EARLY AMERICAN BOTTLES &
FLASKS
(Late Colonial to Civil War era
including European bottles also found/used in the U.S.)
EARLY AMERICAN BOTTLES &
FLASKS
(Late Colonial to Civil War era
including European bottles also found/used in the U.S.)
Listed prices do not include shipping & insurance. Please read the Important Information for Buyers section on the main "Bottles For Sale" page for complete buyer information.
Horse
and Cart "Railroad" side - Spread Eagle - Here is a
nice example of a relatively "common" figured or historical flask which
commemorated the new and expanding railroad-ization of the United States during the first half of the
19th century. The railroad flasks were considered as a large and distinct enough group that McKearin & Wilson in their monumental
work "American Bottles & Flasks and Their Ancestry" (1978) broke them
out as a separate category designated as the GV (G5) grouping.
This example was listed as GV-9 and is firmly attributed to the Coventry Glass Works in Connecticut which operated from 1813 to 1849 - truly "Early American." They dated this mold to the late 1820s to 1830s and it is essentially identical to the equally "common" GV-8 mold except the GV-9 did not have the SUCCESS TO THE RAILROAD embossing around the horse/cart nor the 17 stars encircling the bold "raised" eagle.
(Note: Upon close inspection of this flask compared to some good GV-8 images on eBay (thanks Rick Ciralli!) it appears that this flask was blown in the same mold as GV-8 except that the lettering and stars were filled in! Scrutiny of the open areas on both sides of the GV-9 flask - where the embossing would be - shows the faintest bits of residual lettering "ghosting" in a few locations that coincide with some of the previously embossed areas on the GV-8. It is indeed hard to see but there is just too much - albeit faint - "lumpiness" and faint indentations in a few of the open areas on both sides of the flask which indicates this being a later version blown in the same altered mold. The reworking of molds was very common back in the 19th century but why the removal of the inscription and stars? I couldn't find any information in McKearin & Wilson in the Group V section nor the Coventry Glass Works section on pages 109-111 discussion such besides the notation about both sides being like GV-8 but minus the inscription and stars. I could be wrong and such wasn't real common, but this appears to be one of those where the lettering was removed by filling in the engraving.)
Anyway, this flask is firmly attributed to Coventry due to the work of Harry Hall White in the early 20th century who did excavations at many eastern glass works sites back when one could do such. He found shards of this flask along with many others during his work. His work was critical to the attribution of scores of different bottles and flasks to an assortment of early glass companies. Thanks Harry! This flask is what is considered a pint in size (probably more like 12-13 oz.) which is typical of most of the railroad flasks as only two molds - also the products of the Coventry Glass Works - were half pint in size; no quarts.
This flask is 6.75" tall, has a cracked-off/sheared and re-fired lip or "finish" and a blowpipe pontil scar on the key mold base. A close-up of the lip is found at this link - close-up of the finish. An image of the base and pontil scar is available at the following link - base view. Condition of this flask is very good with no chips, cracks, potstone radiations or other issues. It does have a stable (no radiations) potstone in one shoulder which along with the wavy, crude and bubbly glass makes this bottle look its early age. It also has a bit of "orange peel" crudeness to the surface though just enough to enhance the look of the flask without being too much. There is some high point wear to the eagle's upper breast shield and one wing as well as a bit here and there on the horse & cart side on the horse's butt, a small patch on the rail and a couple spots on the cart. Also typical wear on the base for a bottle that has never been buried - see base view image linked above. All are a minor visual distraction and typical of these flasks since the past owners of these flasks often laid them on their sides. Oh, and the glass color is a bright medium golden amber, reminiscent of the works from the Granite Glass Works (Stoddard, NH) though these are not believed to be connected to that equally famous glass company. I see no olive at all in the color; the amber is quite accurately shown in the images. Nice example of what is now essentially a 200 year old flask! $325
I.
F. / 1822 - That is embossed - or more accurately "impressed"
I guess - in
the center of this applied seal, called a "blob seal" by collectors. This
is not technically "early American" as it is certainly English in origin although the time
period is right and it is an interesting bottle chock full of history.
This style was also widely imitated by early American bottle makers. This
is one of the earliest of the revolutionary Rickett's three-piece,
"open-and-shut" molded bottles - a mold type which was patented in December of
1821 in England (and I believe patented a bit later in the US). I used
this bottle to describe
this squatty early 19th century style on my Historic Glass
Bottle ID & Information Website (HBW). Here is the write-up from
the HBW:
The olive green bottle...is a sand pontiled three-piece Ricketts' mold produced...spirits bottle which is blob sealed and dated 1822, which is likely the date of manufacture. It is also embossed H. RICKETT'S & CO. GLASS WORKS BRISTOL on the base and PATENT on the shoulder. Click Rickett's base for a close-up picture of the pontil scar and some of the embossing. Though English in origin, this shape of bottle was commonly made and/or used in the U.S. during the first third of the 19th century (McKearin & Wilson 1978). This particular bottle has the early version of the applied mineral finish with the relatively short upper part which was common during the 1820s to 1840s era on Rickett's and similar bottles. This particular bottle was thought to have been made for a John Fothergill of Kingthorpe Hall, near Pickering, Yorkshire, England although firm documentation is lacking and it is possible that these bottles were blown for an American customer since several (including this example) have been located in the U.S. (Burton 2015: 859-860).
This bottle is the actual example illustrated in Burton's monumental 3 vol. work "Antique Sealed Bottles - 1640-1900," page 860 and described on page 859. Burton copied the image I took for inclusion on the HBW on the Liquor/Spirits Bottles Typology page at this link: https://sha.org/bottle/liquor.htm. (I'm flattered actually.) He also notes some details about the bottle including that there were "3+" examples estimated in existence. Burton also noted that an example was part of the famous Charles Gardner collection auctioned in 1975. Of note is that the most recent sale of an example (not the Gardner auction example; see below) as a "private sale" in England in 2003 for £650 which would have been over $1000 USD at that time according to an online historical exchange rate calculator.
(Note: This is a bottle I've owned for a long time having been one of around 45 bottles I acquired back in the 1980s from an elderly gentleman who was an early bottle collector in New Orleans who put together a collection of early bottles during the late 1940s or early 1950s. Most of bottles were early American though there were a few foreign bottles in the mix like this bottle. The group included historical flasks, New England chestnut flasks, snuff bottles, an unusual clear green New England style "Pitkin" half post flask, snuff bottles (below) and many more - virtually all dating from or well before the American Civil War. Virtually all were in in mint condition with the appearance of having never been buried. Apparently Gardner had two examples of this sealed bottle - one of which he kept and the other sold to the New Orleans collector since that collector kept records and noted which bottles were from Gardner.)
As noted, the bottle is "embossed" in the seal with I. F. / 1822. At that time an "I" was often used as a "J"; thus, the possible attribution to John Fothergill. The shoulder has the word PATENT weekly - but visibly - embossed just above the horizontal mold line that marks the interface between the lower "dip" mold portion (no mold seams except on the base) and the upper two-part shoulder and neck mold. Click view of the shoulder, neck and finish to see such including the slightly bulging neck and applied two-part early "mineral" finish. Click view of the shoulder mold lines to see such with a few of the letters for PATENT showing slightly (it is more visible in real life), the mold lines in that area, moderate bubbly glass and generally nice surface to this likely never buried bottles. The base is embossed as noted earlier; click Rickett's base to see such including the relatively bold sand or disk pontil scar. The heavy glass (bottle weighs almost 2 lbs.) is a nice light to medium olive green which passes light well, has some whittle to the body, swirls in the glass and other crudeness to the shoulder and neck. It is about 7.75" tall and I would guess the internal capacity at 25-30 fluid oz. Condition is essentially mint with just a small patch (1.5" x 0.75") of dirt or light stain inside just below the "T" in PATENT. I have never tried to wash it out in the 35 years I've had it but believe it would. Otherwise the bottle is essentially perfect with no chips, cracks, dings, potstone bruises or scratching that I can see; just 200 years of wear on the outside edge of the base just beyond the noted embossing. Great item and I'll miss it! $800
LOUIS
KOSSUTH - U.S. STEAM FRIGATE MISSISSIPPI calabash bottle - This is
probably the most heavily embossed, most historically interesting and beautiful
bottle I've ever owned...for an aqua bottle. This great "calabash" bottle
is listed as GI-112 in McKearin & Wilson who also note that it is "comparatively
scarce" which they note is 75-150 specimens known by the authors at that time.
