GLASS BOTTLE MARKS ~ HOME PAGE
Hi there ~ I’m interested in the general history of the glass manufacturing industry in the United States, especially that of container glass, electrical insulators and tableware (both pressed and blown). Antique bottles, Fruit jars, Glass electrical insulators, EAPG (Early American Pattern Glass), Depression Glass, Milk Glass, antique children’s mugs, fishing net floats, and other items are some of the forms of glass I enjoy learning more about. My “GLASS BOTTLE MARKS” website attempts to discuss those subjects and more.
A lot of great information about glass is already available on the web, as well as in numerous books and magazines, but I’ve tried to gather some of the very best, basic info together onto this site, in particular concentrating on glass manufacturers’ identification marks found on bottles, fruit jars, insulators and tableware. I’m also in the process of adding various research articles to this site, with histories or summaries on a number of glass companies, and information about different types of collectible glass and glass items.
The glassmaking industry in the United States is a huge field that dates back to the seventeenth century, and covers a vast array of items and applications, including both handmade and machine-made glass.
According to historian Rhea Mansfield Knittle (Early American Glass, 1927), one of the earliest glass manufacturers in the US (not counting the unsuccessful attempts at Jamestown in 1607 and 1621) who may have produced considerable quantities of glassware and actually met with some degree of success, was Johannes Smedes (or Jan Smedes) who operated an establishment – probably making bottles for the most part – sometime in the period of 1654-1664 at New Amsterdam (now New York City).
What is glass?
Although some collectors and researchers might consider this a question with a fairly “obvious” answer, it’s not quite as simple as that. For a brief, basic discussion on glass (especially concerning the most common type of glass used for containers and tableware), check out my webpage here: What is Glass?
Every glass object, even the most lowly, commonplace glass bottle, has a story behind it, although all of the precise details may never be known. Where was it made? What was the name of the company or factory where it was produced? How old is it? Is it handmade? Was it mass-produced by machine methods? What type of glass is it made of? What elements/chemicals were included in the glass formula or “recipe”? Why is it a certain color? If it’s an older, hand-blown bottle, who was the glassblower who fashioned it? Who was the last person who used it and handled it before it came into your possession? Where was the physical location of the sand supply that eventually was turned into the glass piece that you hold in your hand? Is it American-made, or a piece that was produced outside the United States? Are there letters, numbers, emblems or other graphics embossed into the glass itself? Can the factory or company/glassmaker be identified by the markings on it? What do the markings mean?
Some or all of these questions might come to mind to the collector or layman, student, flea market shopper, historian, researcher, archaeologist, or casual hobbyist. And my site attempts to answer, in at least some cases if possible, these questions: Where, approximately when, and by what company was this piece of glass made?
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Glass making factories in earlier days were, for the most part, rather unpleasant places … the general inside environment could be, and often was, brutal. It was extremely hot (especially in the warmer months), noisy, dirty, and dangerous for a number of reasons. Injuries, especially burns and cuts, were commonplace. Fire was always a potential occurrence, and many early factories were destroyed by fire, sometimes leading to the complete closing down of a plant and/or failure of a company.
Antique and vintage glassware of all types and styles that are collected, studied and appreciated today are the tangible artifacts and testaments to the remarkable creativity, sheer hard work, energy, endurance, perseverance, and innovation of those men (and women, as well as many young children in the days before the enactment of child labor laws) who worked in those earlier factories.
Five of the webpages on this site list glass manufacturers’ identification marks (alphabetically listed) seen on container glass (bottles, jars, flasks, jugs, etc.) and on other types of glass including handmade and machine-made tableware and cookware.
A few examples of “glass bottle marks” on utilitarian containers would be “I inside a diamond” , “B in a circle” “R & CO” and “N inside a square”.
Please click here to go to “PAGE ONE” of the alphabetical mark listings, with introductory information and explanatory comments: Glass Bottle Marks
On this site are a number of individual web pages with basic information on some of the glass factories that operated in the United States. To read any of the glass company profiles I’ve posted (so far) on the Glass Bottle Marks site, and other articles pertaining to glass, please look along the right-hand sidebar of any page (on a computer screen) or at the bottom of the page (on mobile devices) for the menu of “Glass-Related Articles”, and click on any link in that list. I hope to post more articles and add more information as time and energy permits!
One page in particular within this site is a list of glass factories that manufactured, or are believed to have produced, glass electrical insulators for telegraph, telephone and/or power lines. Although mainly listing U.S. factories, a few Canadian and Mexican factories are listed also. Click here to go directly to that page: GLASS INSULATOR MANUFACTURERS.
