Numbers seen on the bottoms of glass bottles and jars

 NUMBERS ON THE BOTTOMS OF GLASS BOTTLES.    I frequently receive inquiries about the interpretation of various numbers seen on the bases of glass bottles. Collectors and others are interested in understanding what the number markings on the bottoms of glass containers mean.  Unfortunately, there is no “one answer fits all” to this question!!


(NOTE: the article on this page is pertaining to GLASS containers, and does not apply to the subject of modern / recent PLASTIC containers, which is an entirely separate field of study, and is discussed on many other websites.  The number (within a triangle with rounded corners) found on the bottom of plastic bottles is a code indicating the type of plastic the bottle is made from,  and pertains to the subject of recycling) .


Always look very closely over the entire glass bottle or other container to see if there is a logo (emblem, trademark, initials, or just a letter) visible that might be a mark that identifies the actual glass manufacturer.   Often, a trademark or other marking is embossed on the very bottom of the bottle, or along  the lower “heel” of the bottle. 

On many bottles, there is no such mark, with only a number or numbers to be seen.   In these cases, the general style, shape, glass color and other characteristics may help narrow down the possible age range of a particular specimen.

A large percentage of bottles are marked with only a number, or numbers, on the base (or the heel), and the truth is that, in many cases, it is very difficult, if not impossible to assign a specific glass manufacturer to a bottle if there is no other information embossed in the glass.


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In the majority of cases,  single or double-digit numbers are mold numbers, that served to  identify a particular mold (or section/mold cavity in an automatic bottle manufacturing machine) that was used to form the bottle, jar or other glass item.   If a number of identical bottle molds are being used simultaneously,  each mold would be assigned a number.    If problems occured with the finished product, it could easily be ascertained which mold or mold section is at fault.

Many, many types of commonly-seen glass products have been marked with these types of mold numbers on the base, including bottles, fruit jars, jugs, flasks, candle holders, candlesticks, ashtrays, canisters, dishes, mugs, sugar bowls, salt and pepper shakers, sugar shakers, syrup pitchers, tumblers, tea glasses, punch cups, etc.

Numbers also serve other purposes, depending on the exact item or container and/or company being discussed.  Some numbers are “year/date of manufacture” codes.     Some numbers (for instance, 3- or 4-digit numbers on the base of many British bottles) are catalog, inventory, style or design numbers assigned to a particular bottle shape.   (Hazel Atlas Glass CompanyAnchor Hocking Glass Corporation,  Knox Glass Bottle Company  and other bottle manufacturers made a wide variety of glass containers with those types of numbers on the base, sometimes a letter/number combination.)

Those numbers would serve to identify a particular bottle style in communications/orders between the glass manufacturer and their customers ……. that is, the companies that ordered the bottles to package  its products.    Some numbers were factory location codes. (See my page on Owens-Illinois Glass Company, that used, and uses, location codes on many of their bottles).

Mold Identifying Number "2" as it appears the on base of an aqua "Ball Perfect Mason" jar.
Mold Identifying Number “2” embossed on base of aqua “Ball Perfect Mason” jar.

Many Ball fruit jars (and other brands) carry mold numbers on the base, such as the underlined “2” illustrated here.  They identified the particular mold (or “mold cavity” on the jar-making machine). For more information, see my web page on the Ball Perfect Mason jars.

Many Owens-Illinois Glass Company soda bottles, for a period of time, used “G-numbers” on the bottom (numerals before or after a G), which were codes for a specific bottle shape (design), irrespective of the soda brand name or glass color of the bottle.


Large numbers of American-made whiskey and other spirits bottles (dating between 1935 and the 1970s or later)  carry  a “Liquor Bottle Permit Number” on the base along with a glass manufacturer trademark and a date code.  For more information please check out my page here with a list of those liquor bottle permit numbers:  Glass Industry Liquor Bottle Permit Numbers .  

Here’s my page about the “FEDERAL LAW FORBIDS SALE OR REUSE OF THIS BOTTLE” marking seen on liquor bottles. 


Many liquor bottles are seen with  “D-numbers” on the bottom which are distillery identification codes.   Someone has put together a list of various distiller code numbers and R-numbers (Rectifier numbers) seen on a wide variety of liquor bottles, with some info on attribution.  Here is a link to that page, which is a .pdf file:  https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51379b83e4b02119d184b2a2/t/584a336ee4fcb59adb85c48b/1481257838281/User+Permit+numbers.pdf


Date codes are often seen, especially  on soda bottles from the 1930s to date, and many of these codes are embossed on the base of  the bottle, placed to the right of the glassmaker’s logo. This is true on the products of some manufacturers, but not all.

Most modern glass bottles carry date codes, which are often on the heel of the bottle.  These date codes are not always obvious, or easy to distinguish from mold numbers.   It also depends on exactly which glass company produced the container, as all firms did not / do not use the same system of markings.


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DOTS or BUMPS around the lower heel of bottles.

In many cases (especially within the last couple of decades), mold data information is now preserved through the use of small embossed “dots”, “bumps” or raised periods arranged horizontally around the lower heel of the container.  More information on this invention (which is rather involved!)  and how it works can be found by doing an internet search (Google, Bing, Yahoo or other search engine), using the keyword search terms “EP 0256804 B1 ” , “code reader”, and “Emhart”.


Here are a few photos showing typical bottle bases with numbers on the bottoms. There are numerous ways in which the base of a bottle might be marked, but here are some of the more commonly seen “layouts” of the modern era.   I plan on adding more photos of typical bottle bases on this page as time allows. You can also see several relatively modern bottle bases on my pages about Owens-Illinois Glass Company  and  Brockway Glass Company.   

 

Base of amber rectangular bottle with 1972 date code. The number "9" is a plant location code, the number "72" is a year date code.
Base markings on a “generic” rectangular amber medicine bottle made by Owens-Illinois (I inside an O) .  This bottle was made in 1972 (date code 72)  at plant number 9 (Streator, Illinois).  The “15” is a mold number.
Base of emerald green 1951 7-UP soda bottle. The number "7" is a plant location code for Alton, Illinois.
Base of emerald green 7-UP soda bottle made in 1951 by Owens-Illinois Glass Company.  DURAGLAS was the brand name of their container glass, introduced in 1940.  This particular bottle was made at plant number 7 (Alton, Illinois).  G-94 was the bottle style number.  “3” is a mold number.  51 is the year date code.

Foster-Forbes emerald green soda bottle with 1990 date code. The number 90 is the year date code. on base. The "FF inside a circle" is the trademark used by Foster-Forbes Glass Company for many years.
This is an example of a typical configuration seen on many bottles. This is an emerald green soda bottle (that probably held a lemon-lime or ginger flavored soda) made by Foster-Forbes Glass Company in 1990. The “FF in a circle” was their logo/trademark, and the “18A” is the mold / cavity number.  The “10” is probably the plant location code.

Base of lemon lime soda bottle with "33" mold number in concentric circles. This bottle was made by Owens-Illinois, Inc. in 1985.
Mold number “33” on the base of an emerald green soda bottle manufactured by Owens-Illinois, Inc.   Millions of these types of “generic” non-returnable glass soda bottles have been made for many years.  This particular bottle was made in 1984, as indicated by markings along the lower heel of the bottle (not visible in photo).