I would agree as one see's them periodically at the major auction houses (where
this came from some years ago) but not all the time. (Note: I explain
"calabash" bottles on my educational website at the following link:
https://sha.org/bottle/liquor.htm#Calabash%20Bottles )
This bottle also was produced in array of colors from the most commonly seen (this nice blue aqua) to various shades of amber, emerald and yellow green, all the way to dark olive green ("black glass"). Wouldn't a color run of this bottle in that range of colors be quite a grouping all together! That run would be way beyond my means in retirement so I settled for this fine example for what I wanted to use it for which was to illustrate on my Historic Glass Bottle ID & Information Website. I've yet to add it to my section on "figured" or "historical" liquor flasks, but I've got the images now and will add a brief history once I write it below. So the bottle is for sale here...
The front side - portrait side - is embossed as described by McKearin & Wilson: "Kossuth, full-faced bust in uniform with high hat and plume. Bust rests between furled flags, two on either side, lower left flag showing seven 5-pointed stars. LOUIS KOSSUTH" in semicircle above bust." Louis Kossuth was known as the Hungarian Patriot for leading a revolution that freed Hungary from Austria though after a few years of freedom, the Russian Czar crushed the rebellion and Kossuth had to flee. As with Jenny Lind about the same time, Kossuth drew the attention of P. T. Barnum who brought him to the U.S. knowing that there was a hunger by Americans for those who led republican revolutions elsewhere. Click close-up of the front body embossing to see such.
The reverse has the following - again from McKearin & Wilson: "Large frigate sailing left, flags flying, large wheel on the side of the vessel and water beneath. Beneath the water in three lines, "U.S. STEAM FRIGATE MISSISSIPPI, HUFFSEY" On upper arc of wheel on frigate "S. HUFFSEY" and beneath markings possibly intended for letters too indistinct to be determined on any specimens we have examined." This was the ship that brought Kossuth to the US from England in October of 1851. Click close-up of the back body embossing to see such. (Note: The current plight of the Ukraine vs. Russia has a lot of historical analogy and regional similarity with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy being the "Kossuth" of his country.)
If that wasn't enough the base is even more interesting...at least to me. It is embossed on three lines with the following: "PH. DOFLEIN MOULD MAKER NTH. 5! St 84". Overlaying some of that embossing is an iron pontil scar about 1.5" in diameter with lots of iron left behind. Click base view to see such. This is the only bottle I've ever seen where the actual mold maker is clearly noted engraving his name and address on the bottle. Yes, there are all kinds of makers markings identifying the glass company that made a particular bottle but this is the only one with the actual mold maker clearly marked. Actually, I've never seen any embossing identifying any specific glass worker involved in the production of a mouth-blown bottle, just company related markings. The mold makers was Phillip Doflein, a German immigrant who began his career as a mold maker in Philadelphia, PA. in 1842. The mold for this bottle having been made in early 1851 according to McKearin & Wilson. (For more information on Kossuth and the S.S. Mississippi see McKearin & Wilson pages 469-472; Wikipedia at this link -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lajos_Kossuth).
This bottle is about 9.25" tall, probably holds a quart or so, has a somewhat crudely applied "oil" finish with a bit of slop over (click close-up of the neck and finish to see such), and the noted iron pontil scar. The glass color is a pale blue aqua as the images show with an assortment of smallish bubbles scattered throughout. Forgot to mention that these bottles are attributed to M'Carty & Torreyson, Wellsburg, W. Virginia by McKearin & Wilson as well as previous researchers. However, in a quick check of the much more recent FOHBC auction results I see that this mold has also been attributed to the Millford Glass Works (Milford, NJ), the Isabella Glass Works (New Brooklyn, NJ) or just generically to "a South Jersey Glass Works." Condition is perfect as I see no post-production damage whatsoever and it has no staining or scratching as I'm sure it was never buried; there isn't even much wear visible around the resting points of the base. One of the great American bottles (even with the Hungarian on it). $475
KOSSUTH
- TREE IN FOLIAGE calabash bottle - Louis Kossuth's visit to
the United States (discussed in a link in the above listing) warranted not one
but four calabash style bottles - GI-100, GI-112, GI-112a and this mold.
Won't go into the details about Kossuth which are all explained or linked above
as well as the history behind calabash bottles in general (first link in listing
above).
This particular mold is McKearin & Wilson's GI-113. It also comes in an array of colors from the most common aqua (like this offering) to a few different shades of green and amber. The obverse side of this quart+ bottle has a much less elaborate bust of Kossuth with KOSSUTH embossed arching above his head which does not have a hat like the example above nor the various flags and other copious embossing. The reverse has a large "summer" style tree with leaves; a theme that shows up on a few other mid-19th century flasks in the GX-X Miscellaneous Flasks as well as a few other groups. There is also a few of these tree flasks with this type tree on one side (summer) and the same without any leaves on the reverse (winter). I assume there was some implicit connection being drawn between what freedom fighter Kossuth was drumming up funding and manpower for in Hungary and the bursting forth of leaves on the tree?
As to the details of this bottle, this example is right at 10" tall and has a two part "mineral" style finish (see the discussion on that ubiquitous finish/lip style on my Historic Bottle Website at: https://sha.org/bottle/finishstyles.htm#Mineral%20or%20Double%20Oil ) with some drippy glass below the lower collar on the upper neck. Click on the following link to see the upper body, crude neck and finish: view of the upper body, neck and finish. The neck is somewhat vaguely 8 sided with a distinct horizontal ring at the neck base.
The body is bulbous like all calabash bottles and the base indented with an interesting partial double open/blowpipe pontil scars in the center. Take a look at the base image at the following link: calabash base with double pontil scar. What it shows and what appears to have happened is that one smaller blowpipe type pontil rod was affixed but only adhered minimally to the base, i.e., is about 1/3 to 1/2 of a regular small blowpipe pontil scar which if complete would have been less than an inch in diameter. (That is the small string of glass at about 12 to 3 o'clock on the base in the linked image.) Then that was removed (?) and a larger blowpipe style pontil rod (or some type of hollow rod) was attached adhering to the base from about 2 o'clock to a bit past 9 o'clock in the image - a bit more than 3/4th complete. (It could also have the other way around with the larger used first and the smaller second?) This is the type stuff that makes mouth-blown bottles so interesting!
The glass is a nice clear blue aqua color with maybe a bit of green and with some bubbles here and there. The embossing on both sides is quite bold and typical for this mold. The neck has some great twisting stretch marks which make the faceted neck a bit vague but it is still easy enough to see. There are a few small unmelted piece of sand in the glass with no star radiation lines whatsoever. Around the edge of the base is ample wear from sitting somewhere for 170 years; I'm sure it has never been buried (like most of these type bottles). The bottle is essentially as it came from the unknown glass maker (according to McKearin & Wilson) - or to use coin collector terminology - it is in mint condition. $125
WASHINGTON - TAYLOR
quart portrait flask - Here is a relatively common figured or
historical flask mold in a very rare color.
This quart flask is McKearin & Wilson's GI-37 in their classic bottle "American
Bottles & Flasks and Their Ancestry" (1978). (If you don't have a copy of
this book you are missing out on one of the best U.S. bottle books ever put together.
They are readily available at online used book dealers like ABE for a reasonable
price.) The GI-37 mold was made in a least 21 different colors according
the that book with likely lots of "in between" colors also out there.
