(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”).
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 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.
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. 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.)
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”.
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
I found several bottles. The first one has a 7 than the circle with the I in it and then a 9 all in one row. Below that is a single 9. Below that is the word duraglas. And below that is E – 2143. Can you help me identify it?
One other thing. The circle with the I doesn’t have the diamond. It’s just a circle with an I in it. Don’t know if that helps identifying it.
I found a clear jar. Approx 8oz. It has the logo (I inside o with diamond) to the left is a 4, to the right is a 6, underneath is an I or a 1. And it has 7 rings around it. It says duraglas on 2 sides… with a c2993. Can you tell me what year it was made? Thank you in advance.
Stephanie, the “6” is a date code, and since the brand name DURAGLAS was instituted in 1940, we can narrow down the possibilities to 1946 or 1956. That’s the best I can do.
Take care,
David
Hi David! I found an old brown glass gallon jug with this “diamond and oval with an I inside” symbol on the bottom of it. It has the number 7 to the left of the symbol, 6 to the right, and a 3 below it. It also has an X in the middle of the jug. I was hoping you could give me some information and history about this jug. Thanks in advance!
Patricia,
The only info I can provide with reasonable certainty is that the jug was made at their Alton, IL plant, and the “6” would stand for either 1936 or 1946 (probably 1936). The “3” is a mold number. I’m guessing it would be a generic gallon jug used for liquids such as bleach or other cleaning / chemical products. Or it might have been used for edible products such as Cola syrup, vinegar or apple cider.
Best regards,
David
Great website! I was able to identify my bottle with ease. You have put a lot of work into it and I appreciate it. Look forward to using your site again as I find more cool bottles.
Thanks Samantha, I appreciate your kind words.
David
Anyone ever see an IP for factory code? Bottle dated 1944. I’m finding some odd bottles out here where the date code is gown 6 years after the factory closed example – 1945 bottle from Evansville IL.
Eric, there are examples out there that seem to make no sense, according to what information is known on the factory location and date codes. However, I would submit (my guess) that in some of these instances, the bottle mold might have been moved to another plant but the engravings were not all updated (retooled) correctly on the molds. Thus, a plant code “11” (used at the Evansville plant) may have been left ‘as-is’ for some period of time after the mold was moved, and might have been correctly later, but the date code was retooled. Just an idea!
~David
I found 4 bottles 2″h x maybe 1/2″ w cyclinder with a ever so slight green tint and bubbles in the glass. They have a circle inside a square on the bottom. I also found 4 simalar bottles one in which is 2.5″h and is a screw top with a oval diamond symbol on the bottom. Another is 2″ and has only an 18 on the front bottom as opposed to the actual “heel”. Lastly the others (both 2″) have a circle in a square on one and just 3 bumpson the other but otherwise seam identical. The last 4 do not have the green tint or bubbles in the glass but the shape seems to be almost indentical. Thoughts?
Jonathan, the bottles with the “O in a square” were made by Owens Bottle Company and date from about 1919-1929. (See my page on that mark). They are probably medicine bottles of some sort. Owens Bottle Company (and it’s successor Owens-Illinois Glass Company) made tremendous numbers of bottles of many styles including lots of small medicine bottles and vials such as for products including aspirin, merthiolate, iodine and many others.
David
I couldn’t figure out how to just post a question so hopefully this gets to you. I have found something that looks like a rare bottle that Edwin W Fluerst patented with 87834. I have found one bottle on the internet that is plain with no shield or the “Federal law forbids sale or re-use of this bottle. The bottom of the bottle has DES PAT 87834 then below that is a circle with D8 on top then 64-8 below that. Then below the circle is the diamond with circle that has the “I” in the center. I believe that means it is an Owens bottle.
The sides of the bottle has sort of a decorative look. The front of the bottle says ONE GALLON but on top of that has like a capital “D” with a 0 or o in the middle.
Like I said it looks like the patented bottle but then it has the additions to it. Can you give me any information about it?
Wendy, in many instances, the patent illustrations or model will not be EXACTLY like the bottle(s) that are actually produced. There may be a close similarity, but don’t be surprised if you see something just a bit ‘different’ in the finished product.
David
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