Skite ~
I realize you said there were no marks - letters - numbers embossed on the bottle, but I was hoping you could humor me by taking another look, perhaps with a magnifying glass if necessary. The reason I ask is because it is extremely unusual for a bottle to not have a Makers Mark on it. Sometimes they are hard to see and might seem insignificant. But in reality the marks are often valid clues to dating and identifying. Look for little squares ~ circles ~ diamonds, and/or just about anything along those lines. Below is the info related to both the Illinois Glass Co. and the Owens Glass Co. After the merger in 1929 their new mark looked something like this ... <(I)>
Of course it may have been made by someone other than either Owens or Illinois. In that case the Makers Mark could be one of a hundred or more different ones. Some glass factory definitely made that bottle, and their mark
should be on it somewhere. And if not on the very bottom, look on the perimeter around the base or what is typically referred to as the "heel."
Thanks a lot.
Bob
Illinois Glass Company / Makers Mark
I within a diamond ... Illinois Glass Company, Alton, IL (1873-1929). This mark was used from around 1915 to 1929. ABM (Automatic bottle machine) production was begun at Illinois Glass in 1910, and although I had presumed that the "I in a diamond" trademark was first used around that time, the U.S.Patent & Trademark Office data indicates Illinois Glass claimed use of this trademark was not begun until 1915. As far as I know, this mark is seen only on machine-made bottles which exhibit the typical Owens machine suction scars on the base. On very small bottles, the "I" may look like a dot inside the diamond, or be virtually illegible. Other plants that became part of Illinois Glass Co. during its operation include the Thompson Bottle Company of Gas City, IN (acquired 1913); Chicago Heights Glass Company, Chicago Heights, IL (1913) and Cumberland Glass Manufacturing Company, Bridgeton, NJ (1920).
Illinois-Pacific Glass Co. Plants (at Los Angeles and San Francisco, CA) were organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Illinois Glass in 1902. (See IPG and IPGCO marks.) In 1929, Illinois Glass merged with Owens Bottle Company of Toledo, Ohio to form the Owens-Illinois Glass Company. The Alton factory (in later years, Owens-Illinois plant #7) closed in 1983. See also "I.G.CO." and "IGCO within a diamond" entries.
Illinois Glass Company, Alton, IL (1873-1929). Mark used c. 1910s-1929.
Owens Glass Company / Makers Mark
O in a square ... Owens Bottle Company, Toledo OH (1903-1929), also Fairmont, WV; Clarksburg, WV, and other plant locations. Owens Bottle Co. Merged with the Illinois Glass Company of Alton, IL in 1929 to form the Owens-Illinois Glass Company. (Julian Toulouse stated this mark was first used in 1911, but according to U.S. Patent & Trademark Office data, Owens claimed first use was not until 1919! Take your pick on which date you will accept :-). See "OWENS".
Owens Bottle Company, Toledo, OH (1903-1929) and it's successor [after the merger with Illinois Glass Company], Owens-Illinois Glass Company (1929-to date). Mark is confirmed on a clear druggist bottle with date code of 1947. Sometimes just the "O" of "Owens" is enclosed within a square. I don't know when this mark was first used during the OBC years, so will have to go with "1903-1929" until further info is uncovered. I believe the mark was used up into the 1950s or '60s by Owens-Illinois, but have no definite info on ending date. See "O in a square."
Here are a couple of magnified Makers Marks located on a bottle heel. In reality they are quite small, maybe the size of a pencil eraser or even smaller, and often times hard to see.
IPG in a Triangle = Illinois Pacific Glass
mTc = Thatcher Mfg. Co.
