# older embossed Wishing Well soda bottle



## RCO (Jan 2, 2021)

found this downtown a couple weeks ago , not a brand I typically collect but this bottle appeared to be earlier than most I'd come across . also different than the other 6 - 1 /2 oz wishing well bottle that I have . it has " drink " on the side which other one does not

the earliest entry in my book for wishing well is 1933 , company that bottled it was called " National Dry ltd " from London Ontario . not sure if it was eventually bottled in other places or just London as it eventually became a larger brand here .

so dating this one as likely from the 30's or early 40's era as they eventually starting using a bigger embossed bottle and acl bottle by the 50's /60's


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## TxBottleDigger (Jan 2, 2021)

What a neat name. Awesome bottle!


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## embe (Jan 2, 2021)

It does look a bit older than the ones I have packed away


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## RCO (Jan 2, 2021)

embe said:


> It does look a bit older than the ones I have packed away



wishing well used a similar looking but larger bottle later on , this one is similar design but 11 oz and font different


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## RCO (Jan 2, 2021)

the one book that I have lists 9 different embossed wishing well bottles , 2 are 6 1/2 oz , 6 are 10 or 11 oz , 1 is 30 oz , earliest one listed is the one I found


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## tsims (Jan 2, 2021)

Looks like an interesting book, are they still in print do you know?


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## Donas12 (Jan 2, 2021)

Thanks for posting. Didn’t realize there were that many variations to look for.


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## RCO (Jan 2, 2021)

tsims said:


> Looks like an interesting book, are they still in print do you know?



that book is from 1975 , is still copies out there but not being printed anymore


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## RCO (Jan 2, 2021)

Donas12 said:


> Thanks for posting. Didn’t realize there were that many variations to look for.



I think variations C thru H almost all look the same except for minor differences , one bottle is 10 oz not 11 oz 

the 30 oz one is much harder to find , not even sure I've seen one 

this is bottle B from that list , " Drink " is missing , got it years ago in a mixed assortment of bottles I bought online


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## bottle-bud (Jan 2, 2021)

Cool looking bottles, here is an ad from 1941


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## bottle-bud (Jan 2, 2021)

Here is a better ad that shows your bottle, also from 1941'


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## Donas12 (Jan 2, 2021)

Here’s another 11oz version I have. 
Would certainly like to see the embossed 30oz one.


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## RCO (Jan 2, 2021)

bottle-bud said:


> Here is a better ad that shows your bottle, also from 1941'



is a listing in book for " wishing well border cities lts "  ( Windsor ) 
1942-1950

also some listings for other cities mostly in southern ontario

Toronto - wishing well Toronto ltd - 1945-1964

Chatham - wishing well bottlers 1964 

st Thomas - wishing well drinks - 1943-45 , wishing well beverages 1957 - 1963 

Hamilton - wishing well beverages - 1940-47

Sarnia - wishing well beverages - 1945


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## RCO (Jan 2, 2021)

Donas12 said:


> Here’s another 11oz version I have.
> Would certainly like to see the embossed 30oz one.



I don't even have a picture of it , not even sure if I've ever seen one in person either , would seem to be fairly uncommon . 

mostly likely one would turn up in the London or south western Ontario region as that's where wishing well was most common


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## JKL (Jan 2, 2021)

Over the years I have found a number of the Wishing Well bottles.  Company was based out of London Ontario as RCO mentioned.  An American named Park Manross came from Pennsylvania in the  late 1940s after the war to start a truck manufacturing company.  Wishing Well Drinks became his  legacy.  He died in 1951.
I have 5 variations of the embossed bottle,  Two versions of the 10oz and 2 of the 11oz.  I only have one of the 6.5oz.  
I Have some ACL and a couple paper labels too.


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## JKL (Jan 2, 2021)

@RCO, in addition to the locations you mention.  Attached is a June 3 1959 receipt from a local Kitchener Ontario pharmacy that sold the product purchased through Kitchener Beverages, a Pepsi bottler.


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## JKL (Jan 2, 2021)

A couple pieces of Wishing Well advertising.


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## RCO (Jan 3, 2021)

JKL said:


> @RCO, in addition to the locations you mention.  Attached is a June 3 1959 receipt from a local Kitchener Ontario pharmacy that sold the product purchased through Kitchener Beverages, a Pepsi bottler.
> View attachment 216420



my book doesn't mention Kitchener beverages as bottling wishing well for some reason but wishing well would of been sold in all major towns and cities in southern Ontario back then , it was a large enough brand

I've never had any of the acl or paper label wishing well bottles , see them online now and then . 

think in total I have 4 wishing well bottles all are clear embossed versions , the 2 , 6 1/2 oz bottles posted and a 10 oz and 11 oz clear bottles 

also found a broken wishing well bottle swimming years ago , its 6 1/2 oz and has drink on  the side , not sure it was being sold here much or if a tourist brought it here cause I never come across them


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## brent little (Jan 3, 2021)

That bottle was used well into the sixties. We owned a bowling alley at that time and we were still using many bottles from the 30-40's.We sold Coke and Kist. Wishing Well was a pretty huge brand then We are 11/2 hours from London.