If you have additional information, please contact me (at the email address listed at the very bottom of any page on this site) as I’m continually looking for the most accurate data available on these companies. Sources of some of the information is included after each entry if I have it available. I’d appreciate any additions, corrections, or suggestions you may have!
Some of the information on glass insulators is from research originally compiled by N. R. Woodward, creator of the “CD” (Consolidated Design) numbering system now used worldwide by collectors for identifying and cataloging insulators. A portion of the info in this site pertaining to insulator manufacturers is drawn from various articles in the classic 2-volume reference book “INSULATORS: A HISTORY AND GUIDE TO NORTH AMERICAN GLASS PINTYPE INSULATORS“ by John & Carol McDougald (published in 1990).
The glass insulator pictured here, a blue aqua or “Hemingray Blue” CD 257 “Mickey Mouse”, is a type made for power lines, made by the Hemingray Glass Company at their factory that operated in Muncie, Indiana.
This site is a “work in progress” started in February of 2004. Originally, the core material was posted as a “sub-page” on the umbrella site https://myinsulators.com (hosted by webmaster Bill Meier), but in September of 2012 I moved to my own domain name, and have since expanded this site with additional articles. I would also like to thank the many people around the country (and some from outside the US) with whom I’ve communicated by email, and who, over the years, have sent me photos of glass marks, some of them posted in the alphabetical listings.
I hope this website will be of help in your quest to discover more information concerning the wide world of glass and glass manufacturing. Please be sure to bookmark my site, and return often!
Thank you!
~David
COMPLETE LIST OF ALL ARTICLES ON THIS SITE
SURNAME-ORIENTED ANTIQUE BOTTLE COLLECTING
GLASS MANUFACTURERS MARKS -ALPHABETICAL PAGES – PAGE ONE
Hello there, I have a Boyd’s Genuine porcelain lined cap with a number 8 in the center. I’m doing research on it however, I can’t seem to find anything that talks about this specific item. Can you please help me with the issue at hand? Thank you!
Hi Brandy,
Those milk glass liners often bear mold numbers, which is what the “8” is. That number identified the exact mold that was used to form the liner at the factory. The glass factory would have had a number of identical molds, each numbered (for instance – perhaps 1 through 30 or higher), so if any problems came up with the finished product the defective mold could be quickly identified. The numbers have no other significance and can’t be used to date a piece, although sometimes larger, cruder-looking numbers may indicate older liners. If you haven’t seen my webpage here, I tried to gather what little information I could onto one page about those discs. Here it is: https://glassbottlemarks.com/boyds-genuine-porcelain-lined-cap/
Unfortunately I can’t identify the maker of your liner or the exact age.
Thanks for your comment and I hope this helps a little!
~David
Hello, I am having a hard time finding precise information on this piece of glass I found on the beach in South Texas yesterday. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks. It is dark green and says BBCo on a raised surface. Like a badge almost.
Hello Ben,
[Readers, Ben contacted me by email and sent me photos of his beach glass find, so I wanted to share my answer so it’s archived on the site]. You have found a “seal” from the shoulder of an antique wine bottle. Doing a web search, I found only one example online of a bottle bearing an identical seal on the shoulder. It is one of the “RICKETTS type” black glass bottles. Most of those bottles were marked on the base with “H. RICKETTS & CO” or some similar variation.
The “B B Co” is part of what is called a “SEAL” which was a small glob of molten glass affixed to the side of wine bottles and then “stamped” with a specialized tool which makes it look almost like a coin, disc or large button. Sometimes the seals get detached from bottles when the bottles are broken, and they end up in “beach glass” or are occasionally found in old trash dumps or old privies.
The so-called “Seal bottles” are a type of bottle in demand by antique bottle collectors. There were many, many different personalized seals placed on bottles, usually affixed to the shoulder area, and for various reasons. The heyday of seal wine bottles was from the 1650s to the 1880s, although many more recent bottles have a similar-looking “seal” placed on the side. Many of the seal bottles were made in England as well as several countries in Europe including Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands. Some were also made in the United States but most of those date after around 1820.
The name or initials in the seal would usually stand for a wine merchant, tavern owner, club or group, or a patron for whom the bottle was blown. In some cases, it identified a bottle in the private collection of a wealthy wine connoisseur. (The seal type bottles were slowly being phased out by the 1860s-1880s, although some more recent bottles may bear some type of seal, such as the common Paul Jones, Louisville, KY whiskey bottles of the 1890s-1910s).
I think some very exclusive, limited edition wines, bottled for a wealthy wine collector, might still have special seals put on them even today, but I haven’t researched that so I’m not sure. Other modern bottles, such as Makers Mark whiskey, bear “imitation” shoulder seals that are not applied, but formed as part of the bottle mold.
