Underwoods Inks

[PrivyCheese]

I have posted these some time ago, Still havnt found out much about them. I dug one and bought one. I have only seen three of these. I have two. I have had them at the bottle club meetings, shows etc. no one has seen them....anybody with any value? How do we value something that dosnt have a sales history? Diggers ink guide dosnt list it. Someone suggested that it may be english? Which I disagree with. What shape would you call it? I call it a beehive, seems as good as any. Just think if it was colored.

Do we do what some have done and just pick a value from out of the air? Is this ink more rare then a yellow 1898 carters? Let me hear some opinions?

 

[PrivyCheese]

Bottom

 

[riverdiver]

Hi baltodigger,

Nice inks,
I have William E. Covill, Jr's. Book titled Ink Bottles and Inkwells from 1971. It lists this ink on page 134 as Fig. 598 (EGB)-Aqua, bimal, 3 3/16 D x 2 5/16 H, embossed "UNDERWOOD'S INK'S" on the base. Unfortunately, this does not help with a value but it does give you a viable listing to research the value. Covill listed your ink in a general category called Domed (Central neck) Ink Bottles. I have enclosed a photo of the page, your ink is top row , left page, second photo.

I hope this helps,

 

[riverdiver]

here is a close-up of the same page.

 

[JOETHECROW]

Those are really cool ink bottles! Thanks for sharing. Joe

 

[bottlechaser62]

Balto- let me know if you are planning to sell either of them- I might be interested. I have a few other underwood inks.....and that wold go nicely with them.

Jerry

 

[PrivyCheese]

River...thanks, I really appreciate your effort. Your right, it gives me a place to start. I am surprised that it isnt listed in a later guide. Also being a later bottle you would think there would be more around. I was hopeing some of the ink collectors here would have seen one befroe.

Thanks Joe, The ink catagory in bottle collecting is a funny thing. Values and rareity dosnt always jive. carters cathedrals always go for well over a $125 but yet they are a ABM and there seems to be tons of them around. Look at the cone inks lately. They have been realizeing unprecedented prices but yet are TOC bottles, and are actually plentiful.

This piticular ink I am only intrested in the value out of curiosity. I would never get rid of them, one on the right has a repaired lip. I bought it at a show many years ago. I dug the other probably twenty years ago.

 

[saratogadriver]

One sold on ebay about a year ago. I would personally love one in my ink collection so I watched it, hopefully. I THINK (my memory ain't what it used to be) that I stopped being hopeful after it broke $100. I think it went to about $125. Maybe a bit more. You might try researching closed ebay auctions, if you can.

Jim G

BTW, no way is it english. It's generally recognized as an American ink... Underwood used some odd forms.

P.S. That colored cone ink bubble is gonna burst. They'll go back to being worth around $50 for a good color. As soon as the two or three bidders who are driving it up lose interest or go broke... LOL!