# EARLY ROYAL CROWN GINGER ALE PAPER LABEL



## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 24, 2015)

This thread is a spin-off of the following, earlier threads, whose member names and start dates I have included ...  
dbv1919 ~ Started in May of 2014  
https://www.antique-bottles.net/forum/Oldest-ACL-Royal-Crown-Cola-Bottle-m650674.aspx

Morbious_fod ~ Started in October of 2014  
https://www.antique-bottles.net/forum/Earliest-ACL-Royal-Crown-Cola-redux-m663404.aspx

iggyworf ~ Started in February of 2015
https://www.antique-bottles.net/forum/RC-Cola-m671684.aspx


*The most detailed information about this Royal Crown Ginger Ale label can be found on the last several pages of iggyworf's thread. I recently acquired the label, along with two others just like it, on eBay and paid $15.00 for all three. I'm only keeping the one pictured here and will be sending the other two to members dbv1919 and iggyworf.*

*It is my hope with this new thread to research the label further and possibly find a specific date when it was used. I have a lot if information to share but for the time being just wanted to get this thread going and will add to it as time and my research findings allow. If anyone has specific information pertaining to this label, please feel free to share it with us. All I can tell you about it at the moment is that I consider it extremely rare and it and the other two are the only one's like it that I have ever seen. As far as I know this label has never been available on the collector's market before and there are no pictures of it in any books I am aware of. It's original and not a reproduction! *

*I'll be back!*

*Sodapopbob*

*[ Attachments ]*

*1.  Front of label (Measures 4 1/2" inches long x 3" inches wide)*
*2.  Back of label  (Thin paper with front bleed-through) *


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 24, 2015)

*                Please bare with me - there is actually a method to my madness ...* *                    ( I just hope all of this copy/pasting doesn't get scrambled )*  The following link is to one of the most comprehensive Royal Crown histories I'm aware of. I've copy/pasted a couple of paragraphs from it. If I'm reading it right, it leads me to believe Royal Crown Ginger Ale was first bottled by the Hatcher Grocery Company. The part that's still a little confusing, of which I'm not sure about the date, is where it says ...                                      "Royal Crown Ginger Ale Trademark: a pretty queen wearing a crown."                                                               ~ * ~                                     (I invite others to read the document and see what you come up with)                                               *RC Cola Gets Start in Basement*                                   Contributed By: Christine Thacker - June 20, 2007                                                            By Bill Winn                                                                                                             Guest Columnist                   Http://files.usgwarchives.net/Ga/muscogee/photos/hatcher13430gph.txt   "From the basement of the Hatcher Grocery Company, then located on Eleventh Street between Broadway and Front Avenue, came the first bona fide Columbus Soft drink creation to achieve status - Royal Crown Ginger Ale."                                                                                                                                ~ * ~   "Claud Hatcher decided the Union Bottling Works must produce a cola. So he got busy. The result was a carbonated beverage called Chero Cola. Chero Cola caught on fast. In a short time it was the spearhead beverage of The Union Bottling Works. Young Hatcher, who had proven to be a master at organizing promotion ever since he created his first Royal Crown Ginger Ale Trademark: a pretty queen wearing a crown, decided the firm should bear the name of this new cola beverage.  Chero Cola Company was organized in 1912. Chero Cola's first board of directors consisted of Claud A. Hatcher, Lucious A. Hatcher, William A. Anthony, C. G. Anthony. C. A. Sears, Dewitt Pickett, John Shields and Walter Davidson. Claud Hatcher was president; W. A. Anthony, treasurer and C. A. Sears, secretary."


                                                               ~ * ~

                        Here's another history site where we find similar information ...


http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/54/Royal-Crown-Company-Inc.html

"The first soft drink Hatcher created was named Royal Crown Ginger Ale, and its success opened the Hatchers' eyes to the opportunities available in the soft drink market. In 1905, father and son made their commitment to the soft drink market officially by reorganizing Hatcher Grocery Co. as Union Bottling Works and concentrating wholly on producing Royal Crown Ginger Ale."


                                                               ~ * ~


                   Most of the Royal Crown histories provide us with the following timeline ...

                                 (All of which were located in Columbus, Georgia)

                                   1901 - Cole-Hatcher-Hampton Grocery Company
                                   1903 - Hatcher Grocery Company
                                   1905 - Union Bottling Works
                                   1912 - Chero-Cola Company
                                   1925 - Nehi Bottling Company
                                   1959 - Royal Crown Cola Company


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## MichaelFla (Feb 24, 2015)

Does anybody have a green ACL Royal Crown Ginger Ale? The reason I ask is that a painter named McClelland Barclay painted the picture here before he went missing in 1943.  I don't collect ACLs, but neither no I remember ever seeing one of these. So I was just curious if anybody else had.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 24, 2015)

Because the link to the following information and instructions is one of those super long one's, I will be posting the link on the next post. It involves a publication titled ...                            *The Bulletin of the North Carolina State Board of Agriculture* *                                                       Raleigh, North Carolina* *                                                             January, 1903* ... and pertains to various manufactures who were tested for artificial additives in their products. 1.  Notice on Page 30 where it list Royal Crown Ginger Ale next to test number *1676*2.  Scroll to Page 31 - Notice the test samples were collected on *September 16, 1902* *I'm not sure yet if my paper label is directly connected to these test, but it is the earliest confirmed date I am aware of for Royal Crown Ginger Ale, which in this example is 1902.* *                                                I'm currently researching ... * *                      McManus, Short & Company  ~  Charlotte, North Carolina* *                                     (Who were the bottlers/manufactures)*


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## iggyworf (Feb 24, 2015)

Bob, the first link doesn't seem to work. The 2nd does.Michael, I looked at that before also and wondered about it. Nothing clear on the bottle can be seen in the painting. I wonder if it is just a generic bottle he painted. I am going to a local soda advertising show this Sun. I will be looking for Royal Crown stuff(as well as others) for sure. It's mostly a Coca Cola show but other brands as well.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 24, 2015)

Link to 1902 Testing - Opens on Page 30 - Also scroll to Page 31                                                See test numbers *1676* https://books.google.com/books?id=MS0gAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA30&dq=royal+crown+ginger+ale+McManus+Short+Company&hl=en&sa=X&ei=35TsVOKlF5KxogTim4GoDw&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=royal%20crown%20ginger%20ale%20McManus%20Short%20Company&f=false


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 24, 2015)

iggy                                Here's the link again. It should work this time.                         It is one of the best Royal Crown histories I'm aware of ...             http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/muscogee/photos/hatcher13430gph.txt


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 24, 2015)

Just for the record ...                                      The 1902 Testing also involved Royal Crown ...                                                        1.  Wine Punch                                                       2.  Sarsaparilla                                                       3.  Strawberry


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 24, 2015)

MichaelFla said:
			
		

> Does anybody have a green ACL Royal Crown Ginger Ale? The reason I ask is that a painter named McClelland Barclay painted the picture here before he went missing in 1943.  I don't collect ACLs, but neither no I remember ever seeing one of these. So I was just curious if anybody else had.



 Michael Thanks for the contribution. I have never seen an ACL but will keep my eyes peeled during the course of my ongoing research. However, I do know that Royal Crown Ginger Ale bottles with paper labels were produced well into the 1930s and 1940s. I own this paper label which I have been able to date to *1932 *and is from San Mateo, California.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 24, 2015)

~  Question of the Day  ~               Is it possible "our" Royal Crown Ginger Ale paper labels date to ...                                        *       1902* *                                 ?*


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 24, 2015)

Reminder ...                                    1901 - Cole-Hatcher-Hampton Grocery Company
                                   1903 - Hatcher Grocery Company
                                   1905 - Union Bottling Works
                                   1912 - Chero-Cola Company
                                   1925 - Nehi Bottling Company
                                   1959 - Royal Crown Cola Company


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 24, 2015)

Typo / Correction on my post #4     The test samples were collected on September *20*, 1902 and not September *16*, 1902                              []  As if four days really make a difference!  []                               (It's the "possible" 1902 date that really counts!)


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 24, 2015)

By the way, the so called 'mark' below the crown on the label isn't a letter! It's some kind of decorative thing that has "Curly-Q's" on either side of it ...


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 24, 2015)

Meet Claud A. Hatcher                                Which is from the history site where it shows ...              http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/muscogee/photos/hatcher13430gph.jpg
                                              Image file size: 159.7 Kb                                                (More about him later)


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 25, 2015)

Because the 1902 Testing states the samples came from McManus Short & Company of Charlotte, North Carolina, this suggest some type of distribution on the part of the Hatchers who were located in Columbus, Georgia. Charlotte is about 300 miles northeast of Columbus. The various histories don't include any specifics about distribution as early as 1902, but there must have been in order for the test samples to have come from McManus Short & Co. in Charlotte. But whatever the situation was, the only thing I have found so far regarding McManus Short & Co. comes from ...                                The Charlotte News ~ Charlotte, N.C. ~ March 4, 1903                             (Which adds credence to the 1902 name for the company)


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 25, 2015)

If I understand the various histories correctly, the Union Bottling Works of Columbus, Georgia, which was a name change from the earlier Hatcher Grocery Company, was established in about 1905. So if the 1905 name change date is correct, then the paper label pictured below should date to about 1905 or later. In small print at the bottom of the label is, Union Bottling Works, Columbus, Georgia. Later, around 1911-1912, the name was changed again to Chero-Cola Co. So with this in mind, one can't help but wonder why there is no company name on the labels being discussed here?


