What is it?

[Covi84]

I could go on for hours on what I’ve researched but I am far from an expert (this is in fact my very first antique anything) so it likely wouldn’t mean much. The stamp on it says A.G W (not a typo, there is no . Between G and W which has thrown me off) the seem doesn’t go up the neck so I’m pretty sure that tells me it’s old and between that and the air bubbles as well as what looks like a Pontil I’m thinking late 1800s early 1900s but that’s all I’ve come to. I saw many bottles that were similar, but not one that is the same.

 

[Covi84]

nobodyatall1985 on TikTok

Antique bottle of something, im hoping its laudanum #antiquebottle #antique #whatisit

www.tiktok.com

 

[Fenndango]

Those bottles are extremely common. No pontil. You're right on the mark as far as the date goes though..good job. Missing punctuation was common back then, whoever tooled the mold may have forgot periods.

 

[Covi84]

Those bottles are extremely common. No pontil. You're right on the mark as far as the date goes though..good job. Missing punctuation was common back then, whoever tooled the mold may have forgot periods.

It does look like there’s a pontil, def a circle on the bottom that I don’t believe is part of the logo, it appears to be polished tho. I will try and get a better picture in the morning I’ve cleaned it a touch since those pictures were taken.

 

[Skoda]

That's a graduated druggist bottle! Sold in bulk to pharmacists, druggists, and apothecaries for their own special "concoctions". The AGW base embossing is a glass manufacturer's mark, likely attributed to American Glass Works out of Pittsburgh, who were active until the early 1900's. I can tell you with certainty that it is not pontiled, but your date estimation of the late 1800's-early 1900's is correct. Base embossing is not something you ever see on pontiled bottles with very, very few exceptions- the pontiling process takes place after the bottle has been blown, which would obliterate any mold-blown base markings. In addition, your bottle has a tooled lip finish which didn't come into use until the 1880's, which is far past the era in which non-decorative, utilitarian bottles utilized that older production technique.

 

[Covi84]

Ty! Any idea how I can find out either what’s in it or a value? Like what type of person would I reach out to?

 

[nhpharm]

Unfortunately from a value standpoint its effectively valueless. I used to bring these to the shows and ask $1 for them and couldn't sell them for that, so now I throw them back in the hole.

 

[UnderMiner]

I use to think these were quite worthless but I recently saw someone successfully selling them for $15-$20. What the guy would do is print out small decal stickers that said "snake oil" or some other funny fake cure-all, as one would expect to find on pre-FDA patent medicines of the time, slap them on the bottles, and then advertise them as authentic 100+ yo bottles with fantasy labels. Don't know how good his sales were nor how much it cost to make the stickers, but I imagine he made some profits.

These bottles were likely not being purchased by actual bottle collectors, but by people influenced by popular culture, like modern fantasy western movie fans like Wild Wild West, Cowboys Vs. Aliens, A Million Ways to Die in the West, etc. or people needing gag gifts, since the label bassically includes all the classic tropes including the skull and crossbones for some reason, it makes no sense, but maybe that's the point?

 

[DavidW]

Well here is my guess......... That druggist / prescription bottle probably dates from sometime in the 1905-1925 time period. The "A G W" glassmaker mark was used by at least 3 different glass companies, but my bet is on American Glass Works of Richmond, Virginia (1908-1925) also with a plant at Paden City, West Virginia (1918-c.1935). That bottle is probably handmade but it looks very similar to machine-made types that were becoming more common in the 1910s.
The graduation marks (horizontal lines and numbers down the sides) were not placed on generic druggist bottles until around 1905 - 1910 and later, at least in my experience of seeing lots of these kinds of bottles. All the bottles I see with graduation marks along the side always have a more "modern" look to them.