MOST of the Ricketts bottles were “generic” ale, beer, spirits and wine bottles on which a seal was never added. I do not know what the “B.B. Co” in this seal represents, but more than likely it is the initials for the name of a wine and spirits merchant in Great Britain. The Ricketts bottles were made over a very long period of time, from 1821 to around 1853. Most were made in Great Britain. Some of a similar style were believed to have been made here in the US also. Most were made in dark olive green or dark olive amber glass, often called “Black Glass”, as the bottles look nearly black in reflected light. (There is also a chance that that particular seal was stamped on other bottles available in that area and time period, not just on Ricketts bottles).
Here is a PDF file, an article written by bottle researcher and archeologist Bill Lockhart and others. It does get “into the weeds” but it makes some interesting reading if you some free time!
https://sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/RickettsFirms.pdf
I cannot date your find precisely, but I think it most likely dates from sometime in the 1820s or 1830s, possibly 1840s? I found only ONE example on the web of a Ricketts bottle with a similar “B.B.Co.” seal on it. It is a past ebay listing, indexed into the Worthpoint site database. Unfortunately, there is only one photo shown and it is not especially sharp and clear. But it will give you a good idea of what this bottle looks like. The seller writes “1830s” and that is their guess, but that would likely be in the ballpark.
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/ricketts-co-glass-works-beaded-seal-414177508
Also, just as a side note, there are a number of unrelated bottles that bear “B.B.CO.” on the base or the front (see my entry for B.B.CO in the alphabetical mark listings here) but they would have no connection with the seal from your bottle.
Thanks and take care,
David
I recently purchased a small uranium glass pitcher and was interested in finding out more about the manufacturing company. The stamping on the bottom is A&J, but I couldn’t find that listed on your site for glass manufacturers.
Hello Nick,
You have found a green Depression-era pitcher made by Hazel Atlas Glass Company for the A & J Manufacturing Company of Binghamton, New York. A&J specialized in manufacturing kitchen-related products such as mixers and egg beaters, and evidently the company had a business arrangement with Hazel Atlas to mark certain accompanying glass products (such as the pitcher that also served as the bottom container for a food mixer) with the “A & J” initials. The pitcher was patented in 1923. A & J was acquired by EKCO, of Chicago, IL, in 1929.
I am not sure if more pitchers were marked with those initials AFTER 1929. From the rather large numbers of those types of pitchers still in existence, I would guess they may have, since the green color was very popular throughout the Depression era and large numbers of those pitchers were made throughout the 1930s. So possibly they continued to use the molds with the A&J initials even for several years after the EKCO takeover.
Here are two articles with more background information:
https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/nmah_867299
https://www.madeinchicagomuseum.com/single-post/ekco-products-co/
Thanks for the post, and I hope this helps! (Yes, I should add that one to my list of marks, thank you!)
~David
Thanks David for answering my question. And the two article links were very informative, especially the one about the ECKO company. So now the green glass pitcher that sets on the shelf in Alaska will make me think of my home state of New York, where the A&J company existed.
You’re welcome, and thank you Nick for the post!!
~David
Is there a way I can send you 2 pictures of a bottle and the makers mark that I found today?
Hi Amy,
Please check the “Contact Information” page. If you are viewing on a computer, see the list of article titles on the right hand side of the page (any page) and the contact info webpage is listed near the bottom of the list. On a smartphone, look for the “MENU” button and then click “List of all articles on the Glass Bottle Marks website” and scroll to the contact information webpage. Thank you for your post!
David
A small clear bottle about three inches high, with a lipped top for a stopper, has C B & S on the base. It was found in 1990 at Northampton, England, as part of an archaeological excavation. Does anyone know the company name?
David – I think I have a revision to one of your listings: I-R & Co – on the base of a Loop Seal beer bottle “F. BERNHARD / CANAL DOVER / OHIO // blank // 1-R & CO the “I” in your listing is actually a “1” which makes the bottle a Reed & Co instead of an unknown maker as below. I can provide a photo . THANKS – Gregg
I-R & CO ……….. unknown. This mark, presumably that of a short-lived glass company, has been recorded on the base of two beer bottle variants (from F. Bernhard, Canal Dover, Ohio, and Bruckman Brewing Company, Cincinnati, Ohio). This unidentified company was likely located in Ohio, and judging from the years the above two firms were operating, those bottles would have been made sometime within the 1890-1901 time period.
Hi Gregg,
After viewing your base photo of the bottle, I am sure you are absolutely right. I will re-edit my entry on that mark. In this case the mold number “1” was engraved so that it appears to the left of “R & CO” instead of below those glassmaker initials, which is the usual position on most of the “R & CO” bottles.
Take care, David
Hi David,
I have found an old jar that I’m curious about.. it has 20830A then under it 18 3 then under that a old navy anchor/ sailors symbol.
