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[andy volkerts]

Your inkwell seems to have a little damage to the corners-edges re- chipping and a bit of staining. I have seen these go for as little as 5 bucks and more than twenty dollars in mint shape. They are worth having in an inkwell collection, but are rather common, but, one does need all examples to have a rounded collection doesn't one?........

 

[RICKJJ59W]

The thrill of digging one out weighs everything mentioned on this thread. Especially picking one off of a flea market table

 

[JohnDeereMoxie]

I like it because it reminds me of a turtle. lol

 

[RED Matthews]

Hello to all of you that are interested in this bottle. Having worked in the glass industry I have a deep rooted respect for every bottle that has an off-set neck, like these turtle inks have. If you think about closing the mold around the parison form of the first stage of making this bottle; the parison has to lay on its side int the mold - for the final or secondary blowing. When you lay a parison on its side like that the hot glass can sink from gravity causing the top glass to touch the bottom glass and lift a vertical bird swing inside the bottles final blown form. I have two bottles that we made for Avon Shaving Lotion - a duck and a reindeer- that we had to make special blank molds for the glass machine making; with out parison collapse problems were solved to make them work. I have one of each of those bottles in our bow window every summer just to remind me of how difficult an off set neck bottle can be made without head aches. RED Matthews

 

[RED Matthews]

So all of you need to realize that this shape of bottle, had to have the parison form laid in the mold before it was closed for the final blow of the bottle. This gave the top glass a chance to drop and touch the bottom of the parison. If this happened it would create a vertical birds-swing of glass in the bottle. I had a lot of work making Avon Shaving Lotions with off set necks like their duck bottle and a deer bottle. I have two or three inks like like this one. RED Matthews

 

[RED Matthews]

I commented on one earlier today. These bottles reqired the parison to be laid on its side in the closed mold. While the parison was on it's side the hot glass tended to settle down and if it touched the bottom glass there would a vertical bird swing in the ink bottle. I have even seen them at bottle shows. RED Matthews

 

[saratogadriver]

I collect ink bottles. The Moore's "monitor ink" (as he called it) is really an amazing piece. They must have been in the majority of school desks in America in the 1870s, they so far outnumber any of the similar forms that were intended to fit in the desk insert. It's not a monetarily valuable bottle, worth maybe $10. But it represents the cleverness of American industrial processes to make something both so beautiful and functional, in mass quantities. The colored versions are really amazing. Jim G

 

[RED Matthews]

I just found a reference on these inks that will help you all. In Michael Polak's book on BOTTLES, third edition page 228 I thought covers them. But the page is wrong. And my wife is calling me. Gotta go. RED M.

 

[logueb]

I have always liked the turtle inks. Never dug a whole one though. Also never found one priced reasonable at a flea market or Antique mall. Buster

 

[westKYdigger]

Bert, Here is one I dug a few yrs ago. Sheared top with what I think is a pontil. I'm hoping some one with more experience can tell me if it is a pontil, or just a rough area in the base. Not as cool as yours, but a keeper. This is my first post from a windows based phone. Hope it works