epgorge
Well-Known Member
Here is a 1/2 pint scroll I just picked up on ebay.
Here is the sales pitch which went along with it.
Description
(revised)
his is a true, no reserve auction, just like the "good ole days"! Offered for your consideration is this Half pint or ½ pint violin scroll historical flask. This flask is aquamarine and it is hard to present an image that accurately represents its beauty. The exceptionally clear aquamarine glass is clean with no staining or "sickness". The aquamarine in this flask is also exceptionally dark. Color in glass is a tuffy, but when this beauty sits next to an average colored aqua flask, the difference in shading is very noticeable. A ½ pint size scroll flask was popular in the 1850-1860's as a container for whiskey, which was easily concealed in the upper right side top coat pocket, opposite of the long oblong wallet side pocket. The closest thing to many a mans heart at the time... his money and his whiskey! It is my personal opinion that the whiskey manufacturers intently packaged their product in these beautiful bottles with the spouse of the user in mind. The purchaser could buy the whiskey under the pretense of getting that bottle for his lovely wife! This flask has absolutely no chips or cracks and was hand blown in a mold in the middle of the 1800's. There is some very minute roughness or ice pick marks on the inside lip, caused I believe by the manufacturing or when the cork was originally removed with a pick. I always liked this little bit of character. There is not any glass actually missing. There are some very, very minute surface scratches present on one star from laying sideways, possibly from being in a drawer for over 150 years. I mention this for extreme accuracy as this flask is one of the most beautifully clean specimens I have ever seen. On the bottom of this beautiful historical item is a pontil mark, that was caused when a "punty boy" used a pontil rod that was dipped in the molten glass to hold the bottle while the glass blower completed the process. The rod was then snapped off leaving aglass ring pontil mark on the bottom. The more expensive art glass objects blown at the time had the pontil usually ground off but I feel that having the jagged pontil is just another bit of character that makes each of these antique pieces unique. One is never the same as the other. It is hard to believe that such a fragile piece could remain intact, for over 150 years! The flask was finally finished off by refiring the lip in the "glory hole" near the bottom of the furnace. The lip was then cut off with a tool similar to a standard pair of shears, thus commonly causing the edge roughness mentioned earlier. On the base, there is also "honest" wear marks, caused from many years of proudly being displayed on a shelf. This bottle stands approximately 6" tall by 4" wide and is a very dark aquamarine in color. The neck on this specimen is exceptionally long in comparison to others in my collection. The flask is absolutely sparkling aquamarine, clearer than the average scroll flask. I am regretfully offering this wonderful piece for sale from my collection of over forty years, as I am downsizing.[/align] [/align]paid $94.Thanks for any help with seeing if I did well or got screwed. [/align] [/align]Joel[/align]
Here is the sales pitch which went along with it.
Description
his is a true, no reserve auction, just like the "good ole days"! Offered for your consideration is this Half pint or ½ pint violin scroll historical flask. This flask is aquamarine and it is hard to present an image that accurately represents its beauty. The exceptionally clear aquamarine glass is clean with no staining or "sickness". The aquamarine in this flask is also exceptionally dark. Color in glass is a tuffy, but when this beauty sits next to an average colored aqua flask, the difference in shading is very noticeable. A ½ pint size scroll flask was popular in the 1850-1860's as a container for whiskey, which was easily concealed in the upper right side top coat pocket, opposite of the long oblong wallet side pocket. The closest thing to many a mans heart at the time... his money and his whiskey! It is my personal opinion that the whiskey manufacturers intently packaged their product in these beautiful bottles with the spouse of the user in mind. The purchaser could buy the whiskey under the pretense of getting that bottle for his lovely wife! This flask has absolutely no chips or cracks and was hand blown in a mold in the middle of the 1800's. There is some very minute roughness or ice pick marks on the inside lip, caused I believe by the manufacturing or when the cork was originally removed with a pick. I always liked this little bit of character. There is not any glass actually missing. There are some very, very minute surface scratches present on one star from laying sideways, possibly from being in a drawer for over 150 years. I mention this for extreme accuracy as this flask is one of the most beautifully clean specimens I have ever seen. On the bottom of this beautiful historical item is a pontil mark, that was caused when a "punty boy" used a pontil rod that was dipped in the molten glass to hold the bottle while the glass blower completed the process. The rod was then snapped off leaving aglass ring pontil mark on the bottom. The more expensive art glass objects blown at the time had the pontil usually ground off but I feel that having the jagged pontil is just another bit of character that makes each of these antique pieces unique. One is never the same as the other. It is hard to believe that such a fragile piece could remain intact, for over 150 years! The flask was finally finished off by refiring the lip in the "glory hole" near the bottom of the furnace. The lip was then cut off with a tool similar to a standard pair of shears, thus commonly causing the edge roughness mentioned earlier. On the base, there is also "honest" wear marks, caused from many years of proudly being displayed on a shelf. This bottle stands approximately 6" tall by 4" wide and is a very dark aquamarine in color. The neck on this specimen is exceptionally long in comparison to others in my collection. The flask is absolutely sparkling aquamarine, clearer than the average scroll flask. I am regretfully offering this wonderful piece for sale from my collection of over forty years, as I am downsizing.[/align] [/align]paid $94.Thanks for any help with seeing if I did well or got screwed. [/align] [/align]Joel[/align]