Color runs of these flasks are absolutely stunning...and this is a key color as
the large majority are just shades of aqua. This example would likely fit
the "emerald green" color I believe. (More on that below.)
It is embossed on the obverse side with a bust of George Washington with the lettering around it THE FATHER OF HIS COUNTRY. The reverse has a bust of Zackary Taylor (12th US President) with GEN. TAYLOR NEVER SURRENDERS similarly embossed around him. On that same obverse side there is also the embossing DYOTTVILLE GLASS WORKS PHILAD.A which is around the previously noted embossing. He died in office a bit over a year after being elected in early 1849. I suspect that most of the flasks with his likeness on them were posthumous and made after he died in July 1850. (Lots of information on him at the following link if interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zachary_Taylor as well as in the McKearin & Wilson book.) He was given the nickname "Old Rough and Ready" based on his military success from the War of 1812 up to and including the Mexican War. There were 7 different flasks made with that motto according to McKearin & Wilson (McK & W). The often embossed "Gen. Taylor Never Surrenders" was coined during the end of his military days in the Mexican War in the mid-1840s.
These flasks are called the quart size which seems fairly accurate, though I didn't test it with any liquid. It stands about 8.25" tall, was blown in a true two-piece mold (click view of the base to see the mold seam equally dissecting the base) with an relatively crudely applied banded collar - called a "wide flat collar" by McK & W. The base of the collar is quite wavy & crude and without any chipping or damage. Click close-up of the shoulder, neck and finish to see such. (Note: The label shown on the base is original indicating this was once part of the famous Moody Collection. The 7-94 seems to be a month/year though I have records showing that I acquired it in October 1990 from Heckler & Co. The number must be a catalog number of Moody's before he divested it?) These flasks come with smooth bases (like this example) and with pontil scars. I've only seen this precise color a few times in the 30+ years I've had it and they were all smooth bases, though I've not seen all of them of course. The emerald green glass (Moody Collection label notes "med. yel. green") is filled with hundreds of small seed bubbles but no real large ones nor any open with any depth.
The condition of this flask is about pristine with no cracks, staining, potstone radiations or other significant issues. The only "issue" is the tiniest of flakes at the edge of the lip that is maybe 3 mm long and 1-2 mm side with almost no depth. There is also a bit of roughness just to the left of the miniscule flake which may or may not be in making. See the following images for close-ups: view 1, view 2. Also the roughness shows up a bit on the left side of the close-up of the shoulder, neck and finish image. The miniscule flake shows in view 2 the best.
Recently an virtually exact duplicate of this flask in this color, finish, glass condition and with a smooth base sold at auction (GWA) for $3250 + 17-20% commission - total of over $3800! Looks like it was blown on the same day with the same glass batch to my eye! It was described as follows: "THE FATHER OF HIS COUNTRY" / BUST OF WASHINGTON - "DYOTTVILLE GLASS WORKS PHILAD.A / GEN. TAYLOR NEVER SURRENDERS" / BUST OF TAYLOR, (GI-37), Dyottville Glass Works, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ca. 1848 - 1855, medium emerald green quart, smooth base, applied mouth. A 3/8" 'V' shaped in-making chip (created when the lip was sheared) is on the side of the neck just below the applied mouth. With the exception of this non-offensive in-making blemish this is a very good-looking flask. It has an exceptional impression and is in a deep rich color! As already noted, that bottle looked essentially identical to this one (my example has a bit longer neck) and with an "in-making" issue that was larger. There were 28 bids made and I suppose it could have been two buyers that REALLY wanted it; such is the market for nice bottles these days (and in the past). Well, here is an essentially identical example for much less. $1950
CHESNUT GROVE / "crown?" ornament / WHISKEY / C. W.
- That is embossed inside a raised circle - a faux "blob" seal - it being
actually mold engraving to form an embossed imitation seal whereas the
earlier (?) examples were actual applied and impressed seals (see below). See
the image to the immediate right (click to view a larger version). The reverse
has an unusual circular indentation the same size as the embossed seal.
Inside that indented circle is another small indentation which is also of
unknown meaning or utility. (See the image to the far right.)
The C. W. in the in the faux seal stands for Charles Wharton who was an early to
mid 19th century Philadelphia liquor dealer located at 116 Walnut St. The
name of his whiskey was as embossed - Chesnut Grove Whiskey - with no "T" unlike
the tree. I'm sure there is some history behind that spelling, but I don't
know what it is. Click
close-up of the faux seal to see such.
Wharton's success was probably a combination of an upscale spirits product as well as beautiful, equally upscale packaging in the form of various "chestnut" style handled jugs (like this), small pocket flasks and a differently shaped, somewhat larger and unusual pour spout handled jug which was embossed WHARTON'S / WHISKEY / 1850 / CHESTNUT GROVE. (I also have an example of that jug which will be listed for sale in the more distant future). This 1850 whiskey jug spelled Chestnut properly with a "T" and was also embossed with WHITNEY GLASS WORKS GLASSBORO, N.J. on the base which was highly likely to also be the maker of this and the true applied seal jugs. (Both Chesnut Grove bottles are shown together below.)
This offered example is 8.75" tall, has an applied "ring" type finish, was blown in a true two-piece mold (side mold seams proceed over the heel to connect equally dissecting the base) as well as a large circular disk type pontil scar. Click image of the base to see this large (about 1.75" in diameter) pontil scar. (Note: I cover this type of pontil scar on my educational "Historic Glass Bottle Identification & Information Website" at the following link - https://sha.org/bottle/pontil_scars.htm .) Click base view to see such. The color of this example is a beautiful light to medium golden amber which passes the light well - a great window bottle! Click window view to see such in natural light. The body is completely covered with "hammered" whittle - actually cold mold - waviness adding to the beauty of it. The handle is perfect including no application fissures at the neck and shoulder connection points and a completely intact with a much better than average decorative finial and rigaree (the rippled application point on the shoulder) which are often not complete on many handled jugs. Click view of the applied handle to see such. This one is perfect!
According to the seller I procured this bottle from, it was formerly in the famous Dr. Burton Spiller collection most of which was auctioned by Glass Works Auctions in (May 2000) although this example doesn't retain an auction tag indicating such. Having fished my copy of that auction catalogue from the attic I checked and indeed an example of the "embossed seal" variant was offered (and sold for $185+ commission). It was about identical in glass color and nice crudity, but alas, the finial and rigaree are different...this offered example actually being much more ornate than the example at the Spiller auction (Lot #132); more like the handle on the applied seal example offered below. That doesn't mean that the seller of this one didn't acquire it from Dr. Spiller at a bottle show or otherwise.
This example is in absolutely mint condition with no chips, cracks, potstone bruises, or other post-production (or even during production) issues. It has some base wear around the resting point but even that is minimal. It appears the bottle was sitting somewhere little moved for most of it's 160 years of life, it dating from the 1855 to 1865 period. Oh, and McKearin & Wilson's great book American Bottles and Flasks (1978) included the ad at the following link: 1860 Chesnut Grove Whiskey advertisement That ad appeared in the year 1860 and has an illustration of these bottles but one can't tell whether it was the blob or embossed seal. It does seem to indicate that the indented circle opposite the embossed side may have been for a paper label, albeit smaller than that shown in the illustration? As fine an example as one can acquire! $250
CHESNUT GROVE / "crown?" ornament / WHISKEY / C. W.
- As discussed above, there were two versions of these Chesnut Grove
style handled jugs. The molded version listed and described above and the
free-blown jug shown in the far left image as well as the right bottle in the
image to immediate left. Both have "right hand" applied handles with a bit
of difference to the decoration on the lower attachment point, aka the "filial."
I call them right handed since holding these in ones right hand you can still
see the cool "seal" - fake like above or the real McCoy like this offering.
