GLASS MANUFACTURERS’ MARKS ON BOTTLES, PAGE 3

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M………………….Maryland Glass Corporation, Baltimore, Maryland (1907-c.1970s). Exact period of use is uncertain, but verified on base of cobalt “Milk of Magnesia” bottle from circa 1950 (see next entry). Also, a similar mark is seen on the base of certain mouth-blown amber beer bottles and an amber salve jar that look to have been made c.1880-1895, and the maker in those cases is unidentified. In some cases this may be the mark of the Mosser Glass Company (1971-to date). However, keep in mind that Mosser produces upscale decorative and novelty glassware, not utilitarian containers. See “M inside a circle” and “M within a G” entries.
M inside a circle (on containers)………Maryland Glass Corporation, Baltimore, Maryland (1907-c.1970s).
M inside a circle (on tableware, novelty glass, salt dips, glass shoes, children’s mugs, decorative toothpick holders and many other types of reproduction colored glassware, typically not on utilitarian containers)………………………….. Mosser Glass Company, Cambridge, Ohio (1971-to date). See “M” and “M within outline of the state of Ohio” entries.
M within a G…………Maryland Glass Corporation, Baltimore, Maryland (1907-c. 1970s). This mark is confirmed to exist on the base of a cobalt blue rectangular “2 oz” marked bottle, with vertical ribbing on the front; probably an iodine or poison bottle. Also seen on the base of a cobalt “Perfection Ginger Ale, Brooklandwood Springs Company, Baltimore, MD” bottle. (Thanks to Ken Previtali for the information on the ginger ale bottle!) The “G” is very similar in appearance to a horizontally oriented oval. Because of it’s presence on the Brooklandwood Springs bottle, I consider this to be virtual proof that this particular mark was indeed used by Maryland, although only in rare instances as compared to their “M inside a circle” mark which was normally used.
M in a diamond………Unknown (Seen on base of clear prescription bottle, c.1890)
M in a hexagon………Metro Glass Bottle Company, Jersey City, New Jersey. Mark used c.1949-c.1981. Also with plants at Washington, PA (since 1957); Carteret, NJ (1958) and Dolton, IL. Known as the Metro Glass Division of National Dairy Products Corp. after 1956 (Kraftco after 1969). Later known as MetroPak Containers. MetroPak was bought by Ball Corporation in 1980. The Jersey City plant was closed on Nov. 13, 1981, but the other three plants continued in operation. I’m unsure of the exact chain of later events on this company. If you know, email me!
M in a keystone……..Metro Glass Bottle Company, Jersey City, New Jersey (Mark used c.1935-1949). See above entry.
M in a shield……….Monarch Glass Company, Compton, California (c.1920s). Seen on base of Puritas water bottle.
M within outline of the state of Ohio…………… Mosser Glass Company, Cambridge, Ohio (1971-to date). Seen on colored tableware and upscale novelty glassware. See also “M” and “M in a circle”.
M (abstract representation). Logo consisting of 3 vertical rectangles positioned above a horizontal rectangle (shown), perhaps meant to be an abstract capital “M”……………..Midland Glass Company, Inc., Cliffwood, New Jersey; Terre Haute, Indiana and Shakopee, Minnesota (1968-1984?)
MAINE, with number and/or letters & the word “SEAL”, on milk bottles) ………………………………… a number of glass manufacturers made milk bottles with this type of marking, required by state law, for bottles used within the state of Maine. See list at this milk bottle site: http://dairyantiques.com/Milk_Bottle_Marks.html
Mansfield Glass Works……….Mansfield Glass Works, Lockport, New York (1872-c.1909). See Lockport Glass Works entry.
MARVEL……………………Unknown. Reported on base of clear glass pharmaceutical/drugstore bottle. Probably a brand name used by a particular glass manufacturer (such as “LYRIC” by Illinois Glass).
MASON’S PATENT NOV 30TH 1858 ………………… Click here for a general summary of this marking, seen on fruit jars.
MASS (with number and/or letters & the word “SEAL”, on milk bottles) ………………………………… a large number of glass manufacturers made milk bottles with this type of marking, required by state law, for bottles used/distributed within the state of Massachusetts. See list at this milk bottle site: http://dairyantiques.com/Milk_Bottle_Marks.html
MASS GLASS CO. …………….Massachusetts Glass Company, Somerville, Massachusetts (c.1867-1871?) This manufacturer is believed to have produced unmarked glass insulators, apparently none of which have been yet positively identified (See my homepage). This rare mark, which is assumed to be linked to that same company, has been reported observed on the base of a very, very small number of bottles.
M. B. & G.CO………Massillon Bottle & Glass Company, Massillon, Ohio (1900-1904)
M.B.W………………Millville Bottle Works, Millville, New Jersey (1903-1926). Bought by T.C.Wheaton Company in 1926. Made chemical and laboratory bottles.
McC………………..William McCully and Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1841-c.1909)
McC & CO……………William McCully and Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1841-c.1909)
McK in a circle……..McKee Glass Company, Jeannette, Pennsylvania (1888-1951). Seen on various items such as black glass salt shakers and other opaque glass tableware, this mark was perhaps used mostly in the 1930s and ’40s. McKee became a subsidiary of Thatcher Glass Manufacturing Company in 1951, and eventually the factory was purchased by Jeannette Glass Company in 1961. For some more information on McKee, click here.
M.C.G.CO……………Unknown.
McKee & Co…………see McKee Glass Company page.
McL………………..McLaughlin Glass Company, Vernon, California (1920-1935). [Note: Water bottles (and probably other types of bottles) marked with "McL" on the base also date from the 1940s and 1950s when William McLaughlin operated other, smaller factories in Vernon & in Gardena, California.] Especially well known by glass collectors for their electrical insulators, McLaughlin produced a wide variety of bottles and other glassware as well. For more information click here .
M C W …………….Mallinckrodt Chemical Works, St. Louis, Missouri (1867-to date). I believe most, if not all, of the bottles found with this mark are hand-blown and date from approximately the 1880-1920 period. The actual glass factory where these bottles were made is unknown, but Illinois Glass Company, Alton, IL, would be a likely source.
Mechanic Glass Works, Philada……………..Mechanic Glass Works, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Exact dates of operation currently uncertain, but a very scarce flask which bears this inscription appears to date from sometime in the 1845-1865 period.
M. F. J. and B. CO………Marion Fruit Jar & Bottle Company, Marion, Indiana (1888-1904) Fairmount & Converse, Indiana (1894-1904). Plants bought out by Ball Bros. in 1904.
Madera Glass Company
MG, M/G, M over a G (as shown)…………..Madera Glass Company, Madera, California (1971-1990s?). Found on wine bottles. Plant is now part of Saint-Gobain Containers (Verallia).
M G………………..Maywood Glass Company, Compton, California (1930-1959).
M.G.CO……………..these initials usually indicate products of either Mississippi Glass Company, St. Louis, Missouri (1874-1884+) or Missouri Glass Company, St. Louis, MO (c.1859-1911). Mississippi Glass Company specialized in making export beer bottles, wax sealer fruit jars, and other “green glass” bottles, and although it was in business much later than 1884, reportedly no bottles were made after that year, as they concentrated more on window glass. Missouri Glass Company was principally a glassware distributor in later years, selling large quantities of imported cut glass, high-end tableware, creamware, queensware, pottery, lamps and similar items. However, they definitely manufactured some bottles and jars, at least in the earlier years of operation. NOTE: Some MGCO items might be from either Muncie Glass Company, Muncie, Indiana (1888-1906), Modes Glass Company, Cicero, Indiana (c.1895-1900), or Millgrove Glass Company, Millgrove, Indiana (1898-1911), although I am very doubtful about these last three companies listed.
M.G.M.CO (monogram)…..prob. Minneapolis Glass Mnfg. Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota (c.1886).
M. G. W. …………..Massillon Glass Works, Massillon, Ohio (1881-1904). This mark has long been a mystery, with very little concrete evidence available pointing to any specific glassmaker. For a long time, I had posted Middletown Glass Works of Middletown, New York (1887-1891) as a possible user of the mark. However, recently it has come to my attention that the Massillon Glass Works, a factory which was later more commonly known under the firm name (operating company name) of Reed & Company,(see “R & Co” entry) is virtually certain to be the real source of bottles which carry this mark. Virtually all MGW bottles which also carry brewery or soda bottling firm embossings on the face of the bottle are from cities located in Ohio (plus a bare handful from southern Michigan). This is very strong evidence for a glass manufacturer from that general area. In-depth study by archaeologist/author/researcher Bill Lockhart, and, in addition, information submitted by Rob Riese, a Massillon-area bottle collector (concerning MGW-marked beer bottles found barely a few hundred feet away from the original site of the Massillon Glass Works), virtually clinch this identification once and for all. Most of the M G W bottles are export beers, virtually of the same type and general appearance of the R&CO beers made by Reed & Company. It is very possible that the MGW mark was used for the first few years of operation, and later the R&CO mark was phased in. Furthermore, it is likely both marks were used simultaneously for some period of time. Thanks to Bill Lockhart and Rob Riese for this update!
MINN (in a triangle, along with a 1 or 2-digit number, on milk bottles) ………………………………… a number of glass manufacturers made milk bottles with this type of marking (required, for a time, by state law for bottles to be used within the state of Minnesota). Seen on the heel or the shoulder. See list at this milk bottle site: http://dairyantiques.com/Milk_Bottle_Marks.html .
M. J. CO. …………….Unknown (Seen on base of wax sealer fruit jar).
M’Kee………………S. McKee and Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Click here for more info.
Mo.G.Co…………….Missouri Glass Company, St. Louis, Missouri (c.1859-1911). Seen on face of rare wax sealer fruit jar, probably dating from the 1860s or ’70s. See M.G.CO.
Moon logo….see “Crescent Moon” entry.
Mountain Mason………..Intermountain Glass Company, Midvale, Utah (c.1930s). Brand name found embossed on fruit jars. See “IGCO (monogram) in brackets” entry.
M/T (Monogram)………See T/M mark.
