his ground-breaking reference work “Bottle Makers and their Marks” (published in 1971) promoted the idea that the diamond and oval trademark was used only up to 1954, implying a neat, clean “cut-off date”, in actual practice many bottles with this mark have been found that date several years after 1954. (More info, below, in the paragraph on the “I inside an O” trademark).
On very small bottles, the mark may be rather indistinct and the “I” may be virtually invisible, or just a tiny dot. It may be misinterpreted as the number “1”.
On the typical bottle, there is usually a number to the left of, to the right of, and below, the trademark. (Note: The above arrangement is the most commonly seen, at least on soda bottles, but some containers, such as liquor flasks, are frequently marked in other ways and thus the codes may be arranged in a different configuration. See the paragraph on this page below, titled “Liquor Bottle Permit Numbers”).
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PLANT LOCATION CODE NUMBERS
Typically, the number on the LEFT of the diamond logo is the plant location code number, the number on the RIGHT is a year date code, and the number below the logo (if present) indicates the mold number (mold identifying number, “mold cavity number” or serial number). NOTE: this arrangement generally applies to Non-Liquor bottles. On many liquor bottles made by Owens-Illinois, the number on the left is a Liquor Bottle Permit Number, not a plant location code. Please see the paragraph farther down for more info on this subject).
For example, plant code #2 stood for the Huntington, WV plant; “3″ indicated the Fairmont, West Virginia plant (that number was used up to 1981, later “3” was used by Muskogee, Oklahoma); “4” was Clarksburg, West Virginia; “7″ indicated Alton, Illinois; “9″, the Streator, Illinois factory; “12″ was Gas City, Indiana; “14″ was the Bridgeton, New Jersey plant, #21 is Portland, Oregon; #22 is Tracy, California; #20 is Oakland, CA; #23 is Los Angeles, CA, etc.
Note: Several of the plant numbers used by O-I were re-used by other plants that opened in later years, so it is important to take into consideration the date code, the bottle style and other characteristics to positively identify which plant location made a particular bottle.
For more info with a more extensive, detailed chart of known Owens-Illinois plant location codes, please check out the article by Bill Lockhart and Russ Hoenig at this URL:
The Bewildering Array of Owens-Illinois Glass Co. Logos and Codes.
DATE CODES
As stated above, a date code usually appears to the right of the Owens-Illinois logo. On many bottles, a single-digit date code along with the “Diamond/Oval/I” mark may indicate the 1930s. From information compiled in Bill Lockhart’s article (link below) on Owens-Illinois’ date code markings, it appears that, on containers with this earliest trademark, if a single digit date code (such as a “1 or “4” placed to the right of the logo) is followed by a period, the chances are very good the bottle in question dates from the 1940s, especially the 1940-1947 period. However, there are some exceptions to this general rule, and single-digit date codes were also used in later decades along with the later “I inside an O” mark (but without a period placed to the right of the code).
Most bottles from the late 1940s into the 1950s and 1960s have two-digit date codes.
NOTE: any bottle which is also marked with the brand name/ trademark DURAGLAS dates from 1940 or after, never before that year. This can help narrow down the production date of some glass containers.
THE “I INSIDE AN OVAL” or “I INSIDE AN O” TRADEMARK
The second primary mark used by Owens-Illinois Glass Company was phased in during the mid-1950s with the removal of the diamond. Julian Toulouse (Bottle Makers and their Marks, 1971), states this mark was used beginning in the year 1954. Trademark information does indicate the mark was in use beginning March 1, 1954 (see link to Justia page below). However, research over the years has shown there was actually a gradual changeover from the “old” to the “new” trademark on containers beginning in 1954, in actual practice, which occurred over a period of four or five years or more. In fact, some bottles with the “old” mark are documented as bearing date codes as late as 1966! (See note below discussing a bottle made in 1966 which carries the “old” trademark on the base!).
Some bottle molds already in use were not re-engraved until as late as 1957, 1958, 1959, even, as mentioned, in 1966. However, after about 1958 the great majority of O-I containers carried the “new” (second) principal trademark, which merely consists of an I inside an oval, or circle. On some bottles this mark is very tiny or indistinct, often looking like a small “0” (a zero, or the letter O) with the “I” in the center that’s hard to discern.
According to the trademark information shown on this page from the Justia.com site (link below), this mark was apparently still in use as late as August 15, 2016. The mark was officially “cancelled” as of March 16, 2020. There may have been a long date “overlap” with this mark and the following mark (O-I), in which both marks seem to have been in simultaneous use by Owens-Illinois.
https://trademarks.justia.com/716/85/oi-71685923.html
“O-I” trademark
The “O-I” mark (being the third major trademark embossed on the company’s glass containers) was officially registered by the United States Patent & Trademark Office on March 20, 2007, under registration #3219434. “First use” of this mark is claimed to have been on December 17, 1997, according to information posted on the justia.com website, here:
https://trademarks.justia.com/785/97/o-78597477.html
This trademark is in current use on most Owens-Illinois glass containers made within the United States (as of 2024).
“OWENS” appears on the base of some clear prescription bottles. Illustrated among the pics on this page is the base of a bottle made at the Columbus, Ohio facility (plant #18) with a date code of “7” which in this case probably stands for 1937. I don’t know how late the word “OWENS” was embossed as a trademark on the base of those medicine bottles.
