EARLY AMERICAN BOTTLES & FLASKS
(Civil War era & before)

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"Pineapple Bitters" - These familiar shaped bottles are very popular with collectors for obvious reasons and this is an exceptional example.  This is the earlier example made from the same mold that was used for either the W & Co / N.Y.  or the J. C. & Co examples (or both?) except with the embossing "slugged out" or more accurately stated, with no engraved plate inserted in place of the blank mold plate.  (The oval plate covering the engraving is clearly evident in real life on the bottle but only vaguely visible in the enlarged image to the right.)  This example is a light to medium golden amber with a beautiful brilliance to the glass.  The base has a large (1.5" in diameter) and quite distinct pontil scar - a circular "disk" pontil scar which is an unusual pontil style for these bottles...and unusual on American manufactured bottles for that matter.  Click base view to view this light but distinct pontil scar.  (For more information on the disk pontil, see my other, comprehensive Historic Bottle Website pontil scars page at this link: http://www.sha.org/bottle/pontil_scars.htm#Sand Pontil )  The bottle is almost 9" tall, bubbles here and there in the glass, has a crudely applied double ring type finish (the finish found on the earlier bottles - click upper neck view to see such), and is ca. 1850s.  The condition of this example is essentially perfect as it never appears to have been buried and exhibits a bit of high point wear on the base.  There are a few very short in-making stress lines in the lip where the finishing glass was applied (common on these early bottles) but they are very hard to see.  An exceptional specimen and the equal of the almost identical example (same color and plate area though with a blowpipe pontil scar) sold in early 2010 at American Bottle Auctions for over a $1200 (with commission).  Bottle acquired for and pictured on the Historic Bottle Website.  $795

Root beer amber early umbrella ink - Stoddard manufacture?  Well, everyone speculates about that with these early umbrella inks so I won't (or maybe I just did?).  This bottle is a beautiful little jewel that looks like it was poured into the mold.  It has sheared and refired straight finish or lip, a blow-pipe pontil scar on the base (click to view base), was blown in a two-piece hinge mold, and dates from around 1845-1855 most likely.  The surface of the glass is glossy, waxy, with rippled whittle all over.  It may have been professionally cleaned although I think it was fire polished when made - a common bottle treatment at that time with some types of bottles, especially those with sheared or cracked-off finishes like this.   Color is a medium to medium dark root beer amber and fairly represented by the image.  The condition is just about mint with no chips, cracks, or staining...just one tiny pin point peck mark (with no accompanying issues) on the lower part of one panel.  $250

OLD / DR. TOWNSEND's - SARSAPARILLA - NEW . YORK. - This is embossed vertically on three sides of this familiar - and desired - bottle to collectors.  The "Old Doctor" bottles were used by the same-named poseur and competitor of the more common Dr. Townsend's Sarsaparilla.  This bottle is a beautiful medium clear green or blue green depending on ones eye; the images show the color well.  It is 9.5" tall, has a crudely applied "oil" finish or lip, a distinctly iron pontiled base (click on the image to see a larger version), and dates from the 1850s most likely.  This example is essentially "attic" mint having no evidence whatsoever of being buried, i.e., no staining, no chips, or cracks...just a little wear on the base from having sat somewhere for 150 years.  The bottle has some scattered bubbles in the very clean glass including a large one on the shoulder which has a very fine in-making (1/4" + or -)  fracture on the inside surface of the bubble.  The bubble is not broken open at all on either side of the bottle but has that small hairline which is visible (just above the arrow) in the close-up image at this link: close-up of the shoulder, neck and finish.  An overall excellent example that is as made from the factory, but priced considering the small "issue."  $325

(shoulder star) /E. ROUSSEL / PHILAD.A - DYOTTVILLE GLASS WORKS PHILAD. / SILVER MEDAL / 1847 / AWARD / THIS BOTTLE IS NEVER SOLD - This is a great, dated, mineral/soda water bottle from Philadelphia, PA.  The contained product was good enough to win the silver medal at some unstated competition in 1847.  Tod von Mechow's great website on soda/mineral water bottles dates these as being made/used from 1847 to 1849 - an early soda by any standards.  The bottle is just under 7.5" tall, an olive toned medium emerald green color to my eye which passes the light easily, has some nice whittling to the surface and bubbles in the glass, and a nicely distinct iron/improved pontil scar on the base with light but even iron residue remaining.  Click base view to see such.  The shoulder has a very boldly embossed star and the finish/lip is what is referred to as a "tapered collar" - a one part, early and crudely applied finish that has flattened sides and flares out distinctly from the rim to the base.  Click close-up of the shoulder, neck and finish to see such.  The embossing is generally quite good: the E. ROUSSEL side is all very boldly embossed; the 1847  dated side - which was engraved much less deeply and with very small letters compared to the ROUSSEL side - is still pretty bold for these bottles with only the IS in BOTTLE IS NEVER SOLD nearest the heel being very hard to see.  The condition is very good having been lightly cleaned.  The only issues being a minor bit of residual (post-cleaning) case wear/scratching, some scattered and very small ("pin prick" size) contact marks on the body/heel, a narrow wisp of discoloring from the upper neck to the shoulder (could be some minor residual stain but looks to be some glass mix discontinuity to my eye), high point wear on the sitting surface of the base, and a small (2-3mm in diameter) impact mark at the heel...no other chips, cracks, or other post-manufacturing damage.  Although certainly not an "attic" found bottle (i.e., dug), this early soda is very appealing to the eye and much better looking than that litany of small issues implies.  Bottle acquired for and used/pictured on the Historic Bottle Website.  Great dated mineral water made during the earlier days of the "blob soda" era.  $350