M T C inside a triangle…………………Thatcher Manufacturing Company. See “T, resembling an anchor………” entry on page 3, where pics are posted. That mark may, on occasions, be enclosed within a triangle.
M T C………………Thatcher Manufacturing Company, Kane, PA; Wharton, New Jersey; other plant locations in later years (c.1904-1985). Usually seen in the form of a large T with smaller “m” and “c” sheltered underneath the “roof” of the T. This mark was used c.1923 to the early 1950s, and is mostly found embossed on milk bottles. Also see “T, resembling an anchor…” and “TMC” mark.
Mutual Glass Co, Pitts……………Mutual Glass Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (c.1869-c.1888). Name embossed on base of a wax sealer fruit jar. This rather obscure concern made tableware as well as oil lamps, chimneys, chandeliers, fruit jars, bottles and flasks. Also known as Gallinger and Company. Date information courtesy of Jay W. Hawkins’ Glasshouses and Glass Manufacturer of the Pittsburgh Region 1795-1910 (2009) with more detailed info in that reference book.
M over a V, within a circle…………Vidriera Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico (1909-19??). I am not sure of the dates of use for this mark. Also, see the “V” mark, and the “V over M inside a triangle” marks.
17N (or other number between 16 and 29)……….usually American Bottle Company, at their glass plant located in Newark, Ohio. On some bottles the letter may precede the number. Evidence indicates the date codes (16, for instance, is believed to indicate 1916) may have been used much earlier, as well as later —- perhaps from ABCO’s beginning in 1905, all the way up to 1929, at least on a few bottles. I have received a report that some bottles carried apparent date codes as late as 1933, several years after the former A.B.CO. plants had become part of Owens-Illinois Glass Company. See “16S”, “AB”, and “A.B.CO” entries.
N………………………………….Obear-Nestor Glass Company, East St. Louis, Illinois (1894-1978). Although this “N” is normally seen inside a square (see entry farther down), some bottles are seen with just a plain ‘N’, such as an amber “Winstead’s Lax-Fos” bottle. The bottle in question is machine-made, and dates from the 1910s, 1920s or 1930s. See “N in a square” page.
N in a circle or oval……….Obear-Nestor Glass Company, East St. Louis, Illinois (1894-1978). Mark is believed to have been used during the early years, on handblown ware, up to about 1915. See “N in a square” page.
N in a circle with a line underneath the N……..Northwood Glass Company, Wheeling, West Virginia (1902-1923). Mark seen on carnival and other decorative glassware. Rarely or never seen on bottles, but I’m listing the mark here for comparison with similar marks seen on bottles.
N in a keystone………….Newborn Glass Company, Royersford, Pennsylvania (1920-1925)
N in an oblong (or vertical rectangle) …………Obear-Nestor Glass Company, East St. Louis, Illinois (1894-1978). This mark was presumably used concurrently with “N in a circle” and “N in an oval”, on handblown ware up to about 1915. After 1915, on machine-made ware, the “N in a square” was instituted as their standard mark. See “N in a square” page.
N in a square……….Obear-Nestor Glass Company, East St. Louis, Illinois (1894-1978). For more info, see “N in a square” page.
N over a somewhat “flattened” V, inside a circle, shown (upside down, this mark resembles an N under a “roof”) ………Previously unidentified, Lou Bisiecki has kindly informed me by email that this mark is used by Vetri Speciali S.p.A., Italy, at their Pergine Valsugana glass container plant.
N next to (or within) a star………Newark Star Glass Works, Newark, Ohio (1873-1904). Although this factory name may have been in use (officially or unofficially) throughout the entire stretch of time, the business firms which operated this factory also used their own glassmarks on many of their products: Shields, King & Company, 1873-1880 (see S.K.& Co. mark), Edward H. Everett (1880-1885) officially incorporated as Edward H. Everett & Company (1885-1904, see E.H.E. and E.H.E. Co. marks). Although I don’t think there is any documentation to prove it (so far), the “N in a star” and “N with a star” markings were probably used mostly during the earlier stretch of time when Shields, King & Company were running the factory. The mark is seen on shoofly flasks, cone ink bottles, and other types of containers that appear to date from the 1870s and/or 1880s. This factory was purchased by the Ohio Bottle Company in 1904, became part of American Bottle Company in 1905, after which the plant eventually became part of Owens-Illinois Glass Company in 1929, with the plant being closed down permanently in 1930. (Much more detailed info can be found in “Edward Hamlin Everett: The Bottle King” by G. Wallace Chessman & Curtis W. Abbott , 1991, published by Robbins Hunter Museum, Granville, Ohio).
N.B.B.G.CO………….North Baltimore Bottle Glass Company, North Baltimore, Ohio (1888-1895), Albany, Indiana (1895-1900); and finally the factory operation was moved to Terre Haute, Indiana (1900-1926). Producer of a very large number of soda, mineral water and beer bottles made for many companies, especially throughout the midwest. The initials are usually found on the heel of their bottles, often with rather small, lightly embossed, inconspicuous lettering. The majority of bottles found with the NBBGCO mark date after their move to Indiana.
N B & CO. ………………..Nelson Baker & Company, Detroit, Michigan (1890-1950). Nelson Baker was a pharmaceutical / drug manufacturing company. N B & CO combined with Penslar Corporation in 1950. Mark (as shown) appears on base shard of a square amber medicine bottle, possibly circa 1900-1920, photo submitted by Jon McCormack. Thanks Jon!
NC within a slightly flattened triangle (oriented with bottom side slightly longer)………….Noelle & von Campe Glashütte (Glassworks), Boffzen, Lower Saxony, Germany (Deutschland). I saw this mark on the base of an 8-ounce packer jar in October, 2012, imported to the United States.
N & CO………….Nuttall & Company, St. Helens, Lancashire, England. Made many types of bottles that were imported into the United States. This mark dates before 1913, when Nuttall merged with other plants to form United Glass.
N.C.L.CO……………Nail City Lantern Company, Wheeling, West Virginia (1877-1897). This firm was re-organized as Wheeling Stamping Company in 1897.
Neutraglas………….Kimble Glass Company, Vineland, New Jersey (1905-to date). Relatively recent trademark used on their borosilicate glass for scientific, pharmaceutical & industrial applications. Now known as Kimble/Kontes.
New Albany Glass Works (in circle on base)……..New Albany Glass Works, New Albany, Indiana (1867- c.1872). A dark red-amber quart ale bottle is confirmed to exist with this mark on the bottom. John B. Ford & Sons, proprietors of the New Albany Glass Works, began operating in February of 1867, producing plate glass, although bottle production started somewhat later (according to information published in the Floyd County Gazetteer, 1868). Some sources give 1865 as the date of the operation’s beginning which is incorrect (although plans for forming the company were discussed as early as October 1865, according to the New Albany Daily Ledger). The NAGW factory property was purchased in 1874 by Washington C. DePauw (although it had been idle for about 2 or 3 years) and became part of the Star Glass Works, later known as DePauw’s American Plate Glass Works / W. C. DePauw Company. (See “Star”, “W C D” marks and Star Glass Works webpage).
Newburgh Glass Co……………Newburgh Glass Company, Newburgh (New Windsor), New York (c.1867- c.1872). Also known as the “New Windsor Glass Works” in at least one source (The Telegrapher, trade newspaper, 1867). Embossing confirmed on the base of a very scarce ale bottle. Newburgh also manufactured telegraph insulators, including at least some, if not many, of the insulators marketed by L.G. Tillotson in the late 1860s.
New Eng. Glass Bottle Co. ………….New England Glass Bottle Company, Cambridge, Massachusetts (1827-1845) . Embossing is arranged in a circular formation along the outer base rim of a “blackglass” (very dark olive green or olive amber) ale, porter or wine bottle. (This firm is not to be confused with the New England Glass Company, also of Cambridge). This mark was suggested to be, by author & glass historian/researcher Helen McKearin, the probable earliest glassworks identification mark known on the base of an American-made bottle, possibly dating from the 1830s. However, no one really knows what year the mark was first used. I believe that another mark (but from the Pittsburgh region) might actually be a contender for “1st place”! See “W. I. & P” entry.
New Granite Glass Works, Stoddard, N.H………………..New Granite Glass Works, Stoddard, New Hampshire (1861-1871). Seen on flask with flag design. For more info on Stoddard Glass, see http://www.peachridgeglass.com/2012/01/staddard-glass-updated-information-from-michael-george/
New London Glass Works…………New London Glass Works, New London, Connecticut (1856-c.1859). Factory name seen embossed on historical flasks. This reportedly became known as “Union Glass Works” about 1859, and was probably the same factory known as “Thames Glass Works” in the 1865-1866 period.
NF. (N joined with upside-down L and raised dot or small “o”, see picture of mark as shown)…………………… Nadir Figueiredo S.A. , Suzano, São Paulo, Brazil, South America. Producer of glass tableware, especially tumblers. Illustration is showing the mark as seen on the base of an avocado green glass tumbler. Their website is www.Nadir.com.br/2010/.
N G CO……………….Northern Glass Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (1894-1896). This mark is very uncommon, but has been confirmed to exist by author/researcher Roger Peters.
N G W………………Northern Glass Works, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (1896-1900). Continuation of above factory. Mark is uncommon, but does exist. W.F.& S. mark (William Franzen & Son) might have been the actual mark used on much of the product from this factory during the 1896-1900 period.
Nuart (Nu-art)……………Imperial Glass Company, Bellaire, Ohio (1902-1984). For more info, please see the Imperial Glass Company collectors’ website: http://www.imperialglass.org/site.htm”
Nucut (Nu-cut)…………….Imperial Glass Company, Bellaire, OH. Mark used circa 1911-1932, on a small percentage of their pressed glass ware. (Note: all glass with the “Nucut” mark, or other marks used by other companies including “Near Cut” or “Pres Cut” are not actually cut glass, they are properly termed “pressed glass”, i.e. glass pressed under high pressure into an iron mold. See link above for Imperial Glass collectors’ site.
