Demijohns?

[barney00]

Any idea on the origin, use, and value of these bottles? Found on a deep shipwreck in the Gulf of Mexico. Other artifacts date to early 1900s.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Harry Pristis]

The lip I can see looks French. These apparently were shippers for fluids like wine or brandy. They appear to date to the mid 1800s, but could be earlier. (These bottles were used and re-used as long as they were intact.)

“After about 1810 or 1820, the common lip finish was a thick, deep, and flat sloping collar. Prior to that time, demijohns and carboys usually had either a narrow flat collar or a heavy string ring laid on below a plain lip, or sometimes -- in the case of large size -- a rough lip, neither fire-polished nor tooled.”

Value depends on condition and eye-appeal. Intact, with good "character," such a bottle might bring $100 - $200. The one missing its lip is not a collector bottle, though it might have a use as a display item in a museum or shop.

 

[yacorie]

Agree with the above post. Unless you can put some provenance on them based on the name of the shipwreck they will just be treated like European demis

 

[ROBBYBOBBY64]

How deep was the wreck? Crazy cool demis.

 

[barney00]

How deep was the wreck? Crazy cool demis.

Almost 300’

 

[planeguy2]

Wow, nice bottles and a cool place to find em!

 

[nhpharm]

Wow...300' is some technical diving for sure! Can't be much bottom time at that depth.

 

[ROBBYBOBBY64]

Wow!

 

[barney00]

Thought these might be associated with a suspected Civil War blockade runner, but we found other artifacts on this spot that dated to 1914 at the earliest.

 

[ROBBYBOBBY64]

I was certified years ago. I loved scuba diving. Never wanted to get out of the water. I do a week on a boat in rough seas no problem. I would love to combine the two like you have. Scuba and bottles, i cannot see how it could get any better than that!
ROBBYBOBBY64.