Colored American Torpedo Sodas

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baltbottles

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Hers a pic of the three BOYD - BALT. torpedo sodas from my collection. They are a deep yellow olive green, a redish puce, and a yellow topaz. All extermerly rare. I just wish i had the other 4 or 5 colors these come in.

Chris

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IRISH

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What a set of bottles ! they are just fantastic the three of them [:D] .
What date are they from ? I presume that it's very early (1830's-40's ?), we get some cobalt blue torpedos here but none in the colours of those bottles.
 

Pontiled

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Great torpedoes! At one time, I had 3 of the known McKeon torpedoes from Washington, D.C. (two had lip chips and sold for a handsome price). In the same pit were several from Baltimore, one was a green one like yours and a super nice cobalt-blue Polks from Baltimore. Keep looking for them, they are extremely scarce and darned nice to look at!
 

Pontiled

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By the way, so there will be no confusion, the McKeon's were embossed with ONLY McKeon / Washington, D.C., NOT McKeon & McGrann / Washington, D.C.

There are only 5 McKeon's known to exist and all came from a single pit.
 

baltbottles

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Hi Mike,

Wow that must have been one super pit. I really would like to have one of those polks there pretty rare. I have had a nice blue McKeon & McGrann / Washington, D.C. and a green Henke & Maack from dc also but i traded those for some good baltimore pontiled sodas i need for my collection. If you don't mind me asking what else cam out this pit you dug and were was it at?

Chris
 

baltbottles

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Hi Irish,

Your right about the age they date to the 1840s almost strictly after about 1852 the torpedo and ten pin shapes lost popularity in Baltimore and was abandoned for regular squat soda forms.
 

Pontiled

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Hi Chris,

They were all dug from a pit, right down from the old Union Station when the Metro was being put in. Most of the bottles that came out were the typical medicines (mostly unembossed with pontil scars) and a few umbrella inkwells. Actually, there were a total of 24 McKeons dug, but all but the 5 good ones were broken. It was a super pit, but it's nice to know how scarce (rare) the McKeon's are and to have actually had 3 of the 5.
 

deepwoods

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Chris outstanding bottles! Btw does Baltimore have any post-pontil age colored blobs or tool-tops other than amber?
 

baltbottles

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HI Deepwoods,

There are a few green smooth based squats that date around 1865-1870 but even there pretty rare. But all the known baltimore sodas and beer bottles made after about 1870 are either clear aqua or amber. now and then a pure yellow example will show up but no greens or blues. Its seems after the cival war baltimore lost its interest in colored bottles

Chris
 

Relicsnstuff

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Hi Chris,
Any of those came from New Orleans? We dug a few Schweppes bottles about a month ago, they are torpedo shaped, forest green not aqua, eveything in the hole was 1850's back to late 1700's, I'am guessing these are pontil. I will post a pic for members who may have more infomation on this type of bottle, any guess on value?

Relicsnstuff
 

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