Numbers (numerals) on the bottom of bottles…….please click here for more information.
NW…………………..Northwestern Glass Company, Seattle, Washington (1931-19??). The letters in this mark may or may not be connected.
NY inside a C…………………..Central New York Bottle Company, Auburn, NY (circa 1978-1980s?). Made Miller brand beer bottles. If you have information on the closing dates of the plant, please contact me!
N.Y.Q.& C.W.Ld…………New York Quinine & Chemical Works, Limited, Brooklyn, NY. A subsidiary of McKesson & Robbins, a drug manufacturing firm first organized in 1833. I do not know the exact year that NYQ&CW was formed, but bottles bearing these initials on the base are mouth-blown and appear to date from the 1890-1920 period. The glass factory(s) which produced the bottles are unknown.
O in a keystone……..Oil City Glass Bottle Company, Oil City, Pennsylvania (c.1930-1952). Also, see the oil derrick logo shown at the bottom of this page, which was the mark used by their successor company, the Oil City Glass Company (1952-1969).
O in a square……….Owens Bottle Company, Toledo Ohio (1903-1929), also Fairmont, WV; Clarksburg, WV, and other plant locations. Owens Bottle Co. merged with the Illinois Glass Company of Alton, IL in 1929 to form the Owens-Illinois Glass Company. (Julian Toulouse stated this mark was first used in 1911, but according to U.S. Patent & Trademark Office data, Owens claimed first use was not until 1919! Take your pick on which date you will accept . See “OWENS”.
O with an I inside…..Owens-Illinois Glass Company (now Owens-Illinois, Inc.), Toledo, Ohio.
O and I entertwined with a diamond…….Owens-Illinois Glass Company.
O.B.CO……………..Ohio Bottle Company, Newark Ohio (1904-1905). Short-lived merger of 3 factories. Later merged with several other plants to form the American Bottle Company.
Obear-Nestor………………please see “N in a square“.
O D ……………….Old Dominion Glass Company, Alexandria, Virginia (1901-1925)
OG in a circle (monogram, shown)………….Olean Glass Company, Olean, New York (1929-1942). Mark may be somewhat indistinct, with the “G” looking more like a “C” or a sideways “U”. Also reported as being found both with and without the circle.
OG (along lower heel of soda bottles, preceded and followed by various numbers)………Graham Glass Company, Evansville, Indiana, Okmulgee, Oklahoma glass plant. See Graham.
OGCo (monogram)……….Olean Glass Company/Works, Olean, New York (1887-1915). There were two different companies known as Olean Glass. At least on the wax sealer fruit jars which are attributed to the earlier company, this mark appears as a monogram with the letters (left to right) arranged as “G O Co”, with the “O” much larger and partially entertwined with the letter on each side.
O G CO……………..Olean Glass Company, Olean, New York (1929-1942). This is the second Olean Glass Company. I have no info on whether this mark has been seen in actual use, or exactly how this mark appears, if it is different than the one from the earlier company. For a confirmed Olean mark, see “OG” monogram mark.
O.G.W. ……………..Olean Glass Company/Works, Olean, New York (1887-1915). See above entries. NOTE: Some bottles found with this marking are products of the Oakland Glass Works, Oakland, California (early 1880s). That factory operated for only a short time and bottles with this marking are scarce. They are nearly always found in California or the western U.S.
O-I ……………….Owens-Illinois, Inc.
Oil derrick logo (shown)…………Oil City Glass Company, Oil City, Pennsylvania (1952-1969). Also, see “O in a keystone” mark.
OLEAN………………Olean Glass Company/Works, Olean, New York (1887-1915)
O-N………………..Obear-Nester Glass Company, East St. Louis, Illinois (1894-1978). Exact time period when this mark was used is uncertain, but a machine-made soda bottle from around 1920 carries it on the heel. Please see “N in a a square“page, also, “N in an oblong”, and “N in a circle” marks.
OP (along lower heel of soda bottles, preceded and followed by various numbers) …….. Graham Glass Company, Evansville, Indiana, this code used at their Okmulgee, Oklahoma glass plant. See Graham.
OS (same as above). See Graham.
Oval (horizontally arranged, with line drawn through longest axis, resembling a belt buckle)…………Western Glass Manufacturing Company, Valverde (Denver), Colorado (c.1900-1909)
OVGCO (monogram)…….Ohio Valley Glass Company, Bridgeport, Ohio (1881-1888). Seen on fruit jars. The embossing “O.V.G.CO.” which appears on glass electrical insulators is an unrelated mark which was used by the Ohio Valley Glass Company of Pleasant City, Ohio (1902-1905).
OWENS…………….. Owens Bottle Company, Toledo, Ohio (1903-1929) and it’s successor [after the merger with Illinois Glass Company], Owens-Illinois Glass Company (1929-to date). Mark is confirmed on a clear druggist bottle with date code “7.” (presumed to indicate 1947). Sometimes just the “O” of “Owens” is enclosed within a square. I don’t know when this mark was first used during the OBC years, so will have to go with “1903-1929″ until further info is uncovered. I believe the mark was used up into the 1950s or ’60s by Owens-Illinois, but have no definite info on ending date. See “O in a square”.
P in a circle……….Pierce Glass Company, St. Mary’s, Pennsylvania (1905-1912); Hamburg, New York (1912-1917); Port Allegany, Pennsylvania (1917-c.1980s). This factory was acquired by Indianhead Container Corporation (later merged into Ball-InCon) and is now a Saint-Gobain Containers glass plant. This mark appears on some commonly-produced medicine bottles of the early to mid-20th century, including many of the Pitcher’s Castoria, Fletcher’s Castoria, Dr. W. B. Caldwell’s bottles and others which are found quite often in dumps of the period.
P in a keystone……..Wightman Bottle & Glass Co, Parker’s Landing, Pennsylvania [in Knox Bottle Company group] (1932-1951)
P in a square……….Pine Glass Company, Okmulgee, Oklahoma (1927-1929). Factory purchased by Ball Bros in 1929, later one of their most important plants.
PAT. JULY 11, 1939 (on base of hobnail votive candleholders)……………….Crescent Glass Company, Wellsburg, West Virginia (1908-19?, re-named Brooke Glass Company, dates of operation uncertain). Please see the Hobnail Glass Votive Candle Cups webpage.
PAT’D APR. 23 ’78 (on bottom of tableware, such as milkglass pitchers, covered bowls, etc in the Melon pattern). Please see webpage on Atterbury & Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Pawn chess piece………see Capstan Glass Company.
P.B.W………………Point Bottle Works Company, Rochester, Pennsylvania and Beaver Falls, PA (at second location 1899-1906). Originally known as Rochester Flint Vial and Bottle Works (1879-c.1882), later, Rochester Point Bottle Works Limited (c.1882-1906). Appears on the base of clear coffin flasks. For more detailed information on this firm, as well as many other glass companies, many highly obscure, please refer to Glasshouses & Glass Manufacturers of the Pittsburgh Region 1795-1910 (2009) by author/researcher Jay W. Hawkins.
P/C in duo-segmented parallelogram……….Pacific Coast Glass Works (1902-1925) and Pacific Coast Glass Company, San Francisco, California (1925-1930). This mark was introduced in 1919, and used on ware until about 1930. Source on 1919 date: Peterson (1968:49).
P/C in a square……..Pacific Coast Glass Works (1902-1925) and Pacific Coast Glass Company, San Francisco, California (1925-1930). This mark was used possibly as early as 1919, but was definitely in use by 1925. See other “P.C.” entries.
P C in a triangle……….Pacific Coast Glass Works (1902-1925) and Pacific Coast Glass Company, San Francisco, CA (1925-1930). Mark was first used in either 1919 or 1925.
P.C………………..Pacific Coast Glass Works (1902-1925) and it’s successor Pacific Coast Glass Company, San Francisco, CA (1925-1930). The PC mark probably dates from either 1919, or 1925, and on up to 1930.
P.C.G.W…………….Pacific Coast Glass Works, San Francisco, CA (1902-1925). See “P.C.” marks.
P.D.& CO………..Parke Davis & Company, Detroit, Michigan (1875-to date). Parke Davis was (and is) known for an extensive line of pharmaceutical products. I’m including this mark because it’s frequently encountered and might be mistaken for a glass manufacturer’s mark. I do not know what glass company(s) made bottles for Parke Davis, but no doubt many different companies made bottles for them over the years. Most of the bottles with the P.D.& Co. marking probably date before 1930.
Petticoat (embossed word on glass electrical insulators) …………… a handful of glass manufacturers made insulators bearing this marking. The great majority of insulators so marked were made by Hemingray Glass Company. The term “petticoat insulator” in these instances, is merely referring to any of various styles of insulators with one (or more) “inner skirts”. That is, by looking upward into the base, a second, inner “ring” or “curved wall” of glass can be seen. The most popular styles with this marking would be the “H.G.CO. // PETTICOAT” insulators made by Hemingray, especially the CD 145 and CD 162 styles.
P.G.Co. …………..Peerless Glass Company, Long Island City, New York (c. 1920-1932). The mark “P.G.Co” is illustrated, in a circular orientation on the “northwest” corner (10:00 to 12:00 position) of bottle bases, in a catalog page from an Owens-Illinois Glass Company bottle catalog / circular, undated but evidently from the early 1930s. Also, see next entry.
P.G.CO……………..Uncertain (Seen on early clear handblown prescription flask, c. 1900). Might be a product of the Pennsylvania Glass Company, Anderson, Indiana (1888-1915). They were heavy producers of flint prescription ware. That company moved to Dunbar, West Virginia and operated there from 1915-1922.
P G & Co………………Unknown.
P.G.W………………Pacific Glass Works, San Francisco, California (1862-1876)
Philada Glass Works/Burgin & Sons………………Philadelphia Glass Works, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1844-1910). Operated under more than one proprietorship, this factory started as Burgin & Pearsall in 1844, became Burgin and Sons in 1853. Most commonly encountered bottles with this marking are the squat sodas that appear to date from approximately the 1855-1875 period.
Pitcher’s Castoria………..for more information, please see page on Fletcher’s Castoria bottles.
Plus sign (+)………………………….see “X” entry.
PORT……………….Port Glass Company, Muncie, Indiana (1890-1902); Belleville, Illinois (1902-1904). Plants bought by Ball Brothers in 1904, closed in 1910. Many fruit jars were made at this factory.
POSTAL (marking seen on glass electrical insulators)……….most of these were made by Brookfield Glass Company for the Postal Telegraph Company (1886-1945) and typically date from the 1900-1920 period.