 

NOTE:   Please click here to go to the alphabetical list of Glass Bottle Marks , this link points to “page one”.  If there is an identifiable mark on the bottom of a bottle, the mark might be listed there.   These pages list many commonly seen glass makers’ marks such as “B inside a circle”, “Diamond and oval with an I”, “I inside a diamond”, “O in a square”, as well as initials such as “S B & G CO”,  “R & CO”,  “A B CO”,  “F C G CO”,  “I G CO” and many others.


Please click here to go to my website  HOME  (Welcome)  page. 


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297 thoughts on “Numbers seen on the bottoms of glass bottles and jars”

  1. Hi, I found a clear bottle today in some new excavations and on the bottom of the bottle is embossed “A 4 E” then underneath that it has “S 8” or “5 8” its hard to tell, and under that “U G B” which google tells me is “United Glass Bottle” Can anyone tell me how old and where this came from?

  2. I found a an Owens-Illinois clear glass bottle near Burns Oregon that has 4/5 quart repeated four times around the base, a screw top (NO 403 caseal I think), makers mark indicative of post 1929 with a factory code of 20 to the left and a date code of 2 without a conspicuous period and a 3 below the makers mark. So my guess is a 1932 bottle from the Oakland Ca plant. I found a bottle that looks like it in the catalog with a #L4419 or L2212. I cannot figure out what the other numbers on the bottle mean, below the makers mark is 5669-W. Can you shed any light on what this number means?

    1. Found a small cork style lid tinted blue glass bottle, assuming it’s about 4 to 5 inches tall probably 2 1/2 inches wide at the bottom guessing I’m not measuring this with a tape measure but on the bottom it has a diamond embossed in the center bottom with the number 766 in the center of that and also on the edge of the bottom, it looks like a number 10 and then on the side of the bottle underneath where the cork pop rounds out to a flatter area of the length of the bottle it says the number 2 FLD OZ!
      If you have any information on this, I would appreciate it. My name is Greg Denton, and I love old things that you can find like this and find out the year the thing was manufactured and who manufactured it to see if it is a good collectible, I have found a few other small bottles like this also here recently in Kentucky of the county of Garrard! I have been finding these every now and then, when Kentucky utilities messes with our power dam, and the water lowers where you can see the mudbanks, and then you can find things like this if you look hard enough, seems to been in here for a while.
      I would like to learn more about these type of things. I’m very interested in old bottles and stuff like that and I’ve also found a bunch of old Coke bottles that I would like to know something about even an old Mountain Dew bottle with the old hillbilly on it, and I thinks some Pepsi-Cola glass bottles that I am thinking are some of the first ones made one of them has some old drink still left in it but with the lid on it but it don’t look good I don’t think I would drink it.
      I would love to be able to send pictures of the somehow and get help. To know if they should be saved because they are rare and may need donated to museums!
      I enjoy finding old things like this and learning about them! I am 45 years old. I run in on an electrical company in Kentucky and born and raised in Lancaster Kentucky and I do a lot of metal detecting and searching like that for old treasures.
      It’s fun to find so if there’s a way I can send pictures I would appreciate it. Let me know in my email or something. I’m hoping it’ll come to me quick. Thank you for your time looking at these things and it being a way to find out about all things like this. Thanks again Greg Denton.

      1. Hi there Greg,
        Thanks for your interesting post. I totally understand your interest and excitement in finding old artifacts along the riverbanks and lake shores. I can tell you a little about the bottle with the “766 in a diamond” on the bottom. It was made by Illinois Glass Company, of Alton, IL. When you get some free time please check out my webpage about Illinois Glass Co here:
        https://glassbottlemarks.com/i-inside-diamond-illinois-glass-company/

        That particular bottle was made sometime between 1915 and 1929. The Illinois Glass Company used an “I in a diamond” trademark on many of their bottles, but ALSO used a diamond with a mold design number inside. I have a photo of another example of that same bottle on my webpage! But my bottle is 3 and 1/2 inches tall, so I’m not sure if yours is the same exact size. Many “standard” utility type bottles were made in a range of sizes.

        It is a “generic” type of bottle that was most likely used for medicine or some type of liquid product. Because the top is rather wide (not extremely narrow) I think it could have also been used to contain pills (tablets). Illinois Glass made a large variety of bottles of all shapes and sizes, and some would be called “generic” as they were sold to many companies who put a variety of products in them for retail sale.

        Many of those kinds of bottles are still considered pretty common and don’t have much monetary value to bottle collectors, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that they were quite old and are considered to be vintage or antique items. The “766” bottle, in my estimation, might be worth a dollar or two, although my site isn’t really intended to be an appraisal site.

        Most bottles that are in great demand by collectors will have some type of embossed markings on the front, such as the name of a company, city, state or info of that type on them. But there are a lot of exceptions. There are also many rare bottles that have few or no markings, but are valuable because of being in a rare or unusual color or shape, or for some other reason.
        Most Coke and Pepsi bottles have date codes on them, and usually glassmakers’ marks. If you want to email me pics of some of the bottles, my email address is listed near the bottom of my website under “Contact Info”.

        Thanks and take care!
        David

    2. Hi, I found a six-sided wide mouth bottle about six and a half inches tall with a number 2 inside a circle embossed in the bottom I have no idea what it is.

  3. Hey, thanks for all this great knowledge! Do you or anyone browsing on this site know which manufacturer makes the Balvenie Whisky bottles? The numbers on the bottom of the bottle are “750ml 56mm 3 2163 L1”.
    Thank you!
    David

    1. Hi David,
      I’m not familiar with those bottles but I would assume they have been/are being made by a glass company in the UK. There are quite a few readers who land on this webpage from that area, so maybe someone will know. I assume you do not see any glass manufacturer’s mark or logo anywhere on the bottle? You could also look for possible glassmakers (marks) shown in the Emhart database of worldwide punt marks here: https://emhartglass.com/sites/default/files/publications/2020-10/BR0068%20-%20BEG%20Punt%20Marks%20Guide.pdf

      Best regards,
      David

      1. Thank you so much for sharing this link. I think this is exactly the information I have been searching for!

  4. Hi David, I recently found a fifth-size bottle in my crawlspace. Clear glass, curved like a hip flask. Art deco design consisting of vertical and horizontal ribs. Curiosity about the “Federal Law Forbids…” statement led me to your excellent website, where I decoded the mfgr # 101 and the OI diamond symbol. One side is embossed with a Washington State Liquor Control Board logo including a profile of George. I assume the “8” to the right of the OI symbol is the date code. Is that likely to be 1938 or could it be any “8” year? I’m also drawing a blank on the Rectifier number, R-366. Any ideas about that?
    Thanks – Ray

    1. Hi Ray,
      I’m not sure about the date on that bottle but I assume it is either 1938 or 1948. No info on the Rectifier number R-366.

