# 1915 Coke looking for some info



## NOLA_Ken (Jan 21, 2020)

I found this 1915 Coke on a construction site in downtown Pueblo a couple years ago. So far I haven't been able to find another like it and was wondering if anyone had. I can't imagine it's the only one in existence.  It's embossed "PUEBLO" on the bottom, I've seen others with "PUEBLO COLO" but never one without the state....


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## sandchip (Jan 21, 2020)

Sweet looking '15!  I'm too far off to be of much help, but maybe someone further out your way can offer more info.


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## swpender (Jan 21, 2020)

There are 2 Pueblo listed in Porter, one with and one without COLO. Both (15) are R+ as of fourth edition. 


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## NOLA_Ken (Jan 21, 2020)

Well rare + is a good thing, I had a feeling it wouldn't be a common bottle since I haven't found another like it anywhere in town


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## swpender (Jan 21, 2020)

NOLA_Ken said:


> Well rare + is a good thing, I had a feeling it wouldn't be a common bottle since I haven't found another like it anywhere in town



Really nice bottle. Several, mostly Western, cities have both bottles. Wonder why. 


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## NOLA_Ken (Jan 21, 2020)

That's strange, I would assume the city only bottles are slightly earlier maybe? I can't think of why that would be though. There's another local Coke I've seen that is embossed "DENVER-PUEBLO" as well, I've only seen it online though.


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## Patagoniandigger (Jan 21, 2020)

Wow! Very nice looking 
I guess it's a ferly rare bottle.In my opinion the name PUEBLO was changed to for example PUEBLO COLO (or other) in order to accurate. Then no one else embossed that old name.
As long I know that bottle  was designed in Nov 1915 and began to be made in 1917.
I


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## Screwtop (Jan 22, 2020)

This means I should get a Porters book. Time and time again, I've needed it.

Does the Nola in your screen name imply that you collect Koca Nola bottles?


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## NOLA_Ken (Jan 22, 2020)

Screwtop said:


> .Does the Nola in your screen name imply that you collect Koca Nola bottles?



No its an abbreviation of New Orleans LA, where I used to live.


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## Screwtop (Jan 22, 2020)

Oh. lol, my mind went to Coca Cola knockoffs, Koca Nola being one of them.


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## NOLA_Ken (Jan 22, 2020)

I wouldn't mind finding some Koca Nola bottles, I like the knock offs and oddball sodas.


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## clarencesc (Jan 29, 2020)

NOLA_Ken said:


> I found this 1915 Coke on a construction site in downtown Pueblo a couple years ago. So far I haven't been able to find another like it and was wondering if anyone had. I can't imagine it's the only one in existence.  It's embossed "PUEBLO" on the bottom, I've seen others with "PUEBLO COLO" but never one without the state....


Your bottle is a known type and is considered to be rare. If you look in the COKE BOTTLE CHCKLIST book by Bill Porter it is listed on page 33 of the FIFTH EDITION.  The error is only found in the 1915 issue.


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## SODABOB (Jan 29, 2020)

NOLA_Ken said:


> I wouldn't mind finding some Koca Nola bottles, I like the knock offs and oddball sodas.




Coca Cola Knock-Offs?

Howz about these from 1919 ...


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## NOLA_Ken (Jan 29, 2020)

Well I know rare doesn't necessarily mean valuable in every case, and I have no plans to part with it, (unless the value is really up there) but out of curiosity what do y'all think a bottle like this would retail for?


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## SODABOB (Jan 29, 2020)

Ken

Questions ...

1.  Overall condition on a scale of 1 to 10 
2. Is there a makers mark or date code - look on the base / side / heel for any symbols / letters / numbers

Thanks

Bob


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## WesternPA-collector (Jan 29, 2020)

Patagoniandigger said:


> Wow! Very nice looking
> I guess it's a ferly rare bottle.In my opinion the name PUEBLO was changed to for example PUEBLO COLO (or other) in order to accurate. Then no one else embossed that old name.
> As long I know that bottle  was designed in Nov 1915 and began to be made in 1917.
> I


Back then, companies weren't using two letter abbreviations for states yet. It wasn't standardized until much later.


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## swpender (Jan 29, 2020)

SODABOB said:


> Coca Cola Knock-Offs?
> 
> Howz about these from 1919 ...
> 
> ...



Great list!


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## NOLA_Ken (Jan 29, 2020)

if I had to guess I'd say it's about a 9 as is, there are a couple little nicks on the embossed lettering on one side that would probably be less visible with a good cleaning, the other side is perfect and all the embossing is strong and clear.  no major chips or scratches, and barely any wear on the bottom. I looked it over and there's no other markings I can find.


