# Blue Label Ketchup



## alampe (Apr 21, 2020)

This was found in the woods in Freedom NH earlier this week.  It's a Blue Label Ketchup bottle.  If I had to guess, I'd say it circa 1920s but that's just a guess, so I figured I'd ask you guys.  Any thoughts?  Thanks ~

Here's an alternate view of the bottom in case it helps anyone? thank you all again ~


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Apr 21, 2020)

Blue label ketchup. It is hard to see in the picture there is a glass manufacturers mark from owen glass the number to the right of mark is what looks like a number 9. That would date the bottle At 1939. The style definitly screams 1930's to me. I always find pride of the farm and of course heinz.


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## Dogo (Apr 21, 2020)

Robby may be right, but the circle around the base embossing looks like the mark from the earliest automatic bottle machines, so  it could be much earlier.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Apr 21, 2020)

It is hard to see. A clearer picture would help.


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## PlaneDiggerCam (Apr 21, 2020)

I believe these are late 1920s early 1930s. I also have one.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Apr 21, 2020)

The owen glass mark diamond and  O  entwined with an  I  in the center dates from 1930's  into the 50's.  The 9 stands for 1939. If there is a dot after the 9 then that represents 1949. Hard to clearly because of a bright reflection on the mark in the picture.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Apr 21, 2020)

1929 Owen glass merged with Illinois glass. 1929 and before owen glass mark was an O inside a square. I still say 1939.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Apr 21, 2020)

After Owen merged with Illinois in 1929 they changed their mark to the diamond and O with an I in the middle. It took up to 2 years to change all there automatic bottling machines to the new mark.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Apr 21, 2020)

Dogo said:


> Robby may be right, but the circle around the base embossing looks like the mark from the earliest automatic bottle machines, so  it could be much earlier.


If so it would have the old owen O inside a square mark.


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## PlaneDiggerCam (Apr 21, 2020)

ROBBYBOBBY64 said:


> After Owen merged with Illinois in 1929 they changed their mark to the diamond and O with an I in the middle. It took up to 2 years to change all there automatic bottling machines to the new mark.


I believe there are earlier variations too because mine has an earlier date code of 1931. I think the Owen's diamond mark was definitely used in 1929 based on the fact that this style of ketchup top was not commonly used in the late 1930s.


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## PlaneDiggerCam (Apr 21, 2020)

PlaneDiggerCam said:


> I believe there are earlier variations too because mine has an earlier date code of 1931. I think the Owen's diamond mark was definitely used in 1929 based on the fact that this style of ketchup top was not commonly used in the late 1930s.


Also because I have found other bottles to justify this.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Apr 21, 2020)

Owens bottles are the easiest company to date.


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## PlaneDiggerCam (Apr 21, 2020)

ROBBYBOBBY64 said:


> Owens bottles are the easiest company to date.


Agreed, except the issue that some bottles can be either 1939 or 1929 or a 1949 because Owen's used the 9 mark each of these years.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Apr 21, 2020)

PlaneDiggerCam said:


> I believe there are earlier variations too because mine has an earlier date code of 1931. I think the Owen's diamond mark was definitely used in 1929 based on the fact that this style of ketchup top was not commonly used in the late 1930s.





PlaneDiggerCam said:


> Agreed, except the issue that some bottles can be either 1939 or 1929 or a 1949 because Owen's used the 9 mark each of these years.


Owen merged with Illinois glass in 1930 not 1929 so it cannot be 1929. If it is 1939 to the right of the mark would be a 9 with no dot after the number. If it is 1949 to the right of the mark would be 9 then a dot.


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## PlaneDiggerCam (Apr 21, 2020)

ROBBYBOBBY64 said:


> Owen merged with Illinois glass in 1930 not 1929 so it cannot be 1929. If it is 1939 to the right of the mark would be a 9 with no dot after the number. If it is 1949 to the right of the mark would be 9 then a dot.


1929 was a crossover year and both marks were used that year.


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## PlaneDiggerCam (Apr 21, 2020)

PlaneDiggerCam said:


> 1929 was a crossover year and both marks were used that year.


Also thanks. Did not know about the dot before though.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Apr 21, 2020)

I agree but very few bottles reflected the new mark until A year or 2  Later. I guess if they were one of the first to change the equipment to the new mark. It was costly to change and time consuming. Post a 1929 bottle with the new Owen-Illinois bottle if you have one. I would like to view one.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Apr 21, 2020)

Curtis bros. Blue label was heinz biggest competitor. The outlawing of benzoate by the FDA marked the end of blue labels popularity. The blue label name out lived the curtis bros.co. and the last adds for blue label can be found in newspaper ads in 1972.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Apr 21, 2020)

Ketchup was once marketed and sold as a medicine for indigestion that was in 1834.


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## PlaneDiggerCam (Apr 21, 2020)

Here are some I have that were not made after 1935, but have the 9 mark...


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Apr 21, 2020)

PlaneDiggerCam said:


> I believe there are earlier variations too because mine has an earlier date code of 1931. I think the Owen's diamond mark was definitely used in 1929 based on the fact that this style of ketchup top was not commonly used in the late 1930s.


The first screw top catchup was patented by heinz in 1893 and was in use in 1895.


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## alampe (Apr 22, 2020)

Here's an alternate view of the bottom in case it helps anyone?  thank you all again ~


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