These likely earlier examples with the "harder to obtain" true applied seal (according to the auction catalog noted above) were NOT mold blown, but rather free-blown with the help of various simple glass maker tools. Thus, this type of jug exhibits no mold seams and tend to have much smoother bodies than the mold blown ones which can be quite "whittled" as one can see better by clicking on the images of the listing above. (Tangent Alert: I believe it is actually impossible to get "whittle" marks on a free-blown bottle since the whittle marks are a function of the hot glass hitting a colder - relatively speaking - iron mold surface. The molds were typically hot but just much less hot than the 2000 degree glass just out of the glass pot.)
This fine specimen is 8.75" tall, about 6.5" wide and 3" deep - all about the same as it's younger (?) brother above. It has a similar though more "banded" applied finish - almost a champagne style finish. And as noted it was free-blown without the use of a mold. The base - click base view to see such - has a typical and distinct blowpipe style pontil scar centered in the base. I'm sure the moderate indentation of the base is also done when affixing the pontil rod for lip finishing by simply pushing it appropriately firm against the still plastic glass just enough to get a better, more even base for sitting stable. The handle is fully intact (the tips often snap off of the lower affixing point during manufacture) and was finished by just curling the end back on itself. Click view of the shoulder, neck and handle to see such closer up.
Condition of this jug - like its brother (sister?) above - is essentially dead mint...just like it was made a good 160+ years ago. The glass has some nice swirls in the glass as well as a few little bubbles here and there. It appears that Whitney Glass Works, who was an expert producer of all kinds of bottles, knew how to mix up a batch of glass without introducing a lot of bubbles in the glass which weaken the bottle if too abundant. A fine example! $250
Pair
of Early American "blacking" bottles - Offered here is a cool pair
of blowpipe pontiled, two-piece "hinge mold", New England blown blacking (shoe
polish) bottles that are likely to be Stoddard products. The color of them
both - a medium to darkish golden amber - sure do appear to have been blown of
the same color glass as several firmly established Stoddard flasks (several
embossed as such) that I have or had in the recent past. Both are of quite
thick glass reminiscent of similar colored umbrella inks blown at this
factories.
These small, square bottles date from as early as the 1820s into the 1850s according to McKearin & Wilson "American Bottles & Flasks" (1978). Such bottles are also pictured as Stoddard products in Anne Field's "On the Trail of Stoddard Glass" (1975) as well as "Yankee Glass - A History of Glassmaking in New Hampshire 1790-1886" (1990) by the Yankee Bottle Club. The latter book also notes such bottles were blown at Keene which was only 19 miles away. In the end, such unembossed bottles can't be ascribed to either of those glass making towns precisely even if one knows where each of them was found which I don't.
The taller of the two bottles (to the left in the images) is 4.75" tall, and is a very nice golden amber which is brighter than the images show. (It is essentially identical in color to the Stoddard Glass Co. pint flask listed above.) It is in essentially pristine condition with much crudeness & "whittle" to the glass. It also has some of those interesting wavy, more or less parallel surface lines which are either in-making or due to some reaction to the soil the bottle was buried. I've never quite figured out how those lines were formed though I have a few similar period bottles (snuffs) which had those type lines and which I know were never buried. Click image of the taller bottle to see these lines which are really cool looking. (Incidentally, the felt pads on the base are not necessary for it to stand up straight and could be easily removed.)
The other, shorter (4.5") bottle is essentially of the same density of glass and golden amber coloration with just a hint of olive to make it a bit different. It also is very crude in the body and shares the same attributes as the other example - blowpipe pontil scar, true two-piece "hinge" mold produced with a sheared and re-fired (to smooth it out) "straight" lip or finish. Click full view of the shorter bottle to see the crudeness of the surface. It also has quite a bit of wear on the resting points of the base edge - visible in the image above (click to see a larger version) - indicating that it may have been sitting somewhere for its 175+ years of existence and possibly not buried. Both bottles have no staining, chips, cracks or other issues...no potstone bruises either. A great pair of likely Stoddard blacking bottles! Both for $295
Medium olive
with an amber tone early American umbrella ink - These New England umbrella
(or fluted or pyramid style) ink bottles are
quite popular with collectors and are reasonably acquirable examples of early American utilitarian
bottle making from the first half of the 19th century. People speculate about
where these early umbrella inks were made as such umbrella inks were standard
offerings from New England & New York/New Jersey
(Midwestern even?) glass houses of the early to mid-19th century (McKearin &
Wilson 1978). Like many of
these lovely bottles, it is a beautiful little jewel that looks like
it was poured into the mold.
This example was reportedly found in an old house in Greenfield, Mass. which is not very far (30-35 miles) south of Keene, NH. So likely a Keene product? I've seen similar examples from the same mold (see next "Note" paragraph) attributed to Keene as well as Stoddard (only 12 miles or so NE of Keene). Both glass houses produced a wide array of utilitarian bottles - including figured flasks - in olive, olive amber and amber colored glass. Since these type bottles were never makers marked it can't be determined precisely where it originated. (If someone out there has a better feel for these type ink bottles than I (3000 miles away would) please let me know what your thoughts on this subject!)
(Note: I have had at least 3 or 4 other examples of umbrellas from this same mold. How do I know that? Even though the bottles are always pretty crude like this one, there are three variably reliable attributes that together make this mold fairly easy to identify. The first is that the two-piece mold seam on the base is "keyed" - i.e., with the mold seam dissecting the base with a squared off flange on one side fitting into the opposite indentation on the others mold side. If unfamiliar with the concept, I discuss it on my educational website at the following link: https://sha.org/bottle/bases.htm#Key%20&%20hinge%20molds I'm sure that some other similar inks also have that conformation so not definitive. The second attribute is the straight neck like shown in this example. It doesn't usually flare at all near the end nor have a "rolled" in/out lip or (in my limited experience) any other finishing method. Instead, it is apparent that once the pontil rod was affixed the blowpipe was "wetted" or "cracked" off (not sheared which I think was more unusual than people think?) leaving a broken lip surface with was variably fire polished to smooth it out and make it safer, if nothing else. However, that attribution could also be found on other glass works products I suppose. The clincher is that on the base at the edge perpendicular to the middle of the "key" mold seam is a variably faint embossed line "pointing" at the key flange mark. The embossed line is almost 1 cm long and is visible at the top edge of the base image at the following link, which also shows the blowpipe type pontil mark. Click BASE VIEW to see such. All three of those attributes have come together in the handful of examples I've owned of this mold. So whichever glass works it was, it was likely that they were all made there...unless the mold was passed around. Won't get into that speculation but certainly such happened in the old days between glass houses close to each other.)
Back to this bottle... The color of these great ink bottles are often pretty hard to describe as well as photograph . I've taken several images of this bottle and it is more green than the images show except for the following one which has an florescent light behind it. Click backlit view to see this image which also shows the seed bubbles scattered about. My wife calls it gray olive amber but I'll just call it olive with a strong amber tone. It has has the noted "cracked off" and re-fired straight finish or lip (close-up above), the noted blow-pipe pontil scar on the base, was blown in a two-piece mold as also described above, and dates most likely from around late 1830s to early 1850s. The surface of the glass is glossy, waxy, with some rippled whittle along with some glass thickness waviness. Since I didn't find it in the house (that was the story that came with it though I believe it to be true) and can't affirm personally that it has never been buried or professionally cleaned but there is not evidence of either. In any event, the condition is essentially dead mint with no chips, cracks, or staining...just 190 years of wear on the base. Nice example of these iconic ink bottles. $300
Medium
dark olive green New England umbrella ink - As noted above,
this is another example of a New England umbrella or "conical paneled" (from
Covill 1971) ink bottle that was apparently blown in the same mold as the
olive amber example listed just above. See that discussion which
details the attributes which make it almost certain these inks were blown in
the same mold at one or the other New England glass companies discussed.
The middle image to the left shows the described embossed line even better
than the base image for the above olive amber example. As noted above,
this style of ink bottle was also called a pyramid or fluted ink by period
glass makers.
