dug ink filler

[marjorie040]

Here's a black bottle that I dug in Charleston, SC I'm told it's an ink filler bottle....due to the "pour spout" It has a pontilled bottom but no embossing. It's very roughly made.
Does anyone have any ideas on the origin etc?
Thanks so much....I think I've discovered a new passion!!

 

[GuntherHess]

Commonly called a master ink. A nice one.

 

[marjorie040]

Thanks, Guntherhess....any idea of the age or origin?
Marjorie

 

[GuntherHess]

It looks pretty early from what I can see. A photo showing the bottom might help.
Possibly from a New England glass house, I'll defer to the experts on that.
If its pontil marked it could easily be pre-Civil War.

 

[capsoda]

Hey Marjorie, Welcome to the forum. As Matt said it is a master ink and a very nice crude old one. A photo of the bottom and a close up of the top would help.

 

[marjorie040]

Hi Matt!
Here is the pontilled bottom to the Master Ink Bottle.
Thanks for your input!
Marjorie

 

[marjorie040]

Warren,
Here is a closer picture of the top. I hope it will help!
Thanks so much for your time!
Marjorie

 

[capsoda]

That little dot in the center of the bottom is typical of bottles made from just before until just after the Civil War +/- a couple years. Being pontiled I say just before up to the first year or so of the war.

Bottle digging/collecting is a virus that will get you and never let you go. You will spend untold amounts of time digging, cleaning, researching, holding and admiring bottles. You will learn a hole new vocabulary and you will wonder what is wrong with people who don't know what a pontil or finish is. [&:][sm=lol.gif][sm=lol.gif][sm=lol.gif]

 

[capsoda]

You can find many master inks on Ebay at any given time and many will look like yours BUT there are suttle differances plus the black glass ones are not as common as other colors. they generally list from $20 and up with $20 to $35 or so being an avarge price range. Yours would probably be worth closer to tha $50 mark and if you could verify that the place it was dug was a Civil War encampment or other military post the price would double and possibly triple.

It is a very nice bottle with a pontil and very crude lip finish and alot of character.

 

[southern Maine diver]

Hi Marjorie and welcome to our forum family...

That is a very nice master ink and it has what is referred to as a "Pinched" pour spout. The color of the glass, shape and the thousands of tiny bubbles in it, suggests that it is from a New England glass house, as Guntherhess suggested earlier. it could be an earlier Stoddard piece. I've seen them in this size and nearly identical pour spout.

I would seek some input from "Earlyglass" of this forum. He is quite the collector of New England glass. Your piece could easily fetch more than a $100.00 to the right collector.[] Nice find..

Wayne