Potter & Bodine………..Potter & Bodine, Bridgeton, New Jersey (1855-1863). This was one of the firm names under which the Bridgeton Glass Works operated. Later became known as the Cohansey Glass Works. “Potter & Bodine” mark is seen on fruit jars and on the base of cylinder whiskey bottles.
Pres Cut (Pres-Cut)…………………Trademark / Brand name assigned to a line of upscale glassware patterns produced by McKee Glass Company, Jeannette, Pennsylvania. This marking appears on the base of many of these pieces, generally, most of it made during the period of c.1903-1920. The patterns, known collectively as the “Tec” patterns, made use of elaborate “imitation cut glass” designs, similar in general appearance to the finely-crafted cut glass that was very popular during that time frame. The 18 pattern names for this line include: Aztec, Bontec, Carltec, Doltec, Fentec, Glentec, Martec, Nortec, Plutec, Plytec, Quintec, Rotec, Sextec, Startec, Toltec, Valtec, Wiltec, and Yutec. They are very ornate, and often confused with each other. Here is a webpage with illustrations of at least one piece in each pattern: http://glassandpotterysellers.org/newsletter/17_aug2004.htm Also, please see next entry. Also see “Nucut”.
Prescut (note this is one word, not separated by a dash, as above entry) more accurately called “Early American Prescut”, this is an unrelated, later tableware glass pattern made by Anchor Hocking Glass Company, beginning in 1960, and still in production as late as 1999. It is extremely common and many pieces are very inexpensive. They are usually not marked. A very similar pattern is called “Oatmeal”. Much of this ware was originally distributed as free giveaways as part of sales product promotions, especially in the 1960s and 1970s. For more information on this pattern, written by Cathy Linehan, see http://www.ndga.net/articles/gmeapc1.php. Glass author/researcher Gene Florence discusses and pictures many of the pieces in this pattern in his reference book Collectible Glassware from the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s. Note: this line is unrelated to the much earlier “PRES-CUT” line (two words) produced by McKee Glass Company, discussed in the above entry.
Putnam…………….Lyndeborough Glass Company, South Lyndeboro, New Hampshire (1866-1886), embossed on the base of “Trademark Lightning” fruit jars. HOWEVER, this mark was also used on large numbers of similar “Lightning-style closure” jars made later by a number of other glass companies. The mark is also reported on early mouthblown amber beer bottles circa late 1800s or early 1900s. NOTE: There are also reproduction “Lightning” style jars with the marking “PUTNAM 227″ on the base. These are relatively modern, made of amber glass, and were evidently made in Asia, likely dating from sometime in the 1960s-1980s period. (Assuming these were made from an old Lightning jar mold sold to a company in Asia, there exists the possibility that authentic Lightning jars with the number 227 do exist and may be found occasionally…….although a close inspection would likely show them to be old production by subtle clues of age such as general characteristics of the glass, the presence of high-point base wear, besides being made of the typical aqua “bottle glass” most lightning jars are found in).
Putnam Glass Works, Zanesville, O. ……………….Putnam [Flint] Glass Works, Zanesville, Ohio (c.1852-c.1871). Marking is arranged in a circle, and appears on the base of a wax sealer fruit jar. This factory went through many business name/owner changes and the exact period when these jars were made is uncertain.
Pyrex……………………..Corning Glass Company/Works, Corning, New York (1875-to date).
Q ……………..Unknown. Reported on base of drugstore bottles, principally from northern Illinois area.
Quarrier, Ott & Co……………Quarrier, Ott & Company, Wheeling, (West) Virginia (1850-early 1860s?). One of the business firm names that operated the Union Glass Works of Wheeling. This marking has been confirmed on the base of a scarce cylinder whiskey bottle.
R (highly stylized, as shown) , this mark is seen on upscale tableware including tumblers………… Rosendahl, Copenhagen (København), Denmark (Danmark), 1984- to date. This mark appears, when turned sideways, as somewhat similar to a capital “C” or “G”. (Thanks to Elizabeth Bruhmuller for photo and attribution).
R in a circle……..Unknown.
R in a keystone……..Rosso Wholesale Glass Dealers, Inc., Port Vue, Pennsylvania (1969-to date). This mark is seen on glass “hen-on-nest” covered dishes and other decorative items. Rosso (strictly a wholesaler, not a manufacturer) has glassware made for him by various glass companies, including Mosser, Summit, Fenton and L. E. Smith.
R in a triangle……..Reed Glass Company, Rochester, New York (1927-1956). See Reed.
R & CO (on the bottom of beer bottles)………………Reed & Company, Massillon, Ohio (1881-1904). See this page for more info.
Rawleigh’s (W.T.Rawleigh’s / Freeport, Ill ) ……………… bottles with his marking are quite frequently found throughout the United States. Please see this page for more information.
Ravenna Glass Works…………Ravenna Glass Works, Ravenna, Ohio (1857-1866). Full name is found embossed on the face of fruit jars and whiskey flasks. Info on exact dates of operation courtesy of Brian Gray.
RC inside circle~Robert Coleman. On base of decorative iridescent 2-handled blown bottle. (Photo courtesy Carey Hamilton)
RC inside a circle (shown)…………….Robert Coleman, independent glass artist who specializes in handblown iridescent (carnival glass) pieces, some with an “art deco” influence. Vases, bottles, bowls, etc are found with this mark on the bottom. I’m not sure on years of production, but perhaps 1990s to present. If you have more info, please contact me!
Reed……………….F.E.Reed Glass Company (or Reed Glass Company), Rochester, New York (c.1899-1956). See Rochester Glass Works.
REX (in cursive script)…………Obear Nester Glass Company, East St.Louis, Illinois (1894-1978). Mark used from 1896 to 19??. Trademark used by Obear-Nestor, occasionally seen on base of clear prescription bottles. Please see “N in a square” page.
R.G.& B.CO……………Rhodes Glass & Bottle Company, Massillon, Ohio (1901-c.1919). This mark and the following variation is seen rather frequently on bases of amber and aqua beer bottles from cities in OH, PA, IN, MI, WI, and MD that I am aware of, and probably other states as well. An obscure company which is virtually unknown to bottle collectors, nevertheless quite a number of bottles were manufactured over a period of almost two decades. The name of the company seems to have changed slightly at some unknown time during it’s history, with the “&” being omitted. Perhaps future research will shed more light on this firm.
R.G.B.CO………Same as above. Presumably a variation of the above mark.
R.G.CO……………..Root Glass Company, Terre Haute, Indiana (1901-1932). Mark used by Root in the early years (1901-c.1909). Toulouse stated these initials stood for Renton Glass Company, Renton, Washington (1907-1911). However, the “R.G.CO.” mark which was used by Renton likely appears only on certain bottles from the West Coast. I do not believe any of the midwestern bottles seen with the “R.G.CO.” marking originate from Renton. See “ROOT” entry.
R.G.W………………Possibly Ravenna Glass Works, Ravenna, Ohio (1857-1866). Seen on base of wax sealer fruit jars. (Dates courtesy of research by Brian Gray).
R.I. (with number or letter and the word “SEAL”, on milk bottles) …………………………………… several glass manufacturers made milk bottles with this type of marking, required by law for bottle used / distributed within the state of Rhode Island. See list at this milk bottle site: http://dairyantiques.com/Milk_Bottle_Marks.html
R.I.B……………..Unknown. Seen on base of beer bottle, this mark could stand for either a brewing company, bottling company or a glass bottle manufacturer.
R.I.P……………Unknown.
H.Ricketts & CO………….H.Ricketts & Company Glassworks, Bristol, England. Seen on early blackglass bottles. Bottles with this marking date from 1821 to about 1853. This is probably the earliest type of bottle carrying an embossed glass factory identification mark on the base.
RM (monogram)………..Unknown. Reported to me as seen on beer or soda bottle base shard.
Robinson, Geo. W. (Geo. W. Robinson / NO. 75 / MAIN ST W. VA.)……………………embossed marking on face of strapside flask. Made at the North Wheeling Glass Works (dba Geo. W. Robinson), Wheeling, West Virginia (c. 1860s- c.1910). Exact time frame when these flasks were made is open to question, but they may date from sometime during the 1865-1875 period. Some sources (i.e. McKearin) indicate the works were in business as early as 1860. But in the earlier years window glass was the predominate product; later on they switched to making primarily bottles. George W. Robinson was the owner/manager of the works sometime in the 1860s/1870s. An 1879 reference (History of the Pan-Handle, published by J. A. Caldwell) mentions “Mr. Robinson” was involved in early years, but indicates the works had just recently began operating with a new company (group of owners) under the name “North Wheeling Glass Company”, for a “short time”, meaning perhaps since 1877 or 1878(?). The last mention I can find of this operation is from c. 1910 when young boys were striking at the factory.
Rochester Glass Wks………………………Rochester Glass Works, Rochester, New York (1862-1908). Alice Creswick in The Fruit Jar Works (1995:273) shows this chronology for the Rochester Glass Works and succeeding firms, evidently from city directory listings researched by either herself or Dick Roller: Rochester Glass Works (1862-1881); Kelley & Co. (1882-1885); Kelley, Reed & Co. (1886-1887); Eugene Reed & Co. (1888-1889); E. P. Reed & Co. (1890-1894); Rochester Glass Works (1895-1898); F. E. Reed Glass Company/Works (1899-1900); Rochester Glass Works (1901-1908); F. E. Reed & Co. (or F.E.Reed Glass Co.) (1909-1927); Reed Glass Co. (1927-1946); and Reed Glass Co., Inc. (1947-1956). Several marks were used at various times by this factory, and the exact period of time during which each mark was used is not completely certain at this time. Known marks include “Reed”, “F.E.R.”, “F.E.R.G.Co.”, “R in a triangle”, and “Rochester Glass Wks”. Some bottles are known with the marking “Rochester NY Glass Works” embossed in a circle on the base. The full factory name could conceivably have been embossed on bottles dating from anytime within the 1862-1908 timeframe.
Rock hammer, scythe or anchor-like symbol inside rounded vertical triangle (triangle vaguely reminiscent of teardrop shape) as shown in pic……………..this glassmaker’s mark seen on base of dark forest/emerald green Jägermeister liqueur bottle. Uncertain, possibly a glass manufacturer in Germany (Deutschland)? If you know what firm this stands for, please contact me!