Joseph,
I sent you an email asking for photos, but never received a reply. Please check your spam folders! I wanted to see the jar, if possible. I don’t recognize the jar from your description.
Best regards,
David
Amber bottle looks like 32 oz. side seams, bottom marks have the O with I and “Saturn ring” best way to describe, left number 6, bottom number 1, right number 2. The 1 and the 2 have a Dot after them. Dug up in Central Maine, if I read research info I believe its 1932 or 1942. Wondering anyone else’s opinion. Thank you!
Hi! I’ve looked through all of the sites, and cannot find this. I have a round decanter with embossed stars. The cork top is a small replica of the bottle itself. It is a liquor bottle with the federal law comment toward the top of the bottle.
At the bottom, it says the following:
“OLD MR BOSTON BRAND” and “FINE LIQUORS”
Then, there is a mark that I thought was the manufacturer. I cannot tell if the marks surrounding the “D” are the letters “I” or just bars. But, it looks like this: “I D I”
Beneath that, it says:
“PAT APP FOR”
Beneath that, there is an “A” with a circle around it, and the numbers 12 and 50 on either side.
“12 A 50” but there is a circle around the A.
I appreciate any information about this bottle.
Also, thank you for your website! It is amazing. I will be sharing it with many family and friends.
Hi Pamela,
I found two similar bottles in the Worthpoint site database, and one has the original labels still attached. See the listing here: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-mr-boston-empty-egg-nog-1797660685
Evidently this special decanter was originally sold containing eggnog. I presume it was a limited edition bottle. Your example bears a 1950 date code, and the example on Worthpoint bears a 1951 date code, so we can probably narrow down the period of sale to that time period. The bottle was made by Armstrong Cork Company (A in a circle trademark). I don’t know what the “I D I” means. Hope this helps, and thanks for your kinds words about the site!
David
I have a pheasant Avon decanter and a Avon Canadian goose decanter . They were my dad’s. The labels are still in good shape on the bottom, except they are mixed up. The pheasant decanter says Canadian goose and the goose one says pheasant. The labels fit the bottom shape and don’t look to have ever been tampered with. The pheasant is full the goose is empty. Have you ever heard of that before? Was there a time when some were produced with wrong labels? They are both in excellent shape but no box for either of them. I’m just curious if you had ever heard of that from anyone else.
Hi Tammy,
Honestly, I don’t know. Perhaps a reader who is familiar with those decanters can give you more info.
Take care,
David
Hi David! I have a couple clear glass Atlas E-Z Seal mason jars with glass lids. They looked completely run of the mill to me until I looked at the bottom. They both say “ATLAS E-Z SEAL”. One also has “TRADE MARK REG.” The other one says “TRADK MARK REG.” They look identical with the exception of that one letter. I looked on the internet for an explanation but couldn’t find anything. Do you have any insight on this?
Hi Linda,
You have an “error jar” and that particular variant is listed as jar #109-3 in the “Redbook” reference and price guide used by fruit jar collectors. There are a number of error jars known among the many Atlas E-Z Seal varieties that were manufactured over the years.
Many individual molds were made over the years to produce these jars, and in some cases we find what might be called “mold maker error” – in some cases the mold engraver cut the wrong character (letter) into the mold, perhaps being in a hurry, or under pressure to finish the work on time, or maybe, in some instances just from mere sloppiness or inattention! Engraving the lettering into the inside of the metal molds (which had to be done backwards, so the lettering appears correctly on the finished product) was laborious and time consuming, and mistakes sometimes happened. Error jars are definitely sought after by jar collectors.
I hope this helps,
David
Thank you! I learned something! Very interesting.
I am so happy I found your site! I am an avid collector of all things “glass” and have recently inherited a storage full of a collector’s paradise! I am researching each bottle. If I get stuck, I know where to go! Thanks for sharing your knowledge! I’d love to send you a picture of my collection!
Hi! I am pretty happy I came across your site! I didn’t realize how many other people were into figuring out what the symbols etc on old bottles represent. your information here is so so helpful. Thanks for putting so much time into the research and making this site!
Thank you Lindsey! I’m glad you have found this site helpful!
David
David,
I have a very old stemmed glass. The American Brewing Co. makes a half moon around an Eagle and St Louis is under that. Do you have any knowledge of this glass. Probably was a rather small beer glass.
Hi Gerald & Patricia,
I’m afraid I don’t have any detailed information on the glass, but I did see a couple examples of the piece listed on Worthpoint. From the sellers’ description it is a Pilsner type beer glass, Pre-Prohibition era, possibly dating from the 1910s.
Thanks for writing!
