# Ginger Ale Bottles wanted



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello Sodabottle collector gang- new member here.  Really like the friendly "conversations" I see here.  As you can tell from my nickname, I collect ginger ale bottles and wonder if there is anyone else out there that is as crazy as I am- just collecting ginger ales.  In case anyone is interested, ginger ale was invented in Belfast Ireland in 1852, believe it or not!


----------



## IRISH

G'day Ginger Ale collector, welcome to the forum.
 So you don't collect ginger beers just ginger ale ?  sounds fair to me [] .  I'll have a look though my soda/aerated water bottles and post some photos,  there are a few Codd's with ginger ale written on them from Australia,  I don't have any spares but I'll keep an eye out for them if you like.


----------



## bubbas dad

why don't you post  pictures of some of your bottles. when you say ginger ale i picture something like canda dry but by the dates i get the impression of either stonewear or blob top bottles.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

G'day to you mate!  Thanks for your reply.  No ginger beer for me!  Just ginger ale.  Ginger beer came about earlier than ginger ale- became popular around 1800.  You are right there are a number of Aussie Codd bottles embossed ginger ale. I think I have most of them, four or five anyway.  What's interesting is that your Aussie Codds are the ONLY Codds I know of that are embossed ginger ale.  Which makes them kind of odd Codds!  Fine with me.  There is an embossed ginger ale blobtop from your fine country that I think I have a picture of somewhere- a friend in NSW sent the picture to me, but found it pretty heavy on the price.  Love to find that one!  Another thing I'd love to find is an embossed ginger ale from Kiwi way.

 Thanks again Irish-


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi John-

 I will post some photos when I get a free moment- this is the end of my 18 hour day, but you are right, the dates do mean that I have blobs, stoneware, crowntops (paper label and painted label) in my collection.  When I first started collecting ginger ales about 17 years ago, I had NO IDEA of the trouble I was in.  The bottles come in all shapes, sizes, colors, embossing you can imagine, with about a dozen different kinds of closures.  Ginger ale was the #1 softdrink flavor for about 70 years running.  And from about 1865 to 1965 if a local bottler didn't make ginger ale, well, they weren't serious about being in the sodawater business.  The result was ginger ale bottles from everywhere.  Ireland, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the U.S., and I'm sure other parts of the world too.   Anyway- look for some pictures soon!  Maybe even a rare paper label Canada Dry!


----------



## IRISH

Here is a photo of a few of mine,  I'm sure I've got a couple more with ginger ale on the back but it may take a while to check the 500 or so bottles on display in the celler [] .

 These are two different John Fletcher Warrnambool codds and a Wilcox Bros codd, my Wilcox is the variation without the ginger ale on the back but is exactly the same on the front so I thought I'd include it as well.  The one with ginger ale has it written twice in a "T" shape, once going across the bottle and once going down.
 There is also that I know of a Herron, Sale (Victoria Aust.) 13 ounce codd and two different sized Marchants Blob top internal thread bottles with ginger ale on them, I've seen more but can't think of the names just now [] .


----------



## whiskeyman

Nice bottles...

 Question:
 I know Canada Dry made a carnival glass bottle in the "marigold" (orange) color. Did they make any others?

 I have dug 3 lately, that have an iridescent coloration...normally I would think this was the result of being buried so long....but they are the *only * bottles I have dug that have this iridesence.

 (I know: I need ta post a  pic)...LOL.
 Will later,,,,,,,
 Thanks for any input.


----------



## Bixel

I acctually know someone that has a Canada dry bottle with the paper lable still intact on it. if interested, drop me a line in my email: 

 number_1insulator_collector@hotmail.com


----------



## madman

hey guys nice topic, heres a couple ginger ale bottles ive dug  mike


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello Whiskeyman,  the Canada Dry bottle you mention is often mistaken for Ginger Ale.  But if you look on the bottom it says Canada Dry Ginger Ale Company!  It actually was an Orange Soda and came with an amazing black and orange paper label. I've got a photo around somewhere.  The coloring is acutally not in the glass, but on it.  If you hold the bottle up to the light and peek through the crown end, you'll see that the bottom is clear.  They made a simliar iridescent bottle for Club soda except it was a clear bottle with a bluish tint I think, came with a blue label. Thanks.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Mike- great Vernor's bottles.  I have a number in my collection including some great paper labels.  But I don't have the one on the right with the Vernor's logo on a slant.  Any one have a spare?  I'm sure a lot of folks know a lot about Vernor's, but one thing I found interesting is that until the early 1900's Vernor's didn't bottle their ginger ale- it was served only as a fountain drink.  Considering that they started up just after the Civil War, well that's a long time to stay out of the bottling business!   I am also looking for a Vernor's Ginger Ale extract bottle.  Thanks!


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Irish- thanks for the pics.  I have the two on the left.  I'll have to take a picture or two of the Rowlands I have that has a unicorn, goldminer, wheat farmer and a crown embossed on it!  Also will list those Aussie Ginger Ales I do have- always interested to see what cellar dwellers you might bring up to the light of day!  More later.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Insulators Rule- and you are right, they are amazing.  Quick insulator story:  Bought a box of miscellaneous insulators from a picker for $25.  I sorted through it and found the usual blue ones, and the brown ceramic ones that look like you should be cooking baked beans in them- and THEN- a scruffy kind of greenish one.  Well, after a bit of education I learned I had a CD740 from the Civil War era ( I think) in dark yellow-green.  I bought a lot of ginger ales from the profit on that one!  

 About the Canada Dry Paper Label bottle- I probably have most of them- including some "Golden Ginger Ale" labeled ones (Golden Ginger Ale is another story about different types of ginger ale.) But I'll send you an e-mail if you think it might be a rare one. If it is one with the map on a 12 oz bottle, those are not uncommon.  It perfect shape they go for about $15-20 depending on where you are.  

 However, there is a Canada Dry-related paper label bottle I would love to find.  A druggist named J.J. McLaughlin started Canada Dry and originally bottled it under his name.  There is an unembossed crowntop with a ginger ale label with his name- that would be a great find.  Thanks.


----------



## JohnRoy

These are the Ginger Ale Bottles that I found from an old General Store recently:
 2 Buffalo Rock Ginger Ales, 2 Canada Dry Ginger Ales (paper labels from 40s), 1 Dr. Herring's Ginger Ale (1938), 2 Double Dry Ginger Ales (from Double Cola), and 2 Golden Age Beverages Ginger Ale (1949), and 1 Canada Dry from late 40s or early 50s (squat bottle).


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi JohnRoy-

 Nice haul! 

 Buffalo Rock - There are several Buffalo Rock variations - some ACL and some embossed, all have some sort of Buffalo, and most are fairly common
 Canada Dry Ginger Ales (paper labels from 40s)- those most likely with the maps- also fairly common.
 Dr. Herring's Ginger Ale (1938)- watch out for the Dr., some are marked Coca-cola bottling company and can be of interest to some folks, othewise a nice shaped ACL bottle with the high shoulders- but not hard to find
 Double Dry Ginger Ales (from Double Cola), great looking ACL bottle, a little harder to find than the others.
 Golden Age Beverages Ginger Ale (1949), Best ones of the lot, nice 3-color ACl from Houston- more difficult to find in my experience
 Canada Dry from late 40s or early 50s (squat bottle). - I'm not familar with the "squat" style without more description- is it an ACL, embossed, or paper label?

 Thanks for sharing your find!


----------



## Sam_MaineBottles

Hi Ginger Ale collector and welcome to the Forum!

 You got me curious about ginger ale bottles and I just checked out my collection of Maine soda bottles and found around 40 Maine ginger ales - a few embossed, a number of paper label ones and the rest ACLs.  Do you have any from Maine?

 -Sam


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Sam- 

 Yes- I do have a lot of ginger ales from Maine.  One of them is the oldest ginger ale I have (paper label on a squat dark apple green pony style) from Bucksfield, ME. I figure it is late 1860s. (yes, I know folks, pictures, pictures- maybe over the weekend!).  Most I have from ME are paper label, embossed,  or ACL, about 4 or 5 blobtop roundbottoms, and one Hutchinson style- I guess I have about 35 or so from Maine.  I am partial to Maine, we vacation there every year in a little town called Sullivan, up above Ellsworth.  Beautiful coastline- where the northwoods meets the sea.  Ever been up that way from the mid-coast to the Big Chicken Book Barn? Found some neat bottles there over the years!


----------



## whiskeyman

GAC...thanks for the info. The ones I have ,have the bluish tint....(actually  sort of like a  "rainbow color effect")...depending on how the light hits them.

 Happy Hunting !


----------



## madman

hey gac i was happy to find that bottle, in a newer part of the dump, late 30s 40s?? cool bottle though  mike


----------



## acls

Here's an unusual Cock 'N Bull Ginger Ale, next to a more common Cock 'N Bull Ginger Beer.


----------



## IRISH

I knew there was at least one more here somewhere [] .
 This is front and back of a W.T Thornly Sale, gingerale 13 ounce allway codd.

 It's turned into a very interesting thread this one [] .


----------



## whiskeyman

I have this labeled one>>>


----------



## whiskeyman

Close up of label...


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Madman- if you live up to your [] nickname maybe you can find another one for my collection.  Here's Vernor's with a paper label for a extra dry version that is pretty unusual.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Whiskeyman- yes those are not too hard to find- but some of them are older than the one you show.  Great label with the famous Canada Dry map. Yours says at the very bottom: "Scientifically treated carbonated water. . . . etc. etc."  The older ones have the founder's name J.J. McLaughlin Limited, and the neck label says Extract imported from Canada, Bottled in the U.S..   At one time there was a 5 cent per bottle import duty on ginger ale coming into the U.S.- there's lot of history behind ginger ale --


----------



## Sam_MaineBottles

Hi GAC - 

 Small world - I was at the Big Chicken Barn this morning (got a nice old seltzer bottle from Mt. Kebo Spring Co. of Bar Harbor circa 1910).  My folks live in Ellsworth which is only about 25 miles from me.  Let me know next time you're up here in ME, I'd like to show you my collection.  I'd like to see some pics of your Buckfield bottle and your hutch bottle - where is that one from?  I'm guessing your blob top round base ginger ale bottles are from Ingalls Bros. of Portland.  Do you have a Cupid Club ginger ale from Penobscot Bottling Co. of Bangor (blue green embossed with cupid) - I just got an extra of that one today as well.

 -Sam


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello ACL,

 You betcha it's unusual!  Very hard to find ACL from Hollywood, CA, especially in great condition like yours.  The whole bottle is "painted" except for the bottom and the process they used wasn't very effective and the color was easily nicked or scratched on most.  I wonder what it tasted like since the first ingredient listed was fruit juice!


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hey Sam-  that would be great- we'll be going in September. Yes I have the Cupid Club- it's a great bottle with a wonderful Cupid embossed on it.  Nice blue color.  Great addition to any soda collection.  They seem to be turning up more than they used to.  Yes I have the Ingalls round bottom from Portland.  I have some paper label Ingalls from around 1900 I will try to take a picture of.  In the meantime, here is the one I mentioned from Bucksfield.  I wrote to the historical society of that town, and they had no record of a Mr. Morill listed as the "state agent" for Mount Hartford Ginger Ale.  The bottle is damaged at the very top and probably would have been thrown away by the bottler if it had been returned. In any case, if the bottle had been undamaged, the label would have been scrubbed off, the bottle washed, refilled and off to another customer. These pony type bottles are exceedingly rare with a label.  I'm just glad this one happened to be ginger ale!


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Whiskeyman- I mentioned in one of my other posts about a Golden Ginger Ale from Canada Dry.  Here it is.  These bottles are embossed Canada Dry around the top and you don't see them very often with a label.  I was lucky on this one.


----------



## Sam_MaineBottles

Hi GAC - 

 Here's another Mt. Hartford ginger ale bottle with the same label, this is a wine type bottle from the collection at the Wilton ME Historical Society.  I have the Mt. Hartford company listed in my Maine Bottlers book but the only info I have on it is that stated on the label.  I'd say from your bottle that the outfit is a little older that I had expected. Do you have a 7 oz. paper label ginger ale from Highland Springs of Lewiston?

 -Sam


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello Irish,

 I have the two Fletcher's in your eariler post, and the W.T. Thornley from Sale.  There is another Thornley Codd I have, but this one is W.J. Thornley from Horsham!  I'd be very grateful if you would indeed be on the lookout for the Wilcox with the ginger ale embossed.  Isn't it curious that the only Codds embossed ginger ale are from down under? At least to my knowledge[].

 Now, as promised, the picture of the embossing on the Rowlands Ginger Ale.  This one has no less than three cities embossed, Ballarat, Melbourne, and Sydney.  And if you can make it out, there is a miner (you can just make out the pickaxe over his shoulder) and wheat farmer embossed, plus a crown, and a unicorn.  Now for folks who aren't aware, Ballarat was a famous gold mining town in Austalia.  And you figure that gold mining and wheat farming in Australia had to be thirsty jobs for sure.  This bottle was purchased by a friend of mine in an antique shop in Hawaii! Go figure. Any significance you know of for the unicorn?


----------



## Sam_MaineBottles

Here's a pic of a Cupid Club paper label that I found at the Maine State Archives in Augusta, it's from 1921.  That would be something to find still on a bottle!


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Sam- very interesting about the Mt. Hartford.  Yes- I've got the Highland Springs bottle you mentioned.  Thanks for sharing the picture-  that's all for today-


----------



## Sam_MaineBottles

Here's a pic of two paper label ginger ales from Auburn, probably from the late 20s-early 30s.  I like the plane and ship pictured on the Nu-Icy label.


----------



## Sam_MaineBottles

A couple of Old Scotch paper labels from Augusta Maine.


----------



## Sam_MaineBottles

A couple more paper label ginger ales.


----------



## Sam_MaineBottles

Last two for now.


----------



## IRISH

Hi Ginger Ale collector, any chance of a full view of the Rowlands ?  There is a massive range of bottles from that company (they were huge) with and without the trade mark, they also had branches in Katoomba and I think Newcastle.  I can sort of remember seeing a bottle with ginger ale on it from them but can't picture it.

