BOTTLE TERMS AND DETERMINING AGE, ETC.
By Mike and Karen
In last months issue I wrote about research and safety of bottle
digging. So, I thought I would take the time and write about some basic
bottle terms and bottle age. Maybe this will be of help for those who
might have a few of their own bottles or those who just have a chance to
dig a privy, crawl under old houses or whatever the case may be.
BOTTLE TERMS:
Amethyst colored glass: clear glass that has been exposed to
the sun or a very bright light for a period of time and has turned a
light purple color. Note: Only glass containing manganese will turn
purple.
Blob Top: thick rounded lip, on most soda and mineral water
bottles.
Blowpipe: a long tube used by the blower into a mold or freeblown
outside a mold to create unlimited varieties of shapes.
Mold: either one-part, two-part, etc. made of wood, iron or
steel; used to shape the bottle as it is being made.
Pontil and Mark: The pontil is a long rod used to hold a bottle
when it is being made in order to give the blower a chance to apply or
finish the top. When finished this pontil is broken off or ground off.
This process leaves a scar on the bottom of the bottle. Glass is usually
made of silicate of lime, soda and sand. History of glass making began in the New World (America) around 1608 in Jamestown,
Virginia. In 1739, Caspar Wistar in New Jersey, established one of the
first major glass- houses. One of the first bottle machines was
developed by Michael J. Owens around 1899-1906. Reference books note
that ,it is mainly for convenience that the 1800s are divided into two
general periods, and that the last is extended into 1903, when full
automation of bottle production was made possible. As you read further
you will understand what this statement means.
BOTTLE AGE:
Free-Blown Bottles: B.C. to 1860-some are still free-blown today.
Pontil: 1618-1866: also some modern hand-blown bottles.
Raised Letters (embossed or with a design): 1750 to date.
Three-Part Mold: 1806-1889.
Amethyst or Sun-Colored Glass: 1800 to 1930. (BEWARE: Some of
these colored bottles have shown up over the last few years at many
bottle shows and after making a few inquiries I have been told that
using an Ultra-Violet light or radiation will turn the bottles an amethyst
color).
Sheared Lip: 1800-1840. (the top has been sheared off).
Machine Made Bottles: 1903-to date (mold line runs from base
through the top).
Black or Dark Olive Green Glass: 1700-1880 approximately.
Crown Cap or Top: 1894-1904.
Applied Lip: a handmade top: The lip and mouth of the bottle were
handmade and applied after the bottle was freed from the mold. May be
identified by the crude lip and neck, the mold line stops somewhere in
the neck-to 1912.Some modern machine made bottles may appear to have an
applied lip. Bottles come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. They
could contain anything from liquor to perfume. Some bottles were even
used as a ballast in sailing ships such as sodas and the ginger
beer (stoneware-white and tan in color) which I will try to write about
later.
The " WHAT IS IT WORTH?" is
mainly determined by answers to this:
RARITY (how many were made),CONDITION (whether the bottle has chips, a
crack, roughness on the glass, etc.) or COLOR (many bottles were made in
one color but some glass houses produced a few errors such as a
Brilliant Yellow Hostetter's Bitter Bottle instead of the common Amber).
On the average today, a common Amber Colored Hostetter's Bitters
will sell for about $10.00 and the Brilliant Yellow color can cost you
as much as $350+.
There is mystery and pleasure surrounding bottle collecting and digging
as it is in metal detecting. You may come home with some rare bottles
just as you may come home with a rare button, coin or buckle. Check out
a few
books from your local library and do some reading about early glass
makers and remember- don't throw that bottle away-it might be a GOOD ONE
$$$$. In my library of books I have a favorite and recommend it to
others, the title is "AMERICAN BOTTLES & FLASKS and Their
Ancestry" written by Helen McKearin and Kenneth M. Wilson published in 1978 by Crown Publishers, Inc. of New
York, N.Y.
I have taken a few photos of bottles which show pontil marks, raised
letters-embossed or designs, sheared lip, black glass, etc. This too,
might be of help to you when identifying some of your bottles.
Picture number, starting from top left:
1: Tubular Pontil Mark
2: Shows the 2 freeblown Chestnuts on Left and Right of 1 Freeblown
Utility Bottle in (Center) .
3. L.- Applied Top on an Liberty Eagle Flask with good embossment and
detail.(C. 1855-1865)
R.- Sheared Lip Variant of an Liberty Eagle Flask.
4. Color: A few color variants on some of the bottles top is
yellow Hostetter's Bittersbottom is amber(common)
Hostetter's Bitters.
5.Shows all the colored variants listed:
Yellow-green Hostetter's Bitters-C.1870
Medium Amber Umbrella Ink-C.1860
Sapphire Blue Scroll Flask-C.1845-1855
Light Green Catheral Pickle-C.1860s
Aqua Perfume-C.1850 |
