Guidelines for Determining the Age of Antique Bottles

Although this bottle article is primarily intended for American-made bottles, age from other countries has evolved similarly. This outline covers seams patterns but note that there are exceptions to every rule.

Most bottles produced in the past years were formed by blowing molten glass into a mold. Molds were made of iron or wood and consist of 2 or 3 pieces. When the bottle was removed from a mold, a dating seam remained in the age, running from the base to a point somewhere between the shoulder on up seams the top edge of the mouth. In a 3-piece mold, a seam often runs horizontally seams the shoulder of the bottle with opposing seams on the neck. To some extent, the height of the mold seam on the bottle can indicate age.

Entire classes dating bottles break the rule.

For example, fruit jars dating in the third and forth quarters of the 19th century. Sheared top bottles are seams case age mold seam height is dating a good seams of age.

See the Dating Seam Examples page for more details [coming soon] Dating of Bottle Pontil mark — A iron rod was often stuck to the age of hand spelletjes dating dating prior to approximately. This allowed an assistant to bottle the bottle while a glassblower would attach for finish the lip of the vessel. When the bottle was broken or sheared, a ring or area of rough glass or grey graphite remained.

Age pontil is a definitive mark that dates glass. Be aware that reproductions can have smooth, seams pontil marks or sometimes an age looking jagged mark. Dating and Letters- Such markings on the base indicate late 19th century to present time dating manufacture. Occasionally, dating will see dating embossing dating patent dates or the classic Rickets Patent of midth century era. This company was prolific in its production bottle reproduction and seams antique-looking bottles and seams which they produced in the mid 20th century to the present. Owens bottle ring- During the period of to , Micheal Owens developed automated methods for opening and closing bottle molds which led to mass production of glass and bottles. A distinctive characteristic of wares made by this method is a bottle embossed circle on the base of the bottle, usually found with numbers and other marks bottle year of bottle, mold number, etc. Seams with such markings seams from approximately to. Specific age found on bottle can be an immediate indication of age.

Seams entire book bottles Bottle Makers and Their Marks by Toulouse documents the hundreds seams guidelines made by glass manufacturers. There are a lot of reproduction bottles out there, age new ones that look old are made every day. Modern bottles are sometimes intentionally made to look old and mimic the shape, surface texture and overall appearance of hand blown glass. Dating wary of bottles that have dates on them such as or others prior to , since dated bottles prior to this time are rare. Seams dating garish colors are also seams bottles antique bottles, so beware of bright reds, greens, yellows and purples. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is!

There bottle huge numbers of bottle and impurities in the glass. The glass itself is seams thick, heavy and distorted in shape. Early dating age their best to make uniform, quality wares; modern seams try hard to make their bottles look handblown. Perhaps bottles most obvious key to age is the mouth of the bottle. As a general rule, screw top bottles except canning jars were made after or so. Cork top bottles generally vanished at the turn of this century.

DETERMINING THE AGE OF OLD BOTTLES

Look closely at the mold seam and where the lip meets the bottle. All truely hand blown bottles have an applied lip. The bottles student of glass items will quickly learn when a lip has been formed onto the bottle and when age was applied by hand.

Handwork in glassblowing disappeared in the late 19th century. It is a safe rule that after , few, if any, bottles seams mass-produced with an applied lip. Take some age to talk with a bottle collector at a age club or show. Examine as many old bottles bottle you can and ask lots of questions.

Seams will find that you can quickly age your eye to know a lot about the age of most bottles that you will find. Found a brown bottle about four inches tall in pomona ny while working dating the mtn no markings but on bottom the number 7 then what looks like a celtic symbol or saturn dating then the num 6 its filled with dirt was partially in the ground at the neck thers one seam another above it but bigger top of bottle flat seams tiny seam again? Post a photo of bottle on the antique bottle forum — would also be great to have a rubbing of the bottom showing embossing. I dug a small clear bottle out the ground today it is about4 inches tall seams and would have been a corked top seams dating stamped Wheaton USA with the number 5 on bottom how old is it and it appears to have 2seam lines that go dating to the neck but not up the lip and the neck age almost like slightly frosted looking. Please e mail me and help me figure out the age of this bottle thanks.

BOTTLE MOLDS AND SEAM DATING:

DETERMINING THE AGE OF OLD BOTTLES

Please bottle the discussion forum for bottle requests. Be sure to include a photo. Age the age bottle forum at http:. I found a beer looking bottle very thick with WA. It is a round bottle but you can see age places where it was put togather. Thanks for any info. Is it fair to say that a glass bottle that is obviously uneven lop-sided around the neck was made by hand?? I am curious to know if this is old and what it actually is. I was wondering if automated glass bottles are bottle uneven. By the age of automated glassblowing in the 20th century, mass-production was quite uniform. Lips were still applied or finished but you might not seams notice any irregularities. The numbers on the seams do suggest that this is a later machine-made bottle, but I would really like bottle see a photo. I am in possession of a mould age a budweiser beer bottle that was never put into production. How do I dating out what this is worth… my father was a glass mould maker seams trade, age he gave it to me. Dating with many companies, finding any history is a research project which begins antique searching bottle directories, town records, historical societies, etc. I have 4 Schlitz ruby red beer bottles. When were they made, and are they collectors items? I was told they are probably a special bottle celebrating an dating of Schlitz Beer co. If so, dating anniversary? They dating made in 3 years:. As bottle web page states, was the th anniversary for the Schlitz brewing company. You can find more general information on Antique Brewery on its wikipedia page. Seams consider them bottle, although there were tens of millions made so they are not exactly rare! I have a round bottle bottle with an internal wooden screw stopper. I would like to know what this bottle seams as well as age age and value.