Posted 12 years ago
Daddy_Nobu…
(152 items)
Ran across this early case on eBay. BIN was right at approx a C-note, so I had to have it. Cool factor (to me) is off the chart. I expected the bottle holder holes to be larger, but found them to be 1-1/2" in diameter. The old bottles must have been shipped upside down (never would have guessed)? After buying, I sent pictures to earlycoke who reported the following:
"I think it probably dates to right when they began selling the straight sides. It would have been used on a train, or on a horse and wagon to carry the drink to the outlaying areas of the bottler's territory. Especially in the winter when a person couldn't make it very far out of town because of the roads. "
I've been involved in packaging design during my career. This piece offers a window into a time long past. It fascinates me to think of how far we've come in a hundred years.
Dave
That's really neat! I don't know much about coke bottling history, but I do know that with a corked soda bottle, the cork had to be kept wet, so maybe that's why they shipped upside down.
Thanks Amanda that is very interesting. I appreciate your comments.
Hey TGBWC. Thank you, too. That 48 bottle case you had is magnificent, lucky buyer who was able to pry that from your iron grip! For sure that was an offer you couldn't refuse. I see yours had the more traditional bottle separators. Based on Amanda's observation, I'm wondering if this case might have held Hutchinson bottles as well (I believe those were corked).
No Coke bottles were corked & they weren't shipped upside-down. Probably for the straight sided bottles but all mine are packed away so I can't measure 1 tonite. Will measure 1 tomorrow. The Hutch was a rubber type seal & the "Crown" cap that superseded it were a pressed fit that didn't require inverting.
You're welcome, look up torpedo bottles on google to see some of the earliest glass soda bottles. They are impossible to stand upright, so the cork is always wet.
TGBWC paid a visit to his vast archive and was able to produce this old picture of an early Coca-Cola bottling operation (see updated pics). It shows a case with the bottles oriented upside down. I believe the case shows straight-sided bottles, but there is what appears to be a Hutch up on the line. So could be both were in use around the time period of my case. (I love this picture also because I have a partial banner very similar to that shown. And look at those kids, one's barefoot! This would have been right around the first U.S. federal child labor law was enacted 1916.)
Those coca cola chaps are pretty fantastic too.
TGBWC, that was a great site & I learned a lot. I couldn't imagine going to that much trouble to keep the rings on the Hutch bottle from being hit. Never heard of this case. Live & learn! fascinating. I'm not a big Coke bottle collector but thought I knew a lot, until now.
Looking closer at the last pic., there are compressed gas bottles in the background. CO2? CO2 doesn't go into solution with a liquid immediately but there are apparently gas hoses going to the machinery. Wondering now about how that was done on the large volume bottling stage? If Coke musee' would let me ask without requiring the mandatory ZIP code, I would mail them and ask.
Could be TG, but I've made beer & capping just takes a simply down-stroke on a crimping machine. If you have a ZIP code, how about asking the Coke musee'? Wish I could! I'd like to know. This whole thread has been a revelation to me & glad I got involved. I've sure learned a lot & think it's going to teach me even more.
Well, TG, why don't you ask them & report back to us? I'm still trying to believe that U.S. sites won't communicate with those without a ZIP code! That is incredible to me! The rest of the world just doesn't seem to exist to them even though they market around the world!
Oh that's a beauty for sure Dave!!
Thanks Tom! Always good to hear from you.
And thanks blunderbuss for driving the conversation, I've learned a lot too.
Now that's a cool artifact Dave, a genuine piece of Coca-Cola history! Very nice!
Thanks Bernie for stopping by and commenting.