1890s Bottle (I Believe)

[HI-McDunnogh]

This guy was sitting about an inch under a fork I dug today. I thought for sure the neck was going to be busted as I was pulling it out by the base... get lucky from time to time.


"Gilbert Bros. & Co."
"Baltimore, MD."Help

From what I can find, Gilbert Brothers & Co. was a medicine company that went out of business in part for selling a "Jamaican Tonic" that turned a handful of folks blind .

 

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[Steve in PA]

My buddy found one of those when we were kids in Junior High. I think it was the highlight of his bottle digging career. In fact he just mentioned it in an e-mail yesterday after I told him I sold a soda bottle for $150...
"I wonder how much I could get for my Gilbert Brothers. A few thousand I suppose."

 

[HI-McDunnogh]

That's awesome. I'm trying to get a better date on it... did he ever nail one down?

 

[xr7ator]

Wow! Is it really that rare/valuable? Nice find!

Gotta ask, what soda did you get $150 for, Steve? I'll guess a straight side Coke?

HH ALL

 

[HI-McDunnogh]

That's awesome. I'm trying to get a better date on it... did he ever nail one down?

Not sure on the value. I never really look as I don't sell my finds... 'd wager to guess that it's not a "few thousand" though.

 

[islamoradamark]

Thats really nice

 

[Steve in PA]

That's awesome. I'm trying to get a better date on it... did he ever nail one down?

Nah I doubt he ever looked into it. I was a much more serious bottle digger than he was. His Gilbert Bros was a kind of inside joke between us.

 

[Steve in PA]

Wow! Is it really that rare/valuable? Nice find!

Gotta ask, what soda did you get $150 for, Steve? I'll guess a straight side Coke?

HH ALL

I do have a nice amber straight sided Pittsburgh Coca Cola, but the bottle I just sold was this 1905/1910 BIM crown cork soda that is a rare local bottle.

 

[ticndig]

Not sure on the value. I never really look as I don't sell my finds... 'd wager to guess that it's not a "few thousand" though.

I call that the drink of locals , my woods are littered with that same gilberts bottles, my guess is from loggers working the woods years ago and relaxing over a drink at the end of a hard days work. . I'm just up the road from you in Cumberland

 

[HI-McDunnogh]

I call that the drink of locals , my woods are littered with that same gilberts bottles, my guess is from loggers working the woods years ago and relaxing over a drink at the end of a hard days work. . I'm just up the road from you in Cumberland

Nice. I've got an old homesite on my property that I found it by.

Yeah man, that's not far at all. You pound your property primarily or wander about?

 

[ticndig]

Nice. I've got an old homesite on my property that I found it by.

Yeah man, that's not far at all. You pound your property primarily or wander about?

I have permission on about 200 adjoining acres and own 120 acres with a cemetery and 4 old homesites that I know of . but it's hard to find much of anything , a few bullets flat buttons and the best find being a sword .

 

[Red-Coat]

I don't know the date for your Gilbert bottle but the company seems to have been formed around 1870 and was still in business in the 1930s. The court case where they were sued for using wood alcohol in their "Jamaica Ginger" product was in 1903. There's a great article on the company history at the link below:

https://onbeyondholcombe.wordpress.com/2014/06/06/gilbert-bros-company/

 

[Digger RJ]

Very Cool!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Elvis]

Sweet find!!!

 

[pepperj]

Nice one!
Always liked embossed bottles.
Where does the seam end?

 

[HI-McDunnogh]

Nice one!
Always liked embossed bottles.
Where does the seam end?

I don't know very much about bottles, so rather than try and answer you and muck it up, here's a few photos. I haven't had time to properly clean it up, but it should give you an idea. It looks like it comes up to a slight arc at the bottom. Let me know what you determine!

 

[pepperj]

Turn the bottle so you can see the side.
On the side of the bottle you'll see the mold side seam running from base of the bottle towards the neck/lip.
This determines the date/age of when the glass bottle made. (pretty close)
I should of said that in my first query sorry about that as I assumed you knew what I was asking for.

 

[HI-McDunnogh]

Turn the bottle so you can see the side.
On the side of the bottle you'll see the mold side seam running from base of the bottle towards the neck/lip.
This determines the date/age of when the glass bottle made. (pretty close)
I should of said that in my first query sorry about that as I assumed you knew what I was asking for.

Thanks for the help, Pepperj. Here are a few additional shots. Looks like the seam ends right at the neck.

 

[WannaDig3687]

Cool ole bottle! W2G!

 

[pepperj]

If the seam runs to the edge of the lip opening then it's post 1900. If it stops we're the ring goings around the neck then it would be pre 1900, and the 1890 would be correct.