Looking for info. on river bottles

[madpaddla]

Thank you Ronvae, Oldtimeer, and Miles. Here is a pic of the bottom of the HONEST bottle. Thank you all for your insights. Any info on the other 3 bottles and what to do with the contents of bottles we find?

Thanks,

Madpaddla

 

[mudmonkey]

that mark is made by the owens bottling machine.post 1900

 

[capsoda]

Hi Ben, Welcome to the forum. I think I can help you out. The Honest Bottle is a snapcase post mold from the 1870s to possibly the mid 1880s. Its an alcohol bottle.
The squat bottle was made in an Owens suction mold semiautomatic bottle machine. Probably a mineral oil like Nujol, Nujoli or Jolioil. There are a lot of strange names for mineral oil.
The amber bottle is a turn of the century bottle, probably machine made but I can't be sure without more detail about the neck and finish.{top}
The little bottle is a medical bottle that had a liquid or powder for use in hypodermics or mixing with other concoctions. Usually found in hospital dumps.

All your bottles could have been used in a hospital.

 

[madpaddla]

Case solved. Thanks.

 

[Miles]

If a bottle has contents in it, it doesn't decrease the value. It either increases it, or the value stays the same. Usually it's not that big a price difference, because most people won't go out of their way for some 100 yr old tree sap and alcohol.
Really I think it's a personal choice. If you don't think the contents stink, or take away from the bottle, then just dump them out in your yard, and if you believe they're dangerous, go to your local dump and ask if they have a toxic materials dump.

 

[southern Maine diver]

Hey Madpaddla...

Hi Ben and welcome to the forum.

Here is a true story about original contents...

There was this hotshot diver who found a nice pottery master ink underwater, near an old local US Navy Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. The ink still had the cork in it and it sounded like it was still full of "contents" so he brought this master ink home, put it in the "soup" (cleaning solution) and cleaned it up.

A day later, he pulled it out and was shaking the bottle next to his ear to see if he could still "hear" the contents inside...

Well, the cork had shrunk a tiny bit from being out of the water, and some of the contents, apparently, sprayed on his face. He didn't think much about it until he walked into the house and his wife (Pam) screamed in horror!!! The side of his face and head was covered in Bright RED INK!!! She thought that he had been shot, stabbed or beaten... she damned near passed out!!! ... Then she found out what it was and laughed so hard, I thought she would still pass out!!![sm=lol.gif]

Moral of the story... unless you absolutely know for certain what was in that bottle, I'd get rid of it! I could tell you some more stories, but you'd think I was making them up!!![]

By the way, the ink didn't come off for about 4 or 5 days!!![>:]

Wayne

 

[capsoda]

Your killin me Wayne.

 

[southern Maine diver]

Hey Cap...


That's a True story by the way...

They made good ink back then... that crap didn't come off for days!!! Looked like someone beat the hell out of me with an "Ugly stick"![] Couldn't go out in public for a while...

Saddest damn thing you ever seen...

Wayne

 

[capsoda]

Your killin me. [sm=lol.gif]The funny thing is that I know its true.LOL! I can just see it![sm=lol.gif]

 

[Miles]

LOL- It's like when the FBI faked an asassination by putting ketchup on the supposed dead person.
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