(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’ “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 (2022) the largest manufacturer of glass containers in the world.
“DIAMOND & OVAL SUPERIMPOSED WITH AN I INSIDE” MARK
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”).
ADVERTISEMENT
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 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. However, more research over the years has shown there was actually a gradual changeover from the “old” to the “new” trademark on containers, which occurred over a period of four or five years beginning in 1954 (with a few known exceptions—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 hard to discern.
“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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
“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 2020).
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.)
ADVERTISEMENT
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”.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
Hello, I am something of a hoarder when it comes to old things including bottles and jars. I have recently came across an amber glass bottle with the logo Durables on the base rim. The bottom shows the I within the O with a 7 to the left, a 7 to the right, and an 8 to the bottom. I can’t make it out but it looks like a identification code E-1536 or E-1596. I would love to know what the just what I picked up.
Hi Eric,
The trademark is “DURAGLAS” which was introduced in 1940. Your bottle was made at plant # 7 (Alton, Illinois) and the “7” on the right of the logo stands for either 1947 or 1957. Probably 1947, but it is difficult to be sure. The letter-numbers code is an inventory ID (style or design number) used in catalogs or invoices between Owens-Illinois and the end user company. I don’t know what type of bottle you have, but you could email me a pic of the bottle to my address which is listed on the lower right-hand corner of this webpage.
~David
Hello David, great article here full of info. I have been trying to track down information on vintage bitters bottles that I collect and can’t seem to find any information on a particular kind. The most recent one I picked up has a rooster on it and says bitters above it, overlayed in sterling silver. The bottom of the bottle has a 2 followed by the O with diamond logo followed by a 3. Would this indicate 1930s? There are no ther dots or marks on the bottom of the bottle. Amazing to find this article by simply googling o with diamond logo glass mark. Thank you in advance for any info you Dan provide!
Reilly, I don’t know for sure when it was made but, from doing a google search and seeing several different variants of the “Rooster’ bitters bottle, they appear to be intended as decanters or decorative “back bar bottles”. I would assume your bottle was made in 1933 at the Huntington, WV plant.
~David
Hi David – I apologize if my question is redundant. You have a popular forum here and I’ve read far enough to acknowledge your credibility but not yet through all of the questions/answers.
I found a brown amber, half-gallon jug. It is Owens-Illinois with plant code 14, date code 52, and mold code 1. It has the Duraglas logo as well.
What I’ve not seen before nor have I found any info online is that twice around the collar of the jug is embossed “ONE HALF-GALLON”, but one instance is clearly misspelled as “ONE HALE-GALLON.” Any ideas as to the frequency of typos in the molds?
Thanks!
Hi Jeremy,
Thanks for your kind words about the site. Mold makers’ spelling errors are fairly common on glass items such as bottles, fruit jars and insulators, and those errors are sought by collectors. Although most (not all!) errors are found on older, handmade items. (Insulators bearing mold errors are a popular collecting sub-category among insulator collectors).
Just as a very general date range, I would say they are definitely more commonly seen on glass made before about 1920. Since your jug dates from 1952, that’s an instance of a relatively recent mold error. I am not familiar with that particular error and I don’t know how common it is. Sounds like a neat piece!
~David
You have to love the internet, as I just found information on a bottle I found years ago. On the bottom, it has the diamond and circle with the I in it, so looks to be Owens Illinois. Below the trademark are 64, D-1, 46 stacked on top of each other. It is a cork bottle, 4/5 quart with the words around the shoulder: “Federal law forbids sale or re-use of this bottle”, which leads me to believe post prohibition. I’m guessing one of the numbers is the year the bottle was made?
Thank you
Hi Randy,
On Owens-Illinois LIQUOR BOTTLES (different code configuration than on their other bottles) normally there are two code numbers, but the first one is a “Liquor bottle permit number” and the second one is a date code. You can find a list of “liquor bottle permit numbers” ( assigned to various glass companies) by searching with those four words on google. The first number, 64, was assigned to Alton, IL plant. The second number, 46, is a date code for 1946, the year the bottle was made. Keep in mind that other types of bottles and jars made by Owens-Illinois do not have the same arrangement of code numbers as their typical liquor bottles.
