There are many, many hand-finished wine bottles to be collected. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Continental Europe, especially France, produced wine in bottles that were shipped world-wide. French wine bottles are common finds in privies and rivers in the USA.
For French wine bottles, at least, the form of the bottle may tell us something about the wine that it once contained. Here are some traditional forms:
These are commonly exported wine bottles, but there are other traditional forms for different wines. Can you add any here?
One desireable feature of some wine bottles is an applied glass seal. Embossed on the seal may be a wine variety, a region, a chateau name, or some identification of the vintner.
“A man should keep his little brain attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber room of his library, where he can get it if he wants it.”
--Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle) in "The Sign of Four"
Isn't that a great neck and lip-finish!! Full of character! That's a slender string around the llip to have survived all this time. Your bottle looks to be in excellent condition.
I am fascinated with these early wine bottles -- in this case a champagne bottle, I think. French wines, including champagne, were exported in such numbers that they can be found almost anywhere (if you're looking and you're lucky). I've actually recovered some of these champagne bottles here in Florida. Here's an image of two of 'em. I think your champagne bottle may be a little older than these two, but it's difficult to assign any firm dates to bottles that changed little for decades.
Show us some more!
“A man should keep his little brain attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber room of his library, where he can get it if he wants it.”
--Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle) in "The Sign of Four"
Here's a group of "lady's leg" wine bottles (actually the one on the right may be an American bitters bottle). This assemblage spans, from about 1760, more than a hundred years.
The two on the left are long-neck wines with blow-pipe (or "open") pontil scars. The bitters bottle has an iron (or "improved") pontil scar.
The pale green example is 13.5 inches tall -- a prodigious bottle!
“A man should keep his little brain attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber room of his library, where he can get it if he wants it.”
--Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle) in "The Sign of Four"
Some Great information and beautiful bottles on this thread!
-Thank you.
Spring 2012 CaneField Bandits Totals: TEN Half Reales:
1740, 1777, 1784, 1796, 1801, 180?, 1806, 1807, 1808, and 1814
1836 8 Reales
A 17?? One Real
1819 Token/Jeton
Two "Russian Blue" Trade Beads
Henry Clay Campaign Button FIVE Early New Orleans Seated Coins:
1838-O Dime (no stars), Three 1839-O Half Dimes, an 1840-O Dime, and an 1842-O Half Dime
1892 Barber Dime
1918 Walking Liberty Half
1866 and 18?? Shield Nickels, and some GawGag V's and Beefaloes. Military Relics: Possible Spanish Colonial Era Cap Badge
FOUR War of 1812 Artillery Buttons
1820s Pewter Militia "U.S." Button
CW Eagle Artillery Cuff Button
CW Eagle Infantry Officer's Coat Button
3-Ringers, Enfields, Musketballs, and Shell Fragments
Any relics, coins, or other items appearing in my finds posts were found on PRIVATE PROPERTY with total consent and permission from the owners of said property.
Here's another sort of wine bottle -- a carboy, a bottle used in wine-making. I got this one on the Costa del Sol (Spain) at an antiques warehouse. It and the two other carboys I acquired were wrapped in thin woven wood strips inside wood frames for stability. All were covered in chicken or pidgeon droppings from years of storage in a barn. I had to cut everything away from the glass and scrub the glass before I could put the bottles in the vehicle.
I've never measured the volume of this bottle (the largest I own), but I estimate it to contain 50 liters or more (that's more than 12 galllons). It is free-blown. It has no pontil scar, a sheared lip, and an applied string at the lip. This is a classic form which could have been made anytime in the early-middle to late 1800s.
Collectors distinguish carboys from demijohns by their shorter necks and wider mouths (and often by their larger size, though that is not always reliable).
“A man should keep his little brain attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber room of his library, where he can get it if he wants it.”
--Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle) in "The Sign of Four"
Spring 2012 CaneField Bandits Totals: TEN Half Reales:
1740, 1777, 1784, 1796, 1801, 180?, 1806, 1807, 1808, and 1814
1836 8 Reales
A 17?? One Real
1819 Token/Jeton
Two "Russian Blue" Trade Beads
Henry Clay Campaign Button FIVE Early New Orleans Seated Coins:
1838-O Dime (no stars), Three 1839-O Half Dimes, an 1840-O Dime, and an 1842-O Half Dime
1892 Barber Dime
1918 Walking Liberty Half
1866 and 18?? Shield Nickels, and some GawGag V's and Beefaloes. Military Relics: Possible Spanish Colonial Era Cap Badge
FOUR War of 1812 Artillery Buttons
1820s Pewter Militia "U.S." Button
CW Eagle Artillery Cuff Button
CW Eagle Infantry Officer's Coat Button
3-Ringers, Enfields, Musketballs, and Shell Fragments
Any relics, coins, or other items appearing in my finds posts were found on PRIVATE PROPERTY with total consent and permission from the owners of said property.
Thank you for responding, 'BuckleBoy'. I collect demijohns (and a few carboys), and am happy to post images of them.
How about you?? Do you have a wine bottle (in any size) to show us here?
“A man should keep his little brain attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber room of his library, where he can get it if he wants it.”
--Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle) in "The Sign of Four"
Thank you for responding, 'BuckleBoy'. I collect demijohns (and a few carboys), and am happy to post images of them.
How about you?? Do you have a wine bottle (in any size) to show us here?
I'm fairly new to glass in general, but this spring while digging out an old cellar hole I did find a wine or champagne bottle with a tooled lip and a large kick-up in the bottom. Along with this find was a nice squat soda made here in Louisville between 1860 and 1863 (the only years that particular bottling works were open) and lots of broken stoneware. Since this particular bottle is unmarked, I can only surmise that it dates to a similar era as the other finds.
