# Have you seen me?



## shoveler (Sep 10, 2012)

Please find attached a picture of a bottle I'm trying to identify.  The bottle was one of several (7-8 in all) that were recovered from a dump pit used by an abandoned merchant shop.  This pit was clearly devoted to containers that held everyday household items (e.g. cosmetics, food, hygiene, medicine, etc.).  I date the pit to the 40's or 50's through the very late 70's.  None of the bottles had any contents, and on taking the old sniff test to get some clues, all but one had no particular smell, other than decaying organic matter.  But there was one bottle that had a clearly distinctive smell; I would described it as "sweet almonds".  I'm not totally convinced about the almonds, but it was definitely sweet smelling.  As you can hopefully see from the picture, the bottle has a tapered, triangular shape, with a curved, pointed white cap.

 I will submit a response post that details the bottom side of the bottle.

 Thanks for your help.

 Shoveler


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## bucky902 (Sep 10, 2012)

look like a tusk similar to this mamont bottle


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## shoveler (Sep 10, 2012)

As promised, details from the underside of the bottle.

 The bottle makers mark for most of the bottles is an A in a circle.........Armstrong Cork Company (Glass Division), Lancaster, PA; Millville, NJ [former Whitall Tatum Co. plant] ; Dunkirk, IN [former Hart Glass Mnfg Co. plant]. Mark was used from 1938-1969 on bottles and insulators. If there is a line underneath the "circled A", this indicates the bottle was produced at the Dunkirk plant. At least two have the Dunkirk plant mark.  There is a number 2 next to the circled A (non-Dunkirk), and this is constant for all the circled A bottles.  Finally, there is a number 26 at the bottom, and this number changes for all bottles; 26, 11, 7, etc. regardless of their production site.

 But maybe (?) the best clue to the nature of this bottle, and it's former contents, comes from what appears to be a logo in the middle of the bottle.  This could just be some abstract logo that the company used, or it could be something like the small letter "a" that factors into the companies name or the product.  Or a backwards G, that when viewed from the top of the bottle looking inside, takes on a very convincing G motif.  Anyway, I'll let you be the judge.

 Any help with these bottles would be greatly appreciated.

 Shoveler


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## shoveler (Sep 10, 2012)

Almost forgot to add my signature.


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## TJSJHART (Sep 10, 2012)

I BELIEVE THE BOTTLE HELD AN ARTIFICAL SWEETENER...AND FOR THE LIFE OF ME I CAN'T THINK OF THE NAME..BUT I REMEMBER MY PARENTS USING IT AT OUR HOUSE DURING THE EARLY 70'S . THE TINY OPENIN LET VERY SMALL DROPS DRIP OUT.


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## botlguy (Sep 10, 2012)

> ORIGINAL:  TJSJHART
> 
> I BELIEVE THE BOTTLE HELD AN ARTIFICAL SWEETENER...AND FOR THE LIFE OF ME I CAN'T THINK OF THE NAME..BUT I REMEMBER MY PARENTS USING IT AT OUR HOUSE DURING THE EARLY 70'S . THE TINY OPENIN LET VERY SMALL DROPS DRIP OUT.


 I believe you got it, I remember those days when I cared what I weighed. Sacherin (sp) sticks with me.


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## JOETHECROW (Sep 10, 2012)

> ORIGINAL: TJSJHART
> 
> I BELIEVE THE BOTTLE HELD AN ARTIFICAL SWEETENER...AND FOR THE LIFE OF ME I CAN'T THINK OF THE NAME..BUT I REMEMBER MY PARENTS USING IT AT OUR HOUSE DURING THE EARLY 70'S . THE TINY OPENIN LET VERY SMALL DROPS DRIP OUT.


 

 "Sweeta" was the name....My dad had sugar diabetes and had to use it back then...


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## shoveler (Sep 11, 2012)

Thanks everyone for your comments.

 So TJSJHART, you're suggesting that the little nib on the tip of the cap (see attached picture) can be snapped off to allow drop-like application?  As opposed to a simple ornamental touch?  Definitely makes sense to me.  I wonder why none of the caps I found had the nibs removed?  Note: Don't know if "nib" is the best word to describe the structure at the end of the cap, but the only other one that comes to mind is a bit racy [].  At any rate, maybe the user felt a few drops just wasn't sufficient to meet their needs, and instead decided to "pour baby pour".

 I search for Sweeta (a possible brand suggested by JOETHECROW) and found a plastic 4 oz bottle of it for sale on Amazon, but no glass bottle images of the same product from years gone by.  Sweeta is said, according to the Amazon Ad, to be manufactured by Numark Laboratories, Inc.  But when I pulled their website up, I found lots of products, but no Sweeta.  Weird.

 Question again for TJSJHART......are you sure it was Sweeta, and maybe not EZ-Sweetz, a similar product.  I just ask because if you're pretty certain it was Sweeta that you remember, I might contact Numark directly and make some inquiries.

 I know this is not the most exciting bottle or subject, so thanks everyone for taking time to nurture my personal interest.

 The Shoveler


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## logueb (Sep 11, 2012)

1960's Abbot Laboratories Sucaryl bottle.  Bottle pictured in 1960s ad.  Hope this helps Buster


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## logueb (Sep 11, 2012)

This Ad shows the bottle in use.


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## shoveler (Sep 11, 2012)

LOGUEB.........you're the dude or the gal.  Don't know which, but it doesn't matter.  Wiki information indicates not such a good run for Sucaryl (or sodium cyclamate).  Looks like it reached US markets around 1958 or 1959, but then in 1966 the walls fell in.  Tox studies started revealing a somewhat long list of potential adverse outcomes in animal studies.  Eventually, the FDA had enough and pulled it from US markets on October 18, 1969.  Multiple appeals were filed of course, but the FDA held firm.  It remains banned in the US, but is sold in other countries.  Putting all this together, these bottle only have a 10-yr existence here in the states, from 1959-1969.  I suspect that 1959 was probably the more likely launch date, as if it only got FDA approval in 1958, it probably took at least a year to hit the shelves.  I'll have to check some old magazine Ads to see if I can confirm.

 So as it turns out, my previously benign bottle may have some collector merit after all!  Cheers everyone.

 Just found a 1958 Ad, so it could have been in use by that time.  Or this was just the marketing folks gearing up.


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## shoveler (Sep 11, 2012)

Check out this Ad from 1961.  It features the logo on the bottom of the bottle that I showed earlier.  Check out lower right hand corner of Ad.  I love it when a story comes together!


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## surfaceone (Sep 11, 2012)

http://www.irememberjfk.com/mt/the_cyclamate_ban.php


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## TJSJHART (Sep 11, 2012)

the only thing  , i believe i got wrong was the date on  it ,, my old age showin .  [8|]


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