# Amber, Coca-Cola Huntsville, ALA, root 1



## dansbeer (Aug 31, 2014)

I'm just beginning my bottle collecting venture. I've had a few bottles for a long time and just recently learned of there value. Hence, I have been trying to expand my collection for a couple of months. I recently came across a bottle I've never seen. Amber colored, Coca-Cola bottle Huntsville, ALA with ROOT 1 on bottom and 1069 on the base. The lady offered it to me for $10. I didn't have the heart to just take it from the old gal. Especially not knowing it's value. Anyone have any idea?


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## cowseatmaize (Aug 31, 2014)

Hi,I moved this and such for better attention in the soda area. I'm not as familiar with soda's as some others are so perhaps it will help.Welcome to you though..


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## Robby Raccoon (Aug 31, 2014)

That sounds really noble of you.


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## sunrunner (Aug 31, 2014)

sounds like a 20.00 dollar bottle to me.


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## hemihampton (Sep 7, 2014)

I'd pay $20 for one. $10 is even better. Coincedently I just spent the past week in Huntsville & just left there a few hours ago. LEON.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 9, 2014)

Dan Welcome to the forum. It's one thing that your Huntsville, Alabama Coca Cola bottle is amber, which is a good thing. But even better because 1901 is the year the Root Glass Company began operation. Until now I have never heard of a Coca Cola / Root bottle that early. I think it would be worth looking into to see how many others there might be from 1901.                                     *Root Glass Company*[h2]                       Terre Haute, Indiana  (1901-1932)[/h2][h2]http://www.glassbottlemarks.com/root-glass-company-terre-haute-indiana/[/h2]


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 9, 2014)

Dan I just did a quick check and every reference I could find for when the Huntsville, Alabama Coca Cola bottling plant began operation said *1902*. So this naturally raises questions about your bottle which you said was embossed with "Root 1"  Are you sure the number following the word Root is a 1?


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 9, 2014)

Possible explanation ... Assuming for the moment the number is a 1, its possible the bottle was ordered/made just prior to the opening of the plant, which would be another good thing because it would make it a first issue for the Huntsville operation and likely place it into a rarer category than their later bottles. Of course condition is another factor - speaking of which, howz about some pictures?  Thanks.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 9, 2014)

Just for the record ... 1977 minus 75 years = 1902


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 9, 2014)

It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway. If in fact the bottle is marked Root 1, then it is not only a first issue for the Huntsville plant but also a first issue for Root Glass which, in my opinion, makes it "double" rare and "double" interesting and possibly even "double" the value of your average Huntsville/Root Coca Cola bottle.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 9, 2014)

And possibly even a Coca Cola "Hall of Fame" bottle depending on the shade of amber ...                    Scroll until you see the Huntsville, Alabama bottle ... "Honey Amber"                                   http://www.antiquebottles.com/coke/fame.html


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 9, 2014)

Dan This will likely be my last post until we hear from you, but I just wanted to say if it were me I would "run" back to the place where you saw the bottle and purchase it before it disappears. No matter what the bottle turns out to be, you certainly can't go wrong for $10.00.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 9, 2014)

Dan These pictures are for comparison in case you go back to look at the bottle again and aren't sure about the color. The differences between the two shades of amber could be subtle, but I suspect if the bottle in question is the honey amber variation that it should be easy enough to distinguish from the dark amber variety. 1.  Dark Amber2.  Honey Amber


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## hemihampton (Sep 9, 2014)

Any Straight Sided coke is worth at least $10 in my opinion. LEON.


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## iggyworf (Sep 9, 2014)

Yes! Go get that coke bottle!!!


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 10, 2014)

I expect we'll hear from Dan eventually and get the scoop on the Huntsville bottle, but in the meantime I wanted to point out another aspect of the bottle that will be of collector interest. But first, I should emphasize that the following is contingent on the bottle actually being a *ROOT 1 *for *1901*. If the bottle turns out to be later than 1901, then it changes things dramatically. As I said earlier, the 1901 date qualifies the bottle as being ...

1.   A first issue for the Root Glass Company.
2.   A first issue for the Huntsville, Alabama bottling plant.

However, there is a third aspect of the 1901 date which is just as interesting as the previous two. This aspect is that from about the mid 1890s until around 1905, most Coca Cola bottles were of the Hutchinson type, with the straight-sided Crown-tops generally being listed as having been introduced between about 1900 to 1905. Some Coca Cola bottlers used the Hutchinson bottle as late as 1910. So if the bottle in question is in fact a 1901, then it also qualifies it as being ...

3.  One of the first straight-sided Crown-top bottles ever used by Coca Cola.


To reinforce this claim, the next time you look at a Coca Cola bottle timeline similar to the one pictured below, notice that most of timelines show the straight-sided Crown-tops as being introduced between about 1900-1902. Which makes a 1901 Crown extremely early. I will have to do some additional research to find out for certain, but if memory serves me correctly I believe the earliest "*confirmed*" date for a Coca Cola Crown bottle was a 1903 example. And by "confirmed," I mean bottles that actually had a maker date code on it such as those used by Root Glass.

