RELIANCE, A MYSTERY COMPANY OR PRODUCT

There are several known RELIANCE cast iron bottle openers from NZ, Types B, C, E and F, see below.

Lees & Evans, Reliance, Christchurch (1891-1913) used many types of bottles with their "Reliance" anchor trade mark on them but they never used crown tops.  The bottles they used were glass Internal Threads, Hamiltons (Torpedoes), Codds (Marble Bottles), Lamonts, Chapmans Patent (Rubber Ball Stoppers), Soda Syphons, Pottery Ginger Beer bottles with either cork stoppers or internal threads.  

The "Reliance Patent"  is a type of marble bottle and although Lees & Evans didn't use that type, some other NZ firms did. Marble or codd bottles were made at Barnsley England to the Reliance patent and shipped to New Zealand for use.

So, the question is, what was the "Reliance" company or product that was being advertised on these openers? And, of course there could have been more than one company or product. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Searching the National Library of New Zealand's Papers Past comes up with many possibilities...but so far none may be directly linked to an opener...here are a few examples from the 1930's...

Loans (source Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 115, 17 May 1930, Page 18)

Batteries (source New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20472, 25 January 1930, Page 13)

Cycle supplies, (source Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 270, 14 November 1934, Page 12)

Cycle Works Hutt News, Volume 9, Issue 38, 4 March 1936, Page 2

Radiator/Cooker combo (source Hutt News, Volume 6, Issue 4, 28 June 1933, Page 7)

Gift shop (source Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette , 6 November 1946, Page 2)