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LIQUOR BOTTLE PERMIT NUMBERS
IMPORTANT NOTE: Many liquor bottles and flasks made by Owens-Illinois have a DIFFERENT mold code configuration on the base, as compared to the way the numbers are arranged on most other types of bottles they made. Typically, the bottle is marked with a number known as a “Liquor Bottle Permit Number” followed by a dash and a second number which is the date code – indicating the year the bottle was made. Many liquor bottles made by Owens-Illinois have the “Diamond and Oval with an I” logo embossed sideways on the base of the container.
For a list of liquor bottle permit numbers assigned to many glass companies in the United States after 1935, please check out this page I recently added to my site:
Liquor Bottle Permit Numbers – Numerical List.
NOTE: In July of 2013 I received a photo, submitted by Taylor McBurney, showing the base of a Yacht Club Beverages ACL soda bottle, carrying a 1966 date code, but bearing the old logo! This is the very latest instance of use of the “old” O-I mark that I am aware of. Presumably, when this particular mold was pulled out of the storeroom, and used to produce some more bottles (probably for a relatively small order), it wasn’t considered important enough to take the time to re-engrave the trademark. Update: (posted October 1, 2019) – also check out the base photo of a possible 1978 bottle, shown farther down on this page. There is also a photo of a bottle base (submitted by Crystal Arant) that appears to be from 1968 or 1969!
Other marks include “ILLINOIS”, a brand name apparently used for a line of prescription bottles (similar to their bottles marked “OWENS”); “DURAGLAS” a trademark used after 1940 which is embossed on innumerable bottles of many types; and “LOWEX” another brand name which was used for their borosilicate glass formula employed especially for power line insulators. For more information on the brand name Duraglas, you might want to check out my page here:
Duraglas trademark on bottles.
Although Owens-Illinois has made containers of many different shades of color over the years, the great majority of glass bottles commonly found (especially older containers that show up often at flea markets, antique malls, yard sales, junk shops, ebay, etc) are found in clear (colorless), green (emerald, forest green or “seven up” green) and amber (“beer bottle brown”) glass.
The “Diamond & oval with I” mark is by far the most common identification mark on glass containers found in trash dump sites in the United States from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. (The second most common mark encountered is probably the “Large H over small A” used by Hazel-Atlas Glass Company.)
Electrical Insulators
Owens-Illinois took over operation of the Hemingray Glass Company factory, located in Muncie, Indiana, in 1933. Hemingray was a prolific maker of electrical insulators (of many types and sizes) for power lines, telegraph, telephone and other uses. Within a year or two, most glass insulators produced at Muncie were carrying date codes. Owens-Illinois continued to have the great majority of insulators marked with the “HEMINGRAY” brand name, with very few exceptions in later years. Other brand names used by O-I on insulators include “Lowex” and “Kimble“. Many millions of insulators were made at Muncie, the very last being manufactured in the year 1967. (Please see my webpage on the Hemingray Glass Company for more information on Hemingray insulators.)
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Owens-Illinois Inc. currently [2020] operates 20 glass manufacturing facilities within North America. They are located in: Atlanta, Georgia; Auburn, New York; Brockway, Pennsylvania [2 plants]; Ringgold, Virginia; Lapel, Indiana; Los Angeles, California; Muskogee, Oklahoma; Kalama, Washington (plant acquired in 2015, formerly Bennu Glass); Oakland, California; Portland, Oregon; Streator, Illinois; Toano, Virginia; Tracy, California; Waco, Texas; Zanesville, Ohio; Lexington, North Carolina; Windsor, Colorado; and in Canada: Montreal, Quebec and Brampton, Ontario.
For more detailed discussion on Owens-Illinois Glass Company and their date codes, and a detailed, updated chart of O-I plant location codes, please check out this comprehensive article written by Bill Lockhart and Russ Hoenig: The Bewildering Array of Owens-Illinois Glass Co. Logos and Codes.
Click here for a page from O-I’s official website:
https://www.o-i.com/our-story/how-glass-bottles-and-jars-are-made/
Note: For a webpage on this site with an extensive list of glass companies that made electrical insulators (which are now considered collectible items), please check out this page: Glass Insulator Manufacturers .
Click here to go to the alphabetical listings of trademarks found on bottles, jars, insulators and tableware: Glass Bottle Marks (starting here with Page One).
Please click here to go to my website Home Page.
Please check out my summary page on Sea Glass / Beach Glass. Many older Owens-Illinois bottle and jar bases might be found among so-called “Beach Glass”.
Here are a couple other webpages on my site that might be of interest, as I included a few pics of Owens-Illinois bottles and bases on them:
“Federal Law Forbids Sale or Reuse of the Bottle” marking on liquor bottles.
Numbers seen on the bases of Glass Bottles and jars.
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I have a half gallon mason jar that says “presto supreme mason” on front and on back it says manufactured by “Illinois Glass Company”. The bottom says “8(left) E-EK(middle) and a diamond (right). Any ideas?
