Orange Crush

This is a 10 ounce amber colored, diamond shaped, wax draped, Mae West Orange Crush bottle from the late 1960's. It was given to me by Tammy, of the Town of Mooresville Public Library. It's been under her house with a bunch of others for at least a few years now and wanted to come out. Tammy knows I collect bottles, and I did offer to give it a good home, so she gave it to me.

There is something about glass that is permanent and timeless. If you don't drop it, or otherwise misuse it, a glass bottle will last forever. What I really love about glass from the later part of the 20th Century are the designs and logos which were used. Early on a bottle was a straightforward affair; basically parellel sides with a hole to drink from at the top. But, shortly after Coca-Cola came out with the "Christmas tree" bottle design in 1926, the bar was raised a bit higher. This Orange Crush bottle is a perfect example of that competition.

Notice the way that the bottle is designed to fit the hand more comfortably. This gives the shoulder of the bottle a flaired out appearance which resulted in some folks referring to them as "Mae West" bottles.

There's a fantastic site with the history of all the Orange Crush bottles at
http://www.angelfire.com/yt/soda/Rosman-OC-MaeWest.html

It's a pretty comprehensive site, going as far as giving measurements and capacities, as well as a little bit of information about the designer James Nash, a noted industrial designer of the 1950's. There is so much to be learned about everything surrounding us. This bottle is no exception. Thank You, Tammy, for this beautiful addition to my collection of bottles.