 Now that you mention it I do know the Horsham Thornly's,  any others I think of I'll email or post them.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello Irish-

 Here's the E. Rowland's full picture.  Please do keep in touch on the Wilcox.  I'll be posting some other pictures today in reponse to all the great collectors who are interested in my ginger ale walkabouts, and the bits and pieces of history I've accumulated along the way.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello Whiskeyman,

 I noticed your location is Tennessee or thereabouts.  Thought you might like to see this ginger ale from your part of the world- it also comes in a round bottom style.  The color is a light cobalt- which is sometimes called cornflower blue.


----------



## IRISH

That Rowlands is a really good one [] ,  I'll send you an email if I come across a ginger ale Wilcox or any others from Oz.
 Your blue Tennessee ginger ale is one flash looking bottle [] .


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello John-

 When you suggested that I post some pictures of my ginger ale bottles I thought. "well, I should do that, but which ones would collectors want to see and know about?"  I couldn't answer that, so I'm just picking here and there- and I thought this one would be most appropriate for our Amercian friends on July 4th.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Sam- great pictures of your paper label ginger ales from Maine.  What's interesting about paper label ginger ales is that many of the "brands" like Killarney and Nu-Icy were sold by extract companies.  You'll see in the picture that this Killarney label is from Fairbault, Minn., and if you can make it out, it says at the bottom, "use of the title Killarney authorized by Foote & Jenks.  Foote & Jenks was a large maker of extracts and flavorings and sold to bottlers around the country.  The name Killarney was to harken back to the origin of ginger ale which was in Ireland.  In the early days, American ginger ale was pretty punk,and had a tough time selling against the imported brands like Grattan, Cantrell & Cochrane, Ross's and few others.  Early on bottlers figured out that they could slap an Irish name on their stuff, and most ginger ale drinkers would not know the difference.  The extract makers caught on also.  You'll see the ginger ale glass from the 1930s for Killarney.  Restaurants, taverns, trains all served ginger ale and the flavor makers gave out glasses to promote their brands.


----------



## bubbas dad

all the bottles here are nice looking. it's hard to believe that some of these being around a hundred years old are still in such great shape. the blue one from nashville is superb. about how old is it and do you know an approx value. it looks super.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Thanks Irish-  the Tennessee bottle is a tough bottle to get and I was in the right place at the right time.  

 It is flash as you say- but take a look at this Nemco bottle from Boston during the roaring twenties in the states!  Many of the ginger ale labels from 1890s through the 1940s in the states were like the micro-breweries today- each competing for their market share with flash labels-


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi John,

 The Nashville bottle is most likely from the late 1870s to the mid 1880s.  Probably somewhere in the middle. I have not researched this particular company, but I am sure that someone out there can tell us a more  accurate date.  The bottle style with the panels outlined with a raised rib rising up to make a pointed "arch" on the shoulder of the bottle is from that period and was a standard mold.  I have quite a few in that style including roundbottoms. But only one in that COLOR!!  Value?  Well there are two ways to value a bottle in my opinion- one an auction price, and two, what you might see it for at a bottle show. Auction prices, well- we know that if you have two people with more money than brains, the price for a bottle can be WAY out of reality compared to its rarity.  Condition is a big deal as we all know.  The other way is more dependable, but harder to determine with rare bottles because you don't see them at shows to see the price, or know what it sold for.  So- taking all that into consideration- I have seen auction prices for ones in fair condition go for $300-400.  At a bottle show I have seen a near perfect one for $900.  So, I guess one in very good condition with strong color would be in the $700 range.  

 Speaking of blue bottles- here's one from Baltimore that is one of my favorites. Perfection Ginger Ale from Brooklandwoods Springs.  If anyone thinks the color looks familiar, they would be right as the Maryland Glass Company made this bottle and thousands of the blue Bromoseltzer bottles of the same deep blue glass.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi- ACL- thought you might like to see one of my favorite ACL ginger ales from the Virgin Islands.  I got this from a bottler in Rhode Island who was going out of business.  He had gone on vacation to the Virgin Islands and made friends with the people who ran this soda business there- in friendship they gave him a souvenir to take back to Rhode Island. My bottler friend in Rhode Island passed it on to me to be preserved.


----------



## bubbas dad

thanks for the info. i mainly collect sodas from the 1900s on,  but i can really appreciate nice bottles from all eras. if money were no object i would have a house full of soda and mineral bottles such as you nashville.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi John-

 I understand completely.   Believe me I didn't pay a ton for that Nashville bottle- I'm not a high roller- bottles are great fun- but the bills have to be paid first!  I was just in the right place at the right time, and for some of the other rare bottles I have, well- it's wonderful to have had good friends many years ago who helped me get them at reasonable prices.  

 Say, maybe you could help on a bottle I've had for a long time and think it is out of South Carolina, but don't know for sure.  It is about 12 oz, and has an applied crown top- (not machine-made) so that might put it in your after 1900s collecting.  All it says is Colonial Ginger Ale and I think you can make out the steam train embossed on the bottle. Thanks.


----------



## Sam_MaineBottles

Hi GAC - 

 Thanks for the Killarney background info, I'm not very knowledgable on how the extract companies played a role in soda bottling.

 Here's another set of ME paper label ginger ales.

 I like ACL bottles alot but they just can't get the colors and detail found on a paper label.


----------



## Sam_MaineBottles

One more ME paper label ginger ale - this one is from the teens.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hey Sam-

 great paper label ginger ale bottles.  I agree about the color and artwork on the paper labels- nothing can compare with the detail of the printing.  I have some paper label ginger ales that were printed by the American Banknote Company- which originally was an engraver for the U.S. currency.  I'll find them and  get some pictures.  But there is something also special about a great ACL design because they were limited to 3 colors or less- they had to be more creative- like the Sunset bottle.  In any case, here's another paper label ginger ale from the Coca-cola Bottling Co. in Peoria, Bloomington, and Decatur, IL.  Even though the Coke folks wanted everyone to drink nothing but Coke,  local Coke franchises around the country found that their customers still wanted ginger ale.  This one is from the late 20s or 30s.


----------



## bubbas dad

can't say that i've heard of that one but i will dig around and see what i can find out.


----------



## madman

wow wow wow!!! nice bottles gang !! hey gac, those labled bottles are soo fing cool! the early vernors bottle  with the lable is nice, ive dug a few, is yours embossed detroits drink,  the dump i dig in theres one of everything, that survived the fire , if i find another its yours!!mike


----------



## bubbas dad

gac
 you might have already looked, but the only thing i could find was colonial beverages in penn.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Thanks John- I don't think it is from Colonial in Penn.  I got the bottle from a man in South Carolina- doggone if I can think of his name, old time collector and I got this bottle before e-mail days.  Every little town had a bottler.  In 1900 there were 2,000 bottling plants fund in business records and probably a lot of others that weren't recorded.  Every one of them made ginger ale.  So who knows where some of these are from without local knowledge.  Maybe some one out there has an idea.  Thanks.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hey madman- glad you like the paper labels- Sam has some ginger ales I haven't seen before, but when it comes to 12 oz paper label ginger ales from the 1920s to 1940s, there are a ton of them to collect.  I've started to pass on some that are not in the greatest condition are aren't remarkable in some way- I just don't have room (or the $$) to get them all.

 One of the areas where I do try and get the ones I see is from prohibition.  When the breweries were shut down in 1917-1918- they had to do something and many made ice cream, macaroni or pasta products, but most made ginger ale since it was still incredilbly popular and they had all the equipment to do it.  Here's one that I was real happy to find from the early days of prohibition.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Irish- you and I have been talking about the Codd bottles from Oz.  The Codd is just one of the closures that bottlers used to try and find a way to seal in the CO-2 in their soda.  The older bottles were made of heavy glass to withstand the pressure the gas in the bottle created.  They put a lot more fizz into it than they do today.  There were dozens of different contraptions they used to top off the bottle.  Here's one: G. D. Dows of Boston, MA.


----------



## diggermeister

Hey All, Great thread! I thought I'd throw in my two cents, uh bottles, worth. On the right is a "CARAVAN GINGER ALE" nice 'oasis' and camal embossing. On the left "BUFFALO GINGER ALE", with the original product still inside. YUM!  [:'(]


----------



## warith

Hi Ginger Ale collector,

 That is one awesome Rowlands bottle, very very nice.

 I'm fairly sure that Marchants Ltd (another Aussie company) have a few Ginger Ale variations (but I don't have any examples! .


----------



## acls

Great bottles diggermeister.  I really like the CARAVAN.


----------



## IRISH

G.A.C,  I'm a patent collector with a soft spot for Codd's patents of all sorts but ANYTHING pre-dating around the early 1920's that held Aerated water has a place on my shelves [] .  I've never seen that G. D. Dows patent bottle before, very nice.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Warith- thanks for the compliment on the Rowlands. I was just lucky to get it!  Yes there are some Marchant's about.  Here's the only one I have- inside thread stopper, called Riley's Patent.  I've got to take a picture of another Riley's type, only from Ireland- Irish will like that one!  One of the reasons there were so many ginger ales from Australia is that ginger grows reaslly well in parts of your country- and in the 1880s ginger plantations were going full- and I think they still are!  Many folks around the world are spicing up their cooking with Aussie ginger.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello Irish- glad you liked the Dow's.  Tell you what- find me a Wilcox Codd Ginger Ale and I'll see if I can get my hands on the Dow's Patent.  It comes in two sizes as you can see.  The larger one is tougher to find- but I'll bet you'd settle for either!


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Diggermeister- nice bottles- that buffalo embossing is great, isn't it?  The Caravan is a neat bottle also.  Your is the "flavor" bottle that has ginger ale, grape, and I think orange embossed around the base.  A pale dry ginger ale version came in emerald green.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi ACL-  I like the Caravan too- see another post for a picture of a green one- I'd like to find the ACL version of the Caravan!  Here's another favorite ACL ginger ale from Waterbury, CT


----------



## bubbas dad

gac
 there was a guy at the flea market last sping with several acl caravans. the one i brought was in excellant shape. i see him occasionally, if i see him again i'll see if he has another one if you are interested.


----------



## acls

Hey GAC.  The RIVERSIDE quart is quite striking.  Here's a pic of the ACL Caravan you were talking about.  These come in clear galss as well.


----------



## bubbas dad

gac
 here is a picture of the acl ginger ales that i have. the caravan i have must be more recent than the  one above of acl's. also i wanted to say that the blue perfection ginger ale bottle is the most awesome bottle i've seen.
  well i forgot to add the picture when i posted this so here it is.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Sam,  remember you asked about the Hutchinson A.J. Nevers from Norway, ME?  Well I finally found it.  It has what they call a "mug" base which reminds some folks of a soda or beer mug with a fluted base.  I threw in an extra W.H. Darling from Newport, VT, that has 115 - year old ginger ale!  In those days the color was quite dark.  The pale dry was not invented until the late 1890s, probably in England- then copied by Cliquot Club, followed by the now-famous Canada Dry, the Champagne of Ginger Ales!  The VT bottle is also embossed.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi John

 Thanks for the pictures of your ginger ale ACLs.  That would be great. I don't have the Caravan you show.  Thanks.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi ACL- that's the one I was thinking of- I did not know that the one in John's post existed.  What color was the paint on the clear one?  If anyone has an extra of the green one- I would be interested.  Thanks


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi John- forgot to mention about the blue Perfection Ginger Ale from Baltimore- they also made a soda called Cristo-cola that was the same shape and color, but I think a bit smaller.  

 I mentioned in another post that these bottling companies from the 20s through the 40s were very competitve.  But they didn't always play fair.  When Canada Dry started to really make a dent in the U.S. ginger ale market ( which was dominated by Clicquot Club in Millis MA and that's a whole story of it's own), bottlers tried to tag along.  Here's two examples.  The Granada Dry was from Florida and the  Canadian Club was from Vermont.  At least the Canadian Club made an effort to be a little different- the Granada Dry even used the same "shield" that Canada Dry used at that time.


----------



## bubbas dad

gac this has been one of the best post in awhile. so many great bottles. i thought that the perfection looked alot like the cristo-cola. i have been hoping to find a cristo-cola ever since i saw one for the first time. whats the scarcity and approx value of the perfection ginger ale. that is the most beautiful soda bottle i've seen.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

John- they are not easy to find.  When I have seen them they range from $60- $125 depending on condition.  I will keep a look out for one and the Cristo-cola.  Here's a beauty from a different category- decorative embossing.  The mold to make this one must have cost a fortune.  Just about every part of the surface is embossed except for the top of the neck. It is Sunnyside, from Fort Smith, Arkansas- Coca-Cola Bottling Company-


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello Sam- here's another paper label from Maine.  I wonder sometimes about paper labels on unembossed bottles.  I have hundreds of different unused ginger ale labels I've collected, so you know the labels are out there. I have seen where folks have just put a label on a bottle with no nevermind as to age.  In my early collecting days I bought a neat labelled bottle that was from the 1890s. Trouble was the label wasn't.  How did I know?   Well- a friend gently pointed out that the label had a picture of the Waldorf Astoria hotel in NY which was a 1930s building and you could see it in the architecture.  Ooops.  That was my first lesson.  I've had a few others along the way- one way to get an idea is to look at the glue lines around the edge of the label- if they are particularly messy or gummed up- start wondering and looking closer. Usually there is some discoloration or damage on a label of any age.  I am sure that I have some in my collection that are not accurate to the bottle- but you never know.  I really like to find the bottles with the embossing matching the bottle- but that's not always possible. Now this one, I was delighted when I saw another one come up somewhere- not proof that it is accurate, but it made me feel better!


----------



## Sam_MaineBottles

Hi GAC - 

 First off, nice hutch ginger ale bottles - I have a Nevers embossed crown top ginger ale but not the hutch.  That's the only mug base hutch found from Maine by the way.

