Bromo-Seltzer Emerson Drug Co. Baltimore, MD.
Bromo-Seltzer was an extremely popular drug, in the form of a powder, introduced in about 1888 by Isaac Emerson, in Baltimore. This concoction was heavily promoted as a remedy for “sick headache”, upset stomach, headache, hangover, and other maladies. The exact formula varied somewhat in the earlier years, with the main active ingredient (originally) being sodium bromide. The recipe was eventually changed about 1975, with the sodium bromide being removed entirely. (The last time Bromo-Seltzer was available for retail sale seems to have been about 2011. See my notes near the bottom of this article).
The bottles are usually found in cobalt blue glass (they are also rarely seen in aqua and clear glass), in a variety of sizes and minor embossing variants. The earlier bottles are hand-blown with a tooled lip, and the later examples are machine-made. The last machine-made types have a screw-threaded lip.
WARNING: (this paragraph first posted February 23, 2014, updated July 19, 2015). It has come to my attention that unscrupulous ebay auction sellers have recently listed old Bromo-Seltzer bottles in a peculiar dull greenish color…… I would give the color a term such as swampy moss green, olive green amber, burnt olive green or dirty mustard green!
Some bottles are also showing up in peculiar shades of dark teal blue, “midnight blue”, “dark ink blue”, very dark teal green or “Prussian Green”. (Some of these colors may or may not be “nuked”. Please see my note below about the teal green color).
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Although these bottles could theoretically show up virtually anywhere, some of them appear to be originating from sources in Florida. MOST OF THESE BOTTLES WERE EVIDENTLY ORDINARY COBALT BLUE BOTTLES WHICH HAVE UNDERGONE “NUKING” (irradiation) to change their color to a “rare” color shade, increasing the “perceived” value to bottle collectors. Be aware that the color is not believed to be “original” or “authentic”. Also, please see my webpage on this site about Artificially purpled bottles. Artificial irradiation can change glass from an original aqua or blue color to other shades including purple, depending on the exact content of the glass batch “recipe”.
(Note: Someone has written to me recently [3/2016] who stated he has personally dug a few Bromo-Seltzer bottles in a dark teal green from an old dumpsite and they are definitely authentic, not nuked, so I am adding this paragraph 4/12/2016.) I will reserve judgment on these color variants to others…………… diggers/collectors who are more knowledgeable on dug Bromo-Seltzer bottles and the range of colors that have been found. I also invite anyone to write to me directly (my email address is listed in the “CONTACT NOTES” paragraph near the bottom of any page on this site) if they know of teal green or any other colors of these bottles (any colors other than cobalt blue) that they have personally dug, and are absolutely sure they are “as originally found”. THANK YOU!
(Note: Hand-blown (mouthblown) bottles will have two vertical mold seams along the sides of the bottle that gradually “fade out” or appear to be “erased” as the seam reaches closer to the top rim. In contrast, machine-made bottles have mold seams that are usually visible clear up to the top of the bottle, often extending up onto the very top rim).
The largest size bottles are somewhat scarcer, and harder to find than the typical small size (most common) which measures, in general, about 2 and 5/8″ in height.
Many, many millions of these glass bottles were made, and the embossed lettering varies somewhat with slight variations in the exact placement, size and shape of the letters. Some bottles exhibit the results of mold-cutting errors, for instance sometimes the “Z” in “Seltzer” is embossed backwards (as in the case of the small bottle on the right in the accompanying photo). Incidentally, that particular bottle is an older version, with a “squared band” lip, believed to date from the early years of Bromo production, circa early 1890s. In contrast, the great majority of the smaller Bromo bottles have a “rounded band” lip.
Hundreds of different molds were utilized in the long stretch of time that these bottles were made. An examination of bottles shows many that carry only mold numbers on the base. These mold numbers (one or two-digit numbers) do not convey any precise information as to when the bottle was made. However, because of the high quantities of machine-made Bromo-Seltzer bottles seen with these mold numbers, it is very likely that they are products of Maryland Glass Corporation.