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## clarencesc (Jan 29, 2020)

It is a nice bottle but the big question for you is what someone is WILLING TO PAY for it. Know nothing about collectors in your area as I am on the East Coast.  A North Carolina bottle with the name mis-spelled was offered at $ 50.00. However, if a collector in you area really wanted it  could fetch $ 100.00 or $ 200.00. Someone has to really want it and the two of you arrive at a fair price to both.


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## SODABOB (Jan 29, 2020)

Ken

Thanks for the info.  I have been looking around and found several patent 1915 Coca Cola bottles from Denver-Pueblo but could NOT find one that is exactly like your's with just Pueblo by itself.  That solo Pueblo will definitely add some rarity and value to it. But, like member clarencesc said, you will have to find the right collector to get top dollar. One way to test its value is to place it on eBay and ask $500 or Make Offer and see what happens.  That way you will know what someone is willing to pay, and yet at the same time not be obligated to sell it if you don't like their offer. Of course, someone might buy it right away for $500, but personally I don't think that's a bad thing.  By the way, some of the Denver-Pueblo examples I found were described as having been made by the ROOT Glass Company in 1923 and 1924. I know you looked it over, but if your bottle was made by ROOT, the name will be clearly visible somewhere on the heel.  ROOT started dating all of their bottles in 1909 and continued until 1932 when they were fully absorbed into the Owens Illinois Glass Company.

The Pubelo, Colo. base I'm attaching should confirm the use abbreviations at some point. Both bases are of patent 1915 bottles, but I can't confirm the glass house who made them nor the year they were made.


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## NOLA_Ken (Jan 29, 2020)

yeah there's definitely no makers mark, there was a bottling works here that was started in the late 1890's by a guy named N. Naylon. I know they made hutches and crown top sodas, and it may be that they made the local cokes, but it will take some research to find out. 

As for value, maybe I'll try that ebay idea, and if someone wanted to give me 500 I surely wouldn't tell them no, I could make a good dent in my new metal detector fund with that


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## SODABOB (Jan 29, 2020)

Ken

Please keep in mind that a "Bottling Works" and/or "Bottlers" of any type didn't MAKE bottles. They only filled and distributed them.  Your bottle was definitely made by a "Glass House"  and/or a "Glass Factory" of some type.  Did N Naylon make bottles or were they a bottler?


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## NOLA_Ken (Jan 29, 2020)

I'm not entirely sure, I know they were a bottler of sodas and mineral water, and that they sold glassware to bars and restaurants, I haven't really done much research on them yet and what I have found was pretty limited information so I honestly don't know if they made the glass or contracted someone else to do it. I'll have to see what I can find out. The site of their plant is fairly close to my house and right by the local history museum, and maybe coincidentally about a block from where I dug this bottle.


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## SODABOB (Jan 29, 2020)

Ken

Just a few more reminders and I will call it a day ...

1.   Your bottle is marked Pueblo and no doubt came from a Coca Cola bottler in Denver, Colorado whose territory included Pueblo.

2.  According to Cecil Munsey (who wrote the Coca Cola book and died recently) the Denver Coca Cola Bottling Company was established in 1902.  I have a copy of his 1972 book and in it he list every Coca Cola bottler in America and the years they were established.  He list eleven Coca Cola bottlers for Colorado, including the one I mentioned for Denver.  But he does not list a Coca Cola bottler for Pueblo.  Hence the likelihood that Pueblo was a distribution territory of the Denver plant.

3.  The likelihood that your bottle originated in New Orleans or anywhere else in Louisiana is slim, although its possible it was transported there by some means such as a traveler, etc. 

4.  If I were to do any extensive research, I would look into the history of the Denver Coca Cola Bottling Company first. 

Please let me know if I can help - I have lots of resources available to me.

Bob


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## NOLA_Ken (Jan 29, 2020)

Bob,
I'm from New Orleans, but I live in Pueblo now and found the bottle here. I have some New Orleans bottles but they're all Christmas Cokes.... Denver makes sense to me, I've been looking for some industrial history of Pueblo I haven't found any mention of a glassworks here and I would assume there should be some mention of one if there had been. I would like to know where this one falls in the time line of the Pueblo Cokes, is it the earliest version of this style? Was the DENVER - PUEBLO earlier and they just dropped DENVER for some reason? It's just something I find interesting for whatever reason and I enjoy knowing some history of the various things in my collection. I'll keep looking into it, and if you happen to come across any info I would really appreciate the help.
Thank you!


