The GIV Eagle Masonic Historical Flask

Posted on 28 April 2012 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Two nice pictures of a cobalt blue, Eagle Masonic historical flask were posted on facebook the other day by New Orleans, super collector Charles Aprill (2 l’s) that rocked the site prompting some high praise from all who viewed. This set of a few other collectors to post their examples such as Denver collector Sandor Fuss and Michael George. By coincidence there is also a nice example of an exotically colored example in the American Bottle Auctions | Auction 55 that concludes tomorrow evening (see auction example). This set my wheels in motion to gather available information and hone up on my limited knowledge of the great molds that I have always admired.

Two previous, rather well done articles about the Eagle Masonic historical flasks are referenced below. I strongly suggest that you check these out. They sure filled in a lot of missing gaps of information for me.

“they even have a separate category (Group IV) in the McKearin/Wilson flask classification scheme” – Kevin A. Sives

Read more:  Masonic Glass & Blown, Bottles and Flasks by Kevin A. Sives

“The early Masonic lodges in the United States usually met in one room of a local tavern. These taverns were gathering places for exchanging news and gossip as well as for eating and drinking. At the taverns it was customary for a Mason to partake of the food and liquid refreshments, but each Mason was responsible for his own drinking habits. During this period of time Masonic flasks or pocket flasks, became common at Lodge meetings. Drinking and fellowship were enjoyed after the Masonic meetings were concluded” – Chuck Bukin

Read More: Mason Flasks – Pieces of History by Charles I. Bukin

Image from Masonic Glass & Blown, Bottles and Flasks by Kevin A. Sives

Image from Masonic Glass & Blown, Bottles and Flasks by Kevin A. Sives

Masonic Eagle JKB pint flask (GIV), very early and probably made in New England between 1815-1820

Masonic Eagle GIV-3, There is a nice piece about this flask in the Edmund & Jayne Blaske Auction catalog. Item #525. They got it from a Canadian dealer, sight unseen, for approval. Opened the package late one night, on returning from a trip, "weary". When he saw it, The Judge was "wide awake" and they stayed up several more hours " washing and admiring" the bottle. - Charles Aprill

Masonic Eagle GIV-3 - Charles Aprill

Masonic Eagle GIV-3 - Sandor Fuss

Masonic Eagle - Sandor Fuss

Masonic Arch and Emblems – Eagle Historical Flask, probably Keene Marlboro Street Glassworks, Keene, New Hampshire, 1820-1830. Light bluish green with wide profuse amethyst striations, heavy tooled round collared mouth – pontil scar, pint. Probably GIV-8 Beautiful bottle, great color, fine condition. A big heavy “2 pounder”. Ex Sam Laidacker.

MASONIC/EAGLE G-IV-1 Sheared and tooled mouth with pontil. 1822-40. Keene-Marlboro Street Glass Works. Once in a while an ultra rare bottle passes our way and this time it was all the way from England. I was contacted by a pottery collector from Manchester who happened to come across this GIV-1 Justus Perry flask in a beautiful medium to deep amethyst and deep cobalt blue at the top and near the bottom.

GIV-2 Eagle Masonic Historical Flask - photo Michael George

GIV-2 Eagle Masonic Historical Flask - photo Michael George

Eagle Masonic initial embossing GIV-1A - eBay

Keene Marlboro Street Glassworks GIV-5 Keene, New Hampshire, circa 1820-1830. Medium green color - Jeffrey Tillou Antiques

Keene Marlboro Street Glassworks GIV-5 Keene, New Hampshire, circa 1820-1830. Medium green color - Jeffrey Tillou Antiques

GIV-2 Masonic Arch Keene-Marlboro-Street Glasswork This glassworks made many beautiful bottles including the GIV-2 Masonic/Eagle Flask which has the initials of Henry Schoolcraft (HS) on the front

Here are two tough New England masonic flasks, the GIV-2 and the GIV-16. These are early, historical and beautiful, and what really sets them off is the applied lips... unusual for early flasks! GREAT pieces! - Michael George

Posted in Advice, Article Publications, Auction News, Collectors & Collections, Color Runs, Flasks, Glass Companies & Works, Historical Flasks, History, News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Bulls Eye Glass Pane

