black glass blown in mold

[nanaof3]

Hello, I'm a newbie to this forum, which I think is exceptionally awesome; the forum, not me[] All that aside, I have come across a black glass bottle and was wondering if someone might know something about it, ie. approx. when made, what was it's contents and is it worth anything? I'm new to bottles as a whole and what knowledge (although limited) I have, has come from searching the net. What has been most helpful has been all the info i have gleaned from this site[] []Sorry about the size of this one.
Next pic will be cropped better.

 

[woody]

Actually, your picture came out nice. It isn't too small or too big.
I believe your bottle is a black glass ale or beer bottle from the 19th century, from the ones I've dug.
Unless they're embossed they don't have much value but are a nice old bottle that displays well in your collection.

 

[nanaof3]

Thanks, I weighed it on my husbands postage scale and it weighs 1lb 4 oz. and stands 9 inches tall. here is a pic of the base. The glass is quite thick, and held up to the light looks to be olive green to brown.

 

[kumtow]

Hi Nanaof3,
Judging by the base I would say the bottle is about mid 1800s as you have a bottle with an "improved pontil" most likely of English origin. These were mostly made in a three part mold, a cup and two shoulder pieces. This is evident by a seam around the bottle just below the shoulder and other seams on each side of the neck starting from the previously mentioned seam. A pontil rod was used to hold the bottle once removed from the mold as the lip was formed. The pontil was then removed and the base refired to smooth it out. Sometimes the centre of the base will go a bluish colour. Although not worth a great deal the pontilled ones such as yours are worth more than smooth base (non-pontilled) ones from the 1880s onwards. I have a number of these bottles of all different shapes and sizes as I collect black glass. The shape was often used for Stout, a strong very dark (black) beer like drink. Don't know if you can get Stout in the US but a glass of half lemonade half Stout is great for knocking the top off your thirst on a really hot day.

 

[nanaof3]

Hello Alan,
I'm really learning soooo much about bottles, it's kinda addicting. My poor husband watches me bring in more and more bottles, and wonders where I'm going to put them. (The window sills are getting full)[]
I have examined the bottle closely and there is no shoulder seam or side seams. The glass swirls up to the applied neck. Does that mean it was blown to that point?
Thanks for your assistance,
Holly

 

[Gunsmoke47]

Hey Holly, if your bottle has no seams at all, it has been turned in the mold. They would do this after blowing the bottle to erase the seam marks. You find this on a lot of early wine bottles. Hope this helps, Kelley

 

[kumtow]

Hi Holly and Kelley,

Turn mold....mmmm, I dunno. A turn mold usually leaves tell tale signs, such as very faint horizontal lines around the bottle. I always thought the turn mold method was a late 1800s - early 1900s technique. In my in-expert opinion the base (pontil) does not go with a turn mold as we are looking about 50-60 years apart. The other alternative is that it was hand blown into a cup mold to form the base and body and then the shoulder and above was formed by hand. This often leaves no discernable seams. A closer look at the picture shows the glass surface doesn't look turn moldish (oooh, have I invented a new word??). I have two of these bottle, both are 3 part molds, one is pontilled with blue tinge and the other is not pontilled. I also have two other bottles of different shapes that are pontilled and hand blown into a cup mold therefore leaving no seams. Piccies below, if it works. If yours Holly is a cup mold it could be as early as about 1820 but I don't know if the shape is that early. Anyway, say 1830 to 1850. Anybody else wanna help me out here as I seem to digging myself a bigger hole.

 

[kumtow]

Obviously didn't work so I'll have another go.

 

[kumtow]

AAArrrghhh

 

[kumtow]

OK, now I have sussed it out.