~David
I found a small bottle with 02 and what looks like a four leaf clover on the bottom. It’s very tiny and has threads for a cap. I’ve been trying to find out what was in it and have had no luck. Anyone have any ideas?
I think this is a perfume sample called lucky
Hello,
I love this site, awesome information.
I have one question, if you get to it great, if not I understand fully.
I have a 5 gallon blue glass diamond pattern carboy with 71 G.P.D. on the bottom, nothing else on it.
Could you possibly tell me more about this carboy ?
Thank you, take care.
Hello Dvaid,
The G.P.D. mark stands for the “Glass Products Division” of the Arrowhead and Puritas Water Company of Los Angeles. The “71” is almost certainly a date code for 1971. This webpage article written by Bill Lockhart has some information on the Arrowhead water bottles, with brief mention of the G P D mark: https://sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/AOther.pdf
Hope this helps!
David
I have an Arrowhead 5 gallon water jug with the Arrowhead/Los Angeles logo and arrowhead raised design and it has a shield with M 25 on the bottom. I’m trying to see what the M stands for? Would it be McLaughlin Glass Company? Most of the others that I’ve seen online have an L and a year. Additionally, this jug has an oddity – in the glass a 3 penny finish nail and a small piece of metal seem to be embedded in the glass. It doesn’t affect the ability to hold water, but it’s kind of strange. Any help appreciated.
Thanks,
-Patrick
Hi Patrick,
Please check out my alphabetical list of marks – here is “page 4” which includes the M entries. I have an entry under “M in a shield”. https://glassbottlemarks.com/bottlemarks-4/
I might also add that the inclusion of a nail and other “impurities” embedded in the glass certainly adds value from the collectors’ standpoint. They are a reflection of the glass crudity, and of a time when the quality control at the factory was not nearly as good as it is today.
Thanks and best regards,
David
I have a green wine bottle with no marks on it big dimple it bottom no mold line looks hand blown.
Hello David & all!
I have an aqua bottle with only the base markings ABCC o 10. Help!
Hi Carolann,
I was wondering if your bottle is actually marked “A B CO” but the “C” is “double stamped”?? If so, the bottle would have been made by American Bottle Company and is probably a beer bottle. Also, please let me know if there are any faint markings along the lower heel of the bottle. You are also welcome to email me pics of the bottle. My email address is noted near the bottom of the webpage under “Contact Info / Notes” .
Best regards,
David
David,
I just found an old W Brookfield insulator 4 on my property which runs along an old railroad here in Camron, NC. Can you tell me anything about it?
Hi Shawn, can you please check your email inbox as well as your spam folder? I sent you a direct email in reply. I would need to see pictures of that insulator, since many different styles/types are marked with “W Brookfield” and the mold or shop number “4” on them. Thanks and best regards,
David
I am helping a friend try to identify an old bottle she found. The information on the bottle:
Paul Klepa, Blitz Bottles that made hollywood famous, Bottled California Air, It is a Brown Bottle with a tilt, California Copy Right 1952.
11/7/2021 I found a piece of green bottle bottom about 20 miles or so NE of Globe Arizona with AB connected on top with X 3 below today
Nice find! Here is a link to the GBM page for the connected AB – https://glassbottlemarks.com/ab-mark-beer-bottles/
Hello J.Metzger,
I’ve added your find to the database here.
Thanks!
David
Hi David! You are a wealth of knowledge! My name is Jenny and I am a one-room schoolhouse teacher on a remote island off the coast of Maine- I have been collecting antique bottles and jars, some that I know are over a hundred years old, since I moved here. I am having a heck of a time finding information about any of them online. Can we please connect… maybe you can point me in the right direction? My email is [email hidden]. Thank you kindly in advance! I was so upset because I know the wind just broke a super valuable ball jar outside on my porch this evening and it has me wondering what I actually have in my collection…
PeAcE & LoVe,
Jenny
Hi Jenny,
I sent a reply directly to your email. You may need to check your spam folder, as I have not received a reply and it has been about two weeks.
Thank you and best regards,
David
Hi David, thank you so much for your wonderful experience on this subject! I found my Aqua-colored, connected AB (P 16 on the bottom and 7-B or 8 near the bottom) yesterday while walking on the beach, Bainbridge Island, Washington. As you can imagine, it had a few barnacles on one side and it was full of mud and seaweed. As I carefully cleaned the bottle I noticed it has what looks like waves etched into it, from the top to the bottom, it’s also full of wonderful bubbles. It’s quite beautiful.
Hi Amy and thank you for your post!! I appreciate the kind words. I believe the “etched waves” effect you describe is the result of some slight gradual deterioration of the glass surface (wherein a tiny percentage of the sodium carbonate [“soda”] has slowly leached from the glass), and this actually results in a faint swirled, banded or marbled look that reflects the original “flow” of the molten glass when it was being blown into the mold at the time of manufacture.
