Coble Dairy Products, Inc. Milk Carton

01

Artifact Overview

The quest for a shatter-proof milk container prompted John Van Wormer to patent a paper carton in 1915. Many processors and distributors continued to use breakable glass bottles, but, after 1937, mechanized production made the disposable, wax-coated folded cartons inexpensive and indispensable liquid containers. The iconic design, a box with a gable-end top with a pouring or drinking spout, remains the industry standard today.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Carton (Container)

Creator Notes

Manufactured for Ex-Cell-O Corporation, Detroit, Michigan, by the Kieckhefer Container Company, Cherry River Division, Delair, New Jersey, Bensenville, Illinois, and Whittier, California, for Coble Dairy Products, Inc., Lexington, North Carolina.

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

71.1.1622

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of David M. Gwinn.

Material

Cardboard

Color

Cream (Color)
Orange (Color)

Dimensions

Height: 9.375 in
Width: 5.5 in

Inscriptions

on front of carton: ONE PINT / TO CLOSE / PRESS HERE / Lift Here / TO POUR / OR DRINK / COBLE / Quality Controlled / Milk / Pasteurized Homogenized / D vitamin added / Packaged by / COBLE DAIRY PRODUCTS, INC. LEXINGTON, N. C. / Select Milk on side of carton: T 119 S / 2 / Covered / by one or more / U. S. Patent Nos. / 1,763,025 / [...] / 2,329,797 / OTHER PATENTS PENDING / MANUFACTURED FOR EX-CELL-O CORP. BY / KIECKHEFER CONTAINER COMPANY / CHERRY RIVER DIVISION / DELAIR, N. J. BENSENVILLE, ILL. WHITTIER CALIF. / Your Assurance / of Quality / COBLE LABORATORY / CONTROLLED / Seal / of / QUALITY / Farm Supervised / Laboratory Controlled / Carefully Controlled on back of carton: Pasteurized Homogenized / Grade A / D vitamin Added / Milk / DAVIDSON COUNTY HEALTH DEPT. / PERMIT NO. 1 / ONE PINT / COBLE / Quality Controlled / Milk / Pasteurized Homogenized / D vitamin added / Packaged by / COBLE DAIRY PRODUCTS, INC. LEXINGTON, N. C. / Select Milk on side of carton: 667 / Pure-Pak / Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. / CONTAINER - A PRODUCT OF / EX-CELL-O CORPORATION / DETROIT, MICH. / There's Cream / In Every Drop / Homogenized / [...] / D vitamin added / Coble Quality Controlled Milk has / 400 U. S. P. Vitamin D units Vios- / terol added per quart. / Carefully Controlled