Posted on 28 April 2012 by Ferdinand Meyer V

My association with bullseye window panes is limited, but on two occasions I almost crossed the line and obtained examples for the house here at Peach Ridge. The first encounter was at a country antique store west of Houston. This lady had just opened her antique shop and Elizabeth and I were attracted to a stack of bullseye panes. When I asked her for the price, she hesitated and said she was thinking about using them for her house and they were not for sale. A few more inquiries about other items produced similar responses. She is no longer in business. It kind of reminds me of myself attempting to be a bottle dealer a few times a year at shows. You see, I hate selling my bottles and regret most sales. I am a collector first.

My second encounter was at the Yankee Bottle Show in Keene, New Hampshire this past year. A dealer had some gorgeous yellow panes for sale. I almost purchased them. Getting them back to Houston was the challenge. Oh well…I am on the lookout.

The nickname bull’s eye has come to be associated with this piece of glass.

Green, crown glass bullseye windows

Throughout Georgian Britain, the predominant type of glass used to glaze domestic windows was Crown glass. This was manufactured by blowing, from a set-quantity of molten glass, a small globe of material and then spinning this, using a pontil or punty stick, into a large, thin, spherical disk, usually just over five feet in diameter. Once manufactured, the thickness of the disk was greatest at the centre where the pontil stick was attached. The quantity of glass at this point and the imperfection caused as the pontil stick was broken off made the central section unsuitable for general use and it was usually either re-smelted or used in low-end applications such as the glazing of stable and works areas. The nickname bull’s eye has come to be associated with this piece of glass.

The glassblower, viewed more as an artist in recent times, was an essential craftsman who produced fundamental products. The process of blowing molten glass into a balloon-like shape was the first step in creating window glass.

Spectacular clear glass bullseye panes in an English house

The first meeting-house of Friends in West Jersey was at Salem. In 1681, Samuel Nicholson and Ann his wife, conveyed to the Trustees of Salem Meeting his sixteen acre lot, whereon stood his dwelling-house, for the purpose of a meeting place for Friends; an addition was built to this house, making it when completed, 40 feet in length by 16 feet in depth, partly of brick, and partly frame, it was provided with a large open fire-place at each end, windows with 4 panes of thick “bulls eye” glass, 7 by 9 inches in size, benches or forms without backs, and “a good clay floor.” It was thus used until about the year 1700.

Crown Glass – The crown glass method involved the glass blower creating a sphere. This sphere was then attached to a solid rod and the blowpipe removed. The opening left by the blowpipe was then enlarged as the sphere was continually spun, eventually forming a small disk. This disk was then spun again inside a large opening in the furnace until it became very thin and with a rather large circumference. The thin disk was cut into several individual square or rectangular panes that fit into a window sash. The individual panes in a sash were called lights. Many eighteenth and early nineteenth century windows have six or nine lights in each sash. The middle of the disk, which was attached to the spinning rod, could not be used for an unobstructed window pane. Rather than returning this wasted piece to its molten form, it was occasionally used for windows that didn’t offer a view. This “bull’s eye” glass was often found in transom windows over solid doors to allow daylight into entrance halls.

Cylinder Glass – Cylinder glass, also created by the skilled glassblower, began in the shape of large jar. The ends were removed and the remaining cylinder was then cut down the side. The split cylinder would be heated and unrolled into a flat sheet.

Both crown glass and cylinder glass were manufactured throughout the first three centuries of house building in this country. Until the mid nineteenth century, it seems that crown glass was preferred. By the latter part of the 1800s, improvements in the cylinder method of production made it the most common form of window glass. One improvement resulted in the ability to create much larger individual panes. Two-over-two windows become the dominant style by the late-Victorian era.

Crown glass, having been spun while molten, often has a repeating pattern of curved imperfections in the panes of glass. Cylinder glass usually has distortion without a pattern, but both are found to have occasional small bubbles trapped in the glass, a natural byproduct of the glassblowing process.

I have assembled a group of pictures from online searches and from bottle collectors below.