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The very first Bromo-Seltzer bottles were believed to have been produced by Cumberland Glass Manufacturing Company, Bridgeton, New Jersey in the very late 1880s or early 1890s. No doubt other unidentified glassmakers also produced them. The earliest bottles blown for Bromo-Seltzer may have been unembossed, leaving their identification tenuous at best.
Maryland Glass Corporation, starting production in 1907, was a glass manufacturer owned by Emerson Drug Company and was built specifically to be operated as a vehicle for producing the vast quantities of Bromo-Seltzer bottles necessary. Philip I. Heuisler, a close business partner with Isaac Emerson, served as it’s president.
As time went on, Maryland concentrated most heavily on the manufacture of many types of cobalt blue bottles and jars and other blue glassware. Maryland Glass, no doubt, produced more of the B-S bottles than any other manufacturer. The most common mark used by Maryland Glass Corporation is their “M inside a circle” . See more info on Maryland Glass Corporation and their marks here in this article: “Maryland Glass Corporation / M in a circle trademark”
All of the earliest Bromo-Seltzer bottles were handmade, presumably including most if not all of the Cumberland Glass production, as well as the first few years of Maryland Glass production.
From in-depth research by collector, researcher and Bromo Seltzer museum curator Ernie Dimler, it is now believed that Maryland Glass Co. Bromo-Seltzer bottles were made by hand from 1907 to the 1910-1911 period. By 1911, production was switched over to machine, and in about 1914 Owens automatic bottle-making machines was put into use at the plant.
Most, if not all, of the CORK-top Bromo-Seltzer bottles made by Maryland date between 1907 and circa 1921. Around 1921, the cork-top style was phased out and the “lug-style finish” was phased in. The lug type bottles have 3 lugs (small protrusions or tabs) spaced equally around the top of the bottle. The lug finish is believed to have been phased out around 1952 and the “continuous thread” finish (the “normal” threaded top) was began in about that same year.
The “M in a circle” trademark used by Maryland Glass was introduced in about 1921, around the same time the lug finish was being phased in.
Although I have previously posted here that I believed Illinois Glass Company made some of the early Bromo-Seltzer bottles, marking the bottom with a diamond with a dot inside, I now doubt that this is correct. There are a number of bottles found with geometric shapes on the base (along with an arrangement of dots) and these were most likely made by Maryland Glass Corporation in the early years of their handmade operation.
Some Bromo Seltzer bottles were also believed to have been produced by Hazel Atlas Glass Company (or it’s predecessor, Hazel Glass Company). However, that information is now in doubt as well, as discussed on Bill Lockhart’s exhaustive webpage on Bromo-Seltzer bottles here.
Another confirmed maker of Bromo-Seltzer bottles would be George Jonas Glass Company, Minotola, New Jersey (1896-1908), as this is specifically mentioned on page 271, The Glass Gaffers of New Jersey, by Adeline Pepper (1971).
Bromo-Seltzer bottles are so plentiful that they do not have a high intrinsic value, but because of their highly attractive cobalt blue color, they are very popular with glass and bottle collectors and non-collectors alike, and can even add color and interest to interior room design. Many of them are sold on internet auction sites such as ebay, and other antique and collectible sites.
The switch from glass to plastic Bromo Seltzer bottles – circa 1983?
[This paragraph edited July 13, 2022] : Exactly when the last glass Bromo-Seltzer bottles were made is currently uncertain, but possibly in about 1983. I have previously written on this site that BS glass bottles were probably phased out sometime in the 1950s or early 1960s. That is absolutely incorrect. (Bill Lockhart, in his articles for Sha.org, estimates the last glass bottles were made in the early 1970s, perhaps 1971).
