Quality Soda Works Toronto, Ohio - Owens-Illinois Bottle

[dapperandy]

Found this bottle today that has "Quality Soda Works Toronto, Ohio" embossed around the bottom. The bottom has a the pre-1958 Owens-Illinois marking with a 3 to the left (Huntington, WV) and an 8 to the right of it. And a big Q in the middle of the bottom.

Any ideas on the year? And any other info would be appreciated. Too bad it has a chip on the top.

 

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[SODABOTTLEBOB]

dapperandy ~

What you found is a cool, but typical looking "deco" bottle. The big "Q" on the base, of course, stands for "Quality Soda Works." Some Owens-Illinois marks can be a little confusing, especially the single-digit ones. But if you bare in mind that Owens Glass and Illinois glass merged in 1929, it's a lot easier to figure out. Thus, your bottle cannot be 1928. So that makes it a 1938. And, you may ask, why not 1948 or 1958? Simple - 99% of all 1940 and later Owens-Illinois bottles will also have Duraglas on them. Owens-Illinois and Duraglas merged in 1940. After about 1950 they switched to a double-digit date. I.E. 3 <(I)> 52 ... for 1952. It's the dot/no dot dates that get a little complicated.

I hope this helps.

SBB


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Owens-Illinois was formed in 1929 by a merger between the Illinois Glass Co. and the Owens Glass Co. Both companies were well established in the bottle-making industry by that time. The Owens Bottle Co. grew out of the Toledo Glass Co., originally opened in 1896. The company was renamed the Owens Bottle Machine Co. in 1903 to reflect the importance of Michael Owens’ invention of the automatic bottle machine and was again renamed the Owens Bottle Co. in 1911. The Illinois Glass Co. was even older, established in 1873. Both companies continued to expand until their merger in 1929, eventually controlling a large share of the bottle business.

 

[dapperandy]

Hey Bob, thank you so much for the reply. I was doing a little more research at this link http://www.sha.org/research_resources/newsletter_articles/lockhart.cfm before I checked back and concluded it was probably 1938, I was glad to come here and see you concur.

A couple questions

Does "Deco" stand for decoration and what exactly does that mean?

Does the bottle have collectability even with it being chipped?

Also, made a mistake in my first post, the plant code is Huntington, WV and not Fairmont which is marked by a 2.

Thanks again

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

d-a ~

That website is the best of the best. I have communicated with those folks numerous times. A great bunch! But it will likely take years to fully read through their entire site. I am constantly learning new stuff myself.

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I will try and answer you your questions this way ...

Do 1948 bottles have 48 to the right of the symbol or just 8? Or is the fact they will have Duraglas the giveaway?

Most, but not all of them will have Duraglas. The 1948s that don't have Duraglas will, in most cases, have a dot after the eight like this 21 <(I)> 8. But on the other hand, a 1938 would not have a dot and look like this 21 <(I)> 8

Also, does "Deco" stand for decoration and what exactly does that mean?

Yes, Deco basically means Decorative Arts. Which basically had it's birth in 1925 at the World's Fair in Paris. That whole decorative arts movement transended around the world. The most notable American example is the Chrysler building in New York, built in 1928.

Does the bottle have collectability even with it being chipped?

Even in mint condition that particular bottle would not offer much in the way of collectibility or value. It's sort of plain jane. But other deco bottles, especially the more elobrate ones, are highly sought after. There are dozens if not hundreds of different deco bottles. Check e-bay and you will see what I mean.

The deco bottle shown below is one of the best of the best. It came out in 1927 by the "Nehi" company. It is called "The Top of the World" bottle. If you ever see one of these, grab it! I still don't have one myself, but hope to some day.

Art Deco Movement Link: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Art_Deco

SBB

 

[Mackaydon]

Though you may be right, I believe "3" to the left designated Huntington, WV; a "2" designated Fairmont; both plants open from 1930 to the present.
Don.......

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

Below is a list of the Owens-Illinois Glass plants and their dates in operation.

Plus, here is a link to a section of that bottle site that discusses various bottle makers. The "clickable" alphabetical list on the lower right are some of the best articles ever written on the subject. Check it out. Of special interest is the one titled ...

Owens Illinois Glass Co.

Link: http://www.sha.org/bottle/makersmarks.htm#Bottlemakersmarks

It will take a week of reading just to examine every aspect of this one page. And the site contains .... I don't know how many pages - But it's a lot!

SBB