Ron Ray 1991 (or other year, hand-etched on base of art glass bird paperweights)……………………Phoenix Studios, Fayetteville, Arkansas. These birds, usually in blue glass, but occasionally in other colors, are similar to the pieces made by Terra Studios, also of Fayetteville. (All birds marked “Leo Ward” on the base are products of Terra Studios.)
ROOT……………….Root Glass Company, Terre Haute, Indiana (1901-1932). Mark is often embossed very lightly along the lower heel, and sometimes is almost illegible. Root produced a huge variety of soda, mineral water and beer bottles. (Root Glass Company is famous for having produced the first “Hobbleskirt” shaped Coke bottles, circa 1915 or 1916). There were two separate factories in the early years, one for fruit jars and the other for bottles. The fruit jar factory was purchased by Ball Bros. in 1908, and operated by Ball until it was closed in 1912 or 1913. Root Glass Co. was bought by Owens-Illinois Glass Company in 1932. Later the plant became part of the American-Wheaton Glass Corporation, in 1962 it was sold to the American Can Company, and then sold again to Midland Glass Company in 1968. After being purchased by the Anchor Glass Container Corporation, the property was closed down in 1984.
S (Capital “S”, in graceful cursive script, looks similar to a treble clef symbol as used in written music)………….. seen on the base of tableware: L. E. Smith Glass Company, Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania (1907-to date).
S (on the base of bottles) ………………….In some cases this mark was used by Lyndeboro Glass Company, South Lyndeborough, New Hampshire (1866-1888). The “S” is seen on the bottom of some hand-blown ‘strapside’ liquor flasks (usually in amber or blue-aqua) and certain other bottles which are found in the eastern states. (Thanks to Mark Newton for this info). If the “S’ is on a clear bottle, or on a machine-made bottle, that would indicate another maker. Note: as with the great majority of cases involving soda bottles of the late 19th and early twentieth century, if the bottle base has just a large letter, such as S (or any letter, or initials comprised of 2 or more letters) and this corresponds to the initials of the bottling company name embossed on the side, that would serve as a self-explanatory meaning, and nearly always is not indicating the glass manufacturer. Many such bottles with an initial on the base were purposely made with no glass manufacturer identification.
16S (or with other 2-digit number between 16 and 29)……….in most cases indicates production by the American Bottle Company, at their Streator, Illinois plant location. Mark is seen mostly on the lower heel area on soda and beer bottles. The number usually precedes the letter, but in some cases the order may be reversed. These marks were used by ABCO at least during the 1916-1923 period, and evidence from bottle collectors indicate these date code markings may have been used as early as 1905 (when American Bottle Company was incorporated), all the way up to at least 1929 in some cases. Owens Bottle Company, which purchased the six glass plants of the American Bottle Company in 1916, continued the operation of only two of those ABCO plants (their Newark, OH & Streator, IL locations) under the American Bottle Company name until 1929, and used this type of marking on many of their bottles. See “AB”, “A.B.CO.” and “17N” marks.
S in a circle……………Swindell Bros, Baltimore, Maryland (1869-1959). Reportedly used on machine-made bottles after c. 1920, per Toulouse. A similar mark was also used by Sterling Glass Company, Lapel, Indiana (1914-1950). Hand-blown bottles were produced from 1914 to 1918, at which time semi-automatic production was introduced. Sterling operated as the “Sterling Division” of the Warfield Company of Chicago from about 1940 until 1950.
S in a circle connecting 4 small raised dots, resembling planets arranged in an orbit………Uncertain. Seen on the base of a handblown light aqua blob beer, c.1890-1920. This mark may be just an “S in a circle” and the raised dots could be merely the effect of four air vent holes positioned in the engraved circle portion of the mold. See above entry.
S in a diamond………On machine-made bottles, probably Southern Glass Company, Vernon, California (c.1916-1931). But, on mouth-blown (handmade) bottles at least in some instances, possibly Swindell Bros, Baltimore, Maryland (1869-1959). HOWEVER, from the collection of papers held at the Winterthur Library pertaining to the career of Chas. Yockel and his glass mold manufacturing firm, there is a letter proving that the Chicago Glass Manufacturing Co., of Chicago, IL, ordered bottle molds with an “S inside a diamond” on November 17, 1887. Thus, perhaps all, if not most, hand-blown bottles with this mark were products of that company? Perhaps time will tell…
S in a keystone……..Seaboard Glass Bottle Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1943-1947)
S in an octagon………..Sotancro, Embalagem de Vidro, S.A., Lisbon (Lisboa), Portugal . Seen on the base of a miniature green liquor bottle, imported to the USA.
S in an oval………..See “G in an oval”. Gallo Glass Co. mark may be mistaken for an odd-looking “S”.
S in a shield………..Unknown.
S in a square……….Unknown.
S in a star…………(usually) Southern Glass Company, Vernon, California (c.1916-1931) if on a machine-made bottle found in the western US. There are also handmade flasks known that appear to be of pre-1900 manufacture, and in such cases, I strongly doubt that Southern is the factory source. Those flasks probably were made much earlier (c.1885-1910) in an as-yet unidentified Eastern U.S. glasshouse.
S.A.B.CO……………American Bottle Company, Streator, Illinois plant (1905-1916). Mark was probably used only for a brief time. Not often encountered, usually the mark is “A.B.CO”. See also “16S” mark.
Sailboat………triangular logo vaguely resembling a sailboat with sails unfurled……look farther down this page for the “Triangular Logo” entry: a mark used by American National Can Company.
Saturn…………………….Occasionally the “diamond/o/i” mark used by Owens-Illinois Glass Company has been compared to a vague representation of the planet Saturn, or as a cat’s eye. Please check the Owens-Illinois summary page for some pics that show variations of this commonly seen mark.
S B………………..Uncertain, reported (by Stephen Gray) as appearing on base of drugstore bottle, along with 1888 patent date. Perhaps Swindell Bros, Baltimore, MD (1869-1959).
SB in a diamond……..Unknown
S.B.& G.CO………….Streator Bottle & Glass Company, Streator, Illinois (1881-1905). The Streator plant eventually became part of the American Bottle Company, then later Owens Bottle Company, and finally part of the Owens Illinois Glass Company (Plant #9). “S.B.& G.CO.” is one of the most commonly seen marks on handblown beer bottles from the late 1800s and early 1900s. It is also seen on other bottles of the period, including pickle bottles and other types of containers.
S BROS……………..Possibly Swindell Bros, Baltimore, Maryland (1869-1959).
S.B.W………………Saltsburg Bottle Works Company, Saltsburg, Pennsylvania (c.1890-1900). Manufacturer of druggist ware.
S.B.W.CO……………Saltsburg Bottle Works Company, Saltsburg, PA (c.1890-1900)
S-F.G.CO……………Sheldon-Foster Glass Company, Chicago, Illinois (1895-1913)
S.F.& P.G.W……..San Francisco and Pacific Glass Works (1876-c.1901)
SG mark on “heel” of 16-oz packer jar- Saint-Gobain Containers / Verallia North America
SG (on modern glass containers)…………………….Saint-Gobain Containers, Muncie, IN [head office], now known (after 2010) as Verallia North America, (mark dates 2000-to present). SG mark is seen embossed on many of their modern jars and bottles, usually on the lower heel area of the container, but sometimes on the base. This concern was formed when Ball Corporation and Saint-Gobain (SG also acquiring Foster-Forbes Glass at that time) merged in 1995 to form Ball-Foster. In the year 2000, the name was changed from Ball-Foster to Saint-Gobain Containers. Subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, France, a huge firm with a corporate history involved with glassmaking that goes back over 300 years, Verallia now includes 13 glass manufacturing plants in the United States, some of which are former Ball Bros/Ball Corporation factories. For more general info on Saint-Gobain (worldwide operations), go to Saint-Gobain.com . Also, see Ball Brothers Corporation page, which includes a list of the 13 current factory locations within the US.
SGCO (entwined letters in a monogram)………….Swayzee Glass Company, Swayzee, Indiana (1894-1906). This SGCO monogram is seen embossed on “Mason’s Patent Nov 30 1858″ fruit jars. This was incorrectly attributed to Safe Glass Company, Bowling Green, Ohio; Redkey, Indiana; later, Upland, Indiana., by Julian Toulouse. Since the publication of his books (late 1960s, early 1970s) wooden packing cases have been found with the monogram identifying it beyond doubt to have actually been used by Swayzee.
S.G.CO……………………Several glass factories used this mark (at least four or five), and here are four that I am certain actually did, at least on some items they produced:
***Seattle Glass Company, Renton, Washington (1905-1907), known for producing amber beer bottles. These are primarily found in the northwestern US.
*** Severn Glass Company, Annapolis, Maryland (c.1897-1901). Appears on certain bottles (usually flasks or beer bottles in amber or aqua) found in the Baltimore, Maryland and surrounding area. The mark appears on the heel or the base, and in some cases is accompanied by an anchor. Information uncovered by researcher Tod Von Mechow indicate that ths little-known firm is virtually certain to have been the user of S.G.CO. on these bottles. Several dozen different beer bottle variants from Baltimore and surrounding area are known with this mark.
***Southern Glass Company/Works, Louisville, Kentucky (1877-c.1885) Frequently seen on the base of “JOHN J. SMITH / LOUISVILLE KY” tonic bottles.
***Southern Glass Company, Vernon, California (c.1916-1931) Mostly machine-made bottles, mainly found in the western states of the US.
S G CO within a segmented parallelogram……….probably Southern Glass Company, Vernon, California (c.1916-1931)
S.G.CO.W……………Sydenham Glass Company, Wallaceburg, Ontario, Canada (1894-1913)
S.G.CO. with anchor………probably Severn Glass Company, Annapolis, Maryland (c.1897-c.1901). Severn Glass Company was a successor to Annapolis Glass Works, originally incorporated May 12, 1885 in Annapolis. (Per information found by Tod von Mechow).
S.G.W………………Southern Glass Works, Louisville, Kentucky (1877-c.1885). Basemark, seen on aqua picnic (“pumpkinseed”) flasks.
