# New Bottles For Birthday (Unidentifiable)



## CAkin24 (May 3, 2012)

Hello all, it's been a while since my last post here. Yesterday was my birthday and after not knowing what to get for me since I'm hard to shop for my dad ended up picking up some bottles at a local antique / bottle store. The problem though is that I can't figure out what either of them are. The clear one does have the word "Overbrook" embossed into it, along with "Balto, MD." As far as the amber bottle, I don't know anything about it. No markings besides "FEDERAL LAW FORBIDS SALE OR RE-USE OF THIS BOTTLE", "ONE PINT" and "TRADE MARK" with a W in the middle of TRADE and MARK. Bottom reads "4" on top line, "R134" on middle line and "64" on bottom line. I'm thinking perhaps these had old paper type labels on them. Maybe not. They appear to be from after 1900, maybe even after 1920. 

 Clear Bottle

 Front?






 Back? 





 Bottom





 Amber Bottles

 Front?





 Back?





 Bottom





 Thank you for looking. I would appreciate any help and information on these two bottles. I'm still new to collecting bottles so I don't always know bottle shapes, brands and markings.


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## LC (May 3, 2012)

Hello Chris , they both look to be whiskey bottles to me . I am sure you will get more replys after a while . And a belated Happy Birthday to you .


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## andy volkerts (May 3, 2012)

yes, they are whiskey flasks circa 1930s and had paper labels on them originally......Andy


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## CAkin24 (May 4, 2012)

Thank you guys! I initially thought that the amber one was an old whiskey bottle but I didn't want to jump to conclusions since I'm not too familiar on identifying bottles.


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## RED Matthews (May 4, 2012)

Hello CAkihn24;  I just posted my newbie write-up for new bottle collectors.  I decided to post it here for you to review.


 This is a collection of material information for newbee's in the hobby of Historic Bottle Collecting.   There are several approaches to bottle collecting, and every one has a different interest, that keeps them going after bottles that represent their interest.   My interest in putting this together; is to look at the development of bottle making and the methods that were used when the bottles were Hand-Made and Mouth-Blown.  This is intended to mainly cover the bottles that were made in the development of the American Glass Making Industry, the first industry in our country..   New diggers and collectors, need to realize how to identify bottles that were made by Hand and Mouth-Blown vs the bottles that were made on an AUTOMATIC  BOTTLE  MACHINE (ABM).  These glass items can be left for future collecting objectives; or recycled into the batch additive to today's glass production.  If there are two vertical seams on the finish of the bottle, leave it or recycle it.  The logic is the value isn't going to be worth taking it home; unless it is an unusual figural or fancy bottle.   There are a lot of interesting bottles made later, but ones interest has to become more specialized.  For example I have a bitg collection of large advertising bottles â€“ that were never even filled.  Whiskeys, beers, perfume, Coca Cola  and many products. Multiple finish Wolfe bottles, and bottles that were made with special mold designs.  So you canâ€™t leave justification for saving others also.
 The number one thing to learn is how to identify and know Mouth Blown Bottles.  One of the best things to learn is how to identify the pontil marks. 
             #1  When a bottle has a round ring of glass on the bottom, it is telling us that the ring was made by having an empontiling done with the previous blow pipe with neck glass left on the end of that blow pipe.  The diameters (inside and outside) will be about the same as the neck of the bottle under the finish.  So this is a Blow pipe or Open Tube Pontil, on the bottom of your bottle.  That previous blowpipe was laid on a rack by the glory hole to keep that glass tube end hot enough to stick to the next bottle. These are often referred to as: an open pontil but that is up to the collectorsâ€™ use of words. 
             #2  When the bottle has a contact mark on the bottom that illustrates that  what was used to empontil it, that mark will be a round form with different textures in the mark.  The mark is made by an iron punty rod and the diameter and style is different for: small to huge heavy glass bottles.  These heated punty rods were often soft coated with a sticking agent like: graphite, red lead or white lead .  The coated punty is then placed in; an open boxes with:  powdered iron, glass chips, glass dust, sand, to mention the main ones.  It is then stuck on the bottom of the new bottle to become a handle for the bottle-maker to apply glass to the neck of the empontilled bottle.   
 Some punties are even just coated with some hot glass from the melting crucible.  Identifying the exact method of empontiling is not as important as just realizing it has been on a punty rod.              
  #3  Now the last thing to look at is the finish on top of the bottle you are thinking of keeping.  If the finish was applied hot glass it will be just a ring of glass or it might have lines going around it and down on the neck of the bottle indicating that a pinch action tool had been inserted in the neck and the hot glass rotated to shape the hot glass, that was put on the neck.  In this looking at your bottle or jar â€“ if you see two vertical mold lines on that finish â€“ then it was made on an ABM (Automatic Bottle Machine) and left for a future collector.  The only exception is if the bottle is a unique figural or has some other indications of being a collectors item.  This will come after you have more experience. This is no doubt enough to get you on a good road.    RED Matthews   <bottlemysteries@yahoo.com>


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## soda bottle (May 5, 2012)

Chris, Your missing out on alot of digging. If you like them whiskeys I will have to put them aside for you next time I go. If you can ever pull yourself away from the girls maybe you can go with me. []


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## CAkin24 (May 9, 2012)

Red - thank you for that guide!

 Jacob - I've been wanting to go digging but I've been caught up in other things. Do you have any new potential places to dig? I'd love to go dig again very soon. The next two weekends I should be able to. Give me a call sometime and we'll try to figure out something. I enjoy this and it's been long overdue.


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## CAkin24 (May 9, 2012)

EDITED due to double post.


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