NUMBERS ON THE BOTTOMS OF GLASS BOTTLES. I frequently receive inquiries about the interpretation of various numbers seen on the bases of glass bottles. Collectors and others are interested in understanding what the number markings on the bottoms of glass containers mean. Unfortunately, there is no “one answer fits all” to this question!!
(NOTE: the article on this page is pertaining to GLASS containers, and does not apply to the subject of modern / recent PLASTIC containers, which is an entirely separate field of study, and is discussed on many other websites. The number (within a triangle with rounded corners) found on the bottom of plastic bottles is a code indicating the type of plastic the bottle is made from, and pertains to the subject of recycling) .
Always look very closely over the entire glass bottle or other container to see if there is a logo (emblem, trademark, initials, or just a letter) visible that might be a mark that identifies the actual glass manufacturer. Often, a trademark or other marking is embossed on the very bottom of the bottle, or along the lower “heel” of the bottle.
On many bottles, there is no such mark, with only a number or numbers to be seen. In these cases, the general style, shape, glass color and other characteristics may help narrow down the possible age range of a particular specimen.
A large percentage of bottles are marked with only a number, or numbers, on the base (or the heel), and the truth is that, in many cases, it is very difficult, if not impossible to assign a specific glass manufacturer to a bottle if there is no other information embossed in the glass.
Most commonly, single or double-digit numbers embossed on the bottom of a glass item are mold numbers – those numbers served to identify a particular mold (or mold section/mold cavity in use on an automatic bottle-manufacturing machine).
If several identical glass molds were being used simultaneously, each mold would have been assigned a number (a number between 1 and 10, or 1 and 12, etc). If problems occurred with the finished product, it could be easily ascertained which mold is at fault.
Many, many types of commonly-seen glass products have been marked with these types of mold numbers on the base, including bottles, fruit jars, jugs, flasks, candle holders, candlesticks, ashtrays, canisters, dishes, mugs, sugar bowls, salt and pepper shakers, sugar shakers, syrup pitchers, tumblers, tea glasses, punch cups, etc.
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Numbers also serve other purposes, depending on the exact item or container and/or company being discussed. Some numbers are “year/date of manufacture” codes. Some numbers (for instance, 3- or 4-digit numbers on the base of many British bottles) are catalog, inventory, style or design numbers assigned to a particular bottle shape. (Hazel Atlas Glass Company, Anchor Hocking Glass Corporation, Knox Glass Bottle Company and other bottle manufacturers made a wide variety of glass containers with those types of numbers on the base, sometimes a letter/number combination.)
Those numbers would serve to identify a particular bottle style in communications/orders between the glass manufacturer and their customers ……. that is, the companies that ordered the bottles to package its products. Some numbers were factory location codes. (See my page on Owens-Illinois Glass Company, that used, and uses, location codes on many of their bottles).
Many Ball fruit jars (and other brands) carry mold numbers on the base, such as the underlined “2” illustrated here. They identified the particular mold (or “mold cavity” on the jar-making machine). For more information, see my web page on the Ball Perfect Mason jars.
Many Owens-Illinois Glass Company soda bottles, for a period of time, used “G-numbers” on the bottom (numerals before or after a G), which were codes for a specific bottle shape (design), irrespective of the soda brand name or glass color of the bottle.
Large numbers of American-made whiskey and other spirits bottles (dating between 1935 and the 1970s or later) carry a “Liquor Bottle Permit Number” on the base along with a glass manufacturer trademark and a date code. For more information please check out my page here with a list of those liquor bottle permit numbers: Glass Industry Liquor Bottle Permit Numbers .
Here’s my page about the “FEDERAL LAW FORBIDS SALE OR REUSE OF THIS BOTTLE” marking seen on liquor bottles.
Many liquor bottles are seen with “D-numbers” on the bottom which are distillery identification codes. Someone has put together a list of various distiller code numbers and R-numbers (Rectifier numbers) seen on a wide variety of liquor bottles, with some info on attribution. Here is a link to that page, which is a PDF file: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51379b83e4b02119d184b2a2/t/584a336ee4fcb59adb85c48b/1481257838281/User+Permit+numbers.pdf
Date codes are often seen, especially on soda bottles from the 1930s to date, and many of these codes are embossed on the base of the bottle, placed to the right of the glassmaker’s logo. This is true on the products of some manufacturers, but not all.