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 25, 2015)

Here's the label that sold on eBay recently for $173.50. It is clearly marked Chero-Cola Bottling Company, which would date it between about 1912 and 1925 when the company name was changed again to the Nehi Bottling Company.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 25, 2015)

And then there's this from member Morbious_fod, which he posted on his Royal Crown Redux thread. I still don't know when it was published other than the imagery is the same or similar to that of the Chero-Cola label I just posted. Notice it has the word "Improved," which indicates an earlier variation of the brand.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 25, 2015)

Since I'm posting various labels, I thought I'd add this to the mix. It's from the link Michael posted and is of what might be a Royal Crown Ginger Ale ACL bottle.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 25, 2015)

P.S. I can't say for certain, but part of the image on the so called ACL bottle appears to be a Top Hat


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 25, 2015)

I might be jumping to conclusions, but sometimes you just gotta read between the lines in order to come up with any form of logical explanation. No matter how many searches I do and references I find regarding the *Union Bottling Works *of *Columbus, Georgia*, almost without exception every one of them states that Claud Hatcher's Union Bottling Works was established in *1905*. The only exception I have seen to the 1905 date is from the following link that states the bottling works was established in 1907.                                                   *http://tinyurl.com/q8zkcnb*               Scroll to Page 21, Number 25, where you will find the information I attached below But regardless if it was 1905 or 1907 when the Union Bottling Works was established, I find it almost impossible to accept they would go to the expense and trouble to form a new company which had it's own bottles and not put their new company name on their labels as well. Hence, I am currently of the opinion the three labels being discussed here precede anything involving the Union Bottling Works, which would (in my opinion) date them to circa 1901-1905. Note: I'm not saying the Union Bottling Works never produced Royal Crown Ginger Ale, because there is ample evidence to indicate they did. I'm merely suggesting the paper labels were used before the Union Bottling Works was established and registered in 1905-1907 *Why produce a bottle with the company name on it but not put the name on the label?* [ Attachments ] 1.  Portion of Archeology article from link2.  Union Bottling Works straight-sided bottle3.  Close up of embossed label


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 25, 2015)

For those who might be wondering why the paper labels don't have the name Hatcher Grocery on them, the most logical explanation I can offer at the moment refers back to the various histories which describe Claud Hatcher's dealings between 1901 and 1904 as a "basement operation," during which time he was still experimenting with things before he was able to fully established the Union Bottling Works.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 25, 2015)

*Rich and Brad:* *I'm mailing your labels today (Wednesday February 25, 2015) Please let us know when they arrive, which I expect will take about a week. I'm buying a special frame for mine and will post a picture of it in a few days. * *I hope you enjoy them* *Bob*


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 25, 2015)

*~  Value  ~* Even though some of my findings are based on speculation, based on everything I know about Royal Crown and the fact I can find absolutely no record of these particular labels ever being sold, coupled with the possibility they are the only examples currently known to exist, I feel that gives me at least a little leeway in determining their current value. If I were to offer mine at auction and provide the information from this thread, even if it only hinted at the possibility of the labels being from circa 1901-1904, I think a reasonable auction estimate of their current value would be ...                                                  [font="arial black,avant garde"]*$125.00 each*[/font]                                  ( I would not even consider an offer for less )                                                               []


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## iggyworf (Feb 25, 2015)

Bob, can't wait for the label to get here. Thanx a million. Here is another good history of royal crown. I am sure you seen this one but wanted to post it.   But I can't seem to get a link posted to it. Will keep trying.


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## iggyworf (Feb 25, 2015)

It was by Cecil Munsey.


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## dbv1919 (Feb 25, 2015)

Thanks again bob I will be watching.


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## jblaylock (Feb 26, 2015)

Just wanted to add that I LOVE SPB's research.  You sir, are amazing.  I love reading these threads.


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## dbv1919 (Feb 26, 2015)

Me too


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## iggyworf (Feb 26, 2015)

Ditto!


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 26, 2015)

Guys: Thanks for the kudos. I just wish I could figure out a way to access Cecil Munsey's website. Everything I try says its unauthorized. However, about a year ago I somehow slipped under the radar and got in. But I don't know what I did differently to make it happen. If anyone has the answer, please let me know.                                                              ~ * ~  Rich and Brad: I'm tracking your labels and they are saying ... Expected Delivery Day: Saturday, February 28, 2015


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## iggyworf (Feb 26, 2015)

Is this the website Bob? http://cecilmunsey.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 26, 2015)

iggy Yes, that's the site, which I have no problem finding, and even have a short cut to it. The problem is when I try to open certain articles - it says I'm using an unauthorized access (Google). I get the same results with Bing and other search engines as well.


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## iggyworf (Feb 26, 2015)

I just randomly clicked on about 10 different articles and all opened for me.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 26, 2015)

It must have something to do with my computer, but what that might be I don't know and will try again in a few days. In the meantime ... I framed my label today and decided on a simple gold frame with glass. But before mounting it in the frame I placed it in a archival plastic postcard sleeve. The scan is slightly blurry, but that's because of the glass. Another thing I did today was to conduct a taste test between Royal Crown Cola and Coca Cola. I bought a 12-Pack of each, with the RC costing $1.50 less than the Coke. I poured equal amounts into identical glasses and spun them around in my microwave for 10 seconds so I wouldn't know which glass contained which cola. However, upon taking sips of each, I could immediately tell the difference between them. In case you're not aware of it, one of the ingredients in all colas, which is distinguishable if you think about it while drinking one, is the ingredient *lime*. The result of my taste test is that Coca Cola is stronger than Royal Crown Cola and has more lime in it. As for which one taste the best, all I can say is, I'm so used to drinking Coca Cola that I kind of like the stronger 'kick' it has over the Royal Crown Cola. However, I have decided to try Royal Crown for awhile just for the heck of it. By the way, on the cardboard case of the RC it has *EST. 1905*


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## iggyworf (Feb 26, 2015)

Looks great. I told my mom about these labels and she suggested something like you did. Some sort of protective sleeve before I frame it. I prefer Pepsi any day over Coke. I haven't  had a RC in a loooong time.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 26, 2015)

I consider the following a major discovery! You will recall on Page 1, Post #4 and post #6 where I posted some information and a link regarding the 1902 Testing of Royal Crown Ginger Ale and that the samples were obtained from the McManus, Short & Company of Charlotte, North Carolina. Well, if you go back and reread it, you will notice that McManus, Short & Company was only the retail grocery store where the samples were purchased. But if you look closer at the information, you'll see where the manufacturer or wholesaler was actually ... *                                  C. Valaer Bottling Works *of *Charlotte, North Carolina*.                           Discovering that bottler's name led me to this advertisement from ...                             The Charlotte News ~ Charlotte, North Carolina ~ July 18, *1902*


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 26, 2015)

P.S My focus now is on the C. Valaer Bottling Works and see if I can find any pictures related to their bottles, especially anything related to Royal Crown Ginger Ale - Wine Punch - Sarsaparilla and Strawberry.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 26, 2015)

I might be jumping to conclusions and reading between the lines again, but it looks to me that C. Valaer Bottling Works was one of the first bottlers or Royal Crown as early as 1902.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 26, 2015)

Here are two examples of C. Valaer bottles. Remember what I called "Curly-Q's" that were below the crown on the paper label? Well, notice the fancy CV and the "Curly-Q's" embossed on the bottle on the right.                               Connection? Coincidence? Or just a wild imagination?


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 26, 2015)

Question of the day ... Why don't any of the Royal Crown histories mention anything about distribution of the brand outside of Columbus, Georgia as early as 1902?


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 26, 2015)

Forum thread about C. Valaer Bottling works with pictures of more bottles ... https://www.antique-bottles.net/forum/C-Valer-amp-Co-electric-bottlers-charlotte-nc-m530089.aspx


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 26, 2015)

I'm beginning to think there might be a connection between this bottle and this label ...


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## MichaelFla (Feb 27, 2015)

I drank RC all through middle school and high school. Sometime in the 80's they changed something in the formula and it made it taste flat afterwards. Bob, didn't you research C Valaer in relation to another beverage? I think it was Lime Cola or Cheerwine or something. I seem to remember that name on here before.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

Michael I don't recall ever researching C. Valaer Bottling Works. Nor have I been able to find a connection between them and Lime Cola. But they did bottle *Mint Cola*


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

Something isn't making sense here! This link and attached snippet show that C. Valaer had apatent for Royal Crown Ginger Ale on ...                                                    *         April 1, 1902* * http://tinyurl.com/o7uoejw*                                                        Click on Page 956


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

Just for the record ...                                       C. Valaer's first name was *Christian*


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

Questions of the day ... 1.  Which came first; The chicken or the egg?2.  Which came first; Claud Hatcher's or Christian Valaer's Royal Crown Ginger Ale?3.  Is there a connection between Claud Hatcher and Christian Valaer?4.  Which of the two do the Royal Crown Ginger Ale paper labels come from?


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

If you scroll back to Page 955 of the 1902 patent document you will see where it uses the word ...                                                                  *Labels*


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

Reminder ... The image of the crown on the circa 1932 San Mateo, California paper label and that on the label in question are very similar ...