By the way, since you mentioned a heel marking of “7-B” that would probably indicate a date code of 1907, and manufacture at the Belleville, Illinois glass plant.
Thanks again!
David
Is there a picture of it too?
I have a bottle with the number 27 on it. I was just wondering who made it.
Hello Michael,
Most bottles with only numbers on the bottom (but with no other identifying marks) are hard to identify as to maker. Please check out my page on Numbers seen on the bottoms of glass bottles.
Take care,
David
Hi David, I’d be really grateful if you would happen to know whether popular American glass manufacturer Whitall Tatum & Co manufactured bottles solely for the USA, or whether they happened to have a European presence and were well known by Europeans?
Thanks in advance!
B
Hi Bethia,
I don’t have exact citations here at hand, but I am 100% sure Whitall Tatum produced bottles that were exported around the world including to countries in Europe. Here is a very brief reference to glassware from Millville being sold to “foreign countries” in 1919:
https://reference.insulators.info/publications/view/?id=6534
Whitall Tatum Company sold lots of different types of empty bottles to many “end user” companies, and, in turn, some of those companies sold their products both inside as well as outside the United States, meaning WT containers eventually could have ended up virtually anywhere in the world.
I would invite any readers who have more background info on this question to chime in!
Thanks for your post!
David
I can’t find how to comment on your page so I’m hitting reply to the latest post – I need help! I can’t find on your site or any other this bottle – found in a trunk of my Father’s and Grandfather’s things (WWI and WWI vets – their memorabilia was in the trunks). It’s a clear glass bottle about 5-6 inches tall with a glass stopper, and has the markings – B-K-H-Co Germany S.F. – on it. Any ideas about the bottle? My Dad is 99 and has dementia so going through his things he doesn’t remember much about the items. I’d appreciate any help you can give. I love old glass – this isn’t anything really special, very plain but I like the shape and the glass stopper….
Hi Judy, I was not familiar with that marking, but by doing some internet searching I found that the initials on the jar stand for Braun-Knecht-Heimann of Germany. That company (according to info I found, but presently cannot guarantee is 100% accurate!) was founded in 1862. They eventually sold and distributed large quantities of all kinds of laboratory, medicinal and pharmaceutical products. They had a distribution center / business office in the San Francisco area for some period of time. The Univar Company bought them in 1950. Most of the glassware marked with those initials are laboratory-type bottles with stoppers. My guess is that your bottle would date from sometime in the 1900-1920 time period but that is just my guess. I noticed there are lots of different products listed on ebay that were sold by Braun-Knecht-Heimann. Best of luck to you and your Dad, and with your search for more information! Thanks for your post, and I hope this may help a bit.
~ David
I am going through family glassware and have found a Capstan Glass Company jar (about the size of a shot glass) 3″ tall. Has the Capstan on the bottom with the number 5 above and the number 2 below. I cannot find any information on this particular piece. Any help would be appreciated.
Hi Peggy,
The only information I have concerning Capstan is posted on my page about Capstan Glass Company, here. I am not familiar with the code number system that was used by Capstan but I would assume one of those numbers is a mold number. Sorry I don’t have better info for you.
Best regards,
David
Recently found the bottom of a glass bottle in Long Island, NY. Bottle reads “Myer 1890 Bott. Co. Inc. New York, NY” There is also a large M in the center of the bottom and a 3 47 type logo. Any information on this company? I’ve found minimal online.
Hey found several bottles in backyard, I think it’s a garbage pit. I got several medicine bottles, I’ve looked on the internet and can’t find out what the (3ii) or (3iii) mean. Thanks for any info and I love your page.
Hi Bridget,
The “weird 3” symbol means an “apothecary ounce”. The letters to the right of that symbol are Roman numerals. Thus, 3ii means the bottle holds 2 ounces, 3iii means the bottle holds 3 ounces, etc. These symbols are often seen on older medicine / druggist / prescription bottles, especially bottles made and used before the (approximately) 1940s or 1950s. More info on this symbol and others can be found at various sites on the internet. Here are a few webpages:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apothecaries%27_system
https://textcreationpartnership.org/docs/dox/medical.html
http://pkperfumes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Apothecary-Weights-and-Measurements-Tutorial-rev6-12.pdf
http://www.chosi.org/drugstore/faqs.html
Thanks for your post, and I hope this helps!!
David
Thanks for the info David, the house next door to us is from the 1910’s. Who knew putting in a new drain field was going to be so interesting.