Illinois Glass Company of Alton, IL made many of the “Presto” fruit jars, apparently starting in the mid or late 1920s. After Illinois Glass Company merged with Owens Bottle Company to form the Owens-Illinois Glass Company, they continued to make many more Presto jars for years afterward. The trademark “PRESTO” was registered in 1928 although it was probably used for a time before that year. The numbers are likely mold identifying codes …. not sure on their exact interpretation. Have you checked out my page on Illinois Glass Company (“I inside a diamond” mark)? Hope this helps,
~David
I have a clear gallon sized jug with ribs along the top, a zinc cap and the letter A on the bottom with the number 6576 and a 6 under it. The cap is 2 and 1/2 inch and then the bottle widens. I got it out of my barn in New York which we purchased full of broken and miscellaneous antiques. Any ideas about what it was used for and how old it is? Thank you- Betsy
Betsy, The “A” might be a makers’ mark for Armstrong Cork Company, but I do not know when the jug was made.
~David
Hi David,
I have a clear glass, 1 pint, flask/bottle measuring 3.75″ Wide x 2″ Deep x 7.5″ tall. It appears to have a screw top. Art deco symbols on all 4 sides. I have determined it to be from the Owens-Illinois Glass Company. The mark is a diamond with a circle an the “I” in the middle. The mark is on the bottom and is about 1″ from one of the edges. The top portion of the mark is missing, it looks like 1/4 of it was cut off. There are no numbers to the left, right, top, or bottom. On the bottom, in the center are is the letter “D” followed by “26”, under that is “64-6”. ALSO, near the neck of the bottle is stamped a fancy crown with “TRADE”, “W”, “MARK” stacked on top of each other, all within the crown. I am at a loss as to what this might be, can you help? I can send pictures if needed. Thank you.
Hi Brian,
That’s a liquor flask, as evidenced by the “D-26”. All, or most, liquor (whiskey or other distilled liquor) bottles made by Owens-Illinois Glass Company bear a “D-code” on the bottom which is a distiller permit number. Some of the most commonly seen are D-9 and D-126. I do not have a distiller code list, but presumably a specific code was assigned to each distiller who did business with glass companies and had bottles made for them to contain their products.
Most Owens-Illinois liquor bottles do not have their base code numbers arranged in the same configuration as is seen on many of their other typical, common bottles and jars (such as soda bottles). The “64-6” is a liquor bottle permit number (64 stood for Alton, IL), followed by a single-digit date code which was in all likelihood, either 1936 or 1946.
See this link here which lists liquor bottle permit numbers assigned to several glass companies:
http://www.sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/LiquorBottlePermits.pdf
The trademark crown is certain to be an insignia used by a particular distiller / whiskey company, although I do not know off-hand what company that is……I’m sure a reader or knowledgeable whiskey bottle collector will recognize it.
Hope this helps,
~David
I just found this site surfing and am very excited with it. I have a jar with a cork on top. I’m assuming it is Owens-Ill. Glass Co. marks on bottom are a circle, 33, then a diamond looking spaceship and a6center it says-‘Sunsweet, under that,Pat.appld. for. beautiful green. But I couldn’t find those markings although the bottle is there. Can any one help me?
Sincerely, Judy
Hi Judy,
From your description I think you have found an emerald green Sunsweet prune juice bottle / jar. I did a search on ebay with the keywords “green sunsweet bottle” (without quotes) and came up with several examples of the older Sunsweet bottles listed there. Most of them were of the “flattened fishbowl” shape, although other designs were used for that particular name brand of prune juice over the years. I can’t be sure what year your bottle was made, but it possibly dates from the 1930s or 1940s. That bright emerald green glass color has been used for many years for a multitude of bottles and jars made by Owens-Illinois, especially soda bottles and canister sets. Hope this helps,
~David
I have a partial piece of brown glass that has the following markings:
Looks like a 15, then underneath it says “Duraglas”, and has a 39 under the Duraglas. The rest is missing.
Not sure if this is enough to identify, but I am curious.
No, sorry it is not enough to identify.
We found a I.W. Harper bourbon whiskey bottle that says 17 D-9 then under that it says 60 (I in circle) 56 under that M-89 A. I have gathered that it was an Owens Illinois bottle but I wanted to know more information on it. Like, what year was it made, is it worth anything? Etc. It is in a plastic container that also says iw Harper on it. Its pretty nifty we found it in the chimney.?
Hi Alisa, Please check out this link:
http://www.sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/LiquorBottlePermits.pdf
The “60” is a liquor bottle permit number assigned to Owens-Illinois Glass Company in reference to their glass plant located at Gas City, Indiana. The “56” to the right of the logo is a date code for 1956. The “M-89 A” may be pertaining to the bottle design/style. I am not an appraiser, but in general, as I suggest to others who ask the same questions such as “How much is this worth”, please consider searching ebay auctions for similar bottles over an extended period of time, using relevant keywords in their search box, and noting actual COMPLETED AUCTIONS values. In general, these types of bottles were made in very large numbers, and are considered relatively “MODERN” by bottle collectors and do not have a lot of monetary value in today’s collector marketplace **at the present time**. Best regards, David
I found an amber colored medicine bottle. The bottom of it has a 7 then the “old” O I logo with the diamond followed by a 4 to the right. Then below that 1845. Can you tell me what that means?
Hi Amanda,
The bottle was, as you know, made by Owens-Illinois at their Alton, Illinois glass plant (across the Mississippi River from St. Louis). The “4” is a date code for either 1934, 1944 or 1954; sorry I don’t know if anyone can be absolutely sure which year is correct.
The “1845” is a stock or code number (could also be described as a model number, design number, catalog number, style number or inventory number) assigned to that particular bottle type. It is a number which would have been used within the glass factory, such as on inventory sheets, communications such as order forms between the glass factory and the company the bottle was manufactured for.