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

P.S.                                      Notice the San Mateo label has ...                                         *Reg. Pend. U.S. Pat. Off.*


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## fer_de_lance (Feb 27, 2015)

Maybe a little off topic 
[attachment=image.jpg]


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## MichaelFla (Feb 27, 2015)

Well, if it's any help, I found this on Cecil Munsey's site in pdf 1264 Chero-Nehi-Royal Crown Cola 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 He says it was the first label.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

Michael Thanks. Even though we've seen it, your enlargement is superb. Because it has Union Bottling Works, that should date it to around 1905 or later. But whether it is actually the first Royal Crown Ginger Ale label is the $64.00 question.                               *Which of the two labels below is the real first?*


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## MichaelFla (Feb 27, 2015)

I can't answer that yet, either. But the Union Bottling Works version is certainly more crude. I would think the graphics would have improved with the second and subsequent labels.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

Which of the following seems the most likely ... *1.  There were two different Royal Crown Ginger Ale's at about the same time?**2.  Claud Hatcher plagiarized the name from Christian Valaer's 1902 patent?**3.  Christian Valaer stopped using the name and Claud Hatcher snatched it up?**4.  Claud Hatcher bought the name from Christian Valaer?**5.  Pure coincidence? **6.  Some other explanation?*


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

This is copy/pasted from the history site I posted a link to on Page 1 of this thread and has some key information that is supported by most of the other Royal Crown history sites. Each time I read it I get a better understanding of what went on in the early days. I thought I would share it for others to study and a further reference ...                                                                        ~ * ~ The Hatchers and two partners formed their own Cole - Hatcher-Hampton Grocery Company in 1901. In a couple of years Claud Hatcher and his father bought out the other partners and the organization became the Hatcher Grocery Company. Bottled soft drinks were up and coming in the early 1900s. No one was more aware of the increasing demand than the wholesale grocery companies. The Hatcher company was particularly aware of this. As a service to their customers, the Hatchers delivered bottled drinks to them at cost along with the regular grocery orders. In addition to Cola- cola, which started operations here in 1902, other bottled drinks of the day included cream soda (a vanilla flavored carbonated beverage) root beer and ginger ale. Claud Hatcher, a  former druggist, watched the demand increase with special interest. He set up a small laboratory in the basement of the wholesale grocery firm and began experimenting with carbonated beverages. Claud Hatcher was not just doodling around. He knew full well what he was doing. As a druggist he had sold the carbonated beverages, and he was an honor graduate in pharmacy. He had started out to be a doctor but switched courses after a year and completed his degree in pharmacy. Headed home after graduation, he stopped off in Atlanta and took the examination to become a registered pharmacist. His test grade was the highest that had ever been made up until that time. From the basement of the Hatcher Grocery Company, then located on Eleventh Street between Broadway and Front Avenue, came the first bona fide Columbus soft drink creation to achieve status - Royal Crown Ginger Ale. Claud then created a line of fruit¬ flavored carbonated drinks called Melo.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

Another question to ponder ... *If the label Michael posted, which Cecil Munsey said was the first, has Union Bottling Works on it, and my label is a later example, then why doesn't my label also have Union Bottling Works on it? *


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

Rich and Brad: USPS Tracking is still showing expected delivery for tomorrow (Saturday, Feb 28, 2015)                Thank goodness, because I really need some help on this one. []


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## MichaelFla (Feb 27, 2015)

Another question to ponder: Even though Claud Hatcher created Royal Crown Ginger Ale in his basement, did they immediately start bottling it? Or did that start after they created the Union Bottling Works?


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

Michael: Good question; with the key part being "bottled" vs. "served at soda fountains" But regardless of that, my guess is they did "produce" it prior to the establishment of the Union Bottling Works in 1905.


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## MichaelFla (Feb 27, 2015)

I will agree with that. That seems very likely, else they wouldn't have had a product to bottle at the plant. And yes, soda fountains were all the rage. He could use that venue to spread the news about his product and build up a following before beginning to bottle it.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

Here's what RC Cola International has to say on the subject. They use the word "created" in the basement for Royal Crown Ginger Ale but nothing specific about bottling versus soda fountains. Be sure to click on the side-arrow for the rest of the story ...                                       http://www.rccolainternational.com/about


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

If it wasn't for the Christian Valaer 1902 patent I wouldn't give most of this a second thought and simply date my label as circa 1902-1910 and be happy with that. But because of the Valaer stuff it causes me to question which of the two, Valaer or Hatcher, who actually produced and used my label?


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## MichaelFla (Feb 27, 2015)

Here is my theory: Valaer created a ginger ale and named it Royal Crown. In 1902 he started bottling it. Hatcher also created a ginger ale, and named it Royal Crown, and was selling it at fountains. A traveller remarked about seeing the bottled Royal Crown in NC, so Hatcher went there. Maybe Valaer wasn't having great success with it or maybe Hatcher was a great pitch man, but Hatcher bought the name from Valaer, Returned to GA, and had great success with his version, so kept the name ever since. It would have to be early enough for the name to be synonymous with his own version of the ginger ale before he started bottling. Of course, this is all purely conjecture with no anything to back it up []


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## iggyworf (Feb 27, 2015)

How much info do we have on 'Union Bottling Works'. In the beginning did they just bottle there own soda's? Or did they also bottle other soda's?If he 'Claud Hatcher' put his RC Ginger ale in bottles and sold it from his grocery store. What kind of bottles did he use? And maybe he printed up your label first. Then when he started 'Union BW" is when the label's with the queen on it were printed. Or does that sound like nothing.[]


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

Michael and Rich: Good theories and questions, but only with more research do I think we will ever find the answers.  I don't know the complete history of the C. Valaer Bottling Works, but I do know they go back to at least to the late 1800s. One thing I found regarding them I thought was interesting is, starting around 1910, their main claim to fame was a brand called "*Queen Ginger Ale*." The newspaper archives are full of listings for the brand. I chose the ad pictured below because it is the only one I could find that shows a picture of a bottle. I tried to enhance the image to see if it had a paper label, but what you see is the best I could do and I'm still not sure about the label. Notice some of the other brands/flavors it mentions, including "Lemon Sour." But for whatever reason there is no mention of Royal Crown.  From ... The Charlotte News ~ Charlotte, N.C. ~ August 8, 1914


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

If we can find a *patent *for Royal Crown Ginger Ale connected with Clad Hatcher/Union Bottling, that could shed a great deal of light on things. We already know Christian Valaer filed one in 1902. If Claud Hatcher filed for one before or even after 1902, surely the U.S. Patent Office would have known about whichever one was the original and not granted two separate patents under the same name at the same time.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

Speaking of Claud Hatcher patents, check out the inventor's name on this Nehi "top of the world" bottle ...  https://www.google.com/patents/USD72063?dq=Claud+Hatcher&hl=en&sa=X&ei=oBHxVMmuO4iSyATLk4EY&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAA 1927


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

Inconclusive / Conclusion So I don't drive myself and others totally bonkers with this, I'm going to concede and assume that ... *Claud Hatcher's Royal Crown Ginger Ale was the Union Bottling Works first bottled beverage and was first distributed in 1905!* Okay, fine. Let's assume for the time being that information is accurate, etched in stone, and the date for my label is totally irrelevant. But by putting the date aside for the moment, that still leaves us with the bigger question, which is ... *                      Was my label used by Christian Valaer or Claud Hatcher?*


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

I can't speak for anyone but myself, but here's the direction I'm currently leaning ... *Label #1 ... Used by C. Valaer Bottling Works ~ Charlotte, North Carolina ~ Circa 1902* *Label #2 ... Used by Union Bottling Works ~ Columbus, Georgia ~ Circa 1905*               (But why Label #1 doesn't have the bottler's name on it, I don't know)


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

Nor can I currently explain this bottle ...


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 27, 2015)

P.S. Notice the staining on the upper portion of my label and the staining on the upper portion of the Chero Cola bottle label are almost identical


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 28, 2015)

Christian Von Valaer of Charlotte, North Carolina may have patented a brand of soda called Royal Crown Ginger Ale in 1902, and even had it tested via the McManus, Short & Company grocery store in the same year, but that's where the lineage stops. I can find no continuation of it past 1902. I'm not sure what that tells us, but it seems mighty peculiar that a soda by the same name pops up in Columbus, Georgia three years later in 1905 by a newbie bottler named Claud Adkins Hatcher.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 28, 2015)

Even though C. Valaer Bottling Work's lineage of Royal Crown Ginger Ale abruptly begins and ends in 1902, ads like this start popping up in 1910. From ... The Evening Chronicle ~ Charlotte, North Carolina ~ May 5, 1910


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 28, 2015)

For those who might be thinking I confused Ginger Ale with Soda Water, here's the 1902 patent again ...


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 28, 2015)

I spent several hours researching the history of the C. Valaer Bottling Works and even though there is no single website I could find that list a detailed history of the company, I was able to piece things together enough from various sources and came up with that Christian Valaer got his start as a distribution agent for the Portner Brewing Company in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1895. C. Valaer Bottling Works was established the following year in 1896. Based on the growth of the company after 1896, they appeared to have grown by leaps and bounds and by 1902 were one of the largest soda bottlers in North Carolina. Because of this and other tid-bits of information I saw along the way, I'm now convinced if my label was that of the C. Valaer Bottling Works that it would have their name on it. Hence, I am back to my original belief the label is in deed either that of ...                                        *Hatcher's Grocery ~ Columbus, Georgia * *                                                                   Or ...* *The Union Bottling Works ~ Columbus, Georgia*                                              ( But I'm still not sure of the date )


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 28, 2015)

MichaelFla said:
			
		

> Here is my theory: Valaer created a ginger ale and named it Royal Crown. In 1902 he started bottling it. Hatcher also created a ginger ale, and named it Royal Crown, and was selling it at fountains. A traveller remarked about seeing the bottled Royal Crown in NC, so Hatcher went there. Maybe Valaer wasn't having great success with it or maybe Hatcher was a great pitch man, but Hatcher bought the name from Valaer, Returned to GA, and had great success with his version, so kept the name ever since. It would have to be early enough for the name to be synonymous with his own version of the ginger ale before he started bottling. Of course, this is all purely conjecture with no anything to back it up []



*Michael* *I'm reposting your theory because it could very well contain some of what transpired. There has to be information somewhere to explain why there were two Royal Crown Ginger Ale's at about the same time. Especially when you take into account the one patented by Christian Valaer in 1902 seems to have mysteriously disappeared after only one year in existence.   *


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 28, 2015)

Side note ... I just got a notification from my satellite Internet provider saying I used up 100% of my allowable gigabytes for the month, which means things have already started to slow down to a snail crawl. But that's okay because tomorrow is the first of the month and my bytes will be replenished and I will be back in the saddle again. Whoopee!  []


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## MichaelFla (Feb 28, 2015)