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## SODABOB (Jan 29, 2020)

Ken

Sorry about the mix-up on my part.  I thought you found the bottle in Louisiana - but stand corrected after re-reading this thread from the beginning.  I will see what I can find about the Denver plant, and hopefully some clues to explain the solo Pueblo.  It could be something as simple as the glass factory messing up an order and unknowingly used the wrong mold or changed the one they already had.  Is there any evidence where the word Denver might have been ground out?  That was a fairly common practice when it came to changing date codes. They would grind out one date code and then retool the mold with a new date code. A lot of collectors are not aware of that practice, and it makes it difficult to accurately date certain bottles. I'm attaching an example of what I'm referring to. Notice the offset zero next to the 5.  This particular 7-Up bottle was made in 1945 (single digit 5) and the zero was added in 1950 (double digit 50) Crazy but true!


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## SODABOB (Jan 30, 2020)

I stand corrected (again)   It appears there was a Pueblo Coca Cola Bottling Company.  The bottle pictured is straight sided, in rough shape, but still sold at auction for $160.  I found similar straight sided bottles from Pueblo that were described as having been made by two different glass houses ...

1.  Root Glass Company - whose mark is ROOT
2. Chattanooga Glass Company - whose mark is CHATT

I can't say if the price this particular bottle sold for is a reflection of what Ken's bottle might be worth, but if someone paid $160 for this ratty looking bottle, I gotta believe that someone would pay a lot more for Ken's near-mint bottle.  (maybe)

Notice the ABM for Automatic Bottle Machine - Which would circa date the bottle to around 1905 to 1915.  I realize this bottle is straight sided and that Ken's bottle is a Hobbleskirt, but based on what I have seen, Ken's bottle is rarer and in my opinion more valuable.  If I had a choice between the two bottles, I would take Ken's bottle.  I love them Hobbleskirts, especially the patent 1915 examples.  I have a ROOT 17 (1917) that is a first issue and paid $125 for it - and still have it!

[ Click to enlarge ]


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## SODABOB (Jan 30, 2020)

I dug a little deeper and found this excerpt from a 1907 periodical called The Bottler's Help.  The 1907 date likely correlates pretty close with the bottle I posted in my last message.  The periodical clearly illustrates the existence of a Pueblo Coca Cola Bottling Company in Pueblo, Colorado.  Notice the manager as Will De Tolliver.  I conducted several searches for the name, including United States Census Records, Genealogy, and various other sources.  However, I did not find very much no matter what spellings of the name I used. The only thing I found that even came close was in a 1885 Pueblo, Colorado census that listed a Will Tolliver as a Baker.  The Tolliver I found was 43 years old in 1885 and would have been about 65 years old in 1907.  So I don't know if they are one and the same or not - although they might be.  It is not unheard of for Bakers to become bottlers. 

I also found a newspaper article from 1951 that reports an accident at the Pubelo Coca Cola Bottling Company warehouse.  It reads as if there was a bottling plant associated with the accident, and mentions an office, but I can't confirm that it was a full bottling facility.  It might have been just a warehouse that was located there at the time.  

Hopefully this information will shed some light on things.  This will just about do it for me because I have already dug just about as deep as I can and doubt I will find much more.  Although it might pay off if someone were to pursue the Will De Tolliver name and see if that produces any additional results, especially if they have access to Pueblo Newspapers, Directories, Library, etc.


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## SODABOB (Jan 30, 2020)

Ken

Did you see this N Naylon bottle on eBay?  It confirms that N Naylon was a bottler and not a glass factory. I'm thinking it must be rare because I looked for N Naylon stuff yesterday and couldn't find anything until now.  










						3 Soda Bottle Bottles Dixon Stumpf N Naylon Pepsi Cola All From Pueblo Colorado  | eBay
					

All 3 bottles for one price. All from Pueblo Colorado. The Dixon Stumpf is in pretty nice condition, but does have a small mouth chip. The N Naylon has more scratches etc per photos.



					www.ebay.com


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## SODABOB (Jan 30, 2020)

One clue leads to another ...

Nicholas Naylon ~ 1910 U.S. Census ~ Pueblo, Colorado ~  Bottling Works

[ Click to enlarge and Zoom ]


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## NOLA_Ken (Jan 30, 2020)

Bob, 
Some good info there! Thank you. I actually found one of those same Naylon bottles on the same job that the Coke came from, but unfortunately the top was snapped off, I cut it into a drinking glass though and gave it to my daughter. I took a better pic of the Coke bottom, if the mold had been altered they did a really good job of it because I can't see any evidence of that having happened here. 

I'd sure like to find one of those straight sides! I've spent the winter looking over the Sanborn maps from 1900 trying to find some good places to dig, and I've come up with a few possibilities to look at this summer, so maybe I'll have some luck. or at least have fun trying. 

I appreciate you taking the time to look into all this, and if I find anything more about it I'll definitely post it here


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## stc1993 (Jan 30, 2020)

Made a pretty glass.


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