Vigo County Historical Society

Bottle protectors made drips a thing of the past

Do you remember water dripping off bottles of Coca-Cola as they were removed from the ice cooler? These two "no-drip bottle protectors," recent additions to the Vigo County Historical Society collection, take our memories back to the days before mechanical refrigeration.

The "no-drip bottle protectors" are paper sleeves also known as "dry servers" and "bottle bags."

The fit over the iced bottles to keep them from dripping and hands dry. Manufactured by the No-Drip Co. in Chicago, they were in use through the 1940s. The measurements are 3 7/8 inches and 6 3/4 inches and the years of the patents are 1927 and 1932.

Marion Underwood, retired vice president and manager of the Terre Haute Division of Coca-Cola, recalled, "We purchased large quantities, buying thousands at a time. Our salesmen gave them to the retailers, who in turn game them out to customers buying Coca-Cola in bottles."

The company used the bags to advantage by including an advertisement on each one. "Take home a carton--so easy to serve at home" shows a six-bottle carton priced at 25 cents.

It was part of the "down home family drink" theme featured in the 1930s. The open top carton made it "so easy to take home."

The other paper sleeve from the 1940s shows an airplane pilot drinking from the bottle with the words, "Take off refreshed."

This famous bottle, designed at the Root Glass Co. in Terre Haute, was patented in 1915. By the 1920s, the company’s advertising began emphasizing Coca-Cola in bottles over fountain service. Fountain sales increased 20 percent and bottles sales grew 65 percent in the five years between 1923 and 1928.

A large collection of Coca-Cola memorabilia is on display in the Coca-Cola Gallery on the first floor of the museum.