And in 1908 Valaer was making Royal Crown Coffee soda.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 So, if he was using the name for everything else, why did he stop using it only for the ginger ale? Also, I found a reference to Royal Crown Ginger Ale in or around 1912, in San Francisco. It says who the dealer is, but unfortunately it fails to give the manufacturer.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 28, 2015)

Michael: 1.  The full information on those types of publications is listed on two pages adjacent to each other. The name Royal Crown Ginger Ale is on Page 724 and is line-item number 16. Go to Page 725 and on line-item number 16 you will see where it shows the manufacturer as ...  *                                                  M**ajor Bottling Co*. ......... *D. Mancolatius* 2.  The ad below is from a 1915 Charlotte, North Carolina directory for C. Valaer Bottling Works. Notice it mentions several brands, including "Queen Ginger Ale," which was their signature brand, but no mention of Royal Crown.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 28, 2015)

I've seen Royal Crown *Ginger Ale *ads as late as 1941. The one here is from ...             The Times ~ San Mateo, California ~ November 26, *1932* ~ Highland Beverage Co. It depicts the same paper label I purchase about a year ago. Except mine says Highland Bottling Works


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 28, 2015)

Just considering all of the possibilities ... The question has been asked why Royal Crown Cola used *pyramids* on their labels? As far as I know that question has never been answered. I'll take a shot at it here by drawing your attention to the various triangles I outlined in green on the image of my label. Who knows, maybe those triangle shapes are what inspired the pyramids.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 28, 2015)

I was able to access Cecil Munsey's article about Royal Crown and printed the attached page from it. Notice where it refers to the queen label (Fig. 3.) and says ... *                                       ... one of the first* [font="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"]trademarks used[/font].   Which suggest other trademarks were used and the queen label wasn't necessarily [font="terminal,monaco"]the first[/font]


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 28, 2015)

P.S. I realize it also refers to Chero-Cola as another trademark used later and that Royal Crown Ginger Ale was one of the first, but it also leads me to suspect the queen label might not have been the first label for Royal Crown Ginger Ale.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 28, 2015)

Hence, I'm strongly leaning in the direction this might very well be the first Royal Crown Ginger Ale label ever used by the Union Bottling Works and that they added their name to the second label but for some reason not on the first one.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Feb 28, 2015)

With a date for the label of ... *[font="arial black,avant garde"]           circa 1905[/font]*


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 1, 2015)

On the page I posted from Cecil Munsey's article there is a boxed area under the heading ...                                                              Clarification:                                         ... where he refers to Appendix A and B.                                     Notice in the box where he states "All dates are accurate."        Here is the cropped box as well as the Appendix found on Page 36 of the 39 Page article ...


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 1, 2015)

P.S.                                             Also note where he states ...          "Products were produced and named before company names were changed."


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## iggyworf (Mar 1, 2015)

That's the article I was trying to post awhile back. Great work again. Thanx Michael for jumping in to help.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 1, 2015)

Reminder;  I'm just a cub detective on this case and simply present the evidence as I find. The final verdict will ultimately be up to the judge and jury. Nothing I present can be held against me in a court of law! (Lol) [] Please note that until something surfaces to refute it, I am currently under the opinion the label in question is connected to the lineage of Claud Hatcher and Royal Crown Cola. With that said, I present you with the following that may or may not have anything to do with anything. I was clicking around the Internet as I often do and stumbled onto a brand of ginger ale called ...                                                *Ross's Royal Belfast Ginger Ale* What initially sparked my interest in it was the use of the word "Royal" in connection with a ginger ale. As it turns out, the brand is from Belfast, Ireland and was patented in 1897. But just as interesting as the name is the similarity of the paper label they used. Now, I don't want to get too far afield with this topic, but I can't help but wonder if ol' Claud Hatcher was familiar with the brand and that it might have had some influence on him while developing his own brand of ginger ale? By the way, Ross's Royal Belfast Ginger Ale was distributed in the United States and even won three gold medals in New Orleans in 1885. 1.  Patent2.  Bottle with paper label3.  Close up of label (Notice similarity to our Royal Crown Ginger Ale labels)


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 1, 2015)

Side-by-side Comparison ...


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 1, 2015)

Ross's Royal Belfast Ginger Ale even used the words ... *                                   "Warranted To Keep In Any Climate"*                                           (From an 1885 advertisement)


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 1, 2015)

P.S.                        The Ross paper label even has the image of a *crown *at the top!


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 1, 2015)

Hey, iggy I take it your label hasn't arrived, yet. It's probably sitting in your local post office right now and will be delivered tomorrow.


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## iggyworf (Mar 1, 2015)

Bob, no it has not arrived yet. Yes hoping for tomorrow.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 1, 2015)

Regarding Claud Hatcher possibly being influenced by Ross's Royal Belfast Ginger Ale ...                                                       Claud Hatcher                                                      Born: August 20, 1876                                                      Died: December 31, 1933 (Age 57)                              According to the various histories, Claud attended college and ... "He had started out to be a doctor but switched courses after a year and completed his degree in pharmacy. *Headed home after graduation, he stopped off in Atlanta and took the examination to become a registered pharmacist. *His test grade was the highest that had ever been made up until that time."


                                                                ~ * ~

I'm not sure what years Claud attended college or when he graduated, but I do know it was before 1901 when he returned home and, with his father and two partners, established the Cole-Hatcher-Hampton Grocery Company. Claud would have been 25 years old in 1901. I also do not know what year he "stopped off in Atlanta," other than that too would have been prior to 1901.

Anyway, the attached newspaper article is from Atlanta, Georgia and advertises, among other brands, Ross's Belfast Ginger Ale. Of course there is no way of my knowing whether Claud ever encountered similar advertisements or if he ever drank the brand, but because of his soon to happen experiments in the Columbus, Georgia basement, there is a possibility that he did. There are similar advertisements in the Atlanta papers from 1899. This one is from ...

                     The Atlanta Constitution ~ Atlanta, Georgia ~ August 11, 1897

                                            (Claud was 21 years old in 1897)


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 1, 2015)

Long story short ... Unless he had his head buried in the sand, Claud Hatcher had to of been familiar with Ross's Royal Belfast Ginger Ale. During the late 1800s and early 1900s it was distributed, sold and advertised worldwide, including all of Europe, Canada, and the United States. Of course this doesn't mean it influenced his Royal Crown Ginger Ale, but he certainly would have known about it's popularity when developing his own brand of ginger ale.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 1, 2015)

Last but not least ... Trade cards like the one pictured below can be found from most of the major cities in the United States. This particular example is from Providence, Rhode Island, which I don't necessarily think of as even being a major city. 1.  Front2.  Back


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 1, 2015)

One more for the road (Because it's pouring rain today and I'm stuck inside) [] ... The following is copy/pasted from the history site, with similar information found in the Cecil Munsey article. It emphasizes the Hatcher's awareness about the popularity of various types of soda pop when they began experimenting in the basement ...                                                               ~ * ~ "Bottled soft drinks were up and coming in the early 1900s. No one was more aware of the increasing demand than the wholesale grocery companies. The Hatcher company was particularly aware of this. As a service to their customers, the Hatchers delivered bottled drinks to them at cost along with the regular grocery orders. In addition to Coca-Cola, which started operations here in 1902, other bottled drinks of the day included cream soda (a vanilla flavored carbonated beverage) root beer and ginger ale."


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 2, 2015)

A final word about Ross's Royal Belfast Ginger Ale.                               And then it's on to the Grand Finale for Royal Crown                               ( Notice the word "Finale" has the word "Ale" in it ) If I were Claud Hatcher and experimenting to develop a new ginger ale, I would without question sample the various ginger ales on the market at the time to see what the competition tasted like. I would especially sample the leading brands. The variety of different ginger ales on the market in the early 1900s is extensive. We can be certain that Ross's Royal Belfast Ginger Ale was one of the leading seller's at the time and one that Claud Hatcher almost certainly was aware of and probably even tested as a brand to compete with. Its pure conjecture on my part to think that Ross's ginger ale advertising ephemera such as paper labels and trade cards had an influence on Hatcher's development of similar materials, but I find it more than just a coincidence that Ross's paper label and Hatcher's paper label both have images of crowns on them. [ Attachments ] 1.  Crown on the circa 1900 Ross's trade card2.  Crown on my early paper label


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 2, 2015)

~   GRAND FIN(ginger)ALE  ~        Here's the timeline for the Royal Crown Ginger Ale paper labels as I currently see things ... 1.  Circa 19022.  Circa 19053.  Circa 1932


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 2, 2015)

And there's this from Cecil Munsey's article. Notice the information I underlined in red ...


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 2, 2015)

And let us not forget this one ...                     4.  Circa 1912-1925 because it has "Chero-Cola Bottling Co." on it


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 2, 2015)

This is the *latest* newspaper advertisement I can find for Royal Crown Ginger Ale ...                          The Albuquerque Journal ~ New Mexico ~ May 1, *1942*


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 2, 2015)

A comfortable bottom line date for me, and hopefully for others, as to when our paper labels were used might be found by doing some math from the Cecil Munsey article. Notice where I underlined in red of the attached image where Munsey says the Cole-Hatcher-Hampton Grocery Company was established in 1901. Following that, notice where he says that "after a few years" Claud and his father bought out the partners, which would have been when Claud and his father changed the name to "Hatcher's Grocery." Also notice where he goes on to say that during the early period of Hatcher's Grocery they purchased various beverages from "a local bottling plant" and had them delivered along with groceries to customers homes. So if we do the math and use "a few years" from 1901, that brings us to around 1904 or 1905, which is when they established the Union Bottling Works and started producing and selling their own brand(s) of soda pop. Lastly, and this is where I come up with my so called "bottom line date," I honestly think when Claud and his father started the Union Bottling Works in 1905, that anything and everything related to their new company would have had their name on it. I just can't imagine the proud owners who worked so hard to establish a new bottling company not putting their name on their labels. Hence, I honestly think our labels we produced slightly *before* the bottling works was fully established, and were possibly used during a brief period when they first introduced their new product to the local market area, and then shortly afterwards produced another label which had the queen and the name of their company on it. Which leaves me with a very comfortable date for the labels at ...                                          *      circa 1904*    ( I rest my case with this and leave it up to future researchers to either confirm or refute )


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 2, 2015)

P.S. I think the biggest mystery of all pertains to Christian Valaer's Royal Crown Ginger Ale. The weird thing about that is, I can find no confirmation of it other than the patent and the testing, both of which were in *1902*. Every reference I can find following 1902 simply refers to it as various forms of soda and mineral water sold in quantities such as in gallons and five gallons, but nothing to indicate any form of bottled soda pop.


