chap10c

Chapter 10c
Bottles of Nehi Bottling Co. and Royal Crown Bottling Co.

Nehi Bottling Co.

Nehi Flavors
Nehi flavors were introduced in 1924 by the Chero Company of Columbus, Georgia. Although Chero-Cola had once been a renowned drink, its popularity was eclipsed by the new flavors, and, in 1928, the company renamed itself the Nehi Corporation. By the time Pittman started the Nehi Bottling Company in El Paso (1931), Nehi flavors were already popular in much of the United States (Vaughn 1995a:30-31). Pittman used the same bottles interchangeably between the El Paso and Phoenix plants beginning as early as 1931.
Nehi bottlers were offered a choice of two types of crown caps. One depicted a lady's leg complete with high-heeled shoe; the other a more demure Nehi logo above angled rays. It is currently unknown which cap was used in El Paso (personal communication from Michael M. Elling, February 20, 1997). It is possible that some bottles were embossed EL PASO - PHOENIX but the only specimens I have examined were marked PHOENIX - EL PASO.

Mike Morrison

NRC 01
Method of Manufacture: Machine
Color: Colorless
Size (in cm.): 23.7 (h); 5.6 (d)
Primary Labeling Style: Embossed
Finish: Crown
Capacity: 9 oz.
Overall Bottle Design: Cylindrical with embossed vertical "ropes" on body and neck/shoulder [also know as the "silk stocking design" According to Mike Elling, although the term "rope design" is used by some, the preferred designation is "silk stocking design. . . Nehiophiles never say rope" (personal communication)]
Front Description
Neck: Embossed "ropes"
Shoulder: Embossed "ropes"
Body: Embossed - NEHI/BEVERAGES, with MINIMUM/CONTENTS on left side; 9 FLUID/OUNCES on the right
Heel: Embossed - NEHI BOTTLING CO. [NEHI BOTTLING CO./5]
Back Description
Neck: Embossed "ropes"
Shoulder: Embossed "ropes"
Body: Embossed NEHI/REG. U. S. PAT. OFF.
Heel: Embossed PHOENIX - EL PASO [PHOENIX - EL PASO/22 I-in-an-oval-superimposed- on-a-diamond 0]
Base: Embossed - DESIGN/PAT'D/MAR. 3, 29
Manufacturer: Unknown [Owens Illinois Glass Co. (1929-1954)]
Dating: [1931-ca. 1944] Containers of this design were obviously in use in 1929 but were not bottled in El Paso until after the company's starting date of 1931. They were replaced in parts of the country about 1940 by containers decorated with ACL labels, but some bottlers continued to use embossed bottles until the mid-1950s (Bates et al 1992a:185, N3-7; personal communication, Mike Elling). The Phoenix-El Paso franchise probably changed to ACL bottles during the early to mid-1940s. The embossed 0 to the right of the logo on the base likely indicates a manufacture in 1940.
Collection: Viola Salas Collection, Alamogordo.

Viola Salas

Nehi baked enamel or ACL bottles came in two color schemes on colorless glass, each with two variations. The earliest color combination, red on yellow, was used from 1939 to 1956 on seven-, nine-, ten-, and twelve-ounce bottles (Bates et al 1996a:N-2). The various Nehi flavors were bottled in identical bottles with the individual flavor indicated by the crown cap. The first variation is identifiable by the illusion of three-dimensional letters in the word, NEHI on the body front label and the lack of a neck label. Bottles of this type may be labeled EL PASO, TEXAS; PHOENIX, ARIZONA; EL PASO-PHOENIX; or PHOENIX-EL PASO.