Please see a message sent to me by Ron (June 24, 2013) posted in the Comments section farther down on this page. He stated that the glass bottles might have been discontinued not long after 1956 (within a year or two). However, I later received a message from Mike Johnson (posted 9-24-2015) and he is fairly certain that cobalt blue glass bottles were made for Bromo-Seltzer until about 1981 (see his post in the “Comments” section of this page also). Recently (7-2022) I received a note from another reader (Richard Kriley) and he sent me photos of a glass bottle, still labeled, bearing what appears to be a 1985 expiration date stamped on the side. After more internet searching, I found photos of other bottles (made of cobalt glass, labeled, and with metal lids) with expiration dates including October of 1985, November of 1985, and April of 1986. Exactly how long a period of time is typical between the sell date and the expiration date on these bottles is unclear. (Do you know? Please contact me!). But my guess would be that the bottles were sold around 2 to 3 years before the expiration date came around. So I am currently, until further notice, placing the date of the most recent Bromo-Seltzer glass bottles at about 1983. I invite further discussion on the subject, and if anyone has concrete documentation on when the very last glass bottles (not plastic) manufactured for Bromo-Seltzer (for normal retail sale) were made, please write!
The Emerson Drug Company (and it’s subsidiary Maryland Glass) was sold to the Warner-Lambert Pharmaceutical Company in 1956. In 1968, the Dorsey Corporation of Chattanooga, TN acquired the glass plant from Warner-Lambert, although it continued to operate under the “Maryland Glass Corporation” name.
In 1978 the Maryland glass plant was sold by Chattanooga Glass Company to Steve Kelly, who soon ran into financial problems with the property and filed for bankruptcy in 1979. By late 1980 the workers were being laid off, and the glass plant was closed down completely by February of 1981.
The product Bromo-Seltzer was continued to be sold after 1975, which was evidently the year when the formulation was changed and sodium bromide was removed from the “recipe” for the medicine. Eventually production of Bromo-Seltzer was moved entirely to Canada. (Any glass bottles that contained Bromo-Seltzer that were made after about 1981 would have been made by another glass company besides Maryland Glass Corporation).
There is confusion on when the Bromo-Seltzer product itself was completely taken off the market. Some sources have given 2008 as the year when the company stopped producing the product and went out of business. During the last years of the product (and those exact years are unclear to me at the present time), it was packaged in plastic bottles, and (later) in plastic, foil or paper packets.
From this webpage on Amazon (from reading product reviews from purchasers), the last year that Bromo-Seltzer seems to have been available for sale (online only) was approximately 2011. [Edited 4/16/2024 – that page is no longer active and was deleted].
NOTE: For a very informative, detailed treatise on BROMO-SELTZER bottles, please check out this article (this is a .PDF file) written by Bill Lockhart from his research along with info submitted by several other glass researchers. Bill discusses the many different Bromo bottle variants made over the years, with an estimated timeline: https://sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/Bromo-Seltzer.pdf
Bill also goes into more detail on Maryland Glass Corporation in this article:
https://sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/MarylandGlass.pdf
For more information on the Bromo Seltzer Art Tower in downtown Baltimore, see this article:
https://www.bromoseltzertower.com/visitor-info/museum
For a little more background information on Bromo-Seltzer, check https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bromo-Seltzer .
For an extensive list of glass manufacturers’ marks on bottles, fruit jars, electrical insulators, tableware and other glassware, please click here to go to Page One of the “Bottle Marks Pages“.
Click here to go to my site Home Page.
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Hi, as far as the Hazel-Atlas bromo bottles go, I have one that I found on my property. It is small, cobalt blue and reads “BROMO CAFFEINE” on the side and has a very clear “HA” Hazel-Atlas logo on the bottom, so I do believe Hazel Atlas did make these bottles at some point. I can send photos for reference.
Hi Ron,
Thanks for the information. I have a couple of the Bromo Caffeine bottles but I wasn’t sure if any are known that are marked with the H-A mark of Hazel-Atlas. Thanks a lot for your post!
David
I found a very large Bromo bottle in a dump with a press cap lip. The words are on the bottom but are upside down. I thought this maybe because it was used in a store to fill smaller bottles and would have been store upside down to use gravity… is this correct?