Hope this helps,
David
David, I found a coca cola bottle with the O I logo on the bottom with an F above it and no numbering around it. It also has the town name on the bottom. Curious what the F stands for I believe it’s 1958 bottle ,mold number 19. Thats what I gather from the numbering in the skirt: 58•19
Sean, I’m not sure what the “F” means.
David
Did you ever find what the letter “F” stands for? I just excavated a coke bottle with an F above the “I inside the O” logo with a “5” on the left (assuming the Charlotte, MI plant?) and “62” to the right (1962…did plant open late 1962?).
Hi Dorian,
The “F” on Coke bottles made by Owens-Illinois Glass Company apparently indicates their Fairmont, West Virginia glass plant. This is mentioned (briefly) within this really comprehensive article written by Bill Lockhart, here: https://sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/OwensIll_BLockhart.pdf That article includes a lot of detailed background info, much more than I have on my site. I am not sure about why there would be an “F” in addition to the “5” which, after 1963, stands for the Charlotte, Michigan plant. Perhaps the bottle mold itself was originally used at the Fairmount plant? Does your Coke bottle have a city name on the base for the bottling plant? The Charlotte glass plant (according to a brief note in my records) was producing bottles from October 15, 1963 to April 1, 2010. I believe I got this info from somewhere on the internet, but don’t remember where. Hope this helps! Take care,
David
I would like to find out a price for this bottle I found in this abandoned water drain in my yard. It’s brownish and about as long as my finger. I think its made by Owens-Illinois Glass Company and has the numbers 7, 3 and 360 on it. I would like to know if it’s worth something. You would probably know. Thanks – Reid
Reid,
Since you found it yourself and it can be considered as a part of the “local history of your own home”, I would find it of interest and I would definitely keep it, sort of as a souvenir or conversation piece. It sounds like an amber medicine vial of some type. My site is not really intended to be an appraisal site, but just for general information on bottle markings and manufacturers. I can say that Owens-Illinois Glass Company has made untold BILLIONS of bottles and jars of all kinds over the last 87 years. They have made tens of thousands of noticeably different types (counting all the different models, shapes, profiles, sizes, glass colors, and markings) and the truth is that most of them do not have much monetary value to bottle collectors at the present time,mostly because they are relatively recent, have no markings except for the bottoms, and are often of clear glass. There are exceptions such as some of the spice vials, kitchen canisters, some scarcer soda bottles, chemical/druggists bottle sets, and some of their various bottles in emerald green, or with unusual markings, unusual brand names, of very local distribution etc. Some Coke bottles made by Owens-Illinois for a particular town might be worth more because of their rarity and difficulty in finding a piece in good condition.
The field of Owens-Illinois is a VERY WIDE field, and it’s very hard to make a statement without making clear there are lots of exceptions here and there. In your case, I would guess the “value” from a strictly monetary standpoint is very low, perhaps less than a dollar. But historical, personal, and/or sentimental value often outweighs any “cold cash value” in so many cases.
Hope this helps,
David
Hi David, I’ve been tirelessly searching for information on an old bottle I’ve had for quite some time. Your website has provided me with my first lead! It’s a brown (amber) Hilex jug with the “diamond and oval with I inside” on the bottom. To the left is a 7, to the right is a 7, and a 4 on the bottom. With this information, would the plant be Alton, IL…..date 1906….and mold number 4? Also, on the bottom is “HILEX reg. u.s. pat. off.”. I’ve seen many Hi-lex jugs, however, on the neck Hilex is embossed vertically (four times around the neck) with the word “contents” in-between horizontally. These jugs are quite common, but I have yet to see this particular style anywhere. I appreciate the uniqueness of it, but I also enjoy knowing what I have. Thank you in advance!
