Really old Benedictine bottle?

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thewumpus99

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I found this bottle in the Bahamas after a hurricane a few years back:

Based on its asymmetry, crudeness, and sheer heft, I think most of this bottle was free-blown. It does have a symmetric base with very light embossing “10†off to the side. The base is quite smooth (some of this might be from wear in the sands of the Caribbean), either that or it was sand-pontilled. It is 9.25†high. I'd have guessed it was pre-1860, but don't have much dating refinement expertise to narrow it down any further.

1760E2B9FB0647708DA1B1A8379849C3.jpg
 

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thewumpus99

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Here is a picture of the base of the same bottle. Note the "10" embossed in the base, right under the flash glare from the camera.

8F302CCB58E04CC7AFF80233901CFBE6.jpg
 

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thewumpus99

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I'd always wondered what it was, until I found this other bottle a few days ago. It is an early 20th century Benedictine liqueur bottle (unlike the old bottle above, the reverse of this one is embossed "(cross) BENEDICTINE (cross)". Based on the similar shape, olive color, seal “wreath†on the side, and champagne-style finish, it looks like a much more modern version of the same bottle design. (Also, it's 9.75" tall instead of 9.25" tall as with the older version)

Could this be right? Is the bottle at the top of this thread a really old Benedictine bottle? How far back did they make Benedictine bottles, anyway? The Benedictine website is a little unclear, I think largely because they want to keep up the "invented by ancient monks" marketing myth.


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sunrunner

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theas bottles go back to 1900s,the real old ones are much crueder,and if ponteled it wood be ruff .
 
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surfaceone

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Based on its asymmetry, crudeness, and sheer heft, I think most of this bottle was free-blown.
Click to expand...

Hello Jphn,

Welcome to the A-BN & thanks for showing us the Bennies. Flash photography of bottles washes away too many details. Natural light is the way to go. Neither bottle is "free-blown." They appear late 19th to early 20th Century to me

 
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thewumpus99

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Thanks for the input! The older bottle has an applied top, and no sign of the telltale seams of a two or three piece dip or hinge mold, respectively. Would be interested in speculation firstly on how this was made, and secondly when Benedictine bottles switched away from applied finishes to single-piece machine manufacture.
 
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cyberdigger

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It was most likely made in Europe, where they kept making bottles in the same style for a very long time.. looking at yours, I'd say it's 1920's ..I dig these up in the local prohibition dump, which ironically is chock full of applied lip liquor bottles that seem to be 1800's, but they were made in Europe where they kept traditional bottle making methods alive longer then the US did, bless their souls..
 
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antlerman23

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ORIGINAL: cyberdigger

It was most likely made in Europe, where they kept making bottles in the same style for a very long time.. looking at yours, I'd say it's 1920's ..I dig these up in the local prohibition dump, which ironically is chock full of applied lip liquor bottles that seem to be 1800's, but they were made in Europe where they kept traditional bottle making methods alive longer then the US did, bless their souls..
Click to expand...
cyber, you took the words right out of my mouth!
 
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thewumpus99

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I guess I am still wondering why this bottle has no seams of any kind? If it is that recent, seems like it would have marks from a 2- or 3-piece molding process.
 
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