S. G. W. LOU. KY ………………Southern Glass Works, Louisville, Kentucky (1877-c.1885). For some info on other nearby glassworks, see Kentucky Glass Works Company and Falls City Glass Company, both of which were also located in Louisville and operated during much of the same general time period, and the Star Glass Company which made glass across the Ohio River in New Albany, Indiana.
SGW (monogram on face of Mason fruit jar)……….Salem Glass Works, Salem, New Jersey (1863-1937), under various ownerships. Jar was probably made in the 1890s to early 1900s.
Sheldon…………..Probably Sheldon-Foster Glass Company, Chicago, Illinois (1895-1913). This mark is evidently less common than the “S-F G CO” mark which was normally used. Appears on the base of prescription/pharmacy bottles.
Signet……………..Chicago Heights Bottle Company, Chicago Heights, Illinois (1912-1913). Trademark reportedly seen embossed on the base of bottles from this short-lived company. Became part of Illinois Glass Co in 1913.
S.I.G.W…………….Southern Indiana Glass Works, Loogootee, Indiana (1904-c.1912).
S.K.& Co.(with star)……..Shields, King & Company (Proprietors of the Newark Star Glass Works, Newark, Ohio (1873-1880). Also, see “N next to or within a star” and “E.H.E.CO.” entries.
S M B M Co……………..Standard Milk Bottle Manufacturing Company, Parkersburg, West Virginia (1911-1912). Seen on milk bottles.
S. M. CO. …………………….seen on many small ink bottles……… Sanford Manufacturing Company, later Sanford Ink Company. I suspect most of the bottles marked with these initials date from the 1880-1920 period.
S. M. BiXby & Co………….manufacturer of shoe polish, ink and glue products. Click here for more information.
S. McK. & Co………See next entry.
S. McKee & Co…….S. McKee and Company, Pittsburgh, PA (c.1834-1908).
S. M’Kee…………….S. McKee and Company.
S. M’Kee & Co…….S. McKee and Company.
So. Stoddard, N.H…………….see Weeks & Gilson entry.
SOU.G.W. …………..Southern Glass Works, Louisville, Kentucky (1877-c.1885). Seen on base of wax sealer fruit jar.
SOU.G.WS. ………….Southern Glass Works, Louisville, KY (1877-c.1885). Seen on bases of several sizes of square pickle bottles (similar to the “cathedral pickles” but with no ornamentation). See “S.G.W. LOU. KY” entry.
Spring Garden Glass Works……………………..embossing seen on pictorial flasks. This was one of the two factory sites in Baltimore, MD that also operated under the name “Baltimore Glass Works”. (See Baltimore Glass Works entry). There is conflicting information concerning the exact stretch of time the factory was designated with this name, but the flasks with the Spring Garden Glass Works embossing (sometimes the lettering looks more like one word, “Glassworks”) were likely blown sometime during the 1850 to 1870 period. Some flasks from this glassworks bear Anchor and Log Cabin designs.
S & R; S.R & Co……..Southwick, Reeves & Co. (proprietors of the Clyde Glass Works, c. 1868-18??). See Clyde.
SS in a circle………….Silver Spur Corporation, Cerritos, California (1978-to date). All bottles are actually manufactured in Taiwan and China. Business offices and warehouse is located in Cerritos.
SSP/B……………..S.S.Pierce, Boston, Massachusetts. Seen on base of strap-side flasks, perhaps 1890-1910 period? Toulouse indicates the maker was possibly S.S. Pierce, a food (and spirits?) distributor based in Boston. Although I was at first skeptical about this attribution, I have since seen one of these flasks carrying a partial label, which was lettered “bottled by S.S. Pierce, Boston”. However, since Pierce was evidently a jobber, the actual manufacturer of the flasks is unknown, presumably a glasshouse in the Boston area.
Star (5-pointed star on base, example shown)…………Star Glass Works/Company, New Albany, IN (1869-c.1879). Star Glass Company was operated by John B. Ford (dba John Ford & Sons) from 1869 until January of 1870, when businessman W.C. DePauw became part-owner along with Ford and John B. Winstanley. Star Glass Co. was officially incorporated in February 1870. In 1879, W. C. Depauw acquired entire ownership, and the factory then (or soon after) became known as DePauw’s American Plate Glass Works (with the window glass / fruit jar division being called “W. C. DePauw Company”). The operation produced fruit jars (some are marked “W C D” on the base), and continued to operate until the Panic of 1893 caused the plant to shut down. Sporadic attempts to revive the works failed.This star marking is usually quite boldly embossed. Probably the most well-known bottle variant found with the bold, heavy star mark on the base is a “squat quart” Cream Ale bottle made for A. Templeton, Louisville, Ky in the very late 1860s or early 1870s. It is found in shades of amber and dark olive green. Note: A star on the base of certain bottles found mainly on the west coast might be attributed to Pacific Glass Works, San Francisco, CA. Also, see “3 Rivers” and “N next to or within a star” marks. There are also cases in which some types of bottles exhibit a star in the design or on the base which has nothing to do with the glassmaker. See “W.C.D.”
Star Glass Company, New Albany Ind…………………………Marking embossed across the face of wax sealer style fruit jars. These jars have been found in several colors including shades of aqua, green, citron and amber. See above entry.
Star enclosing an “N”………..see “N next to (or within) a star”.
Sterlinglass………..Unknown.
Swayzee…………….Swayzee Glass Company, Swayzee, Indiana (1894-1906). Factory bought by Ball Bros. in 1906.
T, vaguely resembling an anchor with horizontal upper stroke, with smaller, angular M and C nestled underneath to the left and right (shown)…………Thatcher Manufacturing Company/Thatcher Glass Mnfg. Corporation (c.1904-1985). First plant at Elmira, NY, but many others were added later including locations at: Kane, Pa; Streator, IL; Wharton, NJ; Mt. Vernon, OH; Lockport, NY; Clarksburg, WV; Olean, NY; Winchester, IN; Cedar Grove, WV; Parkersburg, WV; Lawrenceburg, IN; Muscatine, IA; Saugus, CA and Tampa FL. Mark is often indistinct and the 2 smaller letters may be illegible. This mark was first used about 1949 and is a variation on their earlier mark which was also MTC, but in a more legible format (see MTC mark). For a much more comprehensive discussion on Thatcher, see the great article by Bill Lockhart here.
T………………….Unknown (Seen on base of small, clear bottle, c.1900, perhaps a perfume bottle).
T in a circle……….Unknown (Seen on base of aqua rectangular paneled prescription bottle, c. 1910-1930).
T in a keystone……..Knox Bottle Company, Palestine, Texas glass plant location (1941-c.1953).
T in a square (rectangle)…….Anchor Hocking mark “Anchor in a rectangle” somewhat resembles a capital T when viewed upside down.
T in an inverted triangle……Turner Bros. Glass Company, Terre Haute, Indiana (c.1905-1930).
T in an inverted triangle……Travis Glass Company, Clarksburg, West Virginia, as seen on milk bottles , circa 1913-1920.
T.B. ………………Tibby Brothers, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Sharpsburg, PA (1866-c.1902). The first factory location was in Pittsburgh, and the second one was started up in Sharpsburg somewhat later. Both locations operated simultaneously for many years. The Sharpsburg location was the only plant in operation by the time of Tibby Brothers’ closing, but I am not sure on the exact date Pittsburgh closed and when the Sharpsburg plant opened.
T.C.W………………See next entry.
T.C.W.CO. ………….T.C.Wheaton Glass Company, later “Wheaton Glass Company” , “Wheaton Industries”, (now Wheaton) , Millville, New Jersey (1888-to date). Seen especially on laboratory, chemical and drug bottles. See “W in a circle”.
Temperglas ……………… Brand name used by Brockway Glass Company. Please see “B in a circle” entry.
Three Rivers………..Three Rivers Glass Company, Three Rivers, Texas (1922-1937)
Tibby Bros Pitts PA….See “T B”.
3 R “star”………….Three Rivers Glass Company, Three Rivers, TX (1922-1937)
3 Rivers (with “star” emblem)……….Three Rivers Glass Company, Three Rivers, TX (1922-1937). Ball Bros. Glass Company bought the plant in 1937, and operated it for around 10 years before shutting it down.
T/M (monogram, as shown)………….almost certainly the Modes-Turner Glass Company, Cicero & Terre Haute, Indiana (c.1900-1905). Earlier known as Modes Glass Company (c.1895-1900). Terre Haute operation later known as Turner Bros. Glass Company (c.1905-1930) and the Cicero plant became known as Indiana Bottle and Glass Company (c.1905-1909).
T M C………………Thatcher Manufacturing Company, Kane, PA; Elmira, NY; other locations (1904-1985). Mark used circa 1910s-1920s. See “T, resembling an anchor” mark, above.
T MFG CO……………Thatcher Manufacturing Company, Kane, PA; Elmira, NY; other locations (1904-1985). Mark used circa 1910s-1920s. See “T, resembling an anchor” mark, above.
T.M’F'G.CO………….Thatcher Manufacturing Company, Kane, PA; Elmira, NY; other locations (1904-1985). Mark used circa 1904-c.1920. See “T, resembling an anchor” mark, above.
Tygart Valley Glass Company, circa 1940-1959
T over a V……………Tygart Valley Glass Company, Grafton, West Virginia (1895-1928) and Washington, Pennsylvania (1928-1959). A maker of many types of generic packer jars and bottles. Their mark underwent some subtle changes over the years, and the last variant, which closely resembles a narrow inverted triangle,(with the downward-pointing serifs of the “T” crossbar almost, but not quite, touching the upper portions of the “V”) , was evidently used from about 1940 to 1959. On earlier items the mark is reported (by Toulouse) to have had a somewhat wider “V”. Tygart Valley was purchased by Brockway Glass Company in 1959.
Treble clef sign (actually a cursive, capital “S” but looks something like the treble clef in sheet music) …………………lightly embossed on the base of tableware including tumblers, etc: L. E. Smith Glass Company, Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania (1907-to date) .
Triangles (one triangle inside a larger triangle) …………………..seen on the base of small cobalt blue ointment jars, in several sizes. These jars contained Vicks VapoRub salve. I believe the two triangles was an actual registered trademark. This particular mark was probably used on jars from a specific span of time; not sure on exact years they were made, but the examples I’ve seen appear to date from the 1910s, 1920s or 1930s. Later jars may have one triangle with the words “Vicks / VapoRub” encircling it, or a “V V V” logo along with the words, and there are probably many other slight variations in existence. This is a very common jar, frequently found in 20th century bottle dumps, and loved by collectors of cobalt blue glass for it’s brilliant color. Many of these containers were produced by Maryland Glass Company, of Baltimore, but most of them are not marked with the glassmakers’ identification. Vicks VapoRub jars have been made of plastic since (I think) the early to mid-1970s.

