Raffaele D'Abruzzo, slug plated

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RelicRaker

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Saw the heel of this bottle in a berm near a recent construction. Lucked out, it's complete. Raffaele D'Abruzzo, Philly. Slug-plated—both "1"s in the address are reversed. There's only 1 other example up for auction on eBay at the moment, and it has the same error.

There's an "85" on the base. Mold number or 1885? And what do the 4 bumps mean?

The only mention of D'Abruzzo at that address came from a June 1917 PA record of driver's licenses. (There weren't many in 1917.) But the bottle feels 19th century to me. Maybe a soda or wine maker?

As always, your help and expertise are appreciated.

Rafaelle D'Abruzzo bottle.jpg
Rafaelle D'Abruzzo slug plate.jpg
Raffaele D'Abruzzo base.jpg
 
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nhpharm

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Those clear blob top beers are typically 1905-Prohibition in my experience.
 

RelicRaker

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Looks like it could be an 1880's or 90's beer bottle to me.
I'm gonna research when the company was founded. The neighborhood was built in the 1890s and there were row houses there on an 1895 property atlas..
 

RelicRaker

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Was able to learn that D'Abruzzo, along w/ Anthony Gattone and others, founded the Italian State Bank of Philadelphia in 1914.
 

nhpharm

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Raffaele D'Abruzzo was born on November 20, 1860 and died on April 13, 1934. He came to the US from Italy in 1887 and worked for several years in Philadelphia as a tailor (until at least 1901 if not later). In the 1908 directory, he is listed as a liquor dealer and remains listed as a bottler or liquor dealer until Prohibition. Once Prohibition sets in, he is listed as dealing in real estate.
 

RelicRaker

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Awesome info! Thx nhpharm! That puts the bottle in the 1900s–1910s for sure.
PS – I did locate some info on Tony Gattone... b. 1880, d. 1954.
 

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