      David

  5. Hi David
    I have 3 wooden bottle molds with the inscriptions: “H SK-8155-2 1 LT”, “H SK-8750-1 1.3 LT”, & “H SK-8975-3 2.LITRE” All 3 have an identical mark that looks like a mirrored letter J in outline. All inscriptions on base.
    Any ideas on their provenance

    Regards
    Steven

  6. Hi, I have a clear screw top glass bottle with dot pattern before the neck of the bottle (the neck starts at about 10cm) and at the bottom of the bottle. A little bit on the underneath on the outer edge. It has an LS mark in a circle on the underneath as well as the centre underneath having the number 640 and underneath that the number 38. The bottle is about 15cm in height. The embossed numbers and LS mark in the dotted edge is slightly off centre. As there is a clear circle around the edge as well and it’s that circle that is off centre the dotted one seems to have been done beforehand.
    The letters and separate numbers are arranged like this at the top middle and bottom centre of the bottle.

    LS

    640

    38

  7. I am finding several different answers about my 1 gallon bottle with markings
    D – 1
    64 – 62
    Do you by chance have a more detailed explanation of where and who made it?
    Thank you for your time.

    1. Hi Sidney,
      The reason for the different answers might be because the meaning of the pair of two-digit numbers could depend on what type of bottle is being discussed (that is, the intended purpose of the bottle – what kind of product was in it originally). So someone could have misinterpreted the meaning of those numbers.
      On many types of bottles made by Owens-Illinois (to name one important glass bottle maker, and the maker of your bottle), a number placed to the left would be a plant location code number, and the number to the right would be the date code.
      But your bottle has to be “read” a bit differently, because most liquor bottles, during the 1930s-1970s, had a slightly different numbering “layout”. They were required to have a “liquor bottle permit number” on the left, followed by a “dash” (or a glass manufacturer logo), and then a two-digit year date code on the right.
      Since your bottle is marked “D-1”, which is a distiller code number, we can be sure it was intended to contain some kind of liquor. There are many “distiller code numbers” seen on bottles, but here is a webpage someone has posted with a few “D-numbers” listed. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51379b83e4b02119d184b2a2/t/584a336ee4fcb59adb85c48b/1481257838281/User+Permit+numbers.pdf

      From the information posted on that page, we see D-1 indicates the distiller was “National Distillers” which marketed Old Crow, Old Taylor, Old Grand Dad, and (I am sure) many other brands of liquor over the years.

      Regarding the “64-62” pair of numbers: The “64” is the liquor bottle permit number which was assigned to Owens-Illinois Glass Company, and, in particular, assigned to be used at their main glass plant located at Alton, Illinois. The “62” is definitely a date code, and stands for 1962. Hope this helps!
      David

      1. I found a clear bottle /jar with lid. On bottom are the numbers 2 and 4 and 8 in a triangle format with a strange symbol in the center

        1. Dana, I sent you an email. Can you send me pics of the bottle so perhaps I can see if I recognize the “strange symbol” on it.
          Thanks, David

  8. Hi David, I was doing some river cleanup in the Loxahatchee River in Jupiter, FL, and found this bottle, was wondering if you could help me figure out when its from, or any more info about it. https://imgur.com/a/Sc96jsD
    on the bottom, there are things in the top, left, middle, right, and bottom. left is a square with an L in the left part of the square. right is the number 8. top is 132. bottom is 59. and in the middle is D-23. On the bottle itself there’s the words “ONE PINT” and the federal law forbids standard text at the top. thanks

    1. Hello Andrew,
      You have an example of a flat liquor flask made by Lincoln Container Corporation in Lincoln, Illinois. Being amber glass, I would guess it held some brand of whiskey. The “132” is the liquor bottle permit number assigned to that particular glass factory. The factory was actually owned by Obear-Nester Glass Company, based in East Saint Louis, Illinois, although the Lincoln plant operated under it’s own company name with their own mark. Their glass manufacturer’s mark was the “L in a square”. The “59” is a date code for 1959, when the flask was made. The 8 is probably a mold number. D-23 is a distiller identification code, which identified the actual distilling company that produced the liquor. According to this page (link below) that lists some distiller codes, D-23 stood for Hiram Walker. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51379b83e4b02119d184b2a2/t/584a336ee4fcb59adb85c48b/1481257838281/User+Permit+numbers.pdf
      Hope this helps!
      David

  9. Hi David,

    I recently found a tall, clear glass bottle shaped like General George Washington with “Washington” on the heel and “Applied for 7 Design Pat.” on the bottom. An internet search had it listed as a Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company Vinegar Bottle; but, I cannot find any confirmation other than the one post. Any ideas? I do not know enough to figure out if the markings mean 7th patent or 1927/37, etc.

    No other marks visible on bottle other than the cool shape and Washington in an overcoat holding a sword down the front. It appears a cork went into the top of his tri-corner hat. Thank you! Teri

    1. [Readers, I contacted Teri directly and she sent me pics of the bottle. Here is my answer, which I wanted to post on the site, as I felt this bottle was especially interesting, and others might run across other examples of that type of bottle sooner or later]. Hi Teri, thanks for the pictures of the bottle. I did a google search with this exact keyword search: “design pat applied for” washington bottle

      I came up with several hits, and got this information: The bottle design was patented in 1936, and evidently was made by Olean Glass Company of Olean, New York.

      One listing shows the bottle bearing an original label for a brand of rum.
      Here are some pages with mentions of the bottle…….

      https://www.antique-bottles.net/threads/washington-figurine-bottle.303953/

      https://www.pinterest.com/pin/206954545359623153/

      https://utdr.utoledo.edu/islandora/object/utoledo:3166

      By the way, the number “7” in this case is a mold number. Other bottle specimens shown at those links show a “5” or a “6” on the bottom. This indicates at least seven virtually identical molds were made for the production of that particular bottle design. I would guess that if you were able to find other examples of the bottle online over a period of time, you would eventually see bottles with a number “1” through “7”, possibly more numbers, but at least we can say a minimum of seven molds were fabricated for their production.

      Hope this helps!
      Take care,
      David

  10. Found a glass bottle without lid in a stream near an 1880’s farm in Maine. It says Trademark Lightning Registered US Patent Office with Putnam and the number 3 on the bottom. Based on site info this appears to be an older bottle than I thought. Can you tell me anything more about it based off the relatively low Putnam number on the bottom?

    1. Hi Lori,
      The fruit jars marked “Putnam” along with a mold number on the base were made by a number of glass manufacturers. Each one of those glass companies most likely had their own set of molds to produce the jars, and those molds were typically numbered. A smaller glass company may have only had a small number of molds (say less than five?) but others may have had many more, so the mold numbers on the jars they made may extend much higher. So, as a result, it is difficult, if not impossible, to know just how early, or by whom any particular one of those jars was made. This may not answer your question exactly, but it’s the best I can do. Also, if you haven’t checked it already, please check out my entry on “Trademark Lightning Putnam”, on this page: https://glassbottlemarks.com/bottlemarks-5/
      Best regards,
      David

  11. Hi…1st time here. Found 4 bottles when gas lines dug in Lowell MA:
    1. Aqua glass bottle:
    PUREOXIA BOSTON, Registered, 1 PINT and 12 FLU OZS, Bottom: 1922. I found out it is gingerale, but no topper.
    2. Brown long neck with 28 565 near bottom. On side.
    3. Aqua/Green
    FEICENS PAN
    r o N … R is lowercase, o is almost square
    Newark NJ

