# Need help dating a "Double Cola" bottle



## MR_Work

Hi everyone,I was planting bulbs in my yard the other day and came across a deeply-buried glass bottle.  I dug it out and cleaned it, realized it was an old soda bottle, and decided for the sake of curiosity that I'd try to determine how old it was. The pictures are attached to this post...if they don't show up, I'll try again.   It's a clear glass bottle about 9.5 inches tall, seam running along the side all the way up.  Several decorative rings around the neck (I believe "embossed" is the term? - it's part of the glass itself, as in part of the mould/cast), "Double Cola" below that, then more decorative rings on the bottle's "shoulders".  On the front of the bottle, very faintly (perhaps from an old sticker or something) it says "Double Cola," with the words "Great Drink" above and "A Mighty Flavor" below in a logo, then some even fainter words I can't read (they include the word "flavor"), and at the base is embossed G1332 or C1332. The back of the bottle has very faint writing like the front, and as best as I can read it says: "A real carbonated cola beverage containing the extractive matter of kola nuts and coca leaves (decocainized) blended with natural flavors."  Below that, "Double Cola Bottling Co. Nashville, Tenn."  At the bottom of the back of the bottle, right above the base, is a tiny raised square. The bottom of the base has the letter "I" inside a circle with a triangle on either side.  The number 9 is to the left of this symbol, and to the right and below it are either the number 1 or the letter "I" (I'm thinking it's an "I", since they have periods next to them).  Below this, it says "Pat. Applied For Duraglass." I'm happy to take close-up pictures of anything that might be relevant.  Thank you in advance for your help!


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## Canadacan

That bottle is made by Owens Illinois Glass Co. and is dated 1941


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## sunrunner

Your bottle had a pyro glaze label ,that has faded away long ago. If you don't care that all it has is the shoulder embossing ,that's fine but as far as a collectable ,its not worth much.


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## MR_Work

Thank you both so much for your helpful and prompt replies! Canadacan - If I may ask, what tells you that it's 1941?  I know the "I" symbol on the base means it's Owens Illinois Glass Company, I was just wondering how you determined that year.  My house was built in 1929-30, so I assumed the bottle was very unlikely to be any older than that (and that would be at the far end), but had some research-trouble figuring out anything more specific than that. sunrunner - Yeah, I assumed that due to its condition (not helped by the scratches caused by my own gardening tools in an effort to get it out) it wouldn't be worth much, but that's OK.  It's still fairly cool having such an old glass bottle that I just randomly found in the dirt.  Not sure what I'll do with it yet - stick it on a shelf somewhere, probably - but I'm going to keep it! Thanks again y'all!


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## cowseatmaize

I don't see anything that makes me think ACL (Applied Color Label is a term for painted  labels) but more a paper label. Maybe that's my eyesight.The Owens marking system can be found HERE. The dot after the 1 is the key.


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## cowseatmaize

PS: Patent applied for may be for the bottle itself or for Duraglas. I think that was the first year they used the embossed tradename. I might have to look that up.


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## MR_Work

Thanks for the link to the Owens marking system!  That was very helpful. I attached a close-up picture of the front of the bottle.  The label is very, very faint...and the writing on the back of the bottle is even fainter; I couldn't get it to show up at all in a picture.  I don't know if that's helpful or not for figuring out what kind of label (ACL vs. paper) it had, but there ya go. Let me know if you find out about whether or not it was the first year they used the embossed trade name  Thanks again!