I did a search on ebay and found several amber bottles similar to this, with various date code configurations on the bottom, and with the number 1845. I believe the 1845 may have been the “standard” catalog number assigned by Owens-Illinois to a particular series of round amber medicine or ‘chemical” bottles with the graduated numbers embossed along the side. The bottles were used for many purposes including liquid chemicals such as chlorine, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, ammonia, fertilizers, cleaning agents, as well as medicines and other products.
And no, the number has nothing to do with any date, in case you were wondering.
Best regards,
David
I have a clear glass bottle. Art deco cut. D 126 on top of the logo. 55 to the left. 8 to the right. Des Pat 92901 Screw top with metal cap. Has the federal law forbids on the back. Any info would be great!
Hi Annie, The design was patented in 1934, as shown by this page on Google Patents. Evidently a liquor bottle made for Seagram’s. Those types of decoratively designed bottles were often saved and re-used as decanters or vases.
http://www.google.com/patents/USD92901
Best regards, David
Hi David, I have read this with great interest. I have a jar I am having trouble dating. It sounds like it is shaped much like Valerie’s, she commented above. The Jar is like a flat sided fish bowl shape. it has the angles from the bottom half way up, then is more rounded from there but has ridges on the sides from 1 o’clock to 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock to 11 o’clock. On the bottom is the regular capital I in the O with the elongated diamond.. To the left of the that is a 7 to the right a 2 with NO period and there is no stippling or bumps. under the logo there is the number 14 and under that is the PAT. APPL’D FOR, it also has the round rough uneven circle around the bottom of the jar. So I gather plant 7 Alton ill., mold 14, which seems unique. Oh it also has a screw top, but it has a small wire handle (not bale fastener) that doesn’t clear the zinc lid I put on it by much. What does the 2 to the right with NO period mean, maybe 1932?? This has driven me crazy trying to track this baby, what the year was and what might have been in it. I would say it holds more than a pint, but less than a quart.
Hi Brenda,
I sent you a direct email about this the other day, but will also post this comment publicly as a followup on the site for other readers. Your post is concerning a query submitted in 2013 from “Valerie” which is farther down on this page and may require some scrolling to find! Basically, I realized I had a similar “fish bowl” shaped bottle/jar, and the base on this example is marked: 7 [Owens-Illinois mark] 5 (over) 23. Underneath in an arc formation is “DES. PAT. 86712”. This pertains to a patent design issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on April 12, 1932. Here is a webpage from Google Patents which describes the jar: http://www.google.com/patents/USD86712
I believe this jar was mostly used to contain pickles, olives, and/or perhaps molasses, honey, or some other food product. Since the style of jar was sold to various companies (customers) I am sure a variety of products was packed in it,depending on company, although pickles was probably the main product it was used for. Of course there would have originally been a label affixed to the front, and a wire bail which may be missing on most of them found today.
Presumably most of these jars were made within just a few years of the issuance of the patent in 1932, but I don’t know for how long. If the design was popular it is possible they were produced for some years after 1932.
I do think the “2” on your example is a date code for 1932, and the “5” on my piece stands for 1935. Of course, the “7” which is a plant code number stands for Owens-Illinois’s factory location at Alton, Illinois. The “14” on your example (“23” on mine) is a mold number.
I hope this helps! Thanks for your post!
~David
I’m trying to locate an all-encompassing list of mold numbers for O-I. In this particular case, I have a La Fendrich Humi-Jar with the O-I diamond & oval entwined with an “I” center and 7 (plant), 1 (date code) and 2 (mold number). I understand the “7” and “1”, but would LOVE to know what the “2” specifically stands for in relation to the mold and to have a listing for all O-I’s mold numbers in general. As a last resort, I may email O-I requesting a mold number list, but figure my chances are slim to none to get one. Appreciate your time!
Hi Lynn,
The term “mold number” can be confusing and can mean slightly different things depending on the context. In general, (and this is my own understanding…….I invite clarification or corrections from readers!!), there are two basic types of mold numbers:
1) A range of numbers assigned to a series of IDENTICAL MOLDS being used to produce a particular type of bottle. For instance (just a random example), let’s say a particular ketchup bottle is being made by machine. The ABM (Automatic Bottle Machine) might have a set of 12 molds (or “mold cavities”) installed for making the bottle. Each mold is identical……but would be numbered from “1” to “12”. [In your case, the “2” is one of these type mold numbers].
2) A particular number assigned to a specific style or design. Often these types of “mold numbers” might be more accurately termed “design numbers” or “inventory numbers” or “catalog numbers” or “model numbers” or “bottle style numbers”.
Thus, a bottle with, say, the style number “2579” might theoretically also be marked with the mold number “6” if it is being made on a machine with a number of identical molds numbered 1 to 10 or 1 to 12.
Keep in mind that low mold numbers such as “2” or “7” were used on thousands of different styles of containers over the years, so there is no direct relation between a (for instance) “2” seen on an Owens-Illinois-made soda bottle and the “2” on a coffee jar or beer bottle.
Some glass companies seem to have used style numbers more often than others. Many British bottles are seen with 2, 3, or 4-digit numbers on the bottom which are style numbers. Hazel-Atlas Glass Company made a lot of containers with style numbers on the bottoms.
Some Owens-Illinois soda bottles carried a “G-number” which was a number (G combined with 2, 3, or 4-digits) assigned to a particular shape or style…..I think those are more common from the 1940s-1960s.
