Bought these two 3-piece mold whiskey bottles.

[cowsgomoo]

The first bottle pictured has 6 vent holes and the second one has 4. These are my first 3-piece mold ones I’ve ever held so I’m wondering if the base has a sand pontil (very noticeable on the 6 holed one) and how old can I gauge these based on their mold seams and where they disappear?

Both seem to have tooled finished based on the inside being rough and very clear tool marks.

 

[yacorie]

I don’t believe it’s a sand pontil. There are some very early 3 piece mold bottles that have a pontil - and they have a name that escapes me but begins with an R.

my understanding is that most 3 piece molds had a bottom plate as opposed to being blown.

hopefully Someone who knows more can confirm and correct any info that I may have provided if incorrect.

 

[nhpharm]

Ricketts

 

[sandchip]

Neither example is pontiled. Nice tooled top whiskeys, though.

My understanding is that most 3 piece molds had a bottom plate as opposed to being blown.

I'm not following you. Do you mean that 3 pc. molds are actually 4 pc. in that the very bottom is a separate mold section? I can see that being the case in the ones that are base-embossed, which would be about the only way to be able to cut the lettering into the mold.

 

[yacorie]

Neither example is pontiled. Nice tooled top whiskeys, though.



I'm not following you. Do you mean that 3 pc. molds are actually 4 pc. in that the very bottom is a separate mold section? I can see that being the case in the ones that are base-embossed, which would be about the only way to be able to cut the lettering into the mold.

yes - that’s what I’m saying. Most had a bottom plate so would technically be 4 piece molds but there are also the 4 piece molds we generally recognize.

I remember reading all about it - probably on the SHA website which is a website anyone who collects bottle should spend time reading and then referencing as there is so much info there

 

[Harry Pristis]

A three-piece mold is basically a dip mold with two hinged shoulders. Embossing is limited to the shoulders. Patented by Ricketts in 1821, such molds were used late into the 19th Century. Early examples of these bottles might be empontilled in any available manner, but a "sand pontil" is typical(crushed glass is common in English examples).
The two amber whiskey bottles are late 19th Century, not pontil-scarred, tooled with "brandy" lip finishes. Most likely these two are USA-produced.
Here's an example of an early 3-mold bottle:

And here are examples of late 3-mold bottles: