Glass
The name “[I within oval crossing a diamond]” appears among Owens Illinois glass marks on glass. Its mark period is 1929.
Owens-Illinois formed in 1929; corporate name Owens-Illinois Inc. from 1965, restructured as O-I Glass Inc. in January 2020. Predecessor Owens and Illinois firms operated earlier.
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From 1929
Horizontally stretched diamond intersects an upright oval with I inside. The illustrated Pepsi base also carries Duraglas; that word is a separate process trademark.
moulded · glass
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From 1940
Flowing cursive Duraglas wordmark. It identifies the company’s strengthened glass formula and can accompany either older or newer manufacturer emblems.
moulded · glass
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From 1954
Upright I enclosed by an oval, with the diamond removed. This Pepsi bottle illustrates the later logo, alongside separate customer, date and mould codes.
moulded · glass
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From 1997
O and I joined by a short horizontal line; the I is outside the O rather than enclosed within it. Shown on a green bottle heel.
moulded · glass
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Undated
Unusual O.I.G. initials above a large X and 31F. These initials differ from the usual interlocked emblems.
moulded · glass
Owens-Illinois Glass Company was formed in 1929 when the Owens Bottle Company combined with the Illinois Glass Company. The business brought together major producers associated with Toledo, Ohio, and Alton, Illinois. Its predecessors had helped develop the automatic manufacture of glass containers, allowing large quantities of bottles and jars to be made with consistent shapes. The combined company adopted a mark joining the Illinois diamond with an oval and central I.
The company produced containers for drinks, medicines, food and household products across an extensive factory network. Plant and date codes often accompany the manufacturer’s emblem, although their position and interpretation vary with the type of bottle. Duraglas, introduced in 1940, identified a stronger glass formula. Its script wordmark appears on many surviving containers alongside the company logo. An I within an oval began replacing the diamond design in 1954, but older moulds remained in use for years.
In 1965 the corporate name became Owens-Illinois, Inc., reflecting a business that had diversified beyond its original container operations. The acquisition of Brockway in 1988 expanded the glass business, and later international acquisitions widened its manufacturing network. The joined O-I logo became another familiar identification mark. A corporate restructuring in January 2020 created O-I Glass, Inc. Bottle bases therefore preserve several generations of branding rather than one universal mark.
Also known as: O-I · O I Glass · Owens-Brockway · Owens-Illinois Glass Company; later Owens-Illinois, Inc. and O-I Glass, Inc.
Its predecessor mark is I within a diamond, without the additional oval of the combined Owens-Illinois logo. A predecessor bottle need not date from 1929 or later.
The predecessor used O within a square. That box-O mark and its earlier dates differ from the diamond/oval/I adopted by Owens-Illinois.