Hi Crista,
Hilex was a competitor to the much more popular and well-known CLOROX brand of chlorine bleach. The Owens-Illinois date code on your bottle is “7” which would stand for either 1937 or 1947. (Probably 1937). Since Owens-Illinois was not formed until 1929, it could not stand for 1906. Yes, “4” is the mold number identifying that particular mold.
I am not familiar with the various Hilex jug/bottle variants, so I can’t comment with authority on the type you have. Although, if you haven’t already, check out the page on Clorox.com that shows all of their early glass jugs and bottles. There may be some slight correlation with Hilex as far as the general appearance of the container, although perhaps not.
David
hi david my name is les I have searched and searched to find the year of this one gallon jug w2ith a Barrell that says quality control in it and it also has grapes and leaves or vines on it also it has 20 diamond logo 2 and 5676 W with a 5 under it any ideas?
Leslie,
The “2” to the immediate right of the “Diamond and Oval” logo is a date code. The number “20” was first assigned to Owens-Illinois’ Brackenridge, PA plant (which closed around 1940), but later assigned to their Oakland, CA plant after c. 1936, and is still in use. I suspect the jug was made at Oakland, California, and the date code stands for either 1942 or 1952, but I’m not sure which would be the correct year. The 5676 is a number assigned to that bottle style, but I have no info on that.
David
What is the context of your question??
David
Hi David,
I have what looks to be a small old round (maybe half pint size) possible medicine bottle? It has a rounded glass (oval depressions on side, flower depression on top) push/pull seal lid. It’s tough to tell on the bottom of this bottle based on your article. This bottom of bottle has a number 6 in the middle and above that has just the “circled I” (no diamond) followed by a single number 9 on the left of the circle I and single number 8 on the right side of the circle I.
Any ideas would be very much appreciated. Thanks so much for your articles and responses to all inquiries!
Regards,
Brennan
Brennan,
The bottle was made at the Streator, Illinois plant and the date code “8” would PROBABLY stand for either 1958 or 1968. I can’t say which.
~David
My family has a collection of Owens Illinois decorated yearly bottles,dating from the 1930′, 1940,and 1950. My father was a longtime employee for OI My mother worked for Libbey Glass .The collection we have are OI bottles We are interested in finding out more on their history .
My name: Mary Sherer,
My fathers name Samuel Staunton
Thank you
My email m54sherer@gmail.com
David,
I found what appears to be a Snowdrift (name on jar) shortening jar with marking on the bottom that look like the diamond and circle with what could be a I in the middle. It’s stippled around the top, the base and a band at the bottom. There is a 3 to the left of logo, 3 and a “period” to the right with a 7 at the below then the word Dura glass. Code C2997 on the side.
Hi David,
I was recently scuba diving in the St Lawrence, and I’ve found a clear glass pop bottle showing 3 I-O 57 with a 3 below the I-O mark and Duraglas in script underneath at the bottom of the bottle. At the top of the bottom of the bottle there is a barely distinguishable 03071 (I think).
There are 16 horizontal embossed rings going from the neck to the body transition, and at 4 places around the neck transition within the horizontal bands, a logo similar to a portly child holding an oversized baseball bat or perhaps some sort of hobo sack or even an over-sized bottle. He’s facing the left and appears to be wearing pointy shoes and a pointy hat. He may even have a beard.
Any info on this bottle would be greatly appreciated.
Best regards,
Rob
(This was answered/discussed via direct email, but I will publish Rob’s post here on the site). Rob did more research and he actually found out the brand of soda bottle…….it’s a “Brownie” soda bottle, made in 1957 by Owens-Illinois at their Fairmont, West Virginia plant. Evidently the Brownie sodas were made for some period of time (1940s-1960s??) in many variants, and were distributed in a number of cities.
~David
I have found a bottle and seeking further information on it.