This example is an almost pure olive green which is a much scarce color for these type inks which date from the late 1830s to early 1850s. Like the above example, this example has the noted "cracked off" and re-fired straight finish or lip (close-up above), the noted blow-pipe pontil scar on the base, was blown in a two-piece mold as also described above. The surface of the glass is glossy, waxy, with some rippled whittle along with some glass thickness waviness. The condition is essentially dead mint with no chips, cracks, or staining...just 180+ years of wear on the base. Nice example of these iconic ink bottles in a scarcer true olive green. $350 SOLD
Stoddard?
Pontiled Umbrella Ink - Since I dealt with the subject of Stoddard
products just above I might as well continue with another likely product of that
famous - actually legendary - glass company in New Hampshire. It is known
that the Granite Glass Works (and most other glass companies in that general
area like at Keene) did produce ink bottles. I guess those long New
England winters were also occupied with writing letters, school, and other
business related reasons to use ink in quantity as these ink bottles are fairly
abundant - as were the bulk inks bottles to refill them - and oh so collectible!
This example is almost identical to those shown on pages 71 (#2) and 72 (#5) of Anne Field's 1975 "On The Trail of Stoddard Glass" which was discussed in the listing above. That includes having a very similar, somewhat extended (for want of a better term) rolled finish to those two examples. The other Yankee Bottle Club book also noted above also has a couple very similar examples on page 47 (top image, bottles #2 and #4 counting left to right) which are also identified specifically as Stoddard products.
This example looks dark brown/black when sitting like it is in the images. However, it is a variably deep golden amber color with lots of little bubbles, wavy glass and overall crudeness to the glass. It varies in the depth of color based on the thickness of the glass it appears - a kind of cool swirly look to it. Click view of bottle with lamp behind it to see such. That image accurately shows the color well to my eye. It was illuminated for that image by a LED light bulb which seems to render colors closer than incandescent bulbs. Click on the smaller images above to see larger versions of those images. And that image also shows it is packed with bubbles.
The bottle dates from 1840 to 1860, is about 2.5" tall, eight sided of course, and has a nice blowpipe pontil scar on the base. It was blown in a true two piece "hinge" mold without a base "keying" visible, though it could have been and masked by the pontil scar as well as the plasticity of the glass when being worked. (See the other key base mold umbrella discussion above.) It has a few very light scratches which may just be waviness on the glass surface from manufacture. Otherwise this jewel has no chips, cracks, obvious staining, or other issues...just lots of wonderful crudity. Nice example of an almost certain (?) Stoddard umbrella ink. $325
Quart
"Scroll" flask GIX-3
- At one point in my historic bottle collecting endeavors, I was
trying to get a nice color run of pint scroll flasks...and did to a point.
See
group of five pint scroll flasks
to see a grouping of the better examples from that collecting tangent.
(Those flasks will also be offered for sale in the years to come...I still like
them.) I also acquired a few quart examples, including this medium green
example. McKearin & Wilson noted in their monumental work "American
Bottles & Flasks" (1978) that this mold can be found in a myriad of colors
(16 colors to be exact) from the common aquamarine to sapphire blue to various
green and amber shades to black glass. I'm not sure which of the green
colors this one is but likely choices include citron, emerald green, sea-green
and clear green -yellowish tone. I think it fits the last one the best to
my eye - "clear green - yellowish tone" - though there isn't much yellow tone to
my eye...so maybe sea-green? The images all show the color quite well and
will leave it to the purchaser to call the color as they wish. See the
image at this link - green flask
comparison with aqua Pitkin flask - to see the color compared against a
light aqua Midwestern "Pitkin" flask.
McKearin & Wilson noted that the maker using this mold was "unknown" as such flasks were made at an array of different early glass companies including Pittsburgh and Louisville. However, most molds have not been ascribed to any particular maker. As a side story on this subject, several years ago - due to my work on the educational Historic Glass Bottle ID & Information Website - I was allowed full "back room" access to study the bottles salvaged from the S.S. Arabia at the museum of that name located in Kansas City, MO. The S. S. Arabia sank in the Missouri River just upstream from Kansas City, MO. in early September 1856 and contained a Mother Lode of bottles from that era. This included 96 perfect scroll flasks - mostly pints but some quarts - some of which were of a similar clear green coloration though most were aquamarine of various shades.
The bottles were packed in straw in wooden crates which were marked as having come from Christian Ihmsen & Sons - Pittsburgh, PA.! The dominant pint examples were of the GIX-15 mold which McKearin & Wilson had as maker "Unknown" which could now be ascribed to Ihmsen & Sons. The quarts had the two 6 point stars on both sides indicating they were from the GIX-1 to GIX-5 group of molds one or more of which were also made by C. Ihmsen & Sons who were in operation from 1836 to at least 1868 (McKearin & Wilson 1978). A more up to date work on this glass works is found on my other educational website at the following link - Ihmsen Glass Works article. (Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to concentrate on the scroll flasks at the museum as there was SO much to see in my one day there. That included a case of the earliest 1856 Dr. J. Hostetter's Stomach Bitters which were all the large quart size but in a deep amber color! Interestingly, none were pontil marked but all were beautiful!)
Back to this flask... The base of this flask has a sticker indicating it was part of the Beadle Collection. A check of the FOHBC auction reports shows that the David Beadle's collection was sold via Norman Heckler & Co. 12 years this flask being one of an array of scroll flasks offered. Click base view to see such which shows the sticker (I think I moved it from the side to the base), great blowpipe pontil scar and 170 years of base wear around the rim. There is also a small bit of putty to make the bottle less tipsy though it really stands up just fine without it. The flask stands just about 9" tall, has the noted blowpipe pontil scar and no staining, cracks or other post-production damage. The bottle is essentially in mint condition as made including the crudely cracked off (of the blowpipe) straight finish or lip that was minimally fire polished and is still very rough but believed to be all original. I've had quite a few scroll flasks with the common - and easy to make - crudely cracked off finishes over the years and this looks like one. Images of the lip close-up are found HERE and HERE so you can see what it looks like. I don't believe it is actually chipped as the entire rim of the lip is somewhat smooth even with its roughness, if that makes sense. Nice flask in any event with a very "look good in the window" coloration and design. $500
Early
"Dutch" Gin Bottle - If you're in the market for a virtually
pristine early bottle, this is a fine example. It is quite unlikely this
bottle was actually blown in the U.S. (or the American Colonies). The style is thought to be pretty much Dutch or at least from
the Low Countries in Northern Europe, possibly even Germany. They are
found all over the world in the places colonized by those type of European
countries. (NOTE: A great source of information on such bottles is
found in Willy Van den Bossche (a Belgian) book "Antique Glass Bottles - Their
History and Evolution (1500-1850)". Although out of print, it is
available used online from many book vendors.)
(Another note: This is a bottle I've owned for a long time having been one of around 45 bottles I acquired back in the 1980s from an elderly gentleman who was an early bottle collector in New Orleans who put together a collection of early bottles during the late 1940s to early 1960s or so. Most of bottles were early American though there were a few foreign bottles in the mix like this bottle. The group included historical flasks, New England chestnut flasks, snuff bottles, an unusual clear green New England style "Pitkin" half post flask, snuff bottles (below) and many more - virtually all dating from or well before the American Civil War. Virtually all were in in mint condition with the appearance of having never been buried. This early collector kept records and noted which bottles were acquired from Charles Gardner who had a for sale list mailed out periodically during the noted period. This bottle was noted as having come from Gardner.)