Beautiful Bullseye window pane – Chris Helenek

Bullseye window panes – eBay

Bullseye with green bottle glass

Bullseye window panes used in an English country house

Close-up of clear glass bullseye in leaded frame – My House Extension

Artistic photograph of bullseye window

Bullseye panes used in a renovation project – Robert Silverwood

Five green bullseye panes over a doorway – Chris Helenek

Green bullseye window panes and leaded glass contrasting with snowfall

Possible Temple glass including a bullseye window pane that was removed from a 1780’s house 2 miles from Temple, New Hampshire – Michael George

Two colorless bullseye panes – Skinner auction

Contemporary red glass bullseye window panes

Posted in Art & Architecture, Blown Glass, Early American Glass, Freeblown Glass, Glass Makers, History, Technology, Windows | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Two simply stunning inks in drop dead colors..

Posted on 27 April 2012 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Pink Master Ink and Cranberry-Puce, 12-sided Ink

No big story here. Just wanted these three pictures of two gorgeous inks to sit on a page alone. Everything is right here, the photography, composition, lighting, subject matter and color. The pictures tell the story. All 10’s. Hats off to John April.

Posted in Collectors & Collections, Inks, Photography | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Early Blown Glass Blue CATHEDRAL PICKLE BOTTLE closes on eBay

Posted on 26 April 2012 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Well the dust has settled on that surprising blue Cathedral Pickle that closed today on eBay for a handsome $16,200. WOW! Here are a series of pictures and write-ups the seller (storybook553) posted:

On this bottle, the paper is taped to the bottom and I have decided to leave it. It reads: $25.00, April 12, 1976, Bernard Taylor. 

[Initial Description] This is a beautiful old bottle in wonderful condition. I bought this from an estate sale. The owners of the estate had been collecting for years and had many fine antiques. On just about every item they had there was a slip of paper that stated the date they bought the item, what they paid and whom they bought it from. On this bottle the paper is taped to the bottom and I have decided to leave it. It reads: $25.00, April 12, 1976, Bernard Taylor. There are air bubbles through out this bottle and the one close-up photo shows two side-by-side “blemishes”. The blemish to the left is a blob of glass that is only felt from the inside. The blemish on the right is an area that is “spalded” and is probably where the blob of glass came from. It can only be felt from the inside also. The bottle is 10 3/4″ high and 3 3/8″ across on the bottom. Three sides are decorated, one is smooth. The mouth is not perfectly round and the lip seems to roll outward slightly. The color in the close-up photo is most true. There are no chips or cracks in this bottle-it is nice.

[Seller follow-up] First of all, thank you for the interest in this bottle…and thanks for suggestions and info. Mostly, the question is: “What color is it?” I have taken 4 more photos outside this morning to get truest color. I also found two other bottles to help make visual comparisons. One is what I would call “aqua”, and the other is what I would call “cobalt”. In my opinion, the comparisons make the pickle bottle “blue”. It is a soft blue-the new pictures show it very accurately. Notice how just the lip turns aqua though…very pretty. I hope these pictures help. I also took one good close-up of the blemishes…please understand, this is not a hole (many questions on that from people-and that is ok-I am happy to try and clarify anything.) This area is more like a slight “void” on the inside only….cannot be felt from the outside at all. Overall, this bottle is a lot like my husband…..a few blemishes, a slight void on the inside. and wonderfully imperfect!

[Seller follow-up] Because I am getting a lot of questions on the bottle, and due to the amount of money already bid and the possibility of more money involved, I would like to have the bottle professionally evaluated today or tomorrow (my only opportunities), and be able to post that evaluation Monday evening. I am not feeling comfortable evaluating myself and don’t want anyone being unhappy with their purchase. I have had so many questions regarding color and condition. I am happy to answer ANYTHING-I just want to feel comfortable about my answer. I would rather pay for a professional evaluation. So, does anyone know a good bottle appraiser in Centre County Pennsylvania? Please let me know. Thanks! Carol

[Seller follow-up] I have taken the bottle to someone whose expertise I have a great deal of faith in. He has been in the antique business for decades and deals ONLY in the finest antiques. His evaluation is that the bottle has no concerns other than those I have already stated with the exception of a  surface scratch felt on the outside of the bottle. His advice was “Stop worrying and offer them their money back if they aren’t happy with it”…. Good ol’ common sense…I love it. So, there you go….if you aren’t happy in the end, I’ll refund your money. The bottle is blue and “no” – It isn’t dyed. It has no chips or cracks that we can detect. There are air bubbles throughout. That’s the best I can do. Hope this helps to alleviate concerns to some degree.

