Bubbles, bubbles, and more bubbles.

[Flasks]

I see so many ads, articles, and questions about "bubbles" in bottles and other glassware. Many collectors of these items associate bubbles with age. I assure you, bubbles have NOTHING to do with age of any glassware whether it was made during Roman times up to the present. Admittingly, modern glass making techniques have eliminated these tiny or large air pockets from the molten batch of glass before going to the molds. I found a Dexter's Loveridge's bitters with so many bubbles that the bottle weighed about 2/3rds of what would be considered a normal specimen with the normal few air pockets /bubbles. Sometimes a profusion of bubbles does make a bottle more interesting, but I don't think a knowledgeable buyer would consider this feature a premium or a negative when he/she comes to purchasing.

 

[sandchip]

True dat. I had a medium puce Drakes years ago that had so many bubbles and froth that it looked like strawberry preserves, and was as whittled as any that I've ever seen to this day. Some roof edges were slightly underblown. All these features combined point to this particular example being blown early in the morning into a cold mold with glass drawn from a batch of glass which had sat overnight where any bubbles had risen to the top, many times called "morning dew". You're right that no one should use bubbles as an indicator of age, modern Mexican glass being a prime example. Simply stirring a batch of glass with a damp wooden paddle will create a profusion of bubbles.

 

[Flasks]

True dat. I had a medium puce Drakes years ago that had so many bubbles and froth that it looked like strawberry preserves, and was as whittled as any that I've ever seen to this day. Some roof edges were slightly underblown. All these features combined point to this particular example being blown early in the morning into a cold mold with glass drawn from a batch of glass which had sat overnight where any bubbles had risen to the top, many times called "morning dew". You're right that no one should use bubbles as an indicator of age, modern Mexican glass being a prime example. Simply stirring a batch of glass with a damp wooden paddle will create a profusion of bubbles.

A feature all bottles and glassware has is color. There needs to be a standardization of colors, such as agreed upon painting artists and/or long time knowledgeable bottle collectors, identifying colors and hues of those colors. Presently, an artists color scale is closest in terminology and how we envision these long established colors by name. Too many times I've seen a little deeper hue "aqua" being called "cobalt", "ice blue", "sky blue" and others. Having dug and collected civil war period bottles for over 60 years I've seen just about every color and off color in glass bottles, vases and tableware made. All color assignments should be made in natural light against a clear sky, meaning outside without the bright sun behind it) and never indoor incandescent light.
At this point in time, colors should be referred to as the "base" color, then a hue or "strength" of that color or possibly an inclusion of another "base color" creating a from this base color. To me, BASE colors in bottles Aqua, Cobalt, Olive, Green, Yellow, Clear,Amber Teal, Puce, and White. Of course many collectors will shades and intensities in this group. As a common example..yellow/green, perhaps olive/amber, etc. etc. I guess if we all saw colors the same a base color code would be simple to make but seeing that we don't, each of us will continue to form their own opinion as to what color they want to call it. Bottom line, no sense arguing about a color...if this is what you see this is what you'll get or get rid of. Just my 2-cents.