Bottle Makers and Their Marks

Bottle Makers and Their Marks is an important research project undertaken by Jullian Harrison Toulouse which he published in 1971. The book’s publisher, Thomas Nelson, Inc., responded to demand with a second printing a year later. It’s an encyclopedia of knowledge covering the marks found on vintage and antique bottles of the 19th and 20th centuries, both in the US and other countries.

Collectors will find this to be an invaluable resource to research bottles which display embossing from manufacturing firms such as Whitall-Tatum, Owens-Illinois, Clevenger, and many a fruit jar manufacturer. There is plentiful information on dating bottles according to company logos and mold numbers.

Bottle Makers and Their Marks by Toulouse

 

Unfortunately, this book is, like so many amazing reference books on antique bottles, out of print. Chances are you will need to part with at least 50 dollars to get your own copy. I cannot imagine living without a copy; mine is open for reference all the time.

The ISBN #  (hardcover) is 0-8407-4318-1

There is also a soft cover reprint available.

Buy the book at Amazon

 

 

 

antique bottle questions

Got A Question about Your Bottle?

Ask it on our Discussion forum

A new antique bottle auction record?

If you ask around in the antique bottle community, you will hear that the top price paid for an antique bottle (we are talking empty bottles here to exclude wine) is around $200,000 in a private exchange. Officially, the record stands around $75k.

All that is about to change.

This week at Glass Works auction can be found a rare cobalt blue Columbia / Eagle flask, one of just three known in this rare color. Longtime collectors will remember an example in the same mold and same color which brought $40,000 back in the late 1970s – a record at that time.

Glass Works has a pre-sale estimate on this flask of $150,000 to 200,000. Many collectors I am sure are watching this closely and it will surely be ah hot topic at the upcoming Baltimore Bottle Show.

columbia2

antique bottle questions

Got A Question about Your Bottle?

Ask it on our Discussion forum

Byron Springs Discovery – 1848

I stumbled across a reference to the discovery of Byron Springs in New York State – in the December 30, 1848 edition of Scientific America:

“A number of acid springs have been discovered in Byron, Genesee Co., NY. They are strongly impregnated with pure sulfur which increases in strength during a drought. The vegetable matter is killed around them. The water is colorless, and from a spring flows in sufficient quantity to turn a grist mill. A similar spring is known to exist in Persia, Asia, where it is used to make sherbet, as a substitute for lemon.”

Antique bottle collectors will know that this spring became sufficiently popular to spawn a business of bottling its waters. A quart cylinder with the embossing BYRON ACID / SPRING WATER is fairly rare. It was probably blown at the Lockport Glassworks. The bottles bear an iron pontil mark. According to Donald Tucker’s great book on mineral waters, examples are known in Lockport green, amber, deep emerald green, olive, aqua-blue-green and yellow green. The bottle is listed in Tucker’s reference as N-5.

Thanks to a recent Historic Glasshouse visitor for this Byron Springs photo!

A rare deep blue green Byron Acid Springs bottle, mid 19th century.

A rare deep blue green Byron Acid Springs bottle, mid 19th century.

antique bottle questions

Got A Question about Your Bottle?

Ask it on our Discussion forum

Dr. Richardson’s Bitters – A Complete History

Hats off to Nancy Bertrand for the incredible article on Solon Osmond Richardson, creator of the Dr. Richardson Bitters which is known to so many bottle collectors. Dr. Richarson’s enterprise was quite successful; many bottles of his product remain today.

The product was first produced by Solon’s father, Nathan as early as 1808, Bertrand tells us. Solon took over the business in 1837 after his father passed away.

Like so many medicines of its time, it contained mostly alcohol.

Read the story at http://wakefield.patch.com/articles/history-dr-richardson-s-bitters

Here is a photo of a Dr. Richardson bottle which was re-purposed in the 19th century as a vessel for “Somerset Bourbon” which was sold by N. Douglas Sevin in Norwich, Connecticut.

antique bottle questions

Got A Question about Your Bottle?

Ask it on our Discussion forum

Fahnestock, Albree & Company (F A & Co)

Pittsburgh Glass Works, founded by James O’Hara in the late 18th century, operated under a succession of management after 1840.  The glass works was leased to Fahnestock, Albree & Company during the period 1860 to 1863.  Helen McKearin reports no other details about this company except to say the Van Rensselaer found in his research only this company to match the “F A & Co” embossing found on several flasks and bottles.

The embossing can be found on three Group 12 Union and Clasped Hands flasks: the GXII-40 pint, the GXII-42 half-pint and the GXII-42a half-pint.

Add to that the two bottles shown below which turned up on ebay during 2009/2010.  The first is a plain strap-sided whiskey flask which is marked F A & Co on the base. 7 5/8″ tall

[nggallery id=3]

The second is a blob top soda bottle embossed J. CAIRNS on the side and St. LOUIS on the reverse.    Near the base on the reverse is also the embossing  FA & Co. Has a half circle hinge mold seam and is 7-1/2″ tall

[nggallery id=4]

Update:

I have also found a similar aqua squat soda with the embossing H.GRONE & CO ST.LOUIS MO along with the FA & Co embossing.

To further display the range of products that this company produced, here is a base marked fruit jar from the company:

Fahnestock Albree Fruit Jar

full view of the Fahnestock Albree Fruit Jar

and another…

aqua squat soda marked H.C.SCHLIEPER & CO TERRE HAUTE IND is also marked “F A & CO” on the front near the base.

antique bottle questions

Got A Question about Your Bottle?

Ask it on our Discussion forum

19th century Leeching Cup

Here are pictures of a clear glass leeching cup from the earlier part of the 19th century. It is 2-3/4″ tall and about 2″ in diameter. It’s a hand blown piece with folded rim and a polished pontil.

antique bottle questions

Got A Question about Your Bottle?

Ask it on our Discussion forum

Case Gin Bottles

Case gin bottles, also known as taper gins, were a common style used from the 17th through early 20th centuries.  The body is square in cross section and in all cases will taper from a wide shoulder to a narrower cross-section at the base.  This form is almost always found in olive green color ranging from translucent to opaque.  On occasion, you will encounter examples in clear and other green hues.  Other colors are rare – I have seen an example or two in cobalt blue over the years.

For an superb review of facts and references related to case gins, see Bill Lindsey’s liquor/spirits bottle page.  Scroll way down to the Case Gin section.

Dale Murschell’s book on Wistarburgh glass discusses case gins made at this 17th century glassworks in New Jersey.  As Dale states, Wistar advertised the form for sale and they were listed in his Will Inventory.    He shows many fragments and examples and discusses attributing form variants to the factory.  In short, Wistar examples are thought to be those which are quite boxy in form with a very square shoulder and a pronounced arc across the base edges.  This is a simplification of the data so be sure to consult with Dale’s book for far greater detail.

Thanks to Dale’s book and a discussion with Rick Ciralli earlier this year, I was inspired to snap a bunch of photos of gins at the Coventry Bottle Show in May.  There was a great selection of case gins there including a period chest full of gins. 

Here are the pictures: (click images to see larger views)

[nggallery id=5]

 

antique bottle questions

Got A Question about Your Bottle?

Ask it on our Discussion forum

Old Bitters in a New Bottle

I recently exchanged emails with John Keys after stumbling upon his bitters ingredients auctions on ebay.  For about $10, you can recreate the 19th century experience of the bitters consumer – with great historical accuracy.  His product line is called Wild West Bitters – you will receive the herbs and spices used in many of the popular bitters formulations known well to antique bitters bottle collectors today.

The unique ingredient packs from Wild West Bitters make it possible to reproduce, in one’s own kitchen, many of the bitters that were sold in the patent medicine era of the late 1800s. The product line is the result of 40 years’ research on the part of John David Keys of Stephenville, Texas, who felt that antique bottle collectors and many others might find it fascinating to experience just what was originally inside those bottles.

Keys scoured through distillers’ formularies, pharmaceutical dispensatories, period advertisements, medical writings and judicial reports in his quest for reconstructing the formulas, or recipes, for the bitters. Chromatographic chemical analysis of rare surviving bottle contents was also employed. Lastly, Keys relied on subjective assumption for many of the bitters.

Claimed originally as having miraculous curative powers, most of the patent bitters of the 1800s were in reality simple stomachic digestives. In fact many of them were consumed as “recreational” beverages, much like Jägermeister is today. The bitters that can be prepared from the Wild West Bitters ingredient packs are intended as “recreational” beverages, and no medicinal properties are implied. Keys himself regards the line as “history you can recreate, experience and share”.

Fifty varieties of Wild West Bitters ingredient packs are available exclusively on eBay. Wholesale sales are offered for 12 of the more popular items.

For example,  The Dr. Harter’s Wild Cherry Bitters is based on an 1887 formula whose ingredients are: wild cherry bark, sweet orange peel, cinchona bark,cardamom, canada snakeroot, gentian, cinnamon, cloves,powdered caramel coloring, bitter almond oil (natural benzaldehyde).

Is this not amazing?

 

antique bottle questions

Got A Question about Your Bottle?

Ask it on our Discussion forum

Old Home Bitters

This exceptionally large square cabin-shaped bitters bottle is modern.  It was made in the 1970s for a North Carolina furniture company for use as a lamp.  Most are found with a hole drilled in the base.  They are usually seen in amber but also occasionally green.

The bottle reads DOC DUNNING / OLD HOME BITTERS / GREENSBORO N. CAROLINA  on three of the four indented panels. It is about 14″ tall with a 5″ square body.  You will find in listed in the Ring/Ham Bitters book as O34.

They are attractive and do make a nice lamp, but they are not particularly valuable.  Figure around $50 for a drilled example; more if undrilled.

The Originals

This is a reproduction of similar bottles with similar embossing.

First is O35 which is embossed OLD HOME BITTERS / WHEELING, W. VA. / LAUGHLIN & BUSHFIELD.  This is an amber cabin which is around 10″ tall.

Second is O36 which differs from O35 only in that it is marked LAUGHLIN / SMITH & CO.  This is apparently the earlier of the two original bottles.  This is also found in amber and is a bit under 10″ tall.

These two original bottles are worth $1-4 thousand.

antique bottle questions

Got A Question about Your Bottle?

Ask it on our Discussion forum

Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup

I’m sure Mrs. Charlotte Winslow would be a popular woman in any era – who wouldn’t be if they were famous for dispensing a morphine laden medication that was sure to soothe…and get you entirely stoned in the process.  You will find plenty of discussion of opiate addiction in the 19th century – thanks to the institutionalization of the drug into medicines and other products.

Common to bottle collectors are the cylindrical vials marked “Mrs Winslows – Soothing Syrup – Curtis & Perkins – Proprietors” which are about 5 inches tall and about 1-1/4″ in diameter.  They are found with both an open pontil mark as well as with a smooth base.  Earlier examples have an inwardly rolled lip which later became a better formed tooled square lip.

Curtis and Perkins were druggists in Maine who became the agents for this medicine in the 1840s.  They later moved their operation to New York City in the 1850s.

Various agents continued the product into the 2oth century.  No doubt the Pure Food and Drug Act forced its retirement it in short order.

Pacific  Medical and Surgical Journal, 1873 reports a Providence, RI death by ingestion of Winslow’s Soothing Syrup.

antique bottle questions

Got A Question about Your Bottle?

Ask it on our Discussion forum