# royal crown



## arthur (Jun 14, 2008)

I found these 2 royal crown bottles today. as you can see both are different.  I am not familar with royal crown.  Does anyone have any information.  Arthur


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## OsiaBoyce (Jun 14, 2008)

Does the phrase "A Moonpie and a RC" ring a bell ? I know ya heard this before http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n5oiGID9mM&feature=relatedat 1:57 you'll hear him mentioned one. RC is a staple of the Deep South I thought they were every where. I think the history run like this. Chero gave rise to Nehi.Nehi in turn to Royal Crown. Usually they have dual bottling on the back of the bottle,they are all part of the same company. I got the history of it some where around here. There is at least 20 or more variations of this bottle painted, and a few embossed. Embossed ones are winners. This is a 36 or 37  [l] the used this bottle till the late 40s early 50s [r] I think thats how it goes[8|]


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## OsiaBoyce (Jun 14, 2008)

Man,that took forever to get right,but I just got smarter[]. Had to be here. Here's the back. If ya noticed he said " a RC Co Cola" everything down here's a Coke.


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## wonkapete (Jun 14, 2008)

Good stuff.  I had to run and take pics of my Mobile ones.  From the front, they appear to be the same:






 But, different bottlers listed on back:


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## OsiaBoyce (Jun 14, 2008)

Lest we forget,they still make it.


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## capsoda (Jun 15, 2008)

But it aint quite the same.....

 Here are my to favorite RC bottles.


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## thesodafizz (Jun 16, 2008)

Actually, it began with Royal Crown, but it was a golden ginger ale (made at Claud Hatcher's grocery store).   Chero Cola was the first cola and outsold Coke in it's heyday.  Later, when they had "perfected" Chero cola, they brought the ginger ale's name back and called it Royal Crown.  

 To quote the article I did ages ago for Blair Matthew's Soda Pop Dreams: 

.     Originally called the Union Bottling Works [1905, Columbus, Ga.), the first line of beverages was named Royal Crown, a ginger ale and the first cola was called Chero-Cola. Also produced were Royal Crown Strawberry. It remained Union Bottling Works until the name changed to Chero-Cola Co, and expansion led to a decision to incorporate the company. A charter was granted by Judge S. Price Gilbert in Muscogee County Superior Court of Columbus in 1912.

 The whole thing is (with some missing links to photos that Angelfire "lost") here : 
http://www.angelfire.com/tn/traderz/chero.html

 Iintroduced in 1924, Nehi became so successful that the company changed name to Nehi Corp. in 1928 and later changed again to Royal Crown Co. (according to the company) in 1965 (although, for some reason, I thought it was earlier than '65).

 Chero/Nehi was in a lawsuit (with Coca-Cola) from 1914 to 1944 over using the word "Cola" (why you see some bottles with Chero Cola and some without, having only Chero)  The courts decided that Cola was generic enough a word that other companies could, indeed, use it.  I've always heard the rumor that it was because the word "trademark" appeared in only the tail of the "C" in Coca, not Cola.  But I suspect it is more what was actually registered with the patent office in relation to the  name than where the word trademark appeared and/or the definition of "cola.". But either way, 30 years is about 29 years too long to decide something that isn't lfe threatening - and just goes to show how deep Coke's pockets are to pay attorneys for so long.  (And we all know how I feel about Coke and their stupid attorneys.)

 Also, does anyone have an example of the Royal Crown ginger ale?   Or even an ad.    I'd love to have a photo to go with my little write-up about it.  (You wouldn't believe the people who have argued me into the ground that Royal Crown wasn't a ginger ale.  And this info came from the company itself.....so, I assume they know what they are talking about.   But if I had a photo, or something - anything, it would make it easeir for those ones to accept. 

 Anyway....just my two cents worth.   And if anyone has more info to add, please do let me know.  I'd love to add it, or correct what I have.

 K


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## capsoda (Jun 16, 2008)

I asked my grand dad about Chero Cola when I was a kid and first started collecting sodas and he said he could get me some. He took me to Mrs Pheny Allison's grocery store in DeFuniak Springs Fl. and bought me an RC. He and Mrs Allison told me about alot of sodas the still exsisted at the time but with different names. Gramps was a kid during the "Cola Wars".

 So if you ever wonder what Chero Cola tasted like just have an RC.[]


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## digger mcdirt (Jun 16, 2008)

Here's my West Tenn ones including two of the early ones with embossed RC and Star. (the early embossed one is super hard to find in decent condition)


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## carling (Jun 16, 2008)

Here's two from Cleveland, one clear and one aqua.  The aqua has the Good Housekeeping Seal on it.


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## wonkapete (Jun 16, 2008)

Interesting thread.  I have one of the Royal Crown Ginger Ales.  I dug it when when I was probably 15 or 16 and thought at first, I'd never seen a Royal Crown Cola like that, then realized it was 'Cola', but 'Ginger Ale'.  I put it on the shelf, meaning to go back and research it, and never thought about it again. It's packed up in my parents garage.  When I go over there next time, I'll dig it out!


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## thesodafizz (Jun 16, 2008)

Thanks!   When you get that chance to dig it out, I'll love to have a photo of it.  I've never seen one, or if I did, may not have realized what it was.....

 Thanks again,
 K


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## bamascavenger (Jun 16, 2008)

Great RC bottles! Hey WONKA, Is there a difference in the stars on the fronts of your 2 bottles? It looks like it. One looks larger than the one on the left?
 GREAT COLLECTION DIGGER!


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## wonkapete (Jun 16, 2008)

Yea, I noticed the difference in the stars when I took the pic.  I guess it could be just a factory flaw.  I'll dig them back out and check.


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## wonkapete (Jul 16, 2008)

I finally managed to take a half day and dig out my Royal Crown 'Beverages' bottle, from Meridian, MS.  I thought it was marked Ginger Ale but hadn't seen it in 20 yrs. so I was mistaken.  I've posted a pic of the 'Root Beer' variation, which is from Jackson, MS.  Does anyone know if this 'Royal Crown' is a different company from RC?  That has always been a lingering question for me.













 The 'Root Beer'...


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## morbious_fod (Jul 17, 2008)

Royal Crown Cola shown with, from left to right, 12oz 1952 from Bluefield, VA, 12oz 1956 from the Royal Crown bottling company of East Tennesse (still wondering which town this company was from), 10oz from 1957, 12oz from 1971.


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## wonkapete (Dec 29, 2008)

I've always associated RC with the South.  Who knew it made it all the the way to Japan.. cool bottle.


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## fanboy (Dec 30, 2008)

Here is a Royal Crown Ginger Ale Label, that someone applied to a Cherro Bottle.


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## sandchip (Dec 31, 2008)

Great stuff.  When I was a teenager and finally found a mint RC with the pyramids, I thought I had reached the pinnacle of bottle collecting.  Thirty-four years later, I collect colored pontils, but I've still got my RC bottles.  I realize now that bottle collecting IS the pinnacle!


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## wonkapete (Dec 31, 2008)

Yep, I'm with ya Jimbo.  I've still got my stash of bottles and signs that came out of my grandfather's closed down country store when I was 12 yrs old.  That started the bottle bug in me.  Here it is, 24 yrs later, and they still have 'their place' in my collection.


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## celerycola (Jan 3, 2009)

Royal Crown Company started as Chero-Cola. History is here:

 <http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=270323740218>


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