OWENS SCARS
There is some confusion among antique and vintage bottle collectors on what an “Owens Scar” really is. The “Owens scar” is also called an “Owens suction scar” or just “suction scar”. Basically, an Owens Scar is a more or less circular ring or “seam” or “line” seen on the bases of bottles made on one of the “Owens type” fully automatic bottle forming machines. Owens scars are always generally circular in appearance but almost never PERFECTLY circular. The scar is often off-centered on the base of the bottle, the edges sometimes extending onto the rim or even slightly onto the actual “heel” of the bottle.
The scar is formed during the bottle manufacturing process (in this case, a vacuum suction process) when hot molten glass is sucked upward into a mold and steel shears cut off a portion (“gob”) of the molten glass– leaving the scar. True Owens scars are NEVER seen on handmade (mouthblown) bottles of any type. They are NOT “pontil marks” or “pontil scars”. There are other types of base marks and seams on bottles that may look somewhat similar at a quick glance.
On many earlier bottles and jars made using automatic Owens-type bottle machines (especially during the 1904-mid 1920s era), the scar is often more roughly formed, rather crude or “sloppy” looking and the seam line tends to be more “feathered” or “rippled” with a “centipede” like appearance.
Since “a picture is worth a thousand words” as the old saying goes, here are three photos that (hopefully) will illustrate the general appearance of the Owens scar more effectively.
Here are some other pages on my site that might be of interest:
“Duraglas” Marking on Glass Bottles
“I inside a Diamond” mark: Illinois Glass Company
“Ball Perfect Mason” Fruit Jars
Pontil Marks on Antique Glass Bottles
GlassBottleMarks.com ~ Home / Welcome Page
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