# Dawson & Blackman Cobalt Mug Base IP Soda



## bottlekid76 (Dec 30, 2010)

Here's another tough guy to find. I was fortunate enough this year to obtain this Dawson & Blackman mug base iron pontiled soda from Charleston S.C. and add it to my colored collection. I had to wait quite awhile to even get one of these, as they are seldom offered for sale.

 All the best,
 ~Tim


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## Lordbud (Dec 30, 2010)

Beautiful deep royal blue color on this soda -- and amazingly the surface of the glass is in very good condition and looks untumbled. Now that's real "mint" condition![:-]


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## LC (Dec 30, 2010)

That's a super nice bottle , first squat I have seen with a mug base , and a dandy at that .


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## potstone (Dec 30, 2010)

Very Nice!!!


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## Road Dog (Dec 30, 2010)

Never heard of that one. Awesome Bottle.[] I do have results of two that were sold in the 90's though.


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## glass man (Dec 31, 2010)

WOW!!!! JAMIE


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## sandchip (Dec 31, 2010)

Wicked!


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## surfaceone (Dec 31, 2010)

Hey Tim,

 New Year's Eve helloes. Really great acquisition!

 I went looking for further information and found some stuff.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 "Union Glass Works, (1847-1857),
 Philadelphia, PA, United States, Occurs on 154 Bottles,   
 Manufactured soda and beer bottles.  William Hartell & J. Lancaster reopened the Union Glass Works, on the Delaware River and in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, in 1847 and operated the factory there until Hartell's death in 1857.  Thomas Hartell joined the firm in 1850.  The works were closed and Thomas Hartell partnered with John Letchworth in the firm of Hartell & Letchworth in 1858 with a factory located at 24th and George Street, near the Schuylkill River.   The markings are on the reverse side of the bottle or on the reverse heel." Thanks Tod.










  "Bottle 50814AA - Dawson & Blackman  

 Embossed: () DAWSON & BLACKMAN / CHARLESTON, S.C. (all in plate) // () UNION GLASS WORKS PHIL.A / () SUPERIOR / () MINERAL-WATER //
 Dimensions: 7 1/2 x 2 1/2
 Manufacturer: Marked - Hartell & Lancaster
  	Material:	Glass	Design:	None	Mold Type:	Two Leaf Mold
  	Form:	Cylindrical	Edge Design:	None	Plate Mold:	Yes
  	Shape:	Soda	Base Design:	Sides-10 sides	Plate Code:	MS01A
  	Sides:	 	Shoulder Design:	None	Sealed:	No
  	 	 	Sunken Panels:	None" Thanks again, Tod.

 The earliest listing I found for them was in the 1849 Charleston Directory. They were listed as, "Dawson & Blackman, Druggists, 17 Broad St., Joseph Dawson, Joseph Blackman" From. Broad Street was the shop location. 

 In the 1852 Directory, Joseph Blackman was listed as, "Blackman, Joseph druggist 17 Broad, 22 Beaufain 
 '' James clerk railroad, 22 Beaufain 

 Mrs S, 22 Beaufain " From.

 Dawsons listed in the 1852 Directory are,

 "Dawson,  
 " F clerk post office, 25 anson st 
 " J com mer 94 and 96 east-bay, 25 anson st 
 " & Blackman druggist 17 broad st 
 " Joseph druggist 17 broad st, 25 anson st" Also From.

 I couldn't find either listed in the Charleston Voter Records of 1877.

 The most compelling tidbit was found in Confederate Papers Relating to Citizens or Business Firms. On page 16, it lists, 

 "Dawson & Blackman        Charleston, S. C.        Chemists and apothecaries; furnished medical supplies, 1861-62"

 Did they perish in the bombardment of Charleston in 1863?


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## kwalker (Dec 31, 2010)

Gorgeous!


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## chucktown (Jan 17, 2011)

After recently finding one of these in Charleston, researched and found this online chat.  What is the value of one of these bottles?