 I've got a few 'doubtful' paper label bottles in my collection, one is even more than doubtful - it's a paper label birch beer from Bangor on an ABM bottle.  The problem is the bottling company went out of business in 1895.....

 I've only seen one of the Virginia Spring paper label bottles like yours  before, that company was in business from 1908-16 and was an off-shoot of the Mt. Zircon company from Rumford.

 Here's a pic of a paper label that as far as I know was never put on a bottle.  I found it in the Maine State Archives where it was registered in 1927.  I have a hunch that the Poland Spring company got a little uncomfortable with the similarities to their product and nixed it before it went into production.

 -Sam


----------



## madman

i agree with bd that blue bottle is the coolest ive seen!!  all the bottles on here are so damn nice thanks for sharing   mike    ps how about puting a book together  history of ginger ale


----------



## jme_jett

although its not nearly as great as all of yours (im soooooo jealous!) I thought I would post this one that I dug today! If you like it and want it for your collection you can have it. Ill be happy just to see it go to a collection. After all, I got it out of the trash!


----------



## jme_jett

another shot


----------



## jme_jett

one more


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi jme- thanks for posting the bottle you dug and offering it to me.  Thanks for posting the second picture with the Canada Dry embossing.  I do have a few of those with labels.  Thanks.

  I do want to say how important diggers like you are to the bottle collecting hobby.  I've done as bit of digging and I know it's hard work and many times at the end of day- well- you find a few odds and ends, and sometimes not much at all.  So thanks to you all you diggers out there!  I've gotten some great bottles that would still be buried if it weren't for you guys.  Here's a bottle I got from a digger in Minnesota.  As you can see, it still needs to be cleaned. This one is from the late 1890s early 1900s.  What I like is that it tells you where the bottling plant is- but not with an address.  It just say "Opposite Post Office, MLPS"  So who didn't know where the Post Office was in those days?  MLPS stands for Minneapolis.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Sam- great research on the Poland Springs label- I am sure you are right- it never went into production.  Competition was so fierce in those days that bottlers sued other bottlers over all kinds of thing- from copyright violations to stealing bottles. 

 Speaking of paper labels- here's one from 1880s from Boston- Green Seal Ginger Ale made with Cold Blast Distilled Water.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi John-

 For our ACL friends in Canada- here is a selection of all-Canadian ginger ales- including one that says 'America Dry"!  That one is embossed Orange Crush Limited on the bottom!


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Mike- funny you should mention doing a book on the history of ginger ale. . . I have been collecting historical information on ginger ale for quite a while (not to mention a bunch of bottles).  I am planning to put it all together some day- but life's other priorities get in the way- you know, like work and family---[]- anyway in the meantime, bits and pieces will show up in the forum- and hopefully I will learn some new things about ginger ale or some of the companies that I can put into the book- thanks for the encouragement.


----------



## bubbas dad

GAC
 nice bottles. i have a bottle about the size of your artic ginger ale. it's a white eagle beverage bottle. i suspect it was a ginger ale and  was wondering if you knew. thanks for the message the other day.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi John-  There are a number of White Eagle bottles around.  There are some from Massachusetts and one from Baltimore and I'm sure some of the ACL experts can tell us more.  The only one I have is from Baltimore and that says ginger ale on it.  To keep costs down, many bottlers went to a single bottle design with just their name and logo and no mention of a flavor.  What they did was to use the crown cap to let the customer (or the guy loading up the delivery truck) what flavor was what. Sometimes you'll see a bottle that will say "Flavor on crown".  Your White Eagle might have had root beer, cherry cola, lemon lime, strawberry, lime rickey, sarsasparilla, and whatever else the bottler could sell in his neck of the woods.  You'll see some familar names:  Double Dry, Mission, Kist, Dr. Sweet's, Nesbitt's, Vess, and others.  I threw in some others too- our old friend Caravan is there (that one is Golden Ginger Ale- photo not to good in that spot), and Sam's Mount Kineo (which matches the label in one his posts)- the Buffalo Rock, and John- you'll note on that one the South Carolina palm tree- which I think is what the state required on taxable items-   Also for our friends down under I put in a couple of Aussie ones- Irish or Warith can you spot them?


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello Irish- I finally got a reasonably picture of the Riley's Patent bottle from Ireland.  It was hard to get a good photo of it with all the embossing- the company is Grattan of Belfast Ireland and they claim to be the original makers of ginger ale- but no one has ever offered any proof of that claim to be true.  Grattan even embossed their bottles with those words!  This bottle has the inside thread screw stopper known as Riley's Patent.  Many English, Canadian, and Aussie bottles used this stopper.  Grattan bottles are not that hard to find- either in a blobtop or the Riley's style.  But what make this bottle interesting is that it is the only bottle that I've seen that mention's the patent.  The embossing reads"  EstD 1825, Original Makers of Ginger Ale --|-- Sole licensees Ulster for Riley's Patent Screw Stoppered Bottle".  Are you familiar with a book by David Graci in the states about all the different kinds of patented closures for bottles?  It is a great book. Complete with lots of photos.  Tell him a "Ginger Ale Collector" sent you. []  Price per book is $35 plus $4 postage within the U.S. Inquire first on orders outside the U.S. Mail payment to David Graci, PO Box 726, South Hadley, MA 01075. Email: stonebotle@aol.com


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Sam- here's another couple of Maine soda bottles.  I really like when the company went from paper labels to ACLs and tried to keep the design from the paper label- some were really good and others not so good.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi John,

 Here's a ginger ale I'd like to know more about.  Anyone from Texas out there that knows something about this one?  This is one of those labels on an unembossed bottle that you wonder about- I've never seen another one- or even the label.  And the bottle sure looks like a beer bottle.


----------



## bubbas dad

i like the squat shape and the picture of the alamo.


----------



## Sam_MaineBottles

Hi GAC - 

 Nice Arctic Spring paper label, I haven't seen that one before.  

 Here's a pic of two paper label ginger ales from Augusta, ME.  The Glenwood company is pretty well-known but I haven't found any info on the Cushnoc Club.  It has a foil wrapper around the neck and it appears to be from the late 1930s.

 -Sam


----------



## flasherr

That texas bottle is sweet. Ive never seen it but i bet it would fetch a pretty penny if it was sold.
 Brian


----------



## IRISH

That Riley patent is nice G.A.C.  I've seen a few with the patent details embossed, mostly English ones.   I was unaware of the book by David Graci, thanks for the info [] the more info on patents the better in my opinion [] .

 Interesting that bottle with the address given by the post office, there is a codd from Melbourne with "near the GPO" on it (general post office),  bit of an unusual statement on a bottle [] .


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi flasherr- I have not clue what it would fetch- I'd just like to know more about it.  Here's another Texas bottle (Dallas) that is interesting- at least I get a charge out of it.  Anybody know anything about this ginger ale?


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Sam- I don't know anything about the Cushnoc either- mine is the same.  Nice Glenwood- there are a few other labels- I've got one on a 6 oz amber bottle which I can't seem to find right now.  Here's another Artic Spring, plus one from about 1900, the Augusta Soda Company- it is embossed on the reverse.  This is one of the labels I mentioned earlier in the post that was engraved and printed by a banknote company. The detail is amazing.


----------



## flasherr

sorry i dont know anythign about the other texas bottle. you have a nice collection of paper labels. are they all origional or have you mounted some of them on old bottles. Brian


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Brian- thanks- and that's a good question, no all are original to me- what I mean is that I've gotten them as is.  The only time I might put a label on a bottle is if I have the bottle with a poor condition label and I find a much better label that's not on a bottle- I might take the lousy one off and upgrade the bottle to the better label.


----------



## Sam_MaineBottles

Hi GAC - 

 That's interesting to know that the Augusta soda labels were made by a bank note company - they sure do have some great detail.  That company went out of business in 1902.  Here are a couple of labeled bottles I have from that outfit.

 -Sam


----------



## Sam_MaineBottles

Here's another paper label I found in the Maine State Archives.  I haven't seen this one on a bottle before.

 -Sam


----------



## Tony14

Wow, very nice bottles to all. This is the longest post I have seen (its already at 100 and thats almost half of the topics in this whole forum[sm=lol.gif])and one of the best. Keep posting those Ginger ale bottles.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Tony- this has been fun- thanks for joining in- here's one for you from Wisconsin- a famous old company- Graf- maybe you know about it? The base is a "mug" style and it has their script logo embossed on the back as you can see.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Sam- neat labels- I have to find my book of labels- I think I have some other odd Maine ones also.  The Augusta Soda label was printed by the Brooks Bank Note Company, Springfield MA.  There were a few other bank note printers doing soda labels, one was Boston Bank Note, Boston MA- I'll have to look for the others. In any case, you can usually spot one of these labels because of the detailed engraving.


----------



## Sam_MaineBottles

Here are two more Maine ginger ale paper label bottles from Highland Spring of Lewiston.  There's some great detail on the bottle on the left but there was definitely some detail lost when they switched to full color.

 -Sam


----------



## Tony14

I believe I actually saw one of those on my last dig. It was an ACL, though. It might have been root beer. The whole neck was missing off of it[].
 I actually think they are still in buisness today. I was drinking a can of grafs old fashioned root beer last week[]


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi John,

 Here's another example of a company going from the paper label to the ACL.  Berkley Springs was famous for their springwater up in the WVA mountains.  A lot of the sodawater companies started out as springwater bottlers and when they started getting competition from the "city" bottlers for customers, they branched out into soda- figuring that soda made with their springwater had to be better than that made with city water.  And a lot of customers agreed- so you'll see many bottler's names associated with "Springs" or Mineral Water.  White Rock soda started out as White Rock Mineral Water Company.  Lots of others too.


----------



## bubbas dad

i know that ginger ale was bottled in all sorts of bottles, but do you think there was a reason that a large amount of them were in green bottles?


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Good question John- and I'm not sure it has only one answer.  It may have had to do with what color glass was the easiest and cheapest to make.  It also may have been because the color of ginger ale varied considerably and the green glass hid that the variation from the consumer. I haven't seen any real evidence on the reason why so many bottlers used green glass, but I suspect it was manufacturing costs, especially from the 20s through the early 40s.  The unembossed paper label bottles were probably considered "throw-aways".  

 There was a time when amber or brown glass bottles were popular because someone had the notion that the amber glass blocked the sunlight's ultraviolet rays from harming the contents.  I believe this started with milk bottles- it wasn't too long before the research guys tested the theory and found that amber glass did nothing to protect the milk from sunlight.


----------



## TheDiggerBoy91

Man you gus are lucky!! I only have 2 ginger ales- both are Vernor's. One is an ACL from 1961 and the other is a big on from the 1910's-20's in poor condition.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi DiggerBoy,

 I suppose some of it is luck- but I've got a lot of ginger ale bottles for two reasons. . . first, that is all I have collected for the last 18 years, and second, it's been a lot of searching in a lot of places- including over 50 bottle shows, countless fleamarkets, junkshops, antique shops, dumps, privies, and good friends who found great bottles for me.  The best part is the friends.  I can look at my shelves and I know which ones came from collectors I've known for years.  

 So, you've got two ginger ales.  That's a start []- and Vernor's is a great place to start.  James Vernor was a pioneer in making ginger ale, starting about 1866 as the story goes, as a druggist in Detroit.  Vernor's, C & C, and Dr. Brown's brand ginger ale all have been around since about the same time, and are still sold today. So your Vernors bottles are part of the long history of soda and ginger ale!

 There are a lot of ginger ale bottles out there- once you start looking!


----------



## IRISH

Hey GAC,
 Have you seen this crown cap before ?  it belongs to a friend of mine, I noticed it sitting in Robins bottle display with quite a few lemonade caps from around Victoria and NSW.
 He has a spare one too apparently [] , send me a PM if you want one.


----------



## IRISH

Cooma is in New South Wales.  I have no idea how old it is nor anything about the company that used these caps but it's a nice mint one.
 Cork inside, it has never been used.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello Irish,

 Yes I  think I have that crown cap- thanks.  And for all you folks not from down under, most of the Aussie crown caps have the words "Preservative added" as do many of the soda bottles.  I'm assuming that is by regulation . . . here's an Aussie ACL from Tooth & Company, Sydney.  The crown cap has the blue bow on it as well-


----------



## TheDiggerBoy91

Man you guys are lucky. I only have 2 ginger ale bottles. A Vernors ACL from 1961 and a 10's-20's quart Vernors in poor shape. I'm jealous!!


----------



## Ye Olde Prospector

Hi Ginger Ale Collector,

 I noticed in one of your posts you mentioned a Dr Brown's brand Ginger ale from about 1866.
 I posted this photo of a teal, iron pontilled bottle that a friend wanted me to find info on. It is embossed Dr Brown, NY and most said it was a mineral water bottle. The 1866 date you mentioned would be about right for an iron pontil so just wondered if this might actually be one of Dr Browns ginger ale bottles. It was found at my friends old house in MA. Thanks.

 Cliff


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Cliff,

 Hard to say exactly what that bottle had in it.  I'll have to ask some of my NYC soda experts what they think, but the history of one Dr. Brown in New York goes like this:  In 1869, (a little later than Vernor's 1866) a Dr. Brown treated the children of immigrants on Manhattanâ€™s Lower East Side and created a soft drink he called Dr. Brownâ€™s Cel-Ray Tonic. The beverage, which was made from seltzer, celery seeds, and sugar, was sold in delicatessens and is still made today. Dr. Brown also did ginger ale, cream soda, and fruit flavors later on.   Now it is possible that there could have been more than one Dr. Brown, and perhaps even earlier.  I have a stoneware bottle debossed Dr. Brown's Ginger Pop and based on the look of it, could be from the late 1840s when Ginger Pop was around.  It could be the same Brown and maybe not.  I will say that your friend's beautiful bottle might have had ginger ale in it at one time as most soda bottlers were trying to copy the Irish ginger ales, but a strong possibility is mineral water. Let me get a note off to some folks who have more facts on Dr. Brown bottles than I do.  It is a great bottle and certainly worth a lot if it is in the pristine condition that it looks in the picture.  More when I get a chance.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Here are the pair of Dr. Brown's I have- but they are probably 100+ years apart.  You'll see Since 1869 on the paper label, but the stoneware piece cold be 1850s or even much earlier.  The stoneware says "Ginger Pop" which was noted to be around in the 1840s.  Different than ginger ale proper though.