Most modern glass bottles carry date codes, which are often on the heel of the bottle. These date codes are not always obvious, or easy to distinguish from mold numbers. It also depends on exactly which glass company produced the container, as all firms did not / do not use the same system of markings.
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DOTS or BUMPS around the lower heel of bottles.
In many cases (especially within the last couple of decades), mold data information is now preserved through the use of small embossed “dots”, “bumps” or raised periods arranged horizontally around the lower heel of the container. More information on this invention (which is rather involved!) and how it works can be found by doing an internet search (Google, Bing, Yahoo or other search engine), using the keyword search terms “EP 0256804 B1 ” , “code reader”, and “Emhart”.
Here are a few photos showing typical bottle bases with numbers on the bottoms. There are numerous ways in which the base of a bottle may be marked, but here are some of the more commonly seen “layouts” of the modern era. You can also see several relatively modern bottle bases on my pages about Owens-Illinois Glass Company and Brockway Glass Company.
NOTE: Please click here to go to the alphabetical list of Glass Bottle Marks , this link points to “page one”. If there is an identifiable mark on the bottom of a bottle, the mark might be listed there. These pages list many commonly seen glass makers’ marks such as “B inside a circle”, “Diamond and oval with an I”, “I inside a diamond”, “O in a square”, as well as initials such as “S B & G CO”, “R & CO”, “A B CO”, “F C G CO”, “I. G. CO.” and many others.
Please click here to go to my website HOME (Welcome) page.
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Hi I have a non-swim 7up bottle and the bottom has the numbers:
2
a 2 by 2 grid followed by an eye then a 7
and the letters and numbers V-928
If anyone can help me date this it would be very much apreciated
Kishan, the “eye” is the earlier logo used by Owens-Illinois Glass Company. Please check my page on that glassmaker. The “V-928” is a code number assigned to that bottle style or mold. The “7” (if placed to the right of the logo) is a date code which may stand for 1937, 1947 or 1957….. not sure which date would be correct.
David
Thank you so much!
Hello I have a unopened full bottle of don Carlos golden sherry it has a tag on it that’s says 50 years old but that was at time of sale I’m trying to figure out when it was sold. I can not find any information anywhere on the web about it. The numbers on the bottom of the bottle are 04 and below that is 78 can anyone tell me what these numbers are thank you.
Hello, my husband has found a few old bottles, the one of interest is what we believe to be an old Coca Cola bottle which is clear in colour and had the date 1917 which is upside down on the glass embossed bottle, it also have on the very bottom3 b 6 could anyone please help with the age of this bottle. Many thanks in advance
hi my family found a glass bottle in the backyard it is greeny clear colour about 7.5cm tall and 3cm wide It has lines on the front and sides Then Written In capital letters
POISONOUS NOT TO BE TAKEN
On the bottom of the bottle there are numerals that Say …
M793
E50
C11
Do you have any idea on what type of bottle it cold be???
Elloise, I assume you are located in the UK. I am not that familiar with many British bottles. You do have what is generally called a “Poison bottle” and they are avidly collected in the UK, especially the older pre-1930 types in bright cobalt blue or green glass. I would imagine you may have a relatively recent, machine made example but I really don’t know. You might try searching online for poison bottle collector sites. I would suggest you try posting an inquiry and pictures on the http://antique-bottles.net site, where a lot of bottle collectors (of all genres) hang out……there are many discussion groups there and someone may have more information for you. Best regards, David
I have a clear bottle with glass stopper. Bottom has markings:
T.C.W – Co.
U.S.A.
1-L-7 or I-L-7
I understand the TCW is Wheaton. What do the letter and number code mean?
Thank you.
Edward, in this particular example, I am not sure, since I am not familiar with code markings used by Wheaton on their vials and medicinal containers, but I would guess the numbers are codes for that particular bottle style, along with a mold identifier number.