American National Can Company mark

Triangular logo (shown)……………….American National Can Company (1987-2000). The triangular mark, vaguely resembling a sailboat with sails unfurled, is seen on the base of soda bottles, such as typical emerald green non-returnable 7-UP or Sprite bottles. Another mark (vaguely resembling two “C’s” facing each other), was also used by this firm, but I’m not sure on the exact time period. (See “American National Can Company” entry on page one with photo of the other mark). That mark appears on soda bottles with 1991 and 1992 date codes. If you have solid information on the exact date range these marks were used, please contact me. American National Can Company was acquired by Rexam in 2000.
T.W. & CO……….Thomas Wightman & Company, Pittsburgh, PA (1872-c.1893). Successor to Lorenz and Wightman (also please see L&W, W.G.CO, and W marks).
U………………….Several possibilities: Underwood Glass Company, New Orleans, Louisiana (1956-1978) & Memphis, Tennessee; Upland Cooperative Glass Company, Upland, Indiana (1899-1909) or Upland Flint Bottle Co/Upland Glass Co, Upland, Indiana (1912-1929). In the case of some earlier handblown strapside flasks which are found with a “U” on the base, which probably date before any of these companies’ existence, the glassmaker is uncertain…..perhaps Union Glass Works, Philadelphia, PA (1845-c.1876).
U in a keystone……..Pennsylvania Bottle Company, Sheffield, Pennsylvania (1929-1951)
U G B ……………..United Glass Bottle Manufacturers, Inc. (large conglomerate of many glass factories in the United Kingdom). Mark dates from 1913 to about 1968.
U G P………………United Glass Products, Parkersburg, West Virginia (c.1930-1962); Joliet, Illinois (1962-19??). Known especially for producing embossed milk bottles for various dairies.
U.G.CO……………..Union Glass Company (Works), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1845-c.1876)
Union Glass Works…………..Union Glass Works, Philadelphia, PA (1845-c.1876)
Vitro
V (stylized “V” trademark, as shown)…………Vitro, Monterrey, Mexico. A relatively recent mark seen on many glass containers imported into the US. The mark may be very indistinct, and usually appears as merely a group of 3 triangularly-shaped raised dots or bumps. Vitro website: Vitro.com
V within a circle……Modern mark of Mexican origin, probably Vitro. (see above.)
Vaseline……………please see Chesebrough Mnfg Co webpage here.
V.D.CO……………..Unknown. Possibly Alfred Vogeler Drug Company?
V.G.CO. or V superimposed over a G ………………………..Victory Glass Company, Jeannette, Pennsylvania (c. 1919-1955). Specialized in making clear glass candy containers in the shapes of various objects including telephones, animals, airplanes, etc. (Info from Glasshouses & Glass Manufacturers of the Pittsburgh Region 1795-1910 by Jay W. Hawkins, 2009). The V/G entwined mark is seen on the base of clear/amethyst tint jars (similar to fruit jars) made for an egg beater / hand mixer assembly patented March 30, 1915, patent #1,133,413. The letter “G” looks vaguely like a sideways Greek ‘Omega’.
Vicks VapoRub…………………see “Triangles” entry on this page.
V M (V above M, inside a triangle. Viewed upside down, mark looks somewhat like a W inside a triangle)………….Vidriera Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico (1909-19??). (Exact period of use of this mark uncertain. I have two bottles date-coded 1956 and 1958.) Vidriera Monterrey is a glass container factory “ancestor” to the present corporation Vitro. (See “V” mark, also see the “M over V in a circle” mark).
Votive candle cups…………see this page that discusses the common “Hobnail” pattern candle cups (vigil tumblers).
W……………………… on antique bottles, this could stand for either Wormser Glass Company (1875-c.1927) Pittsburgh, PA; or Thos. Wightman & Company (1872-1893) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, later Thos. Wightman Glass Company ((1893-1917) / Wightman Bottle & Glass Company (1917-1921). A square handmade aqua-colored pickle bottle that bears a “W” on the base looks to date from the 1880s or 1890s. Fruit jars with “W” on the side, and and “L &” faintly visible (removed from the mold) are believed to be Thomas Wightman & Co. products. A detailed timeline of this company and it’s various incarnations can be found in Jay W. Hawkins’ Glasshouses and Glass Manufacturers of Pittsburgh Region 1795-1910 (2009).
W (with a line underneath, inside a circle)…………………….L.G. Wright Glass Company, New Martinsville, West Virginia (1937-1999). This mark is a recent one, not sure on exact date range. Wright did not actually make glass themselves, but had other glass companies pour it for them, (such as L. E. Smith, Fenton, and others) using molds owned by Wright. Wright then sold/distributed the ware under their own company name. This mark, for instance, appears on the inside bottom (not embossed on the outside of the base, as would be more typical) of a ruby red “Double Wedding Ring” pattern toothpick holder. It is likely that some molds with this mark are being used to produce glassware by another, more recent company, since Wright sold off their inventory of glass molds in 1999; they were auctioned off to a number of other entities.
W & CO………….Thomas Wightman & Company, Pittsburgh, PA (c.1874-1895+). See “T.W.& Co.” and “L&W” marks.
W-inside-circle on base of amber laboratory/chemical bottle
W in a circle……….T. C. Wheaton Glass Company, later, Wheaton Industries, now known simply as “Wheaton”, based in Millville, New Jersey (1888-to date). This mark is seen on the bottom of laboratory, chemical & drug bottles, and has been in use since 1946. Wheaton now [2013] has an expanded line of products catering to the medical / pharmaceutical / scientific world. As far as glass bottle production, they manufacture a good percentage of the small “serum bottles” (the small bottles used to contain vaccines, etc) sold in the United States and other countries.
W in a diamond…………Whitney Glass Works, Glassboro, New Jersey (1882-1918)
W in a keystone…………Westmoreland Glass Company, Grapeville, Pennsylvania (1889-1984). This mark was used from 1910 to 1929. See “W superimposed over a G” entry.
W in a rectangle or square………….Wood’s Bottle Works, Portobello, Scotland, United Kingdom (this particular mark used circa 1900-1920, according to Julian Toulouse, Bottle Makers and their Marks, 1971). W in a rectangle is confirmed on the base of a “Brand & Co. Ltd, Mayfair, The ‘A-1′ Sauce, London” bottle, reported to me by Don via email. Thanks Don!
Watkins (J. R. Watkins Co.)……………….see J. R. Watkins Co. page.
W. B. Caldwell’s……………please see “Dr. W. B. Caldwell’s” webpage.
W.B.M.CO……………Western Bottle Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Illinois (1901-c.1930s)
W & C…………..Unknown
W.C.D………………W.C.DePauw Glass Works (fruit jar/window glass division of the DePauw’s American Plate Glass Works), New Albany, Indiana (1879-c.1893). Initials are embossed in a semi-circle on the base of “MASON’S PATENT NOV 30th 1858 ” type fruit jars, along with a mold number. This factory was known as Star Glass Works (or Star Glass Company) from c.1869 to about 1879, although the former name continued to be used casually for years after the “official” title of the works was changed. See “Star” mark, and Star Glass Company webpage.
W.C.G.CO……………West Coast Glass Company, Los Angeles, California (1908-1930). Reportedly, this company made only milk bottles, but a hand-blown clear prescription bottle found in the east exists with this mark on the base. If another company used these initials, one possibility would be a short-lived venture, the Wightman Co-operative Glass Co, Port Allegany, Pennsylvania (1916)
W.D.CO……………..Unknown.
W.D.& G…………….Unknown, seen on amber strap-side flask.
Weeks & Gilson, So. Stoddard, N. H. ………………….Weeks & Gilson, South Stoddard Glass Manufacturing Company (1850-1873). This marking appears embossed in a circle on the base of cylindrical whiskey/wine bottles, usually in dark shades of amber or green. A nice article with illustrations of various bottles and shards, some of which were found at the South Stoddard site can be found on pages 52-55 of the August, 1933 issue of Magazine Antiques, written by Lura Woodside Watkins. Also, a recent article on Stoddard history, written by Michael George, can be found at the http://www.peachridgeglass.com site .
Westford Glass Co…………Westford Glass Company, Westford, Connecticut (1857-1869). Embossed wording seen on several figural / pictorial whiskey flasks, including the “Sheaf of Grain” flasks, GXIII-36 and GXIII-37 variants.
W.F.M………………Aetna Glass Works (William F. Modes, Proprietor), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (circa 1869). Mark seen on the base of certain “Mason’s Patent Nov 30 1858″ fruit jars. William Modes was also involved in several other, later glass companies, including Beaver Falls Glass Company, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, and Modes Glass Company of Cicero, Indiana.
W.F.& S…………On certain bottles dating from the 1870s, William Frank & Sons, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1866-1876). In most cases, a similar mark (usually seen with “MIL” or “MILW” as part of the embossing) indicates the bottle was made by an unrelated concern, William Franzen & Son, of Milwaukee, WI.
W.F.& S. MIL…….See next entry.
W.F.& S. MILW……William Franzen & Son, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (c.1900-1929). This mark is commonly seen on many beer bottles from the midwest. The mark may have been introduced on ware as early as 1896. See N G W mark.
W.F.& Sons………William Frank & Sons, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1866-1876). Earlier known as Wm. Frank & Company (1846-1866), although actual glass manufacturing didn’t begin until 1858 as during the period 1846 to 1858 the firm was only a dry goods/mercantile establishment. After 1858, when the glasshouse was built, it was also called the “Frankstown Glass Works”.
WG……………………………….see next entry.
W superimposed over a G………….Westmoreland Glass Company, Grapeville, Pennsylvania (1889-1984). Seen most commonly on high-quality colored and opaque pressed glass. Westmoreland made large quantities of white milkglass and other opaque colored ware. This mark reportedly dates from 1949 to 1984. Caution: This mark is also seen on some more recent items, such as hen-on-nest dishes, that were made after 1984 from old molds which have since been sold to other glassmaking companies. For more information on Westmoreland and their trademarks, try visiting the Westmoreland Glass Club Website.
W.G.CO……………..Used by at least 2 or 3 companies (or more). Wisconsin Glass Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (1882-1886) produced beer bottles with these initials on the base. The mark is also confirmed on a clear rectangular mouth-blown druggist bottle, circa 1900. A possibility for the source of the mark in that case might be the Wagner Glass Company, Ingalls, Indiana (1895-1908). Company info on Wagner can be found in Dick Roller’s Indiana Glass Factories Notes, page 49. Julian Toulouse states (Thos.) Wightman Glass Company, Parkers Landing, Pennsylvania (he states 1900-1930, but more recent info indicates c.1893-c.1921) as the user of “W.G.CO.” (See “W”). I also suspect that some bottles made by Wormser Glass Company, Pittsburgh, might have carried this mark. Note: In the case of Wisconsin Glass Company, the embossing “MILW” is also usually included, but some bottles do exhibit the lone “W.G.CO.” marking. See next entry, as well as “WIS G.CO.” and similar marks.
W.G.CO. MILW…………….Wisconsin Glass Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (1882-1886). Noted on blob-top beer bottles. Also, see “WIS.G.CO.”
W.G.M.CO……………Western Glass Manufacturing Company, Valverde, Colorado (1900-1909)
W.G.W (monogram)…….Woodbury Glass Works, Woodbury, New Jersey (1882-1900)
Wheaton……………………Wheaton, Millville, New Jersey. Producer of many reproduction bottles, Avon cosmetic, cologne, decorator bottles and other glassware. See “W in a circle” and “T.C.W”. entries. Now [2012] after several re-structurings, buyouts, etc, Wheaton has diversified and is primarily a manufacturer of many lines of pharmaceutical/scientific products, including their “old standbys”, glass serum bottles, such as used to contain vaccines and other fluids. Most of the reproduction bottles, “fantasy” bottles, figural flasks and containers were made during the 1960s and 1970s. The “Cape Cod” ruby red glass line of tableware produced for Avon was manufactured over a period of many years: 1975-1993. Some items are marked “Nuline”, and many of the repro/fantasy bottles have an “imitation” pontil mark on the bottom, which looks like a depressed area in the glass, sometimes shaped like the outline of a state!
Whitney Glass Works…………Whitney Glass Works, Glassboro, New Jersey (1882-1918). In 1918 this factory became a part of the Owens Bottle Company. In 1929, after the forming of Owens-Illinois Glass Co, the plant became O-I plant #8.
Whittemore / Boston / U.S.A or Whittemore / Boston // French / Gloss …………… for more information, please see this page on Whittemore.
Partial Base Shard of “W. I. & P. Pittsburgh PA” ale or porter bottle in dark green, circa 1836-1838.
W. I. & P. Pittsburgh Pa …………………Whitehead, Ihmsen & Phillips, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1836-1838) . Co-proprietors of several factories in Pittsburgh (located in Birmingham, now called “South Side”), including the Pennsylvania Black Glass Works. Mark is confirmed on the base of three bottle variants, all dark olive green “blackglass” or dark forest green porter or ale types. See article by Jay W. Hawkins in All About Glass magazine, April 2011 issue. This is probably the second-oldest known glassworks identification marking known on the base of an American-made bottle. See “New Eng. Glass Bottle Co.” entry.
Willington Glass Co. ………..Willington Glass Company/Works, West Willington, Connecticut (c.1830-1872). Full name seen on several flasks, as well as embossed in a circle (as “Willington Glass Works”) on the base of cylinder whiskey bottles.
WIS.G.CO……………Wisconsin Glass Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (1882-1886) . [Note: For general information on antique bottles from Wisconsin, you might try browsing this collectors' site: Wisconsin Bottles Website . This site pictures many kinds of embossed bottles used in Wisconsin, including some that were made at the glass factories in Milwaukee, as well as many other bottles from out-of-state glasshouses that were made for, and used by, companies operating in Wisconsin.]
WIS.G.CO. MIL……….Same as above.
WIS.G.CO. MILW………Same as above.
WIS.GLASS CO………..Same as above.
WIS.GLASS CO. /MILW…..Another variation on the above marks. This one is noted on a pickle bottle. (Can be misinterpreted to read “Milw Wis Glass Co”, implying the name was “Milwaukee Glass Company”, which is in error. The company was known as Wisconsin Glass Company).
Wm. Frank & Sons…………William Frank & Sons, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1866-1876). See “W.F.& Sons” mark.
W.McC.& CO……….William McCully and Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1841-c.1909)
WM.McC.& CO………Same as above.
Wooster…………….Wooster Glass Company, Wooster, Ohio (c.1900-1904). This plant became part of the Ohio Bottle Company in 1904.
W.P.G.Co……………Unknown. Seen on the base of a picnic (“pumpkinseed”) whiskey flask, probably made during the 1885-1915 period. Also appears on the base of a Massachusetts milk bottle, possibly circa 1905-1915.
W above a T, within an inverted triangle……..Whitall Tatum Company, Millville, New Jersey (mark used approximately 1922-1938)
W.T.CO……………..Whitall Tatum Company, Millville, New Jersey (mark used c.1901-1938). See below.
W.T.& CO………..Whitall Tatum & Company, Millville, New Jersey (mark used c. 1857-1901). Maker of a huge variety of glass containers. Known among fruit jar collectors for their “Millville Atmospheric” jar. See more on Whitall Tatum here .
W. T. Rawleigh’s / Freeport, Illinois ……….for more information, please click here.
W. Ward (and date, such as 1994)……………etched marking seen on the base of hand-made glass bird paperweights. Made by Titan Art Glass, Fayetteville, Arkansas. Also see entries for “Leo Ward” and “Ron Ray”.
X (two crossed lines, can be interpreted as an X, a cross, or a PLUS (+) sign……………….As a solitary mark, often embossed in rather large bold strokes, seen on the base of many older handblown bottles, primarily from the 1850s-1900 period, I believe this is an example of a mold identifying mark. It probably served the purpose to identify a particular mold being used in the plant (especially when a number of virtually identical molds were being used simultaneously), and/or in many cases it may be equivalent to a “shop number” or “shop letter”, i.e. identifying the output of a specific “shop” (group of glassworkers within the glass factory) assigned to produce a certain item. In such cases the worker was paid according to the output of a particular shop. There are many other marks known, such as geometric shapes (triangle, heart, square, star, tic tac toe mark, spade, diamond, clover, Maltese cross, etc,) seen especially on the base of 1870s-1890s era fruit jars, that may have served a similar purpose: equivalent to a mold number or a shop number.
YY. B. Caldwell’s ……………..please see “Dr. W. B. Caldwell’s” webpage, here.
Z (vaguely similar to a backwards Z with horizontal line through the center)………………Foster-Forbes Glass Company, Marion, Indiana (1929-c.2000). (Also, see “FF” entry). This mark is actually a logo composed of 2 capital “F”s connected stem-to-stem, but at a casual glance it somewhat resembles a backward Z with a slash through the center. Mark evidently dates from the 1930s/1940s period, exact time of use is uncertain. If you have more information on this, please contact me.
Zanesville City Glass Works……………………. Zanesville City Glass Works, Zanesville, Ohio (c.1860s-early 1870s?).
Modern European Logo (shown)…………………. BSN Vidrala, Spain. Seen on such items as olive jars and other containers imported to the US.

