# Do patent dates help with dating a item?



## Mailman1960 (Jul 2, 2021)

I'm guessing a Jam or fruit jar


----------



## bottles_inc (Jul 2, 2021)

Patented( 19)03, so I would guess 1903 to 1920 at the latest


----------



## CanadianBottles (Jul 2, 2021)

Patent dates aren't great for dating things.  I remember seeing some plumbing fixture with a 1950s patent date on it in what I'm pretty sure was a 21st century building once.  Your jar looks like it's sun-coloured amethyst, which is a better way of dating things.  That means it's 1910s at the latest.


----------



## Dogo (Jul 2, 2021)

Patent numbers can be an indicator  as they issued in sequence. I have seen lists  of patent numbers and the years issued, but there may be more than one series.  Patents are issued for a specific length of time and can be renewed at least once, so you would have a "no older than"  situation.


----------



## Mailman1960 (Jul 2, 2021)

Dogo said:


> Patent numbers can be an indicator  as they issued in sequence. I have seen lists  of patent numbers and the years issued, but there may be more than one series.  Patents are issued for a specific length of time and can be renewed at least once, so you would have a "no older than"  situation.



I would like to thank all your response. I have used patents dates on what the product was used for, but no information on this one.


----------



## Mailman1960 (Jul 2, 2021)

CanadianBottles said:


> Patent dates aren't great for dating things.  I remember seeing some plumbing fixture with a 1950s patent date on it in what I'm pretty sure was a 21st century building once.  Your jar looks like it's sun-coloured amethyst, which is a better way of dating things.  That means it's 1910s at the latest.


This was found in a burn dump, I have noticed other glass that were slightly colored and was not sure what  caused that, could it be from the heat?


----------



## CanadianBottles (Jul 4, 2021)

Mailman1960 said:


> This was found in a burn dump, I have noticed other glass that were slightly colored and was not sure what  caused that, could it be from the heat?


I don't think heat causes the glass to turn purple, not to my knowledge anyway.  I think it's just from UV rays.


----------



## Mailman1960 (Jul 4, 2021)

CanadianBottles said:


> I don't think heat causes the glass to turn purple, not to my knowledge anyway.  I think it's just from UV rays.


It's hard to get the right angle, the milk bottle has a pink color to it. Both of these have not seen the sun in 100 years. I'm amazed so much has survived,there is so much slag that it must have been a very intense heat.


----------



## CanadianBottles (Jul 4, 2021)

Mailman1960 said:


> It's hard to get the right angle, the milk bottle has a pink color to it. Both of these have not seen the sun in 100 years. I'm amazed so much has survived,there is so much slag that it must have been a very intense heat.


It's quite possible that SCA bottles came out of the factory with a slight pinkish hue.  I've never seen anything suggesting otherwise and dug bottles often do have that slight pinkish hue even when they were deep in dumps which weren't burned.  It's hard to be certain that they didn't sit on the surface of the dump long enough to get a slight purple tinge when the dump was still in use though.


----------



## Mailman1960 (Jul 4, 2021)

CanadianBottles said:


> It's quite possible that SCA bottles came out of the factory with a slight pinkish hue.  I've never seen anything suggesting otherwise and dug bottles often do have that slight pinkish hue even when they were deep in dumps which weren't burned.  It's hard to be certain that they didn't sit on the surface of the dump long enough to get a slight purple tinge when the dump was still in use though.


Giddy up, enjoy your fourth of July


----------



## Mailman1960 (Jul 4, 2021)

Mailman1960 said:


> Giddy up, enjoy your fourth of July


Fourth of July from Lyons Illinois


----------



## Screwtop (Jul 4, 2021)

I present to you, the Patented Nov. 30th 1858 Mason jar as a prime example of patent dates not being a good source for dating. I found one of those jar in a 1910s-1920s dump.


----------

