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Bottle Vitals
| Date | Color | Shape | Size (Height x Width x Depth) | Value* | |
| JJ Butler Ink Bottle | 1850's | Green | Semi-Cabin | 2.5" x 1.5" x 1.5" | $50.00 |
Bottle Views (click to enlarge):
| Front | Back | Side | Side | Bottom |
 |  |  |  |  |
| JJ Butler Cin | (open pontil scar) |
James J Butler operated a manufacturing firm in Cincinnati in the middle of the 1800s. The earliest references I could find were in the 1840's. His firm manufactured ink, glue (fruit jar sealant), and other fluids. This particular bottle would have held ink, possibly his "Excelsior Writing Fluid" brand.
They were advertised and sold across the country and were apparently well regarded. Click any of these to enlarge.
He offered different formulations for different purposes, which was apparently appreciated by some.
Apparently working at the ink factory was a dangerous thing. One boy fell through an open hatch and broke both his arms, another lost his hand when a pistol exploded (no mention of why the pistol was in hand), and two more died when an alcohol canister exploded. Click to enlarge any of these clippings.
The most recent advertising I could find for the company was in 1873, and Mr. Butler died in 1879.
This bottle has an open pontil scar on the bottom and a rolled lip on top, and sources put it in the mid 1850's, making it the oldest I've seen so far. It has a visible crack in the back side, but it appears to still be watertight. Here are the before and after cleaning photos. Only soap and water, brushes, and a wooden pick were used.
* Value is hard to say on this one. Even without the crack, I find examples that have sold for as little as twenty dollars to well over a hundred. Typical seems to be more in the middle, so I'm going with $50. As always, that varies considerably with condition.
