Deco soda bottles are bottles that have a design that is often patented. They range from universally recognizable like the iconic Coca-Cola bottle to very obscure small town brands. They have always been a personal favorite of mine, so I wanted to create a blog to put them all together in one place.
Rarity ratings are as follows:
Very common
Common
Semicommon
Uncommon
Scarce
Rare
Please note that just because a bottle is listed as rare, it does not automatically mean it is a valuable bottle. Most deco RI soda bottles (even the rare ones) are valued in the $5-30 range, with the early 1915 patent Cokes being the only exception I am aware of.
Bare Rock Spring Soda Works- Centerdale, RI
This is a very elusive bottle and one of my favorite designs as well! It comes in clear and aqua. I was lucky enough to find four at a flea market last year.
Bell Bottling Co.- Providence, RI
A more common but appealing and likely unique design.
Black Rock Beverages- Westerly, RI
This was a very scarce bottle, but a few examples have turned up more recently. Another favorite of mine as it encourages the holder to “Drink Black Rock Beverages”. Uncommon
Blue Bird- West Barrington, RI
This is a national brand that was bottled by selected companies across the US. The RI one is pretty elusive and until a few years ago would have been considered rare. A great design with a bird worked into the shoulder area. Scarce.
Bridge Club Beverage Co.- Providence, RI
Another common but fairly appealing design. It can be described as an “ear of corn” style. Common in clear, scarce in green.
Coca-Cola- Providence, Peace Dale, Newport, Woonsocket, and Westerly, RI
No surprise here! See more info on my Coca-Cola blog. Providence examples are very common, Peace Dale and Newport common, Woonsocket rare, and Westerly x-rare.
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| Woonsocket Coke |
Cotton Club Beverages- Cranston, RI
A rare one! For a while it was only known to exist with the “leaf vein” pattern, and then a second style was discovered! The vertically ribbed example is x-rare.
Crystal Beverages- Providence, RI
A scarce bottle with a rather neat design. Most Crystal bottles are plain and quite common, this one is the exception!
Dexter Bottling Co.- Central Falls, RI
This is what I call a “borderline” deco, as the design is minimal and probably did not require a patent. Still, it's a good looking bottle! Rare
Drink-Me- Providence, RI
A rare soda that I was very excited to find! There are also convincing indicators that this was likely a Cranston bottle despite being embossed Providence.
E.J. Dybala Bottling Works- Cranston, RI
A very common soda in a fairly generic deco style.
Dybalas Spring Bottling Works- Woonsocket, RI
Another very common soda related to the example above. Green examples are scarce.
Eagle Bottling Co.- Bristol, RI
One of my all-time favorite RI deco sodas! I didn't know it existed until I dug one. Rare, two examples known to exist.
Empire Bottling Works- Bristol, RI
A common but very unusual bottle with a Greek/Roman scene embossed. Uncommon in green.
Esmond Spring Soda Works- Esmond, RI
A fairly plain small town soda. Semicommon.
Five (5)-O Wickford, RI
A very busy and interesting national chocolate soda brand. Uncommon
Geneva Springs Bottling Co.- North Providence, RI
The 8 ounce style is common and fairly standard, but the shorter 6 ounce size is a highly appealing design. Scarce in clear and aqua, rare in green.
Havens- Westerly, RI
A deco style that was used nationwide, but locally a very tough bottle. Rare
Hebe Beverages- Providence, RI
A neat starburst pattern that was considered semicommon until I dug literally hundreds of them. Very common.
Hope Club Beverages- Providence, RI
A rather unusual style! It was rare but now I have three different minor variants. Scarce
Hope Club Beverages- Maine Bottling Co. Providence, RI
An earlier style that was unknown until a few years ago. Scarce
Kerona Beverages- Central Falls, RI
A Rhode Island classic. Very common in clear, uncommon in green.
King- Westerly, RI
The most common deco soda from Westerly. Common in clear, rare in green.
Kist- West Barrington, RI
Another famous nationally sold brand. Scarce
Liberty Club Beverages- Providence, RI
A classically designed deco. Very common in clear, scarce in green.
Manhattan Club Beverages- Esmond, RI
The same style as the earlier Esmond Spring bottles. Semicommon in clear, rare in green.
Martins Soda Works- Woonsocket, RI
A somewhat basic deco design. Uncommon in clear, scarce in green.
Mineral Spring Bottling Co.- North Providence, RI
A common soda in clear, rare in green.
Moose Head Beverages- Providence, RI
Another likely unique and highly appealing RI design. Scarce
Nu-Grape- Westerly, RI
Another national brand that never took off locally. Uncommon
Orange-Cream Bottling Co.- Providence, RI
A great deco design that was used nationally by a couple bottling companies. 7.5 ounce size is uncommon. Quart is scarce.
Orange Crush- Providence, Newport, and Westerly, RI
Another national brand with a great design. Providence is uncommon, Newport and Westerly rare.
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| Westerly |
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| Providence |
Red Fox Ginger Ale Co.- Providence, RI
One of the most common deco sodas from RI. Very common in clear, common in green.
Royal Club Beverages- Providence, RI
Another fairly recent discovery. Scarce
Shiloh Club- Providence, RI
A nationally used design but certainly an appealing one. Semicommon in clear, scarce in green. Green style is same as clear except that it has a large label space.
The second style is quite different and rare. A simple yet appealing design.
Somerset Bottling Co.- Central Falls, RI
A fairly simple design but a very elusive bottle. Rare
Standard Bottling Co.- Pawtucket, RI
An exceptional design that may be unique to this company. Scarce in clear, rare in green. I am in search of a green example for my collection!
Surf Club Ginger Ale Co.- Middletown, RI
A nice eye-catching style. Scarce
Tobaks Beverages- Newport, RI
One of a small handful of Newport deco bottles. Uncommon
Twin City Spring Beverages- Central Falls, RI
One of my top 5 favorite deco bottle styles. Scarce in clear, rare in green. There is also a plainer style aqua quart that is also rare.
Warwick Bottling Works- Arctic, RI
A very common company but the deco bottles, while basic are uncommon. Found in clear and green.
Warwick Club Ginger Ale Co.- West Warwick, RI
Another very common RI deco. The quarts are very common and the smaller sizes are common.
Yacht Club Bottling Works- Centredale, RI
Another one of my favorite RI deco bottles. I still consider this a rare bottle, but as more examples are found, it is approaching scarce status.
