I am not a "bottle person," but have an old cologne bottle that I've had sitting around the house, and am just curious as to whether it's actually worth anything. I bought it at a second-hand store many years ago just because I am a long-time Caswell Massey customer and thought the bottle deserved a better home than sitting on a dusty shelf with a bunch of junk ... I contacted the Caswell Massey people about it recently and, oddly enough, they were not able to offer any information about how old it might be.
The bottle is clear glass, square with the "corners" trimmed off, so it's really octagonal in shape. It's ~8.5 cm tall without the stopper, and ~10.5 cm with the stopper. There are two mold seams running up the sides (incorporated into two of the corners, but visible on the shoulders) that extend a little way into the neck of the bottle and then disappear. There is a tight-fitting ground glass stopper. The "back" side (opposite the label) is embossed (landscape orientation):
Most of the original Jockey Club label is intact. The bottom of the bottle appears (to my untrained eye) smooth (no obvious marks or distortions of any kind) and slightly concave.
I have been able to find out, from the time-line at the Caswell Massey website, that the Caswell Hazard name was registered in 1833; the Jockey Club scent was first introduced in 1840 (but the picture I saw of an 1840 bottle had a different label); and the company name was changed to Caswell Massey in 1876. However, I don't assume that means they necessarily quit using the C-H name on the bottles right away ... Heck, for all I know, the bottle could be a fairly recent reproduction.
I originally posted this in the pre-1900 forum, and the users there thought the bottle was probably early 20th century, so I'm trying here, also. Can anyone offer any help in dating the bottle, and give me any idea of what it might be worth? Thanks v. much! [
The bottle is clear glass, square with the "corners" trimmed off, so it's really octagonal in shape. It's ~8.5 cm tall without the stopper, and ~10.5 cm with the stopper. There are two mold seams running up the sides (incorporated into two of the corners, but visible on the shoulders) that extend a little way into the neck of the bottle and then disappear. There is a tight-fitting ground glass stopper. The "back" side (opposite the label) is embossed (landscape orientation):
CASWELL, HAZARD & CO.
CHEMISTS
NEW YORK & NEWPORT
CHEMISTS
NEW YORK & NEWPORT
Most of the original Jockey Club label is intact. The bottom of the bottle appears (to my untrained eye) smooth (no obvious marks or distortions of any kind) and slightly concave.
I have been able to find out, from the time-line at the Caswell Massey website, that the Caswell Hazard name was registered in 1833; the Jockey Club scent was first introduced in 1840 (but the picture I saw of an 1840 bottle had a different label); and the company name was changed to Caswell Massey in 1876. However, I don't assume that means they necessarily quit using the C-H name on the bottles right away ... Heck, for all I know, the bottle could be a fairly recent reproduction.
I originally posted this in the pre-1900 forum, and the users there thought the bottle was probably early 20th century, so I'm trying here, also. Can anyone offer any help in dating the bottle, and give me any idea of what it might be worth? Thanks v. much! [
