Bengal Bluing

No gold in NY

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Likely every household had these bluing bottles, but wondering how common the bottles may be now. I can't find anything on age. The side seams are unusually heavy. When I found it, it was heavy with bluing. I cleaned most of it and left some of the color. What would you do? Been trying all morning to get a good pic.

Bengal2 (2).JPG
 

Red-Coat

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Dec 23, 2019
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I can’t help on the specific age of the bottle but the brand history gives some clues.

The first record I could find for the word ‘Bengal’ as a trademark for liquid bluing was filed by Newton & Co of Binghamton, NY on 7th August 1879 (registered 12th October 1880). Before that it seems to have been a powder, sold in cylindrical containers (as “Bengal Blue”) and then later in a very fancy small glass jar with a shaker top, rather like a pepper pot (as “Bengal Dry Blue”).

It’s not clear how the brand changed hands but the ‘Bengal’ trademark for liquid bluing was re-filed by G Tracey Rogers Co. of Binghamton on 2nd June 1884 (registered 15th July 1884). In advertising from the late 1880s Frank Miller & Sons of New York, NY stated they were the “successors to GT Rogers Mfg, Co.” so presumably the trademark rights for ‘Bengal’ also passed to them. Certainly they were selling the liquid product in large bottles (as “Bengal Bluing”). You can see the various pack formats in this advertisement:

Bengal.jpg

I couldn’t find trademark renewals so I would guess the product was not sold under that particular branding beyond the very early 1900s (US trademarks expire after 20 years if not renewed).
 

OP
OP
No gold in NY

No gold in NY

Bronze Member
Mar 22, 2015
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2,921
Detector(s) used
Whites Coin Master,
Whites Gold Master GMT, Whites MXSport
High banker/dredge,
DIY hand trommel,
DIY Miller table,
DIY fluidbed gold trap sluice,
Keene A-52 A-52s
2186 Wheaties
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Wow, Red-Coat thank you for that great info. I've been Googling this and only can see one for sale on Ebay.
 

pepperj

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Feb 3, 2009
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Nice one, and one I have never dug or heard about before. I guess in the NW they never made it out there. Thanks for sharing.
I know about trying to get a good picture of a blue, especially if it has embossing on it. Something I'll have to try again in the warmth of a summers day trying out different backgrounds.
 

OP
OP
No gold in NY

No gold in NY

Bronze Member
Mar 22, 2015
1,688
2,921
Detector(s) used
Whites Coin Master,
Whites Gold Master GMT, Whites MXSport
High banker/dredge,
DIY hand trommel,
DIY Miller table,
DIY fluidbed gold trap sluice,
Keene A-52 A-52s
2186 Wheaties
Primary Interest:
Other
Nice one, and one I have never dug or heard about before. I guess in the NW they never made it out there. Thanks for sharing.
I know about trying to get a good picture of a blue, especially if it has embossing on it. Something I'll have to try again in the warmth of a summers day trying out different backgrounds.

Thank you pepperj.
Are you in the NW? keep us informed on any techniques you come up with to photo bottles.

I'm going to work on it now as I just found in my collection an early blue Ball jar with a mold # on the front of the jar as well as on the bottom. Perhaps the mold carver was feeling quirky that day. Never saw one like it. Canning jars seem not so popular on here. Since my 1860's barn permission, I got my collection all at once with over 15 different brands.
 

pepperj

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Feb 3, 2009
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Eastern Ontario now, did the majority of the digging yrs West of the flat lands. Beautiful British Columbia
 

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