Bargs/Miller Lite bottle

[texmarke]

Barg's/Miller Lite bottle

In 1988 or 89 I was having a beer after work in Ft. Myers, FL. After the bartender handed me a beer, I noticed that the bottle didn't feel right. After looking closely at this bottle, I realized that it was a Barg's Amber Jack Root Beer bottle that had gotten mixed in with Miller Long Neck bottles and had been filled with beer at a Miller bottling site. I asked the bartender if I could buy the bottle and he agreed to let me have it for the deposit, ten cents. After giving him the dime, I showed him why I wanted to buy that bottle. A week or so later I was back at that same bar and the bartender told me that the Miller delivery guy had offered to buy the bottle for $50 bucks, but I was never able to hook up with him. The bottom of the bottle has the number 8, then a small circle with what looks like an M over a V inside it, then the number 17. I don't know if you can see it in the pictures, but "no refill" is embossed about an inch or so from the bottom. It's a novelty.

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

Re: Barg's/Miller Lite bottle

texmarke ~

Welcome to the forum. Interesting bottle you "found." Below is the copy/pated text from another forum and directly relates to your bottle. At least it relates to the amber bottle itself, minus the Miller label. Based on how you came into position of it makes it unique. But trying to sell or prove to someone in the future that it came directly from the factory and served at a bar that way, will be another matter. And if selling it is your intent, it's too bad you didn't hook up with the Miller guy. Maybe you can hunt him down. But I suspect you intend to keep it, which is what matters most here anyway. Please let us know if you find any more "novelty" items.

SBB

Slightly edited text from another bottle forum - posted by an advance Barq's collector.

(It's referring to the amber Barq's bottle only).

Hi:

"Your bottle is commonly known as the "amberjack" bottle. There are three different versions. One says amberjack on the shoulder, one does not. On a third variation, it says amberjack, but also says Made In Mexico on the bottom. They came out in 1988 because Barq's said they were the only rootbeer company that never had an amber bottle. It didn't last very long. I think it may have been a rootbeer draft, because I can remember them selling both variations during this time. It's not a hard to find bottle. I've got a few extras and usually sell them for $5-$10 at bottle shows."