The best I can tell it reads 4 IO Diamond Logo 3 I can’t tell for sure if there is a period after the 3 due to the stippling of the base. Under that is the Duraglas Script and below that is a 1
That much tells me I have (what I think is) a 1943 bottle manufactured in Clarksburg, WV.
Additionally along what should be the “contact ring” of the bottom, there is a partial single line of stippling “dots” that can bee seen & felt but it is not continuous around the entire bottle.
The bottle is clear and has “4/5 Pint” four times in a ring around the base and a very obvious seam line running up both sides.
The neck is fairly short and bulges slightly in the middle and the top is threaded for a twist off type cap (that I do not have).
So at this point I’m curious what the bottle was possibly used for (Soda, Beer, etc.) and who may have used it.There is no evidence that any logo in the form of painted, screened, or glued label ever existed.
Thanks!!
Steve, the bottle is likely a liquor bottle (judging from the “4/5 PINT” marking) and the date code could be either 1943 or 1953. Sorry I can’t be sure which year is correct. If you wish, send me a pic of the bottle to my email address, listed in the bottom right-hand corner of any page on this site.
Best regards,
David
I have an Owens 3 oz medicine bottle that still has the cork in it, along with a little bit of clear yellowish syrupy liquid you can tell the cork hasn’t been removed for ages.. . The one different thing on this bottle that I can not seem to find on any other bottles on the web is that on the front just above the 3iii says: “pour here” with an arrow pointing upwards toward the lip of the bottle. Has the name Owens on bottom with the number 1 to the left of the diamond and oval … and the pontil mark is not completely round it’s almost oval shaped. Can you give me an Idea on the what year this may have been made in? I would send photo but doesn’t look as if can send one to add to comments… I’ll be happy to email photo if would help..
Hi Lee,
Many bottles made by Owens-Illinois are hard to date exactly. Your piece sounds like a generic or all-purpose type of liquid pharmaceutical bottle, probably dating from sometime in the 1930s-1950s period. Also, virtually all Owens-Illinois bottles are machine-made, and do not have a true “pontil mark”. Pontil marks are only seen on earlier period hand-made (mouth-blown) bottles, not machine-made bottles. There is a lot of confusion on what the differences are. The mark you see on the base is often called an “Owens ring” or “Owens scar”, produced during manufacture by machine.
~David
Thank you David for all the information/help!
Hi David…I have found a 32 oz clear glass bottle with Art Deco designs on the top, bottom and sides of both sides. It has a medal screw top lid. On the bottom it has the “O” inside the diamond but DOES NOT have an “I” inside the “O”. It has the number “7” to the left or the diamond, the number “6” to the right of the diamond and the number “9” at the bottom of the “O”. My question is…Although it does not have the “I” in the “O” is this still an Illinois/Owens Glass Company Bottle? If so, how do I determine it’s age and if possible, what the bottle was originally used for….Thank You…Paula
Hi Paula, many times the “I” is either too small or indistinct to show up on the finished bottle, or was not engraved in the mold at all, but this has nothing to do with whether or not the bottle is a product of Owens-Illinois Glass Company. You may rest assured that it IS a product of that company. Because the mark was engraved BY HAND into the insides of bottle and jar molds by moldworkers, it can vary a little from one bottle to another in legibility and exact shape and size, and often the “I” is not apparent. If you wish, please send a clear pic of the bottle and the base mark to my email address which is listed on the bottom right corner of any page on this site. Best regards,
David
Hello I have enjoyed reading all of the comments on the bottles. I think I have learned some things but would love to verify. I found a brown bottle – around the top it says no deposit star no return and on other side not to be refilled. On the bottom there is a nine, the letter I with a circle around it, the numbers 62 and below the capital I another nine. There are many little dots along the base and the direct bottom of the bottle. Thank you for any information you can supply.
Patty, it sounds like an amber beer bottle from 1962.
David
Hi, I found a bottle with a crimped top that has a rubber seal right in the middle. Just like a medicine vial. The bottle has markings on the bottom 33 “I IN O” 91 with a big R directly under and a 2 under that…any idea what this might be?