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## iggyworf (Mar 2, 2015)

Bob, I got home from work today a few hours ago. And have been rereading all the info you have provided. I came across some of the same things in some of my searches. I noticed that Ross' ginger ale pic also. I like the connection you made with that. I was gearing toward your conclusion a few days ago. That Claud had made up our labels before 'Union BW'. And I agree that is when he changed the labels to advertise his more substantial company, the 'Union Bottling Works'. Before that he just made up these labels for the 'locals' who came into his store. (It would be neat to actually find a bottle that he put our labels onto, but that probably would be almost impossible). Cecil Munsey's history on Claud Hatcher and RC cola is probably the most conclusive one.
So I am in agreeance that the labels date to 1904 also.

I have not gotten the label yet. It seems my regular mailperson is gone or on vacation. And mail does not get here till after 5 pm. I will let you know as soon as I get it.

Thanx for all the great work again. p.s. not directly related but check out this label.http://www.ebay.com/itm/Royal-Crown-Hominy-Bottle-Can-Label-Alexandria-Packing-Corp-Alexandria-IN-/201297713649?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ede4759f1


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## MichaelFla (Mar 2, 2015)

Yeah, I think my early theory about that might have been wrong. Since Valaer continued to use the name Royal Crown for years after on various other products, I believe that Hatcher already had the trademark for the name, and became aware that Valaer was using the name and made him stop, but only in regards to the Ginger Ale. Maybe Hatcher found out when Valaer patented the labels?


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 2, 2015)

Rich: According to the tracking, your label seems to be delayed for some reason. It doesn't say why. It says Brad's was delivered today.                                                               ~ * ~ Michael: The weird thing about Valaer's is, their Queen Ginger Ale appears out of nowhere in 1909. And I refuse to believe their use of the name "Royal Crown" and "Queen" is a mere coincidence. They produced it as their signature (claim to fame) brand for many years after 1909. The ad below is the earliest I can find and is from ...                        The Evening Chronicle  ~  Charlotte, North Carolina  ~ July 1909                                          (Notice they list Distilled Water first)


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## MichaelFla (Mar 2, 2015)

Yeah, but I think he had to choose a name for his ginger ale, but couldn't use the name "Royal Crown." So he choose something just as royal but completely different.


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## dbv1919 (Mar 2, 2015)

Hey Bob got my label today, Thank you I really appreciate it. If I didn't know better I would swear you were from the south lol. What a kind gesture. Was it me or was that a small black crown with Victorian style squigglies under the obvious crown. I looked around and could not find any different info than you have come up with. I completely agree with your date and even the paper looks like it is from that time period. Now it would be nearly impossible for one to have survived but I would love to see one on a bottle. I'm also surprised the colors were so vibrant. I'll have to pick me up an antique period correct frame.  Thanks again Brad.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 2, 2015)

Brad: You're welcome. I'm glad it arrived okay and you like it. Its not just you. By using a 30x magnifying loupe, below the larger crown I can see a miniature crown with a little cross on top. The ink is smudged, but that's what it is. If the labels don't date to late 1904, then I bet they're early 1905. I cannot find a specific month when the Union Bottling Works began operation in 1905. By the way, I am from the south - as in, "Southern" California [] After you get the label framed, please share a picture of it for all to see. Later, Bob


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 3, 2015)

Brad: Here's a micro-close-up of the little crown that's just below the larger crown. Look close and you'll see the squigglies on either side and the little cross on top ...


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 3, 2015)

Notice the Union Bottling Works label has similar "squigglies" ...


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 3, 2015)

And here we have "squigglies" that morphed into Royal Lions ...


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 3, 2015)

Speaking of the last label I posted, this one is from Allan Petretti's 2003 book "Soda Pop Collectibles Price Guide."  But notice it's for Royal Crown *Cola* and not ginger ale. I have been able to date my similar ginger ale label to around 1932, but I'm not sure when this one was used. My similar ginger ale label says "Highland Bottling Works San Mateo California" but this one says "Highland Beverage Company San Mateo California."  Because of the word "Works" vs the word "Company," I'm guessing my label is the earlier of the two. But I'm still confused as to when this cola label was used. Was it before or after 1934-1935 when the real Royal Crown Cola was first introduced. And why is it like the ginger ale label and not like the labels that have the pyramids?


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 3, 2015)

*[font="arial black,avant garde"]?[/font]*


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 3, 2015)

And what do we really know about these embossed Royal Crown Beverages bottles and bottle caps that have Nehi Bottling Co. on them? Which I believe are from the 1920s or 1930s. The name Nehi was first used around 1924-25


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 3, 2015)

This is the heel of the bottle on the right and you can clearly see the word *NEHI*


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## iggyworf (Mar 3, 2015)

I always wondered about Claud's 'Strawberry & Root Beer' which the history states he also created in the early stages. Do you think he would have made labels for these as well? It also states that 'Chero Cola' was one of his originals.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 3, 2015)

Why did they produce both (flavor beverages) at the same time?


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 3, 2015)

Rich: Because of the embossed texturing of the deco-style beverage bottles, its highly doubtful they had paper labels.


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## iggyworf (Mar 3, 2015)

If he made 'Ginger ale' labels in 1904. You would think he would have printed up 'Chero cola' & maybe 'Strawberry' & 'Root Beer' also? Those appeared to popular drinks as well. I have briefly searched for those type of things but found nothing.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 3, 2015)

If Cecil Munsey's Product Chronology is accurate, and I believe it is, then, yes, there could very well be Chero-Cola paper labels from around 1905  ( as well as some fruit flavor labels from the same time period)


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 3, 2015)

iggy Its quite possible there are paper labels identical to ours except instead of having Ginger Ale on them they have Strawberry - Orange - Grape - etc. But finding them, if they even exist, could be, well, like trying to find another one like our labels. Which I predict would be next to impossible!


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 3, 2015)

Rich and Brad: The more research I/we do, the rarer our labels get. In fact, I'm putting them into the category of                                                    *Extremely Rare *


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## iggyworf (Mar 3, 2015)

Bob got the label just a little while ago. It arrived safely. A HUGE thank you! I hope I can repay the favor someday. I will post a pic in a frame soon. I want to get some 'acid free mylar film' to put it in.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 4, 2015)

Rich: You're welcome. I was starting to worry about it getting there but glad it arrived okay and hope you enjoy it. We will be looking forward to the picture(s).                                                                    ~ * ~ As a continuation of the thread I'm going to see if I can figure out the patent that Christian Valaer filed in 1902. I haven't found anything specific yet, but I'm still on the trail of evidence. One thing I discovered is that in the late 1800s his last name was spelled *Valer *without the additional *a*. But at present I do not know why. I also discovered he started out with the name ...                                                          *C. **Valer & Company*                                  Here's what I have so far, and will add more later on ... *1.  1887 - This appears to be when he first established his bottling works**2.  1888 - Earliest listing I can find for "Valer's Ginger Ale"  **                "Patent Stoppered Bottles" is referring to Hutchinson bottles.**3.  1892 - Earliest listing I can find for Valer's "Fine" Ginger Ale*                                                              (To be continued)


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 4, 2015)

This Hutchinson bottle and the embossed name "*C. Valer & Co. Bottlers*" is connected to the information in my last post ...


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 4, 2015)

P.S. Starting around 1900 they started spelling his name correctly by adding the additional 'a.'  I suspect he got tired of everyone misspelling it and finally put his foot down. From about 1900 into the 1920s the name is spelled correctly in everything I've seen.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 4, 2015)

This is a page from the *1896-1897 *Charlotte, North Carolina Directory and list C Valaer as the manager of the Portner Brewing Company as well as the manager of his own bottling works ...


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 4, 2015)

And here we have ... 1.  The *1902* Royal Crown Ginger Ale Patent (again) 2.  The front cover of a *1907* Charlotte, North Carolina Directory


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 4, 2015)

P.S. Notice the use of the word "*Fine*" Ginger Ale on the cover of the 1907 Directory. If you scroll back to post #129 you'll see where they used the word "Fine" as early as 1892. And yet for some weird reason in 1902 the words Royal Crown Ginger Ale pop up out of nowhere and then disappear again. Also notice in the 1892 ad they use the word Ginger Ale twice. Once for (I guess) regular ginger ale and a second time for Valer's "Fine" Ginger Ale.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 4, 2015)

And then starting in *1909 *they pull another switcheroo on us and come up with ...  *                                                      Valaer's **Queen Ginger Ale* ... and the name Valaer's Fine Ginger Ale is not heard of again.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 4, 2015)

But wait! Lo and behold, in *1912 *someone decides to resurrect the name *Royal *again and advertise it right along with *Queen Ginger Ale*. Except now Royal isn't a soda pop - it's some type of weird ...                                         *      Distilled and Ozonated Water * *                                                                    [&:]*


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 4, 2015)