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## Canadacan

Ahh great guys! you did all the Work!...lol, I would think the patent applied for refers to the Duraglass. the earliest it could be is 1940 for the used of the Duraglass name...maybe someone has a bottle with a date code for that year with the DG name. Hang on a second I think I have one without ...they may have transitioned in 1940 so some bottles may have it from a latter point in the year


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## Canadacan

This is the bottle it's a NDNR Tipperary ale dated 1940...no Duraglass. I know it's not soda just for a reference. Very tough to make out but the I is the 'serifs' style. [attachment=tipperary1.jpg][attachment=tipperary.jpg]


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## cowseatmaize

Okay, I see the faded ACL on that last one, Thank you.Good eyes Jim![]


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## Robby Raccoon

Some of us call a highly faded ACL--often when you see little to no color from the label left, but still the signs of one are legible in certain light/angles-- a "Ghost ACL" or "Ghost label." It's a neat piece to dig up, regardless of what some might think. I recall, once, as I was digging fence posts, I slammed the post-hole digger down into the ground and heard a crunch. I stopped, slipped my hand in, and was distraught to pull out what was a local milk bottle buried about 3 feet down--firstly, it's the deepest bottle I've dug in my yard; secondly, I've dug all over there (with a hand shovel for a pond and plants--meaning more carefully) before and never found anything near intact. It would also have been 1940s. Lol. This is the first bottle you've found?
Could you tell us what the back said--all the ACLs I've come across have something on the back, usually on the body but sometimes only on the neck.


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## Canadacan

Wow you are right that is one great bottle Spirit Bear! did you see what the back reads? on the first post.I wish I had a property that was dig-able.  ..too bad about the milk you dug   MR_Work...said ....'The back of the bottle has very faint writing like the front, and as best as I can read it says: "A real carbonated cola beverage containing the extractive matter of kola nuts and coca leaves (decocainized) blended with natural flavors."  Below that, "Double Cola Bottling Co. Nashville, Tenn."  At the bottom of the back of the bottle, right above the base, is a tiny raised square.'


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## Robby Raccoon

My apologies-- I read all the posts on here, starting with Mr Work's, but it didn't register in my mind? I feel dumber now. Lol. (No worries, I'm giggling.) My property certainly is diggable, but what you dig up is mostly shattered:I found a 1950s food bottle with complete ACL-- save for where the back, side, and bottom were missing; a 1930s bottle for some sort of alcohol (had a cool mossy green tint to it) that was embossed (WAS, as it's shattered and a few pieces to local milks; then, of course, plenty of shattered soda-pops of all sorts of brands--my favorite so far was a Squeeze art-deco (amusingly, I found one part in our side yard, and the other part well out into the woods-- it matched up perfectly in fit and design, so it has to be the same bottle.) I've dug non-glass items in better condition, though, here. I recall one post here where someone dug up some really old bottle that was in great condition-- I think they were in the UK-- whilst gardening. Gotta get an older house that didn't have much access to public disposal sites for trash-- ours was built in 1925, so it is gonna have something somewhere. I think I just took over the thread... Whoops. [:-]


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## cowseatmaize

I am embarrassed. [][:-][>:][:'(]I should have read the description better instead of trying to look at the pictures. I did just the opposite of what I complain about.I apologize.[:-] I have no idea what most of these emoticons are so I just threw some in. Is one "embarrassed" or "shame"?


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## Robby Raccoon

I just use what seems fitting, as I've no clew what some of these emoticons are.


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## Canadacan

It's all good fellows! no need to apologize or feel embarrassed!  []  truth is I missed some of what was printed myself...and this had me wondering now..how many colas had that statement (decocainized) in the 1940's! [8|] Is that last emoticon I used 'shocked'??? lol...I not sure![] but it's supposed to be.


