1850's Ornate Bottle ID Civil/Indian War Era

[Ifyndit]

Found this small bottle at an early 1850's military fort digging in a pit. The bottle is very ornate and interesting but I have never seen one like this before. On one side of the neck of the bottle is the letter B and the other side has an X. Does anyone have any ideas what it is?

 

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[RelicDude]

Woah that's awesome. It looks like a fancy cologne. Is it pontiled?

 

[jmartins413]

I agree, looks like a cologne.

 

[sandchip]

My first thought was cologne too, but with the mouth being that wide, smelling salts is another possibility. Any cleaned up pictures? And, as Dude asked, is it pontiled? Also, is the inside of the mouth ground for a glass stopper?

 

[redbeardrelics]

I also agree that the wide mouth is a clue that it was designed for a "toiletry" whose contents might require a finger or tool of some sort to remove the product. I would guess an ointment or salve was what it originally contained. Most colognes had smaller mouth openings to help prevent getting too much smelly stuff out of the container at once. Nice little find, and I bet it is pontiled.

 

[Bass]

Wow, clean that up and let’s see some pictures in natural daylight. Make sure to get a good one of the bottom

 

[Rookster]

That is one cool find. I agree, be careful cleaning it.Congrats.
Side note: It looks to maybe have had a seal in the oval inlay.

 

[NJKLAGT]

Great find! I'm also curious to know if it's pontiled. Cologne or smelling salts would probably be my guess too...

 

[GB1]

nice find

 

[RelicDude]

I agree with bass let's see that bottle cleaned up. And please post pictures of the base and lip treatment.

 

[Hawks88]

Awesome find. Congrats!

 

[Ifyndit]

Here are some cleaned pictures of the bottle. I also found a brass item that appears it could be associated with the bottle and may help provide a few more clues to the use of this bottle. The brass "cap like" item came out of the same dirt area where the bottle was found and looks like it could have been a lid or cap.

Let me know what you all think! Thanks!

 

[NJKLAGT]

It appears to lack a pontil, and the lip looks tooled. Interesting. What else were you finding in that pit?

 

[Bass]

I ‘m with you, I don’t see a pontil scar either. Trying to read the letters. I see BENNETT and maybe BOURNE ? On the metal piece

 

[Ifyndit]

I have ID the metal item. It is part of a two piece buckle and not related to the bottle at all.

 

[NJKLAGT]

That's amazing that you got that ID, two piece buckle sounds good too though! Yeah, there are some knowledgeable guys on here who will know about this kind of thing, this bottle. I'm having a hard time guessing, but maybe this bottle is American. I'm getting more and more curious about this bottle, I love it. If it's not American then it's English, but I think we've got a good one here. I want to hear more about this bottle!

 

[BIGSCOTT]

The metal piece had me running in circles, and the more i look at the bottle the more
it's starting to look quite modern, it has a seam.

 

[2screwed]

the more i look at the bottle the more
it's starting to look quite modern, it has a seam.

Bottles that have been hand blown in a mold and with smooth bases date all the way back to the 1850s, a few even before that. This one certainly can fit into the timeline of the trash pit the OP was digging in.

https://sha.org/bottle/mouthblowndating.htm

Nice bottle Ifyndit, I have always liked a wonky top, it gives it character.

 

[NJKLAGT]

Bottles that have been hand blown in a mold and with smooth bases date all the way back to the 1850s, a few even before that. This one certainly can fit into the timeline of the trash pit the OP was digging in.

Yep, just because it doesn't have a pontil doesn't mean it's not old!

 

[Bass]

I’m with you guys. No doubt this is an older piece. You can tell by the style and crudeness. It is a great find too by the way