----------



## BARQS19

Hi I just saw where you were collecting these. I just listed on on ebay though before I saw this post. if you want to check it out here is the item number and title RARE WOLVERINE GINGER ALE BOTTLE DETROIT, MICHIGAN MI (6201458787)
 thanks,
 Robert
 BARQS19


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Robert,

 Thanks for the tip- I do have that Wolverine- great bottle- very atttractive embossing.  I see you are in Mississippi- I thought for a minute and wondered if I had a ginger ale bottle from your state- and after checking my list- I don't!  Do you know of any? Thanks.


----------



## IRISH

Hi GAC,
 Do you have a 13 ounce crown seal with "F. DANIELS / DROUIN" in a shield and "GINGER ALE" below that ?  there is a bit more text in the shield but I can't remember what.  The Daniels crown seal is fairly common without the extra text but until I saw one in a collection last week I can't remember one with ginger ale on it.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello Irish,

 I do not know that one.  I have a few of the common clear crowntops from Grafton (Henson, and Zietz Bros.) also a wonderful dark green BIMAL  J.S. Rowley from Hamilton.  Will try to post a picture of the Rowley's.  Will be going to a bottle show this weekend and will try to look for the Dows bottle with the patent closure you liked.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Irish- here's the Rowley from Hamilton.  Nice green- a little darker than in this pic.  No luck on the Dow's Patent yet-


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi John- here's a couple of Canada Dry ACLs.  That's a 6.5 oz on the left, and a 4 oz. on the right.  The difference is one is from the US and the other from Germany!  If you look at the small one- it says "Limonade" which I think is how they refer to "soda" . Now the other interesting thing is the cap on the left one.  It is a snap-down cap that was designed to reseal the bottle after you open it.  It says Canada Dry Beverages on the top.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi John,  here's the White Eagle I mentioned a while back when you asked about the one you have- this one is from Baltimore- not very common.


----------



## IRISH

Nice little Rowleys Hamilton there, that is a very rare bottle.   There is an amber one too but I'm not sure if it's got ginger ale on the back.


----------



## bubbas dad

GAC, nice acls. my white eagle is no where near as fancy as that one. i like the canada drys.canada dry has a special memory for me because of my father.  when my father was a teen ager he worked for the local canada dry plant. that is for one day, until he knocked over an entire stack of full bottles. i get a kick out of it every time i think about it.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi John,

 Was on vacation and busy with other things.  Funny story about your Dad.  Was up in Maine and got a chance to stop in and see Sam's great collection of Maine soda bottles.  Some beauties.  Here's a rare ginger ale bottle that Pepsi folks get pretty excited about.  Mine's got a crack and I got it for $10!  This bottle also came with the Coca Cola script logo.  Wish I had that one, even with a crack!


----------



## bubbas dad

thats nice. i like bottles with different shapes.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello all- been busy lately these days- but not too busy to have picked up a few ginger ales.  The Snap is frm Cinncinati, the Maple Leaf from Mount Clemens, MI, and the Country Club from Springfield, MA.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Clicquot Club was one of the largest bottling companies, if not the largest in the US for a number of year.  They shipped ginger ale all over the world from the little town of Millis, MA.  Here's a selection of bottles that run in age from late 1890s to early 1960s.


----------



## IRISH

beantown,  you are more than welcome to post stuff for sale in the for swap/sell/wanted section of this site, welcome to the forum too [] .

 GAC,  That crown seal pepsi skittle is a great looking bottle.  I recently found out that the Daniels Drouin also comes in a Codd bottle with Ginger ale on it,  I've got a Daniels codd but not with Ginger ale on it.
 The list of Ginger ale bottles still seems to be growing [] .


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello Irish,

 Yes the list of ginger ales does grow. Believe me, I know all too well.  Haven't come across a Dow's patent for you yet, but one will turn up.  Here are some more skittles as you call them.  Here in the US they are called duckpins, or tenpins.  Duckpins is probably a more accurate name.  Duckpins are a smaller version of regular bowling (tenpins) that started up in the US about 1900.  The bowling ball is smaller also, about 6 inches, and you get three balls per turn, rather two.  Anyway, from left to right (all ginger ales of course) Indian Rock (no location), Brockport Club, from Brockport, NY, Turk's Head from Providence, RI, sun-colored Indian Rock from Richmond, VA, and the last two are Indian Rock from Norfolk, VA, and Annapolis, MD.  The last two are the same bottle mold as the Pepsi one in an earlier post.


----------



## madman

whoa i think im in ginger ale heaven all i can say is wow !!!!!  mike


----------



## madman

hey gang finally found a ginger ale bottle here it is   mike


----------



## madman

highland park gingerale co. highland park mich near detroit


----------



## madman

the base


----------



## warith

there is a nice condition, and from what understand, probably quite rare Australian (Sydney) Ginger Ale in this auction (far right, the Blue Bow from Tooth & Co):
 http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6230189113

 (and no; I don't know the seller personally; so this ain't an add).


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Mike,

 Nice ginger ale!  That is one I haven't seen before.  Many companies started out making ginger ale as their top of the line product because in the early days of sodamaking, ginger ale was what people wanted.  If you didn't have ginger ale, customers went elsewhere.  That's why you'll see bottles embossed Something Something Ginger Ale Company because they wanted "Ginger Ale" to be in their name.  Eventually they stopped putting ginger ale on the bottle and used the crown cap to tell you what flavor it was, including ginger ale.  But they kept the original name of the company, so your bottle, from the Highland Park Ginger Ale Company could have held everything from birch beer to root beer.  Canada Dry started out as The Canada Dry Ginger Ale Company!


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello Warith,

 Thanks for the alert on the Blue Bow.  It's a very pretty bottle-I  do have that one.  I'm glad I do as I would have missed the auction.  My computer decided to behave poorly and needed a visit to repair depot- but all is well now!  Thanks again!


----------



## madman

hello gac thanks for the info!!! you started one heck of a cool thread! amazing bottles heres a pix of the highland bottle


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello all,

 Here's a change of pace in the ginger ale department.  These three are quart blob tops dating anywhere from the 1870s to 1890s.  The one on the left is from Chicago, the middle one is from Kansas City, Kansas, and the last one has no location.  McCollough's Ginger Ale Works.  Anyone have any ideas where it might be from?  The term "works" was used in some parts instead of "company".  Canada maybe?


----------



## capsoda

Hi Gac, most southern bottlers used the word "works" in the name of their business. Might be a start.


----------



## tazmainiendigger

Heres a couple of old soda's they have been in my grandma's attic for 50 years and she said she got them from her grandma sooooooo they must be old! haha Just kidding. Anyone out there interested in these? I would love to see them go to a good home. One is 7 up green the other a light aqua both are embossed Return to Cloverdale Spring Co. Newville, PA This bottle registered not to be sold and a large 4 leaf clover embossed on the base......No Chips cracks or scratches.  Taz


----------



## madman

yo taz very nice, never dug one that wasnt broken, does it have a clover leaf on the base???  nice lables!!!!  mike


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello Capsoda,

 Thanks for the thought that the McCollough's Ginger Ale Works bottle could be from Dixie way.  Maybe some one will know the company name.  Here's neat ginger ale from down your way:  Gold Crown, E. Carre Company, Mobile AL.  Anybody know anything about the company.  I don't have too many ginger ales from your state.  Do you know of any particularly interesting ones?

 Thanks.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hey Madman and Taz,

 The Cloverdale Ginger Ale is a nice bottle, and is about early 1940s, I believe.  I have one in my collection with a Cloverdale crown cap.  If you returned the cap, you got a half cent refund (so the cap said) which would date the cap, and possibly the bottle to WWII when there was a shortage of metal for the war.  The ginger ale is not too uncommon, but the Limes & Lithia one is not one I've seen very often.  Good for any collection of sodas for sure.


----------



## capsoda

Edmond Carre started bottleing soda water in Mobile, Al. in partnership with E. S. Clark in 1871. This parnership was desolved in 1873 when E.S. Clark moved to Meridian Mississippi. That same year Edmond Carre went into business for him self under the name and style of _  "E CARRE / MOBILE / ALA"._using Matthews gravitating stopper bottles. He was still in business in to the 1880s and used all kinds of bottles  but I don't have any info after that. 

 Its a good start.[] I'll try to find more but can't promise.[8|]


----------



## IRISH

Hey GAC,
 I've just seen another Ginger Ale Codd from Warrnambool,  it is a 13 ounce Warrnambool Cordials (two lines down bottle with gingerale across on the other side) in a Dobson patent,  it would date from around the 1920's.
 I've seen a few Warrnambool Cordials but only this one with Ginger Ale on the back.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello Irish,

 You just keep seeing these Codd ginger ales from down under, but they aren't surfacing over here. . . . yet.  [].   Tell me again what the Dobson's patent is- is it the "square"- type codd style, or am I in the weeds. . .?  Here's an example of a square-type Thornley from Sale.  Oh, and the Hay & Son's ginger ale came along for the ride, it's from Aberdeen, Scotland.  The scene on the label is embossed on the other side of the bottle.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Warren,

 Thanks for info on E. Carre.  On my bottle (Gold Crown Ginger Ale) the "e" in Carre has the French accent mark.  Is that also on the Hutchinson bottle in your picture?  Can't quite tell.  Do you know of any Alabama blobtop bottles embossed Ginger Ale?  I've never heard of one.  Thanks again.


----------



## capsoda

Hey GAC, Some of the 20s deco bottles did for a short time but the older ones don't.


----------



## IRISH

Hey GAC,
 That's an all-way codd (also called a bulb by some, here a bulb is like an all-way but bulges out on the seams for a CM or so),   Dobson's are the two on the right in the first photo I posted in the first page of this thread (enormous, record sized thread [] ).

 Your Thornley looks to be a really nice colour,  is it unusually dark blueish aqua?


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hey Irish-   I'm still confused about the Dobson's patent.  Went back to look at page 1, and they look like Codds to me- was Dobson's patent a type of Codd?  My Thornley's is on the darkish aqua side.  It that usual for that bottle?


----------



## IRISH

Dobsons are a type of codd,  there where hundreds of patents taken out after the codd's patent expired (and several before),  so a bottle like the ones on the right in that photo is a Dobson Codd,  your Thornley is an All-way Codd etc.

 The Thornley's are more often just a normal aqua,  I have seen one really dark one though,  makes it all the nicer [] .


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hey Soda fans!

 Been busy with all sorts of things- so haven't had a chance to hang out in the bottle world much.  But I did go to the great Baltimore bottle show this past weekend.  Wow. What a show- set up as a dealer with my bottle partner and we were busy from 8 am to 3 pm on Sunday the day of the show- record sales!  Here's one of the finds at the show I bought from Brian Wade, the author of the Deco soda book.  Big Hit Ginger Ale.  It was a big hit with me for sure.


----------



## botil

In my collection I have these bottles. I dont know if they are "ale" or "beer" bottles


----------



## botil

This one is a porter bottle used to bottle porter or ale.
 Embossed M. WISCHUM PHILADÂª on one side and W on the other side.


----------



## botil

The other side


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello Botil,

 What a nice group of bottles.  My interest is in the soda (ginger ale), not the beer type of ale.   Some of your bottles might be whiskey bottles rather than beer or ale.  The 3rd and 10th in your group picture are most likey whiskey bottles. There may be others that were whiskey but the shapes of #3 and #10 are most typical.  As far as the others are concerned, most of them could have held beer of any kind, including porter or ale.   

 There is a connection between ginger ale soda and ale (beer).  When ginger ale soda was first invented in 1852, it was quite different than ginger beer as it was not cloudy, but clear  brown like an ale (beer). So the story goes that the soda was named ale because it looked like ale (beer).


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Here's another recent ginger ale find.  The Blue Anchor Inn is quite famous in Philadephia as it was the earliest one in America outside of Jamestown VA.  The picture on the label is a reasonably accurate drawing of what the Inn looked like in the mid 1600s.  It was where William Penn first went when he arrived at the land that was to become Pennsylvania.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello all-  soda "go-withs" like advertising and give-aways are neat when you can find them- here's a CapeCod Ginger Ale I've had a while, from the early forties I's say.  Came across the matchbook a number of years later.


----------



## Tony14

Anyone have any inof on this billy baxter ginger ale for me, i got it from my grandpa a little whil back. Thanks.


----------



## Tony14

Heres the label.


----------



## Tony14

Anyone?


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Tony- sorry for the delay in responding.  Billy Baxter is a really interesting Ginger Ale.  The bottle you have is the ealier one of the two types.  The other is a ten-pin crown top that came either in clear or green.  The company was located in Red Raven, PA and began as a mineral water company.  The family who owned it was an interesting one, and William Kountz Jr. brought the name Billy Baxter to the company.  Over the years, he wrote a number of short stories featuring the character Billy Baxter, who was a hapless sort always getting in and out of scrapes of one kind or another.  There was always a "lesson" to the stories and they were published locally.  As the character became famous, the company used the name for their line of sodas, featuring ginger ale.  Another interesting fact about the Red Raven Company is the red cross on the label.  When the Red Cross organization was formed, it asked that all others be prohibited from using the symbol so it would become unique and immediately recognizable around the world.  The Red Raven company was using the red cross before that time, and was the only company allowed to keep it as part of their advertising and product labelling.  They also used a red raven which can be found on large serving trays advertising their ginger ale and club soda.  Your bottle with the label is not a common one,  most are found without the label.


