# CURIOUS MOUNTAIN DEW BOTTLE ???



## SODAPOPBOB (Jan 14, 2011)

The Mountain Dew bottle shown below is currently for sale on e-bay for $49.95. At first I took a quick look at it (terrible shape) and then just scrolled past it. But then curiosity got the best of me and I went back for a closer look. And that's when I noticed something rather odd about it. (Or is it just my imagination?) On the following page I will post a photo of a similar bottle for comparison. The e-bay bottle is dated 1964 and has five names on it. But it is neither the date or the names that has me puzzled.

 Notice that the e-bay bottle has severe paint loss, and that the primary missing color is white. Which (for the most part) left the extremely faded red. This paint difference is especially noticable on the hillbillies feet, which were originally white against the red ground.

 My question is ... what exactly happened here?  Did "just" the white wear off? And if so, then why are the white on the "Mountain Dew" and the names still intact?

 SPBOB

 E-bay link:  




http://cgi.ebay.com/Early-Scarce-Mountain-dew-5-names-Bottle-Rare-L-K-/110625367466?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19c1c925aa


 [/align]1964 e-bay bottle


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## SODAPOPBOB (Jan 14, 2011)

My 1967 bottle for comparison.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Jan 14, 2011)

Additional note ...

 After studying my own bottle I noticed that the white paint was applied first with the red painted on top of the white. So is it possible for the entire underlay of white paint to deteriorate and just leave the faded red? I suppose so, but it still seems rather odd to me. What do you think?

 SPBOB


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## SODAPOPBOB (Jan 14, 2011)

Suggestion ...

 To fully understand what I mean by the "white underlay" of paint, take one of your own Mountain Dew bottles from this same period and peer at it from the "inside." I used a flashlight myself and it helped me to see it better. Notice that the white paint is applied entirely "under" the red hillbilly.

 SPBOB


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## SODAPOPBOB (Jan 14, 2011)

Lastly ...

 If the bottle on e-bay is worth $49.95, then I have a lot to learn about buying and collecting Mountain Dew bottles. Personally, I wouldn't buy it if it was listed for $9.95. Would you?

 SPBOB


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## morbious_fod (Jan 14, 2011)

The bottle is only worth that to the seller who is obviously hopped up by smoking the Chiba. He heard that five name bottles were rare, and being the idiot he is doesn't realize that they are only worth anything if the paint is in tact. As for why the white was etched more than the red, the clue might be in the red itself. My first sparkling life bottle from Vansant, VA was a chance find at a flea market and it smelled strongly of gasoline; however, this was early on and it was the only one I had ever seen so I bought it. The gas had started bleaching out the red on the bottle and was turning it white. I cleaned it and stopped the process; however, what we are looking at here may be one that the gasoline had been allowed to work on over the years and the only reason the red remains while the white is gone is that the acl is thinker in that area due to there being two layers of paint in that section. The coverage wasn't complete and that is why you get some of the logo and names still in existence when the majority of the rest of the label have long become ghosts.

 I can't be for sure if the agent of this destruction is gasoline; however, the bleaching of the red reminds me of it. Basically whatever agent faded the red also wiped out the rest of the label, and the only reason the bleached red remains is that it was a layer thicker than the rest.


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## splante (Jan 14, 2011)

I am no way a md collector or expert I have one in my collection of acl"s. I  have done some research however, and found that a lot of md bottles had more then 2 names. His claim of saying it is the first produced is not true, I believe Barney and Alley were first. Here is a excerpt from the md hillbilly collectors book.

 Mountain Dew: Hillbilly Bottles 

   This book is the definitive encyclopedia of every known Mountain Dew Hillbilly bottle. From 1954 to the late 1960's Mountain Dew produced over 900 different Hillbilly bottles. These bottles have different names of owner, bottlers, family and even dogs. For the first time you get a complete list of every "Named Hillbilly Bottle", every "No Name Hillbilly Bottle", every "Returnable" and every "Non Returnable Hillbilly Bottle".

 the book can be found on amazon in anyone is interested.