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## MR_Work

Wow, this is such a popular thread now  Yes, this is the first bottle I've dug up.  I've dug up some other stuff - ancient nails, some rusty bottlecaps, an old tin can lid - but nothing like this.  That said, I've only lived here for a year, and it may be worth mentioning that I'm only a tenant on the property.  I guess that means that technically my landlord is the one who owns the bottle I found, but...I won't tell if you don't. [Note: Some might be wondering why I'm digging in the dirt and planting things when I'm only a renter.  The answer is that 1) I like plants and flowers; 2) there's virtually NO attention paid to the landscaping whatsoever, so the few shrubs/etc. that are here haven't been maintained since, oh, probably the 1970s, and I like an attractive living space; 3) my landlord really doesn't give a crap what I do....within reason, of course; he probably wouldn't be happy if I decided to build/install a fireplace in the living room, but if I called him asking permission to plant some daffodils he'd just be annoyed that I wasted his time.] This weirdly reminds me of the time I was walking my dog in the flood plain behind my parents' house and letting him run around a little, and he's off scratching at the dirt doing dog-things 100 feet away, and suddenly he comes bounding up to me, full of joy, carrying in his mouth - _oh god, what does he have, please tell me that's not a bone off an animal corpse_ - a really beautiful 2-ft antler!  It wasn't even the season for deer to be shedding antlers, and there were no other antlers anywhere, but my dog managed to find one anyway.  He was very proud of himself for his extremely cool find.  (So proud, in fact, that he refused to give it to me until he got tired of carrying it.) Thank you all so much for all of your assistance!  You've been very useful and eager to help, and I greatly appreciate it!  Now I feel like I should go digging in my yard just to find stuff for y'all to identify....


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## Robby Raccoon

We rented-- I've dug up silver-plated objects, a 1940s toy fuel tanker, coins, guns--in the past. They don't own it, do they? Our last rental property, the owner opened up the floor and I asked, "What's that?" referring to the tin tray with some sort of red tool on it laying in the dust-- or so I thought. Turned out to be some sort of Motorcycle pinball machine from the 1970s. He told me to keep it. As for doing things to rentals... our last one only remained standing because of us-- never was it up to code, all sorts of violations and hazards from collapsing ceilings to bad wiring to asbestos and leaded paint... By the way, my favorite type of flower is the Daffodil.  Although our last rental was a disaster, and the owner rarely did anything (or followed up on promises-- did I mention it's his fault that mom got permanently injured there because of something that should never have happened and is unacceptable in ever possible way? Or that we didn't know about the asbestos and leaded paint till it was too late?) He was still a good guy nonetheless because even when several rental payments were not able to be made, we never got an eviction notice. I think we got behind to three or four month's rent once. He also repaired the leak in the roof and got a new fridge machine, even if it leaked sometimes. Lol. Lot of memories in that house-- a lot of good ones too. Although, honestly, I always feared one day I'd come home to a burned out house with my then dead pets in it... you have no idea just how badly wired it all was. I think I just did a light rant?Amazing what you'll find-- unexpected things in unexpected places. The toy Shell tanker was in some leaves beneath thorns by a wrecked 1940s shed (once a well house or something  that we couldn't use because of a 8-foot-deep hole in the floor) and guns when digging a hole for a tree-- always fun. Lolz. The Lake is what got me started with bottle hunting-- walking along I suddenly feel something odd with my feet (in the water) and I pick it up only to discover it was a 1940sish Coca-Cola. Mom thought it was a repro and told me to toss it. XD So glad I didn't. The lake later would turn up most of my best bottles. Perhaps you'll be just as blessed. I recommend woods near houses before the '40s, lakes that you feel safe going into that were once heavily used, and if you have a crawlspace or attic.... Under a porch, even. I must add, though, that recently in a creek I found a whole bunch of bottles from the '40s on... shattered though. T_T Lots of places to search. Don't get too addicted! Welcome aboard--you'll never leave. Stuck with us forever! Muahahahahahahha.


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## hemihampton

Some of my Double Cola cans. LEON.


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## Robby Raccoon

Awesome! When are they from?


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## Canadacan

Oh those are cool cans!...I'm waiting for a Canadian one to surface..nothing yet that I've seen. Here's my Double Cola's, the 16oz'ers  the first one is US-1960 the other is Canada-1959... and the little 10oz/300ml is Canada from 1975, they must have disappeared around that time?  [attachment=doubble cola.jpg]


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## Robby Raccoon

I've dug a piece to one once. That's all. Lol. They're not bad-looking at all.


