Dairy bottles were marked in several different ways. The Embossed Dairy Bottles page focuses on bottles that have a round slug plate embossed into the glass.
The examples below show the difference between slug plate embossed bottles, private mold, shoulder embossed bottles, and pyroglaze bottles (often called “pyro” by collectors).
The dairy name appears inside a round slug plate embossed into the glass.
This is the type of bottle shown on the Embossed Dairy Bottles page.
While dairy jars are not technically milk bottles, they are allowed on the Embossed Dairy Bottles page when they have a slug plate embossed into the glass.
These jars were commonly used for cottage cheese and sour cream.
A private mold bottle was made specifically for one dairy. The dairy name was molded directly into the bottle rather than placed inside a round slug plate.
Private mold bottles without a slug plate are not included on the Embossed Dairy Bottles page.
The dairy name is embossed on the shoulder of the bottle instead of inside a slug plate.
This type is not included on the Embossed Dairy Bottles page.
The dairy name is printed onto the glass using applied color lettering instead of being embossed into the bottle.
Collectors usually refer to these as “pyro” bottles, a style that became common beginning in the 1930s.
These bottles are not included on the Embossed Dairy Bottles page. A future page will highlight pyro milk bottles.