Hi Liz,
That is one of the “dispenser” bottles made for stores. I am not sure exactly how they were used, but, yes, they were positioned upside down. That type of bottle is mentioned and illustrated in this extensive article about Bromo-Seltzer bottles, written by Bill Lockhart. (The patent for that type of bottle was issued in 1937). The article is wide-ranging with tons of background info, and is 48 pages long. Check out the info on the dispenser variations beginning on page 31. This is a .pdf file and might take a bit of time to load on some computers:
https://sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/Bromo-Seltzer.pdf
Hope this helps!
David
Dear David,
Hello and thank you for your time. I have 2 of the one ounce bromo seltzer cobalt blue bottles. They both have the rounded rim tips. One has the faded but very distinct side seems that disappear near that top rim, but on the bottom of that particular bottle it has what appears to be an odd looking 16 with the 6 looking somewhat stretched out. On the other bottle there is a very faint hard to feel side seem and on the bottom of it appears to be an odd looking 2. None of the dots or diamonds patterns or numbers I can find. I hope you can help in possibly identifying these two beautiful jars for me. Thank you for any help, or answers you give. Thanks for all you do.
Sincerely,
Carol
Hi Carol,
From your description, they are handblown bottles. The “16” and the “2” are mold numbers. Many different mold numbers are seen on the bottom of those typical small Bromo Seltzer bottles. In some cases the numbers do look a bit odd, perhaps as if the mold maker did not engrave the number very neatly or “correctly” into the inside of the mold. It also might be a result of the “smearing” or slight distortion of the embossing that happened at the time the molten glass was blown into the mold. It’s hard to say for sure why they look the way they do.
Hope this helps,
David
Hi Liz,
No. Your bottle was made specifically for a Bromo Seltzer dispenser. The bottles sat on top of the dispensers. Here is a picture of one of them. I own a unit identical to this one. Typically these came with a tumbler that was cobalt blue, clear (like in the picture), or cobalt blue with white pyroglaze saying Bromo Seltzer on them. These units, according to a 1927 wholesale catalog called N.A.R.D. (National Association of Retail druggists), was given to druggists for free (“Dispenser supplied trade gratis”) when ordering Bromo Seltzer.
Following is a link to a the clipping and a view from on top of a dispenser. If you click at the top of the page you get a closeup of the beautiful, large cobalt base. One more click on is a picture showing a bottle like yours sitting on top of the entire unit from the front and both sides. Be careful…you probably will end up wanting one! https://www.insulators.info/pictures/?id=707153270
Maryland Glass has a museum in the old Emerson Clock Tower in Baltimore. I’ve recently written an article for my local museum here in Half Moon Bay, California on glass bottles found in our town. I mentioned them in my article, and they reached out; had a delightful conversation today with a man whose father ran their glassworks for 40 years, and was involved in setting up the museum.
The Curator there is the world authority on Maryland Glass, so going to reach out to him for information and insight. Apparently he has sheets with patent and model number information, and so would be a resource for many of the questions I see posted here.
He is also a bottle-digger from way back, so all us bottle geeks can relate.
I love this site, by the way, and have referred people here for their own personal research.
Thank you!
Jo
Hi Jo Ann,
Thank you for your comments and your kind words about this site! And just a note for readers, there are a variety of comments also archived under my webpage about Maryland Glass Corporation, (M in a circle mark) on this site, including several posts by Ernie Dimler, who is the curator of the Bromo Selzer museum and who I believe you are referring to. Best regards,
David
I just found a 4-inch with the mold number of 50 on it (the highest I’ve seen); I saw an old add from 1908 saying they came in 10, 25, 50 cent and $1.00 sizes and originally thought this denoted the 50 cent size – but now know this is a mold number. With such a high number, could this mean a much newer date of manufacture for it (fully embossed bottle; machine made, full seam, round lip)? Since it is fully embossed though would it be at least pre-1930 for example?
Greg, I have to be honest with you: It is hard to be sure about dates on many of the Bromo-Seltzer bottles. I would hazard a guess of 1920s-1940s but it is only a guess, and admittedly a very general one at that. Have you checked out the extensive article on Bromo Seltzer written by Bill Lockhart? (there is a link within my article). He illustrates and discusses many of the major and minor Bromo variants that were sold over the years.