Hi David,
We live in northern NJ and are doing some excavating in our yard. I recently found a Mason’s Patent Nov 30th 1858 CFJ Co jar with 1286 on the bottom. I cannot seem to authenticate the jar. The embossing is pretty faded but still visible. The jar is in solid condition; it was partially filled with (I believe) some type of oil. We have found other very old antiques in our yard; pottery and China pieces from the mid 1800s, large chunks of other glass bottles with embossing that date back to the early 1900s, a few other bottles that are intact. Any help is greatly appreciated! I can send you a picture if this jar if that will help! Thank you kindly!
Hi Celine,
You definitely have an older, authentic CFJCO “NOV 30TH 1858” type jar. Huge numbers of those types of jars were made….. quarts, half gallons and some pints (one type is called a midget pint), with the “C F J CO” monogram / logo on the front or the reverse. The most common color is a light aqua but other colors are found occasionally. Most of the CFJCO monogrammed jars have a letter/number combination on the base which I believe served as identification of a particular mold that was in use at the factory. Many different molds would have been in use simultaneously. A number of different factories produced these jars. Scanning information on internet sites and various books and magazines, it is evident that a very large number of different molds were used, probably throughout most of the 1870s, 1880s and probably into the 1890s. I believe that it’s probably “I” (letter I) 286 on the bottom although the letter “I” might look like the number 1 (one). There are so many different letter/number combos known that it may be hard to find mentions online of another jar with that exact mold letter/number combination.
If you have time you might check my article about the Mason’s Patent Nov 30TH 1858 jars here.
Sounds like you have found an area where assorted trash was dumped many years ago. You never know what neat artifacts you might run across in your digging! Good luck and thanks for your post!
David
Thank you so much, David! I really appreciate your insight. It is exciting to have found a little piece of history in our backyard. And I did read your article- it was super helpful! :). Thank you again!
I have a half-gallon light blue canning jar that has the following embossed on the front: The Ball Jar and underneath that is Masons Patent 1858. The lettering is block style. The mold number is 18C. It is lighter in weight and color than my other half gallon Masons patent jar. I cannot find any information about the embossing and what year it would have been made. Thank-you for you assistance.
Hi Kay,
If you have some free time, please check out my replies to comments on similar jars, at these URLs:
https://glassbottlemarks.com/#comment-15098
https://glassbottlemarks.com/masons-patent-november-30th-1858-antique-jars/#comment-19285
Hope this helps!
David
Hi, David,
Your website is definitely my go-to for all things glass. What an extensive labor of love. Kudos!
Without a picture, I realize it is difficult to identify glass, especially when all one has is but a shard, but here goes.
Found in Oklahoma, a light blue (similar to the old canning jars) glass shard bearing what appears to be the following letters:
The last letter of the first word looks more like a C than a G.
The first letter looks like an A, possibly an R?
…R L I N G or …R L I N C or …A L I N C
Second partial word – U R E D ?
Third word – C O M P (Company?)
Many thanks for any suggestions. I realize this is a difficult one.
The letters are not perfectly uniform, leading me to believe this is an older piece
in a not-so-state-of-the-art mold?
Hi Karen,
Thanks for your kind words. I am not sure about that shard. I tried emailing you directly to ask if you can send me pics of the shard, but received a “mailer daemon” indicating the email address you gave was unavailable or invalid. Can you contact me at my email address (shown in the “Contact Info / Notes” at the bottom of the page) as I would like to see the shard and see if maybe it would “ring a bell”. Thank you and take care!
David
Hi David! I recent found a “federal law forbids sale or reuse of this bottle” liquor bottle on the beach. The number on the bottom is R-499. I checked the PDF document you have posted on your website but there’s no listing for R-499. Would you have any ideas about this?
Hi Tressy,
I honestly don’t know what that rectifier number would stand for. Also, the pdf file I link to has no direct connection to my site, (and I didn’t compile it) but I merely linked to it as it contains some useful information. I’m not sure who originally posted that information online.
Thanks and take care! If you find out what the R-499 stands for, please post again and let us know!
David
Thanks anyway. I don’t know if this helps, but on the front of the bottle near the bottom it says 16-6.
Tressy, I’m not sure what those numbers would indicate. Also, just in case a reader should wonder about it, I wanted to include a link to that online list of rectifer and distiller numbers we referred to…… it is here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51379b83e4b02119d184b2a2/t/584a336ee4fcb59adb85c48b/1481257838281/User+Permit+numbers.pdf
Thanks again and take care,
David
What is a Roman numeral III on the bottom of a cranberry (lady face on it) gold filigree glass vase? Can not find this mark ID anywhere online. Thanks
Hi Julie,
I’m not sure if that would just be some kind of mold number or mold identification mark(?) Perhaps a reader will land on this site and have information on it for you. Take care, David
Hi David,
I found a bottle that is a small, screw top, amber color bottle. It is rectangle shape and has a few numbers on the bottom.