I thought the following was extremely interesting and will go as far to say there's no way it's just a coincidence! 1.  The attachment below (which I posted earlier) is from 1902 and the exact wording is ...                                               *Royal Crown Soda Water* It is one of *97* *identical ads* found in the "The Charlotte News" between *April 9, 1902* and *September 8, 1902* 2.  If you go back to Page 3 - Post #46 of this thread you will find a link to the Royal Crown Ginger Ale patent that was patented on *April 1, 1902* 3.  If you go back to Page 1 - Post #6 of this thread you will find a link to the C. Valaer testing of Royal Grown Ginger Ale and see where the samples were purchased on *September 20, 1902* 4.  As I indicated above, there are 97 ads for Royal Crown Soda Water in the Charlotte News in 1902. However, there are zero ads for it in the 1901 Charlotte News and zero ads for it in the 1903 Charlotte News. *The only ads for it are in the 1902 Charlotte News.*                                                             To Summarize ... I refuse to believe it's a coincidence that ... The Patent - The Testing - The 97 Ads ... all took place between April of 1902 and September of 1902 but there are zero listings for 1901 and 1903. Something took place in 1902 to explain this! The only thing that makes sense to me is that C. Valaer's Royal Crown Soda Water only existed between April of 1902 and September of 1902.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 4, 2015)

P.S. Need I remind us that Claud Hatcher began experimenting in his Columbus, Georgia basement sometime between about 1903 and 1904 and then established the Union Bottling Works in 1905


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 5, 2015)

I think the best way to sum this up is with the following timeline. All references are connected with ...                          *C. Valaer Bottling Works  ~  Charlotte, North Carolina*                                   All references are for any use of the words ...                                                       *  Royal Crown* *1902 * ~  April 1, 1902 ~ Patent for Royal Crown Ginger Ale*1902 * ~  April 9 through September 8, 1902  ~ Numerous ads for Royal Crown Soda Water*1902  *~  September 20, 1902  ~  Sample testing for Royal Crown Wine Punch - Sarsaparilla -               Ginger Ale - Strawberry Soda*1903-1906  *~  No references found *1907 * ~  Sample testing for Royal Crown Phosphate Soda*1908 * ~  No references found*1909 * ~  Sample testing for Soda Water, Coffee, Royal Crown *1910-1913 * ~  Numerous ads for Royal Crown Distilled/Ozonated Water*1914-1915 * ~  No references found*1916 * ~  Royal Crown Cider Vinegar  (This is the last reference I can find) [ Attachments ] 1.  Earliest = April 1, 19022.  Latest =   April 9, 1916


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 5, 2015)

*                                                               By the way ...*                                          Charlotte, North Carolina is nicknamed ...                                                           *The Queen City*       And is more than likely where Christian Valaer came up with the name Queen Ginger Ale http://charlotte.about.com/od/CharlotteHistory/a/How-Did-Charlotte-Get-Its-Name-and-Queen-City-Nickname.htm


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 5, 2015)

*                Side note ...* Christian (Von) Valaer was the brother-in-law of Robert Portner of the Portner Brewing Company. In fact, C. Valaer Bottling Works was just as much involved, if not more so, with the distribution of Portner beer products as it was with the manufacture of various soda waters and soft drinks.                        Scroll back to Page 21 of this link and read through to Page 24                                                 
http://tinyurl.com/qd6d3af


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 5, 2015)

P.S. The nickname "Queen City" might also be where Christian Valaer came up with the name ...                                                      *Royal Crown*


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 5, 2015)

But where did Claud Hatcher come up with the name ...                                                         *Royal Crown* * ?*


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## iggyworf (Mar 5, 2015)

So you think C Valaer came up with the name 'Royal Crown' first? Did C Hatcher come up with it on his own or did he know about C Valaer? I wouldn't have any clue as where to look, but were there any lawsuits brought up over the name 'Royal Crown'? I know I am posing more questions but no answers.


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## iggyworf (Mar 5, 2015)

Queen Ginger Ale listed in a year book form 1922. I couldn't get an enlargement of the article though without subscribing to the site.
http://www.e-yearbook.com/yearbooks/Queens_University_Charlotte_Coronet_Yearbook/1922/Page_240.html


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 6, 2015)

SODAPOPBOB said:
			
		

> But where did Claud Hatcher come up with the name ...                                                         *Royal Crown* * ?*



Rich/iggy I'm not certain either where Christian Valaer and Claud Hatcher came up with the names. All we have to go on at the moment are the confirmed and somewhat confirmed dates when each of them first used the names commercially. Christian Valaer = 1902 = Confirmed with Patent and TestingClaud Hatcher   = 1905  = Possibly a little earlier, but not confirmed   Indicators are that Claud Hatcher did not begin experimenting in his basement until around 1903 at the earliest, followed by the establishment of the Union Bottling Works in 1905. All things considered, I'd say its more than likely that Christian Valaer came up with the name first. But where Claud Hatcher got the name and whether there is a connection between Valaer and Hatcher is the question of the day. I cannot find any lawsuits connected with this, but I can say with relative certainty the only actual use of the name "Royal Crown Ginger Ale" I can find by Christian Valaer are with the 1902 Patent and Testing. Other than those two vague references I cannot find anything to support that he ever actually produced or sold it. The words "Royal Crown *Soda Water*" in the 1902 ad I posted is a little vague and don't necessarily mean a type of soda pop. They might be referring to his earliest version of distilled/ozonated/mineral water. Regarding Queen Ginger Ale, I haven't looked for it's latest use, but it first appears in advertising around 1908-1909. And now for another curiosity. I wonder if there is any connection between this circa 1905 Union Bottling Works Royal Crown Ginger Ale label and this 1929 deco-style soda bottle? The images of the queen sure look similar to me!


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 6, 2015)

To clarify ... The image of the queen on the 1929 deco bottle is embossed and not a paper label.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 6, 2015)

Here are the latest dates I can find for ...                                              Queen Ginger Ale = 1922                                            Valaer Bottling     = 1925


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 6, 2015)

If Claud Hatcher was as aware of what was going on in the soft drink industry between 1900 and 1905 as I believe he was, I'd say it is reasonable to assume he was well aware of the existence of the C. Valaer Bottling Works. And because Hatcher's first beverage appears to have been a ginger ale, I also think it is reasonable to assume he was aware of most if not all of the various brands of ginger ale that were on the market during that same time period. After all, was he not determined to develop what he believed was the best tasting ginger ale ever produced? If my assumptions about Claud Hatcher being an astute experimenter are even close to being accurate, I have to believe he was well aware of C. Valaer's Royal Crown Ginger Ale before he developed his own brand by the same name.  Hence, I honestly believe there is a connection as well as an explanation why Valaer's brand of ginger ale appeared and then disappeared at about the same time that Hatcher's brand entered the market place. I do not believe it was just a coincidence!


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 6, 2015)

Additionally ... If Christian Valaer had a patent on Royal Crown Ginger Ale and intended to continue producing it when Claud Hatcher's brand of Royal Crown Ginger Ale hit the markets around 1904-05, then I have to believe Valaer would have challenged the name in court and force Hatcher to cease and desist the use of it. However, there is zero evidence to support that Valaer ever did this. But there is tons of evidence to support that Hatcher continued using the name for at least the next 35 years. We may never know the whole story, but I'm confident that Claud Hatcher's connection to the name Royal Crown Ginger Ale in circa 1905 was stronger than that of Christian Valaer. But whether or not Claud Hatcher bought the rights to the name from Christian Valaer remains the $64,000 question!


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 6, 2015)

The answer to this mystery, or at least part of it, might have been staring us in the face this whole time. I can't fully explain the following, but there's something about it that doesn't sit easy with me.           This link will take you to one of several sites where we find the 1902 Patent for ...                                            Valaer ~ Royal Crown Ginger Ale                                            *http://tinyurl.com/mcurpv3*        1.  It opens on Page 553 where we find the Valaer Royal Crown Ginger Ale Patent        2.  Scroll back to Page 545 where we find the title ...                                   "Alphabetical List of Registrants of *Labels*"        3.  Scroll back to Page 521 where we find the title ...                                   "Alphabetical List of Registrants of *Trade-Marks*"                    ( The names Valaer and Royal Crown are not listed under Trade-Marks )  The only listing I can find for Valaer or Royal Crown are in the *Labels *section. A label is not a Trademark! So it appears that Christian Valaer only had a trademark on the *label *itself and nothing else. I've never encountered a trademark for just a *label*, but it could be a major clue regarding the connection between Christian Valaer and Claud Hatcher both using the same name for a brand of ginger ale.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 6, 2015)

Question of the day ...             How do we explain being granted a patent on a label but not the product itself?


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 6, 2015)

I spent several hours reading up on and trying to educate myself on U.S. Patent laws with my primary focus being on Trademarks - Designs - Labels - Prints. The language used for this type of information can be confusing, but I was able to make enough sense of it to determine that a registered/patented label does not automatically grant the registrant of that label a trademark. In other words, when someone patents a label for a particular product such as a brand of soda pop, the label is only intended to identify the product for the producer but it does not protect the name of the product. In order to have the product protected against infringements, the producer would need to register a separate patent for the name in the form of a trademark. For example; The name Coca Cola is a "Registered Trademark" but Coca Cola bottles are registered separately under a "Design Patent." I can't say for certain just yet, but it appears that Christian Valaer patented the label for Royal Crown Ginger Ale in order to identify his product but failed to follow up by registering the name itself as a trademark. Which, if my understanding of the patent laws is correct, means the name Royal Crown Ginger Ale was wide open for anyone who wanted to use it as a viable trademark. It could be this is what Claud Hatcher did and how he was able to secure the name for the Union Bottling Works in circa 1905. (To be continued)


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 6, 2015)

Now I'm wondering why the labels under discussion do not have "REG. PEND. U.S. PAT. OFF." on them? I cannot answer this yet, but I do know my circa 1932 label does have that information on it!


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 6, 2015)

The Union Bottling Works label doesn't have that information on it either ... ???


