Big old bottle in wicker

[GBmike]

BIM applied tooled top with nice wicker 15 1/2" tall. Big, heavy bottle that I know nothing about. Anybody know anything about this? Thanks in advance
Mike

 

[Monsonant]

Mike , It looks to me like its much older than Treasure Rats Estimate. The wicker is much different on the older bottles and yours appears to have the older style . The fact that its a tooled applied top would get it back to at least 1890 and it could be much earlier. I have found these that were pontiled. Some were produced locally at the Willington and Westford Glass Works. Peek through the wicker and see what you can see. I had one that was about that size and color that I removed the wicker to revile a broken mold that had been repaired making a very cool mark on the glass. I just bought one this past weekend that is dark green with the wicker painted white . If I get a chance I will open it up later in the thread. Dave Anderson

 

[BRIAN S.]

Hi Mike ! Your " Big old bottle in wicker " is commonly called a Demijohn. They had many uses and came in a variety of shapes , sizes , and colors. Most have had the wicker removed( or it has rotted away over time ) to see the bottle underneath for display . Some people like the wicker left intact others do not. A personal preference . Here's a pic of a few of my Demijohns , so you can see the varying shades and sizes. Nice Demijohn Mike ! Brian

 

[LaidBackJack]

I have one which is it's twin in size & the wickerwork. The guy I got it from for $10 said it was from San Francisco, turn of the century, & was locally produced. I wouldn't know any different, so I accept his description. It's aqua, and I have so far resisted the temptation to remove the wicker. Mostly that's because from examining it closely while pulling the wicker aside as much as possible, I don't believe it has any embossing, a pontil mark, or any other special features. If it was an unusual color I'd probably undress it, however. So.... because it's so big, and it would be difficult to display, I'm leaving it original for it's rustic appeal. Everyone likes it, but I've found that average demijohns are difficult to sell for a decent price. I know a couple of people who collect them, and one reason they cite is this very fact...they can get good specimens for reasonable prices compared to other categories of bottles. You just need a lot of space to put them out for viewing.