----------



## Tony14

Thanks for the info gac


----------



## JGUIS

I finally dug one today and thought of this thread.  It's a quart Golden Age, 1945, Youngstown, Ohio.  Lip has a ding, don't know much else.  It's one of my only green bottles.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi-  Wow, what great embossing.  There are a number of Golden Age "brand" ginger ales, one from Houston and another from Quebec, but I don't think the company name was Golden Age.   Yours shows that it is from Golden Age Ginger Ale Company which I have not seen before.   Great find.


----------



## JGUIS

Nice, went to check out that same farm dump today.  I took a shovel this time and dug another one, except it's embossed Gloden Age on the shoulder and stamped 1933 on the base. It's also embossed Youngstown, Ohio at the foot.


----------



## JGUIS

Base


----------



## JGUIS

I'm selling both.


----------



## cobaltbot

Here's one of mine.  no slug plate  FRANK WHIPP/ THE GINGER ALE MAN/ ROXBOROUGH, PA.       W on base
 slightly aqua

 Some dings on the base but I kept it anyway.  Always wondered about "The Ginger Ale Man?"


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Cobaltbot,

 Have also wondered about Frank and why he was called the ginger ale man.  It's a great bottle.  There is a blob top quart version of that bottle that I missed getting recently- the   crown top in my collection is an early one with an applied top- anywhere from 1890s to early 1900s.  Tough to date those transition bottles exactly.  What is funny about your posting is that not three days ago I was thinking about the Ginger Ale Man and sent an inquiry to a local historical society about Mr. Whipp. The Roxborough area is now part of greater Philadelphia. Will let you know what I find out!


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Here's another interesting embossing I meant to post earlier:  Icicle Ginger Ale from Amsterdam, NY.


----------



## cobaltbot

Wow this thread should be a record breaker, I could see how you could spend a lifetime collecting these guys.  If you could find so go withs from Frank Whipp, the ginger ale man that would be right up your alley!  Might of even had a ginger ale car, a York, Pa bottler had a Nehi car and a Chero-cola car.  Once I found a six pack (just the bottles ) in the woods of the ribbed 8 oz Canada Dry bottles made by Owens Illonois in 1937.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Mitch-

 Sorry for the long delay in responding-  July was a very busy time- and just couldn't get back to the forum.  I have not seen the paper label version of the Temagami Dry from Canada.  Depending on the collector and the condition, it could be anywhere from $15 to $25 US.  The bottle I have is an ACL version with a nice mountain scene- it is not too hard to find. Thanks for posting- and sorry for the delay. . .


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Everyone- been very busy-  I noticed that Irish found a Rowlands Ginger Ale from down under and asked about any other bottles in a similar blob top form.  He was right, there are some from England.  The English bottle making style for blob top soda was to have a large fat rounded blob, which is different in the US, the blob tops were smaller and a different shape. Here are three ginger ales, left one is Durrant from Hertford, England, middle one is from Ireland ( not embossed), and the last is Culverhouse from London.


----------



## madman

heres one i had packed away, wolverine original ginger ale, the base reads variety club beverages toledo ohio, this is a great  thread wow ! mike


----------



## madman

i know this is common but this thread would be complete with out it this is the large size bottle, were these sold seperate or by the case?? mike


----------



## madman

reverse side


----------



## capsoda

Maybe some of you ginger ale collectors can help the new guy with his bottle. It is a real beaut.
https://www.antique-bottles.net/forum/m_79742/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm#79742


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Thanks Warren- my post is at:

 https://www.antique-bottles.net/forum/m_79742/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm#80720


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

HI madman-  The Wolverine is a nice bottle.  What's odd about it is that it is from Toledo OH.  The original company was in Detroit.  I wonder if they had two bottling plants.  There was also an ACL Wolverine Ginger Ale I'd love to find for my collection.  Here's the Detroit version of the bottle which has the same logo on the neck, but a slugplate with the famous Michigan Wolverine.

 As far as the Vernor's you posted, the larger size is not that common to my knowledge, but a Vernor's expert might give us a better idea.


----------



## madman

hey gac collector, are all wolverine bottles  ginger ales? or flavor bottles?? that wolverine bottle you pictured with the slug  plate is sweet!!ill post the pic of the base of the toledo wolvernine, my buddy alan has the same bottle witch reads electro pure bottling works toledo ohio on base ,  also i have a wolverine bottle that reads property of the  northern coca cola bottling co. 1923 grand rapids mich  if you get a chance check ebay  type toledo bottle look in buy it now mike


----------



## madman

heres the base on the wolverine toledo bottle, reads varieity club beverage co. toledo ohio


----------



## madman

heres a 1923 wolverine bottle, that reads property of the northern coca cola bottling works grand rapids michigan,  reads michigan on the base, also reads quality beverages on reverse, me think flavor bottle, what do you think mike


----------



## madman

heres the reverse


----------



## madman

property of the northern coca cola bottling co.  reverse reads grand rapids


----------



## ajb_bottle_man

Hey GAC I have one u might be interested in   CELEBRATED CLICQUOT CLUB TRADEMARK REGISTERED BEVERAGES MADE IN AMERICA ,NO8 .......all that is embossed on the front,aqua in color,10 in tall,2 5/8 round and L.13 on the bottom with a7 underneath that. Excellent shape. Do you know that bottle? If u do and your interested let me know .I might have a pict somewhere    later ajb


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Mike- I never knew that Wolverine was sold as a flavor brand, but your bottles sure seem to prove that!  So far it's Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Toledo.  Wonder who was the first one?  I'd lean towards Detroit, and maybe they sold the brand name Wolverine along with the ginger ale flavor extract to the other bottlers.  Ginger ale was a tough flavor to make well, and some bottlers favored buying a successful brand's extract than trying on their own.  As far as the unmarked bottles being flavors, that is probably true and one might find Wolverine bottle caps for Birch, Cherry, Kola, Orange, Sarsapirilla, Lime Rickey or any other popular ones of the day.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Pontil Meister,

 Yep, I am familiar with that bottle.  Here is the bottle with the label.  My example has an applied top (BIMAL- blown in mold applied lip).  I believe that it was the last bottle Clicquot Club made before going to the machine made.  The embossing on some of these is clearer than others. Yours may look like it reads N08, but it really is 1908. Some of the 1908 embossed ones were machine-made, I think. Thanks for asking about it.


----------



## Ace of spades

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=005&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=150061599407&rd=1&rd=1

 That is a ACL ginger ale you may be interested in.

 Cheers 
 Ace of spades


----------



## cobaltbot

Hey Madman the base of your Wolverine ginger ale looks like it says it was made at the Ovens Illinois plant in Streator, Illinois in 1930.


----------



## ajb_bottle_man

Hey Gac...sweeeet picts and that's the one! Oh well thought we'd ask any way.Appreciate the history on it.   later ajb


----------



## madman

hey gac and cobalt thanks for the info,  heres one more wolverine 24 oz, ive posted this before just not on this thread enjoy


----------



## Tony14

Thought i would bring this one back! Lets see some more ginger ale bottles!!!


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Tony- yes it might just be time to start posting some more ginger ales- however, I've been so busy- haven't had much time for this fun stuff!  In the meantime, here's one shelf of the ginger ale collection to wet your appetite! Thanks for making contact. . .

 GAC ( Ken)


----------



## LC

I can not see the picture real well, but it looks as though you have a round bottom in some kind of a holder or stand. Could you post of good picture of it ?


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi LC,

 Not sure which Round Bottom in the stand you were looking at- there are three in the picture!  So here they are:

 1) Comstock & Gove, Sparkling Ginger Ale, 30 Canal St. Boston, MA.  This is from a pretty old firm in Boston that date back 20-30 years before this 1870s bottle.  Not a common bottle.
 2) U.S. Ginger Ale, Ohio Bottling Works, Cleveland, OH- This is the tallest round bottom I've seen, over 10 inches.  I don't know too much about this bottle except that it is the only one I've known of.
 3) This one is from Ontario, Canada- H.W. Bilton- it has an anchor and 1868 on the reverse- it is an early "Hamilton" style torpedo shape- and not many of these are around, the Canadian collectors tell me.


----------



## Tony14

Hey GAC, I still hae that billy baxter that i posted back on page 9. Im running out of room so i need to sell some bottles.[]Do you have one in your collection?


----------



## LC

Wasn't referring to this picture G A C, was referring to your display of bottles you had posted. Looked like you were displaying a round bottom soda upright  in some sort of a self made stand to enable it to stand up instead of laying on its side. Maybe I am seeing things again !!


----------



## LC

Ginger Ale Collector, was going to make some sort of pedestals for the round bottom Ginger Ales I have, just sort of liked what I saw, if there was some sort of a stand holding your bottle upright.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

LC-  !!!! Thought you were interested in the bottles- didn't get it that the stand was what you wanted to see.  In the days when these ginger ale bottles were used, the bottle was brought to the table in a restaurant, hotel, bar, boat, or train- and these holders were used.  They were had many designs, and some were sterling silver, but most were only plated silver on brass.  Railroads used them quite a bit, and many have the RR's name stamped on the base.  Here are four- the most common type was the thin "spokes" (3# from left). A rarer type was the torpedo style (#2 from left) which I use for the Canadian RB in the previous post.  They can cost anywhere from $15 to $500 depending on style and if they are stamped with a RR or Hotel name.  If anyone has a few of these for me and LC- that would be good- I need a few more for my RBs as well. . .

 GAC


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Tony- yes I've got that Billy Baxter- nice bottle-  

 Here's a ginger pop (a variant of ginger ale) I found at a show in Baltimore- a little different pop bottle I'd say.  Eastport ME is way down east- almost in Canada.  Wonder if our friend Sam in Maine has seen this one. . .


----------



## LC

Thanks much G. A. C. . I knew exactly what they were as I started reading your response. I saw one of these on eBay, I am thinking like last year sometimes, had forgotten all about it. I also remember I was going to put a watch on it to see what it would bring, forgot all about it, and never did see what the results ended up being. If I remember right, the holder was for Hires Root Beer. I do remember for sure it was for a root beer, might be wrong about the Hires though. Those are truly nice. I only have three or four round bottom ginger ales, but will have to jury rig my own holder I guess, those are a bit too pricey for me at the time. 

      Do you by chance have a Fritz round bottom from Newport, Ky. in your collection ? I dug one of them years ago in Cincinnati. I ran into a big time soda guy from Ky. shortly after I found it , and asked him for information about it. He said there was no such thing as a Fritz round bottom, gave me the old down your nose look, and walked off. I assumed he did not have one !! I have never seen another of them either, although I am sure there are more out there some place. If you do not have one, and would like to see a picture of one of them, I will dig it out and take a picture of it and the others I have.  Just curious as to whether or not you have seen or had one of them. Thanks again for the reply on the holders, I appreciate it greatly. On second thought, I know a fellow that is quite handy at metal work, I might take him a picture of them , buy some 3/16" or 1/4" steel rods, and see if he could possibly make me a few ! Thanks again, Lou[/align]


----------



## Tony14

All right figured i should give you  a shot before i put her on the market. I like them round bottoms.


----------



## LC

Hello Tony, can not figure out what you are referring to. *Yes, I am in a daze again* I guess. What is it you are referring to??


----------



## Tony14

> Hey GAC, I still hae that billy baxter that i posted back on page 9. Im running out of room so i need to sell some bottles.Do you have one in your collection?


 Up about 5 or 6 posts.


----------



## LC

Tony, I see what you are referring to now. The question you were asking was directed to  G.A.C. but you were replying through my post. Sorry,  L C


----------



## Tony14

Its  fine. Kinda my bad...Unless your interested in it?[]


----------



## LC

I am not interested in it Tony, it is a nice bottle though. Thanks for asking me though, I might have been had it been something I really liked.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Lou- I think we have all had an expert tell us that something just ain't so when we know it is.  Oh well.  Just when I think I've seen all the ginger ales- something pops up like your Fritz.  One question- is it embossed ginger ale?  Round bottom bottles were used for lots of flavors besides ginger ale, I have seen RBs without ginger ale embossed with paper labels for sarsaprilla, lemon, birch beer, etc.  For me to count it as a ginger ale "proper" it has to be embossed or have a ginger ale paper label.  Please do post the ones that are embossed ginger ale.  Maybe another one I am unaware of!

 I have a bit of trouble displaying my round bottom ginger ales on a shelf- and came up with another method- see what you think!

 GAC


----------



## LC

I have three different Ginger Ale bottles and have pictured them below in three posts GAC, not sure of I have anymore someplace or not, took me a while to find these three ! As for the Fritz Ginger Ale , you can count it , it is embossed Ginger Ale on the back side . The complete embossing ; Front Embossed  - *FELIX FRITZ COVINGTON, KY. ; THIS BOTTLE NEVER SOLD* . Embossed on the back - *GINGER ALE* - The letter F embossed on the bottom. I dug a few round bottoms that had a triangle shaped label still intact, only in poor condition. I could see enough of it to see ginger ale on it but not who the maker was, always though that a shame.
 As for the way you have your round bottoms displayed, I see nothing wrong with it at all, looks alright ! That is better than what I have came up with ( *which is absolutely nothing*!).


----------



## LC

This one is embossed - *GRATTAN & Co. Ltd. BELFAST IRELAND*. Other side embossed *ESTD 1825; G & C* interlocked ; *ORIGINAL MAKERS OF GINGER ALE*. Large G embossed on bottom. I have always liked this one really well, it has some very nice embossing, wish it could have been from the states. I have seen three of these over the years, and they all looked like this one. They came out of the ground with not a speck of stain on them. I dug this one as well as the other two.


----------



## LC

You should be able to see this one with no problem as for being able to see the embossing.


----------



## bottlenutboy

hey GAC i havent seen you on here in a WHILE!, we gotta bring this thread back to life i love your GA's


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

LC- what a great Kentucky ginger ale!  Never seen one before.  Really nice.  The Grattan is an interesting one because their bottles always claimed "Original Makers of Ginger Ale"- but there has never been any proof that they were.  Most evidence points to a Dr. Cantrell of Belfast Ireland in 1852.  He joined up with Henry Cochrane in the mid 1860s to make the famous C & C brand- which I believe is still in existence today.  The Grattan bottles are fairly easy to come across, especially since any steamer coming to America from Ireland was always loaded with ginger ale, whether it was Grattan or C&C, and several others that were imported at the time.  The Dows is also interesting, because Gustave Dow of Boston was credited with inventing the marble soda fountain in 1861.  The Dow bottle is not as easy to find as the Grattan- but not the rarest of American round bottom ginger ales.  However, your Fritz is pretty unusal-  in fact- if you ever think of letting it go- I think I know where it would find a good home. . .  ;-)  Thanks for the pics.