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 6, 2015)

P.S. Its possible that Claud Hatcher didn't actually apply for any patents or trademarks for Royal Crown until the early 1930s.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 6, 2015)

I forgot to mention there is a clause in the patent/trademark laws which stipulates if a product is produced and sold continuously in commerce for a certain period of time that it constitutes what is referred to as a "fair use" of the product. This was often all that was needed to protect the brand in case someone ever tried to infringe on it.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 6, 2015)

Inconclusive/Conclusion Now I'm thinking ol' Claud Hatcher simply snatched up the name Royal Crown for a brand of soda pop, which he did a patent search on but discovered no one had a right to it, so he just ran with it and let the chips fall where they may.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 6, 2015)

Another thing I'm wondering about is this article in ...                                      *        The American Bottler  ~  1906* I thought Union Bottling Works was established in 1905 by Claud Hatcher and his father. If so, then how do we explain this 1906 article?


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 6, 2015)

Like I said earlier, I'm just a cub detective on this case and simply post the evidence as I find it!                  To refresh our memories, here's the chronology again by Cecil Munsey ...


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## iggyworf (Mar 7, 2015)

From the several histories on them, they started 'Union Bottling Works' in the basement of their grocery store. Then when business got too big they moved to the bigger facility. Maybe that explains that 1906 article.

The first soft drink Hatcher created was named Royal Crown Ginger Ale, and its success opened the Hatchers' eyes to the opportunities available in the soft drink market. In 1905, father and son made their commitment to the soft drink market official by reorganizing Hatcher Grocery Co. as Union Bottling Works and concentrating wholly on producing Royal Crown Ginger Ale. In the months to follow, business was brisk. The Hatchers enjoyed enough success to move to larger production facilities in 1907, 
Cecil's write up tells about this also. (I couldn't copy & paste from his article though)

Read more: http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/54/Royal-Crown-Company-Inc.html#ixzz3TiHKvCOs


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 7, 2015)

Rich: Good morning I'm working on some stuff that should knock your socks off! Please stand by - I hope to have it posted shortly


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## iggyworf (Mar 7, 2015)

O.K. but wanted to post this as well. A small discrepancy on the streets but still tells about the move to a bigger facility.  From the basement of the Hatcher Grocery Com¬pany, then located on Eleventh 
Street between Broadway and Front Avenue, came the first bona fide Columbus 
soft drink creation to achieve status - Royal Crown Ginger Ale. Claud then 
created a line of fruit¬ flavored carbonated drinks called Melo.
The Hatcher Grocery Company was a built-in dis¬tribution system and, the 
Hatcher soft drink business was on the way. Claud Hatcher and his father 
organized the Union Bottl¬ing Works. In 1907 the grocery firm moved to its 
present location at Tenth Avenue and Tenth Street which was to become an 
International soft drink headquarters - but a lot of hard work and a lot of ups 
and downs were ahead.

http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/muscogee/photos/hatcher13430gph.txt


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 7, 2015)

Rich:             At the top of the main page of the soda bottle threads you will see a title ...                                      Soda Bottle Research Links on the Web One of the entries is a link to The American Bottler where you will find additional links to several digitalized copies of the magazine from 1903 to 1921. Here's a direct link to those magazines so you won't have to keep going back to the title page ...                        http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/47107627.html I searched ever copy using the words Hatcher - Union Bottling Works - Royal Crown - and found the listings below which I cropped into snippets. I never did find a listing for Royal Crown but I did find the one's pictured below. What I find especially interesting about them is that it appears the Union Bottling Works was not incorporated until 1911. So I'm a little confused why all of the histories use the date 1905 for when it was established. Another thing I call into question is the 1906 snippet I posted yesterday where it said it was the Cole-Hatcher-Hampton company that was building the bottling plant. According to the various histories, Claud and his father were supposed to have bought out their partners "a few years" after 1901. I don't think of 1901 to 1906 as a few years, not to mention the so called partners were still involved in things in 1906 when they collectively built the bottling plant. Anyway, read what I found and see what you make of it. I listed the snippets according to the dates they were published in the American Bottler ... 1.  19112.  1911 (Two more to follow on the next post)


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 7, 2015)

3.  1912 ... (Earliest listing I could find for Chero-Cola)4.  1912 ... (Union Bottling Works and Chero-Cola listed together)


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 7, 2015)

Question(s) of the day ... If the Union Bottling Works had it's roots in the Hatcher's basement and Claud and his father bought out their partners a few years later, then why does the 1906 American Bottler article say it was the Cole, Hatcher, Hampton Co., wholesale grocers who built the new bottling works? And exactly when were the partners bought out?


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 7, 2015)

Here's this again according to Cecil Munsey which emphasizes my confusion ...


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## iggyworf (Mar 7, 2015)

It sounds like more people were involved with the Co. than just Claud and his dad.

If this is from 1911, could it have something to do with changing to "Chero cola Co." in 1912?


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 7, 2015)

My main question is ... Did the very first BEVERAGES/BOTTLES/LABELS/ETC come from the basement or from the bottling plant built in 1906?


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 7, 2015)

And if the very first BEVERAGES/BOTTLES/LABELS didn't come from the basement or the bottling plant built in 1906, then where did they come from?


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## iggyworf (Mar 7, 2015)

Do you think they could have printed up labels in the basement? Or would they have needed a more complex printing machine. Whatever was available in the early 19th century.Could they have printed labels like ours in a basement?


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 7, 2015)

I'm thinking one of the various addresses was where things originated. But I'm not sure at the moment which address was which nor which address was that of the basement. I'm sure the answer is a simple one, but we just need to sort things out and find it.


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## iggyworf (Mar 7, 2015)

Interesting! http://historical-places....pton-Wholesale-Grocers   In 1901, the Cole-Hampton-Hatcher Grocery Store was established in Columbus, Georgia. In 1903 the Hatcher family took sole ownership and the name was changed to the Hatcher Grocery Store. The grocery store was located near the corner of Tenth St. and Front Ave.


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## iggyworf (Mar 7, 2015)

Also this. A little more specific. 
	
	



```
From the basement of the Hatcher Grocery Com¬pany, then located on Eleventh <br>Street between Broadway and Front Avenue, came the first bona fide Columbus <br>soft drink creation to achieve status - Royal Crown Ginger Ale. Claud then <br>created a line of fruit¬ flavored carbonated drinks called Melo.<br>The Hatcher Grocery Company was a built-in dis¬tribution system and, the <br>Hatcher soft drink business was on the way. Claud Hatcher and his father <br>organized the Union Bottl¬ing Works. In 1907 the grocery firm moved to its <br>present location at Tenth Avenue and Tenth Street which was to become an <br>International soft drink headquarters - but a lot of hard work and a lot of ups <br>and downs were ahead.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/muscogee/photos/hatcher13430gph.txt">http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/muscogee/photos/hatcher13430gph.txt</a><br /><br />
```


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## iggyworf (Mar 7, 2015)

Bob, about the delay in mailing the label to me. After rechecking at the envelope, You acidently put Mississippi as my state, when I actually live in Michigan. I must have not been specific when i sent you my address. 
But all is well now. I had to order some 'acid free mylar film' to put the label in. As I could not find any at some local stores.


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## iggyworf (Mar 7, 2015)

Here is my label framed.[attachment=RC ginger ale label.jpg]


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 8, 2015)

Rich: 1.  I bought the envelope and packing material for your label at the post office and addressed it there. I don't recall writing Mississippi on the envelope but I apparently did for some unknown reason. I knew MI stood for Michigan but must have had a brief brain-melt when I wrote it on the envelope. Anyhoo, they must have figured out my goof-up by the zip code. 2.  Your label looks great framed and right at hope with your bottles. 3.  Thanks for the addresses. Here's the chronology if the various histories are accurate ...      *1901 Basement ~ Eleventh Street Between Broadway and Front Avenue* *1903 Hatcher Grocery ~ Near the Corner of Tenth and Front Avenue* *1906 Cole-Hatcher-Hampton Co. ~ New Bottling Plant ~ Twelfth Ave. and Front St.* We may never know what took place in the basement and whether they actually bottled and labeled anything there, but I suppose its possible if the basement was large enough to handle the necessary equipment such as syrup mixers, carbonators, filling machines, labelers, etc. The Cecil Munsey history refers to the basement as a "small laboratory" where Hatcher did his initial experiments but doesn't say anything about any actual bottling being done there. I suspect the first bottling, etc. took place at the grocery store where they had more room. ??? Speaking of labels, they would most likely have been ordered from and made by either a local printer or one of the numerous companies that specialized in them. As for applying the labels to the bottles, the attachments below will give us some idea about that process, which the bottlers would have done themselves. These snippets are from the January 1905 issue of The American Bottler magazine ... 1.  Misc. Labels2.  Label Paste3.  Label Applying Machine


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 8, 2015)

This is also from the 1905 American Bottler. I especially like it because it touches on the topic of labels and infringements I spoke about earlier ..


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 8, 2015)

P.S. There are literally hundreds of ads for bottle labels in the American Bottler magazines between 1903 and 1921. If we look at enough of those ads we might find a picture of ours. But be prepared for about a hundred hours of searching because that's what it would probably take to open every ad in every issue. I looked at many of them but gave up after about an hour.


