# 1895 thru 1904 MURDOCK & FREEMAN CROWN-TOP SODA BOTTLES



## SODAPOPBOB (Nov 16, 2010)

Many of us have already seen this collection of unique soda bottles. They were posted last April on my thread "Earliest Crown-Top Soda Bottles." They were contributed by A-B Super-Member ...

                                                             Sam_MaineBottles

                  This thread will show seven individual bottles which date from 1895 thru 1904, by ... 

                                                             Murdock & Freeman
                                                             7 Franklin
                                                             Portland, Maine

 With the recent interest in Maine soda bottles, I thought this would be a good time to spotlight this collection as the earliest confirmed dates for crown-top soda bottles that I am personally aware of. Moxie and Hires are also early crowns from this time period, but as yet (other than from old ads) I have been unable to fully confirm the date on either of their actual bottles. Whereas on the Murdock & Freeman bottles the dates are clearly embossed on them. Which is a rare practice, and the first I have seen. According to Sam_MaineBottles the dates are when the bottles were made as opposed to patent and/or registration dates.

 Additionally ... here is the link for anyone who wishes to view the original thread. This link will take you directly to page one of the thread, with Sam_MaineBottles Murdock & Freeman bottles shown on page 4.

 Thanks Sam ... My hat is off to you for coming up with the earliest confirmed crown-top soda bottle. 

 You will notice this first bottle is a non-crown and dated 1895. This is shown to help establish a transition from non-crown to crown in the same year. The others will follow in sequence.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Nov 16, 2010)

Even though the bottles that follow are identical in every respect except for the dates, this is done as a matter of historical interest to establish the actual existence of this particular set of early crown-top soda bottles.

 1895 Crown ... Transition from non-crown to crown in the same year.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Nov 16, 2010)

1899 Crown


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## SODAPOPBOB (Nov 16, 2010)

1901 Crown


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## SODAPOPBOB (Nov 16, 2010)

1902 Crown


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## SODAPOPBOB (Nov 16, 2010)

1903 Crown


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## SODAPOPBOB (Nov 16, 2010)

1904 Crown


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## SODAPOPBOB (Nov 16, 2010)

Oops!  I forgot the link to the original thread. Sam's bottles are on page 4.

                          Started on April 18, 2010 ... 2,721 hits/views ... 100 replies/post.

https://www.antique-bottles.net/forum/m-304119/mpage-1/key-/tm.htm[/align] [/align]                                                                  [][/align] [/align]                                                           SODAPOPBOB[/align] [/align][/align]


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## SODAPOPBOB (Nov 16, 2010)

The following is primarily for those who are new to soda bottle collecting, and/or anyone else who may have forgotten that the crown-closure was invented by William Painter in 1892.


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## SODAPOPBOB (Nov 16, 2010)

From time to time I will contact historic bottle researcher's Bill Lindsey and Bill Lockhart. The following is a reply I received from Bill Lindsey regarding the Murdock and Freeman bottles.

                                                                ~ * ~

 Hi again Bob...[/align] [/align]I'll let Bill Lockhart respond as those type of body dated bottles are something he knows more about (and a recent issue of discussion in our group). However, I believe you are correct - the date on the bottles are when they were made and not a patent or related date.  Great find!  [/align] [/align]According to the information I found some years back on crown finishes (when I was doing that section of the Historic Bottle Website), due to the financial panic just after the invention of the crown finish (panic of 1893 I believe) the adoption of that finish type was really substantially delayed until around 1894 or 1895.  It was just not the time financially for bottlers to be changing over all their bottles and equipment to the new finish according to the source. (It is noted on the Closures page on my site... I can't remember off hand what the source was... possibly Lief's little book on closures.)[/align]

 Bill Lindsey - Klamath Falls, OR.
 SHA/BLM Historic Glass Bottle ID & Information Website
www.sha.org/bottle/index.htm 
 email:  admin@historicbottles.com [/align] [/align]                                                                  ~ * ~

 [/align]             And here is the paragraph from Bill Lindsey's website that refers to the panic of 1893.[/align] [/align]                                                         

                                                             (Thanks Bill).  [][/align] [/align]

*Dating Notes*:  It appears that no crown finish bottles date prior to the 1892 patent date.  In fact, virtually all crown finish (soda and beer) bottles date to after ca. 1894-1895, since in 1893 a national depression (the famous "Panic of 1893") made investment capital very scarce for several years deterring the use of new and expensive equipment like that needed to accommodate this new closure (Lief 1965).  As an example of the progression in acceptance of this finish/closure style, the crown finish first shows up in the 1896 _Illinois Glass Co._ (IGCo) catalog with just one soda bottle offering.  In 1899 the IGCo. offered several different crown soda bottles, by 1903 21 different soda bottle molds were listed with crown finishes (as well as other similar bottles available for beer), and 37 different molds listed by 1911 (IGCo. 1896, 1899, 1903, 1911). [/align]








 [/align] [/align] [/align]


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## SODAPOPBOB (Nov 16, 2010)

And here is Bill Lockhart's reply ...

Hi Bob & All,[/align] [/align]We have, indeed, been looking into these four-digit date codes. The codes are either for the dates of manufacture for the bottles or for the registration.  Since most breweries have more than one date, it makes better sense that these are manufacturing dates. It seems unlikely that the breweries would have to continually register. Many in Boston also have the REGISTERED system along with a date, and the date changes every year or so.[/align] [/align]I have not looked up bottles in Maine, but I will do so. That may tell a better story.[/align] [/align]None of the ones I have found have a crown finish earlier than 1896, so yours is the winner![/align] [/align]Good find!![/align] [/align]Bill[/align]


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## SODAPOPBOB (Nov 16, 2010)

Lastly ...

                     All recognition and kudos actually go to super-member Sam_MaineBottles

                                                Thanks Sam ... You are the winner!



 My hat's off to you!  []


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## cobaltbot (Nov 16, 2010)

I think the 1895 Murdock's are going to be hard to beat.  Another soda company you might want to look at is Hiram Wheaton & Sons from New Bedford Mass.  Though crowntops probably were not in use as early as the Murdocks they were very prolific and I have a not so early tooled top crown with a 1907 date and I had a 1912 date also.  I have a "steamer" type blob top of theirs I'll have to check if it is dated also.  If they put dates on all their steamers and early tooled tops it would be interesting to find out when their transition was.


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