David
Hello David – Thank you for this amazing resource. I found a bottle bottom yesterday while walking along the Delaware Bay Beach and I cant seem to identify it. It is clear glass, fairly well tumbled, and has a large (fills almost the entire bottom) “s” or stylized “5” (though I believe it to be the former given the identical top and bottom of the figure). The bottle bottom is about 3.5 inches in diameter. The “S” is an outlined S that recalls a varsity letter in style. Many thanks in advance for any insight.
Xenia, you are welcome to send me a clear photo of the bottle base although I can’t guarantee I can offer any insight. There were many different soda bottles from around the US, especially in the 1910s-1950s period, produced that were marked with just a letter (an initial) on the base that stood for a particular bottling company. My email address is listed at the bottom right hand corner of any page on this site.
David
Trying to find out info on a found bottle. Has the number 35 and York dairy Brooklyn on it. Can not find any info.
While seaglassing the other day, I found a gorgeous small cobalt bottle bottom with just a 3 on it. there is some small writing on side but cannot make it out. I seem to find a lot of bromo fragments, perhaps it’s one of those? love your site, it’s an invaluable resource for us seaglassers!
Hi Victoria,
It may be a Bromo-Seltzer base, as mold numbers (one or two digits) were marked on the bottoms of a lot of those bottles. I’m assuming it is round? If you wish, you can email me a pic of the bottom to my address which is listed at the bottom right of any page on this site. Some of the later machine-made Bromo bottles have “BROMO-SELTZER – EMERSON DRUG CO.”embossed in capital letters, placed around the “heel” of the bottle immediately above the base.
Best regards,
David
I have been collecting sea glass for a while and finding a piece with writing is great, but finding a piece with enough writing to try to locate is even better. I found a rectangle clear bottle bottom that has the markings “R-105 A (with a circle around it) then 12” across the center of the bottle bottom. underneath all that is a “69” It appears from your site this belongs to Armstrong Corp Company in Pittsburgh (Found in southern CT/LI sound) is there a way to narrow it down further with age? I browsed info on Armstrong which has been made into loft apartments in 2007 from what I can see.
Hi Dawn,
The marking “R-105” is known as a “Rectifier Number” and shows the bottle was a liquor bottle of some sort. For a long period of time glass manufacturers who made liquor bottles were required to mark their bottle bottoms with “Distiller numbers” (starting with a D) or Rectifier numbers (starting with an R). The “A in a circle” does identify the bottle to be a product of Armstrong Cork Company, but this was long after they had moved their headquarters out of Pittsburgh in 1929. They moved their business offices to Lancaster, PA, and in 1938 Armstrong expanded their product line to include glass containers by purchasing the Whitall-Tatum Company (Millville, NJ) and the Hart Glass Manufacturing Company (Dunkirk, Indiana). (Their glass was not actually made at Lancaster, PA).
Your bottle base has a “69” which is almost certainly a date code for 1969, which is the year that Kerr Glass Company bought the glass plants owned by Armstrong. I would assume your bottle was made at the Millville, NJ plant location. “12” is probably a mold number.
Please check out my page on Whitall-Tatum. Also, please check out this webpage on the sha.org site about Armstrong, which covers a lot of details on that company:
https://sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/ArmstrongCork.pdf
Hope this helps!
David
My husband found a small brown bottle while excavating in Black Hawk, Colorado. It had a sideways diamond with the number 5 underneath it. Any idea of a background in it? Thank you!
Alyssa, please check out my page on the Illinois Glass Company (they used the “I in a diamond” mark).
Best regards, David
I have a clear mason jar says Atlas E-Z Seal on the front and on the bottom it has a 6 with a line above it an H over an A mark and a single A but beside the a there is a dot with a minus sign below it any information would be appreciated of age or what it was used for thanks
Hi Justin,
The ATLAS E-Z SEAL jars were made in very large quantities for a long period of time by Atlas Glass Company and Hazel-Atlas Glass Company (see my page on the latter firm). They were possibly produced as early as the late 1890s, in shades of aqua, light green, light blue, cornflower blue and other colors. The clear versions came later, perhaps after the mid-1930s. Any ATLAS EZ-SEAL jar with the “H over an A” mark (that stands for Hazel-Atlas) on the bottom were made after 1923. There is probably no way to be sure what year your jar was made, but I would guess it was made sometime between around 1935 and 1964.