NRC 02
Method of Manufacture: Machine
Color: Colorless
Size (in cm.): 23.9 (h); 5.8 (d) [24.1 (h); 6.1 (d)]
Primary Labeling Style: Yellow and Red ACL
Finish: Crown
Capacity: 9 oz. [12 oz.]
Overall Bottle Design: Cylindrical with embossed vertical "ropes" on body and neck/shoulder
Front Description
Neck: Embossed "ropes"
Shoulder: Embossed "ropes"
Body: Yellow rectangular background with NEHI in red and yellow three-dimensional letters. Below in a colorless stencil was REG. U. S. PAT. OFF. A red band followed with the word BEVERAGES in yellow, and the final line, again in red promised CONTENTS 9 FLU. OZS [CONTENTS 12 FLU. OZS.]
Heel: Embossed "ropes"
Back Description
Neck: Embossed "ropes"
Shoulder: Embossed "ropes"
Body: Yellow ACL labeling - BOTTLE STERILIZED/BEFORE FILLING/[star]/PROPERTY OF/NEHI-ROYAL CROWN BOTTLING CO./PHOENIX - EL PASO. [9 oz. variation - EL PASO-PHOENIX] [9 oz. variation - EL PASO, TEXAS] [9 oz. variation - BOTTLE STERILIZED/BEFORE FILLING/(oval outline) with ...d Appr/(star)/Good Houskeeping/Bureau/KEEPING.../(below oval) PROPERTY OF/NEHI BOTTLING CO./EL PASO, ...] [12 oz. - NEHI ROYAL CROWN BOTTLING CO./PHOENIX - EL PASO]
Heel: Embossed "ropes" [9 oz. variation - 4455 66]
Base: Embossed - DESIGN PAT'D MAR then became illegible with I-in-an-oval-superimposed-on-a-diamond MM/Duraglass (script) [T-in-a-keystone /DESIGN/PAT'D/MAR. 3, 25. The 1925 date probably refers to the bottle style (braided rope design) rather than the ACL version.] [C-in-a-circle] [L G W/DESIGN/PAT'D/MAR. 3, 25/225 5] [23 I-in-an-oval-superimposed-on-an-elongated-diamond 9/DESIGN/PAT'D/MAR. 3, 25] [DESIGN/PAT'D/MAR. 3, 25 (downward arch/8516/(illlegible - poss. Anchor Hocking logo) 54/6]
Manufacturer: Owens Illinois Glass Company (1926-1954) and the Duraglass logo (after 1940) [unknown manufacturer] [Chatanooga Glass Co. (1927-present)] [Laurens Glass Works (1913-1970)]
Dating: [1939-1941] [1941-1956] The Nehi Bottling Company opened in El Paso in 1931, and used bottles of this type from at least 1939 until the company name change to the Nehi-Royal Crown Bottling Company in 1941. The company retained that name until 1965. Red-on-yellow labels date nationally, however, from 1940-1956. Bottles made prior to 1947 (before the Ritters bought the Phoenix plant) can only be labeled Nehi Royal-Crown Bottling Co., El Paso or Nehi Bottling Co., Phoenix. Only bottles manufactured after 1946 can be labeled either Phoenix-El Paso or El Paso-Phoenix.
Collection(s): Mike Morrison Collection; Willie F. Terrazas collection; Michael M. Elling collection; UTEP archaeology (Lower Valley investigation); author's collection.


Willie Terrazas

The second color scheme differed in the solid red configuration of the word, NEHI, on the body front label and the presence of a red-on-yellow label on the neck. Like the first color scheme, bottles appeared in seven-, nine-, ten-, and twelve-ounce sizes and dated from 1940 to 1965 (Bates et al 1996a:N-3).

The second color variant featured a white company logo on a red ACL background on the same basic embossed "rope" design as found on the red-on-yellow bottles. These bottles were manufactured in nine-, ten-, and twelve-ounce sizes and were marketed between 1956 and 1965. As with the first color variant, two different configurations exist. The most notable difference is the inclusion of the word, NEHI, in white on the neck of the second variation (Bates et al 1996a:N-3). Only the body-label-only version has been identified from El Paso and only in the nine-ounce configuration. It is not known at this time whether a temporal range can be assigned to either variation.

