Info on round bottom soda bottle

[Noellet]

I’m still digging up bottles and other items from my backyard. All date from about 1890’s to about 1913. I was thrilled to dig up one of these on the weekend- unfortunately no embossing of any kind. I am still learning how to spot manufacturing technique, so maybe I could get some opinions from the experts. The seam goes all the around but nothing on the lip. The glass has bubbles and swirls. Would this b type of bottle be blown into a mold and then the top applied? Does any of this help with a date range?

 

[hemihampton]

I'm going to guess some type of Foreign Ginger Ale like Belfast? Cochrane? ect., ect.,. Could be pre 1900 but sometimes these Foreign Made Bottles were a little slower then U.S.A. moving towards newer updated manufacturing processes. LEON.

 

[Noellet]

Is there any reason why you think it’s foreign made?

 

[Skoda]

Cool find! Your bottle is definitely hand blown in mold with an applied top.

Is there any reason why you think it’s foreign made?

Round bottom sodas were far more popular in the UK than they were in the US, and many that are discovered in the US were imported between the second half of the 19th century-1930's or so. That being said, there were quite a few round bottom ginger ales produced domestically, especially in New England and New York. It'd be difficult to say with certainty the origin of your example, but I'd actually guess contrary and say it looks US-made to me for three reasons:
1. The lip finish looks similar to other US round bottom (and blob top soda/beer) bottles. It's very subtle, but UK round bottoms either have very bulbous/ "donut" lips or longer, more cone-shaped finishes. The round bottoms I have in my collection all have an identical lip shape to yours.
2. That intense shade of aqua was very popular in US soda bottles but not so much in UK soda bottles, which tend to be in a pale or greenish aqua.
3. Your bottle appears to have a 4-piece mold, which is actually really interesting and something I haven't seen before on a round bottom. That subtle line traveling the circumference near the base is a mold seam. 4-piece molds are rather rare and I've yet to see one on non-US bottle.

Hope this helps!

 

[Noellet]

Cool find! Your bottle is definitely hand blown in mold with an applied top.


Round bottom sodas were far more popular in the UK than they were in the US, and many that are discovered in the US were imported between the second half of the 19th century-1930's or so. That being said, there were quite a few round bottom ginger ales produced domestically, especially in New England and New York. It'd be difficult to say with certainty the origin of your example, but I'd actually guess contrary and say it looks US-made to me for three reasons:
1. The lip finish looks similar to other US round bottom (and blob top soda/beer) bottles. It's very subtle, but UK round bottoms either have very bulbous/ "donut" lips or longer, more cone-shaped finishes. The round bottoms I have in my collection all have an identical lip shape to yours.
2. That intense shade of aqua was very popular in US soda bottles but not so much in UK soda bottles, which tend to be in a pale or greenish aqua.
3. Your bottle appears to have a 4-piece mold, which is actually really interesting and something I haven't seen before on a round bottom. That subtle line traveling the circumference near the base is a mold seam. 4-piece molds are rather rare and I've yet to see one on non-US bottle.

Hope this helps!

Thanks so much for the helpful information! And I did wonder about the line around the bottom and if that was another mold line. All great information to help me learn. I do love this bottle, especially the colour. Thanks again!

 

[Semar]

If I recall correctly these bottles were corked and the corks were wired to the neck like a champagne bottle; the bottoms were round so that they had to be shipped on their sides to keep the cork from drying out. Soda fountains back in the day had serving stands to hold the bottle upright; they had a circular base with 3 or 4 upright metal 'fingers' that held the bottle.

 

[Noellet]

thank you! I knew why they were kept on their sides but didn’t know about the wired cork.