Jennifer, I don’t know what type of bottle you have, but I think it was made at Owens-Illinois’s Chicago Heights, IL glass plant in 1991. The “91” is a date code. “33” was the plant location code. Not sure about the “R” but the 2 is likely a mold number.
David
Hello,
I have found a green bottle with a pattern of chains around the neck, and the diamond-and-O logo, but with an “I” in the “O”. The number to the right is a 6, but there is no dot next to it. The left number is 3, and the bottom number is 1. Does this mean it was made in the 30’s, or after? Thank you.
Jack, in my opinion there is no foolproof way to date some Owens-Illinois bottles with 100% certainty, and this is an example. The date code “6” could conceivably stand for either 1936 or 1946.
~David
I have found an old beer bottle Brown oval shaped bottle with the owens symbol on the bottom.
However I do not have numbers around the logo. The numbers are located in the middle of the bottom with the symbol located to the side and the numbers read 0126 and below those it reads 56-51 and the on the posited side of the oval away from the owens symbol it has the number 18 or maybe an I 8 if you could help me out that would be great and it also does have the federal law forbids sale or re-use of this bottle.
Hi Michael,
The bottle is not a beer bottle but a whiskey flask (or other high-alcohol spirits/liquor bottle). I have some of this info embedded in answers to similar questions near the bottom of the “Owens-Illinois Glass Company” page. Basically, the “D-126” is a distiller code number. The “56” is a liquor bottle permit number, which in this case was the number assigned to Owens-Illinois Glass Company’s plant at Charleston, West Virginia. The “51” is a date code for the year the bottle was made: 1951. The “18” may be a mold identifying number.
Best regards, David
I have a large, probably 2.5 or 3 gallon jar I am researching for a friend. It has the I/O and diamond logo in the center of the bottom. It has a 7 to the left for Alton, IL. and a 65 to the right of the logo. I am unsure what that 65 would be as the info I’ve read here says the logo should be the I/O only if that date code means 1965. It also has raised swirl type markings on the bottom, which I see on several jars for sale on eBay. Any idea what the date of manufacture could be?
Hi Tom, the “65” is probably a date code for 1965. Yes, most of their bottle molds had been re-tooled by the late 1950s, but some, for reasons that remain unclear, continued to carry the “old” Diamond/Oval/I mark even into the 1960s. I assume that is the case with your bottle. See the picture posted of the 1966 bottle with their “old” trademark.
Best regards,
David
Thank you, David, that is what I figured, especially since it is such a large bottle that probably had a low run rate.
Hi David!
Your site is such a wonderful resource for nosy people like me, and who enjoy old things. Thank you for creating it!
I have inherited what seems to be a large-sized Owens Illinois Glass Company water bottle. It does have the oval/diamond with an “I” on the bottom. The numbers are “1929” and “156”. You mention location or mold numbers, but I’m not sure which the three digit number corolates to. Would you mind shedding a bit of light for me?
Thank you!
Hi Kelly,
I’m simply not sure about the interpretation of the base numbers in the case of your water bottle. However, currently there is a similar water bottle on ebay, and the “look” of the logo (diamond and oval) is such that I think the original marking was just a “diamond and I inside” but the oval was added (engraved) in the mold later, after the merger of Illinois Glass Company and Owens Bottle Company in 1929. The “1929” could be either a mold style number, or the year the mold itself was manufactured OR re-tooled. The “156” is problematic, but would seem to be a mold identifier number (assuming that more than one identical mold was being used at the factory for that particular style/size bottle). On the bottle listed on ebay, they show the number on their example as “754” (or ‘154″?). In any case, I think your bottle is one of the earlier versions, made in the very early 1930s.
David
David,
Thank you for taking the time to look into this for me. I appreciate your time!