 GAC


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hey there Bottlenutboy- it's good to be back-  however, I'll have to see how much time I can spare to keep going for a while-  I noticed in another thread by Jamus about Prince Edward Island pop bottles.  It just so happens that I have one from P.E.I- a little older than the ACLs they were talking about- but kinda neat looking-

 GAC


----------



## LC

Thanks for the info GAC, I also have one of the Cochrane  and Cantrell bottles somewhere. As you say, I have seen quite a few of them but not many of the Grattan 's. Will keep you in mind concerning the Fritz if I decide to let it go. I would say it would be a good place to go and would fit in more than well in your collection of Ginger Ale bottles.


----------



## urban archeologist

hey ginger ale collector

 new guy here, how about this circle a brand girnger ale i just dug is it of any intrest to you.

 neil

 p.s. it is one on the right


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Neil,

 Circle A items are really popular these days.  It looks like you have an early crown top of theirs.  Oddly enough, none of the Circle A bottles that I know of are embossed ginger ale!  To my knowledge, they all had paper labels that said ginger ale.  The early ones had diamond-shaped labels that were a light yellow or green with three-leafed clover (shamrocks) that was a reference to ginger ale's Irish heritage.  I have one of those bottles, but now am waiting for a label to turn up!  Thanks for asking.

 GAC


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello all-

 During my travels have picked up a couple of interesting ginger ales.  Here's one that has quite a bit of history, and what appears to be some "artistic" license taken on the label art work.  It's from Chicago, ILL, but the subject matter is in northern Georgia.  Whomever owned the Citrus Products Company in Chicago was a southern patriot as the label is the Civil War Memorial in Stone Mountain Georgia.  This is an interesting story, as it took 60 years to complete, finally done in 1972.  While the carving shows none of the horse's legs, it turns out the bottle label reflects the original design. The bottom half of the design was scrapped to save time!  The bottle label was made before the carving was finished without the legs. If you want to read more about this- go here:  http://ngeorgia.com/attractions/stonemountaincarving.html

 You never know where a ginger ale bottle will take you!


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello Bottle Forum- after a long absence I found some time to post a picture of some the ginger ale bottles that have come my way.  Going left to right !) James Ray Ginger Ale, Savannah GA in a rare medium blue. These usually are a very dark royal cobalt. Late 1870s early 1880s. 2) Next is a dark teal green crown from Jamaica. Montego Bay Steam Bottling company, label only- probably early 1900s. 3) Lime Rock Springs Ginger Ale, Dubuque, IA, probably late 1930s, 4) Granite State Springs Ginger Ale, Atkinson, NH. The back of the bottle is embossed with the same scene as the label, very rare to get a complete label. The ginger ale neck label is actually a feather shape. Around 1920. 5) East Mountain Ginger Ale, Factoryville, PA. This style bottle which took a small cork and a wire closer, like champagne was popular with spring water companies in late 1890s.  Many spas and mineral spring companies also bottled their "waters" in these bottles. 6) Arctic Dry, a very rare painted label from Canada (Windsor Bottling Company), not sure of date, but could be late 1940s.  and 7) a yellow amber G. Ebberwein  ginger ale ( embossed ginger ale on reverse) from Savannah.  This bottle came in about seven different colors including black amber and chartreuse, and even plain old aqua!  This yellowish one is hard to come by. All date from mid 1880s.  Well that's it for now.

 Ken- (GAC- Ginger Ale Collector)


----------



## madman

WOW! IM GLAD TO SEE THIS ONE BACK! CMON GUYS LETS SEE MORE GINGERALE BOTTLES!


----------



## cowseatmaize

I only had one and don't know if I still do or not. It was a round bottom Caswell & Hazard.


----------



## madman

ACLS


----------



## madman

CMON GUYS LETS BLOW THE ROOF OFF THIS THING!


----------



## madman

MORE  BUFFALO ROCK, DOUBLE DRY KNOXVILLE TN.,  CASCADE, VA,


----------



## madman

PIX


----------



## bubbas dad

GAC, nice to hear from you. looks like some nice finds.


----------



## druggistnut

Hi GAC,
 I also have the McCullough's bottle and spent a couple of fruitless days trying to run it down. I posted on here about a year ago regarding it, too.
 My friend has an amber quart blob, no slugplate, embossed S and H Ginger Ale. The back is embossed Not To be Sold. No makers mark.
 I will try to get a pic from him, but no promises.
 It was dug in Michigan.
 Any ideas?
 Thanks, and GREAT topic!
 Bill


----------



## celerycola

I have a 12 ounce ten pin Brayer's Hi-Ball Ginger Ale from Rochester NY. I probably have a few more ginger ales in my bottle show sales boxes.

 I have a lot of history on soft drinks in general and ginger ale in particular from forty years of research and have written several books on soda history. If you decide to write a book let me know and I give you a ton of information.


----------



## rico2002

[] Hi, I have a wolverine box and three of the Wolverine bottles that you have posted a picture here. They do not say ginger ale on the bottle like the one you have very heavy bottle, would like to know about the history of this bottle and if they are worth anything including the wooden crate they came in. Thank You


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello-  GAC here- back again after a long absence-  The Caswell and Harzard is a nice bottle- fairly common- comes in a greenish aqua that stands out. The company was a famous druggist and medicinal supply firm in the mid to late 1800s. The bottle is probably late 1880s.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Bill- I've been away from the forum for a while- but I have the same trouble with the McCullough's bottle you do! Still no info! If your buddy still has the S and H blob embossed ginger ale- I'm interested. Have no idea!  The closest I come to S & H is D & H.   Ken.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Celery Cola- I've been away from the forum for a while- bit I believe I met you a few years ago at the York National show- you had a great display of your Celery Colas, if I'm not mistaken.  The Brayers Ginger Ale from Rochester is not a common bottle. It is in my collection along with a couple of its cousins from Brockport, NY., which is about 20 miles west of Rochester. Not sure what was up with the ten-pin style, but they are all nice bottles from the 1930s.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Rico- I wish I knew more about the Wolverine- I haven't turned up any new information- and the Web isn't much help either.  We'll keep looking and learning! There's got to be a Michigan or Ohio person who could help. Here's an earlier post: https://www.antique-bottles.net/forum/m-30298/mpage-10/tm.htm  Thanks, Ken


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hey Madman- I'm back again- don't know about blowing the roof off- but here are some new additions to my collection of ginger ales: Left to right: 1) Wargin's Dry from Buffalo, NY, 1943, 2) Eureka Club, not sure of location- 16 sides!, also comes in a 7 oz, same design, 3) Beverly Club- Golden State Bottling Company, rare art deco, from the 1930s, 4) Here's an odd one, no company name- it is suspected to be Josiah Russel, who had locations in London and Rotterdam, Netherlands. The bottle was purchased from the Netherlands, who knows? Great color- probably 1890s. 5) Indiana Club- Jeffersonville, 1948- pretty rare, 6) White House ginger ale, Standard Bottling, Boston, MA, flag embossed on reserve. You see the bottle often, but hardly ever with the label. 7) Polar- from Panama- and yes that is Antarctica, reminding us northern hemisphere folks that there is a different view of the world! 1966, 8) Watsonville Cider and Ginger Ale Company, San Fransisco-  very rare, and in perfect condition- almost as if it was never used.


----------



## rwl777

I have an old Genuine Belfast Ginger Ale CD Dow Boston bottle that  doesn't stand up.

 Any idea what it's worth?  I found it about 35 years ago in an unusal place in Boston.

 I can send a picture to an email address but it won't load on this site.  Message is "too large"


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi- welcome!  Your Dow's is one of the more common round bottom ginger ale bottles.  It dates from about 1880 or later. Dow's claims to have started up in 1861 as the inventor of  the first marble sound fountain apparatus. The bottle in mint condition is worth $25-30, but I have seen them sold for lower and higher than that.


----------



## epackage

Hi G.A.C., here are a few local to me....Jim

*28oz.*


----------



## epackage

*28oz. ACL*


----------



## epackage

*Another 28oz. they were popular around here*


----------



## epackage

*6oz. Singer's*


----------



## epackage

*and it's HALF GALLON Big Brother...*


----------



## Dragon0421

here is an old georgia one


----------



## Dragon0421

back of the bottle


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Jim-

 Nice NJ bottles!  I have some of the paper labels and the Singer's, but not the ACLs.  I'll look through my ginger ale paper label collection to see if I have any from Paterson. Thanks!


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Dragon- that aqua Ebberwein ginger ale is not a very common one- and it probably was a Hutchinson style that had the wire "hook" with a rubber stopper that was pulled up and the between the tension of the wire and the pressure from the soda, it sealed the contents- kinda. . . it wasn't a very successful closure, and when the crown cap was invented in 1892, the days of "Hutches" were soon over. Somewhere in this post I think I have a pic of full Hutch from Vermont- if not I'll post it later. In the meantime here's the Ebberwein ginger ale in a range of colors.  There's a few colors variations I don't have, but they don't seem to surface much these days. Thanks for posting yours.


----------



## epackage

> ORIGINAL:  Ginger Ale collector
> 
> Hi Jim-
> 
> Nice NJ bottles!  I have some of the paper labels and the Singer's, but not the ACLs.  I'll look through my ginger ale paper label collection to see if I have any from Paterson. Thanks!


 I look forward to seeing anything you find, I like the fact that you specialize in something..


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Looks like the picture of the Ebberwein's didn't post correctly- I'll try again.


----------



## Dragon0421

That is one nice line up. Guess there will be more to look for thanks for the pic of them had no idea they were that many diffrent ones.


----------



## capgama

Here are 2 bottles from 1991,,never opened


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Capgama,

 I haven't seen those before- very nice.  My ginger ale collection doesn't go much past the mid-1960s, but it starts in the late 1860's. Vernor's claims to be one of the first makers of ginger ale in the US, which is possible, but there's not a lot of proof that another bottler might have been before them.  Gray's in Wisconsin claims to have started bottling soda in 1856, but a ginger ale bottle from that period hasn't popped up yet.  What is interesting about Vernor's is that until about 1900, almost all of Vernor's ginger ale was sold as a soda fountain drink, and not by the bottle.  James Vernor believed ginger was best served freshly made, poured out from a pitcher. It was only until competition forced them into starting bottling. So even though they were making ginger ale in the late 1800's, I have not seen a bottle that wasn't a crown top style.  Here's the earliest Vernor's I've seen, dated 1906. The bottle was blown into a mold, but the crown top was added by hand. Very soon after that, most bottles were made by machine and the days of handmade bottles was over in the U.S.  The embossing says "Only genuine when the crown cork has the above design in red." So, your 1991 Vernor's bottles have a lot of history behind them!  Ever tasted Vernor's (don't recommend your 1991 vintage)? It is still available- it tastes more like a cream soda to me, and many of the Vernor's bottles in the 1960s actually said "ginger soda" rather than ginger ale.

 Ken (GAC as many call me in this forum).


----------



## hemihampton

Never seen a Vernors like that. Mine has the 1906 Pure Food act along back side. LEON.


----------



## LC

Here is a few Ginger-Ales I have in case you would like to see them . The first one is embossed GENUINE BELFAST - GINGER ALE -G. D. DOWS & CO. - BOSTON .

 The second one is embossed GRATTAN & CO - BELFAST IRELAND - ESTd 1825 - ORIGINAL MAKERS OF GINGER ALE

 The third one is embossed FELIX FRITZ - COVINGTON , KY. - GINGER ALE - THIS BOTTLE IS NEVER SOLD
 I think I also have out in the building out back a paper label ginger ale crown top from Cincinnati . Sorry the picture is not better . I try and I try and I can never seem to get a good picture of a bottle in this house .


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Leon- and I've never seen a Vernor's with the Food & Drug Act embossed vertically like that! Wow!  While I collect ginger ale bottles, I'm not an expert on all the Vernor's bottles that are out there.  There is one that I would like to find- it is a Vernor's extract bottle that looks like an old medicine bottle, about quart size. It is embossed with the name and ginger ale on it and I believe was sold to soda fountains.  Anyway, here's a Vernor's paper label that's not too common. You see the bottle a lot without the label.  Thanks for posting yours.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi LC- thanks for posting those pictures. The Fritz one from Kentucky is great! Don't have that one in my collection! The Dows can be found fairly often and the Grattan is common.  (Grattan claimed to be the "Original Makers of Ginger Ale", but I've not found any proof of it.) 

 Not sure why you are having troubles with taking pictures. It might be that you are too close with the camera. Some cameras can only get about 3 feet away, any closer and everything is out of focus. The other thought may be that if you are taking the pictures without a flash in low light- some cameras have to be absolutely still, otherwise the picture is blurry.

 I know you are from Ohio, but your Fritz bottle made me think of Kentucky.  So here are some Kentucky bottles, all from Louisville.  The Ortels is probably from prohibition days as they were brewers.


----------



## LC

Thanks for posting them up , I have a load of crown top acls and embossed ones in the building that I bought quite a few years back , they are just sitting in the building in milk crates . It was a really pretty day here today . I had planned on getting hold of the ginger ale paper label which I am thinking is on a shelf in the building and taking a picture of it today , and it completely slipped my mind . If I can remember it tomorrow , I will  try and get a picture of it up .

  As for the Fritz ginger ale , you are correct , it is from Covington , Kentucky . Dug it on the river bank on the Ohio side right across from Covington . The blasted baseball stadium is now part of that spot regretfully . The Gratts is common as you state but I have always felt it is one of the nicest embossed sodas out there . I have also seen several of the Dow's bottles over the years as well .

