Why is there a small sillouhette of West Virginia on most offbrand colas, sometimes with a small 1 inside it? Is it the can or the cola, or some advertising scheme by the state of West Virginia?
If I had to guess, I’d say it was a recycling mark – there’s a number inside the state outline, which would be a particular class of recycables that go together. And I would imagine the reason one sees them on OFFbrand drinks is because Coke and Pepsi products are locally bottled (canned?) so not every can has to have the mark required by West Virginia. In contrast, offbrand drinks that are sold nationwide from a single plant have the mark so the company doesn’t have to maintain separate West Virginia/non-W.Va. stocks.
Just a guess, mind you. 
That sounds reasonable enough. I was hoping for a X-Files explanation. 
HA-HA!
Does anyone else have a guess?
Also, if you look at the UPC code on a can of Coke, it’s in a rectangle – a perfect outline of Colorado!
Sorry, I accidentally hit “New Thread” instead of “Post a Reply” on this one. manhattan has been good enough to close out the superfluous thread. I meant to add to this discussion, not scatter it. This really is something I’ve long wondered about. Below is the text of what I posted on the now-closed thread:
I don’t think it’s a recycling mark. I remember noticing the West Virginia silhouette since I was a kid, with a number inside, and sometimes it wasn’t the number one. I grew up in western Pennsylvania, with West Virginia about an hour and a half away by car, so I figured that must have something to do with it.
I don’t drink much pop these days, and I live in New Jersey now. I should go to the supermarket and investigate, though, just to see if West Virginia is there or if they use Delaware or Vermont or some other state in these parts.
By the way, I was a kid in the 1970s, so West Viriginia has been appearing on the cans since at least then. But this is something I’ve always wanted to know, myself.
Does’t it have something to do with Libby Glass having a factory there?