David
We purchased a farm where the home was built in 1853. A little over 20 years ago, I discovered a dump with a lot of bottles in it. I found a round green bottle about 1-1/4 inch diameter, 2-3 inches tall and the markings on the bottom are (the best way I can describe them) set in a North, East, South and West pattern. There is no mark at North. 6 is at East; 5 is South, and 3 is West. In the center, not touching any numerals, is an O with an elongated ring around it, sort of like a planet with a ring. Do you have any ideas who made this and its age? Thank you for your help. I also found a cobalt blue bottle saying Bromo Seltzer Emerson Drug Co Baltimore, MD which appears to be machine blown. Again, thank you.
Susan, the “O with elongated ring” is one of the marks used by Owens-Illinois Glass Company. Please see my page on that firm, as well as my page on the Bromo Seltzer bottles which were made for several decades, in a good number of variations.
Best regards,
David
Thank you, David.
For many years I’ve had this old glass water bottle that was my Grandfather’s. Have never been able to trace back when and where it originated from? It looks exactly like the plastic water jugs we put on a water dispenser in your kitchens, but this one is glass, and weighs a ton. Only markings are on the bottom, it has: 623 4-5. It’s a clear bluish?? in color. Would appreciate knowing the history to pass on. Thanks Sherry
Hi Sherry,
It sounds like an old 5-gallon water bottle. Some of those types of glass bottles were used to contain liquid chemicals (such as acids), wine, as well as water or other liquids. Very large bottles were/are called “carboys” or “demijohns” by the factories. The glass color is probably what most bottle collectors would call “aqua” (light blueish-green) or blue-aqua. If there is not a glass maker’s logo or initials on the bottom, it is very difficult to be sure who made it or how old it is. The numbers are probably inventory/mold numbers assigned by the glass maker to that bottle style.
Best regards,
David
Hi there! I am new to learning about bottle identifying and I have weird one here. I am a supervisor for a general contracting company and while digging a foundation we unearthed plenty of older bottles. I have an old lighter green bottle with what looks like a Roman numerical 2 (II) on it. The bottom of the glass looks very uneven. Found with the bottle was a “Full Measure Levinson’s ‘our name our guarantee’ Seattle Wash” brown bulged neck bottle, a “Chas H Fletcher’s ‘castoria'” medicine bottle and a small 2-3 ounce cylindrical bottle with the paper label almost completely worn off. Any help would be great fun. Thank you!
Andrew, thanks for your post. Please check out my page on the Chas H Fletcher bottles. Huge numbers of them were made over many years; in fact the Fletcher’s Castoria bottles are one of the most common types of bottles (especially from the circa 1890-1930 period) found in trash dumps, privy holes, and construction sites by antique bottle diggers. Concerning the other bottles, you might try searching google with keywords such as “Full Measure” Levinson’s, bottle, and other keywords. Bottles with only numbers on the base will be difficult to identify.
Best regards,
David
Hi. Partially buried next to a tree in a cemetery, I found a short wide-mouthed jar with text on bottom “NO 62 PAT IN US DEC 22 1903” and “U 3” on heel. Any insight much appreciated.
Mike, I think it is PROBABLY an early jelly glass. The design was patented Dec 22 1903. You might try searching GOOGLE PATENTS with the patent date and the word “jar”.
David
It’s actually a catch glass for an Arcade 1902 wall mount coffee grinder
Hi Deanna, could you please give some references for this? I’m an archaeologist at Stanford University, and I’m working on fragments of glass from an excavation. I have the bottom of a glass object with these patent dates, No. 71, and M 15 on it. I’d really like more information!
I have a square qt. fruit jar that has a diamond pattern all around, front side has a clear circular space, probably for the label. Bottom has the numbers 1631, and single number 5.. Also a small embossed symbol of a jar, shaped wider at the top. Is it possible to estimate the age of this jar and the maker? Another qt. jar has square embossed pattern, no other marks. Maker & age? Thanks.