Best regards,
David
I have been helping an associate clean up a farm that he recently purchased. There are a few bottle dumps in the woods around the farm and I have found many interesting bottles. I had previously collected cobalt blue wine bottes and was thrilled to find 21 cobalt blue bottles, mostly Vick’s and Milk of Magnesia, but did find a 6″ tall BromoSeltzer bottle. Like stated on a previous post, I have also found a ton of old insulators that had been shot into pieces, some worse than others. Why people would want to destroy them is beyond me!
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for your post. As someone who has been interested in insulators for a long time, I can say that many insulator collectors tell stories of frequently encountering older people who talk about shooting at insulators (still in service on the telephone or telegraph wires) for a form of “target practice” when they were much younger. This is almost an ‘inside joke’ with insulator collectors. it was, unfortunately, very common for vandalism like that to occur, especially by those who felt it was just “a little innocent fun”. At this late date, who knows how many extremely rare and valuable insulators were destroyed decades ago by youngsters with BB guns or rifles, testing their accuracy at target practice? In the case of the insulators you found, someone might have set them up in the area to use for target practice. Hard to say for sure why there were damaged or destroyed, but that would be my theory!
Take care,
David
I found a round finish full front embossed small Bromo-Seltzer bottle with the tell tale seam just below the finish. It’s got the number 24 on the base. Interestingly, it has Baltimore but does not have MD on it. Is this unusual?
Laura, I can’t say with certainty, but would guess it is relatively unusual. Probably not rare, but a somewhat scarcer variant. A large number of molds were used over many decades for the Bromo-Seltzer bottles. I know that most of them did include the state abbreviation, but I assume some molds didn’t include it — for unknown reasons.
~David
I HAVE A SMALL BLUE BROMO SELTZER BOTTLE WITH THE TWO DOTS IN A DIAMOND.ILLINOIS GLASS DID THEM
Hi John,
There have been several variations of the Bromo-Seltzer bottles found with geometric shapes on the base along with dots inside. I am under the impression that, so far, no one has proven exactly who made those bottles. It is possible, maybe probable, that Illinois Glass Company made them, but then again, the marks might be just a set of “mold identifiers” that were used by some unidentified glass company. Do you have proof that Illinois Glass Company made them? Thank you for your post, and best regards,
David
Funny thing; I’m sitting here telling my husband about my Grandmother’s addiction to Bromo in the 1960’s, she truly could not live without it back in the day the pickings were slim on stomach remedies. Then I tell him, you know how I love Cobalt Blue bottles, wish I had a Bromo bottle! I look up and realize, I do have one and it’s right in front of me! I had bought it along with 2 other bottles at a local flea this past year and forgot I had! LOL Mine is the 2 5/8″ H from Emerson in Baltimore and I love it though it sadly reminds me of her frail condition. We have an antique doctor’s exam room cabinet in our storage that came out of an old building in Bisbee, AZ, it is beautiful with original porcelain draw organizers and the backboard opens up to hold all the little medicine/remedy bottles, this one will go in it!
Side Note; speaking of the different color glass and some odd in posts above; while in a ghost town in NV we found tons of insulator glass that someone so carelessly shot up. Some of the colors I had never seen before ie; teal, mossy green, and deep purples.
Hi Rose,
Thank you very much for your interesting post!! And I’m sorry to hear about all the broken insulators you refer to. Any insulator in purple glass is definitely worth collecting. A few types in purple are fairly easy to find, either on ebay or at insulator shows, but the most common ones will still bring at least 20 dollars each and often more depending on type and embossing. The scarcest types of insulators known in purple glass are EXTREMELY rare, such as the “CD 126” early telegraph type (nicknamed a “Blobtop”, marked W. BROOKFIELD / 45 CLIFF ST / N.Y. (and some other markings), and a few specimens have sold for many thousands of dollars each. It’s a shame that they were destroyed, and it’s hard to know just what types were involved — hopefully not one of the rare ones! Take care,
David
You are welcome David and thank you! Next visit to Nevada I will definitely be looking some more at that same location. My instincts tell me there may be some in tact in the area. The variety of colors were just amazing, was tempted to pick up broken glass to make something with it. There’s also the remnants of an old mine and cabin at the same location but it has been heavily picked through. I’ll post here if I find any in tact insulators of interest.
