Vernors Ginger Ale 150th B-Day

[hemihampton]

Bob, I got 4 McBride Detroit Hutch's that has the CG Co. on it. Pic below. I know I've dug these in early 1900's dumps. I don't think these go back to 1880's but there is a different McBride that might. I'm sure I got more if I look. First 2 have a #594 A after the CG & the next 2 nave no #'s. No Periods after the #'s on any of my bottles. I did notice the Font & Size is different on some of them. Some have a taller longer square or block letters while some are smaller rounder letters. The different font or size or shape hints to me a possibly differren t Company, or maybe changed throught out the years. That list of 4 companies you had with & with out #'s would mean they are different co's? LEON.

 

[hemihampton]

For some reason this site will now only let me post 1 picture at a time. whats wrong with this site? Here's another pic. LEON

 

[VernorsGuy]

Keith = Does your Vernor's bottle marked with C.G. CO. 14-3 have a 'period' at the end of the mark?

Leon = Do any of your Michigan beer bottles marked with C.G. CO. have a 'period' at the end of the mark?


The following is copy/pasted from the Cohansey Glass Company article by the BRG ...

"Although generally not recorded by the sources, in our own photos and those from eBay, the numbers after the heelmarks were all followed by a period. This suggests that the bottles were made by the same manufacturer."

No period. I've also attached a new photo. I'm sure the code is 14-B, not 14-3. That's an imperfection in the glass after the B, not a period.

 

[VernorsGuy]

Hey, Keith

Do any of your Vernor's extract ​bottles have makers marks, symbols, codes, letters, numbers, etc; on them?

I just checked them and, unfortunately, no there are no marks of any kind.

 

[VernorsGuy]

Sorry for going off on a tangent, but I found the attached photo and want to know what it is. Do you think this is what the bottle washing process looked like? Those look like suds in the bottle. It could be a bottle filler. But, that seems like way too much carbonation fizz with no liquid ginger ale yet.

 

[SODABOB]

I can't explain what looks like soap suds in the bottle, but the apparatus itself looks like some type of siphon head. The attached patent is the closest thing I could find along those lines. 99.9% of the siphon heads I looked at have a push lever for dispensing the liquid, whereas the Vernor bottle example and the attached patent are the only two I could find that had a faucet with a turn-handle. According to the text on this particular patent, it described the head as containing pressurized gas to maintain the flow. This patent also has a clamp feature for securing the head to a bottle. I could be wrong, but I find it hard to believe that such a device as the Vernor example was intended to be used for a single bottle of soda pop, which would normally be consumed by drinking from the bottle itself. That is, unless it was intended as a bar type bottle for dispensing a blast of Vernor's or other types of carbonated pop into a highball drink. I don't think the devise is related to bottle washing. Not when you take into account they had machines that could wash 100+ bottles at a time.

This patent is called a closure, but the text describes it as a dispenser with pressurized gas. Like I said, this is the only one I could find that had a faucet instead of a lever. It also has the snap-on clamp.

1930

 

[SODABOB]

Long story short ...

After rereading the Cohansey and the Coshocton Glass Company histories and using every piece of evidence available to me, I have arrived at the sort-of-educated opinion that Keith's C.G. CO 14-B Vernor's bottle was produced by ...

The Coshocton Glass Company - Coshocton, Ohio - In operation between 1902 and 1921

Please note this is just my personal observation and that a more advanced study will be required for confirmation. I'm also leaning toward the possibility that the number 14 might very well stand for 1914. Plus, it wouldn't surprise me if the 'B' stands for 'Beverage.' According to the BRG article, the Coshocton Glass Company converted to semi-automatic bottle machines around 1915-1917, which would account for a 1914 bottle being BIM and tooled. Again, I can't say for certain, but because the bottle in question is a quart-type, I'm thinking it might have been Vernor's first carbonated bottle of that particular size and that the smaller, 1906 Drug Act bottles were made earlier and precede the C.G. CO. bottle(s). Anyhoo, that's my interpretation and I will remain open minded in the event that a confirmed or better explanation is presented.

 

[SODABOB]

I'd like to take this opportunity to explain that when I say something like ...

"This is the earliest reference I can find"

... that I mean just that and do not intend for such declarations to be 100% conclusive or definitive. I try my best not to have an agenda when doing research, which means I let the results I find speak for themselves whether they fit into the scheme of things or not. So, please know that from this point forward I will not try and justify or prove anything I find and just present the results as I find them whether they are accurate or not. I will leave it to the discretion of others to determine if they think any information I find is true or not.

Hence ...

The earliest (time period) reference I can find that refers to James Vernor as a florist is ​1881

 

[SODABOB]

P.S.

In the event I find an earlier reference on any given topic, I will be sure and post those as well. And should anyone else find something to clarify or refute something I find, I will humbly stand corrected and say as much if/when such a reference is found. This isn't about me being right - its about searching for and hopefully finding facts if they exist to better our understanding and appreciation pertaining to the hobby of soda bottle collecting and soda bottle related topics.

 

[SODABOB]

Question:

Without having to reread this entire thread, does anyone recall off the top of their head when James Vernor's 219 Woodward Avenue address changed to 235 Woodard Avenue? Or was James Vernor's original drug store address always 235 Woodward Avenue?