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## iggyworf (Mar 8, 2015)

Yeah, that is a mountain of stuff to look thru. I have just a little time right now to look thru some. But finding our label will be like a needle in a thousand haystacks. But its still fun and enjoyable to look thru all the different history of the bottlers story.
This has been another great thread. Thanx again Bob.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 8, 2015)

I don't want to split too many hairs here, but ... I forgot about the 1907 address copy/pasted below from one of the histories. It's confusing because the 1906 American Bottler article says 1906 is when they built the new bottling plant at Twelfth Avenue and Tenth Street. The American Bottler also says Twelfth Ave. and Tenth St. is where their "wholesale grocery house" was located on the "recently bought adjoining property." *1901 Basement ~ Eleventh Street Between Broadway and Front Avenue**1903 Hatcher Grocery ~ Near the Corner of Tenth and Front Avenue**1906 Cole-Hatcher-Hampton Co. ~ New Bottling Plant ~ Twelfth Ave. and Tenth St.*  From History: In 1907 the grocery firm moved to its present location at Tenth Avenue and Tenth Street which was to become an International soft drink headquarters. *One of the references is most likely a typo. I suspect the history reference is wrong and the 1906 American Bottler article had the correct address of 12th Ave & 10th St. *


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 8, 2015)

We may never know which of the addresses our labels came from and whether they are from the grocery store or the bottling plant, but I am comfortable with them dating sometime between ...  *                         Circa 1903 & 1906*


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## dbv1919 (Mar 8, 2015)

Thanks again Bob, you are too kind.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 9, 2015)

Brad: I like the black frame - it really highlights the label. Eventually I plan to get a larger fame like yours and Rich's so it doesn't look so crowded. In the meantime here are ...                                                        *"The Three Amigos"*


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 9, 2015)

As time allows, I'm going to dig a little deeper into this and see if the following is accurate where it says ... *                   "In 1905, he produced the first bottle of Royal Crown ginger ale"*                            ( With the key words being "1905" ~ "First" ~ "Bottle" )                                                               From ...                 The Edwardsville Intelligencer ~ Edwardsville, Illinois ~ September 4, 1962


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 9, 2015)

I'm also in search of one of these bottles ...


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 13, 2015)

This link is to a *1907* Sanborn Fire Insurance map for Columbus, Georgia ...                                 http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/sanborn/CityCounty/Columbus1907/TextIndex.html Navigating the 52 Pages is kind of tricky but I was able to find what should be the Hatcher Grocery Store located ...                                                 *"Near the corner of Tenth and Front Avenue" *                                                 ( Where I placed the red star on the attachment )  I have been unable to locate the bottling plant at 12th Ave. & 10th St. and not sure it is even in this particular map. Maybe someone with more experience with these types of maps will have better luck. I was able to locate 11th Street where the basement was (Between Broadway and Front), but because the information is vague, I do not know which building it is nor what side of 11th Street it was on.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 13, 2015)

*MELO* I'm currently researching and looking for "anything" related to these Melo / Chero-Cola bottle caps, which was a flavor line the Hatchers introduced before Nehi and should date from the early to late 1920s ...   By the way, based on what I've seen regarding these caps, they are considered extremely rare and valuable.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 13, 2015)

P.S. Here's where I found the Orange Melo bottle cap. I don't know who Dee Lander is, but they value the cap at ...                                                                       *$250.00* http://www.beershowcase.com/capsccc.html


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 14, 2015)

In order to narrow down the basement address I went back to the history site where I was reminded that ...  
http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/muscogee/photos/hatcher13430gph.txt


He set up a small laboratory in the basement of the wholesale grocery firm and began experimenting with carbonated beverages.

From the basement of the Hatcher Grocery Company, then located on Eleventh Street between Broadway and Front Avenue, came the first bona fide Columbus Soft drink creation to achieve status - Royal Crown Ginger Ale.

                                                                             ~ * ~

I had forgotten the basement was in the Hatcher Grocery building, so with this information in mind I went back to the Sanborn map for 1900 and found the only wholesale grocer located on 11th Street between Broadway and Front. The result is the attachment below where I placed the red star, which is the building where Claud Hatcher performed his first experiments and developed Royal Crown Ginger Ale ... 


*                           1900 Sanborn Map ~ North side of 11th Street between Broadway and Front*


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 14, 2015)

P.S. In 1900 the property was known as the *Gunby Building*, which might serve as a clue for future reference


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 14, 2015)

Reminder ... According to the various histories, the Hatcher Grocery was only at the 11th Street address for about three years between 1901 and 1903. Around 1903 they relocated to 10th and Front.                      *1901 Basement ~ Eleventh Street Between Broadway and Front Avenue*
*                     1903 Hatcher Grocery ~ Near the Corner of Tenth and Front Avenue*
*                     1906 Cole-Hatcher-Hampton Co. ~ New Bottling Plant ~ Twelfth Ave. and Tenth St.*


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 14, 2015)

I thought it would be interesting to add this close up of the basement address ...


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 14, 2015)

And just for the fun of it ...


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 14, 2015)

Here's the Hatcher basement building as it looks today on Google Earth where I placed the red arrow ...


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 14, 2015)

Here's the 10th & Front location where the Hatchers relocated to in 1903 ... 1. 1907 Sanborn Map2. Google Earth Aerial3. Google Earth Street-view


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 14, 2015)

The reason I was unable to find the Union Bottling Works plant on the 1907 Sanborn map is because the map was apparently prepared before the bottling plant was built. I found the location, but the 1907 map just shows empty property. However, I did find the location on Google Earth. Guess what's located their today? *                                   12th Avenue & 10th Street  ~  Columbus, Georgia ~ Google Earth* 1.  Aerial2.  Street-view


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 14, 2015)

P.S. The partially visible round sign on the brick portion of the building says  ...  *Cott*


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 15, 2015)

I just discovered something that I missed earlier on Google Earth. Directly across the street from the current RC/Cott complex is an older building which I'm confident is the original Union Bottling Works building. The older building is still owned by RC/Cott because the sign in front says ... (See Attachments) 1.  Street-view I posted earlier of the current RC/Cott complex2.  Sign in front of older building across the street3.  View of both buildings from railroad tracks    (I'm confident the older building on the right is the original Union Bottling Works)


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 15, 2015)

And here's the Union Bottling Works building by itself ...


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## iggyworf (Mar 15, 2015)

That's cool. I also checked out all the sanborn maps of the area. And was going to post them, but went to the cottage for the weekend. Just got back.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 16, 2015)

Rich / iggy I'm surprised there isn't more information available for the various locations that Claud Hatcher occupied and built. You'd think historians in Columbus, Georgia would be all over that sort of thing. Speaking of a lack of information, the same can be said for the *Melo *line of flavored beverages. About the only thing I can find for it are brief entries in the various histories we've seen, most of which state it was introduced in 1923. But because there are bottle caps, then I have to believe there are also some paper labels for it. It would have been too early for acls and they must have identified it in some manner. If there are Melo Grape and Melo Orange paper labels out there, they must be super rare. Even though most of the histories say Melo was introduced in 1923 and developed into Nehi around 1924, the earliest ad I have been able to find is from ...                                  The Davidsonian  ~  Davidson, North Carolina  ~  November 23, *1922*                 I wasn't sure about the word "Pre-Eminent" but discovered it means "Superior, unequaled quality"


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## iggyworf (Mar 16, 2015)

Yeah, I was never able to find anything on 'Melo' when I looked. That would be great to find a label or bottle cap.
Hey did you ever see this ebay listing?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/121593564384?_trksid=p2060353.m1431.l2648&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
I bid on one just to add it to the early Claud Hatcher royal crown label for display. He even added the brand 'Melo' in his brief description of RC history.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 16, 2015)

Speaking of historical side notes, did ja know that John Stith Pemberton, inventor of Coca Cola, also had roots in Columbus, Georgia where he did his first experiments? It's ironic that two of the top colas, namely Coca Cola and Royal Crown Cola, both had beginnings in Columbus. Pemberton is even buried in Columbus!  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Pemberton

According to Coca Cola historian, Phil Mooney, Pemberton's world-famous soda was "created in Columbus, Georgia and carried to Atlanta."

                                                                               ~ * ~


                                 The Pemberton house is a historic landmark in Columbus, Georgia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pemberton_House_(Columbus,_Georgia


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## SODAPOPBOB (Mar 16, 2015)

Rich: I've seen those Chero-Cola labels but haven't bought one, yet. They seem to be readily available, which, in a way, just adds to the rarity of our ginger ale labels.


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## SODAPOPBOB (May 16, 2015)

Speaking of Chero-Cola paper labels ...                  Currently on eBay  ~  Ends tomorrow  ~  Bid $750  ~  or Buy It Now for $1,000 http://www.ebay.com/itm/271868669014?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT                            (Cool label but I think I'll pass on it - Too much denaro in my opinion)


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## iggyworf (May 16, 2015)

WOW! That's a very cool label, but you are right. 750 is way to much scratch for me. Do you think its worth that much? I have never seen that one before.


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## SODAPOPBOB (May 16, 2015)

All things considered, I can't image even an advanced Chero-Cola collector with deep pockets paying more than about $200 for such a label. I think the seller was just testing the waters and that it will eventually be relisted at a lower price. But its definitely cool, especially with the Union eagle on it. That's no doubt a carry-over from the Union Bottling Works that was established around 1905. He's probably right in that it dates from around 1912-1914. It might even be the very first Chero-Cola label.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Sep 30, 2015)

Included here are a couple of Royal Crown related bottles that recently sold on eBay ... The first one was brought to my attention by member iggyworf/Rich and is a green glass, paper label, Royal Crown Ginger Ale that sold for $20. It was made by Owens-Illinois but I'm not certain if the digit is a 1 or a 7 but my guess is that its a 1 for 1931. The second bottle is an embossed Union Bottling Works bottle from Columbus, Georgia that sold for $31 which, as we know, was established by Claud Hatcher around 1905 and was the forerunner for Chero-Cola and Royal Crown. I would likely have bought this bottle if not for the nasty chip on the lip. 
EBay Royal Crown Ginger Ale

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Royal-Crown-Soda-Bottle-Green-Partial-Label-9-1-tall-ginger-ale-/331660457472?hash=item4d3880f600&nma=true&si=4hUc54qdefW5JXgYRJpTMcDO1kU%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Ebay Union Bottling Works

http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNION-BOTTLING-WORKS-COLUMBUS-GA-BOTTLE-BECAME-CHERO-/301744625707?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=AwbLD33sRm2J6102AxJjJeTDN4c%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc
 [Attachments] 1.  Royal Crown Ginger Ale2.  Royal Crown Ginger Ale Base3.  Union Bottling Works


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## dbv1919 (Oct 4, 2015)

I like the green, looks like a 31 to me.


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