Kelly
Hi,
I found a ONE PINT oval shaped amber glass bottle washed up on the shore of an island off of Florida recently. It had the O I Diamond logo on the bottom with a 13. below. Below the FEDERAL LAW PROHIBITS SALE OR RE-USE OF THIS BOTTLE there is D11 56 9 on the upper flatter side. There are roses (bottom) and vines with leaves decorating the two sides of the bottle. It has an aluminum looking screw cap with a cork inside and threads for another cap possibly. Any info would be appreciated.
Andrew,
It sounds like it might be a Four Roses brand whiskey bottle. The “56” (in this case) is a liquor bottle permit number assigned to Owens-Illinois Glass Company (indicating the bottle was produced at their factory at Charleston, West Virginia), and the 9 is a date code, standing for either 1939 or 1949, but I can’t say for sure which year is right. The “D 11” is a distiller code number.
~David
Hello I found a very small, green bottle, maybe an inch an a half high. On the bottom it has the symbol of a sideways diamond, an 0, and an I inside the 0, like the symbol showed in your article. The left number was 3, which you wrote was from the Fairmont, WV plant, or post 1981 Muskogee, OK. My question was the right side date code. It was an 8 with a period after it. Does this mean that it is from the early 40’s, or is it from the 80’s. And how would I know which year its from?
Tilman,
The “Diamond and oval superimposed with an I in the middle” was phased out during the mid-1950s (although a few bottles carried that mark later, even as late as 1966, as explained in my article on Owens-Illinois) so your bottle was made at the Fairmont plant and almost certainly dates from 1948. By the 1980s, their mark had long since been changed to just an “I inside an O”.
David
Hi – I collect milk bottles which were made by some of the plants in Ill. These bottles are 10 quart bottles with a “stippled” surface and a clear rectagular space at the lower portion of the bottle that has the dairy’s name “etched” into it. The top has a 4″ opening and it has a wire metal handle with a wood handle over the top of the wire. I think they are from the 1930″s ? I am trying to find any info on these bottles. Thanks you for any help. Rick
Today on my hike I found a bottle. It has the diamond with the IO on it on the left is a 12 and on the right is an 8 with a 10 underneath the emblem. From what I can gather it is a bottle made in gas city and possibly manufactured in 1938 but I can’t figure out the 10. Any idea what it could be?
Gabe, normally a number positioned directly below the Owens-Illinois logo is a mold number. In your case the “10” is a mold number……..i.e. a number that identified the particular mold in which the bottle was formed. If you were to find other bottles of the exact same style/shape/type, you might find a different number in the same position as the “10”. Each mold in a series of identical molds is numbered to facilitate identification should problems arise with the finished product. Please check out my page on numbers on the base of bottles.
~David
Thank you for the information!
I have several Duraglas green bottles 7 oz. with “Here’s How” on them. The bottom has Duraglas, to the left #3 the diamond with the O and 48 to the right. The #42 is on the bottom. Can’t find any information on the “Here’s How”. I’m sure it was a soda pop brand name. Can you give me any information on that and what the bottles might be worth. Very good condition.
I have a clear half gallon presto supreme mason jar. On the bottom back it says manufactured by Owens – Illinois glass company. Below that is the letter D with the number 16 after it. There are no markings on the bottom. Any idea of the year it was made
Laney,
According to the reference book “The Fruit Jar Works, Volume 2” (Alice Creswick & Steven B. Creswick, published 1987), there are a number of variations of the Presto jars with the marking “Manufactured by Owens-Illinois Glass Company” and their production period was from 1929 to circa 1946. Hope this helps!
David
On our property, I found a green, glass bottle. On the very bottom of the bottle it has 20 then the diamond, then a 3 with no period. Duraglas in on the side of the bottle at the bottom. Would the date on this be 1933? It is shaped like an old lemon juice bottle. Thank you for any help 🙂
Hi Bethany,
No, since their “Duraglas” brand name was introduced in 1940, the year date code “3” on that particular bottle would have to refer to either 1943 or 1953. Sorry I don’t know which year it would be.