  12. Hi there, thank you for this article. I recently found a number of bottles out in the desert and they’re all rather mysterious to me. I’ve been trying to figure out what they are, but I’m stuck. One particularly is Mexican and says Larrea on it. I think it’s a Tequila Bottle. The distributor (Mexico D.F.) matches other tequila bottles, but I can’t find anything, other than a supreme court case, about G.A. LARREA. Seems like a corrupt mining family that did dabble in some bottle production. I’m not sure. Have you ever seen anything like this before?

    https://1drv.ms/u/s!Ar6oxZReqkMbgaEKanLX2Y9cYPZD7w
    https://1drv.ms/u/s!Ar6oxZReqkMbgaELmEeuoYFTHQHQ8w

    1. Hi Leighan,
      I’m afraid I don’t have any meaningful information to pass along. Interesting bottle! I would guess it’s from the 1930s-1960s era, but no guarantees that is accurate. I’m not very familiar with bottles from Mexico, especially older ones. Perhaps a reader who lands on this site will have better info on the bottle and the Larrea company.
      Best regards,
      David

      1. I’m wondering if I could send you a couple of images to see if you can identify its origin? I was told it was 1960s American but unknown really!

          1. Hi David,
            I have a bottle that I found at Lake Tinaroo, and it states TI 403 on top and the same on bottom but also has not to be refilled. Any idea of its provenance.

  13. I found this bottle at my father’s house in Connecticut. For many years during the depression the family had a “dump” in the woods behind the house. The bottle has a porcelain swing top and the work Root with an X and a 31 on the bottom. I read the article about the Root company on this website and saw the mention of this bottle mark. Has it been confirmed to be a bottle from 1931? Thanks very much!

    1. Sharlene,
      I don’t know, to be honest. It might be a date code, but it also might actually be just a mold number which, in that case, would tell us nothing about the year it was made.
      David

      1. I have a cobalt blue 8 sided bottle with Squibb on the side and made in USA around 330 on bottom. Can anyone tell me anything about that bottle

    1. Hi Julie,
      That is the mark used by Midland Glass Company. I honestly am not sure exactly what the mark is supposed to represent, but had assumed it may be a “stylized” letter M. If that is the case, it is oriented upside down on that particular bottle base, relative to the other characters. The “76” may be a date code for 1976. The mark is often seen on the bottom of beer bottles of the early and mid-1970s. See my entry here on Page 4:
      https://glassbottlemarks.com/bottlemarks-4/
      Thanks for the kind words about my site, and hope this helps!
      David

      1. Thank you for the information. I thought it was suppose to be some Greek numerals or something. I would have never guessed it was a letter.
        I do appreciate your site. I have it bookmarked on my tabs.
        Thank you so much for responding to my inquiry.

        1. Hi Julie,
          I’m not 100% positive that the mark is meant to be a “stylized M”. But, to me, if you imagine the horizontal stroke and the three vertical strokes are closely connected (without a space between them) it does resemble an odd capital M, or a capital E lying on it’s side, or maybe a three-toothed comb! 🙂 Perhaps someone who actually worked for Midland Glass Company can comment on this and let us know for sure what it is supposed to signify!? (Readers??) Thanks and take care!
          David

  14. Hi, I’ve found a small glass bottle type thing, it appears to be an old inkwell but I don’t know for sure. It has 362 on the bottom and then a separate 3 – any ideas?

    1. Chloe, can you email me a pic of the item, with a picture of the base markings? My email address is listed at the bottom of the webpages on this site under “Contact info/ Notes”. Best regards,
      David

  15. Hi –
    I found a clear whiskey bottle (slightly curved flask) about 9″ tall. On the bottom is Ball and then 172-66 D-23 and B-5. Are you able to tell the approximate date of this bottle?
    Thank you!
    Cindy Humphries

    1. Cindy, I really can’t be sure. I suspect the “66” is a date code for 1966 but I may be incorrect. D-23 is a distiller code number. Most liquor bottles of that time period have a liquor bottle permit number, then a dash, and immediately to the right of the dash, the date code. I can’t find a reference for the number “172”. Ball was known to have used “161” as their liquor bottle permit number. Perhaps they also used the number 172(?) To be honest, I’m simply not sure. Please see a list of the ‘liquor bottle permit numbers’ by searching online with those 4 keywords.
      David

  16. I have found a glass medicine bottle near a river. It is brown with a metal top for inserting a needle. The bottom markings are 9, then MV in a circle, then the number 34. Just curious as to what the age of the medicine bottle is.

    1. Hi Bessie,
      I’m not familiar with the “MV in a circle” mark. Your bottle sounds like a typical “serum vial” or serum bottle, which has been made in a number of sizes for many years, typically in clear and amber glass. The most commonly found bottles of that type were made by Wheaton (often bearing a “T.C.W.Co”, or “W in a circle” mark on the bottom, along with a mold number). I believe the most common usage of those types of bottles (outside of a lab, a hospital, or doctor’s office setting) is for insulin for diabetes patients. I have found similar serum bottles, along with a wide variety of other bottles for all kinds of products, cast up in random driftwood piles along the shores of the Ohio River. Such bottles were most likely merely part of ordinary household trash (discarded along creeks and streams farther upstream within the watershed) that was “picked up” and floated downstream during high water events.
      In any event, if you would like to send me a pic of the base markings, my email is listed at the bottom of the webpage under “Contact Info”.
      Best regards, David

  17. WELL DARN. I ALWAYS THOUGHT THOSE JAR “BUMPS” WERE BRAILLE SO THE BLIND DONT HAVE TO BE SURPRISED BY WHAT’S IN THE JAR.

  18. I have a small brown bottle with the letter A surrounded by a line to the left, top, and right. Almost like a flat top A- frame surrounding the A. It also has PAT. 4K4741. Anyone have any info on this?

    1. Brad, the “large H over small a” is the mark used by Hazel-Atlas Glass Company. Please see my webpage on that glassmaker at this link. That company made HUGE numbers of bottles and jars of every description for several decades. The number you see on the bottom of the bottle is a patent design number, and it would have consisted of all numbers, so what appears to be a “K” is actually a number. You can find many of these patents listed on the “GOOGLE PATENTS” webpages.
      Hope this helps,
      David

  19. Hi, I found an AGM (stilts) 1934 U457 mark on the bottom of a NSW Bottle Company bottle. Does this therefore mean it was a 1934 issue, therefore helping me to date the building of my house?

    1. Lisa, that’s a mold number. Basically, there were most likely a number of identical molds being used to produce that style of bottle, and each mold was engraved with a number (such as from 1 to 12) to identify it. Mold numbers have been used for a very long time, on both handmade and machine-made bottles and jars, and even on modern glass and plastic bottles. BTW, mold numbers don’t give us any information on maker or age of a container. Hope this helps.
      David

    2. I have a greenish tint mason jar i think quart size. It has word Mason in a slight Arch and that has four dots or bumps on the bottom. Is this a real or fake mason jar? Because I cannot find it anywhere.