CLARKE & WHITE / large C / NEW YORK - Although Clarke & White bottles are generally fairly common in most of the myriad of varieties, this one has uncommon - though very esthetic - crudeness to it.  I actually don't really want to get rid of it as it is so cool looking, but here it is...I can't keep everything.  The bottle is about 7.75" tall, has a fairly crudely applied "mineral" finish/lip (the Saratoga mineral water bottles are the origin of the finish name I believe), smooth (non-pontiled) somewhat domed base (embossed with an "X" in the middle and a "7" off to the side - see image), and is from the 1860s.  The special thing about this bottle is the zillions of tiny and not so tiny bubbles in and on the glass; click close-up of the glass surface to see this semi-orange peel look to the glass surface.  Otherwise the bottle is essentially mint with no chips, cracks, staining, or other issues...the only thing I can see is a very small scuff on the edge of the heel on the back.  There is probably some minor scratching and such mixed in with the rough surface but they are unobtrusive.  A great example!  $120

HARRISON'S - COLUMBIA - INK - This is an example of the large family of ink bottles produced for Apollos W. Harrison who was a Philadelphia dealer in "books, maps and ink" from about 1847 to 1877 (McKearin & Wilson 1978). This would be considered a large ink bottle or small bulk ink.  It was acquired for and pictured on the Historic Bottle Website; the following is from the write-up on that website:

These ink bottles come in many sizes ranging from 2.5" (1 oz.) up to a gallon size at a large 11.5" tall (McKearin & Wilson 1978).  (This)...example is aqua in color,  3.6" tall, 2" in diameter with eight equal vertical sides, a crudely applied two part collared ring finish (the closest fit to the finish styles described elsewhere on this site), a very distinct blowpipe style pontil scar, and was blown in an apparent (hard to say for sure) two piece post-bottom mold with no evidence of mold air venting.  Click on the following links to see more images of this bottle:  base view showing the protruding and very tubular blowpipe pontil scar; view of reverse side showing the word PATENT embossed on the shoulder.  It is not known as to what the patent was for, though likely the ink itself not the bottle.  These bottles are known to have been made at several South New Jersey glasshouses including Whitney Brothers and Isabella Glass Works (Covill 1971). 

This example is not quite perfect but displays well.  Specifically, the top of the finish (as style essentially unique to Harrison's ink bottles) has a very thin, flat flake (approx. 1/4" by 1/8") that just touches the edge on the right side of the bottle (and shows in the image) and the bottle has some water staining which isn't too detracting (see image).  A very presentable example with a great example of a tubular blowpipe pontil...and priced right.   SOLD!

S. O. RICHARDSON'S - BITTERS - SOUTH /READING - MASS. - All this is embossed on four sides of this early (1840s or early 1850s) bitters bottle from New England.  This one is classified as R57 by Ring & Ham.  The product was apparently quite popular and made for an extended period - from 1840 to at least the early 1900s with this bottle being, of course, at the early end of that range.  It is 6.25" tall, rectangular in cross-section with very side beveled corners, has an applied flared bead type finish (or want of a better term) that was wrapped crudely around point the blow-pipe was cracked off (the cracked-off surface is still quite apparently on the inside of the neck), and has a very nice blowpipe pontil scar on the base.   Click on the image to the right to view a close-up of the blowpipe pontiled base showing the mold seam dissecting the base - a certain indication of production in a true two-piece mold.  The color is a nice greenish aqua, glass being quite crude with ample pebbly roughness and whittle to the surface and many bubbles of varying size scattered throughout.  Condition is about mint with no chips, cracks or staining; the only issue is a very, very, very minute nick on the edge of the lip rim which looks to me (under a glass) to be possibly in-making (i.e., a tiny bubble pop).  This is indeed a very nice example which should please the most discriminating collectors.   $120

FOR PIKE'S PEAK (walking dude/prospector above flattened oval) - (eagle with banner in beak above squared oval) - This is McKearin & Wilson classification #GXI-30 - the large quart size and one of the more abundant quart Pike's Peak flasks.  Celebrating the gold rush to Colorado in 1859, these popular flasks were made throughout the 1860s and possibly into the early 1870s.  This a very nice, clean, blue aqua example with the typical applied "champagne" style banded finish common on flasks made at various Pittsburgh, PA. glasshouses - where the majority of Pike's Peak flasks were made.  This example is near mint with the  original sheen (never professionally cleaned nor buried) to the glass, a nice deeper blue-aqua color glass with some body crudeness, neck stretch marks & bubbles, and a "key-base mold" smooth base.  On close inspection, the bottle does have a small (3-4 mm in diameter), faint, iridescent impact mark at the heel underneath the walking dude/oval and a very small "flea bite" on the inside of the finish (which may be in making).  Otherwise an above average, clean, bright, blue aqua example which is big and boldly embossed.  $120

CORN FOR THE WORLD (corn motif) - (monument) BALTIMORE -  Quart size, McKearin GIV-4, smooth base, crudely applied double ring variant lip or finish, ca. 1860-1870.  Click reverse view to see such; click side view to see one side.  The color is a brilliant medium golden or orange-ish amber and the glass has bubbles and other crudeness including stretch marks in the neck.  This flask has the added attraction of being an ex-Charles Gardner collection flask, the auction sticker for which shows in the base view image.  (Item #2196; it also has the Gardner collection catalog sticker on the neck - 145F.)  Condition of this flask is about mint with no staining, cracks or chips of note; just one tiny (2 mm in diameter), flat, edge flake at the base which was noted in the auction catalog addendum.  This bottle also used for and pictured on the Historic Bottle Website.  Great big boldly embossed flask with a significant heritage.  Unavailable at this time.