# Collins Beverages - Barrie Ontario soda bottle



## RCO (Apr 20, 2016)

I already have 3 Collins beverages bottles , 2 - 7 oz clear and 1 - 7 oz green . at the bottle show came across a different variation from this company , its also 7 oz but taller and a mix of acl/art deco type bottle made by consumers glass  . I have seen it once before in an online ad but not seen any others ( and been to all the antique stores in that area many times)  so don't think there is a lot out there to be found . Collins beverages only operated from 1948-1957 and then seems to have disappeared . 

" call for a Collins "  , Collins beverages ltd Barrie


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## RCO (Apr 20, 2016)

the other Collins bottles I have a clear and a green 7 oz , much smaller and plain compared to other bottle , I also saw a 30 oz green Collins a couple years ago but failed to buy it from lady who had it for sale online , not sure what became of it


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## sunrunner (Apr 23, 2016)

cool bottles for real .


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## RCO (Apr 6, 2018)

also noticed on ebay , one of the art deco/acl Collins beverages bottles for sale . slightly nicer condition than mine , not that common first one I can recall seeing for sale since I bought mine 2 years ago 



https://www.ebay.ca/itm/ACL-Pop-Bot...267560?hash=item1ca6e767e8:g:A0sAAOSw9cpaxUGb


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## RCO (Apr 6, 2018)

also a couple weeks ago at an antique mall in southern Ontario I came across one of the green 7 oz Collins bottles and its a significant upgrade from the one I already have . much nicer acl , although some fading on the back .
only Collins beverages Barrie bottle I don't have is the 30 oz version , I know it exists as I saw one online a few years ago but haven't seen any since and not sure what became of the one I was aware of


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## Donas12 (Jan 27, 2021)

Here’s the 30oz version I have. Identical to your 7oz. Don’t know if there is also a clear quart?


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## RCO (Jan 27, 2021)

Donas12 said:


> Here’s the 30oz version I have. Identical to your 7oz. Don’t know if there is also a clear quart?View attachment 217921




the green 30 oz were usually for ginger ale so unclear if there would of been a clear one too but possible I guess , the clear 7 oz bottles seem to be more common than green , seen more of them


only seen the 30 oz once before , was one on kiijjjii years ago and it wasn't that nice , with a mixture of stuff don't know what became of it


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## JKL (Jan 28, 2021)

Those are very nice!
I don't have any of these.  Over the years I have heard of most bottlers in Ontario.  First some reason not this one.


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## RCO (Jan 28, 2021)

JKL said:


> Those are very nice!
> I don't have any of these.  Over the years I have heard of most bottlers in Ontario.  First some reason not this one.



I don't think its that well known , it only operated for around 10 years and only in Barrie Ontario which wasn't that big back then . so it was a local bottler not that well known and disappeared before the 50's were over 


never actually found one of there bottles in the wild before either , even when I poked around places in Simcoe country area it never seems to appear


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## RCO (Jan 29, 2021)

doesn't seem to be much info out there on this bottler , I searched goggle and all that came up was this thread and nothing in any barrie/simcoe books that I have , although there is the odd bottle on ebay from them 

do recall a book called the " east Georgian bay historical journal " it was published in the 80's and all about simcoe country history, is several volumes so might be 5 or 10 different books in total  . is an article in one of them about local bottlers and it might mention Collins beverages but I don't have that issue and only copy I know of is at our locked up library 

if I can find it and if it contains any more info i'll post it at some point


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## RCO (Feb 16, 2021)

found some really neat info on this bottler when searching thru an old barrie newspaper online , oddly nothing mentions what happens to them in the end ? 

is a help wanted as from 1953 , mentioned in a 1949 article about building in the city , George Fricke was one of the owners and served in US army during WW2 and returned to barrie , council sold property on Victoria/innisfil streets for $500 in 1949 

they also sponsored the weekly cartoons , mentioned the ginger in large bottles , 2 for 35 cents

a Pure Spring ad from august 1953 , didn't know they bottled pure spring there 

and best one a vintage call for a Collins ad from 1948


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## Donas12 (Feb 16, 2021)

RCO said:


> found some really neat info on this bottler when searching thru an old barrie newspaper online , oddly nothing mentions what happens to them in the end ?
> 
> is a help wanted as from 1953 , mentioned in a 1949 article about building in the city , George Fricke was one of the owners and served in US army during WW2 and returned to barrie , council sold property on Victoria/innisfil streets for $500 in 1949
> 
> ...


This is interesting info! So they must have only been around for maybe 5 years or so?
Pure Springs too, cool, wonder if they had their name on the backs of these bottles...


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## RCO (Feb 16, 2021)

Donas12 said:


> This is interesting info! So they must have only been around for maybe 5 years or so?
> Pure Springs too, cool, wonder if they had their name on the backs of these bottles...



I'm not sure how long they operated for , the Ontario bottle book says 1948 - 1957 

however when searching that newspaper there is no mention of them past 1953 , so unclear what they did between 1954 - 57 if anything , although possible they were still there just not as active or such ?  oddly nothing in the paper about there closure ? not a word of them

I've never seen a pure spring bottle with anything other than Ottawa here so would doubt there is one for Collins but new to me as I wasn't aware it was done in barrie although have read about pure spring having so called branches in different places in Ontario


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