This bottle stands 9.75" tall from the base tips to the top of the "pig snout" style finish which has the period "slop" or globiness that collectors love. It was blown in a dip mold which was a very early type of mold, dating back (I believe) to the Roman era. If unfamiliar with that type of molding, see my other educational website for a overview of such at this link: http://www.sha.org/bottle/glassmaking.htm#Dip molds. The sides are about 3.5" wide at the shoulder tapering to 2.75" at the base. Bottle looks to hold at least a quart and probably more like 40 oz. give or take. The base has a blowpipe style pontil which is somewhat oval in conformation. The glass is crude and wavy with lots of little bubbles scattered throughout; color is olive amber and very clear (not cloudy). There is essentially no staining to the glass just a bit of wear on base corner tips, a tiny bit at the upper shoulder edges where apparently it was laid on its side (?), and just a minor scratch here and there. Click on the images to see larger versions showing its beauty even more. A beautiful example of this style which dates from the 1770s into first third of the 19th century according to the book noted above. A solid 200+ year old bottle in exceptional condition as it appears to have never been buried if that is possible. $125
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
(probably holds less than a quart but is what this size is
referred to as by collectors)
and one
of the more abundant larger 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, an applied "champagne" style finish/lip (or a "flat ring below thickened plain lip" according the McKearin & Wilson), 9" tall 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 appears to be a bit of "in making" roughness. Below is a similar but different mold example in the quart size with embossing in both ovals. (Click the following links to see the two quart Pike's Peak flasks side by side - FRONT view and BACK view. The GXI-30 is the left and GXI-8 to the right in both images.) Otherwise this an above average, clean, bright, blue aqua example which is big and boldly embossed. $75
FOR
PIKE'S PEAK / (walking dude/prospector) / OLD RYE (in a flattened oval) - (eagle
with banner and arrows) / PITTSBURGH, PA
(in an oval) - Offered here is another "quart" that is different than the
above example with a lot of similarities. (Click the following links to
see the two quart Pike's Peak flasks side by side -
FRONT view and
BACK view. The GXI-30 is
the left and GXI-8 to the right in both images.)
It is McKearin & Wilson classification #GXI-8 and also comes in a pint (GXI-9) and half pint (GXI-10) all of which are thought to have been made by the same glassworks and mold maker...both unknown except for the location - Pittsburgh, PA. Eatwell & Clint's excellent book "Pike's Peak Gold" (2000) - a must have for collectors of these flasks - notes that the similarities between the noted three molds (and 5 or 6 other Pike's Peak flasks) indicates a strong likelihood of the same mold maker and/or glass company producing quite a few of the Pike's Peak flasks.
This example is 9" tall, has an applied "champagne" style finish/lip (or a "flat ring below thickened plain lip" according the McKearin & Wilson), and a "key-base mold" like the example above. Click view of shoulder, neck and finish and base view to see such. The color is an even deeper blue aquamarine; see the FRONT view and BACK view links to compare. This example dates to the same era as the other example, i.e., 1859 to possibly as late as the early 1870s. The condition is essentially pristine with no staining, chips, cracks, nicks or other post-production issues. There is an interesting small dark inclusion in the thick part of the base which appears to be some unmelted bit of matter from the glass batch. (Click the base view link to see it. Sort of looks like a small mayfly landed in the batch and got encased - like those bugs in amber from millions of years ago. However, such fragile bits of organic material would have burned up quickly in the 2000 degree glass batch.) An even nicer looking, big and boldly embossed flask which I'm not wild about parting with...but can't keep everything. $125
Wickered & handled miniature demijohn
"cologne" bottle - The wicker and handles are, of course,
just embossed on this cute little bottle. These
are early American (pre-Civil War) bottles that were largely produced as containers
for cologne, though other "...cosmetic liquids as well as cologne and toilet
or "sweet" waters" according to McKearin & Wilson's 1978 book "American
Bottles & Flasks." They dated the large and interesting group of
Antebellum cologne bottles to "183o-1860s." The open oval label space on
the reverse (second image to the left) would have told the story about the
contents if the label was still there, but it is long gone.
This example - like most of the earlier ones I've seen - has a "blowpipe" style pontil scar (right image) which was formed by using the end of a (in this case) very small diameter blowpipe doing double duty as a pontil rod. (I discuss pontil types at length on my other educational "Historic Glass Bottle Identification & Information Website" on the following linked page: https://sha.org/bottle/pontil_scars.htm ) I have two of these bottles and a quick comparison indicates they were made in totally different molds though upon casual looking appear identical. They are not - having different looks to the wicker embossing, the faux handles and other subtle features - indicating that these bottles were either made over a long period of time (wearing out molds) or were made by different period glassworks...or both. (I've also seen later examples which are not pontiled, were blown in a cup-base mold and have tooled finishes dating them to the later portions of the 19th century or even early 20th. It was a popular style for cologne.)
This offered example is about 2.75" tall, has an inwardly rolled "straight" finish or lip, made in a true two-piece "hinge" mold and of a pale bluish aqua glass. This example is perfect mint condition with no chips, cracks, or staining; I doubt it was ever buried. It does have a bit a little wear on the base from sitting somewhere for at least a century and a half. $60
Early
Dip Mold Spirits bottle - This is an interesting bottle that was
reportedly found in Florida. I acquired it decades ago from a collector in the South
with the story that it had been found by a diver somewhere along the Florida
Coast. It is obvious that the bottle was tossed overboard (or came from a
wreck) and rolled around in the sand and salt water for upwards of 200 years
given the matte surface to the bottle.
A dip mold is a mold type that mold forms only the body of the bottle. The shoulder and neck were formed with hand tools and the skill of the gaffer (glass blower). Click view of the shoulder to view the horizontal line or interface which marks the top of the one-piece dip molded lower body and base. Once the body of the bottle was formed it was removed from (lifted out of) the dip mold, a pontil rod attached to the base, the blowpipe cracked off from the bottle neck and the finishing glass applied and formed while still attached to the pontil rod. The pontil rod was then removed from the base and the bottle complete and ready to anneal to make it stronger. For more information about this ancient (goes all the way back to Roman days!) type of molding see my other educational website for a overview of such at this link: http://www.sha.org/bottle/glassmaking.htm#Dip molds.
This bottle is almost 12" tall and 3" in diameter at the base (slightly wider at the shoulder) and has a two part lip or finish of a type called a "mineral" or "double oil" style. That finish style varied widely in conformation as discussed on my Historic Bottle Website at the following link: https://sha.org/bottle/finishstyles.htm#Mineral%20or%20Double%20Oil (It is like the last one pictured in that section on finishes.) The base was indented better than an inch with a tool called a molette which was basically just a metal rod which leaves a more or less circular indentation at the apex of the base kick-up. I believe that was done to get a better surface for the sand or ring pontil rod to attach to and is commonly seen on early spirits bottles. Click on the base image to the left to view a larger version which better shows the molette mark and the faint sand pontil scar circling the indented base about halfway between the central molette mark and the base edge.
The bottle is a dark olive amber; click view of the shoulder to see the color in the shoulder. It is essentially black near the base. The base of the neck shows vaguely some tooling marks from the scissor-like tongs that the gaffer used to create the neck bulge. The physical condition of the bottle is perfect (excluding the ocean induced matte surface) with no chips, cracks, potstone stars, etc. The pontil mark is weak but there, likely being smoothed down by the conditions it was found - in the ocean. The bottle was made in either England or possibly some early New England glass works; it dates between about 1830 and 1850 I would estimate. It is a cool early tall cylinder which was a precursor style that led to the slightly later "Patent" liquor cylinders and then the standard "fifth" sized whiskey bottles so cherished by collectors in the West. $95
Dutch/Belgian
"onion" or "horse hoof" spirits bottle - Here is an essentially
pristine example of one of the more "common" early to mid 18th century black
glass spirits bottles made in Belgium and Holland primarily. Checking
McKearin & Wilson's "American Bottles & Flasks" (1978) work on their
"Wine and Spirits" Bottles chart (page 52) this is form type 17 which they date
to ca. 1700-1730. Willy Van den Bossche's "Antique Glass Bottles"
book (2001) has a farily large section devoted to these bottles from those
countries and dates the style as typically made from 1720 to 1750.