I often advise readers to, just for the heck of it, examine glass containers in their cupboards and refrigerators, and see if they can find various mold numbers on modern, present-day glass containers. The range of “type 1” mold numbers may extend well into the double digits on some types of bottles, such as soda bottles.
I hope this helps a bit,
~David
I have a old bottle the has the imprint on the bottom F.G on top half of Bottom and 7 on the lower half of Bottom. What would the history be of this bottle. There is no label.
Florida Glass Company.
I have a duraglas players 10 oz. soda bottle with different sports players on the front of it, on the bottom of the bottle it has #3 for the plant code, #48 for the date code,#1 for the mold code. Does anyone know what its worth? Or where can I find a picture of it at? Or any other information about it?
Randy, I’m sorry but I don’t know anything about these particular bottles.
~David
Is this what your bottle looks like? http://www.tias.com/5747/PictPage/3924038412.html
We have a duraglas from the Alton plant #7 on the left, the number 6 on the right (36 or 46?) and the mold #3 below. This is a Russian Soldier Vodka 1/2 Quart bottle, painted and molded, it pretty much looks like Stalin, big black mustache and with a bottle neck coming out of the top of his head. But we can’t seem to find this anywhere. Any contact with this bottle before? Or would there be anyplace to find info on the mold?
Thanks,
Bill
Bill, I’m not familiar with the bottle, but Owens-Illinois has made tens of thousands of different bottles over the years. Perhaps a reader will have more info.
Best regards, David
I have a bottle with diamond/O and I logo. The left no. is 7 and the right side no. is 6. The logo no. below is 5 and the top of the logo no. is 5250. It is a giant bottle 20 inches tall.
Hi Earnel,
Sounds like it may be a 5-gallon water bottle. If so, the markings show it was made in Alton, Illinois by Owens-Illinois Glass Company. The “6” on the right is probably a date code for 1936 or 1946. The “5250” is, I believe, a code number for that bottle type.
~David
I just dug my first bottle and would love to know more about it. It is 4″ tall x 2″ wide. Screw top (don’t have the lid) , says duraglas on the front, Owens on the bottom with a logo that looks like a sideways diamond with a circle going through it. There is a 6 to the left of the logo and an 7 to the right. Any ideas? Age? Value? What was originally in this bottle?
Here are some points to help with age, etc:
1) Duraglas is the trademarked brand name of Owens-Illinois Glass Company’s typical container glass, introduced in 1940.
2) The number to the left of the Diamond/Oval logo is usually (but not always) the plant code number. “6” was the plant code for their Charleston, WV plant.
3) “7” (date code usually on right) would stand for either 1947 or 1957. Probably 1947.
4) Without seeing it, I can’t be sure of purpose, but most of these small screw-type clear bottles made by Owens-Illinois in the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s are quite common, and so have little market value to collectors. Still, a nice little piece of mid-20th-century Americana! (Please send me a pic of the bottle to the email address listed on my “Contact Information” page.
~David
I found a brown bottle bottom on Ocean Beach in San Francisco. It has half the Duraglas trademark in the center. I am trying to find out the range in years of the glass I found. The Duraglas trademark began in 1940. Is it still being used on bottles? If not when did it stop?
Isabel,
I’m sure the info is out there somewhere, but I’m not sure offhand exactly when the Duraglas brand name was discontinued (not sure if it HAS been discontinued??). The information is probably available somewhere at the official U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website. (Try searching that site only if you have lots of free time and don’t mind being frustrated by long ‘wild goose chase’ searches. 🙂 I usually have trouble finding exactly what I’m searching for on that website).
In any case, most of the bottles I see with the Duraglas marking seem to date from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.
Best regards, David
David, I find this so interesting because I found this glass in Jefferson Barraks memorial park here in St. Louis while mushroom hunting. This bottle has the 3ii on the back near the neck indicating size but no side markers. The top is a screw top and it’s got like a indicresiant coat on it and it’s clear
Lindsey, the “weird 3” symbol stands for “ounce” so your bottle is a 2 oz. medicine bottle. The “iridescent” coating is a result of being buried for many years— over the years the moisture in the soil very slowly disintegrates a microscopically thin surface layer of glass (gradually leaching out some of the soda), creating the “look” which is sometimes called “sick glass”…. The appearance can range from just a faint whitish stain all the way to outrageously beautiful multicolor “rainbow” effects on bottles that have been buried for a very long time. I think that the type of soil (mineral content) can also play a part in how colorful the effect may be. Thanks for your posts! ~David
Hi David I have a small medicine bottle marked 15 with a dot above the 5, oval diamond, 3. I can’t figure it out can you please help?
Hi Lindsey,
I’m not sure but I think the chances are good that your bottle was made at the Owens-Illinois Glass Co. plant located at Okmulgee, Oklahoma, which was their “#15 plant” until around 1939. The “3” may be a date code for 1933. However I don’t think there is any way to be 100% sure on that.
~David
I understand your reluctance to make blanket statements. My source for this is an article by Bill Lockhart called “The Dating Game,” that appeared in the summer 2004 edition of Bottles and Extras. I have a .pdf file of the article that I’d be glad to share with you. As far as stippling goes, I just checked about a half-dozen of my 1940s 7 oz. bottles on the shelves (Squirt, 7up, Canada Dry, Bubble Up), and even the stippled bottles have clearly discernible periods.