Agnes,
Search the internet with the terms “Diamond mesh”, “crosshatch pattern”, “hoosier jar”, and “waffle pattern”. Those types of fruit jars were made, for the most part, during the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s, by many glass companies. I have more info buried somewhere on my site about these jars (answering other questions of the same nature) but I don’t know exactly what page it is on.
David
Thanks for your suggestions.
Hi David, I have a bottle that is just short of 6 inches. I found it in the woods among other bottles…it has 7 circles around the number 37 which is in the middle. Any idea?
Ben, it sounds like a non-returnable soda bottle from the 1970s-1990s. Many of them have concentric circles on the bottom with a mold number in the center. The mold number just identified the exact mold the bottle was made in. Many of those bottles also have date codes or manufacturing plant logos on the “heel” , but in very faint lettering.
David
Can you please tell me what “C900” would signify on the heel of an EO Brody vase? I have several from this company, and all I have determined is that after 1995 the EO was dropped so I’m sure these are prior to that year.
Lana,
The “C900” is probably the catalog or stock number assigned to that particular vase style. I would assume it was made sometime in the 1960s-1980s, but it is hard to say with certainty. Please check my webpage on E.O. Brody.
Best regards,
David
I have a glass bottle that has “central bottling & distribution co.” along the bottom lip of the bottle.
It also has “conts. 6 1/2 ozs.” under what looks like a cursive capital G inside of a outlined shield.
The same cursive capital G is also on the bottom of the bottle.
the bottle measures 8 1/2 ” tall.
Please help
Thanks
Hello I found a small amber/brown bottle with two circle humps on the back, and the markings on the bottom say 8 to the left and flag symbol with a capital P in the middle of the triangular flag, and also U.S.A
Christy, I’ve seen this “P in a flag” before but don’t have info on the maker. I’m guessing it may stand for a pharmaceutical company, but I may be mistaken. Perhaps a reader will know.
David
I have a glass decanter and wine glasses set that I bought. It’s a smokey white glass with drop color art. There are three types of stamps on this set. On the bottle there is a 4 and Italy and on the cups there are France stamps. I’ve tried several times over the years to find something about this set. Any help you be greatly appreciated.
Hi Danielle, I’m sorry, but I don’t know anything about your set.
Best regards,
David
I have a bottle from Bosch Houghton, Michigan that looks like a wine bottle with c5 xxx I think and the circle with the diamond in the middle with an I in it, 6 on one side and 6 on the other and a 1 below it. Found it buried and really wanna know what year it’s from.
Hi Melissa,
All I can pass along is that your bottle was made by Owens-Illinois Glass Company, at their Charleston, WV plant (plant code number “6” to the left of the logo), and the year date code “6” (to the right of the logo) stands for either 1936 or 1946. I would guess 1936, but I can’t guarantee that to be correct. Please see my page on Owens-Illinois.
~David
Hi! I’m from Philippines. Just this morning my father found a brown bottle about 18cm in height. I’m not sure about its base logo, it reads like SAA. And above that logo there is a code (713 s). I tried to google the code but i can’t find any answers. Can you help me identify the bottle and where it is made? Thank you
Hi Neptali,
I’m sorry but I don’t know anything about your bottle. I’m guessing it may be from a glassmaker from somewhere in Asia, but that “covers a lot of ground”, as there are many glass bottle manufacturers in China and elsewhere. I haven’t searched through the Emhart punt mark database. Perhaps you could try that. That webpage lists a lot of bottle marks from around the world. However, there are MANY obscure bottle-making firms throughout Asia that are not listed on that site.
David
Hey David I found a clear liquor bottle date on bottom 1876 . it has a gold cap with the letters ND. And in the middle of bottle on the bottom with DAT it has a letter B with circle and few more letters. On side of bottle it says federal law forbids sale or re- use of this bottle. Its a squad long neck bottle. Can u tell me anything about this bottle. If so email me at jeffnandrea15@gmail.com thank u
Jeffrey, all I can be sure of is that the bottle was made by Brockway Glass Company (B in a circle). the “1876” is probably a number assigned to that particular style of bottle, i.e. an inventory, stock or catalog number. (Definitely not a date).
