Sorry for yet another "what's it?". I've been in lurking mode lately, but am trying to get back into it. I'm pretty sure this is a bottle opener, but why the "hook" thingy on the end and screwdriver? Is this an early multi-tool? I found it recently along a railroad that dates from 1840 to present, lol. Civil War stuff to early 1900's mostly on this hill. Thanks...
I didn't remember the hook thingy on the openers. Do you know how that was used? I guess the screwdriver is just a "multi-tool" aspect. Thanks for the id...
I saw your green check mark but didn't think you would mind this additional tid-bit of information regarding your "cap lifter." (Which is what they were typically called at first).
Based on what I know about early openers, yours could very well be one of the earliest made for "Crown Closure" soda and beer bottles. As you can see in the following pictures, your opener is "almost" identical to the style patented by William Painter in 1894. (Painter also invented and patented the crown closure bottle in 1892).
(The only thing that confuses me is that the hook part on your particular opener is on the open end. Painter's is on the handle end. I will do some additional research and see if I can determine whether William Painter patented a variation. Plus, I will go back and see what I can find regarding the two illustrations I posted below that show the hook on the open end like yours).
The little hook on the end was primarily intended to remove the seal on what were referred to as "Loop Seal closures," which were still in use at the time when the Crown was invented. The Loop Seal closure was patented in 1891. Once the loop seal bottles were phased out around 1900, the hook was used for a multitude of things, including the opening of milk bottles.
As for the wide part, that was intended as a sort of "bottle stopper" after the bottle was opened.
Regarding the term "Church Key," the following says it best ...
"The expression church key is much older than the device that leaves a triangular hole in beer cans. It goes back to early days of the brewing business when beer was first dispensed in bottles. The expression church key is old in the brewing business because it looked like the open end of the kind of heavy ornate key used to unlock church doors."
I hope you find this information helpful and of interest. If you can somehow clean up your opener, and it has the "William Painter" name or patent number on it, you could really have something there. Too bad its rusted.
SBB
Pictures ...
1. William Painter Patent # 514,200 February 6, 1894.
2. Loop Seal remover hook.
3. Bottle stopper (plug) aspect.
4. Church keys (antique - notice open ends).
5. Loop Seal Closure Patented April 7, 1891.
I did some additional research and was able to determine that the opener like yours, which is the one with the hook on the open end, is in fact a William Painter "variation." I haven't found the exact patent info yet, but it was likely filed under the name of ...
"The Crown Cork & Seal Company"
... which Painter founded in 1892.
William Painter patented "numerous" types of openers.
My guesstimate is that your opener dates circa 1894-1900
If I find the patent illustration for your exact opener, I will come back and post it.
Here is the earliest known and confirmed "Crown Closure" soda bottle. Even though William Painter patented this type of closure in 1892, this 1895 example is the earliest known.
(I purchased this bottle off ebay about a year ago).
Murdock & Freeman ~ Portland, Maine ~ One of the first Crowns ~ 1895
Super followup posts, SODABOTTLEBOB !! Very informative Thanks for taking the time to put it all together.
Super follow-up indeed! It's not often I learn something that I should have known about since my early collecting days. I really appreciate you taking the time to post all of that. I'll run it in electrolysis and see if I can get some info off of it. If I do, I will post it in this thread in a few days at most. Thanks again!
Thanks. I'm glad you liked it. I hope you like this one as well, which is a hodge-podge of openers, all of which are most likely William Painter patents. Unfortunately, only one of them is marked. Apparently the others are not marked, but if they were the individuals who posted them failed to mention it. The one that is marked has ...
PT 90 - 91
Even though I'm not exactly sure what the mark means, I really don't think its a patent number or date. More than likely its just a "part" number of some kind.
In any event, here's a little stocking-stuffer for you, which should give you some idea of what your type of opener looks like in a non-corroded state.
And speaking of Christmas stocking stuffers, I just purchased this opener on ebay for ... $25.99 (Free Shipping).
The seller didn't say anything about it having a makers marks, and I didn't ask. But I hope it does. I'm certain it is a William Painter patent and will look nice placed in my 1895 Murdock & Freeman soda bottle. I'm convinced these early openers are kind of scarce. I will tell you more about it once it arrives.
Thanks for the additional info SBB! This is a whole new world of collectibles for me. I just pulled mine out of electrolysis (I've been gone all day) and it sure is shiny! Doesn't look like the normal iron stuff I run. Must be made of something else, nickel maybe? Looks like I may have to rebury it to get a little patina back . Merry Christmas everyone!
I got my (ebay purchased) bottle opener in the mail today. Its in great shape and still has most of its original black paint. And even though I examined it closely with a magnifying loupe, there are no visible marks or a patent date. If it does have a patent date on it somewhere, its covered with paint, which I do not intend to remove. However, I am 100% convinced that it's a William Painter patent opener from February 6, 1894. I base this conclusion on additional research I did regarding a variety of other openers that "are marked" with ... Pat. Feb 6, 1894. (See pictures below).
As near as I can determine, it was the "functional/opened end" part of these types of openers that were the primary focus of the patent, and not the handles themselves, which were made in a variety of different lengths and designs.
Also of interest is the fact that my opener fits "perfectly" into the throat of my 1895 Murdock & Freeman crown closure soda bottle. Which was intended to serve as a sort of "plug" after the bottles were opened and not fully consumed. However, I seriously doubt the fit is tight enough to have prevented carbonation from being released. In my opinion the plug aspect is a novel idea for sales purposes, but not practical in reality.
Anyhoo ... I'm happy with my new (antique) opener, which is now prominently displayed with my soda bottle collection.
SBB
Pictures ...
1. Original Patent Illustration February 6, 1894
2. My Opener (With about 75% of its original paint)
3. Variation opener marked ... PAT'D FEB,6,94
4. Another variation marked ... Feb 6, '94
5. My opener inserted into my 1895 Murdock & Freeman bottle
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Too bad its rusted.
Thanks for taking the time to put it all together. 
Originally Posted by creskol
. Merry Christmas everyone!