Hi Ken,
Thanks for your comments —- good observations! I’m familiar with the article, and I am going to add another paragraph of text on this page, along with a link to that article. The base stippling, as you know, is less of a “problem” on larger bottles, but on some of the smaller bottles, it’s practically impossible to tell whether a period or dot (even though it may be slightly larger) is supposed to be there along with the single digit. However, we can just assume, with a pretty strong degree of confidence, that any Owens-Illinois bottle with a single digit date code number AND a period likely dates from the 1940s. Thanks!
David
Your explanation of the markings on the bottom do not seem to relate to the jar I have. It is a large clear glass jar which I believe is a coffee jar. The numbers on either side of the oval /diamond are a 7 on each side – so when was this made?
Hi Marie,
Owens-Illinois has made thousands of different containers, and on many of them the markings do not always conform exactly to the most “typical” factory/date/mold code configuration. In any case, from your description, the number on the left (7), typically a plant location code, indicates production at the Alton, Illinois factory. The number on the right (7) is a date code, but since it is a ONE-DIGIT code, it is not possible to be 100% certain whether it stands for 1937 or 1947. (It is almost certainly one of those years.) There may or may not be a number (mold identifying number) situated directly underneath the logo. In your case I assume there is not. Hope this helps,
David
Bottles and jars with single-digit dates can be distinguished by whether or not there is a period after the date. If there is a period, then it was made in the 1940s. I have hundreds of Owens-Illinois soda bottles, and the ones I am certain were manufactured after 1940 (bottle design, graphics, etc.) almost always have a period after the date. It was O-I’s dating practice before it switched to double-digit coding. I have a Del Monte coffee jar with a 1. date code, which denotes 1941.
Hello Ken, Thanks a lot for your information. In general, I agree with you, and you are more than likely correct about O-I soda bottles…..but I hesitate to make any “blanket” statements on this site since I seem to find exceptions to nearly every “rule”. The practice of placing a dot after a single digit year code to indicate the 1940s may have been standard for most if not all soda bottles, but was this true on all of the other types? There are other problems including:
1) Stippling (as you know, an overall pattern of tiny dots) on the base of many bottles makes it difficult, and sometimes impossible, to ascertain whether or not there is a specific ‘dot’ engraved after the single digit.
2) I have a green 4 OZ jar marked with the “old” trademark and a single digit “1” but with NO dot discernable, although there is a general stippling on the base. It also carries the DURAGLAS marking which indicates production after 1940. So this could theoretically be either 1941 or 1951. Since there is NO dot, presumably this is from 1951?
3) I have a small emerald green vial, marked with a single digit date code (9) to the right of the “newer’ (second) trademark, just an I inside an O. This may stand for either 1959, 1969, or 1979. It certainly doesn’t date from the 1930s or 1940s.
Thanks and take care!
David
David I have a George Dickle bottle that has the newer O I mark but still says federal law forbids and the date code is 1970 but I know that they ended this in 64. Is this bottle unique or why did this happen?
Hi Gerald, There are some bottles that continued to carry the “Federal Law Forbids” phrase on them, long after 1964. No one seems to know exactly why, but my “take” is that it simply wasn’t worth the time, effort and expense to retool (erase) markings engraved into the mold. It wasn’t of any “real” importance if the phrase was left on a bottle mold even after the phrase was no longer “officially” required. (Bottle molds were often used for a period of many years). Thus, some bottles made long after 1964 are seen with the phrase. David
Hello David, we found a small clear bottle with “N [IO] 81 N8” printed in a single line at the base of the bottle. Since 81 was to the right of the new IO mark, we figured it stood for the year 1981, but is the N to the left of the IO the plant code?
We found it half-buried in the woods on our land, and were just curious about what it might have once contained. Thanks!
Hello John, Some relatively recent bottles made by Owens-Illinois do not conform to the “typical” marking system/configuration of earlier years. I believe the “81” is a date code for 1981, but I’m not sure what the “N” represents. It might be a plant location code. You can email a pic of the bottle to the email address listed at the lower right-hand corner of any page on this site. I am guessing it is a soda bottle.
David
I have a Duraglas water bottle with the lid. The numbers on the bottom are 7 (oval/diamond/ I ) 5. Can you please tell me an appropriate year for this bottle.
Hi Kimberly,
I can’t supply an absolute answer. The “5” stands for either 1945 or 1955. (My vote would be for 1945, but no guarantees). Since the brand “Duraglas” was not introduced until 1940, we can be sure it stands for sometime after that year. Also, it wouldn’t be 1965 since by that time the mark no longer carried the diamond. The “7” stands for their Alton, Illinois glass plant.
Best regards, David
I have a roll-rite rolling pin with a serial no of 3193 on the cap. Any info, this is a glass one made by Owens-Illinois glass company of Toledo, Ohio.
Perhaps a reader will have more info on when these were produced.
David
Found a owens glass mason jar which has saturn symbol and left number is 23, right number 3. What year is this jar and do items like these ever have a value?