I enjoy seeing your posts. They give me a lot of good information about different bottle sizes and ages.
I posted a photo of the bottle I found below.
Regards,
Buckleboy
Spring 2012 CaneField Bandits Totals: TEN Half Reales:
1740, 1777, 1784, 1796, 1801, 180?, 1806, 1807, 1808, and 1814
1836 8 Reales
A 17?? One Real
1819 Token/Jeton
Two "Russian Blue" Trade Beads
Henry Clay Campaign Button FIVE Early New Orleans Seated Coins:
1838-O Dime (no stars), Three 1839-O Half Dimes, an 1840-O Dime, and an 1842-O Half Dime
1892 Barber Dime
1918 Walking Liberty Half
1866 and 18?? Shield Nickels, and some GawGag V's and Beefaloes. Military Relics: Possible Spanish Colonial Era Cap Badge
FOUR War of 1812 Artillery Buttons
1820s Pewter Militia "U.S." Button
CW Eagle Artillery Cuff Button
CW Eagle Infantry Officer's Coat Button
3-Ringers, Enfields, Musketballs, and Shell Fragments
Any relics, coins, or other items appearing in my finds posts were found on PRIVATE PROPERTY with total consent and permission from the owners of said property.
I'm fairly new to glass in general, but this spring while digging out an old cellar hole I did find a wine or champagne bottle with a tooled lip and a large kick-up in the bottom. Along with this find was a nice squat soda made here in Louisville between 1860 and 1863 (the only years that particular bottling works were open) and lots of broken stoneware. Since this particular bottle is unmarked, I can only surmise that it dates to a similar era as the other finds.
I enjoy seeing your posts. They give me a lot of good information about different bottle sizes and ages.
I posted a photo of the bottle I found below.
Regards,
Buckleboy
Thank you for your response, 'BuckleBoy' -- without feedback, it's easy to get the feeling that there's no one out there. It appears that you have dug a champagne half-bottle (roughly 12 oz). Privy items can have differing ages, but this champagne bottle could easily date to the 1860s. We can't see any of the bottle's "character" (air bubbles, creases, irregularities) with the privy dirt still on it.
It would be great to see your bottle cleaned up. If you haven't done so already, you can just soak it in a bucket of water with a little detergent (I always add some laundry bleach to my soak). I like to get the dirt removed as quickly as possible because the adherent grit poses a threat to the gloss on the exterior of the bottle.
I hope you'll post your soda here or, better, in another thread.
“A man should keep his little brain attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber room of his library, where he can get it if he wants it.”
--Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle) in "The Sign of Four"
I really love the bottle, because I had always wanted a squat soda...especially a local one (I live in the city).
I will post a few better photos of the champagne in a few days.
Best Wishes,
Buckles
Spring 2012 CaneField Bandits Totals: TEN Half Reales:
1740, 1777, 1784, 1796, 1801, 180?, 1806, 1807, 1808, and 1814
1836 8 Reales
A 17?? One Real
1819 Token/Jeton
Two "Russian Blue" Trade Beads
Henry Clay Campaign Button FIVE Early New Orleans Seated Coins:
1838-O Dime (no stars), Three 1839-O Half Dimes, an 1840-O Dime, and an 1842-O Half Dime
1892 Barber Dime
1918 Walking Liberty Half
1866 and 18?? Shield Nickels, and some GawGag V's and Beefaloes. Military Relics: Possible Spanish Colonial Era Cap Badge
FOUR War of 1812 Artillery Buttons
1820s Pewter Militia "U.S." Button
CW Eagle Artillery Cuff Button
CW Eagle Infantry Officer's Coat Button
3-Ringers, Enfields, Musketballs, and Shell Fragments
Any relics, coins, or other items appearing in my finds posts were found on PRIVATE PROPERTY with total consent and permission from the owners of said property.
I collect Pontil sodas.Nice Soda. Posted a few under "My Collections". Here is a huge bottle 14 inches tall and has a open pontil near 2 inches across. It could have held a beverage of sorts huh?
Nice demijohn, 'Road Dog'! I have seen a similar bottle with paper label for an Italian wine. Got more demi's??
“A man should keep his little brain attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber room of his library, where he can get it if he wants it.”
--Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle) in "The Sign of Four"
Here's the one that had the paper label for an Italian wine. It was in this wicker tub with a wicker handle from the basket to just below the applied lip (you can see part of the handle undone in the image). I saved the wicker 'cause it was still intact. The bottle has a big glass pontil scar.
“A man should keep his little brain attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber room of his library, where he can get it if he wants it.”
--Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle) in "The Sign of Four"
Nice Demi's! That last one looks like mine. I only have one other. It's an 1880-ish one.
You're smart to collect blob top sodas and medicines -- no shelf-space problems there. I, on the other hand, have gone weak for the BIG bottles which are a display problem.
Here's one of my favorites:
“A man should keep his little brain attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber room of his library, where he can get it if he wants it.”
--Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle) in "The Sign of Four"
I've seen that type before. Wonder why the square shape?
SPACE? I guess you haven't seen the pottery collection with 600 Cookie Jars.
Well, I've seen one of these rectangular "loaf of bread" bottles in its wicker. It had handles to carry it like a picnic hamper. It IS a wine bottle, by the way.
Wow! Six hundred cookie jars! You win! My demi's are nothing compared with all those cookie jars!
“A man should keep his little brain attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber room of his library, where he can get it if he wants it.”
--Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle) in "The Sign of Four"
This is a black glass double-bottle or magnum for wine. Someone suggested that this seal is American, rather than English in origin. I think this one dates to 1820-40. Anyone here have some seal bottles to show us?
“A man should keep his little brain attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber room of his library, where he can get it if he wants it.”
--Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle) in "The Sign of Four"
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Road Dog