Van den Bossche also noted that the style was used for wine, beer, oil and many more liquid products and shipped all over the world. He also noted that some were made as late as about 1800 since he had recorded an example that had a "blob" seal dated 1804. However, in general this style largely dates between 1720 and 1780 and are mostly a Belgian glass makers product, with Holland and Germany producing their share but in lesser amounts. He also noted that the typical capacity of these bottles was from 85 cl to 90 cl (a few ounces under a quart) though larger and smaller ones were made but not commonly.
This example I've had for about 40 years, having procured it from a small collection of largely early American bottles from the late 18th to mid-19th century. I don't know where the gentleman who sold it acquired it but he lived in New Orleans. (This is briefly discussed above in the listing for the Dutch gin bottle.) The bottle is about 6.75" tall and almost 5.5" at the widest portion of the body. It weighs about 1.5 lbs and has an applied "string" finish (aka lip) which is a crude and early form of finishing a bottle. Click close-up of the finish and neck to see such. This bottle was actually used on my educational Historic Glass Bottle ID & Information Website as an example of this finish type. Click the following link to see that discussion my other website: https://sha.org/bottle/finishstyles3.htm#String%20Rim As the close-up shows, the finish/lip has no chipping or damage at all...just as made crudity.
Overall this example is one of the best condition Dutch/Belgian onions I've seen over the years. I'm not even sure it was ever buried though it could have been. It has no sign of staining nor of being professionally cleaned. It does have some light scratching in a few spots on the body but they are non-distracting. There is also some wear on the resting point of the base indicating that it sat somewhere for a long time...like 250 years or so. There are bubbles scattered about the body and the glass color is a nice, clear olive green with more green than olive to my eye. See the window image at the following link: window view. All in all this is one of the finer examples of this early bottle style one could own. $200
Larger
English "mallet" style wine/spirits bottle
- Here is yet another early bottle that isn't necessarily "early American" per
se but of a type used in America during the mid to late 18th century (late Colonial to
very early American) when glass factories were still uncommon and small in the
(future) US.
Likely English in origin (more below) this bottle is a bit under 9.5" tall,
almost certainly holds more than a quart and
is about 4.5" wide at the base flaring ever so slightly outwards at the shoulder.
That vague flaring is a function of this bottle being produced in a dip mold
which was basically a hole in a block of wood, iron, ceramic or brass -
sometimes with a base portion, sometimes just the floor of the glass works -
which "molded" the body up to the beginning of the shoulder. At that point
upwards to the base of the finish/lip the bottles from dip molds were
essentially formed free-blown with the assistance of some primitive glassmaking tools. See my
discussion of the process on my other educational
Historic Glass Bottle ID & Information Website at the
following link:
https://sha.org/bottle/glassmaking.htm#Dip%20molds The flaring at the
top of the dip mold was necessary to allow for the bottle to be more easily
removed. See the previous linked discussion.
The horizontal dip mold/free-formed interface is visible in real life due to the whittling (cooler mold surface than hot glass) effect of the lower body in co0ntact with the mold and the smooth, non-whittled shoulder which is a classic sign that one is dealing with an early dip molded bottle. The neck has some striations as well as faint tooling at the base of the neck where the gaffer used some tool and skill to form the neck from the hot glass. This bottle just has a lot of neat 18th century (and earlier) techniques used! Click shoulder and upper body image to see such which shows fairly well that below the shoulder the glass is a bit roughly wavy/whittled; above that line the glass is smooth and not lumpy at all.
I believe this bottle dates from the the third quarter of the 18th century and would be McKearin & Wilson's Type 7 shape (pages 206-207 in that book) which they date from between 1745 to 1779. A lot of English (or other European) made bottles look similar to this but the finish/lip appears to be more English than from any other Western European country. I base this on very similar applied & tooled finishes described and pictured in Olive Jones 1986 book "Cylindrical English Wine & Beer Bottles 1735-1850". If not familiar with the book I highly recommend it for collectors - and archaeologists - who work with or are interested in what the title implies. (Note: A PDF version of the book is free and available on my other noted educational website at the following link: https://sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/cylindricalenglishwinebook.pdf ) The finish is very similar to Figure 45 on page 64 of the book; that image available by clicking HERE. Jones dates that finish to the last two decades of the 18th century into the early 1800s. Download the book file and you can see the precise dates she uses which were based on dated seals she studied. Simply put, the bottle likely dates from the mid to late 18th century.
The base of the bottle is also quite interesting. Click the base view to the right above for a larger version. First there is the pointed peak at the middle of the base which is how the base was pushed up just before the bottle was detached from blowpipe and the pontil rod attached. This was accomplished while the glass is hot and pliable with the use of an iron rod called a molette (French term) which is described more fully at this link on my other website: https://sha.org/bottle/glossary.htm#Molette This point shows in the base image to the right above as well as faintly in the full view to the far left. Next there is the typical faint sand or disk pontil marking encircling the kick-up base about half way up. After affixing the pontil rod the bottle was cracked off from the blowpipe and additional glass applied to the cracked off point and then tooled to the shape you see.
One additional point of interest on the base is that the outside rim of the base - which has some wear on the high points - has this reddish splotchy look that appears permanent and possibly connected to the bottles making? It shows pretty well in the base image. I can't scratch it all with my fingernail and don't want to scrape it with a knife much though a small test yielded nothing...it is just there and seemingly imbedded in the glass. There is almost nothing in the rest of the kick-up or coming around the heel of the bottle to the side. It is an enigma since the bottle is otherwise essentially perfect on the outside surface - sides, shoulder and neck. I believe it is something pertinent to the way it was made that I'm not familiar with but it isn't damage and an interesting feature to my mind. (It does remind me a bit of the red oxide one sees on some mid-19th century iron pontilled bottles although such was concentrated in the center of the base.) Condition of the bottle is near mint on the outside with almost no scratches, staining, cracks or other post-production issues unless the reddishness is such. The inside has some splotchy white-ish content staining possibly from being buried, though there is none of that on the outside. In any event a very nice 225+ year old English spirits/wine bottle! $195
Smaller English "mallet" style
wine/spirits bottle - This offering is the little brother to the
offering above and likely dates from the same range, i.e., the mid to late 18th
century. It is smaller than the example above but is of the same true "mallet" style bottle
with a few differences. First is that it probably holds a bit less than a
quart of liquid as it is just over 3.5" in diameter and almost exactly 8" tall
to the rim. It is also more of a true deep olive amber "black glass" in
color whereas the one above is a medium olive green. The finish - aka lip
- is definitely a bit different than above in that it is more of a string finish
with crude tooling whereas the one above has distinctly two parts. This
one more resembles the finish pictured as Figure 40 on page 62 in Jones's book
noted above which which she dates to the 1770s to 1780s. (Link to download
the book in the listing above.)
Like the larger mallet bottle above this example exhibits the wavy contact-with-the-cooler-dip mold crudeness on the body up to the beginning of the shoulder. The shoulder is lacking such waviness since it didn't touch any mold surface and is smooth with some bubbles. Above that point is the neck where there are ample stretch marks induced by whatever tools and skills the gaffer used to hand (with a tool in it) form the rest of this beautiful bottle. The base - click base view to see such - is 2" deep and has a distinct sand/disk pontil scar about half way up and a molette (described above) push-up indentation at the peak of the base. (Much of what is described above for the larger mallet bottle pertains to this one also; click on the various links up there to see some of the more in depth discussions on the various aspects of these bottles manufacture from my Historic Bottle Website.)
