half Pint Milk Bottle
AssociatedAssociated with
Northern Co-operative Company
(Aberdeen, Scotland, 1861 - 1993)
Date1960s
Object NameBottle
Mediumglass
ClassificationsShopping
AcquisitionPresented in 1983.
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDMS004965.17
About MeThese milk bottles, 21 in all, represent the progression of the technology of bottle production across almost half a century. They also illustrate the changing pattern of consumption within households. The quart bottle was in use from the 1930s up to the Second World War. These were a common feature of the home along with the pint and the half pint. The quart ceased to be used although it reappeared in a new format in the 1980s. In the late 1970s half pint was phased out.
The technology of bottle production and milk packaging has also changed thus having an impact upon both the consumer and the "milkman". The older bottles are made of thick glass; with developments in glass production it became possible to manufacture bottles using thinner glass; this significantly altered the weight of the individual bottle, especially if one thinks how heavy the full quart bottle was.
The donor worked in the co-op dairy pre-1939 and retired in the 1970s. He testified to how heavy a crate full of quarts of milk was, with 24 bottles in a crate and the crate made of steel. Since then the move has been towards lighter bottles, plastic and coated card.
1960s-1970s