    3. Hi Lisa,
      I have a very small bottle as well with one digit, the number 2. It’s dark olive colored and machine made. But it takes a cork due to no threads. I’ve had luck identifying many of the old bottles I have but not this one. Don’t bottle makers know the hell they put people through eons later trying to identify their creations! Cheers

  20. The bottom of this bottle says “Minnehaha Brand” reg no 726384. It’s painted with lots of Native American symbols. Any ideas? What came it? Age of it?

  21. Hello! I have 2 bottles that appear to be for syrup. The number 5113 is on both bottles. One has the number 2, the other 15. Both appear to have the letter V on them. Could this be Victor Glass?

    Thank you!

  22. I have a clear glass 4” bottle from the T.C.W.Co. It has a # 37 on the bottom does that indicate what it was?

    1. Grachia,
      I think that is probably just a mold number, and doesn’t tell us anything about the contents, or age of the bottle.
      David

      1. Just a quickie from a novice. The ounce number on the bottom of poisons – is this the CAPACITY of the bottle or the weight of the bottle? I’ve noticed the weight of the bottle often matches the ounce figure on the base, which is why I’m asking.

        1. Hi Merlinslady,
          I don’t know much about poison bottles, but I strongly doubt that the number on the base would have anything to do with the weight of the bottle itself. The number MIGHT be a mold ID number. I would vote for the CAPACITY of the bottle, not the weight of the bottle. In general, when the earlier, older bottles were being manufactured, it was quite common for them to vary somewhat in exact weight from one to the next. For instance, one example might have a little too much glass (with a thicker layer of solidified glass having “settled” to the bottom), and the next one would have less, and/or perhaps have thinner walls. This, of course, was much more common on handmade bottles. Since the machine-made era began, there has been much better standardizing of bottle weights.

          Hopefully, a collector with a wider and deeper knowledge of antique poison bottles can comment on this subject further.

          Take care, David

  23. I recently purchased a 10″ microthin fluted crystal goblet with what appears to be the number 36 in a square embossed on the bottom of the stem. Any idea what manufacturer?

  24. I recently unearthed a bottle in my yard I believe to be an old prescription bottle. It is 5” high, 4-sided, clear with a diamond on the bottom with a barely noticeable I (Illinois glass I guess) with the number “16” to one side. Nothing else. The glass has a seam on an edge and has bubbles in the glass. It is slightly rounded in the front and slightly recessed in the back. Any idea of age?

    1. Hello Chris, if you haven’t already, please see my page on the “Diamond I” mark used by Illinois Glass Company. Illinois Glass made huge quantities of clear glass prescription bottles in the 1910s and 1920s. The “16” is probably a mold identification number. I am not sure about dating any of them to a precise year. There are a lot of questions and much uncertainty on these bottles. For a lot more detailed background information on Illinois Glass Company, their products and markings, you might try checking out this exhaustive .pdf article written by Bill Lockhart, at this link: Illinois Glass Company
      Hope this will be of help!
      David

  25. I have a very small brown bottle with a white plastic lid. Markings on the bottom are “B in a circle” in the center with the number 17 under it.

    1. Hi Rachel,
      Brockway made thousands of different bottles over the years, so I can’t say for sure, but I would guess it’s some type of medicine bottle. The “B in a circle” stands for Brockway Glass Company. The “17” is probably a mold number. Please check my webpage on Brockway for a brief, very basic overview on that company.
      ~David

    1. My son works with a gas company and they recently worked on a house to redo the gas lines that were last done in 1902. He found 2 glass jars 8 feet underground where they dug out the old lines. One bottle is tall about 5 inches , skinny with numbers 33 8. And the other is short wide mouth small bottom numbers 781-4. No clue what and how old. Any idea?

  26. Brown “not to be taken” bottle with rows of raised dots on one side. On bottom: A717 at top of circle, then C 8 in middle and U G B in bottom of circle.

    1. Brenda, the bottle is British, and made by United Glass Bottle Manufacturers, Limited. I don’t know the interpretation of the other markings.
      David

      1. Brown (amber), with raised dots on one side, and “Not to be taken” was standard for British Lysol bottles. Some had hobnail bumps, some had crosshatch patterns to indicate toxic contents; some said “Lysol” but not always…

  27. DAZEY CHURN
    NO 40
    PATENED FEB 14 22
    DAZEY CHURN and MFG
    StLouis MO
    Made in USA

    Has hand crank, with wooden handle, gears and assembly attached to lid, attached to shaft that goes inside square glass jar with paddle attached to shaft. Is in excellent condition.
    Passed down thru family.
    Paul Gates
    705 Meadowlark Pl
    Derby, KS .67037
    3162498681
    gatespaul58@gmail.com
    Can send pictures, would like to find out more about this item.

  28. Hmm well this is interesting. I have twin set 2pc amber candlestick holders that are about 20″ tall and the top covers are about 4-5″ wide. I cant find any markings at all. Just a bubble or two lol Why do you suppose there isnt any markings?

    1. Hi Samantha, many glass items do not have markings. I can’t say exactly why, as reasons may vary depending on age or type of item, but sometimes the glass manufacturer did not want to make it obvious who the maker of an item was. Sometimes it was considered too expensive to engrave the molds with marks (information) that would help identify the maker. On many “upscale” glass items, depending on glass company, it was not considered necessary or desirable to mark glassware. Especially in the case of EAPG and Depression Glass tableware, most of it is not marked, and the companies that made the glass were, in many cases, apparently not that interested in making sure their ware was easily identifiable in later years. But, in some cases, identifying a pattern in catalogs of the period can help show who made a particular pattern.
      Also, MANY very old glass bottles (for instance) of various types, especially those made before the 1890s, do not have any markings on them at all.
      I know this does not really answer your question, but I can’t say for sure why your candleholders are not marked in any way.
      Best regards, David

  29. Thanks for this site – we were doing some planting in our yard and found a pretty good condition amber/brown bottle and through searches here on this site, I found it was likely manufactured by Maywood Glass Company in 1946! The marks are in very good shape. I’m pleased by our find!

  30. I found a small glass brown bottle with imprints that looks like 16 CORMICK. 660 PAT+D on the bottom of it how old and what kind is it

  31. I have a clear glass qt. Jar reg. Mouth plain sides except for the word MASON raised on one side can anyone identify this please???? Thank you for your help!!!

