*WW2, Coca-Cola Bottle, Hobble Skirt, Patent D-105529, Army Issue, dated 1944, Manufactured by Owens-Illinois Glass Company*
Embossed:
“Coca-Cola
Trademark Registered
Min. Contents 6Fl-Ozs.
Coca-Cola
Trademark Registered
Bottle Pat. D-105529 (Patented 1937)”
No marks on the bottom. Marked on the side with the manufacture mark. Looks like a flying saucer 44. Which could be the mark of the Owens-Illinois Glass Company.
This bottle showcases the classic ‘hobble-skirt’ design, its clear/blueish glass, distinct from civilian versions with a greenish tint (caused by the copper), and a smooth bottom without the town’s name indicate its military production. These bottles were first manufactured in 1943. Embossed on both sides, it bears the iconic Coca Cola logo, Trade-Mark registered in 1937, and Bottle Pat. D-105529. A small maker’s logo appears on one lower side , likely Owens-Illinois Glass Company, and the presence of “44” to the right of the logo dates the bottle to 1944.
In 1915, facing competition and standardization challenges, Coca-Cola replaced its straight-sided bottle with a distinctive contoured design. Created by Indiana’s Root Glass Company, the “Hobble Skirt” shaped Coke bottles, patented on November 16, 1915, featured a unique shape inspired by the cocoa bean.
During World War II, Coca-Cola positioned itself as a patriotic brand, symbolizing a taste of home for American soldiers abroad. In 1941, Coca-Cola President Robert Woodruff ensured that every serviceman received a bottle for five cents, regardless of location or cost to the company.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower, impressed by early successes, requested 10 portable factories, 6 million filled Coke bottles monthly, and resources for American GIs. Executives responded by sending 148 representatives, dubbed “Coca-Cola Colonels,” to serve Coke to troops worldwide. The “Have A Coke” promotions used ads with underlying meanings, distributing over 5 billion bottles to uniformed personnel by the war’s end. The Owens-Illinois Glassworks were a major supplier of bottles to the temporary bottling plants established behind the front lines during World War II. War-time plants were later transformed into operational facilities.
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