NRC 03
Method of Manufacture: Machine
Color: Colorless
Size (in cm.): 23.3 (h); 5.6 (d)
Primary Labeling Style: Red and White ACL
Finish: Crown
Capacity: 9 oz.
Overall Bottle Design: Cylindrical with embossed vertical "ropes" (or silk stocking) on body and neck/shoulder
Front Description
Neck: Bare
Shoulder: Embossed "ropes"
Body: Red ACL rectangle with white bars on top and bottom with the word, NEHI, in white in center with ® to left
Heel: Embossed "ropes"
Back Description
Neck: Same as front
Shoulder: Embossed "ropes"
Body: White ACL - BOTTLE STERILIZED/BEFORE FILLING/(star)/CONTENTS 9 FLU. OZ./(star)/BOTTLED BY ROYAL CROWN BOTTLING CO./EL PASO, TEXAS [variation 1 - PROPERTY OF NEHI-ROYAL CROWN BOTTLING CO./EL PASO, TEXAS] [variation 2 - CONTENTS 9 FLU. OZ./(star)/BOTTLED BY ROYAL CROWN BOTTLING CO./EL PASO, TEXAS]
Heel: Embossed "ropes"
Base: Embossed - 388-2/LG-61 [C-in-a-circle/DESIGN/PAT'D/MAR.3,25
Manufacturer: Liberty Glass Company (1954-present) [Chattanooga Glass Co. (1925-present)
Dating: [1956-1965] The Elling bottle and one in the author's collection provoke a question as to the accuracy of the two-digit numbers in Liberty Glass Company bottles or the storage time of Liberty bottles. The numerals, 61, on the base suggest 1961, but Royal Crown Bottling Company was only in existence in El Paso from 1965 to 1969. The bottle is therefore older than the company. Either the numbering system does not accurately reflect the manufacturing date, or bottles were being stored for four years prior to application of the labels. According to Bates et al, (1996a:N-3), red and white ACL bottles were only used by Nehi from 1956-1965.
Collection(s): Michael M. Elling collection; author's collection.

Lawrence Angus

Par-T-Pak
Par-T-Pak mixers were being advertised by the Nehi-Royal Crown Bottling Company in quart bottles by at least February 1951 (probably earlier) with continuing ads until at least April 1954 (EPTD 2/1951; EPT 4/5/1953 B13:4; 4/25/1954 E11:2). The beverages also came in smaller containers, the earliest of which were produced in El Paso by the Nehi Bottling Company in unembossed bottles that used paper labels.

NRC 04
Method of Manufacture: Machine
Color: Forest Green
Size (in cm.): 24.6 (h); 6.7 (d)

Primary Labeling Style: Paper
Finish: Crown
Capacity: 12 oz.
Overall Bottle Design: Cylindrical with no embossing
Front Description
Shoulder: Horizontally rectangular, dark blue paper label with an olive green strip along its bottom edge. Entered on the label is PAR-T-PAK in white letters/Extra Dry (red - script) /GINGER ALE (white). Vertical ovals on each side of the label contain Good Housekeeping seal, serial no. 4897
Body: Same color scheme with the addition of a smaller strip of dark blue below the olive green strip. The top blue area warns, EXCESSIVE STIRRING DESTROYS CARBONATION, followed by PAR-T-PAK/Extra Dry/GINGER ALE in the same configuration described above, but with the words, TRADE, below PAR and, MARK, below PAK. In the green area is printed, MINIMUM CONTENTS/12 FLUID OUNCES/NEHI BOTTLING CO., El Paso, Tex. The final blue strip is labeled, A NEHI PRODUCT - LICENSED BY NEHI, INC. - COLUMBUS, GA.
Back Description
Shoulder: No label
Body: No label
Base: Embossed - 32A/19
Manufacturer: Unknown
Dating: [1931-1941] Paper label bottles of this type were likely used throughout the tenure of Nehi Bottling Company (1931-1941) and may have extended until about 1945.
Collection(s): Author's collection.

Although an earlier, ACL bottle with a complex label was produced in the late 1930s (cf Bates et al 1996a:P-2), the first style actually located in the city had a simplified design. An example is a cola drink, which is unusual in that it represented a direct conflict with one of the company's most important products, Royal Crown Cola. The Par-T-Pak cola may not have been used in El Paso.

