Posted 7 years ago
Tlsweat7203
(48 items)
These two bottles are a bit of a mystery for me. The flask shaped one is blown and very small, it just about fits in the palm of my hand. It is also quite thin. The other bottle looks to be medicinal in shape, but no matter how much I clean it, It returns to an "ash-like" color, so it may have had a liquid like ink in it.
The mark on the flask type bottle is very free hand in style with either two W's or two M's side by side.
The other bottle has a makers mark that I am still researching.
I would love any info on either if anyone knows more.
The first one has the qualities of both a pocket whiskey flask and a ammonia bottle.Interesting mix.
The second one probably held baby gherkins, olives, or similar.
The staining cannot come off unless you remove a portion of the glass (the surface), because the staining is from minerals in the glass leaching out into the environment that held it so long, and other minerals leaching in to take the place of the silicates that leached out. Essentially, it's the decomposition of glass.
Thanks SpiritBear. I'm still learning.
That little flask has me wondering. It is a lot smaller than most I find.
Here's a typical glass pocket-flask:
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/215103-pre-prohibition-brandy-labeled?in=collection-6128
Here's a typical 1910s-1920s Ammonia bottle:
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/SaUAAOxydB1SgAkg/s-l640.jpg
It looks almost like a combo. The mouth is typical of a flask, but the narrowness and height is typical of ammonia.
Best guess: Later 1910s ammonia bottle.
I see the combo. It does have a very fumbled style in molding. It doesn't look very professional...maybe more a mature in blowing technic.
There are imperfections and bubling that run in the glass. It quite possibly could have been a "made at home" flask.
It was made in a mould, which would be almost impossible for the average person to make at home. Blowing at home is harder than it sounds, too, trust me.
The glass-blowers at the shops blew them by the hundreds each day. These weren't likely to be returned by the customer to the druggist who sold them to the customer, so they weren't meant for quality-- only quantity. One use, and it would likely be tossed out. Bubbles are common. I have bottles that were meant to be reused, which can hardly stand up by themselves because of major imperfections. It all depends on what type of glass, temperature, and aeration.