[Seller follow-up] Have posted a few more pictures to try and help those interested….One thing I feel very certain about: the bottle is blue. Lord only knows I have looked at it enough lately to be able to say this. Also, I am an artist. When I look at this bottle, I see blue until the lip. At that point I see green color coming in quickly which transitions the lip into an aqua. The last new picture was taken inside near a large storefront window with loads of natural light. Included in this picture is a blue magnesia bottle and an aqua bottle. This pickle bottle is truly quite lovely and, depending on the light it is in, changes in its blue intensity slightly. I have talked to several people on the phone regarding the bottle and have really enjoyed that…you bottle people are a nice bunch! One of you explained that the lip could have been applied which would explain the color transition…hard to tell. I don’t think whoever ends up with this bottle will be disappointed…..but I have stated that I will accept the bottle back and refund your money if you are. I hope this help you. Good luck to all involved!

Posted in eBay, Figural Bottles, News, Pickle Jars | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The big star in Hollywood, Mississippi is the Imperial Levee

Posted on 26 April 2012 by Ferdinand Meyer V

An absolute favorite bottle of mine is the ‘Imperial / Levee / J. Noyes / Hollywood / Miss.‘  figural wine bottle. This bottle comes embossed with the typography noted above and un-embossed. The bottle was made somewhere between 1845 and 1860 and is in the form of a cluster of grapes and grape leaves on a stump. It has an applied mouth with ring and an iron pontil mark. This is a beautiful and very fancy bottle and is probably the finest Mississippi bottle in form, color and age. Most examples are amber, with only a few known in cobalt.

Updated information 13 June 2012: James Noyes – Hollywood, Mississippi & the Imperial Levee

James Noyes Hollywood Plantation was located near Natchez, Mississippi

Updated 13 June 2012: Hollywood is the name of the Noyes plantation near Natchez, Mississippi. Hollywood does not refer to Hollywood, Mississippi.

Vicksburg, Mississippi Levee, after the Surrender, July 4, 1863.

An absolute killer example of this bottle was posted by advanced collector, Charles Aprill on my facebook page a few nights ago per my request. You see, though I have not met Charles, he is a legendary collector of blue bottles and glass. We even spoke once, years ago, about my blue fish. The picture is posted below with a few comments from Charles.

The Casper's Whiskey is for size comparison. The blue on the right is unembossed, but otherwise identical to the famous amber Mississippi whiskey - Aprill Collection

[Charles Aprill describing the bottle] The top and bottom of the bottle are of thicker glass and qualify as “cobalt blue”. The middle, about the grape clusters is thinner glass and is “sapphire”. This bottle is extremely light in weight, surprisingly so. The camera settings are off. The background is a white wall and door, the bottles are sitting on a white marble top table.

[Charles Aprill discussing how he obtained the bottle] I got a Polaroid photo of this blue one, which we kept on the refrigerator for about 25 years. The owner was not identified and the dealer wouldn’t left me know who it was. Just a tiny tease. Suddenly I was informed he wanted to sell. I jumped and it has had a happy home for the last 10 years or so.

Figural Cluster of Grapes - eBay 2005

One of the rarest of the Imperial Levee bottles (pictured above) was this 10″ Figural Cluster of Grapes on a Stump in cobalt blue sold on eBay in 2005 for $18,800. I have owned two or three unembossed examples over the years and have added a few pictures below. I think I will put Charles’ blue example on my refrigerator door for good luck!