 You are right about the picture problem . My problem is definitely not enough light in this house to take a good picture . I usually try to take most of my pics outside through the day light hours when I can .


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello epackage- nothing from Patterson, NJ.  Have some from Elizabeth and Jersey City- will post when I get a chance.  However, I do have the label for the six ounce Singer's you posted. Being curious as I am, I decided to look at a map of Patterson to see what the Pollock R.R. (assume railroad) was all about. There's not a scrap of information about it and none of the maps of Patterson show a Pollock R.R.!  Do you know anything about it? It reminds me that printers and bottlers were often sly and full of tricks when it came to what they put on paper labels. What's also interesting is that a competitor not far from Patterson had their labels printed in the same colors.  Wonder who came first!


----------



## epackage

Samuel Pollock had a silk mill in the city, the railroad must have had a regular stop/station nearby....


----------



## LC

Well , I was looking back through the post and saw that I had already posted the Ginger Ales I posted the other evening already in an earlier post , sorry for wasting your time and band width . Did make it out to the building today and found the Union Bottling Works Ginger Ale bottle I was telling you about . This is an acl along with the paper label showing the flavor of the drink . Can't say I have seen another pop bottle that was both acl and paper label .


----------



## johnfitzgerald

Any info or interest in this embossed bottle? The Gorman Ginger Ale Co. Baltinore, MD?
 John


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi John,

 The "s" in the script embossing is often read as an "r".  This is the Gosman Ginger Ale Company. Their bottles are fairly common without the label. This bottle is probably from the mid-1920s, maybe later. I've seen Gosman signs that say "Since 1870", but I have yet to see a bottle from that period. There are Gosman Ginger Ale advertising pieces from the 1890s. For this one, without the label and damage to the crown top, there's not much in this one for a collector, I'm afraid to say, but thanks for posting it. Here's an example of a more collectable Gosman bottle. 

 GAC (Ken)


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi LC

 Yes it is unusual to find an ACL with a paper label. Yes, we did mention some of those bottles in an earlier post, but not a waste of time, just a reminder that we've have good posts.

 Speaking of paper labels, here's one of the themes in my ginger ale collection: Native Americans (Indians if you prefer). The first from the left is unusual because the label is actually on the correct bottle. For some reason these Blackhawk labels are very common and find their way onto all kinds of bottles they should not be on! The second is a BIMAL (blown in mold applied top) from late 1890s-1910 from Atkinson Depot, NH. The same scene is embossed on the reverse. Third is Sand Springs from Williamstown, MA. The local history is that native people showed the settlers where the good water was back in the late 1600's. Last is another from Atkinson Depot. The name reflects the fact that Hi-Brow was shipped into Boston and other cities as an "elite" beverage. Probably was the same as other ginger ales, but anything made with spring water was thought to be superior, and the bottlers took advantage of that.


----------



## LC

Those are quite nice , always nice to see the colorful labels such as these , thanks for your effort in posting them . Did you notice that the label with the Indians on them are all spring related ?


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi LC,

 Since the mid-1800's or earlier, mineral water companies promoted the health-giving properties of their particular spring water. These bottlers figured out they could capitalize on ginger ale's popularity and increase sales by making it with their pure water. Here are a few more spring-related ginger ales. From left to right, Greenbrier (a famous resort on its own) White Sulphur Springs, WVA-  early 1940s, Ute Chief Springs, Manitou, CO (at the foot of the Rocky Mountains) early 1900s with an applied crown top, Lime Rock Springs, Dubuque, Iowa, - 1930s and Lithia Polaris, Boonville, NY- early 1900s with applied crown top.  (Don't ask me what the "polaris" means in regard to the water!.) You'll note that the last one says "non-intoxicant". There was a time that the temperance movement decided that because of the "ale" in its name, ginger ale was suspected to contain alcohol. Additionally, the ginger extract used to make ginger ale was indeed contain a lot of alcohol (50%), but the finished product did not. To combat the bad press, and assure their temperance-minded customers that their ginger ale would not violate their "pledge", bottlers added "non intoxicant" or "alcohol-free" to their labels.


----------



## LC

Some more nice labels . I have several crown tp sodas with paper labels but never did find many . Stumbled onto an album I have been looking for forever full of vinatge beer labels . There are some pretty nice ones in it . Been wanting to take some pics of some of them but have not got around to doing so .


----------



## madman

> ORIGINAL:  Ginger Ale collector
> 
> Hi LC,
> 
> Since the mid-1800's or earlier, mineral water companies promoted the health-giving properties of their particular spring water. These bottlers figured out they could capitalize on ginger ale's popularity and increase sales by making it with their pure water. Here are a few more spring-related ginger ales. From left to right, Greenbrier (a famous resort on its own) White Sulphur Springs, WVA-  early 1940s, Ute Chief Springs, Manitou, CO (at the foot of the Rocky Mountains) early 1900s with an applied crown top, Lime Rock Springs, Dubuque, Iowa, - 1930s and Lithia Polaris, Boonville, NY- early 1900s with applied crown top.  (Don't ask me what the "polaris" means in regard to the water!.) You'll note that the last one says "non-intoxicant". There was a time that the temperance movement decided that because of the "ale" in its name, ginger ale was suspected to contain alcohol. Additionally, the ginger extract used to make ginger ale was indeed contain a lot of alcohol (50%), but the finished product did not. To combat the bad press, and assure their temperance-minded customers that their ginger ale would not violate their "pledge", bottlers added "non intoxicant" or "alcohol-free" to their labels.


 the lime rock deco bottle is very cool !


----------



## madman

heres my latest addition quart  1951


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Madman,

 When I saw your mention of Toledo sodas, I took a look at how many ginger ales I had from Toledo- and was I surprised with only two! Variety Club and that beautiful profile of Queen Victoria. So, to make up for it, added a few more OH crown tops- on the left, E-Jay from Van Wert, OH, then next to the Queen is Cotton Club with three towns listed; Akron, Ashtabula, Cleveland, and then a little ten pin from Deerfield, OH- the neck label on the other side says ginger ale of course.


----------



## madman

great bottles there! the variety club gingerale has eluded me  hope to find a nice one, again great stuff!


----------



## CreekWalker

Th!e native American and spring themed ginger ale labels are awesome, thanks for posting those


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Creekwalker,

 Just as I was surprised about only having two ginger ale bottles from Toledo in an earlier post, I am just as surprised that I only have two ginger ales from Tennessee. And they couldn't be any different; one is the Double Dry ACL from Chattanooga, and the other is McCormack's Celebrated Ginger Ale. I posted the McCormacks in post #40 in this thread, but here it is again.


----------



## LC

Now that's a beauty .


----------



## squirtbob

What a great thread. I had no idea there were so many different ginger ales. This Par-T-Pak from 1938 is nice and I didn't see an exact picture of one, so I thought I'd add it to the mix. Promised it to another member.


----------



## squirtbob

Back of the 1938 Par-T-Pak


----------



## celerycola

Topaz Lithia Ginger Ale
 Jarvis' Celery Tonic Bottling Works
 Jackson MS


----------



## celerycola

> ORIGINAL:  celerycola
> 
> Topaz Lithia Ginger Ale
> Jarvis' Celery Tonic Bottling Works
> Jackson MS


----------



## celerycola

Radio Ginger Ale Boston 1928
 Town and Country Ginger Ale New York 1931


----------



## celerycola

Radio Ginger Ale closeup


----------



## celerycola

Town and Country Ginger Ale Closeup


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Squirtbob,

 That's a great Par-T-Pak!  Too bad it is already spoken for. What also is interesting is the back of the bottle showing the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.  It looked familiar to me and it was. The Rum's Dry Ginger Ale brand, like Par-T-Pak was a NEHI brand.  The 7 oz ACL I have shows the sale GH seal, and in fact the same "Serial Number", 4897.  Some years ago, being a an inquisitive fellow, I wrote to the Good Housekeeping folks and asked if they knew anything about #4897 and if they had any of the testing results. "Oh we didn't keep those old records. . ." Oh, well. Would have been nice. I did learn that the outfit has been around since 1909. I've never seen another brand with the GH seal.  Here are the Rum's Dry's: Left is the 7 oz, then a 10 oz version and finally a 6.5 oz Golden variety.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Madman,

 I'm not ready to break up my ginger ale collection quite yet, but when I do, I'll see if you've found a Variety Club yet.  Since we are on the subject of ACLs, us New Englanders digging out from 2-3 feet of snow would like to see another color than white! Here's a line up of color, left to right 1) Black Rock Buffalo  NY, 1950, 2) Woodcock, Georgetown, SC, date ??, 3) Skinner's, Harrisburg, PA 1941, 4) Scotia, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, date ??? 5) Booth, Philadelphia 1947, 6) Old Nassau, Mineola , L.I., NY, 1947.

 Ken


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Celery Cola,

 Thanks for posting those ginger ales, I'm familiar with all of them except the Topaz. Really neat- must be super rare to find one with a complete label. It looks like it might be from the Prohibition era as many soda bottlers used the "idle" beer bottles during that period. When I get a chance I'll post of few the ginger ales I have that appear to be in beer bottles.  Thanks.


----------



## celerycola

Actually the Topaz is circa 1910 or so. I bought it with two labelled Jarvis' Celery Tonic nearly thirty years ago. All three are bimal bottles and Jarvis died in 1912. 


> ORIGINAL:  Ginger Ale collector
> 
> Hi Celery Cola,
> 
> Thanks for posting those ginger ales, I'm familiar with all of them except the Topaz. Really neat- must be super rare to find one with a complete label. It looks like it might be from the Prohibition era as many soda bottlers used the "idle" beer bottles during that period. When I get a chance I'll post of few the ginger ales I have that appear to be in beer bottles.  Thanks.


----------



## squirtbob

I have a 6 OZ. Rums Dry Ginger Ale. It is an Owens-Illinois bottle dating to 1938. It also has the Good Housekeeping seal and also has the number 4897. Nehi Bottling and bottle size all heavily embossed near the heel of the bottle. I've noticed that some of the earliest acl's were 6 OZ. bottles. Unfortunately the acl has faded on this one. You have an incredible collection.


> ORIGINAL:  Ginger Ale collector
> 
> Hi Squirtbob,
> 
> That's a great Par-T-Pak!  Too bad it is already spoken for. What also is interesting is the back of the bottle showing the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.  It looked familiar to me and it was. The Rum's Dry Ginger Ale brand, like Par-T-Pak was a NEHI brand.  The 7 oz ACL I have shows the sale GH seal, and in fact the same "Serial Number", 4897.  Some years ago, being a an inquisitive fellow, I wrote to the Good Housekeeping folks and asked if they knew anything about #4897 and if they had any of the testing results. "Oh we didn't keep those old records. . ." Oh, well. Would have been nice. I did learn that the outfit has been around since 1909. I've never seen another brand with the GH seal.  Here are the Rum's Dry's: Left is the 7 oz, then a 10 oz version and finally a 6.5 oz Golden variety.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Squirtbob,

 My Rum's Dry is "6 oz." also. Must be the same vintage bottle, although I'm never sure I read the bottom of the bottle correctly. Mine has 3, then the Owens Illinois mark, and then 9. Is that 1939? On the size, I always get fooled between what's embossed and the actual size of the bottle. When you put the Rum's "6 oz." next to one labeled 7 oz., there's no discernible difference in size.  But when I really read the embossing on the Rum's it has "Min. contents 6 oz." So it could hold 7 oz., I suppose.  Thank for the nice words on the collection. I decided years ago to focus on a category nobody else seemed interested in. Well, 30 years later. . . ;-).  Ken


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

> ORIGINAL:  celerycola
> 
> Actually the Topaz is circa 1910 or so. I bought it with two labelled Jarvis' Celery Tonic nearly thirty years ago. All three are bimal bottles and Jarvis died in 1912.
> 
> 
> 
> ORIGINAL:  Ginger Ale collector
> 
> Hi Celery Cola,
> 
> Thanks for posting those ginger ales, I'm familiar with all of them except the Topaz. Really neat- must be super rare to find one with a complete label. It looks like it might be from the Prohibition era as many soda bottlers used the "idle" beer bottles during that period. When I get a chance I'll post of few the ginger ales I have that appear to be in beer bottles.  Thanks.
Click to expand...

 Hi celerycola,  Good information there. Thanks.  Here are a couple of beer bottle styles with ginger ale labels. On the left, pretty sure it's Prohibition era from Montana. On the right, it's a puzzle. The bottle from Henry Maillard (a famous grocer in NYC) is embossed on the bottom with the AB "run together" which I believe is the Anheuser Busch mark. However, the bottle is BIMAL which could date it before Prohibition. But, as we know, BIMAL bottles were used for many years after the ABM really took over. So, it still could be prohibition era ginger ale. It is a puzzle.


----------



## madman

GREAT BOTTLES!


----------



## celerycola

Nevin Frank was sued by Coca-Cola in 1926 for labeling their own cola with Coca-Cola labels.


----------



## squirtbob

Yes, 1939 is the bottle date. You are correct the 6oz must mean "minimum" as the Rum's Dry bottle holds 7 oz.


> ORIGINAL:  Ginger Ale collector
> 
> Hi Squirtbob,
> 
> My Rum's Dry is "6 oz." also. Must be the same vintage bottle, although I'm never sure I read the bottom of the bottle correctly. Mine has 3, then the Owens Illinois mark, and then 9. Is that 1939? On the size, I always get fooled between what's embossed and the actual size of the bottle. When you put the Rum's "6 oz." next to one labeled 7 oz., there's no discernible difference in size.  But when I really read the embossing on the Rum's it has "Min. contents 6 oz." So it could hold 7 oz., I suppose.  Thank for the nice words on the collection. I decided years ago to focus on a category nobody else seemed interested in. Well, 30 years later. . . ;-).  Ken


----------



## epackage

> ORIGINAL:  Ginger Ale collector
> The bottle from Henry Maillard (a famous grocer in NYC) is embossed on the bottom with the *AB "run together"* which I believe is the Anheuser Busch mark.


