19th Century Bottle Collection

[robertk]

I have three distinct memories from my childhood that sparked my interest in treasure hunting. Two were coins that I found (a Franklin half and an Indian Head penny), but the other was bottles. I found some old soda bottles one time that were all embossed with designs and logos and I thought those were so cool. Even back in my youth (the stone age, if you ask my kids), nobody was making cool bottles like that. I just thought they were the neatest thing. I don't know what ever became of those soda bottles, lost again to time, but the love of them has stuck with me. Fast forward several decades, and my digging at the mystery house has found lots of glass. So I have pieced together a few old bottles and rekindled the interest. And now, thanks to @Limitool, my collection just got a huge boost.

I'm especially excited because these share the same timeframe as the mystery house (late 1800s/early 1900s), and there are some connections! There are some intact versions of bottles that I have found broken here, and a piece of china from England with a hallmark very similar to a fragment I found here. I'm stoked to start learning the history behind them!

My thinking is to start a thread for each bottle I can identify (over time), then edit this post as a sort of "index" to them all. With so many, that seems like the best approach. So, here we go, with the first of many (over time, I'm not rushing this). The titles will link to the individual threads

Medicine Bottles:

Embossing	Date	Color	Shape	Size (Height x Width x Depth)
Dr. Pierce's Golden Medical Discovery	1871	Aqua	Rectangular with tall neck	8.5" x 3" x 1.75"
Dr. Sage's Catarrh Remedy	1868	Teal	Square with neck	1.25" x 2.375" x 0.75"
Dr King's New Discovery for Consumption	1880	Aqua	Rectangular with tall neck	2" x 6.5" x 1"
Ely's Cream Balm	1870	Brown	Rectangular with short neck	1.25" x 2.5" x 1"
Dr S B H Co Pr	1885	Teal	Round (Cylindrical)	9.5" x 3"
Mexican Mustang Liniment	1849	Teak	Round (Cylindrical)	4" x 1.5"
Hires Improved Root Beer	1890	Aqua	Square	1.5" x 4" x 1.5"
Otto's Cure for the Throat & Lungs	1890	Aqua	Rectangular flattened	1.125" x 2.75" x 0.75"
Lydia E Pinkham's Vegetable Compound	1880	Aqua	Rectangular flask	3.75" x 6.5" x 1.875"
Brant's Pulmonary Balsam	1890	Clear	Rectangular with neck	2" x 6.5" x 1.5"
L M Green's German Syrup	1890	Green	Rectangular with neck	2.75" x 6.75" x 1.5"
JBL Family Remedies	1890	Clear	Rectangular flask	2" x 5.25"x 1"
JBL Family Remedies (Sample)	1890	Clear	Rectangular	1.25" x 4.25" x 0.75"

Cologne and Perfume Bottles:

Embossing	Date	Color	Shape	Size (Height x Width x Depth)
Hoyt's German Cologne	1870	Clear	Round (Cylindrical)	3.5" x 1.25"

Food, Drink and Condiments

Embossing	Purpose	Date	Color	Shape	Size (Height x Width x Depth)
HJ Heinz Company 93	Ketchup	1890	Clear	Six-sided tall	9" x 2.5"
HJ Heinz Co 13	Pickles	1890	Clear	Rectangular with short neck	2.25" x 7" x 1.75"
(none)	Whiskey	1880s	Clear	Pumpkin Seed Flask	3.75" x 5.5" x 1.25"
Hoppe & Strub Toledo O	Beer or Mineral Water	1880s	Amber	Round (cylindrical wine)	12" x 3.5" dia.

Other

Embossing	Purpose	Date	Color	Shape	Size (Height x Width x Depth)
Mason's Patent Nov 30th 1858	Canning	1880s	Aqua	Round jar	7" x 3.5"
Six-Pointed Star with MO	Doll Toy	1885	Clear	Round flask with neck	1.5" x 2.75" x 0.75"

 

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