    1. I know you wrote this more than two years ago, but if you are still trying to date a Mason jar, Google “Dating Mason Jars.” They can be dated by the type of embossed letters, and the site shows clearly the different embossments with their dates. Lots of fun – turns out the one I found was from the 1920’s. Good luck!
      Cindy

      1. Hi Cindy (and Wes),
        I believe the chart you are referring to appears on several websites, and is the one which lists some of the major embossing variants of the BALL brand name on their fruit jars, especially as seen on their BALL MASON and the BALL PERFECT MASON. I have that chart copied onto my webpage about the Ball Perfect Mason, which is here at this link: Ball Perfect Mason. Although that chart is useful and more or less accurate, please keep in mind that it only covers the name as seen on jars made by just one glass company, that is, Ball Bros. Glass Manufacturing Company.
        Mason jars (fruit jars or canning jars) were also made by hundreds of other glass manufacturers over the past 160 years, although Ball is indeed the most famous jar maker, and that company did produce the most frequently encountered vintage and antique types of jars. Take care,
        David

  32. I have a bottle that is clear glass, I can’t see any kind of logo but in this order it has 7-D-41 and then 69-58 I’m trying to figure out if it’s Foster-Forbes or Owen-Illinois and what liquor it held, please help. Oh yeah it does say the whole “Federal Law Forbids resale and reuse…” saying

    1. Hi Jennifer,
      The bottle is indeed a liquor bottle, and I can say with certainty it was made by Foster-Forbes Glass Company (even if you cannot make out a glass manufacturers’ mark). That is because the number “69” is a Liquor bottle permit number which was assigned to Foster-Forbes Glass Co. (A list of “liquor bottle permit numbers” can be easily found on the internet by using those four words in a keyword search). The “58” is a date code for the year 1958, when the bottle was manufactured. On many liquor bottles a pair of numbers, separated by a dash, was required and consisted of the official liquor bottle permit number followed by the date code. I believe the “D-41” is a distiller code number.
      Best regards,
      David

  33. There are numbers on the bottom of a clear glass bottle I found
    2U120
    Also a symbol that kind of looks like 3ii but it isn’t a 3. It says 40cc on the side

    1. Hi Christopher,
      The “weird 3” is a symbol for “ounce”. So your medicine / pharmacy bottle held 2 ounces. I don’t know about the “2U120” but that may be a factory code for the style of bottle, or a mold identifier. Without a glass manufacturer’s mark, it may be hard to know when or by whom the bottle was made. Many of those types of ‘generic’ medicine bottles were made by many glass companies, in a large range of sizes over many decades.
      ~David

  34. I am a peruvian archaeologist and our team found a green bottle in a subacuatic surface next to an island in the central coast of Perú. As far as I did research on the manufacture and style, it seems that the bottle looks similar to the one produced at the end of the XIX, for ginger ale or soda. It is a rounded bottom bottle with a flat area at the center, similar to the ones produced by Illinois Glass Co (from 1890, though the lip is different) or the Cochrane & Co (Belfast). It does not have a brand embossed but just a number “4” on the heel. I read that the number may correspond to the Mold number. When I checked at the Illinois Glass Catalogue (1906), this type is of rounded bottom pieces were made with Mold 26.
    I will appreciate any information about this type of bottle, or if someone can share more information about this type of bottles (manufacturer, use, dates).
    Thanks for your help.

    Julio Rucabado

  35. I have two bottles, both of which are liquor bottles from the Owens-Illinois company. The first has 64 D-1 46 arranged in a column on the heel. I believe that means it is from the Alton, Illinois plant, distiller number one, and was manufactured in 1946. Please correct me if I’m wrong, Im new to the bottle-dating game, and therefore am not sure I’m interpreting correctly. The second has R575 5757, also arranged in a column. The R number I believe is the rectifier’s number, the first 57 is the permit number for the Bridgeton, Illinois plant, and the last 57 is the year of manufacture. Now, my main question with the two of them is whether I can find a list of rectifier or distiller numbers, so that I can find out what these bottles may have contained? I want to know as much about them as possible, but it seems almost impossible to find information on distillers, and there seems to be even less information out there on rectifiers. Thank you for any info you can give!

  36. I have a brown bottle proabably 6″-7″ tall with markings below the neck saying “NOT TO BE REFILLED” and “NO DEPOSITE* NO RETURN” On the bottom brid it has “V AHK”

    1. Tyler, it sounds like an amber beer bottle from the 1970s or ’80s, made by Alexander H. Kerr Glass Company. See my page on Kerr, and the AHK listing in the alphabetical marks listings pages.
      Best regards, David

  37. Hello David I have found what i believe to be an old whiskey bottle. The bottle is brown in color and has what appears to be raised diamonds surrounding the bottle.There is a flat surface in the shape of a diamond on the front of the bottle which looks to be where a label may have been.On the back of the bottle is a flat square for another possible label.Above that is what looks to be a chest armor with a ball above it.On the bottom it has D 18 then a triangle (point facing downward) with a dot on each side and what looks to be a W above a T inside the triangle then a 12 – 9.On the back of the bottle in raised letters it reads FEDERAL LAW FORBIDS SALE OR REUSE OF THIS BOTTLE. Hoping you can help me with this.I am 62 yrs. old and don’t remember seeing this type of writing on a bottle.Would love to know the approximate age and use for the bottle.And also on the bottom it reads “CONT. DIST. CORP. PHILA. PA. Thanks for any help you can give me.
    Kevin

    1. Kevin, concerning the reuse of liquor bottles – bottles used for distilled spirits “other than those contained in that bottle at the time of closing” – this phrase may be indicated on the bottle due to the provisions of 26 U.S.C. 5301(c), Refilling of liquor bottles, and 27 CFR 31.201-203, concerning the refilling and possession of used or refilled liquor bottles. These are federal laws you can look up at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2016-title26/html/USCODE-2016-title26-subtitleE-chap51-subchapE.htm and https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=913d93a15750f21937422e73724d2b47&mc=true&node=pt27.1.31&rgn=div5#se27.1.31_1201 . Simply put, it is illegal to refill or reuse liquor bottles and some states have laws that mirror the federal law.

      1. Mark, thanks for your post,
        Although those laws are still in effect, the “Federal Law forbids” phrase is seldom actually marked on bottles anymore, and was not required after about 1964.
        I might also add that a close reading of those laws indicate that the main, overriding purpose is simply to prevent anyone from using an empty or previously-used liquor bottle for refilling and selling another alcoholic product of any sort in it. So, needless to say, simply possessing empty liquor bottles for other, benign purposes would not be illegal, such as using for a terrarium; a craft project; cutting the top off for a unique drinking glass; to save screws, tacks, marbles or something like that in it; for room decor; adding it to a liquor bottle collection, or saving it for taking to a recycling center, etc.
        Best regards,
        ~David

    2. Hi Kevin,
      Your bottle was made by Whitall Tatum Company, Millville, NJ, who used the WT inside a triangle for several years in the 1920s and 1930s. (See my page on that company). The “Federal Law forbids….” phrase was required on liquor bottles between 1933 and 1964, and was also marked on some liquor bottles for several years afterward. The “12” is a liquor bottle permit number assigned to Whitall Tatum, and “9” is a date code, evidently for the year 1939. The “Cont. Dist. Corp” was presumably the distiller or distributor of the liquor, but I am not familiar with that company, or what actual brand name of liquor was in the bottle,evidently represented by the design you see on the front of the bottle. Best regards,
      David

    3. Hi David~ I have an small glass what I believe perfume bottle that is clear and is marked 990 with the number 2 below it. It is smooth on two sides, the other two sides have a clear vertical rectangle with a raised rounded vertical shape going down the side of the bottle . It has a stopper with a clear triangle that apears to be flat on top with a diamond shape as well as the edges of the stopper have a diamond shape. Can you tell me anything about the bottle?

      1. Bell, without a glass manufacturer’s mark on it, I can’t say where, when, or by whom it was made.
        Best regards, David

  38. I have a half gallon a trademark Lightining jar with the initials “HWP 268” ON THE BOTTON. I can’t seem to ding out what this means. Can you help?