~David
How ironic …I too just found a glass green bottle(champagne?) on my property
May 1. Cursive (durables) WP 9 1 45.
Have lived on property 25yrs. Never noticed it before last week
Hi Dee,
Judging from your info, I would guess it is a soda bottle, and the cursive marking is actually “DURAGLAS”. the “45” is probably a date code for 1945. Take care,
David
Is there any information available on the “Roll Rite Glass Rolling Pin”? I believe they were made by Owens Corning and have a gold colored cap lined with cork so they can be filled with cold water/ice. I’d like to know a little more of the history of these items. The lid also has the Good Housekeeping Seal on it. Thanks for anything you can provide!!
I have a 5 gal clear Duraglas bottle with an I inside a circle and a diamond. There is a seven on either side of the diamond and what appears to be a backwards “4” under the logo. Any information on this ?
Mark, it’s a large-size water bottle. They were usually made in 5-gallon sizes. The “7” on the left is a plant code for Alton, Illinois where a lot of their large water bottles were made. The “7” on the right is a date code and I assume it stands for 1937.
~David
The Duraglas process (spraying a stannic chloride vapor onto the hot bottles to provide scratch resistance) was introduced in 1940, so the bottle was probably manufactured in 1947.
Hi Ken,
You are absolutely right. OOPS! I knew that but in my haste to answer Mark’s post, I forgot the bottle was also marked DURAGLAS. Thanks for the reminder! 🙂 This adds more evidence that many single-digit date codes are not necessarily from the ’30s versus the ’40s or ’50s, as some research has suggested.
~David
Hi.. I found just the bottom of an Amber colored bottle with a 6 to the right, 3 to the left of the logo… Then underneath is 33 and below that is G11… Could you help me ??
Hi Crystal,
I sent an email directly to you, but just received a “Mailer Daemon” notice since apparently your email address contained a typographical error, rendering it as “unknown”. If you can send me a picture of the base to my email address (listed at the bottom right-hand corner of any page on this site) maybe I could come up with some idea of what type of bottle the base shard is from.
Thanks, David
Hey David. I was metal detecting at a private property and boy did I ever find treasure. It was and owns duraglas bottle!! I love these old bottles but anyways could you please help me out man. There is an inscription the bottom that says owens, inside of a circle. Beneath the O is a period and beneath the period (all of this on the left) is the number 13 on the left and then the diamond and O plus I shape and also to the right a number 2. On the back top, middle is a 3iii looking thing but the three looks like a lightning bolt and there are measurements on both sides 2, 1, lightning bolt 3 on the left and 80, 60, 40, 20, CC on the right. Its white glass and slinder, shaped like a whiskey bottle and is about the size of my hand. I just know its gotta be a medicine bottle but could you tell me the year or date or at all what it might have once been. Thank you very much for your works. I read your page and its awesome to know someone actually cares about history as much as I do. If you respond I would appreciate it very much. But if you can’t respond, I completely understand. Thank you.
Brad, it is a medicine bottle (and probably held cough syrup or some other liquid medicine). The “13” is a plant code number for Owens-Illinois Glass Company’s Chicago Heights, Illinois location. The “2” is a date code which probably stands for 1942. The “weird 3” is a symbol that means “ounce”, so your bottle held 3 ounces.
~David
Hey… So I’ve got an O-I bottle, but I’m not sure (1) who it was made for, (2) where it was made, or (3) when it was made. It has a series of numbers stacked in three rows: 64 on top, 7 D89 in the middle, and 56 on the bottom. To the side at a 90 degree angle is the O-I diamond. Any hints or ideas?
Hi SAMRK,
Check out this page of Liquor Bottle Permit Numbers required by law. https://sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/LiquorBottlePermits.pdf
“64” is the liquor bottle permit number assigned to Owens-Illinois Glass Company – at their Alton, Illinois plant. “7” is the Alton plant location code number. “56” is the date code for 1956. D89 is the distiller code number. Hope this helps,
David
David,
Thanks! That does help a lot. One more question… regarding the distiller code, any leads? I can’t find anything for D89. Google only turns up various whiskey code lists, none of which match. The only “89” number is for a distillery that came about nearly ten years after the bottle was made!