David
Hi my name is brandan. I found twenty six small glass bottles within 4 sq feet in the woods near my house. They are all the same shape and size. They all have an f on the bottom and a 3 digit code. could you tell me anything you might now about them.
Brandan, they were probably made by Fairmount Glass Company, at their factory site located in Indianapolis. See my page on that company.
~David
Hello, I just found a small (3 to 4 inches tall) amber or brown bottle. It has what appears to be a metal lid with red rubber center. On the bottom is this: a #7 – then a diamond and oval – then the #8. Beneath that is the number 1845. The base is covered with a circular pattern of bumps. Can you help me with this ? – Elizabeth
Thanks
Elizabeth, I’ve discussed this elsewhere on my site, in reply to other comments/queries about the “1845” bottles, but, sorry, I don’t know what page(s) it appears on. The “1845” is an inventory/design number assigned to that particular style bottle (a “generic” amber cylindrical type, made in several sizes, usually used for liquid chemical products or medicines). They seem to be found quite often so I assume huge quantities were made over several years. I think all these bottles are products of Owens-Illinois Glass Company. In your case, the “7” is a plant code for O-I’s glass factory at Alton, Illinois, and the “8” is a date code for 1938 or 1948. You can find similar “1845” amber bottles by searching ebay with the keywords “amber”, “1845” and “bottle”. Hope this helps,
David
Hello!! Your page is so awesome! Almost anything is on here. I’m very curious to know if there are bottles you are still in search of or must have? I live in Washington Pa, and literally with in walking distance of the Hazel Atlas Co Plant 2. It’s been abandoned now forever. My twin and I have been combing the area and finding all kinds of bottles. We’ve also found huge chunks of colored glass, which had to be their dumping place, from the Hazel Plant. I can keep an eye out for any bottles on your collection. I’m just a fan of this page! You Rock!! Thanks Christy
Hi Christy,
Thank you very much for the nice words about my site. Sounds like you are lucky to live so close to an old glassmaking plant. Although I have tried to write articles about many kinds of glass and glassware for posting on the site, my main interest is the history behind the factories and I usually don’t actively search for most of the bottles and other glass that is discussed……..I have too much already and am strapped for room! Currently my main interests in glass collecting are 1880s-era mugs made by Atterbury (see my webpage on Atterbury Glass) and bottles actually made in Louisville KY by several factories there in the late 1800s. Thanks a lot!
~David
David and bottle owner, we found amber bottles maybe pint size in the dunes on New Jersey Shore years ago that were supposedly cod-liver oil. Without a picture that’s the only lead. The site was near a late 19th c seahore “Reeds Hotel” on what’s now Island Beach State Park
There have been many kinds of cod liver oil bottles made over the years. Many of them are of amber glass and often they have some type of fish graphic (raised embossing) on the sides. Of course many bottles that once contained Cod liver oil just had a paper label, and in those cases if the label is missing there is no way to be sure what was originally in the bottle.
David
David, I have two amber colored bottles in the shape of a fish that I believe were manufactured by Canton Glass in Marion, Indiana. The number on the bottom is 233. Any ideas?
Gaile, I’m not sure. But why do you think they were made by Canton?
David
hI Dave, I have an old brown or amber colored bottle about 10 to 12 ” tall. it has the letters and numbers on bottom all seprated by 3 lines A -L-79-25, I said it was an old syarpe bottle madein 1979, my son-in law says no made in the 1800’s or early 1900. any help would be helpful andwina bet!!
Thanks
Cissy
Cissy, I can (almost) guarantee from your description that the bottle was made sometime in the 1950s-1970s. You don’t mention a glass manufacturer logo which might give better info on date range. If you wish, email me a photo of the bottle (and the base markings) to the address on lower bottom right of any page on this site. No bottles from the late 1800s or early 1900s have numbering or lettering on the bottom like you describe. It certainly sounds like it is a modern, machine-made product.
