Unusual indented slot in base

[JohnRich]

I found a bottle fragment at an old farmstead dating about 1920-1945, in the Houston, Texas area. There's not enough there to identify it, just some vertical ribs and a flat space for a product label. The base has the O in a square maker's mark for Owen's glass, which dates it to 1919-1929. What's unusual about this bottle is that the base has a rectangular indented slot. Does anyone know what the purpose of that slot would be? And would that possibly identify the fragment?

 

[ROBBYBOBBY64]

That is a weird one. The only thing i could come up with is possibly to orientate the bottle in the machinery. Not a punt that i have seen before. Too bad you don't have the whole bottle. Knowing what it was may give us some indication of why it is there.

 

[DFW Digger]

Indent may have been to hold or vent the bottle in the machine, the bottom is off center which could have magnified the effect. Style and shape look similar to pepper sauce we dig up here. All just me guessing hope it helps.

 

[sandchip]

Although not the type more commonly seen, it might be something to provide a means to hold a screw top bottle while the top is mechanically screwed on after filling.

 

[CanadianBottles]

Pretty sure I've seen one of these somewhere before, I don't think it was in my collection but I immediately pictured this exact base when I saw the title. I think it was a ketchup bottle if I remember correctly, and yours certainly looks like the base to a ketchup. I'm not sure about the reason for the slot though, I don't remember the bottle being particularly unusual otherwise.

 

[dollo33]

I agree with the members who said it may have to do with the machining process of the bottle. Assuming that it was made after the 1920s when bottles began to be made by machines. Have you looked into the glass company "Owens" to find out what type of bottles they made? That may help to know what it is.

 

[nhpharm]

Definitely a catsup bottle. I've seen them before. Always assumed that the indent had something to do with factory automation/filling machines since I have not seen them on anything but these catsup bottles from one company.

 

[Lacsco]

How do I contact you about bottles email?