Unembossed example Figural Grapes - ex Meyer Collection

Unembossed example Figural Grapes - ex Meyer Collection

Unembossed example Figural Grapes - John April

Unembossed example Figural Grapes - John April

Posted in Civil War, Collectors & Collections, eBay, Facebook, Figural Bottles, History, Whiskey, Wine & Champagne | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Snuff Bottles

Posted on 25 April 2012 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Extreme rarity in Early American Glass, from the famed Norman Heckler Sr collection. Behold the " Pitkin sided snuff" - Rick Ciralli

I was looking at all of the Peachridge Glass (PRG) post categories (see the right area of every page) thinking I had written about American snuff jars and bottles before and was surprised that I had missed this intriguing area. Actually yesterday, PRG was one year old, as I launched the site on 24 April 2011. Well over 500 posts and nothing on Snuff… until now.

Most snuff jars have a distinctive, box-like appearance and wide mouth. 

Well back to snuff, which is a tobacco product either powdered or taken (snuffed) into the nostrils by inhalation or ground and placed between the cheek and gum. While popular amongst the royalty in early Europe, the product declined amongst the well to do around 1850. Snuff is still widely used today throughout Europe.

Most snuff jars have a distinctive, box-like appearance and wide mouth. Many of the early examples are pontiled. The glass colors are usually yellow olive, olive green and a greenish amber.

Braille dot pattern on base

Apparently, many of the early jars have dot patterns on the base. The jars were filled before the labels were put on because of the strength properties of the snuff, so the packers needed the dots to know what went where. Most folks were illiterate back then, so dots were used instead of words. 5 and 6 dots would indicate heavy snuff for the mouth, which was not to be sniffed. A pontil marked, 1840-1850’s snuff may have two marks purposely made with iron rods on the bottom while a 20th century machine made snuff had the dots too. I would like to hear more about this from the snuff jar collectors.

Looking around the web and facebook allowed me to use a few pictures to show how nice-looking these bottles are.

Early New England black glass is GREAT! - Michael George

Michael George: The big snuff I got from Rick Ciralli compared to an "average" sized snuff!

Three embossed snuffs, J.J. Mapes, Leonard Appleby and E. Roome - Michael George

Incredible 18th century snuff - Jeff Noordsy

Here is a small group of snuffs...mostly New Hampshire - Michael George

A pair of larger snuffs in clean colors - Rick Ciralli

Two embossed snuffs - Charles Aprill

Bubbly, rich green Snuff jar - Rick Ciralli

A pair of early snuffs, probably Hartford County, 1800-1820 - Rick Ciralli

Snuff grouping - Cindy Suter

Octagonal (not square with beveled edges but eight equal sides). Unquestionably New England and probably Connecticut in origin - Jeff Noordsy

Nice, yellow-toned Snuff - Rick Ciralli

Colloquially referred to as the Pitkin egg. This example came from a Southerner by the name of Richard Haygood. It arrived in Vermont wrapped in a sock and packed in "popcorn" (not the foam stuff but the type you put butter on) – Jeff Noordsy

Rick Ciralli notes Snuff's acquired from Jeff Noordsy, Norman Heckler Sr, Dana Charlton-Zarro, Jeff Noordsy again and the last lil pup is now in the Michael George collection

Beautiful puce colored, open pontil Snuff - John April

Rich green Snuff - Rick Ciralli

Three Snuffs posted by Steven James Anderson

Unusual shaped snuff - ex Noordsy

Over the years, called a snuff and a mustard. The bottle was dug about 15 years ago by Roy Topka in the rough area of Mount Vernon/Mount Pleasant. Also in the hole were half a dozen Brinckerhoffs (which I bought second hand at the time for $400 and struggled to sell for $450), multiple Phoenix Bitters and the famed "Icelandic Balm for Pulmonary Consumption." The piece has a HUGE tubular pontil scar and some interesting base markings. It is to this day the only example I've encountered - Jeff Noordsy

Open pontil and iron pontil. A. Delpit / No.16 / ST. Louis St. / New Orleans, Yellow-green and deep red-amber. circa !842-1858. c.a. - Charles Aprill

Two very interesting mid Atlantic snuffs. Both are badly damaged but blown in the same dip mold. The one on the left is an amber with darker striations shading to black in the shoulder and lip. The one on the right is a pale yellow green shading to a yellow-amber in the lip. These along with the blue Baltimore star ink came of out an 1830s-50s privy dug in west Baltimore – Chris Rowell