The condition of this bottle is essentially mint and I don't believe it was ever buried. Part of the evidence of this is the small (a bit over half an inch) disk or medallion that is fine wired to the neck with the number "5" visible on it. I assume this is an original cellaring number put there by whomever used the bottle 220+ years ago. Even the resting edge of the base doesn't have much wear indicating it really just sat somewhere for a long time with little use. It has no damage that I can see anywhere - no chips, cracks, post stone bruises, staining or even scratching or scuffing. The reverse side of this bottle away from the medallion is pictured at the following link: reverse view. In summary, this is an essentially perfect example of a more than 2 century old classic mallet style of English wine/spirits bottle. $225
LYNCH
& CLARKE / NEW YORK - These very early Lynch & Clarke
mineral water bottles are considered the earliest embossed mineral water
bottles in the U.S. and contained the water from the Congress Springs at
Saratoga, New York. Although Congress Water is known to have been bottles
as early as about 1810 or 1811 (McKearin & Wilson 1978, Tucker 1986) in
non-embossed bottles with these likely being the first mineral water bottles to
have the embossing of the owners of the springs - Thomas Lynch and John Clarke.
These bottles date from between 1822 or 1823 to 1833 or so when Lynch died. Bottles used for the water after that were embossed with just John Clarke / New York then a bit later (1845) were embossed with Clarke & Co. / New York. Later bottles had all kinds of different embossing. (If interested in the history of all Saratoga type mineral water bottles get a copy of Donald Tucker's very well done 1986 book on the subject entitled "Collector's Guide to the Saratoga Type Mineral Water Bottles.")
Tucker notes on page 1 that these Lynch & Clarke bottles were most likely made at Mt. Vernon Glass Works (Vernon, NY) which operated there from 1810 to 1844 when it moved to Mt. Pleasant which was located in or around Saratoga, NY. (McKearin & Wilson's "American Bottles & Flasks" book has a very comprehensive section on "Spring, Mineral and Soda Water Bottles" which begins on page 233 with a good overview on these and other early 19th century mineral water bottles - the companies that bottled the product and the makers of the bottles.)
This particular bottle is the pint size and listed (page 3) in Tucker's book as C-2B, Variant:1. (There is a variant 2 that is very similar but a different mold with some minor differences in the way the embossing was engraved.). Both variants are typically seen in shades of olive amber though, according to Tucker on page 1 "...depending on the light, some bottles may appear olive green but most tend to be olive-amber." This example, as well as most I've seen, is a medium to somewhat dark (near the base) olive amber with maybe a bit more amber than olive? Hard to say; see the images which show the color pretty well. Click view in natural light to see such which makes it look a bit less amber?
The bottle is 7.4" tall, a touch over 3" in diameter at the base, has a crudely applied "mineral" finish/lip (likely one of the earliest bottles with that well known two part finish!) and a somewhat domed base with a very visible "sand" or "disk" pontil scar ringing it about half way between the base center and edge. Tucker called it an "improved pontil" on both variants but it really is a sand/disk pontil scar though such were lumped into the category of "improved pontil" in decades past. (See the following linked section of my Historic Bottle Website for details on this type pontil scar: https://sha.org/bottle/pontil_scars.htm#Sand%20Pontil.) Click view of the base to see such. The heavy glass of this sturdy bottle weighs in at a few ounces over a pound and is fairly crude with nice body "whittling," quite a few little bubbles (none open), no sand grains that I can see but with stretch marks in the neck as the middle image above shows (click to enlarge).
Condition of this bottle is about mint. There are no chips, cracks, dings, radiations from sand grains, staining or other issues pre or post production besides some light sitting surface wear around the edge of the base. The surface glass may have been lightly professionally cleaned at some point but don't think so as there are a couple minor scuff marks on the surface. They are visible but really non-distracting as they say. A scarce bottle that is a nice and crude example of early American glass making 200 years ago! $525
JAMES S. / MASON & Co umbrella ink
- Here is a quite rare
pontiled and embossed umbrella ink from Philadelphia, PA. It is not listed
at all in Covill's 1971 "Ink Bottles and Ink Wells" book though it is shown in
the Faulkner's more recent (2009 second edition) book on inks. It is from
a company dating back to the early 19th century which primarily produced and
sold blacking (aka shoe polish) although did sell black and blue writing ink.
The Faulkner's book noted that the company employed over 200 people and was the
largest blacking company in the U.S. producing 10 million boxes of blacking per
year as reported in an 1859 book! Ink was a minor product though they did
enough business that they used at least 4 different bottles - 3 being "bulk ink"
bottles and the other this umbrella ink. Apparently they stopped
advertising ink in 1867 which also helps explain the rarity of the bottles and
those they did use are all pontiled.As to the detail of this offering, it is a light bluish aqua glass, 2.3" tall, has a bold and sharp blowpipe pontil scar on the base as well as a cracked off, re-fired and rolled (inward) finish. The glass is nice and wavy/whittled and has almost no staining and what there is is very hard to see (it may have been professionally cleaned?). Click reverse view to see the back side of the bottle away from the embossing. This bottle does have a very small shallow chip (maybe 4mm long and little depth) on the edge of the base. It is shown in the following linked image with a squiggly arrow - base view. The 2010 (first listing on the FOHBC auction report) example sold by Glass Works Auctions notes that it was ""Lightly cleaned to its original luster. Also a tiny chip is located on the edge of the base." Sounds like it could possibly be this bottle. The embossing is also quite bold; see the following links showing the embossing close-up - JAMES S. embossing panel; MASON & Co embossing panel. All in all, this is a very nice example and maybe at a bargain price. $225
SUCCESS
TO THE RAILROAD (horse pulling a cart filled with barrels on rails) - SUCCESS TO
THE RAILROAD (horse pulling a cart filled with barrels on rails) -
This motto and affirmation of progress is boldly embossed in a upside down
"horseshoe" pattern of the lettering on both sides of this classic "historical"
or "figured" flask. This is classified as GV-3 by McKearin & Wilson (1978)
and one of 12 different related railroad flasks whose commonality is the motto
"Success to the Railroad" and/or some type of railroad related motif...or both
like this flask. Click
reverse side of this flask to see
such; embossing which is only subtlety different than the side to the right.
(If you have a copy of McKearin & Wilson - which you likely have if you are
interested in this flask - you can see how subtle the same embossing on each
side differs.)
This particular GV-3 flask (as well as the almost identical GV-4 flask) were made at the Keene (Marlboro-Street) Glass Works in Keene, NH. which was in operation from 1815 to 1841 according to the noted reference and made some of the most iconic early American flasks of the time. McKearin & Wilson also noted the mold for the GV-3 flask was used "ca. 1830" making these flasks just a few years short of two centuries old! They were so popular in that era that quite a few survived the years since then to be cherished by collectors.
This example is a pint (more or less) like most railroad flasks. It has a sheared "straight" finish (discussed HERE on my Historic Bottle Website) and a blowpipe pontil scar kind of centered on the crude base. Click base view to see the pontil scar as well as the raised line evenly dissecting the crude base which indicates it was blown in a true two piece mold with no separate base plate. The color is a medium (upper half) to dark (lower half) olive amber color. To see the color a bit better, click window view of this flask to see such. The glass is very crude and wavy with a few unmelted "pot stones" present on both sides - very common with these early flasks. The embossing on these flasks are generally pretty good with the horse, cart and mid to lower body portions of the motto. However, they often have weak lettering embossing in the upper half to the extreme upper end on each side, i.e., the ...SS TO THE RA... end of the embossed motto. Not this example however! It has embossing as bold as one sees on all the lettering on both sides all the way to the top.
Condition of this flask is essentially perfect as it was almost certainly never buried. It also doesn't really have any wear on the embossing high points from laying down which is common on the boldly embossed horse and cart high points. There isn't even much wear on the high points of the base which one would expect from a two century bottle sitting somewhere. The one relatively minor issue with this flask is a potstone on the back of the horse with a couple very short radiations appearing to come off of it. All in making but it is there; click view of potstone to see such. (The potstone image shows the glass as more amber than it really is in real life.) The radiations are very hard to see and small. There are several other smaller potstones in the glass but they have no radiations; they just serve as evidence of the still relatively primitive nature of glass making during early American times. Nice flask even with the totally in-making flaw. CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE (but may be in the future).
....MORE TO COME IN THE FUTURE!
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