Here is an Ortliebs Beer Bottle Bullet Light from the Henry F. Ortlieb Brewing Company located in Philadelphia, PA. This Ortliebs Beer Bottle Bullet Light is from the 1940’s era and is in excellent condition for it’s age. This bullet is made of a curved piece of milk glass with bottle and text graphics reverse painted and a metal body with a light bulb attached to a plastic base. The graphics on this Ortliebs Beer Bottle Bullet Light are of a 1940’s era Ortlieb’s Beer Bottle with the tagline “Ask for Ortlieb’s”. The tagline was also used on other advertisements and campaigns that the brewery put out during that time.
The style and design of these signs are known as bullet lights also known as shield lights due to their resemblance to the shape of a bullet or a shield; “bullet light” is the generalized term used for these signs though. Bullet signs like this one were made by the Cincinnati Advertising Products Company located in Cincinnati, OH under the name Blue Ribbon Displays. Most bullet lights have images of free standing bottles or cone top cans on them and sometimes with the addition of a tagline.
There is actually another variation of this Ortlieb’s Beer Bullet Light. It has very similar graphics except the bottle label is colored yellow instead of white and the label text reads “Ortlieb’s Lager Beer”. I have yet to find that variation to add to my collection and will be keeping an eye out for one.