# Black Glass Mallet Style....Age & Value?



## JustGlass (May 28, 2007)

I picked this mint black glass bottle up over the weekend at a antique shop. It has a mallet bottle shape but the lip is larger than most Ive seen. The base has a nice kick up with large sharp glass circle. Is this considered open pontil?...or is this a iron pontil base?Can anyone give me the appoximate age and value..I paid $33.00 for this one. I center my collecting on embossed meds and flask so black glass Im totally unfamilar with.


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## JustGlass (May 28, 2007)

base pic


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## JustGlass (May 28, 2007)

last pic


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## epgorge (May 28, 2007)

> or is this a iron pontil base


 
 From here it looks like an Iron pontil. 
 Ep


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## annie44 (May 28, 2007)

I am no expert, but I don't believe your bottle would be considered a mallet shape - I am attaching an ebay link to a bottle that is a black glass mallet.  The lip is different on yours than what I've seen before, too.  I don't have any idea of the value, but it is a nice bottle.

http://cgi.ebay.com/C-1740-English-Black-Glass-Mallet_W0QQitemZ190117337741QQihZ009QQcategoryZ13909QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## deepbluedigger (May 28, 2007)

Annie's right. Your bottle is a cylinder shape. Mallets are a very distinctive shape, only found on freeblowns dating about 1740 - 60ish. It's a nice bottle even so, and definitely freeblown. The pontil mark looks like a disc pontil. The shape, and lip, suggest roughly 1820 date (i.e. late freeblown).


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## annie44 (May 28, 2007)

This info. might apply - from Bill Lindsay's web site: 

Sand pontils are also frequently seen on black glass ale, wine, and/or spirits utility bottles made up until about 1870; click black glass utility bottle to view a picture of a larger dip molded example that has a sand pontil scar and likely dates from the 1850-1870 period - the late end of the sand pontil era.  Click sand pontil base to view a picture of the base of this black glass utility bottle showing the sand pontil scar.


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## Oldtimer (May 28, 2007)

It's not Black Glass either IMO. That's a nice olive green to my eyes. If it were black glass, you wouldn't be able to see through it like you can. I can see the couch right through it. I'd pay $33.00 for it in a heartbeat if I had the cash on me when I found it.


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## capsoda (May 28, 2007)

Nudder nice one. Sand or powdered glass was use as a release agent and it looks as if the handler didn't use enough. The pontil made to great an impression (the outside ring of the pontil mark) on the pull. I'd say the bottom was pushed after the bottle had been turned and had become cooler by the way the edge of the bottom is rounded.


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## TROG (May 29, 2007)

Would have to agree with deepbluedigger on the date and style of this bottle . Also this would be classed as Black Glass even though it is an olive colour as out of sunlight you can hardly see any light through the bottle.


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## epgorge (May 29, 2007)

I have to go along with Oldtimer on this one.. While that may be listed as black glass it looks more like dark olive green to me, but then again colors are hard to define many times. 

 The dark glass I have can't looks black to the eye and even holding up to light it looks dark, but put your eye on the bottle and shine a light through it, it turns strawberry puce. This is definately black glass, as the color is hidden and can't be seen from a distance. Had color shown, light would be passing through, destroying the potency being sheilded by the black glass. This is just my opinion.

 Joel


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## GuntherHess (May 29, 2007)

My definition of "what's not" black glass is if you see it in normal light a couple feet away and you can tell that its olive green or amber or any other color then its not not black glass. With black glass you really need to shine a light through it to tell what color it is (and it could be olive, amber, puce, emerald, or whatever under strong light) 

 Being freeblown, with that lip style, and a glass chip/sand pontil I would guess it to be made around 1830-1850 but dates can vary a good bit depending on the country of origin.


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