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## Canadacan

Spirit Bear said:
			
		

> I've dug a piece to one once. That's all. Lol. They're not bad-looking at all.


Thank you.. [] Maybe you'll dig a complete one some time!...I always wondered if they came swirl design in the small size?...maybe it was just a 16oz thing.


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## hemihampton

Pic of rare cone top double cola, along with my Donald Ducks. Sorry to hijack thread. LEON.


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## Robby Raccoon

Perhaps-- these were the only bottles which made me permanently excited (although, I must admit, it all was exciting to me and I did a huge thread on it so all who saw it knew how excited I was) in that dump that weren't busted (only two of the clears, the rest are same brand but gotten elsewhere.)  Click here to see what dump I'm referring to. Perhaps I'll go back once more before the snow takes over. I wouldn't mind finding a Double Cola intact. So many great ACLs in that dump from the '50s and '60s--most shattered. I could read "ouble" and "la" The ACL color-scheme matched, so it must have been one. 
No worries, Leon: It's well past too late for that. Lolz. The Donald one is an odd piece. When's that Double Cola from? Now I'm thirsty. -_-


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## sunrunner

thanks, it all comes together in the end


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## CanadianBottles

Canadacan said:
			
		

> Oh those are cool cans!...I'm waiting for a Canadian one to surface..nothing yet that I've seen. Here's my Double Cola's, the 16oz'ers  the first one is US-1960 the other is Canada-1959... and the little 10oz/300ml is Canada from 1975, they must have disappeared around that time?  [attachImg]https://www.antique-bottles.net/forum/download.axd?file=0;665610&where=message&f=doubble cola.jpg[/attachImg]


Weird top on that 1975 one, never seen an old ACL with a top like that, thought that was just a newer thing used on modern ACL beers.


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## Canadacan

CanadianBottles said:
			
		

> Canadacan said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh those are cool cans!...I'm waiting for a Canadian one to surface..nothing yet that I've seen. Here's my Double Cola's, the 16oz'ers  the first one is US-1960 the other is Canada-1959... and the little 10oz/300ml is Canada from 1975, they must have disappeared around that time?  [attachImg]https://www.antique-bottles.net/forum/download.axd?file=0;665610&where=message&f=doubble cola.jpg[/attachImg]
> 
> 
> 
> Weird top on that 1975 one, never seen an old ACL with a top like that, thought that was just a newer thing used on modern ACL beers.
Click to expand...

They seemed to come out mid seventies...I have a green Mountain Dew..paper label, in fact I have several in paper label..and only have two other ACL's in that style bottle. I sort of remember the beer bottles your talking about...Kokanee rings a bell as the same style top, but they had to be wider and shorter? 355ml.Want to see the other soda bottles?


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## CanadianBottles

Oops, I forgot about NDNR bottles.  They usually have tops like that and some date from a while before that.  I don't think Kokanee used that kind of top, not on their stubby bottles anyway.  Stubby bottles in Eastern Canada sometimes had that style top though.  I was talking about Corona and Heineken bottles, and probably some others that I can't think of at the moment.  There's also a Mexican soda with one of those plastic transparent fake-ACL labels.  And probably others.  I hate those ACL beers, I'm always seeing one half-buried in some difficult to reach place, going to all the work of getting myself there through brambles/mud/whatever else, only to find it's something that was tossed there five years ago.


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## Canadacan

Still hi-jacking here!!! sorry!, this is the 80's Kokanee I was refering to, this was with the twist off cap. [attachment=kokanee-1988.jpg]


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## Robby Raccoon

We all hijack. Might as well not break the cycle-- I'm pretty high up on hijacking. Lol.


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## hemihampton

I got that Kokanee in a can. LEON.


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## Canadacan

hemihampton said:
			
		

> I got that Kokanee in a can. LEON.


