UNUSUAL BEER BOTTLE???

[capsoda]

Gotcha Kelly, I have heard people call them Belfasts because that is whats on alot of the ones dug around here. I had a buddy that had a fence 3' high and about 12' long aruond some flowers in his yard. Sold them all foe a buck each just before he sold the house.

 

[fritzycaptain]

THANKS FOR ALL OF THE COMMENTS!! THE BOTTLE IS 9 1/4 IN TALL, THE SEAM ENDS ABOUT 1 1/2 INCHES FROM TOP, AND THERE ARE SEVERAL REAL NEAT BUBBLES. IM GOING TO LOOK INTO THE MAUGHAM-CARRARA WATER-HAMILTON LEAD. I'LL POST WHAT I FIND OUT. AGAIN, THANKS ALL!!

 

[Gunsmoke47]

Fritzy, I do not believe yours to be a Maugham nor a Hamilton. My reference was to the pic Capsoda put up. In my opinion, your bottle is a torpedo. You're also correct in the reason they laid on their side. If the cork dried out, it would shrink and the beverage would lose carbonation. Hope this helps, Kelley

 

[Gunsmoke47]

Hey Cap, I've only dug one myself and it too was a Belfast & Cochran. Even though they're not that rare, I sure would have liked to have that guys fence![] Kelley

 

[IRISH]

Welcome to the forum fritzycaptain,
Your bottle is a torpedo also known as a Hamilton, they almost always held soda water but sometimes lemonade, there is even one coming up for sale with preserved milk embossed on it [] .

They date from the early 1800's right up till the early 1900's, your one would be from the 1870's to 1900 era.

 

[capsoda]

Ok, I get it. A torpedo made from a beer keg after the shape of a bottle.

Hey Toby, Great info. Ive only seen a few dug around here.
What are the plane ones worth? How do you tell how old they are?

Does anyone know if any were produced in the US?

 

[IRISH]

Plain torp's are not worth much, $5 or so although I've sold a plain goldfields age one for about $30.
The really early ones have a pontil scarred base, after that most of them from the 1840's or so have a wrap top instead of a blob and vary a lot in "pointyness" and shape, then the normal ones that don't vary much at all in dimensions date mostly from after the early 1870's. There is a good deal of crossing over of shapes and styles though, that's just a really rough guide.