Hi Eric,
Owens-Illinois has made a lot of generic “Mason” canning or fruit jars. Some of them may have been “packer jars” (containing various foods, bought retail at the grocery store) and they were frequently saved to reuse as canning jars or containers for storage (nails, nuts, marbles, buttons, screws, etc.) . Your jar indicates manufacture at their Los Angeles, Ca facility (plant code #23); I believe that number was used circa 1948 to 2004. “3” probably stands for 1953. Value is subjective, but since these are common jars, typically they might have 50 cents to a dollar or two value to jar collectors. Any damage will reduce the collector value to virtually nil. Of course it can still be used for “practical purposes” and if in decent condition (no cracks or chips) will always retain some utility value, regardless of “collectability value”.
~David
My husband was uncovering a rock wall along our property and came across a Duraglass bottle. It’s green. It has a 3 on the left of the diamond over the oval emblem. There might be a little something inside the diamond. Very hard to tell. To the right of the emblem is the number 4 and then a smaller 7 slightly above the 4. Under the diamond/oval emblem is the number 18. Any idea what year this is??
1947.
Hello David,
I found a gold decanter that has the OI on the right and D126 above 55 65 and 10 on the right. I’m wondering if this means its from Owens-Illinois Atlanta, Georgia in 1955-65? It also says “Federal Law Prohibits Sale Or Re-Use of This Bottle”.
Thank you =)
Hello Nora,
These Owens-Illinois decanters and liquor bottles often have code numbers on the bottom that are arranged differently than the more common configuration as seen on most soda bottles. This has created confusion for researchers. I believe either the “55” or the “65” is a date code, but I don’t know which is correct. I think it is more likely the “55” (for 1955), but I really don’t know for sure. “10” may be a mold number. I understand that “10” was a factory code number for Atlanta, Georgia location, but that plant number was instituted around 1960. (The number “10” had also served as the factory code number for their Newark, Ohio glass plant earlier on, but that was in use circa 1929-1938). In conclusion, I cannot give you any information that I can guarantee is absolutely correct. (Perhaps a reader, or another researcher, has more information that can clear this up). Sorry about that,
Best regards, David
Hello David,
Thanks for your response, I appreciate it! 🙂
Hi David, Mind if I butt in? Without seeing the actual mark…the format for liquor bottles was usually the bottle maker permit # on the left (which would be the 55 – Huntington, WV)…and the year of manufacture on the right…so 1965…which seems 1 yr too long for the Federal warning law bottles that began in 1935. ?? Hmm.
There is a list of permit codes for glass companies making liquor bottles after Prohibition and the 1935 (34) law on the Historic Bottle website:
http://www.sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/LiquorBottlePermits.pdf
The D126 is the liquor distiller’s code…which I havent Found a list of…yet. But Jim Beam bottles will ALL have the same code, etc.
Hi Carol!
You know, I was dimly aware there was a list of those liquor bottle manufacturers’ permit numbers available somewhere on the ‘net but I had not taken the time to research it thoroughly like I should have!! Thanks so much for that link! It makes total sense and I am sure you are correct. The date code would then certainly be 1965, and the “55” (placed on the left) is the permit number assigned to Owens-Illinois’s glass manufacturing plant at Huntington, West Virginia.
About the “Federal Law Forbids” phrase…….it is apparent that some bottles continued to have been made with the marking even into the early 1970s. I think (repeat: think) that these are cases when the mold engraver, for some reason, simply never bothered to “update” the mold and remove the engraving (this involves filling in the engraving and smoothing over so there is no apparent “disturbance” of the glass surface on the finished bottle). Although the notice was required up until c. 1964, there was nevertheless no strictly compelling reason for glass manufacturers to immediately erase the engraving from a mold, especially considering that this was time consuming and cost them more money!
I even recall a query concerning a liquor bottle that appears to date from very recently (possibly post-1980s?), with that FLF phrase embossed on it. I think that thread would be in the Comments section at the “Federal Law Forbids Sale or Reuse of this Bottle” webpage within my site.
Thanks, David
I have a green bottle with cap unscrewed trying to figure out the dates and markings are AT with the I circled 85 G2 any help is appreciated. grace4278@yahoo.com
Krystal, the makers mark is “I inside an O”. Made in 1985 by Owens-Illinois Inc, emerald green non-returnable soda bottle, perhaps contained Sprite, 7-up, etc). Many of these types of soda bottles from the 1980s and ’90s have rather faint embossing arranged along the lower “heel” of the bottle.
David
I found a Dad’s Root Beer 10-oz. bottle (“Big Junior” size) dated 1960. It was made in Alton, Ill, and it bears the diamond O-I trademark. It’s the first bottle from the 1960s I’ve found bearing the old trademark, and I’ve been collecting soda bottles since I was 15 years old (1978).
Hi Ken,
Great! Would you be able to email me a pic showing the base markings? You can send it to the email address shown at the bottom of any page on this site. Thanks for letting me know~
David
what year is the date code 3?
Casey, a single digit, such as “3” on the right side of the “old” Owens-Illinois logo (Diamond and oval superimposed, with I inside) can theoretically stand for several different years, including 1933, 1943 or 1953. If the “3” is accompanied by the “newer” mark (I inside an O) it could stand for 1963 or 1973. Sometimes a date code was reduced to only one digit on a very small bottle. However, that doesn’t always hold true. If your bottle carries the “old” logo, I think the chances are highest that it stands for 1933, but I can’t guarantee that. Perhaps 1943. Sometimes additional information about the bottle can narrow down the date range. For instance, if the bottle also carries the DURAGLAS brand, we can be sure it was made after 1940, the year Duraglas was introduced.