 Most likely American Bottling Company...


 â– AB (letters attached) Coâ€¦â€¦â€¦..American Bottle Company (1905-1929). See also A.B.CO. mark. This and the above mark were attributed to Adolphus Busch Glass Manufacturing Company by Julian Toulouse. Recent research (by Bill Lockhart, Alamogordo, NM) has indicated that the American Bottle Company was the actual source of bottles with the â€œABâ€ (letters attached) and â€œAB COâ€ marks. (Although, to be fair, I have received emails from a researcher who disagrees with Bill Lockhartâ€™s findings. He asserts that the AB [connected] mark was indeed used by Adolphus Busch Glass Manufacturing Company even before the incorporation of American Bottle Company in late 1905, and he came to that conclusion because of (what he believes to be accurate research findings concerning) beginning/ending dates of operation of certain soda bottling companies that were located in Minnesota during that period of time).Perhaps time will settle this question for certain, but for now I am going with the American Bottle Company attribution. Since the â€œAB connected lettersâ€ mark is also found followed by the letters â€œCOâ€ this would seem to indicate that the actual name of the company in question would have to conform to the â€œA B COâ€ initialsâ€™ â€œstructureâ€ i.e., American Bottle Company. In other words, Adolphus Busch Glass Manufacturing Company, as far as I know, was never known as the â€œAdolphus Busch Companyâ€!!An additional note: The â€œABâ€ and â€œA.B.COâ€ marks are also frequently misunderstood by collectors to mean âœAnheuser-Buschâ€, which is definitely incorrect.


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

> ORIGINAL:  celerycola
> 
> Nevin Frank was sued by Coca-Cola in 1926 for labeling their own cola with Coca-Cola labels.


 Hi Celerycola,

 Thanks for the info. Here are all the Nevin Franks ginger ales I have. The one on the left is Montana Dry- tough to get the entire label in the picture. I guess they figured since Montana was so big, they'd make the label to match. The one in the middle might be the 1920's era which might be the same time that they got sued.

 Ken


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

> ORIGINAL:  epackage
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ORIGINAL:  Ginger Ale collector
> The bottle from Henry Maillard (a famous grocer in NYC) is embossed on the bottom with the *AB "run together"* which I believe is the Anheuser Busch mark.
> 
> 
> 
> Most likely American Bottling Company...
> 
> 
> â– AB (letters attached) Coâ€¦â€¦â€¦..American Bottle Company (1905-1929). See also A.B.CO. mark. This and the above mark were attributed to Adolphus Busch Glass Manufacturing Company by Julian Toulouse. Recent research (by Bill Lockhart, Alamogordo, NM) has indicated that the American Bottle Company was the actual source of bottles with the â€œABâ€ (letters attached) and â€œAB COâ€ marks. (Although, to be fair, I have received emails from a researcher who disagrees with Bill Lockhartâ€™s findings. He asserts that the AB [connected] mark was indeed used by Adolphus Busch Glass Manufacturing Company even before the incorporation of American Bottle Company in late 1905, and he came to that conclusion because of (what he believes to be accurate research findings concerning) beginning/ending dates of operation of certain soda bottling companies that were located in Minnesota during that period of time).Perhaps time will settle this question for certain, but for now I am going with the American Bottle Company attribution. Since the â€œAB connected lettersâ€ mark is also found followed by the letters â€œCOâ€ this would seem to indicate that the actual name of the company in question would have to conform to the â€œA B COâ€ initialsâ€™ â€œstructureâ€ i.e., American Bottle Company. In other words, Adolphus Busch Glass Manufacturing Company, as far as I know, was never known as the â€œAdolphus Busch Companyâ€!!An additional note: The â€œABâ€ and â€œA.B.COâ€ marks are also frequently misunderstood by collectors to mean â€œAnheuser-Buschâ€, which is definitely incorrect.
Click to expand...

 Hi epackage,

 Thanks for putting me on understanding more about the AB(connected) mark. The entry you listed above from David Whitten's great website on bottle marks has been updated. It appears that the AB connected mark on my labelled ginger ale was more likely to be Adolphus Busch Glass Manufacturing Company. Apparently, according to David, there has been some new evidence on the discussion.  Check it out at  http://www.glassbottlemarks.com/bottlemarks/#ABCDEF 

 In the meantime, thanks again. Here's the bottom of my bottle. No one is quite sure what the X 6 means yet.

 Ken


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hello all,

 Here's a ginger ale I'd love to add to my collection. So I'll put the word out on the forum. It's from Pottsville, PA. It comes in aqua, which I have. Anyone seen one of these? Here's the link to where the photo is from, Tod von Meechow's great site : http://www.sodasandbeers.com/SABShowBottle.aspx?Bottle=54517AA&Firm_Number=54517


----------



## hemihampton

Anybody ever see one of these? Ginger Ale cone top. LEON.


----------



## morbious_fod

> ORIGINAL:  Ginger Ale collector
> 
> Hi John,
> 
> Here's another example of a company going from the paper label to the ACL.  Berkley Springs was famous for their springwater up in the WVA mountains.  A lot of the sodawater companies started out as springwater bottlers and when they started getting competition from the "city" bottlers for customers, they branched out into soda- figuring that soda made with their springwater had to be better than that made with city water.  And a lot of customers agreed- so you'll see many bottler's names associated with "Springs" or Mineral Water.  White Rock soda started out as White Rock Mineral Water Company.  Lots of others too.


 
 Awesome Berkley Spring paper label. Didn't know there was one.


----------



## morbious_fod

> ORIGINAL:  Ginger Ale collector
> 
> Hello all-
> 
> During my travels have picked up a couple of interesting ginger ales.  Here's one that has quite a bit of history, and what appears to be some "artistic" license taken on the label art work.  It's from Chicago, ILL, but the subject matter is in northern Georgia.  Whomever owned the Citrus Products Company in Chicago was a southern patriot as the label is the Civil War Memorial in Stone Mountain Georgia.  This is an interesting story, as it took 60 years to complete, finally done in 1972.  While the carving shows none of the horse's legs, it turns out the bottle label reflects the original design. The bottom half of the design was scrapped to save time!  The bottle label was made before the carving was finished without the legs. If you want to read more about this- go here:  http://ngeorgia.com/attractions/stonemountaincarving.html
> 
> You never know where a ginger ale bottle will take you!


 
 A local bottler bottled this brand in a bottle with Stone Mountain embossed in the shoulder. Of course to futher confuse things we have a bottler a few counties away named Stone Mountain Bottling Company so we were left wondering for a long time if there was a connection. That was until I found out that Stone Mountain Ginger Ale is actually a product of the Citrus Products Company of Chicago, they are better known for their Kist and Blue Bird brands. With that Johnson City bottler being the Quality Orange Kist Company, it all fell into place. I purchased salesman book of Kist bottling labels and of course there was the very label on your bottle.


----------



## morbious_fod

> ORIGINAL:  Ginger Ale collector
> 
> Hi Squirtbob,
> 
> That's a great Par-T-Pak!  Too bad it is already spoken for. What also is interesting is the back of the bottle showing the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.  It looked familiar to me and it was. The Rum's Dry Ginger Ale brand, like Par-T-Pak was a NEHI brand.  The 7 oz ACL I have shows the sale GH seal, and in fact the same "Serial Number", 4897.  Some years ago, being a an inquisitive fellow, I wrote to the Good Housekeeping folks and asked if they knew anything about #4897 and if they had any of the testing results. "Oh we didn't keep those old records. . ." Oh, well. Would have been nice. I did learn that the outfit has been around since 1909. I've never seen another brand with the GH seal.  Here are the Rum's Dry's: Left is the 7 oz, then a 10 oz version and finally a 6.5 oz Golden variety.


 

 You're killin' me with that 1939 Bluefield VA Rums Dry. I have the 1938 version with the older duller acl, and the 1940 without the Good Housekeeping seal. Now you have me wanting that 1939 with the bright acl. Crap. LOL!


----------



## morbious_fod

The aforementioned dull acl 1938 from Bluefield.


----------



## morbious_fod

It's rarely seen 1952 12oz brother.


----------



## morbious_fod

And of course a 1953 Par-T-Pak Ginger Ale all from Bluefield, VA.


----------



## morbious_fod

From the earlier days when Bluefield, VA was still Graham, VA we have a Red Rock which of course at this time was a Ginger Ale, the Cola didn't come along until 1939.


----------



## morbious_fod

Now we move on up to one of the most famous local Ginger Ales in my area Rock Cliff Ginger Ale, bottled by the Rock Mineral Springs Company in Rock, WVA. This one is a 1941.


----------



## morbious_fod

Of course that label is based upon one of their earlier labels.


----------



## morbious_fod

A 1958 example.


----------



## morbious_fod

And a 24oz 1949.


----------



## morbious_fod

Now we go to quite possibly the most famous Ginger Ale from this area as it once had national distribution back in the teens and twenties, Was-Cott Ginger Ale. Here is one of the shipping crates.


----------



## morbious_fod

One of the three label designs the brand had during its paper label days.


----------



## morbious_fod

The 1920's green bottle and label design.


----------



## morbious_fod

The Was-Cott Corporation went out of business around 1930 and was purchased by one of its former directors who kept the brand but redesigned the bottle introducing their first and only acl design.


----------



## morbious_fod

Just up the road from Tazewell we have the Pocahontas Bottling Works of Pocahontas Virginia owned by Nick Crist whom this early 30's private brand was named for. Nick's Pale Dry Ginger Ale. Would love to find the paper label for this one.


----------



## morbious_fod

By 1935 he had renamed his private label Ginger Ale to Pocahontas Club and kicked off the Pocahontas Flavor line which would last into the early 1980's. Another one I would love to have the label for.


----------



## morbious_fod

Speaking of labeled bottles I would love to find is the Wyrick Spring Ginger Ale brand. All I have is advertising for it, but I did own one of the 12oz Wyrick Springs bottles that it was most likely bottled in once. Traded it though.


----------



## morbious_fod

Now we come to another local ginger ale brand from Marion, VA Blueridge Ginger Ale. Madman posted the 1950's 7oz earlier, but I figured I would post more from the brand. First up is a depression glass advertising tumbler for the brand.


----------



## morbious_fod

A 1942 paper label.


----------



## morbious_fod

And its 1959 cousin which held the brand when they created the Blue Ridge flavor line.


----------



## morbious_fod

While I'm not sure if this was a Ginger Ale or just a ginger soda, but here is Gin-Gera from around 1914. The brand was based in Norfolk VA.


----------



## morbious_fod

A Frankie's pale dry acl from Roanoke, VA that I picked up recently.


----------



## morbious_fod

Krogers, the grocery store chain, own Latonia Club Ginger Ale from around 1931.


----------



## cowseatmaize

WOW, this is going on 8 years now!! I'd love to see your wall or barn full now. Have you a recent picture. 
 I only have a Caswell & Hazzard New York Ginger Ale round bottom that I probably mentioned and you probably already have.
 It's probably not worth the shipping cost though.[][]


----------



## morbious_fod

1939 Clicquot Club golden ginger ale possibly from a pepsi bottler by the style of the labels. No town name or bottling company embossed on the bottle.


----------



## morbious_fod

And finally America Dry produced by the Orange Crush Company of Canada.


----------



## morbious_fod

Ginger Ale collector I admire your gumption, but I think you are mildly insane for trying to collect the most popular soda flavor, Ginger Ale; however, you should have one heck of a collection when, more like if, you ever complete it. Good Luck sir!


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

Hi Leon,

 I don't collect ginger ale soda cans and I don't see too much about soda cans in this forum, in fact nothing. But there is an interesting story about the one you have posted. Clicquot Club Ginger Ale Company started up in 1881 or so and were innovators for a lot of marketing and advertising. For example, they were the first nationally advertised soda brand on the radio (1925 I think). They also were the first soda company to try putting up their soda in cans. 1938 to be exact, 100,000 cases of them! Your can is 1938 and this site will tell you more here:  http://www.gono.com/history/softdrink.htm  and here: http://www.gono.com/museum2003/cone%20top%20soda%20cans/cone%20top%20soda%20cans.htm  In mint condition they can go for a high price!

 There's also a Can Collector's Club here:  http://www.canogram.com/

 Thanks for posting the ginger ale item.

 Ken


----------



## Ginger Ale collector

> ORIGINAL:  morbious_fod
> 
> Ginger Ale collector I admire your gumption, but I think you are mildly insane for trying to collect the most popular soda flavor, Ginger Ale; however, you should have one heck of a collection when, more like if, you ever complete it. Good Luck sir!


 
 Hello morbious_fod,

 Gumption may not be the right word. You were pretty close with mildly insane but perhaps lunacy would be more apt? When I first started this about 28 years ago, I had no idea that ginger ale was invented in 1852 in Ireland and that ever since folks have been putting it up in bottles. Stoneware even!  900 bottles later, I realized it was impossible. In 1900, there were at least 2,800 known bottling firms in the US, and every one of them made ginger ale. Do the math!

 I'll try to catch up with your posts of the backwoods Virginia ginger ale, and as you might guess, I'm familiar with most of them. In the meantime, here's a view of the collection (part of it anyway).


----------



## morbious_fod

Looks good. Yeah pretty much the go to flavor for a bottler was a ginger ale.


----------



## Moondawg18

Does any body know anything about an embossed Peerless Ginger Ale Co. S.F. bottle? I found it in a California lake and believe it is rare. It has a 3 piece seam, crown top, and 8" tall. They went out of business in 1905.


----------



## lcaryswva

morbious_fod I can give you some history on your Frankies ginger ale bottles. The owner of the bottling plant in Roanoke was  A. M Frankie he was a family friend on my mothers side.  MR. Frankie was an Italian immigrant,  started the bottling business in the 1930's. He also bottled Orange Crush, Masons Root Beer among other flavors. He went out of business in 1969. I worked for him in 1965 & 66, loading the bottle washer and other things. .Your bottles are post WWII into the late 1950's   lcaryswva


----------