David
I pulled what looks like the bottom of an bottle out of the Chesapeake, just wanted to know what it was and my Google searches have come up with nothing. has the numbers 39008 and a box across the top then to the right a 55 in a box to the left at 3 in a box and then an m in a Hexagon- all I could gather from the Internet is that the bottle was made in Maryland due to the m. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Jen it sounds like a container made by Metro Glass in 1955. I think the “55” is a date code and the “3” is a mold number. The “39008” is a catalog number assigned to that bottle style. Those are my guesses…….no guarantee that is accurate! 🙂
David
I picked up the bottom of a bottle on a beach near Marco Island, FL. It has Liquor Bottle and the numbers 69 and 23 either side of a logo which I can’t quite make out. Then underneath it has 1807 (I’d love to know if this was the year). Its about 3 inches wide and clear glass. Would love to know anything about it.
[Instagram URL originally posted here no longer works – link to photo removed 11/18/2022]
Hi Rob,
Thank you for the link. The base is from a bottle manufactured by Foster-Forbes. The weird logo is supposed to be an “FF in a circle” and please check out my entry for that mark in my alphabetical lists of glass marks. The “69”, in this case is a Liquor Bottle Permit Number assigned to Foster-Forbes Glass Company. (Search on google with “liquor bottle permit numbers” to see a page with a list of numbers associated with various glass bottle companies).
The “23” doesn’t seem to make sense, but it may have been intended as a “73” (date code for 1973). Often the markings on bottle bases are not clearly embossed, especially when the mold engraver was in a hurry or did not carefully engrave the number into the bottle mold. Since Foster-Forbes wasn’t in business in 1923 it could not stand for 1923.
The “1807” is a number assigned to that particular bottle style or design. No, the 1807 doesn’t have anything to do with a date. Btw, just for some trivia, relatively few glass bottles have survived intact from that early time period (most are now in museums or “upscale” antique bottle collections) but in any case utilitarian bottles made in the early 1800s were hand-blown, and tend to be crudely made and most of them are found in shades of dark olive green, olive amber, blackglass or aqua. Virtually none of that era are known in clear glass (except for some upscale flint glass decanters or “steamboat glass” which is another category entirely). Hope this helps,
David
Hi David, Thank you so much for your extensive, comprehensive and very informative reply. So interesting to know the history and I like what I’ve found purely for it’s look. You certainly know your stuff and I know where to come back to for any future finds. Thanks for taking your time to respond.
Rob
Thank you Rob!
~David
HI I found a glass bottle in upstate NY that appears to have the words “Jo-CUY” inside of a pine tree embossed on the front. On the bottom it reads made in the USA and a B and a 6 on opposite sides. I was thinking it can’t be that old because it is clear and is labeled made in the USA, which I don’t think that label was too important until we started to outsource our goods to China.
Hi, I have found a few old bottles and can’t seem to find any info. Maybe you can help. All of them have numbers on the bottom.One is a brown bottle, about 6 inches tall, with 28 on the bottom over a W that’s inside a circle….. One is smaller, around 4 inches, with a W inside a circle over 92…. And the last one is a clear bottle, about 6-8 inches tall, with 12. A 1 inside a circle, and and 82 over the number 15. Thanks for any info!!
Hi “WalkbyFaith79”,
The bottles with “W in a circle” were made by T.C. Wheaton Company, Millville, NJ, as I have explained in my alphabetical mark listings on this site. They are probably medicinal vials or “serum bottles”. Not sure about the clear bottle although it might be from Armstrong Cork Company of Millville, NJ. The “82” might be a date code for 1982 but honestly I am not sure about that.
David
Hello there, my wife found a brown bottle in the ground while camping in the Sawtooth Mountains near Stanley, Idaho. It is approximately 6 inches tall. The markings on the bottom are as follows : all marking are on the bottom of the bottle.
NW on top (connected together)
523 on the left
56 on the right
12 on the bottom.
Again, all of those numbers are on the bottom of the bottle. I have matched the symbol to the Northwestern Glass Co. out of Seattle. It would be interesting to know the year and what was in it. I tried to research but had no luck.
Hank, I don’t have specific information on Northwestern Glass Company bottle mold codes / configurations, but I would assume the “56” is almost certainly a date code for the year 1956. “523” is probably a style number assigned to that mold.