Big green Hartford County snuff - Jeff Noordsy

Posted in Collectors & Collections, Early American Glass, Glass Makers, History, Peachridge Glass, Snuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Dr. J. Boveedods Imperial Wine Bitters

Posted on 25 April 2012 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Dr. J. Bovee Dods’ Imperial Wine Bitters

25 April 2012 (R•072014) (R•122314)

Apple-Touch-IconAJohn Bovee Dods (1795 – 1872) was a spiritualist and former clergyman. He settled in Brooklyn, New York in 1850, and remained there until his death. His Imperial Wine Bitters were advertised in newspapers around the country from 1859 to 1861, first making an appearance for sale in December 1858. They sold for a $1 dollar a bottle or 6 bottles for $5 dollars.

From Civil War authority Jim Schmidt (Spring, Texas) (see Civil war Medicine (and Writing):

was “mining” some 1861 Galveston papers this evening and came across some bitters ads…

Wow, what was this New York bitters doing in a Galveston, Texas newspaper? The Dr. Bovee Dod’s is a great big, gorgeous aqua bottle that gets lost in Carlyn Ring and W.C. Hams Bitters Bottles and Supplement books because it was incorrectly given a ‘D’ designation for Doctor, I suppose. Some think it is unlisted. It is however a D 80 index.

I like when I get information like this because it allows me to connect it with a bottle and hopefully an example I own (see pictures below). Notice how the advertisement spells Bovee Dods’. It is also neat that the advertisement confirms the Ring and Ham Charles Widdifield & Co. NY address but also includes a G.A. Behrman, Galveston as Sole Agent for Texas.

BoveedodsSign

 Dr. John Bovee Dods

D 80  DR. BOVEE DODS’ IMPERIAL WINE BITTERS, Circa 1855 – 1865,
DR. J. BOVEEDODS // IMPERIAL / WINE BITTERS // NEW YORK // sp //
Charles Widdifield & Co.   Proprietors   78 William Street
10 x 3 3/4 x 2 1/4 (8) 3/8
Rectilinear, Aqua, DC, Applied mouth, 4 sp, Rare
New York Daily Times 1859, A delicious beverage and cures sore throat, consumption, paralysis, indigestion and pyles. Works like a charm!

“A delicious beverage and cures sore throat, consumption, paralysis, indigestion and pyles. Works like a charm!”

“Dr. J. Bovee Dods’ Imperial Remedy and Imperial Wine Bitters for safety, speedily, and effectually restoring the system to health, and preventing disease.”

DR. BOVEE DODS’ IMPERIAL WINE BITTERS – Meyer Collection

DR. BOVEE DODS’ IMPERIAL WINE BITTERS – Meyer Collection

BoveeDods_The_Plymouth_Weekly_Democrat_Thu__Sep_26__1861_-2

Dr. J. Boveedod’s Imperial Wine Bitters advertisement – The Plymouth Weekly Democrat, Thursday, September 26, 1861

Credit: Dr. J. Bovee Dod’s Sign from Henry Tankersley
Posted in Advertising, Article Publications, Bitters, Civil War, Collectors & Collections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Small Inkwell Bottles Page

Posted on 24 April 2012 by Ferdinand Meyer V

A stunning array of small inkwells has been posted on facebook over at Bottle Collectors of late.

(includes various additions of importance from elsewhere)

Discovered in the wall of a house in Northern NY state. Blown three mold construction inkwell. Suspected Mount Vernon Glassworks – Michael George

Small Inkwell Bottles Page

24 April 2012

Apple-Touch-IconAA stunning array of small inkwells has been posted on facebook over at Bottle Collectors of late. It is so exciting to see a collector post a great ink, and then someone else posts a picture of another ink. All with information! WOW. This is so exciting!. Our hobby is growing at so many levels and facebook is at the forefront of a new digital era that is linking collectors, research and great glass images. I am also seeing a trend of collectors taking more time to photograph their gems which is so very important.

I plan to add to this page and expand in specific areas as I did earlier with the “Star of Baltimore” post and the Umbrella Ink post. As noted in many posts previously, all images on Peachridge Glass, are being archived for the FOHBC Virtual Museum project.