Thank you for a great article! I have here a 2 5/8″ bottle with side seams that is embossed with “Bromo Seltzer Emerson Drug Co. Toronto Ont.” We dug this up on our property in Vancouver, Canada. Hope you’ll find this interesting.
Hi Sarah,
I have heard of a few variants that were used outside the United States, including bottles marked for Toronto, and one marked Frankfort, Germany. I would imagine there might be other cities represented as well. Thanks for writing!
David
Hey David,
I recently inherited an Emerson’s Bromo-Seltzer bottle and while it is not a definitive “I” in a diamond, it is a diamond with TWO dots. Something else I noticed about this particular bottle, maybe you know why this is, but it appears to be constructed from three parts; the two sides plus the bottom. Not sure if that definitively makes the diamond shape a mold mark because it would only apply to the base (unless all three pieces were from the same mold).
Hello Sean,
There are a number of Bromo-Seltzer bottle variants with geometric shapes on the base with a dot or several dots inside. The marking is considered to be a “bottle mark” even though in reality the engraving might have been on just the base part of a mold assembly.
I don’t think anyone is sure where that particular type of B-S bottle was made. If you have time please check out Bill Lockhart’s more detailed web article on the Bromo-Seltzers in which he mentions some of those variants…. I have a link near the bottom of my article.
As for the appearance of the bottle – I am guessing that type was machine-made, and I think you might be referring to the mold seams that look somewhat mis-aligned or like they appear somewhat “offset”? Most typical machine-made bottles are made by several mold parts coming together (on the machine), and usually on a mold for making one bottle, there are two side mold parts that fit closely together (causing the two vertical mold lines to appear in the finished bottle) and while they are momentarily “snapped shut”, so to speak, the molten glass is forced (blown) into the mold for a short time. After the glass hardens enough, within mere seconds, the mold parts are opened back up (sort of like opening the halves of a fake book, or opening out the double doors of a gate) and the bottle is removed. The “base plate” which forms the bottom of the bottle would have the engraving on it, which of course would result in the raised lettering on the bottom of the finished bottle.
This is a very generalized explanation and the process is much more complicated and detailed in reality.
You are welcome to send me pics of the bottle. My email address is listed on the bottom right hand corner of the page.
Take care,
David
This is interesting….here is an OLD post from guys doing digs in MD and this guy found 75 Bromo Caffeine bottles in one day! That would tell me they were made around there….maybe not. But wow, this is a heck of a dump to dig in obviously: https://www.antique-bottles.net/showthread.php?386280-Odd-Colored-Bromo-Caffeine
Hi Anthony,
Thanks for the link to that article. I believe that Maryland Glass Corporation of Baltimore DID manufacture the Bromo Caffeine bottles, or at least some of them, as they specialized in cobalt blue glass and made gobs of blue glass bottles and jars for many different companies.
~David
I heard about the Bromo Caffeine bottle and finally found one in an antique store in OshKosh, WI I have about 14 bromo bottles…and only collect those with a seamless, hand-formed top. The bottle is Bromo Caffeine with words sidewise and Caffeine slightly larger font. Handformed top and the number “2” on the bottom. I don’t know if they are rare or worth anything but I looked for a long time to find a non-chipped one that had “BROMO CAFFEINE” on it.I do wonder if this is from the Bromo Seltzer company or not? Beautiful blue.
Hi Anthony,
I was under the vague impression that BROMO CAFFEINE was a product produced and distributed by a competing firm. However, I cannot remember where or when I got that information. If any readers have better in-depth information on the Bromo Caffeine bottles, the product or it’s maker, please chime in!!