    1. Suzanne, the initials stand for “Henry W. Putnam”. Many “lightning” style fruit jars were made over many years, by a number of glass manufacturers, and they may bear the name PUTMAN or HWP with or without a mold number.
      David

  39. Hello David,
    I recently acquired a vintage mercury (silvered) glass bottle hand warmer with a metal coiled heat element on the top of the metal cap. It is filled with cotton and a wick that leads from the cotton up through the center of the cap to the coil. I have not been able to attain any information on this item or even find a picture online that even resembles it. All i have to go off of is the raised number 7 on one side of the bottom of the bottle, and a raised letter F on the other side of the bottom of the bottle. The bottle is approximately 2.5 ” tall and 1.5″ wide and 1″ thick. The coil is 2″ tall. Does the F or the 7 mean anything to you or could that give me any direction to search as to find the general time or company that produced this rare item?
    Thank you,
    Ty

  40. I am trying to date a bottle I found and cannot find information on the specific bottle, so I am hoping the stamp on the bottom will help. The Bottle has a raised number “69” and “13/16 pint” on the bottom. Running around the base of the neck it says “The Louis Bergdoll Brewing Co. Phila. Pa.” and on the base it says “registered” “Established 1849.” I’ve seen the name stamped on the front of the bottle, but not around the neck like it is on this bottle.
    Laurie

  41. I have a clear glass bottle; the outside is kind of spiraled but not super spiral. The numbers on the bottom are “7 0 70” and “.3” spaced as such. The “.3” is located opposite of the other numbers, I guess if the “7 0 70” numbers are north, the “.3” would be South. Please let me know if you can figure out where this bottle came from!

    1. Kaydee, without seeing the bottle, it sounds like it may be an Owens-Illinois Glass Co. bottle. Please check out my webpage on that company. The “70” may be a date code for 1970. The “7” (if it is a plant location code) would stand for their Alton, Illinois glass factory. The “3” is a mold identifying number.
      David

  42. Hello. I have a bottle that I determined was made by the Chattanooga Glass company (there is a C with a circle around it on the bottom of the bottle). It also has the number 6 on the bottom. On the front of the bottle is an embossed sailing ship. It has a wide screw top. What can you tell me about this bottle. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

  43. David – Would like some info (if you have any) on a bottle I found. It’s a clear glass olive oil type dispenser bottle with a black screw-top cap and what looks like a maple leaf on the side. On the bottom there are numbers “15” and “9” and what looks to be a bird with outstretched wings in the middle. The bird is kind of odd looking and in between the “15” and the “9” there is a character that (for lack of better demonstration) has the shape of one of those orange Goldfish crackers that kids eat. I wish I could better describe it but maybe this will help figure out what the marks mean. Thanks so much. 🙂

    1. Dawn, (readers, we communicated by email concerning this mark) and Dawn gave me permission to post her pic of the mark, under “Bird….” in the alphabetical mark listings pages. If anyone recognizes it, please let us know!
      David

  44. Hello,
    I have found a little jar not much larger than 1 inch square by 1 1/2 inch tall. The metal top still on and some dry blue substance inside. I found it at an old farm in Roanoke Virginia. I believe it may be an ink jar. It has on the bottom the markings “KK PAID” on it.
    Can you tell me anything about it or were to Look?
    Thanks
    John

    1. John, I don’t have any info on your bottle. It doesn’t sound familiar to me. Any possibility it might be a small model paint jar, such as Testors?
      Best regards,
      David

  45. David – I really enjoyed your site. I looked for the symbols found on my small green bottle, but can’t find anything. It’s a “3” then what appears to be an eye shape, with an oversize “O” covering the eye, then a “5” with a “2” below. I am sure the numbers are date/mold codes, but what is the eye symbol?? It is sort of like this (with the parenthesis symbols actually being more like an O and enclosed). Is is possible to find out what this means? Am I overthinking it?? LOL Thanks!!

    1. Shannon, please check out my webpage on Owens-Illinois Glass Company, the user of the logo that looks somewhat like an “eye”.
      Best regards,
      David

  46. Hi, I have recently started looking up bottles from my collection. I have a small corked bottle with 2 raised bumps and a leaf on the base of bottle. I can’t find it anywhere while researching~ any ideas?

  47. Hello! My son has been digging up all sorts of (unfortunately) broken old jars on our property. He most recently found the bottom of a jar that reads: PAT NOV 26 67 with the numbers 753 and a sword in the center. Being broken, I’m sure its not worth anything, but we are curious as to what it may have been. Thank you kindly in advance for your help!

    1. Hi Sherrie,
      Please check out my article on the “MASON’S PATENT NOV 30TH 1858” fruit jars. That is the base of one of the many “Hero Fruit Jar Company” examples, which usually were marked on the bottom with the November 26, 1867 patent date, along with a mold number.
      Best regards,
      David

  48. I found a old bottle with N SS 47 on the bottom of it. Can you tell me how old the bottle is?

  49. I found a glass Mrs Buttersworth. Bottle at a yard sale that I’m trying top date. The seller said the number 75 on the bottom is the year it was made. There is also an I in a circle as well as a single number 7. I’m not a bottle collector. I just like things from my birth year (1975). Thanks..

    1. Shawn, the “75” does stand for the year 1975. The “I in an oval” is the mark used by Owens-Illinois Glass Company. You might check out the article on that company here on my website. The “7” may be either a plant code (for Alton, IL) or a mold number, depending on it’s position on the base of the bottle.
      Hope this helps,
      David

  50. I have a weird shaped bottle found in a cave on Guam. The numbers on the bottle read:
    66-35
    MG 7
    **. (Two dots)

    Does anyone know what that means?

  51. Hi I have a non-swim 7up bottle and the bottom has the numbers:
    2
    a 2 by 2 grid followed by an eye then a 7
    and the letters and numbers V-928
    If anyone can help me date this it would be very much apreciated

    1. Kishan, the “eye” is the earlier logo used by Owens-Illinois Glass Company. Please check my page on that glassmaker. The “V-928” is a code number assigned to that bottle style or mold. The “7” (if placed to the right of the logo) is a date code which may stand for 1937, 1947 or 1957….. not sure which date would be correct.
      David

  52. Hello I have a unopened full bottle of don Carlos golden sherry it has a tag on it that’s says 50 years old but that was at time of sale I’m trying to figure out when it was sold. I can not find any information anywhere on the web about it. The numbers on the bottom of the bottle are 04 and below that is 78 can anyone tell me what these numbers are thank you.

  53. Hello, my husband has found a few old bottles, the one of interest is what we believe to be an old Coca Cola bottle which is clear in colour and had the date 1917 which is upside down on the glass embossed bottle, it also have on the very bottom3 b 6 could anyone please help with the age of this bottle. Many thanks in advance

  54. hi my family found a glass bottle in the backyard it is greeny clear colour about 7.5cm tall and 3cm wide It has lines on the front and sides Then Written In capital letters

    POISONOUS NOT TO BE TAKEN
    On the bottom of the bottle there are numerals that Say …

    M793
    E50
    C11

    Do you have any idea on what type of bottle it cold be???

