# What is an R.J. Shine Coke?



## Andrewt (Sep 8, 2012)

Was he a bottler? Thanks for the info!


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 8, 2012)

Andrewt ~

 R. J. Shine was a Coca Cola bottler in Winchester, Virginia in the early 1900s. I have also seen references for him connected to Martinsburg, W. VA., but other than that, I do not know his history. Most of the bottles with his name embossed on them are straight-sided and from about 1910 to 1917. I have not found a contour/hobbleskirt bottle yet.

 Scroll to the bottom of this link and you will see one of his bottles that sold for $300+

 http://www.antiquebottles.com/southeast/jul05.html

 SPB

 [Shoulder Embossing]


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 8, 2012)

[Heel Embossing]


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 8, 2012)

According to the following link, a Winchester, Virginia Coca Cola Bottling plant was built in 1940 - closed in 1958 - and is currently a historical landmark. But there is no mention of a R. J. Shine who most likely conducted his early 1900s operation at a different location.

 http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Cities/Winchester/138-5044_CocaColaBottlingWorks_2008_NRfinal.pdf


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 8, 2012)

I apologize for the super-long link, but I do not know how to shorten them. It is a "American Bottlers" article from 1919 and refers to a Winchester, Virginia Coca Cola Bottling Works with R. J. Shine listed as president. I do not know what the Hangtown, MD. reference on the end indicates. But it does establish that R. J. Shine was in operation at least as late as 1919.

 http://books.google.com/books?id=TfpYAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA98&lpg=RA1-PA98&dq=R+J+Shine+coca+cola+bottling+works&source=bl&ots=X2G-OsP4oz&sig=bki5zxUSVl3ltj-LRyB4Dj3k4co&hl=en&sa=X&ei=d2lLUJnvMemHywG7uYCYDA&ved=0CDsQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=R%20J%20Shine%20coca%20cola%20bottling%20works&f=false


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 8, 2012)

P.S. ~

 If R. J. Shine was in operation in 1919, then he surely bottled Coca Cola in contour/hobbleskirt bottles. They would have been the 1915 patent bottles (but not distributed until 1917) and embossed on the base with ... Winchester, Virginia.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 8, 2012)

There is a patent 1915 Winchester, Virginia hobbleskirt on ebay right now with a starting bid of $8.99. According to Bill Porter's book, those particular bottles are listed as common.

 http://www.ebay.com/itm/November-16-1915-Coke-Bottle-from-Winchester-Va-Not-a-Repo-/271053340766?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f1c09c05e


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 8, 2012)

Here's a 1915 American Bottler reference for R. J. Shine in Hangtown, Maryland, as well as ones that refer to Charleston and Martinsburg. It looks like our mysterious Mr. Shine really got around, and apparently had several bottling plants in operation at the same time but in different locations.

 http://books.google.com/books?id=c69RAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA2-PA60&lpg=RA2-PA60&dq=R.+J.+shine++bottling+works&source=bl&ots=WVKPKO1yau&sig=E5brlYY__z0l5iTx7EZnSjBs8ho&hl=en&sa=X&ei=JXNLULjnGKLpygG4wYG4CQ&sqi=2&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=R.%20J.%20shine%20%20bottling%20works&f=false


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 8, 2012)

... which means it might be hard to determine which of the straight-sides Coca Cola bottles are from which location unless they are marked accordingly.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 8, 2012)

It's starting to look as if the various straight-sided R. J. Shine bottles were marked with specific locations. Here's one from Hangtown, Maryland.


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## AntiqueMeds (Sep 8, 2012)

> Hangtown, Maryland.


 
 Hagerstown?


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 8, 2012)

AM ~

 Thanks! [sm=thumbup.gif]

 Correction noted ... It's Hagerstown, Maryland. 

 Even with my glasses on I have a problem with small print.

 Bob


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## Andrewt (Sep 8, 2012)

Bob, Wow, thanks for all the Information! $317 for the SS one, not a bad pay day for the guy! The hobbeskirt RJ's are common to bad. Once again thanks!


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## Andrewt (Sep 19, 2012)

I've received a lot of help, info and even things given to me on this forum so I'll offer my R.J. Shine SS Coke here first. It's the Hagerstown, Md. one, I'll post pics tonight(sorry I'm at work). It has some blemishes but it's good shape for the age. I think it has 1911 on the base but it could be 19N? I asked some local collectord/pickers and they never heard of it so I have looked on E-bay for quite some time and have not seen one so I asked here, knowing we have some really knowledgeable guys. I appears to be pretty rare as I thought because I never heard of or saw one prior to me finding it. The first $65 takes it.


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## Andrewt (Sep 19, 2012)

Sorry about the spelling and such in the above post but the old lady stopped by with the kids and the little one was climbing on me trying to hit the keyboard and the computer froze up so I forced it down and started her back up again!![]


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## Andrewt (Sep 20, 2012)

Here they are


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## Andrewt (Sep 20, 2012)




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## FS Shine (Dec 10, 2012)

R. J. Shine was my Grandfather.  Much of the information posted here on the history of these bottles is accurate.  R. J. Shine was originally in the Coca Cola syrup distribution business prior to the advent of bottling.  The photo shown above is of a much later bottling works in Winchester. VA.  The circa 1920s bottling plant he owned was in a row building and was surprisingly small.  I have a photo of the building.  As the story goes, R.J. owned several business including a major share of a VA bank.  With the Depression, these business began to fail and the bottling works went into receivership.  Supposedly, R.J. was able to require the shares of his own bottling operation and then sold the company to the Crass Bottling works. All of these bottles date from prior to about 1932.  Sometime in the 1930s, the Shine family moved to Richmond Virginia and acquired Broad Rock Springs water bottling which operated for many years.  R.J. Shine, born in a cabin with a dirt floor around 1870, was the son of an Irish Immigrant who served in the Louisiana Rifles before moving to Lynchburg VA and becoming the Superintendent of Water Works.  RJ Shine died in Richmond VA in 1960.


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## celerycola (Dec 10, 2012)

R. J. Shine first bottling venture was the Coca-Cola Bottling Works of Lynchburg, VA. He sold that interest when he opened the Lynchburg Pepsi-Cola Bottling Works. He went back to Coke when he moved to Winchester. If anyone is interested I have dates in my research notes.


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## Andrewt (Dec 15, 2012)

> ORIGINAL:  FS Shine
> 
> R. J. Shine was my Grandfather.  Much of the information posted here on the history of these bottles is accurate.  R. J. Shine was originally in the Coca Cola syrup distribution business prior to the advent of bottling.  The photo shown above is of a much later bottling works in Winchester. VA.  The circa 1920s bottling plant he owned was in a row building and was surprisingly small.  I have a photo of the building.  As the story goes, R.J. owned several business including a major share of a VA bank.  With the Depression, these business began to fail and the bottling works went into receivership.  Supposedly, R.J. was able to require the shares of his own bottling operation and then sold the company to the Crass Bottling works. All of these bottles date from prior to about 1932.  Sometime in the 1930s, the Shine family moved to Richmond Virginia and acquired Broad Rock Springs water bottling which operated for many years.  R.J. Shine, born in a cabin with a dirt floor around 1870, was the son of an Irish Immigrant who served in the Louisiana Rifles before moving to Lynchburg VA and becoming the Superintendent of Water Works.  RJ Shine died in Richmond VA in 1960.


 
 Very cool! Thanks for the info!


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