By the way, Allan Petretti's 2008 12th Edition book list a dark amber Huntsville, Alabama Coca Cola bottle valued at $85.00 in 8.0 condition or better. The book does not specifically mention the honey-amber bottle from Huntsville.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 10, 2014)

Here's an interesting article by Coca Cola guru, Bill Porter, which was published in 2012. If I understand his information correctly, I'd say a 1901 / Crown-top / Root / Coca Cola bottle from anywhere would be extremely rare and possibly of great interest to Bill.  http://www.fohbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/CocaColaContourBottles.pdf


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 10, 2014)

I suppose I should wait until we hear from Dan first, but because I consider the following to be extremely relevant, I decided to post it now. Based on information from the Bottle Research Group, (BRG),  it states that the Root Glass Company's first bottles were marked with ...

1.  *RGCo *or *RGCO *~ Circa 1901 to 1906

2.  *ROOT *~ Circa 1906 to 1931

3.  *Root *~ Circa 1906 to 1909


Because of this I call into question the ROOT 1 mark and suspect it might be a ROOT 7 or possibly some other number(s) beside 1 for 1901.

Here's the link to the website where I found the information. In past years I have communicated with most of the members of the (BRG) Bottle Research Group, and know them to be highly educated and reputable when it comes to bottle research.

http://www.sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/RLogoTable.pdf


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 10, 2014)

Here's an example of the *RGCo *mark (with the small "*o*") that's on a bottle currently on eBay ... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Terre-Haute-Brewing-Co-Beer-Bottle-RGCo-/251637106763?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a96bd884b


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## sw arkansas (Sep 13, 2014)

dan  good evening  welcome to the bottle world. I collect Arkansas soda bottles mostly but dabble in other states some also. first you should educate yourself in this field there are many books and websites on this subject. ebay is also a good place to see bottles of all kinds. the Huntsville amber coke you found is from about 1902 to around 1915 when the hobbleskirts  came out. most towns had more than one variation of ss cokes some were aqua some clear. if you want to contact me via email . russellbrianarmer@yahoo.com


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## cowseatmaize (Sep 14, 2014)

dansbeer said:
			
		

> Amber colored, Coca-Cola bottle Huntsville, ALA with ROOT 1 on bottom and 1069 on the base.


Amber sounds like a script bottle. Root on bottom I guess means heal since the base I would think is just that? I guess I'll never know, the post is more than two weeks old and it's still their first. []


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## hemihampton (Sep 14, 2014)

Original poster last logged in 17 hours ago but never replied back? Wonder if there will be a update or 1 time poster? LEON.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 14, 2014)

I exchanged  PMs with Dan and they are dealing with a family loss.


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## hemihampton (Sep 14, 2014)

OH, OK, Sorry to hear that. My Condolences.


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## dansbeer (Sep 17, 2014)

SODAPOPBOB is about to post some of my pics for me… Enjoy.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 17, 2014)

Dan was having problems sizing and posting pictures so I agreed to post them for him. I expect he'll be along shortly and comment on them. All I can tell you about them is what I see. And one thing I see is ...                                                   *ROOT 1* 1.  Front2.  Lip (Broken off)3.  Base with ROOT 1


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## dansbeer (Sep 17, 2014)

Thanks SPB!!! Appreciate your time and efforts. She is a nice bottle...


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## cowseatmaize (Sep 17, 2014)

dansbeer said:
			
		

> I'm just beginning my bottle collecting venture. I've had a few bottles for a long time and just recently learned of there value. Hence, I have been trying to expand my collection for a couple of months. I recently came across a bottle I've never seen. Amber colored, Coca-Cola bottle Huntsville, ALA with ROOT 1 on bottom and 1069 on the base. The lady offered it to me for $10. I didn't have the heart to just take it from the old gal. Especially not knowing it's value. Anyone have any idea?


OK, the base has ROOT so I guess the heel is the 1069. No biggy, that get mixed up often. Given the condition and it looks machine made I'd say very little value if any to a collector but if you like it that's a different story.Sorry to hear about the family loss.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 17, 2014)

Dan Please tell us about the mold seams. Do they stop on the neck or go all the way to the top? The reason I ask is because on Blown In Mold (BIM) bottles the seams usually end on the neck whereas on Automatic Bottling Machine (ABM) bottles the seams go all the way to the top. Knowing about the seams will help us to more accurately date the bottle and determine if the ROOT 1 is for 1901 or not.  Thanks Bob


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 17, 2014)

By the way, there are a couple of what appear to be the identical bottle on eBay right now. Here's the link to one of them ... http://www.ebay.com/itm/221551154499?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT


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## dansbeer (Sep 18, 2014)

Bob, I haven't known, until now, about the Ebay item. I looked before but never saw it/them. I sent you another email to check out. Picture vs. description… Pics win every time.


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## dansbeer (Sep 26, 2014)

There's now another Huntsville ALA ROOT 1 bottle on EBay... mine just listed 2 days ago... Hope you guys are well!


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 26, 2014)

Hey, Daniel I've been a little side-tracked lately but did find out a few things about your bottle. All I can say at the moment is that the Huntsville, Alabama Coca Cola bottling plant began operation in 1902 and that the ROOT 1 mark is much later than when Root Glass began operation in 1901. As near as I can determine, your bottle was made around 1912. They seem to be somewhat common and, unfortunately, with a broken top and other defects, don't have much value or collector interest other than "any" amber Coca Cola bottle is a cool bottle. You should try and nab one of the better one's while the gettin' is good. And thanks again for sharing your bottle with us. Bob


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## dansbeer (Sep 27, 2014)

It's all good. Thanks for the info B! I have no idea what makes this seem pertinent to someone (showing my obvious need for further education) but the bottle is magnetic*&^%$%$??? I have never heard of such a thing. Anyway, I'm quite certain she'll do well! Hope you are well. Dan


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