~David
I purchased a Kolb’s Bavarian Type Brew beer bottle. The Kolb Brewery was in Bay City, Michigan and closed during or shortly after prohibition. Left of the diamond-I logo is a 3; to the right is a 6; below is a 2. Near the opposite edge of the bottle is a larger “G 11.” Can you tell me how old the bottle is?
Hi Russell,
The bottle likely dates from 1936 (the 6 on the right of the logo is a year date code). Assuming your information on the date of closing of the brewery is correct, it would not stand for 1946.
Best regards,
David
I found a bottle in a farmhouse basement that is green with the I O diamond mark. The center I barely has any length. To the right is a 2, the bottom seems to be stamped off center so cannot tell what was stamped to the left. Beneath it is an 8. Beneath that is PAT APPLD FOR. It is not stamped with Sunsweet nor Duraglas. It is not completely round as it has flat angles coming off of the flat bottom but then becomes rounded on top so is neither completely round nor completes a hexagon. The flat front and back of the bottle have a set of 3 raised arcs at the 3, 6, 9, and 12 positions. I have seen one similar bottle for sale in a group of green bottles on ebay but the person had no information. Appreciate any help you can give! Thanks!
Valerie,
Can you send me a clear pic of this bottle,and a closeup of the base mark, if possible. (My email address is at the bottom of the page). I tried emailing you directly, but the email you gave was invalid.
Best regards, David
Hi David. My husband & I found what looks to be an old pickle jar in the woods. It has the Diamond & Oval w/capital I marking on the bottom with a #7 to the left, #4 to the right & #4 below. I think the #4 to the right is the possible dates of 1934, 44, or 54 ; probably 54. I think the #7 is the factory in Alton, IL, & the #4 below is the mold #. Am I correct? The one thing I can’t find any information about is the number C2989 located next to the name Duraglas at the bottom of the jar. Would you have any idea what that would mean? I am wanting to restore the jar- lid & handle- for my parents but I am not positive what the jar was used for. Any ideas from you would really be appreciated.
Best regards and God bless,
Mary
Hi Mary!
You are correct, although I am thinking the “4′ most likely stands for 1944. Would you be able to email me a photo of this bottle? (Send to the email address listed at the very bottom of any page on this site). The “C2989” would almost certainly be a code number for that particular bottle style (i.e. catalog number, inventory number, design number), used in communications between the glass factory and the company(ies) they sold the bottles to.
David
where can I find information on Owens-Illinois whiskey bottle marks?
Milt, I don’t know of any source for information that specifically discusses Owens-Illinois whiskey bottle marks. Good luck on your search for info.
David
Thanks for your speedy reply!
HI, I have a 10 in tall x 4 in wide Amber Glass Bottle, Diamond/ Oval and I inside marking on bottom. It has a 14 to the left, 3 to the right and 8 under the logo. What can you tell me about it?
Thanks,
Sharon
Hi Sharon, the “14” is a factory location code number for Owens-Illinois Glass Company’s Bridgeton, New Jersey glass manufacturing plant, where the bottle was made. The “3” to the right is a date code which stands for either 1933, 1943, or 1953. Sorry but I don’t know which year it would be. The “8” is a mold number.
~David
Hello,I also found an old coca cola bottle with the diamond and oval with a capital I inside. It says Chicago, IL with an S on the bottom. Does this mean it was made in 1947? Can you give me any information so I may find the value of this bottle.
I’m sorry, but I don’t do appraisals. I have no idea if your bottle was made in 1947, since you don’t mention any numbers on the bottle that might possibly be a date code.
David
Sorry, I had the numbers in the first time I entered my comment which did not take so I had to rewrite. The numbers were 17 on the left of the logo and 47 on the right.
Hi Cheryl,
Your bottle was made at the Clarion, Pennsylvania glass plant (facility #17), and yes, the number “47” on the right side of the O-I logo would indicate 1947.
Take care,
David
I found an old bottle with this logo but there is a 6 to the left of the logo, a 17 under the logo, and a 6 to the right. Does this mean it was made in 1906?
Hi Lindsay,
I am assuming by “logo” you mean the “diamond and oval with an I inside”. To begin with, Owens-Illinois did not come into being until 1929 (O-I was a merger of Illinois Glass Company, and Owens Bottle Company). So it is totally impossible for the “6” date code to stand for 1906. The “6” on the left is a plant code number that stands for the Charleston, West Virginia glass plant. That plant operated up to (I think) around 1962, give or take a year. The “6” on the right, which is the date code, could theoretically stand for either 1936, 1946 or possibly 1956. However, I am of the opinion that it stands for 1946. Note that this is just my opinion…….I don’t have proof of that. The “17” is a mold number. Thanks for writing!
David
Hello David,
I have a Duraglas 4/5 Quart bottle with 6 on left, I inside O logo, 6 on the right and a 27 centered underneath the I/O logo. Manufactured in Charleston West Va. ? The 6 on the right is the year manufactured ? And the 27 is the mold number?
Best Regards, Zac
Hi Zac,
Yes, the “27” is a mold number. The “6” on the left does represent their Charleston, WV bottle factory, and the “6” on the right is a date code. Since the “Duraglas” brand name was introduced in 1940 we know it can’t be from before that year. I am assuming you do mean that the logo is ONLY an “I inside an oval” with NO diamond, correct? If so, the date code would probably be for 1956. If there is a diamond as part of the logo, the date would be 1946.
~David