Citro Soda Bottle cobalt Looking to find how many molds - what is yours?

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Lbrewer42

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I have been looking for/accumulating Citro cobalt blue soda bottles from Baltimore for 10 years now. Its not easy to get them. I only have 4 in all that time. I am wondering how many mold numbers are on the bottoms of these and am asking people here to share with me if they have anything other than my four: molds 1, 2, 5 and one with no company markings or mold number on the bottom at all.
A friend in Sykeville, MD once dug a whole one, and then I dug shards of three after that. When he passed away unexpectedly 10 yrs. ago, I wanted one to buy one to remember him by. Then I noted the mold number on the bottom and wondered how many would make a "complete" set.
Any help or info would be appreciated.
I am an insulator collector and am puzzled as to why these rare bottles are not more treasured/sought after by soda bottle collectors? the shape and color makes them, to me, really special.
I know of the same sized Brooklandville Springs water bottle and the larger Perfecton Gingerale bottle but have never seen any for sale. Kicking myself for missing a Perfection Gingerale go on eBay years ago and not bidding b/c it was not a Citro!
I also have tried to contact the man called the expert on this company, Ernie Dimler, but twice I emailed the listed contacts at the Bromo Seltzer museum (where his collection) and no one has ever answered me to tell me how to get ahold of Ernie.
So...anyone out there have one and can share what mold numbers they have? From studying other glass making machines of the time period, I am guessing 6 molds plus the no number mold exist (spare for when repairing another mold). But really have no idea if that is right.

Sorry I only have a pic of the bottom of the no number bottle. But its identical in every way to the others.
 

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Bottle 2 Rocks

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I have been looking for/accumulating Citro cobalt blue soda bottles from Baltimore for 10 years now. Its not easy to get them. I only have 4 in all that time. I am wondering how many mold numbers are on the bottoms of these and am asking people here to share with me if they have anything other than my four: molds 1, 2, 5 and one with no company markings or mold number on the bottom at all.
A friend in Sykeville, MD once dug a whole one, and then I dug shards of three after that. When he passed away unexpectedly 10 yrs. ago, I wanted one to buy one to remember him by. Then I noted the mold number on the bottom and wondered how many would make a "complete" set.
Any help or info would be appreciated.
I am an insulator collector and am puzzled as to why these rare bottles are not more treasured/sought after by soda bottle collectors? the shape and color makes them, to me, really special.
I know of the same sized Brooklandville Springs water bottle and the larger Perfecton Gingerale bottle but have never seen any for sale. Kicking myself for missing a Perfection Gingerale go on eBay years ago and not bidding b/c it was not a Citro!
I also have tried to contact the man called the expert on this company, Ernie Dimler, but twice I emailed the listed contacts at the Bromo Seltzer museum (where his collection) and no one has ever answered me to tell me how to get ahold of Ernie.
So...anyone out there have one and can share what mold numbers they have? From studying other glass making machines of the time period, I am guessing 6 molds plus the no number mold exist (spare for when repairing another mold). But really have no idea if that is right.

Sorry I only have a pic of the bottom of the no number bottle. But its identical in every way to the others.
Here is a pic of my collection of the 3 you speak of. My Citro is a 3 with the maryland glass logo.I lived in Carroll Co. for 40 yrs. and only happened across some shards of a citro once and then always wanted one. Funny I only picked up my set after I moved away from MD.
 

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Lbrewer42

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Thanks for the reply and the verified mold number! I hope not to impose, but sometime, if you can, could you post a picture of the bottom so I can add it to my files?

I have some notes I have taken about these in my files concerning where they were used etc. I will dig some of that out and post it here. I know of only two more Perfection Gingerale bottles after looking all these years. One is in a glass museum in West Virginia, and the other is in a movie clip concerning the Bromo Seltzer tower (part of Ernie's collection).

Come to think of it...do the spring water and gingerale bottles also have mold numbers? Eventually I will get this all together and put a write up online so the history of these is not lost to time.
 

Bottle 2 Rocks

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Ebay has had 3 Perfections for sale over the past 10 yrs. that I know of, I got mine from a seller from Missouri and 2 others one being in bad condition but still went for a lot and the 3rd was not too bad condition.
Sorry no numbers on the Perfection or the spring water just the MG logo/badge on the base.
 

Lbrewer42

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Thanks again for this info. One of these days I'll find that perfection!
Of my Citro bottles, only one is mint condition, the others having minor dings. But being an insulator collector/researcher I am used to this. It does't bother me much.
 

Lbrewer42

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Oops - just got back in and noted I did not hit send reply on the post above this one. So I did!

I thought I would share the info I just got. I FINALLY was able to contact Ernie Gimler - I happened on his phone number online. He is the curator of the Museum dedicated to Maryland Glass Company in the Actual Bromo Seltzer Tower in Baltimore! it houses his vast collection. And I got my answer after all these years! Six molds were used for Citro: a no number and numbers 1-5. So I only need two more!

I called Ernie just an hour ago and he told me the following (and much, much more...all off the top of his head!):
Perfection Gingerale bottles, Citro bottles, and Brooklandview Spring Waters bottle were all made by the Maryland Glass Company. Of those only the Citro bottles have mold numbers
- Citro bottles were made with 6 molds: a No# and #1 - #5 (the no number bottles being the oldest)
- Citro Bottle Production: about 1912 - 1920 with several runs made.


Ernie told me the reason these bottles are hardly ever found in dumps, and the reason they are rare is because they were never sold to the public. They were only sold out of the Emerson Hotel or Brooklandwood Farms. The bottles had to be obtained at one of those two places.

So this now also answers for me why they are not more popular. Everyone I show them to really loves the shape and color, but has never seen them. I am hoping to go see his collection at the Bromo Seltzer tower this coming summer where Ernie gives tours. He said he has a complete set of these bottles.
 

Lbrewer42

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Recently been made aware there is a large size of the Brooklandwood Spring Water bottle in this set. Great...one more to look for
 

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prevnar

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Time well spent finding those! The only cobalt I have found is an old vicks jar.
 

BrianP

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I have been looking for/accumulating Citro cobalt blue soda bottles from Baltimore for 10 years now. Its not easy to get them. I only have 4 in all that time. I am wondering how many mold numbers are on the bottoms of these and am asking people here to share with me if they have anything other than my four: molds 1, 2, 5 and one with no company markings or mold number on the bottom at all.
A friend in Sykeville, MD once dug a whole one, and then I dug shards of three after that. When he passed away unexpectedly 10 yrs. ago, I wanted one to buy one to remember him by. Then I noted the mold number on the bottom and wondered how many would make a "complete" set.
Any help or info would be appreciated.
I am an insulator collector and am puzzled as to why these rare bottles are not more treasured/sought after by soda bottle collectors? the shape and color makes them, to me, really special.
I know of the same sized Brooklandville Springs water bottle and the larger Perfecton Gingerale bottle but have never seen any for sale. Kicking myself for missing a Perfection Gingerale go on eBay years ago and not bidding b/c it was not a Citro!
I also have tried to contact the man called the expert on this company, Ernie Dimler, but twice I emailed the listed contacts at the Bromo Seltzer museum (where his collection) and no one has ever answered me to tell me how to get ahold of Ernie.
So...anyone out there have one and can share what mold numbers they have? From studying other glass making machines of the time period, I am guessing 6 molds plus the no number mold exist (spare for when repairing another mold). But really have no idea if that is right.

Sorry I only have a pic of the bottom of the no number bottle. But its identical in every way to the others.
Hey just found one today in Brooklandville! Thanks for the info.
 

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Lbrewer42

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@ BrianP, Sorry I did not see your post until today. Email notification must have been filed in the junk folder for some reason?

Thanks for sharing.

I once dug shards to 2 or 3 of these and wishing I had kept them just to see if they were numbers I do not have.
 

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