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## Road Dog (Jan 17, 2011)

In the early 90's they were going near 600 bucks.


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## bottle34nut (Jan 17, 2011)

beautiful bottle.  greg


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## chucktown (Jan 17, 2011)

New to all of this, so still researching my find tonight.  What is the difference of the Dawson and Blackman cobalt blue bottle w/ words Union Glassworks Philad on it vs. the one that was in this auction listed on the following website:  
http://blog.auctionzip.com/2010_06_01_archive.html  that has W& M Shasta on it, but the same look as the one I have found and the one that is in this online chat forum?  
 I am not a bottle collector, so I am excited to learn.  Bottle is in great condition, but seems it would probably need to be tumbled, according to articles online.


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## madman (Jan 17, 2011)

GREAT BOTTLE THANKS FOR POSTING!


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## Jim (Jan 17, 2011)

Great bottle, Tim. It's always nice to find one that you have been looking for.

 Chucktown, Union Glass Works made bottles for many different bottlers. The W & B Shasta is a very rare bottle from California. Some of the early bottlers on the west coast had their bottles made and shipped in from the east. The Dawson & Blackman is also a very desirable bottle. 

 15 grand is a very high price for an early soda. It's all in who wants it, how badly and how intense the bidding gets. My local iron pontil soda from my town cost me just under $800, and I was happy to be able to get it for that. It is extremely rare, with maybe six or seven examples known. Some of the more common ones from big cities like Philly or St. Louis can be had for less than 50 bucks, but they're still great-looking bottles with a lot of history. Then, on the other end of the spectrum, you have ones like that W&B that can go to five-digit money with the right hungry collectors after them. 

 I love the early pontiled soda bottles. I wish my town would have had more than just one, but I'm glad to have that one, anyway. Congrats on finding your Dawson & Blackman, and I hope I was of some help to you.  ~Jim


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## Road Dog (Jan 18, 2011)

They also made a Dawson & Blackman without Union Glass Works on it. That variation worth abit more.


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## chucktown (Jan 18, 2011)

Thank you so much for all of your replies.  Thank you Jim and Road Dog for describing to me more in depth about this bottle vs. the other one in the link I provided.  Before I do anything with my bottle, what is the best thing to do to clean it?  It sounds like to me, that some people suggest tumbling and others don't.  I don't want to mess it up.  It doesn't have any lip chip marks at the top of the bottle, but does have tough, white scaly mineral deposits, but no rust.


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## Jim (Jan 18, 2011)

Heavy mineral scale will require tumbling to remove. There are professionals who can make even the nastiest stained bottle look good. It would probably cost around 20-30 bucks plus shipping, but I think it would be well worth it. I know if I ever found one of my early local sodas like that, I would definitely have it tumbled.

 There is a great guy here on the forum named Ryan (bottlediger) who does nice tumbling work. He's an Army guy with a busy schedule, so I'm not sure if he is taking orders for tumbling work right now. If not, he will be here to let us know when he is. 

 If done correctly, a good tumbler cleaning can greatly enhance the appearance and value of a bottle.  ~Jim


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## chucktown (Feb 3, 2011)

Hey Jim, do you know how I can get in touch with someone who tumbles bottles in Charleston, SC?  I know you mentioned the Ryan guy on here previously.  Is he near Charleston or do you have to ship your bottle?


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## Jim (Feb 3, 2011)

I don't know of anyone in SC, but I'm sure there is someone around there who does tumbling. Ryan lives in York, PA. He hasn't been on the forum much, so he is probably busy with his Army duties. We have some Southern collectors on here, so hopefully one of them can recommend someone for you.  ~Jim


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## KBbottles (Feb 3, 2011)

Definitely recommend Digger Ry.  I shipped 5 pieces for tumbling over the summer and they turned out spectacular!  He pays special attention to preserving pontils and letters.  

 I see a recurring theme union glass works had with their mug bases!


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