~David
I have an 8″ high brown bottle with rounded edges at the top. It has raised grapes on the front of the bottle. On the back at the top it says 4/5 (some grapes) then PINT. On the bottom it says WINE then under that there is a 72 on the left an N in a square then a 7 on the right. Under the N in the square there is a 4. Can you tell me anything about this bottle?
Toni,
From your information, evidently the bottle is a pint-size wine bottle made in 1972 by Obear-Nester Glass Company of East St. Louis, IL. Please check out my webpage on that glass company. The “72” is almost certainly a date code. The “4” is probably a mold identifier number.
Best regards,
David
I’ve got a bottle with a few imperfections and very little labeling I’m trying to figure what kind of bottle it is the only markings on it are i. P. C. Co .125 3 it’s got a thick bottom with a little more glass to one side and a few air bubbles halfway up the bottle it’s clear glass can anyone help
Stormy, please check out my entry for I.P.G.Co in the alphabetical-arranged glass mark listings.
David
Hey, i have found a triangular norwich bottle, it has norwich embossed on all 3 sides of the bottle, its is a see through clear glass, the lid is also a screw on. Naturally i assumed it is a old pepto-bismol bottle, but everyone says that those have a P mark on the bottom. On the bottom of mine there is a circled B in the center, above that is the number 1037 and under the B it has a 4 with a dot after it. I cant seem to find anything on it, any ideas? Thanks.
Grace, You can be sure that your bottle was made by Brockway Glass Company (B in a circle logo). The “1037” would be a style number assigned to that bottle design. I would not agree with the statement that “All” Pepto-Bismol bottles would be made by one glass manufacturer, such as Pierce. I haven’t researched those bottles and don’t know who all made them, but it was (and is) very common for popular products to be sold in bottles made by a number of different glass companies if the product was sold for any length of time. Pierce was only one among many bottle manufacturers, and it would stand to reason that other Norwich / Pepto-Bismol bottles with other glass company logos will be found sooner or later.
Hope this helps,
David
Hi there, David! First off, thank you for maintaining and being awesome with this website!
Second, I found this today…. the bottom of a bottle. It is about 4 or 4.5 inches in diameter …. and it has a large number 4 on it. Here is a photo of it:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGKQeRgxNdU/
Any idea as to who, what, when or where it is from?!
I live on the Jersey Shore, which might help (or not)
Thank you!
Hi Erin,
Thanks for the kind words about my site, and for the link to your photo. I am not familiar with that particular marking. Sorry I have no info!
~David
Hello, I have a small jars from nutella and another from honey producer company. On nutella jar there is no code at all. And in the other honey jar written ’30’ (underlined), a symbol of jar/like an inverted omega, and ’27.’ . My question is, can I reuse the jar to make “cake in a jar”, so that I will put the jar into the oven to make the cake. What is the maximum temperature allowed for both if jars? Thank you
Mayra,
You should NEVER use any ordinary glass jars such as the ones you describe to bake or heat products in an oven. Usually they are made of ordinary soda-lime glass (“bottle glass”) that can easily be shattered by very intense heat or sudden temperature changes. We should only use glass approved for oven use, such as the “Pyrex” or similar “heat resistant” or “ovenware” brands which have a stronger glass formula made specifically for that application. Hope this helps!
~David
I found a bottle like the second one from the left in your cover picture I can tell it has 1/2 and the number 51 on the bottom and some other markings I cant make out what is it.
Hi Michell,
I wrote to you twice by email with no response. (My emails probably landed in your “spam” or “trash” folders.) Since I have several different pictures that rotate and appear at random along the top of the website, I assume you are speaking of the small squarish emerald green medicine bottle. That is a common type of “generic” medicine bottle made by Owens-Illinois Glass Company. I don’t know the exact time period but it seems it was made in quantity over many years, probably 1930s-1960s and maybe later. They are typical containers for medicinal products such as iodine or merthiolate (for minor burns, cuts and bruises). It may have been used for other types of liquid medicines as well; not really sure on that! Hope this helps!
David
I am having some challenges locating the manufacturer of a bottle, that has the numbers/letters reading: “ZSM 10 33 DD” on the heel.
If anyone has any sense or knows the origin that would be super appreciated!
Many thanks!!