Found on the Folly - Very old soda bottle

Found this bottle on the folly on 2 September 2020.

It is 18.5 cm tall and has embossed lettering "THIS BOTTLE IS THE PROPERTY OF GOLDBERG & ZEFFERTT  LTD".  It has G & Z, the number 4 and a maker's mark embossed on the base. 

Goldberg & Zeffertt glass bottle

It also has a logo, a beautifully embossed leaping lion.

Embossed lion logo

It has G & Z, the number 4 and a maker's mark embossed on the base. 

Have you ever heard of  the name "Goldberg & Zeffert?

No not the heavy metal band of the late 1960's...you're thinking of Led Zeppelin!

I did some research ........

GOLDBERG & ZEFFERTT LTD.

the original company was known as Horwitz & Co Niagra Steam Water Works and they had the logo om a leaping lion.  In 1899 there was a name change to Goldberg & Zeffertt Ltd.

http://www.antiqueaddiction.co.za/product/hybrid-codd-hamilton/

According to the article above on the Antique Addiction website, during the early 1930's Golberg and Zeffertt was the first consessioner bottler of Coca-Cola in the Country until 1934 when Coke decided to manage their own affairs.  They can't confirm if the G & Z bottles were the first known bottles with paper labels that were used to bottle Coke ...... but they might just be!

                                            The very first Coca-Cola bottles used in the USA

cola.co.za/know-us-better/coca-cola-globally/history

I think I've found one of the very first bottles in which Coca Cola was bottled in South Africa in the 1930's, right here in the heart of Johannesburg

When I did further research I also found that there were 2 learners in the school magazine in 1942 with the surnames Goldberg and Zeffertt.