German Half post bottle?

[baltbottles]

Heres another one of these listed on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Half-Post-Emerald-Green-5-Pint-Bottle-w-Pontil-c-1780_W0QQitemZ120516474307QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1c0f5775c3

Again to my eyes this looks new and the seller states that thet seen two more like it at a recent bottle show. It soulnds like there are alot of these things around.

Chris

 

[kungfufighter]

I'll lay $5 on the fact that the "informed collector" with the BS story about the bottle being 18th century Mexican has at least one example of this bottle he or she is trying to sell. Anyone want to raise?

No doubt that these are attractive, decorative bottles. They are simply not old.

 

[GuntherHess]

Wouldnt 18th century mexico be getting virtually all its glass from Spain?

 

[surfaceone]

Great e-bay roadside attraction, Chris!

The description and unnamed "expert" and "informed" opinions contained therein are very telling, yet NON illustrative.

I'm harkening back to something Theresa mentioned about hers,

the neck I can say is very very narrow....I can't get my pinky inside it much further than the first say 1/2" of the top of it.

Theresa, these old bottles were nothing, if not utilitarian. If you cannot pour it, this would not be a good sign, in my opinion.

You have brought to the cyber table here a very thought provoking bottle. Your inquiries have generated wonderful interest and ultra informative commentary by some of the most experienced members. I am clearly not among them.

You might treat yourself, and take it on a road trip, maybe to the Baltimore Show, and let several experienced experts see and handle your bottle to satisfy your quest for knowledge. Perhaps someone could suggest a venue that might be more appropriate. I don't know if the old California bottle hands are used to seeing this type of glass.

Thanks to everyone that has made this such a "teachable" thread. I feel smarter already [8D]

 

[RED Matthews]

Hello baltbottles and who else caught this point. I checked on your listing and read the description. In that text the man suggested there were two pontils over lapping each other. My question is why would there be two. The first gather for the neck was just elongated for the neck size and also to have enough glass to pick up the second gather for the size of the bottles main body.
This is enough to tell me what I need to know. RED Matthews

 

[rockbot]

I don't see what useful purpose a bottle of that shape would have other then decoration. The contents would never pour in any useful fashion. Interesting thread though!

 

[saratogadriver]

See, this is the sort of evidence I was looking for. When these things start showing up out of no-where with a suspicious provenance, it's time to start asking questions.

These are starting to remind me of the Ben Franklin inkwells. Some came from France and are quite old, some were made in Mexico later, like 20th century, and are not antiques. There were purportedly made in the same molds, but they are way cruder. They are, however, made in what appear to be the old technique. They aren't ABM in other words. Yet serious ink collectors will still get stung, and I've seen a number of them go through reputable auctions where I've rubbed my head and doubted the item.

ANY time I start hearing about a Mexican source for a decent bottle, it trips my BS meter.

It looks like this lovely bottle, while quite decorative, is probably not old. OP, if a serious collector makes you an offer on it, believing in their mind it is old, and you tell them there is some question and they still want it, then it would be a good time to sell it.

Jim G

ORIGINAL: baltbottles

Heres another one of these listed on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Half-Post-Emerald-Green-5-Pint-Bottle-w-Pontil-c-1780_W0QQitemZ120516474307QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1c0f5775c3

Again to my eyes this looks new and the seller states that thet seen two more like it at a recent bottle show. It soulnds like there are alot of these things around.

Chris

 

[saratogadriver]

Is there such a thing as a good, 18th century Mexican bottle? No slight intended on Mexico, but the only stuff I have ever seen is half baked repros of older, high end stuff, like the Ben Franklin inkwell. They MUST have made bottles. I mean, tequila did originate in Mexico, right? They had to bottle it in something...

Jim G

ORIGINAL: kungfufighter

I'll lay $5 on the fact that the "informed collector" with the BS story about the bottle being 18th century Mexican has at least one example of this bottle he or she is trying to sell.  Anyone want to raise?

No doubt that these are attractive, decorative bottles.  They are simply not old.

 

[GuntherHess]

I havent heard much about early Mexican glass but I know they were excellent potters.
I expect thier spirits came in ceramics.

 

[RED Matthews]

Hello rockbot, I came back here to advise you that in the late 16th century and a lot of the 17th there were a lot of bottles made in this shape in Europe, because they were efficently shipped in wooden crates. The Case Gins were made square to fit in crates. After the bottles were packed they filled the space around the glass with grain hulls - like buckwheat to help them survive the shipping bumps.

The following book will show you a lot of the early ones and it is the #1 book in my opinion, for learning about early glass.

It is:#1 ANTIQUE GLASS BOTTLES Their History and Evolution (1500-1850)
By Willy Van den Bossche – My favorite because it is the most complete and informative book on old glass production that there is available to us.

RED Matthews