Sealed Black Glass from NYC Privy

[andy g]

Not sure what to make of this cool sealed, black glass piece. Any help as to age, origin, the seal, contents, and just about anything else would be awesome.

The bottle came out of a pit in the NYC's East Village near St. Mark's in the Fields. The original rowhouse on the site was built in the late 1820s and the layers in the privy went from the 1820s to the early 1850s. Color of the bottle in sunlight is light green and thus not as black as classic black glass -- it is lighter perhaps like continental glass. And it is extraordinarily flaky & oxidized. We found pieces to another one in the hole although the seal was MIA despite the fact that we sifted the entire pit. Oh well.

 

[andy g]

Here is a shot of it next to pickle and soda (to the right) so as to give a sense of size.

 

[andy g]

and a shot of the sweet open pontil in the small kickup.

 

[andy g]

and the cool lip. Perhaps this is defining as to age and origin?

 

[andy g]

and last but not least the seal itself. I can guess as to what is says but rather than taint anyone's thinking I will keep silent for now. Thanks for looking.

 

[deepbluedigger]

Andy that is a great find! I can't make out the top line of the seal, but the 'M W' I've only come across before in that kind of format on very, very rare, very early (about 1800 - 1810) mineral water bottles, possibly meaning "Mephitic Water". And even then I've never seen it on a seal before. Of course it could mean something else entirely on that bottle, but even so it's a beautiful thing!

Is it European or American, do you think?

Jerry

 

[appliedlips]

Wow, what a killer bottle.. It is an odd form and lip treatment, may Jerry is on to something, as to it being a Mineral Water.. On another note, is that a J.McCollick pickle to the left? Looks like a great pit,congrats

 

[RedGinger]

Wow, what's the oldest thing you have found? That picture in the privy gives me the creeps I guess because it is so old. It looks like you went back in time, not to sound corny. I'm sure everyone would like to see some more of your finds.

 

[andy g]

I can't make out the top line of the seal, but the 'M W' I've only come across before in that kind of format on very, very rare, very early (about 1800 - 1810) mineral water bottles, possibly meaning "Mephitic Water". And even then I've never seen it on a seal before. Of course it could mean something else entirely on that bottle, but even so it's a beautiful thing!

Is it European or American, do you think?

Jerry -- seems that I should have just looked at your site first to figure out the bottle: http://www.diggersdiary.co.uk/Collections/Collection_minerals.htm. The top word in the seal seems to start with the letters "Herts" and then two unknowns. Just looking at the form, lip, and color (light green to light amber), we speculated it was a French cognac that was a holdover from 1810 or so BUT the "mephitic water" is pretty compelling too. Three pits away on the same block we found a pile of broken, early & crude, black glass, pontiled Lynch & Clarke mineral waters that dated to the 1820s-1830s. Nonetheless, without much more than a gut guess looking at all the basic clues, I am leaning toward European.

It is an odd form and lip treatment, may Jerry is on to something, as to it being a Mineral Water. On another note, is that a J.McCollick pickle to the left?

Doug -- Any ideas why you think the form and lip suggest mineral waters? Also, you have got an eagle eye! Yes, that is a McCollick pickle & one of my favorites as I still cannot believe we dug it out of a privy (and in my hometown too!). It was not found on the dig with the seal bottle -- I just happened to be taking pictures this past weekend of some of my pieces & it ended up in the picture. The pickle was dug up the river from NYC & here is a link to the story on the Potomac Bottle Forum if you are interested: http://www.potomacbottlecollectors.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?533. (Sorry for being too lazy to repost ... plus it is old news.)

And, if you ask me -- since I am someone who does not get to dig much of late between work that keeps me on the road constantly, a "money pit" of an old house, a young kid and one on the way -- any day I am digging a privy is a good dig and getting a few nice bottles is just a bonus.

what's the oldest thing you have found? ... I'm sure everyone would like to see some more of your finds.

Hmmm, now do you mean old but intact glass? Hard to get before the 1770s in my finds unlike some of the boys from Baltimore, Philly & Wilmington. But I have dug the occasional odd 1700s pits in various places on the East Coast with one in Philadelphia producing some awesome pottery dating to at least the early 1700s. (Again, if you are interested, here is a link to an image of the early pottery and a few other bits too: http://www.potomacbottlecollectors.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?132.)

Thanks for the information. Maybe somebody will be able to figure out the rest of the seal.

 

[appliedlips]

I have no basis for thinking it to be a mineral water, it just seemed to be a different shape and form than most blackglass seals. That and Jerry put the idea in my head.

On another note, that is a great dig story on the club site. We dug a McCollick here in Ohio, it is one of my favorites, too. Congrats on the young one on the way and if you get out to dig, let us here about it.