Who Collects Black Glass?

[BuckleBoy]

Hey, I have very little in the way of black glass. I'm fairly new to bottle digging. I messed around in an old dump from the turn of the century when I was a kid, but forgot about digging bottles until I stumbled on a few nice ones recently. Now I'm trying to get some privy-dig permissions. So hopefully I'll find some keepers soon.


Is there any way to hand-polish out the sickness? I know this would be a lot of work, with some very fine polish, but is this possible? Would something like Soft Scrub be too abrasive--and would it even work in the first place?



Thank you for your replies to my questions.



Regards,



Buckles

 

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[Harry Pristis]

I have no experience with hand-buffing glass. It's usually the inside surface of the bottle that is the problem.

 

[BuckleBoy]

I have no experience with hand-buffing glass. It's usually the inside surface of the bottle that is the problem.

I understand. If my dug collection grows, I may have to invest in a tumbler.


Best Wishes,



Buckles

 

[Harry Pristis]

After explaining that "black glass" is really some shade of olive-green (or olive-amber) in early glass, I must say that there is another sort of black glass. Other colors, without the olive tint, can be so dark as to appear black in normal light.

Here's an example of such a bottle which is "black-amethyst" in color. This demijohn dates to the turn of the turn of the nineteenth century, or so, and is hand-finished. The glass is so dark - nearly opaque - that it takes a bright lamp to discern the color. The second image was made using a 500 watt photo-lamp behind the bottle.

I think that such a bottle was specially made to contain light-sensitive chemicals such as some silver compounds used in photographic film. Anyone here know of another practical use for a black-amethyst demijohn?

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[Harry Pristis]

Here are two black (olive-amber) glass preserve bottles. These are probably French, blown in three-piece molds, smooth bases. The strings have been applied, and the sheared lips have been fire-polished (in a "glory-hole") to make them smooth. They are blown with thick glass. The bottle on the left is very, very dark - almost opaque. These date to the second half of the nineteenth century.

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[allen]

beautiful bottles !

 

[Harry Pristis]

This a group of small barrel figurals bottles. They are all very dark, the darkest almost opaque. I'm not sure what they were used for, but no doubt it was something light-sensitive.

They all have smooth bases, without any identifying marks. I believe that they may be British and/or French.

I've considered the possibility that these were used for (dry) mustard, or for snuff, or even for some luxury item like caviar.

I am currently leaning toward this latter explanation.

I am always looking for another color or mold variant.

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[BuckleBoy]

Those are very interesting pieces. Did you dig them or purchase them? I like their shapes, and the redish hue on the next to the last example is quite lovely.


Regards,




Buckles

 

[Harry Pristis]

Those are very interesting pieces. Did you dig them or purchase them? I like their shapes, and the redish hue on the next to the last example is quite lovely.
Regards,
Buckles

The example on the left was dug from Lucy's Tip, Oxford, England. I have another example of this same form from another tip (dump) in England.

The second example, I bought at a Florida bottle show.

The third example (the "strawberry-puce" example), I bought on eBay (no provenance).

The example on the right I bought at a bottle show in Florida.

There is a similar barrel shown in Zumwalt's book which is embossed. That one is attributed to an importer of foodstuffs in Pall Mall (England). Various bottle auctions have described the occasional example as American-made.

 

[BuckleBoy]

Those are very interesting pieces. Did you dig them or purchase them? I like their shapes, and the redish hue on the next to the last example is quite lovely.
Regards,
Buckles

The example on the left was dug from Lucy's Tip, Oxford, England. I have another example of this same form from another tip (dump) in England.

The second example, I bought at a Florida bottle show.

The third example (the "strawberry-puce" example), I bought on eBay (no provenance).

The example on the right I bought at a bottle show in Florida.

There is a similar barrel shown in Zumwalt's book which is embossed. That one is attributed to an importer of foodstuffs in Pall Mall (England). Various bottle auctions have described the occasional example as American-made.

Sounds like a real mystery. Wonderful examples. And thank you for the additional information on these.


Regards,



Buckles

 

[Harry Pristis]

This is a very large (probably 2.5 gallons) demijohn. It's American-made, perhaps Stoddard, NH, from about 1840. The glass is loaded with seed bubbles. This weak-shouldered form is diagnostic.

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[Harry Pristis]

Though these images appear in another thread, I thought it might be useful to have them in this "black glass" thread:

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[Harry Pristis]

Here are a couple of early "leaners" -- free-blown bottles which slumped slightly, but still got through quality-control of the time. This image appears in another thread, but it seems appropriate here.

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[Tylocidaris]

Harry, your black glass collection is stunning. Do you think the "slumpers" were sold as "seconds" or taken home by employees? It's hard to believe they would pack very well in cases.

John

 

[Harry Pristis]

Harry, your black glass collection is stunning. Do you think the "slumpers" were sold as "seconds" or taken home by employees? It's hard to believe they would pack very well in cases.
John

I've wondered about this. Seriously-flawed bottles were, no doubt, pitched into a cullet bin. Cullet had value in facilitating a new melt.

It seems to me that to achieve a production goal, a few bottles with less-serious flaws might be added to a group of hundreds of better-made bottles. Though glass-blowing is an art-form these days, eighteenth and ninteenth century gaffers were paid for mass production.

Gaffers often made things of glass to take home -- they are called "whimseys." Such hand-tooled pieces range from household items like pitchers and sock darners to non-utilitarian pieces like miniature top-hats. Glass canes were a popular whimsey form. I don't own any whimseys, but they are a popular collectible. Maybe someone here will have an image of glass whimseys.

 

[Road Dog]

Here is a Cane I have that came from an Estate Auction in the Northeast. I thought this pic was kinda neat too.

 

[Harry Pristis]

Here's an unusual shape spirits bottle from the first half of the nineteenth century. I believe this bottle was made in Scotland at the big glassworks at Alloa, near Glasgow. Alloa is known for the globular form of its bottles.

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[Tnmountains]

I received from my sis a bunch of black glass somethings. Now i am going to have to open the box and see what it is. Nice finds everyone

TnMtns

 

[Tylocidaris]

Harry, here are a couple of black glass bottles I found, as a teenager, almost 40 years ago.

Here's what I know:
Black glass; blown in mold with applied lip and inside screw threads; (blob) 11.25" tall; A & J. COLQUHOUN LTD, TRADE, (AJC monogram), MARK, BROOKS'S BAR; (cone) 11.375" tall and does not have LTD; on the bottom of both - C. S. & Co LD, 9966.

Manufacturer was Cannington Shaw and Co. of St. Helens, England (west of Manchester). National Archives show them in business from 1891 - 1913. Initially, I thought Brooks's Bar was some pub, but now I suspect it was an area of Manchester "developed" by Samuel Brooks in the late 1830s. Apparently, entrance was gained by a "toll bar" that became known as Brooks's Bar. Yet, that's where my research grows cold. I did find some other references to A & J Colquhoun as "spirit merchants". I've seen a few kinds of crockery pieces, but not any glass with the Colquhoun name. Maybe someone else has more info. Thanks.

 

[pegleglooker]

Hey gang,
Just wanted to let everyone know I'm holding a Best Bottle Contest at my site.... Just go to http://www.goldenmirages.com/index.php and click on the link at the top of the page. You will have to register to post a pix but it's free...

Enjoy
PLL