Yea the can is great!...this is the only variation I have at the moment. That bottle is not mine..I kiped it of the net [] But I would like to have one of these bottles as it was our anthem beer when we were teenagers...played many of games of caps with that bottle![]  [attachment=Kokanee.jpg]


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## hemihampton

I got hundreds & hundreds of old Canadian cans for sale if your Interested? Let me know. LEON.


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## CanadianBottles

Oh yeah, I forgot about those.  I used to find those on the coast a lot, I think I knew they were Kokanees and I think I even had one with a label once, not sure what happened to it.  Hemihampton, you wouldn't happen to have any British Columbia soda cans would you?  I've always wondered whether any of those exist.  I have one, a Lifestream Orange can, but it's pretty recent.  Steel but with a stay-tab.  Lifestream was a short-lived organic grocery store that, strangely enough, became the Nature's Path cereal company which was a lot more successful than the store.  There are probably a few other BC grocery store brands and some juice cans, but do you know of any soda cans from companies that only produced soda?


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## Canadacan

Yea the Lifestream / Natures path is a neat story...I just have one can, an apple cider 10floz/284ml ... it's from about 1976-78, has a pull top...and that's as early as you'll get with Lifestream.These are the only BC cans I have but some are nationally distributed. The Lucky Strike is pure BC soda only. One of these Cans is an RO!...meaning only known example...guess which one? ....and sorry I know this question was directed to Leon!...my bad [] [attachment=bc  soda cans.jpg]


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## hemihampton

Don't know, don't see anything unusual unless it's just a minor variation? I had like 6 different flavors of that Lucky Strike cone before. LEON.


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## Canadacan

Yea I suppose in the US it's not a big deal...unless the ones in the guide all have the newer side panel statement?, this one has Shasta Water Company. Any way very rare to find flavors other than cola for Canada ,this is tough!...for USA it's like Meh[] [attachment=Shasta lid, Vancouver.jpg]  Note: this is a 12oz can not a 10oz


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## CanadianBottles

Oh, that Lucky Strike clears up a mystery I've been wondering about for a while now!  I have a couple of Lucky Strike crates and I was wondering why I'd never seen a Lucky Strike bottle.  Since one of the crates is a Mission crate, I figured they must have just been franchise bottlers.  Now that's one to look out for!  Probably out of my price range though.  Eastern Ontario has the Pure Spring cones which are much more common and those too are out of my price range.  My price range doesn't go very high.  I only have one cone, a can that someone turned used for an arts and crafts project which I got for cheap and salvaged.  It's American though.My Lifestream can looks a lot different, with a stylized forest scene (I think) instead of a fruit.  Mine is orange soda.


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## CanadianBottles

I like that Shasta, never would have thought of the top as a place to find the local bottler's info.  Never knew that there was a Shasta branch in Vancouver either.  Another one to look out for!


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## hemihampton

Sorry to Hijack. I got a few different Shasta flavors. Can you spot the RO? LEON.


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## hemihampton

2 tough Mission Canadian cones. LEON.


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## Canadacan

The 2 cent off cola?


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## Canadacan

CanadianBottles said:
			
		

> I like that Shasta, never would have thought of the top as a place to find the local bottler's info.  Never knew that there was a Shasta branch in Vancouver either.  Another one to look out for!


I can't seem to locate any bottles for them?...seems weird, I just recently seen USA paper label Shasta's in the NDNR bottle. We must of had them up here.


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## hemihampton

Canadacan said:
			
		

> The 2 cent off cola?



 No, Try Again.  LEON.


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## Canadacan

The low cal Orange?


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## hemihampton

Canadacan said:
			
		

> The low cal Orange?



 YOU WINNNNNNNN.


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## meldpalmer

This bottle was made at the Owens-Illinois Company at the Streator, IL factory (the number to the left is the factory code) and was made in 1941 (number to the right is date it was made, the period after the 1 (1.) means that it was made in 1941 (if it didn't have a period after the 1 (1), that would mean it was made in 1931. Hope that helps.  Melody


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