Best regards, David
Hi I recently found a blue bottle on the front it says Bromo Caffeine embossed in a circular way. Under that it says For All Headaches. That’s all it say on the front of the bottle. On the bottom is stamped 10-K-777. There is a seam that runs from bottom to the top on both sides of the bottle. Any information you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Could I please get a time line on the three vintage bromo bottle types . #1 The lip has no seam 1890-1915, The lip has the seam 1915- ? early screw cap type ?
James, I’m sorry but I can’t give you a detailed time line. If you haven’t already, please check out the extensive article by Bill Lockhart, which I have linked to within my article. He goes into great detail with the various types and variants of these bottles recorded so far. Maybe you can glean a better timeline with the information he has put together in his article.
Best regards,
David
Hi, I have dug a Toronto Ont Bromo bottle in Sydney Australia, along with various local bottles of
which all date to the late 1800’s.
Is the Toronto bottle a rare thing, can’t seem to find much on this one, and none on Ebay history which I thought to use to find out more.
It’s a very dark colbalt blue, much darker than the U.S. versions.
Thanks
Stephen
Hi Stephen,
I hear occasional reports of Bromo-Seltzer bottles embossed with the city of Toronto, but I have no idea how common or rare they really are. Because of the fact that I live in the United States, and the majority of bottles seen in this country were intended for distribution and use here, it is hard to know how many of the “Toronto” marked bottles there are around the world. I would imagine most of them were used in Canada. Evidently, from your experience, at least some of them were exported to Australia. Perhaps others were shipped to other British countries / colonies??
~David
I just found a bottle today. It is stamped M2 on the bottom of the bottle.
I just found one of these bottle in the mud after river flood waters washed it into the park.
Hi! I have a small cobalt blue Bromo Seltzer bottle with either the letter “L” or the number 7 on the bottom. Does anyone know what this indicates?
Hi Matt, I would imagine it is meant to be the number “7”. I have seen several different numbers on the bases of Bromo-Seltzer bottles, and they are assumed to be mold identifying numbers. Also, please check out my webpage concerning numbers seen on the bases of glass bottles.
Best regards,
David
Hi I have Cobalt Blue Bromo-Seltzer bottle. It is in great condition. It has Baltimore MD on it. The bottom has 3 dots inside a circle. I have enclosed a picture of it. I wiuld love to know the history of this bottle.
For the past 25 years I have had several bottles in my possession. And as I had more time on my hands I am looking further into the bottles I have. Two of my aunts worked at Maryland Glass Company, I’m thinking around 1930-1940. I have a Bromo-seltzer bottle with screw-on white lid with blueprint; the base has a number 5. I also have a piggy bank rough texture cobalt- its ears are laying flat and it has a number one on the base. Can you tell me anything about these. I also have several other bottles. I’m just studying a few at a time- any information would be appreciated. Thank you.
Linda, perhaps someone who has worked at the plant or has more in-depth information will eventually reply to your post. Thanks, David.
Found a Bromo-seltzer bottle in ny where the area used to be a landfill. No indicators from any glass company are visible though it does say Baltimore md right on the front.
Beau, many Bromo-Seltzer bottles don’t have a glass company identification mark on them, although most are believed to have been made by Maryland Glass Corporation, which may be the case with your bottle. When there is a mark, it tends to be the “M in a circle” logo used by Maryland. However, many of the earlier bottles made by Maryland evidently didn’t care a mark, just a mold number, if that.
David
Hello David,
I found a Bromo Seltzer bottle in Lake Superior recently while Scuba diving under the some docks that have been repaired recently. A powerful storm had come through and did much damage and so repairs were necessary. The docks are over 100 years old and occasionally old bottles are found there. I suspect the storm had moved the silt around and exposed this bottle which had been buried for some time.
I was recording all this and posted it to my YouTube channel. I am including a link so you can see how I found this bottle. The bottle find is at the 5:51 mark. It measures just over 7.5″ tall and had the circle M and a 5 on the bottom.
I can send photos too if you would like.
Thank you,
DiverDon
Hello DiverDon, and thanks for your post! You have an interesting video there! Thanks for the link, and best of luck with more “treasure hunting” on Lake Superior.
