Hi, Anyone know the history of this company? I purchased this at a bottle show in Minneapolis thinking it was an AL bottle, but it looks like it may be from Pittsburgh after a Web search. I'm thinking maybe 1870s?
Well, You haven't given us much to tell you much, Is there embossed lettering for that subject company name? We couldn't see it. I looks like a mouth blown bottle with an applied tooled finish, so that shows in the picture, Is there evidence of empontilling on the bottom? Looks like a good one. RED Matthews
Hi Red, The only embossing is Birmingham Bottlinghouse on the front. No other identification marks and there is no pontil mark. I'll try to submit better pictures later.
You are correct on it being from around the 1870's and from Pittsburgh, PA. It is a Blob Top Squat, most likely held soda or maybe beer. I'm guessing it has an iron pontil? Worth around $10, can't tell you much about the company.
I overpaid for it (thinking it was an Alabama bottle, as did the seller), so $10 won't cut it, but I'd be willing to trade. I'm more interested in age/history than rarity. So if you have something from the 1860s-1870s (duplicates or not attached to it), let me know. It doesn't have to be a soda either.
It is a Pittsburgh bottle and fairly common though most say "Pittsburgh, PA", perhaps this is prior to Pittsburgh's annexation of Birmingham in 1872, now known as South Side of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh also annexed Allegheny, Pa in 1907 now known as North Side. There were many glass houses in the Birmingham area and in 1891 "half the glass produced in the United States was made in Pittsburgh". This includes window glass, lamp chimneys, etc. but many sodas and beers where produced here. "D.O.C." on the heal of many blob beers and hutches is Dominic O'Conner glassworks and "C&I" is Cunningham and Ihmsen glass house, both large beer/soda producers. Wm Frank & Sons produced many medicines including some bitters.