It has bubbles in the glass (I dont know if that means anything)
The numbers are 27-S-B and in the upper right it says a 4 and upper left is a 1.
Please let me know if you find out anything. (Love your website btw, Very helpful!)
I found a piece of sea glass with square edges & SS on it. Just wondering how old & where it came from. It was found on Plumb Island, MA.
Hello,
I have a 4.5 inch apothecary bottle that has an oval with a diamond intertwined on the bottom. It looks like the Owens-Illinois symbol without the letter “I” in the middle. Have you ever seen that symbol? It has the numbers 12, 6, and 5 around the symbol. My other bottles are from TCW-Co and these are from my Aunt’s estate…likely from between the 1938-1970 range.
Hi Laura,
The “Diamond and oval” mark used by Owens-Illinois Glass Company can vary somewhat in appearance from one bottle to another, and many times the letter “I” is either completely absent or just barely discernible. This is likely because the mold engraver sometimes had difficulty in producing a trademark that looked bold and clear on each and every mold, looking the same from one mold to the next, especially on small bottle molds with limited room for fine details such as the “I” in the center. Sometimes when the bottle was blown (by machine, as most were), the molten glass, when being blown into the inside of the mold cavity, didn’t “fill” the engraving completely, leading to a poor embossing, a “smeared” look, or missing elements of the marking on the finished bottle.
In any case, the “12” which I assumed you meant is placed to the left of the logo, is a plant location code and stands for their factory at Gas City, Indiana. The “6” to the right is a date code, and would stand for 1936 or 1946. I don’t know which year would be the correct one, but 1936 is more likely, as single digit codes were used more often in the 1930s (with exceptions). The number “5” placed below the logo is a mold number. Hopes this helps!
David
Hello Everyone. I’m trying to get info on the AC Tall jar. I was told it stands for Atlantic City but cannot find any documentation to confirm that. I live outside of AC and we did at one time have many glass factories in the area because of the sand.
I found a 2 inch Amber double embossed poison with the Owens Illinois mark on the bottom. I’m trying to date it but can’t find an example like it on your blog. The logo doesn’t have the I in the middle and there is a 7 to the left which I take is the plant code with a 4 on the right which I take is the date code. It’s not followed by any periods so I assume it’s 1934 but on the edge of the mold seam is the number 2 and it’s vertical which is throwing me off. I was wondering if you could tell me more about it and the date.
Hi Derek,
I would guess you are right and it is from 1934. The “7” stands for their main factory at Alton, Illinois. The “2” is a mold number. In a fair number of cases a number may be positioned oddly on the base of bottles. Not sure why, perhaps the whim of the moldmaker, or they felt it would be easier to engrave, or the number would “fit” better on the base in that position. Thanks for your post!
David
Hi David,
I found a clear glass, one pint flask type bottle with screw top. Only thing embossed is Federal law warning and one pint on front and back. on the bottom of bottle on far right side is Anchor Hocking logo. Upper center D-9 with M-1673B under it. Far left has an 8, next to it is 67 with a 6 underneath it. Which number represent year and what liquor was in it? Thank you in advance
Lewis
Hi Lewis, the date code is “67” meaning the bottle was made in 1967. I believe the “8” is a liquor bottle permit number. The “D-9” is a distiller code number. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you what type of liquor was in the bottle.
Best regards,
David
My husband found a bottle buried in Lock Haven PA. It says CASTORIA on one side and Chas H. Fletcher on the other. There is a back label, almost all intact, with “Alcohol: 3 per cent” on the bottom line of that label, but no front label. The bottom is marked S 70. Hard to tell if the bottle is clear as the entire contents are still inside with the cork. It looks like the consistency of molasses. The seam seems to go up the side of the bottle to the neck then appears to go astray crooked the rest of the way. I’ve been trying to figure out the age. Would appreciate any information you could share. I haven’t seen any bottles with the actual content, so I’m excited that this seems rare.
Hi Theresa,
Thanks for your post. If you haven’t already, when you get a chance please check out my webpage on Fletcher’s Castoria. There is a lot of uncertainty and confusion on the exact date ranges of bottles marked “Chas. H Fletcher” as well as the similar “Dr. Pitchers” Castoria bottles. I would assume your bottle dates from sometime in the 1895 to 1930 period, but that is just my guess, and I know that is a wide range. Bottles with contents and original labels are definitely much harder to come by than the ones which are empty and have no label, which are exceedingly common.
Best regards, David
Found in a thrift shop Fernandina Beach, FL, an AB connected bottle with T35 on bottom.
Bonnie, thanks and I have added that to the list!
~David