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## embe (Jan 3, 2021)

JKL said:


> @RCO, in addition to the locations you mention.  Attached is a June 3 1959 receipt from a local Kitchener Ontario pharmacy that sold the product purchased through Kitchener Beverages, a Pepsi bottler.
> View attachment 216420


Interesting, how on earth did you find this?


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## JKL (Jan 3, 2021)

embe said:


> Interesting, how on earth did you find this?


a local antique picker called one day and asked if I was interested in a pile of these.  They were invoice slips from 4 or 5 Southern Ontario bottlers.  I took about 20 of them for a $1 each.  I got Hamilton Beverages, Kitchener Beverages, Riverside Beverages (Brantford) and Coca Cola Kitchener.  They are really cool pieces of history.


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## tsims (Jan 3, 2021)

JKL said:


> A couple pieces of Wishing Well advertising.
> View attachment 216421View attachment 216422


Wow those are some really nice items to own.


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## mrosman (Jan 6, 2021)

Good morning.... I wrote an entire history on Wishing Well a few years ago... published, if I recall in Soda Spectrum magazine.  Am trying to dig it up, and will get back to me... it made up part of my Orange Crush collection when I collected signs as well as bottles.
Michael


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## mrosman (Jan 6, 2021)

meant 'get back to YOU'.... sorry


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## VinTriage72 (Jan 6, 2021)

RCO said:


> found this downtown a couple weeks ago , not a brand I typically collect but this bottle appeared to be earlier than most I'd come across . also different than the other 6 - 1 /2 oz wishing well bottle that I have . it has " drink " on the side which other one does not
> 
> the earliest entry in my book for wishing well is 1933 , company that bottled it was called " National Dry ltd " from London Ontario . not sure if it was eventually bottled in other places or just London as it eventually became a larger brand here .
> 
> ...


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## VinTriage72 (Jan 6, 2021)

ACLs already existed in the late 30's. Like early swimsuit lady 7-ups with a u7p embossed in the neck. I got similar looking bottles dating back in the 20s or 30s.


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## RCO (Jan 6, 2021)

mrosman said:


> Good morning.... I wrote an entire history on Wishing Well a few years ago... published, if I recall in Soda Spectrum magazine.  Am trying to dig it up, and will get back to me... it made up part of my Orange Crush collection when I collected signs as well as bottles.
> Michael



sounds interesting , if you can find that I'm sure people here would be interested to read it


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## cokemanracer (Jan 11, 2021)

I've got a Wishing Well bottle with the ACL in a different font from the other pictures. Had this bottle for a long time. Picked up the sign in the 1990s in Kentucky at a bottle show.


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## mrosman (Jan 13, 2021)

Tracked down my Wishing Well article in Soda Spectrum in Fall, 2009. I will only try to give you an exert from the article... am waiting for the coloured pictures. Will followup with full article if readers interested...


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## RCO (Jan 13, 2021)

mrosman said:


> Tracked down my Wishing Well article in Soda Spectrum in Fall, 2009. I will only try to give you an exert from the article... am waiting for the coloured pictures. Will followup with full article if readers interested... View attachment 217060View attachment 217062View attachment 217063



I'd be curious to read more , I've never seen that article posted here before so its new to us


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## mrosman (Mar 31, 2021)

Hi again.... not able to get the article (yet) in coloured edition... misplaced my original. The article is in Soda Spectrum magazine, Fall of 2009.  Here are a couple of pictures two 30oz. bottles, but not embossed. I will find that picture.


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## Donas12 (May 24, 2021)

Thought I’d share this 30oz Wishing Well bottle that I acquired. It’s the first I’ve seen in this size.


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## embe (May 24, 2021)

nice  size


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## RCO (May 25, 2021)

Donas12 said:


> Thought I’d share this 30oz Wishing Well bottle that I acquired. It’s the first I’ve seen in this size.
> View attachment 225697



not sure if I've seen that one before , the 30 oz wishing well's seem to be less common . they didn't seem to focus on selling this size or they didn't survive as much , not sure


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## mrosman (May 29, 2021)

Hi again... got the article, but no coloured pictures... no original copies remain and my own is only a copy. I show the beginning of the article... got all information from library in London, ON., and advertised in a newspaper there to get names of people formally working for National Dry.  I show you the cover title of the Soda Spectrum and a bit of the start of the article.  I will wait further interest on Wishing Well bottles before I take pictures/text from my article.....


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