# American Sealed Wine Bottle I L F Isaac Levy Frank



## Steve/sewell (Mar 17, 2014)

For my friend Tim ( fer_de_lance)

Although Isaac Franks was Jewish, he was a practicing Christian. He joined the Continental army at age 17 and fought the British in the battles on Long Island. He was captured in Manhattan but escaped to New Jersey in a leaky rowboat. There he joined the quartermaster division as an assistant foragemaster for Washington's main army. He was promoted to foragemaster and sent to West Point, where he received a comission as ensign in a Massachusetts regiment in 1781. He resigned the following year, married and moved to Germantown. He worked as a financial broker.In 1793 he lent his house to George Washington, to live in while the Yellow Fever epidemic ravaged in the capital of Philadelphia. Franks's home became the Germantown White house and Washington and his cabinet met within. In 1794 he received a commission as lieutenent colonel in the state militia. He became a very wealthy Stock investor in Philadelphia after the war. Franks died in 1822. These bottles have turned up in the West Indies,New Orleans and England.The Seal does not look English or Dutch and the lip finish almost looks like an early spring water bottle. I really like this bottle and feel it was made about 6 miles from my house In Glassboro New Jersey which was the only local glass works to Philadelphia operating at the time. Colonel Thomas Heston and Colonel Thomas Carpenters Glass Works had an agent in Philadelphia another Jewish gentleman named Levy Garret a Tobacco merchant and general products store owner. [attachment=P1120816 (Large).JPG] [attachment=P1120818 (Large).JPG] [attachment=P1120822 (Large).JPG]


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## Steve/sewell (Mar 17, 2014)

[attachment=P1120826 (Large).JPG] [attachment=P1120828 (Large).JPG] [attachment=P1120824 (Large).JPG]


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## Steve/sewell (Mar 17, 2014)

Another perspective on the color.......  [attachment=P1120830 (Large).JPG] [attachment=P1120829 (Large).JPG] [attachment=P1120831 (Large).JPG]


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## fer_de_lance (Mar 17, 2014)

Steve, Thanks , I'll take one of those and an early porter if you gotta spare. I'm curious how you discovered the original owner.
                Regards,
                    Tim


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## GACDIG (Mar 18, 2014)

Thanks for history on this historic wine bottle.


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## Steve/sewell (Mar 18, 2014)

Hi Tim,here is one for sale  from Mark Nightingale for the price of 500 GBP or just  830.43 USD at  earlyglass.com  Here is the link to Marks site listing.  http://www.earlyglass.com/home/popupViewer.asp?ref=s668As for the provenance Isaac Levy Franks was a large commodities privateer after the war and made quite a bit of money exporting tobacco,and Rum. These wealthy gentleman who had bottles sealed for them weren't just sitting around saying to themselves boy I am successful I have my own wine line,sure they entertained guests and probably opened a few that way,but believe it or not they gave most of these away as gifts or enticements to prominent business figures,political heads in other countries, import/export merchants in other cities and ports in the U S and around the world.  Everything about the bottle including its age 1790 to 1800 and the  shoulder style and lip treatment points to a very Germanic look with English lettering. The only glass works operating in the world at that time capable of making these were in the United States where either German workers in a glass factory owned by themselves,or where German gaffers were working for an English owned glass factory here in the States would have produced them. Just before and during the revolutionary war about 6 colonial glass houses were still in operation. After the Revolutionary war there was but two factorys still in operation one in Glassboro New Jersey Heston and Carpenters glass works and the Dowesburgh/Albany glass house in new York State which was making primarily window glass at that time. If you have been led to believe that predominantly sealed bottles only came from England and Holland think again.  Check out these links to my website. http://historical-american-glass.com/the-carpenter-and-heston-new-jersey-glass-manufactory.htmlhttp://historical-american-glass.com/wistarburgh-glass.htmlhttp://historical-american-glass.com/new-york-state-early-glass.htmlhttp://historical-american-glass.com/newburgh-glass-house-co-1751-1759.htmlhttp://historical-american-glass.com/brooklyn-glass-house-co-1754-1758.htmlhttp://historical-american-glass.com/glass-house-farm-glass-house-co-1758-1783.htmlhttp://historical-america...ouse-1785-to-1815.html


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## ScottBSA (Mar 18, 2014)

Bottle collecting at this level is way out of my league.  I, however, do appreciate the history lesson and thoughts about where the bottle may have been made.  I also have to agree about the "give away" aspect of the bottle.  "Now don't forget where you got this excellent wine next time you need to import 100 barrels of rot gut."Thanks for sharing. Scott


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## buzzkutt033 (Mar 18, 2014)

great back story Steve. thanks for following up on it. great photos too by the way.what a pontil !!! any ideas on type of punte used here? thanks again. absolutely love this stuff. jim


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## ChrisP1 (Mar 18, 2014)

Love this bottle Steve!


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## Steve/sewell (Mar 18, 2014)

It looks like your typical sand pontil Jim. Not a very deep push up about an inch and a half.


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