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## cowseatmaize (Jan 14, 2011)

> After studying my own bottle I noticed that the white paint was applied first with the red painted on top of the white. So is it possible for the entire underlay of white paint to deteriorate and just leave the faded red? I suppose so, but it still seems rather odd to me. What do you think?


 Don't you mean the other way around? I see the white left.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Jan 14, 2011)

Morb ~

 Thanks. Your double-layered paint theory sounds totally logical to me. I bet that explains it.

 Splante ~

 Another curiosity ... I don't see where the e-bay seeler states anything about it being the "first" named bottle.  But maybe I missed something.  ???

 SPBOB


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## SODAPOPBOB (Jan 14, 2011)

Cowseatmaize ~  Thanks for stopping by.

 The majority of the white we see is actually faded red. Please compare the two bottles. But the words "Mountain Dew" were definitely white originally - which confuses me a little as to why some of the white deterioated but not all of it. ???

 SPBOB


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## cowseatmaize (Jan 14, 2011)

Thanks for clearing that up for me, I don't know ACL and would never claim to.
 That leads me to question two. If you had enough bucks could a family make a bottle with names as a commemorative or something? You know, a reunion or something.


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## wonkapete (Jan 14, 2011)

Cowseatmaize, I'll field your question.  Not anymore!  In the past Coke would occasionally do a commemorative bottle for you if you had enough cash.  Well, when my first daughter was born, I wanted a commemorative bottle.  I contacted Coca-Cola consolidated senior management and they said No!  I offered them a blank check.  Nope, starting about 2005, they no longer will do those bottles for any amount of money.  One of the executives I spoke with said he couldn't even get a wedding bottle for his daughter's wedding made and he was in senior management.  They gave me a list of 'events' they still do bottles for, but it specically excluded births, weddings, etc.  So, I went to Pepsi, RC, etc and nobody would do one.  I finally got Jones to do the bottles.  Not an ACL, but it'll do!


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## splante (Jan 15, 2011)

I may have misspoke sodapopbob, someone asked a question what year  the bottle was and he answered not sure one of the first bottles produced. You are correct it was not in his description but in the q and a near the bottom of listing.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Jan 15, 2011)

splante ~

 Thanks.

 My apologies. Irregardless of where that info was posted I should have seen it. I know about the Q & A section, but just didn't scroll far enough past the shipping and Pay-Pal stuff. I will remember to look there next time. But the main thing is we know it wasn't the 1st ... it was the 2nd, 3rd, 4th ... etc.  ???

 SPBOB


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## morbious_fod (Jan 15, 2011)

I can tell you this, it was far enough down the line that no one really cares what number in succession is was made in. Most stop counting past the Tri-City era. I would have to say that this is most likely sometime in the mid 1960's.


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## splante (Jan 15, 2011)

just to throw another wrench into the mix  I came across this talking about the first bottle was a green bottle with white acl barney and ally  so maybe this white 5 name is very early bottle after all

 "1951 Ally ordered the first ACL Mountain Dew bottle. The bottle was green glass with white paint (no red) showing a hillbilly shooting at a revenuer running from an outhouse. The bottle read "by BARNEY and ALLY". Interestingly, when the bottles arrived they were put in a warehouse and not used till 1955."

 from this website....
 www.brinksmarket.com/dew/history.htm


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## splante (Jan 15, 2011)

also ive been messing with the picture of the bottom of the base I think I see

 10        54       8

 31  8 oz       if iam seeing that right can that mean 1954


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## OsiaBoyce (Jan 15, 2011)

10 54 8, what? That's 10 FL OZ  then as it goes around it's 208 18.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Jan 16, 2011)

The 64 is just below the "O" in OZ. The seller indicated it was a 1964 bottle. If you use the zoom feature it is easier to see.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Jan 16, 2011)

In the photo below I put square white dots under the 6 and the 4 in 1964. And if you go to the zoom option found in the lower right corner of your desktop screen where it shows up as +100% and click on the down arrow and change it to about 200% you will be able to see the 64 even better. But be sure to change it back to 100% or else you will be in for a surprise.  []


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## splante (Jan 16, 2011)

I need glasses


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