B.T. Archer & Co.

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flyingliger

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Greetings everyone,

I'm very new to the bottle world and most of my interests lie in identifying some of my finds from scuba diving the black waters of South Carolina.

The photos attached are of a brown bottle with raised lettering reading "B.T. Archer & Co, Agents, Richmond, VA" The bottom of the bottle reads "C & Co". Seams are visible on the sides, but not so much at the mouth, which appears to have been applied after the fact. The glass on the neck is very "twisted" in appearance and there appears to be quite a number of bubbles or inclusions in the glass.

The bottle was found a few days ago in a part of the Waccamaw River that was known as a saw mill/ship building site in the mid to late 1800's. I've found other items here that date back to that period (clay pipes, ceramic dishes, etc). It is rare that I find a bottle like this intact. It made my day when I found the mouth of the bottle sticking out of the sand and I was able to remove it whole.

Any help ID'ing this little bottle would be greatly appreciated! :D

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botlguy

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That my friend is a WINNER. I don't know how much of one but definitely a keeper. It appears to be an 1860s era beer but the "AGENT" leads me to believe it MAY be whiskey related. Only some research of the company will tell the story. I will wait along with you for more information from others. Our buddy Bruce may chime in.
Jim S
 

flyingliger

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Hi Jim,

Thanks so much for the reply. As I say, my knowledge of bottles is extremely limited, but I'm looking forward to learning more from everyone's input here. I conducted a trusty Google search for B.T. Archer, but could not find anything about the manufacturer. I know it is not an exhaustive search and I'm willing to bet you pro's know what sources to look through. I too will wait to see if anyone else chimes in with some knowledge. All of my SCUBA recovered artifacts are reported to the state museum in SC, to document the local history. I try to get as much background info about the items before I send in my reports. I greatly appreciate you input Jim!

Robert
 

hemihampton

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I did some research & here is what I found. in 1872 I found a ad from B.T. Archer where he sold Groceries & Alcohol. Since he was a Agent I assume this meant he sold for others in the Brewing industry ect. I've seen many old 1800's bottles (and early to mid 1900) that would have a Beer Paper label like from Schlitz, Pabst, Anhauser Busch Budweiser, ect with the Brewery name & Address but then have the selling Agents name also on label. Gahms from Boston selling Schlitz comes to mind. I would guess this is a 1870's Beer Bottle missing it's label. Also found a 1879 letter relating to him. Pics below. LEON.BTArcher1872Closeup.JPGBTArcher1879.jpg
 

flyingliger

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Hello Leon,

Thanks for the excellent input and doing a bit of research. The pics are also very useful. I will include all of this with my report to the state museum. It's great knowing some of the origin info for artifacts I find!

Robert
 

hemihampton

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I wouldn't call Archer a Brewer. I don't think he owned a Brewery. LEON.
 

flyingliger

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Thank you Jim and Leon for your continued help! Jim, the article definitely puts a good time frame on the company, which is very useful. :)
 

whittled

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Not much of anything and I sure wish I could at least find a first name but on a different approach with Leon's post. Merry Christmas in July!
RICHMOND. VA., THURSDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 25, 1873.
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