Sorry, but I do not know of any source that lists distillery codes found on these types of liquor bottles. There may be a list somewhere, but if there is, I am not clued in to it! Sorry about that!
Take care, David
HI, i have have a bottle that i am completely stumped on. It is a 9 fl oz clear glass bottle, it has raised cursive letters saying sanitary brand and then next to it not in cursive says sanitary bottling works also raised, in the middle of the bottle. then on the lower part of the bottle it says indiana harbor IND. in raised letters along with content 9 fl oz. on the bottom it has 9 then the diamond/circle/I logo and then 3 with a . and then also in big letters says S.B.W…… can you help me figure out what or when it is from its driving me crazy! thank you!
Hi Trisha,
I’m not personally familiar with that bottle, but from a little researching I can tell you it is a soda bottle. (Tens of thousands of different glass soda bottles have been made in the US just within the last 150 years, and no one has seen them all!). Sounds like it would be a “crown lip” style bottle. The markings on the base indicate it was made at Owens-Illinois’s glass plant at Streator, Illinois (plant #9). The “3” is presumably a date code and stands for either 1933 or 1943. I would guess 1943 but can’t guarantee it! The “S.B.W.” of course stands for Sanitary Bottling Works of Indiana Harbor, Indiana. Many soda bottles (especially) of the 1910s to 1950s often have initials in large lettering on the bottoms. It has been told (don’t remember where I read this) that the initials helped identify bottles that were being returned for refilling. Oftentimes large quantities of soda bottles from more than one bottling company was returned, and stored/transported upside-down in crates so the letters could be easily seen, thus the bottles sorted/separated quickly. For other similar examples of your bottle, search google with “Sanitary Bottling Works” bottle. Hope this helps.
~David
We found a George Washington 1932 bicentennial commemorative flask in our basement. I have since found out that it is a vinegar flask from some internet research. The code on the bottom has the oval and diamond with a small line in the middle that is very hard to make out but I’m assuming is the I. The left number is a 7 (Alton, IL?), bottom is a 7 and right is a 2 (obviously from 1932). Just wondering if there would be any way to find out how many of these were made? Thanks for your awesome website!!
Hi Nicky,
I don’t think there are any records in existence that would shed light on how many of them were made. However, I assume they were quite popular and were made in large quantities for that time period. I have occasionally seen them for sale at antique malls and flea markets, and they show up for sale frequently on ebay. I think a high percentage of the flasks were saved because of their subject matter, usefulness, beauty and well-done graphics, so lots of householders saved them to reuse as water bottles or just curios.
An example I have carries the number “9” mold number which shows they were made from at least 9 different molds. I would assume the total number of molds used was either 10 or 12 since normally they were used in even numbers. Yes, the “7” shows production was at the Alton, Illinois factory.
During the late 1920s and extending into the early 1930s there was a surge of interest in antiques (old flasks and other glass antiques in particular, partly due to such publications as “Magazine Antiques” which ran articles on old glass factories; and books about glass & glassware by Rhea Mansfield Knittle, Ruth Webb Lee, Stephen Van Rensselaer and others) so the issuance of this flask arrived “right on time”, combining the popularity of the “father of our country” with the popularity of glass as a medium of expression. Hope this helps!
Take care,
~David
I have what may have been old liquor bottle. Talk neck, very rounded and has a pinkish, purplish tint to the glass and fancy letters that look like WW on its side and N 3 on the bottom. It also has blow holes throughout the glass.also appears to be like a 3 mold design but the #s appear to be backwards
and may have had a plug in it of some type. Any ideas?
No ideas.
You can try sending me a pic of the bottle; my email address is along the right-hand bottom corner of any page on this site.
David
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! (Send me a pic of the bottle to email address listed at lower right on any webpage on this site).
~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