David
Thanks David, I’m glad you found it interesting. If I find any more that are similar I will merely post photos. I’m not sure if you can tell by the video but this one has the screw on top so I suspect its new and fairly common.
But the story behind my finding it makes it that much more valuable to me.
I guess I have nothing else to do now but check out the rest of your site.
Cheers,
Don
I have found several small blue Bromo Seltzer Bottles with the original product inside.
The full label reads starting from the top:
“Net Weight Granular Effervescent 3/8 OZ
BROMO- SELTZER
Trade Mark Reg. U. S PAT. OFF
Active Ingredients
Each heaping teaspoonful contains 2 1/2 grains Acetanilid.
5 grains Sodium Bromide, also Caffeine; Sodium Bicarbonate and Citric Acid, Which when dissolved form sodium citrate.
A relief for simple Headaches and Neuralgia
Dose: A heaping teaspoon in half glass of water; if not relieved, repeat after interval of three hours. Do Not exceed two doses in twenty four hours. In persistent or frequent headache or neuralgia, consult your physician. Not for use by children.
CAUTION: If rash, drowsiness in daytime, or any unusual symptoms occur, discontinue use at once. Not for use by those having Kidney or other organic diseases, unless advised by physician. Do not exceed recommended dosage. Frequent and continuous use may result in serious effects.
The Emerson Drug Company of Baltimore City, Maryland.
on the side, it reads CONTROL NO 0473”
I have several of these unopened bottles.
There is a metal cap and in Blue it reads, BROMO-SELTZER keep tightly closed.
the blue bottle on the bottom it also has raised Bromo lettering in the glass and on the bottom of the bottle there is an M with a circle around it and a number 23
Will I die if I drink some?
Why did they take this product off the market?
Hi Brian,
As far as I know, the product is still on the market (but now in tablet form, and sold in a package similar to Alka-Seltzer) but the ingredients have been changed since the years when Bromo-Seltzer was sold in glass bottles. I cannot honestly say exactly what differences there are in the present formulation as compared to the recipe they used to use, but I believe they removed the sodium bromide, and perhaps some other minor ingredients? I certainly wouldn’t recommend your taking a dose from an old bottle, although I doubt that it would be dangerous to do so. After all, the product was consumed in large quantities for decades 🙂
Here are some product reviews from the Amazon site:
https://www.amazon.com/Bromo-Seltzer-20-Effervescent-Tablets/dp/B009L4F1SW#customerReviews
Hope this helps,
David
David ,Linda here again that Bromo Seltzer Bottle with OBC is a 1904 or 1905 do you know which one was it I am getting conflicting dates as when Ohio Bottle Company made them the article says 1905 was the year they handed the manufacturing to Ohio Bottle Company then the graft says 1904. anyway I have the OBC one.
Linda, can you email me a picture of this bottle with the OBC on the bottom? I’ve tried to contact you several times with no answer. Perhaps my emails are being sent to your spam/trash folders???
Best regards,
David
My blue glass bottle was found with the label the same as others with the exception of Toronto, Ont. not Baltimore Md. was the company once located in Canada, would you know?
Hi Gail, from my understanding I think Bromo-Seltzer marketed their product in a number of other countries besides the US, including Canada, Australia, and countries in Europe, and so they did have several bottle variants with other city names embossed on them. Although, I don’t know if those other bottles were made in the United States and exported to the country where they were to be sold, OR if they were actually made in those countries by another glass company FOR Bromo-Seltzer.
I am sure there was a “branch business office” located at some time in Toronto. Perhaps those bottles marked with the city name “TORONTO” were made by some unidentified glass manufacturer in Canada?? I simply don’t know. That information might already be available somewhere on the web, for all I know!
Best regards,
David
In regards to the Bromo Seltzer OBC bottle. I just now got this message – it is now Feb 2019. David, what is your email?
Linda, my email address is listed on the lower right-hand corner of any page on this site. (I’m not sure if it displays the same on smartphones, as opposed to desktop computers). I have now emailed you 4 times, with no response whatsoever. I’ve also checked my spam folders.
~David