Jump to content

Coca Cola


robinb
 Share

Recommended Posts

Full wooden case that's Quartermaster marked. All of the bottles are dated 1943. 22 of them even have their original caps still in place. The side of the box is marked Return to Adak.

cc1.jpg

cc2.jpg

cc3.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

eaglerunner88

Is it true that only blue-glass Coke bottles were used/manufactured overseas while the others like these remained Stateside? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, eaglerunner88 said:

Is it true that only blue-glass Coke bottles were used/manufactured overseas while the others like these remained Stateside? 

I think it's the other way around. Clear bottles that do not have the city and state on the bottoms were bottled by overseas plants.  Bluish bottles with the city and state on the bottoms were stateside used.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quartermaster

That's right - clear glass bottles were war time and the blue glass bottles (with city/state on bottom) were either pre or post war according to the Coca Cola archives in Atlanta GA. 

 

It is thought that during the war, the domestic (blue) bottle production was suspended and the existing bottles were returned, cleaned and refilled.  It is thought that a component in the glass manufacture process which gave it the distinctive color was the reason the bottles went clear (Was it copper?  That's why Lucky Strike Green "went to war" with it's white package).

 

Not all war time bottles have the date present on the side of the bottle - some have no such date marking - whether it is due to manufacturing fault or on purpose is unclear.  Some clear glass bottles from the same time frame are clearly marked Coca Cola Company of Canada Limited - again -- no date and/or city info on bottom.

 

As the war progressed, the Coca Cola Company had convinced the government to allow in theater portable bottling plants operated by military advisors (actually Coke employees) thus eliminating the need to ship Coke overseas, returning empties back to the states then shipping refilled bottles overseas again - freeing up shipping space for war material.

 

 

1828460_drinkingCoke.jpg.4a066163cf7c1f1d378d4a91c9055212.jpg

 

img_6.jpg.200073d24eaceb73405ded52a8a81d37.jpg

 

168419084_Bottle-Coke-bottle-WW2--cap.jpg.26847ec9947fe5c31a4169f4fad6d5b4.jpg

 

422182276_Crate-Coke-orig--bottles-A.jpg.b37c1720d3696a52460fdf3056198add.jpg

 

1520356521_Crate-Coke-orig--bottles-B.jpg.bb6f421532c899697660abc2740206b0.jpg

 

1525527153_Crate-Coke-repro--bottles-.jpg.668bccbed695ed7a84f398d891958310.jpg


 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm going to throw a monkey wrench into the narrative. I have a second case and all of the bottles are full of Coke. 1944 dates, no cities or states on the bottom, yet they are all bluish.

cac1.jpg

cac2.jpg

cac3.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...
General Apathy
On 1/9/2023 at 2:16 AM, robinb said:

I'm going to throw a monkey wrench into the narrative. I have a second case and all of the bottles are full of Coke. 1944 dates, no cities or states on the bottom, yet they are all bluish.

cac1.jpg

cac2.jpg

cac3.jpg

.

Hi Robin,

 

Nice crates of Coke, above you mention color of the bottles all my pre 41 bottles are clear glass and afterwards have the blueish color as you mention, and even the post war bottle 1959 is also blueish.

 

fullsizeoutput_1e30d.jpeg.6c1d029f6c9c47229060e73deafb6d63.jpeg

 

regards lewis.

 

...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...
Major Z

Very cool! It really is remarkable what has survived to this day. I have a weird US 8th Army cardboard milk carton from the 1960s (not sure exactly). It has the 8th Army insignia and the Quartermaster Corps insignia. Why did someone save it? No clue, but it's one of the oddest items in my QMC collection.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

General Apathy
15 hours ago, Marshallj said:

I’ll give you 2cents per bottle. 

.

hahhaaa I take you mean 2 cents an empty bottle,  they were 5 cents a full bottle in WWII . . . . . . . well the Pepsi were !!

 

fullsizeoutput_21ee0.jpeg.db4cbbcecafca1259eaa65536a652a96.jpeg

 

fullsizeoutput_21ee7.jpeg.034821c348c9193a3b8bf9b82aee8eb7.jpeg

 

 

regards lewis.

 

...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Scarecrow

 A friend of mine dug this clear ( so to speak) Coke bottle at a dump site at the USAAF 490th BG site in Eye, UK, Station 134.  My friend knew that my Father-In-Law flew with the 490th so he gifted me this bottle.  He asked if I wanted him to clean it before he sent it to me and I Replied NO, please leave it just as it came out of the ground.  This one is dated on the bottom "42".  

Paul (aka Scarecrow)

FullSizeR(7).jpg.2d9761afd84ddc3db4d2efba773192ed.jpg.a1c40d64a6aaa694bf14e371a1585391.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...