Read More: Umbrella Inks in the News

Read More: The “Star of Baltimore”

Read More: Hinks Inks – Post 1 “This Guy collects Labeled Inks”

Read More: Hinks Inks – Post 2 “John hINKel”

Read More: Hinks Inks – Post 3 “Carter’s Ink Company”

Colorless BTM Inkwell – John April

A couple of shouldered Cone Inkwells – Michael George

GII-15 Mt Vernon type Geometric Ink – John April

Monster XR blue Umbrella Ink – GreatAntiqueBottles.com

Very early Connecticut Annular Ring Inkwell – Michael George

Green labeled Igloo Ink – John April

Redware Ink, Connecticut, circa: 1730’s – Charles Flint

Left to Right – op purple/wine type tone, pink 12 sided op, op puce ink and a smooth based lilac purple that looks like watered down welch’s grape juice – John April

Geometric Ink in a spectacular shade of green, believed to be the GIII-25 mold attributed to the Boston & Sandwich Glass factory – Michael George

Bubbly open-pontil Cone Ink – John April

Ailings Ink Bottles posted by Lucy Faulkner

Pinkish puce ink recovered from a demolition near the Baltimore area. Expanded mouth, maybe a mucilage or for some other use – Michael George

S.O. Dunbar, Taunton Mass & Harrison’s inks – John April

Labeled Umbrella that recently sold on e-Bay from Burlington NJ

New England Door Knob Ink with pontil – John April

Diminutive-sized, light-colored Pitkin Square Ink – Michael George

A really old and dark Cone Ink – John April

Beautiful blue Cone Ink dug in California – Matthew Tigue Levanti

Bennington, Vermont Ink in a Rockingham glaze. circa1820-1840’s – Charles Flint

Connecticut Annular Ink – John April

1 1/8″ tall ex-Covill cobalt blue Tea Kettle Ink – John April

Blown three mold Annular Ring Inkwell (also pictured at top of page) – Michael George

Beautiful yellow green Baltimore Star Ink – GreatAntiqueBottles.com

Three Cottage Inks – 2012 Glass Discoveries Auction

They are known as “melon” inks, and this one was made 28 rib dip mold. They are attributed to CT, 1780-1820 – Michael George

Umbrella Inkwell with “R” embossing – Lucy Faulkner

Warren’s Congress Ink – Michael George

Ohr_Biloxi_Inkwell

George Ohr Pottery Cabin Inkwell, Mississippi, ca. 1880 – 1900, mottled olive green glaze, 3”h, ‘G.E. Ohr / Biloxi’ impressed on the base, perfect condition. A classic Ohr Pottery cabin inkwell with windows, doors, stone chimney and roof opening, typical of Southern Mississippi cabins of the late 1800’s. – Glass Works Auction #96

OHR_Cannon_GW96

George Ohr Pottery Cannon Inkwell, Mississippi, ca. 1880 – 1900, mottled brown glaze cannon on an olive green glaze mount, 2 1/4”h, 5” long, ‘G.E. Ohr / Biloxi’ impressed on the base, A tiny chip is off the edge of the base, otherwise in perfect condition. The cannon and mount are two separate pieces of clay joined together. Extremely rare, we have not seen another like it! – Glass Works Auction #96

Posted in Collectors & Collections, Facebook, Glass Companies & Works, Inks, Stoneware | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The “Star of Baltimore”

Posted on 23 April 2012 by Ferdinand Meyer V

You just have to love these umbrella style inks called the ‘Star of Baltimore” or ‘Baltimore Star“. Different from an Umbrella Ink in that the sides are concave and create the form of a star when viewed from the bottom.

At a recent Baltimore Antique Bottle Club meeting, Phil Edmonds casually gestures with a small cornflower-blue bottle with a sunburst-shaped bottom, a mid-19th-century ink bottle type known as “The Star of Baltimore” that he found on a privy dig. “This is probably a $1,500 bottle,” he says.