Note: if you have found this site to be useful, and especially to those who have made frequent use of this free site over the last few years (I have recently moved; this site was under another domain name from February 2004 until September 25, 2012), and have been able to find some information that was helpful in some way, please allow me to respectfully ask that you consider making a token one-time $1 donation via paypal.com (sent to the email address which is listed at the bottom of this page).

I spend a considerable amount of time answering emails, studying photos of bottles and other glassware that people send me, and performing follow-up research. I often spend half an hour or more (nearly every day) trying to find the answers to questions received in emails. Many times I come up empty-handed, but sometimes I am able to help someone with more information. I know that many of the web-surfers that repeatedly land on this site are longtime internet auction sellers, and the information they glean from these pages are frequently inserted into item descriptions on those sites. Thank you very much for your understanding, and your support is greatly appreciated!! I hope you will return often to this site.

I hope to eventually add many more individual webpages on this site, with summaries of various glass companies that operated in the US. Admittedly, I will be concentrating more heavily on firms of most interest to me (as far as antique glass collecting is concerned), but a variety of glass companies will be explored as time permits.

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15 Responses to Glass Bottle Marks – 3

Hilary says:

June 3, 2013 at 1:27 pm

Hi Jaime
Sorry don’t know about that bottle, but when I do some research into mine, I will keep a look out

jaime hobbs says:

June 2, 2013 at 10:16 am

I found a bottle with the word NOXON down the side and on the bottom. clear glass. Haven’t found anything online to say where it was from. Any ideas??

- David says:
  
  June 2, 2013 at 4:37 pm
  
  Hi Jaime,
  I’m sure it is referring the same “NOXON” brand metal polish, a product still sold today, but no doubt an older style container. I really don’t know anything about your bottle or how old it is. I saw an example of one of the older Noxon bottles on ebay. Just guessing, that one looked like a circa 1960s or 1970s bottle, but if there is no glass makers’ mark, date code or other info on a particular bottle, it is hard to pin down a specific date for one of those bottles.
  Take care, David
  
julie says:

April 28, 2013 at 10:25 am

I found a dropper bottle with the dropper still intact on the beach…embossed bottom shows the following – flag with the letter p. And words re pat with a letter number combo. Still some gooey liquid inside. Amber color, 5 sides. Have researched for many hours…not a clue. Any help is much appreciated.

- David says:
  
  April 29, 2013 at 7:21 am
  
  Hi Julie,
  (To readers of this comment section, I answered directly by email). Will recap here:. In a nutshell, this bottle is marked with “RE 19520″ and a “P inside a flag” logo. A search of the US patent records, courtesy Google Patents, brings this up:
  http://www.google.com/patents/USRE19520?printsec=drawing&dq=19520++bottle&ei=4199UcfwHMmsrgGup4DgBA#v=onepage&q=19520%20%20bottle&f=false.
  The patented invention actually referred to the dropper “mechanism” inside the bottle, not the glass bottle itself.
  This type of bottle was made in large numbers by Owens-Illinois, and probably other glass companies, although this example has no glassmakers’ mark. I don’t know what the “P in a flag” signifies. Perhaps a trademark used by an unidentified drug company? If any readers have more information on this, please let us know!
  David
  
Mikey says:

April 26, 2013 at 7:30 pm

Thank You David ; )

Mikey

Ken Wall says:

April 24, 2013 at 9:08 pm

I have a bottle with “R & C O” , and the number “12″ on the bottom. It’s 11-1/2″ tall, but I’m not sure if it is an “export” bottle or not. Any info you can provide is much appreciated.

Thanks, Ken

- David says:
  
  April 25, 2013 at 6:34 am
  
  Hi Ken,
  Without seeing the bottle, I will make a guess that it is. However, for a pic of a typical “export beer” bottle (this type of bottle was made by many companies, and “export beer” was the standard term used in glass manufacturing companies’ bottle catalogs) see the “FHGW mark – Frederick Heitz Glass Works” page on this site. http://www.glassbottlemarks.com/f-h-g-w-frederick-heitz-glass-works
  
  Thanks for writing,
  David
  
HEATHER P. PICCIANDRA says:

March 26, 2013 at 5:01 pm

AMAZING RESOURCE! THANK YOU

- David says:
  
  March 27, 2013 at 9:05 am
  
  Thanks alot, Heather!
  David
  
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Mikey says:

March 12, 2013 at 2:12 pm

I have a bottle that looks like a early purple tabasco bottle, accept it has a ring on the neck 4 3/8 inch tall, M.B./Mfg.Co on the bottom , it has been sold in the past as a tabasco bottle ,but I am sure it is not without new iberia or McIlhenny on it , any ideas ?

thanks Mikey ; )

- David says:
  
  March 13, 2013 at 2:32 pm
  
  Hello Mikey,
  I really don’t know much about the early Tabasco sauce bottles or any other very similar types that might have been “look-alike” brands. Not sure what the M.B. Mfg. Co might stand for. Perhaps a reader/collector that sees your post might know, and can send in some info for us?
  Thanks for writing!
  David
  
Thomas Jones says:

March 8, 2013 at 11:00 am

Here’s an interesting summary of the Emerson Drug Co. and Maryland Glass Co. (makers of Bromo-Seltzer bottles). The summary indicates that the Maryland Glass Co. was formed by partners of the Emerson Drug Co. to make its Bromo bottles (not to mention bottles for other companies). Just an FYI.

http://scripophily.net/emdrugcomofb.html

- David says:
  
  March 9, 2013 at 7:48 am
  
  Thank you Thomas!! I appreciate the link!
  David

Glass Bottle Marks – 3

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Glass Bottle Marks – 3

GLASS MANUFACTURERS’ MARKS ON BOTTLES, PAGE 3

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