NRC 05
Method of Manufacture: Machine
Color: Colorless
Size (in cm.): 20.1 (h); 5.7 (d)
Primary Labeling Style: Red and White ACL
Finish: Crown
Capacity: 6 oz.
Overall Bottle Design: Cylindrical
Front Description
Neck: White ACL - PAR-T-PAK/COLA
Body: A white-outlined red rectangle with the words, PAR-T-PAK/REG. U. S. PAT. OFF./COLA, in the upper central portions of the rectangle, COPYRIGHT 1945/NEHI CORPORATION in the lower left, and CONTENTS/6 FLUID OUNCES in the lower right.
Back Description
Neck: White ACL - PAR-T-PAK/COLA
Body: White ACL - BOTTLE STERILIZED/BEFORE FILLING/CONTAINS CARBONATED WATER,/SUGAR, AN ACIDULANT,/COLA NUT EXTRACTIVES,/NATURAL FLAVORS/CARAMEL COLOR./[star] PROPERTY OF/ROYAL CROWN BOTTLING CO./SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
Base: Embossed stippling but no other markings
Manufacturer: Unknown
Dating: [1945-1960] Nehi-Royal Crown probably used bottles of this type from about 1945 until around 1960.
Collection(s): Willie F. Terrazas collection.

Willie Terrazas

Royal Crown
Royal Crown Cola was introduced to a limited audience in mid-1934 but was not fully available to the public until the following year. The new cola soon came to dominate the Nehi product line. The initial bottles appear to have been produced with paper labels that were similar to the ACL labels that followed in 1936 (Vaughn 1995a:28-31).

NRC 06
Method of Manufacture: Machine
Color: Georgia Green
Size (in cm.): 24.1 (h); 6.4 (d)
Primary Labeling Style: Yellow and Red ACL
Finish: Crown
Capacity: 12 oz.
Overall Bottle Design: Cylindrical
Front Description
Neck/shoulder: Embossed - RC enclosed by a trapezoid topped by a star. Bates, et al. (1996a:R-11), show that a similar bottle had the RC embossed within a triangle. The label was larger and had a star enameled over the RC in the body front label.
Body: A yellow square enclosed a depiction of four yellow pyramids on a yellow sand foreground with a red sky background. The words ROYAL CROWN were emblazoned in yellow across the red sky, followed by REG. U. S. PAT. OFF., then a star in the bottle's Georgia Green color stenciled through the red background. The initials RC appeared on a Georgia Green background between the two center pyramids followed on the yellow foreground by COLA in red lettering. The lower left corner proclaimed, COPYRIGHT 1936/BY NEHI, INC., with NET CONTENTS/12 FLUID OUNCES on the right.
Heel: Embossed - NEHI BOTTLING CO./CONT. 12 FL. OZS.
Back Description
Neck/Shoulder: Embossed - RC enclosed by a trapezoid topped by a star
Body: Yellow ACL - EVERY BOTTLE STERILIZED. An oval enclosed a message, Tested and Approved/[star]/Serial No. 4897/by/Good Housekeeping/Bureau/Conducted by/Good Housekeeping Magazine. A line separated the oval from a message below: CONTAINS COLA BLEND/WITH NATURAL FLAVORS/CANE SUGAR/CARBONATED WATER/AND CARAMEL/[another line]/EL PASO - TEXAS
Heel: Embossed - PROPERTY OF/4302-C
Base: Embossed - 23/"I" in an "O" superimposed on a diamond/2
Manufacturer: Owens Illinois Glass Company (1929-1654)
Dating: [1936-1941] The Nehi Corporation first introduced Royal Crown Cola in 1935, and the drink was probably distributed in El Paso shortly thereafter. Bottles of this type probably date from 1936 (copyright date) to 1941 when the company name was changed to Nehi-Royal Crown Bottling Company. The embossed 2 to the right of the Owens Illinois logo on the base probably indicates a manufacture in 1942.
Collection(s): Willie F. Terrazas collection

Willie Terrazas

Table of Contents
Chapter 10d - Bottles of Seven-Up Bottling Co. and Seven-Up Royal Crown Bottling Co.
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