Quote from Baltimore City Paper 29 February 2012

Typically pontiled (made by a glassblower by hand, and have a telltale mark on the bottom called the “pontil scar” where the rod that held the bottle in place as it was formed was snapped off) and dug primarily in the Baltimore area, the Stars were a product of Baltimore Glass Works which was known for producing glass in a variety of unusual colors, particularly from the 1840s to the 1860s. At its peak in the 19th century, glass production was Baltimore’s third-largest industry, in part because of the vast, varied output of Baltimore Glass Works, a factory based in Federal Hill.

 

In their midst, he also found an amber open-pontil scalloped or star umbrella ink in perfect condition.

Quote from Christmas Isn’t Just for Kids!
But for dedicated bottle diggers, too!
 by Andy Goldfrank

A few great pictures to look at…..

Beautiful yellow green Baltimore Star Ink - GreatAntiqueBottles.com

Baltimore Star Ink Bottle in a rich olive green - April Collection

Similar to figures 139 and 140 in Covill's book. This Baltimore Star example is a blood amber/puce color - Antique Ink Bottle Hall of Fame

Dark Sapphire Blue Baltimore Star - April Collection

Pontil mark on the dark sapphire blue Baltimore Star - April Collection

Posted in Article Publications, Collectors & Collections, Color Runs, Digging and Finding, Glass Companies & Works, History, Inks | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bennett’s Stomach Bitters – A real puzzler

Posted on 22 April 2012 by Ferdinand Meyer V

In from my friend, Civil War authority Jim Schmidt:

see: CIVIL WAR MEDICINE (AND WRITING)

* Thanks to Rick DeMarsh for token, and newspaper submissions.

Stomach Bitters   1.75

Sure Death to Rats   2.00

1866 D.M. Bennett bill-head from Cincinnati, Ohio…recently added to collection…see the Bennett’s Stomach Bitters listing!…”Sure Death to Rats” poison Love the name…D.M. Bennett did issue a Civil War Proprietary Medicine Stamp (re30)..Enjoy!

D. M. Bennett, Cincinnati druggist, produced one or more proprietary items. Private die stamps were issued for his firm from February, 1865 through August 17, 1871. 329,700 were issued on old paper.

This is a puzzle to me. There are two western Bitters squares, a BENNET’S CELEBRATED STOMACH BITTERS (B 73) and a BENNET’S WILD CHERRY STOMACH BITTERS (B 74) both with SAN FRANCISCO embossing. Note there is only one ‘T’  in BENNET on the western examples. What bottle is this billhead referring to when they say D.M. BENNETT and Cincinnati druggist. I need help on this one folks. I have come up with the following on D.M. Bennett:

DeRobigne Mortimer Bennett

Dr. D.M. (DeRobigne Mortimer) Bennett compounded Dr. Bennett’s Family Medicines. Dr. Bennett learned to compound drugs while studying herbal medicine during the time that he was a member of the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing (i.e. the Shakers). Bennett is probably most famous as “the founder, publisher, and editor of the Truth Seeker, the largest and most radical free thought and reform journal in the world” as described by as Roderick Bradford in his article titled “Theosophical Odyssey of D. M. Bennett”. 1856 Williams’ Cincinnati Directory: not found. 1859-1860 Hawes’ Ohio State Gazetteer and Business Directory: not found. 1860 Williams’ Cincinnati Directory: D.M. Bennett, druggist and apothecary, southwest corner of Chestnut Street and Western Row. 1860-1861 Hawes’ Ohio State Gazetteer and Business Directory: “Cincinnati . . . Bennett D.M., druggist, cor. Central Ave. and Chestnut.” 1861 Williams’ Cincinnati Directory: “Bennett D.M., druggist, 435 Central Av.”. 1862 Williams’ Cincinnati Directory: “Bennett Derobigne M., drug store, s.w.c. Chestnut and Central Av., h. 21 Chestnut.” 1863 Williams’ Cincinnati Directory: “Bennett Derobigne M., druggist and apothecary, proprietor of Bennett’s Family Medicines, and manufacturer of sealing wax, s.w.c. Central Av. and Chestnut, h. 21 Chestnut.” 1864 Williams’ Cincinnati Directory: “Bennett Derobigne M., druggust & apothecary, and manufacturer of sealing wax, & c., s.w.c. Chestnut & Central Av., h. 21 Chestnut.”

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