Posted 8 years ago
ascvet
(3 items)
I found his bottle 20 years ago while on a bottle dive in St. Kitts. It was completely covered in Coraline algae and barnacles. I think it is a very old rum bottle but I am not completely sure. I know it's rare because I have searched all over the Internet and I can not find his exact bottle and the Dive Master tried everything to get it from me even offering me a generous amount. He said he has been diving for 25 years and it's the nicest bottle he has seen. I'm pretty sure it is hand made and not machined as it is green glass with small amount of bubbles throughout, the neck with s not perfectly straight, the collar looks like it was pressed on afterwards and is slightly asymmetrical, and there is no imprinting on bottom. Can someone please tell me exactly what kind of bottle it is, approximately how old, and where can I find similar bottles. Measurements are overall length 9 1/8, diameter of bottom of heal 2 1/2", collar length 3/4", outdid diameter the of top of collar 15/16", inside diameter of top of collar 3/4", neck length
3 1/4", body length 5 1/2", and heel length 7/16". Can someone please tell me approximately how old is this bottle, where it was made, what it was made for, and where can I find similar bottles. Thank you for your time.
I believe Olebodie is as close as you will get.
Olebodie is quite correct. Could date to the 1900s, even. The British, for example, were up to 30 years behind the Americans in glass-making advancements (When the Americans had fully converted to machine-made bottles, the British were still doing blob-top bottles similar to this). Who knows for that bottle. Could be 1870s. Could be 1910s. I'd agree with olebodie's estimate of 1880s.
Bottle appears to be blown into a mold (but no pontil) and has had its top applied. Looks like a generic European bottle for many kinds of uses, from alcohol to cleaning products.
Similar bottles can be found on e-Bay and antique stores or on the ocean floor, especially near ports of old. Don't give over $5 for them, though. They were made in the millions. Bottles that have words/images etched or embossed on them command higher values, typically. Without a pontil, though, this is just a personal souvenir.
The unusual thing with bottles found in our area is, it isn't broken. S-o-o-o many 1700's bottle bottoms I've found !
Rolling around on the ocean floor is not gentle.
If it was made n a mold could they have taken it out when it was still warm because the neck is noticibly not straight. You make a good point about it being in such good condition cosidering where I found it. I guess I should have sold it to the dive master but that was 20'years ago and I no longer live in St. Kitts. Thank you for your information I really appreciate it.