    1. Elloise, I assume you are located in the UK. I am not that familiar with many British bottles. You do have what is generally called a “Poison bottle” and they are avidly collected in the UK, especially the older pre-1930 types in bright cobalt blue or green glass. I would imagine you may have a relatively recent, machine made example but I really don’t know. You might try searching online for poison bottle collector sites. I would suggest you try posting an inquiry and pictures on the http://antique-bottles.net site, where a lot of bottle collectors (of all genres) hang out……there are many discussion groups there and someone may have more information for you. Best regards, David

  55. I have a clear bottle with glass stopper. Bottom has markings:

    T.C.W – Co.
    U.S.A.
    1-L-7 or I-L-7

    I understand the TCW is Wheaton. What do the letter and number code mean?

    Thank you.

    1. Edward, in this particular example, I am not sure, since I am not familiar with code markings used by Wheaton on their vials and medicinal containers, but I would guess the numbers are codes for that particular bottle style, along with a mold identifier number.
      David

  56. Hello David – Thank you for this amazing resource. I found a bottle bottom yesterday while walking along the Delaware Bay Beach and I cant seem to identify it. It is clear glass, fairly well tumbled, and has a large (fills almost the entire bottom) “s” or stylized “5” (though I believe it to be the former given the identical top and bottom of the figure). The bottle bottom is about 3.5 inches in diameter. The “S” is an outlined S that recalls a varsity letter in style. Many thanks in advance for any insight.

    1. Xenia, you are welcome to send me a clear photo of the bottle base although I can’t guarantee I can offer any insight. There were many different soda bottles from around the US, especially in the 1910s-1950s period, produced that were marked with just a letter (an initial) on the base that stood for a particular bottling company. My email address is listed at the bottom right hand corner of any page on this site.
      David

  57. Trying to find out info on a found bottle. Has the number 35 and York dairy Brooklyn on it. Can not find any info.

  58. While seaglassing the other day, I found a gorgeous small cobalt bottle bottom with just a 3 on it. there is some small writing on side but cannot make it out. I seem to find a lot of bromo fragments, perhaps it’s one of those? love your site, it’s an invaluable resource for us seaglassers!

    1. Hi Victoria,
      It may be a Bromo-Seltzer base, as mold numbers (one or two digits) were marked on the bottoms of a lot of those bottles. I’m assuming it is round? If you wish, you can email me a pic of the bottom to my address which is listed at the bottom right of any page on this site. Some of the later machine-made Bromo bottles have “BROMO-SELTZER – EMERSON DRUG CO.”embossed in capital letters, placed around the “heel” of the bottle immediately above the base.
      Best regards,
      David

  59. I have been collecting sea glass for a while and finding a piece with writing is great, but finding a piece with enough writing to try to locate is even better. I found a rectangle clear bottle bottom that has the markings “R-105 A (with a circle around it) then 12” across the center of the bottle bottom. underneath all that is a “69” It appears from your site this belongs to Armstrong Corp Company in Pittsburgh (Found in southern CT/LI sound) is there a way to narrow it down further with age? I browsed info on Armstrong which has been made into loft apartments in 2007 from what I can see.

    1. Hi Dawn,
      The marking “R-105” is known as a “Rectifier Number” and shows the bottle was a liquor bottle of some sort. For a long period of time glass manufacturers who made liquor bottles were required to mark their bottle bottoms with “Distiller numbers” (starting with a D) or Rectifier numbers (starting with an R). The “A in a circle” does identify the bottle to be a product of Armstrong Cork Company, but this was long after they had moved their headquarters out of Pittsburgh in 1929. They moved their business offices to Lancaster, PA, and in 1938 Armstrong expanded their product line to include glass containers by purchasing the Whitall-Tatum Company (Millville, NJ) and the Hart Glass Manufacturing Company (Dunkirk, Indiana). (Their glass was not actually made at Lancaster, PA).
      Your bottle base has a “69” which is almost certainly a date code for 1969, which is the year that Kerr Glass Company bought the glass plants owned by Armstrong. I would assume your bottle was made at the Millville, NJ plant location. “12” is probably a mold number.
      Please check out my page on Whitall-Tatum. Also, please check out this webpage on the sha.org site about Armstrong, which covers a lot of details on that company:
      https://sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/ArmstrongCork.pdf
      Hope this helps!
      David

  60. My husband found a small brown bottle while excavating in Black Hawk, Colorado. It had a sideways diamond with the number 5 underneath it. Any idea of a background in it? Thank you!

  61. I have a clear mason jar says Atlas E-Z Seal on the front and on the bottom it has a 6 with a line above it an H over an A mark and a single A but beside the a there is a dot with a minus sign below it any information would be appreciated of age or what it was used for thanks

    1. Hi Justin,
      The ATLAS E-Z SEAL jars were made in very large quantities for a long period of time by Atlas Glass Company and Hazel-Atlas Glass Company (see my page on the latter firm). They were possibly produced as early as the late 1890s, in shades of aqua, light green, light blue, cornflower blue and other colors. The clear versions came later, perhaps after the mid-1930s. Any ATLAS EZ-SEAL jar with the “H over an A” mark (that stands for Hazel-Atlas) on the bottom were made after 1923. There is probably no way to be sure what year your jar was made, but I would guess it was made sometime between around 1935 and 1964.
      David

  62. We purchased a farm where the home was built in 1853. A little over 20 years ago, I discovered a dump with a lot of bottles in it. I found a round green bottle about 1-1/4 inch diameter, 2-3 inches tall and the markings on the bottom are (the best way I can describe them) set in a North, East, South and West pattern. There is no mark at North. 6 is at East; 5 is South, and 3 is West. In the center, not touching any numerals, is an O with an elongated ring around it, sort of like a planet with a ring. Do you have any ideas who made this and its age? Thank you for your help. I also found a cobalt blue bottle saying Bromo Seltzer Emerson Drug Co Baltimore, MD which appears to be machine blown. Again, thank you.

    1. Susan, the “O with elongated ring” is one of the marks used by Owens-Illinois Glass Company. Please see my page on that firm, as well as my page on the Bromo Seltzer bottles which were made for several decades, in a good number of variations.
      Best regards,
      David

  63. For many years I’ve had this old glass water bottle that was my Grandfather’s. Have never been able to trace back when and where it originated from? It looks exactly like the plastic water jugs we put on a water dispenser in your kitchens, but this one is glass, and weighs a ton. Only markings are on the bottom, it has: 623 4-5. It’s a clear bluish?? in color. Would appreciate knowing the history to pass on. Thanks Sherry

    1. Hi Sherry,
      It sounds like an old 5-gallon water bottle. Some of those types of glass bottles were used to contain liquid chemicals (such as acids), wine, as well as water or other liquids. Very large bottles were/are called “carboys” or “demijohns” by the factories. The glass color is probably what most bottle collectors would call “aqua” (light blueish-green) or blue-aqua. If there is not a glass maker’s logo or initials on the bottom, it is very difficult to be sure who made it or how old it is. The numbers are probably inventory/mold numbers assigned by the glass maker to that bottle style.
      Best regards,
      David

  64. Hi there! I am new to learning about bottle identifying and I have weird one here. I am a supervisor for a general contracting company and while digging a foundation we unearthed plenty of older bottles. I have an old lighter green bottle with what looks like a Roman numerical 2 (II) on it. The bottom of the glass looks very uneven. Found with the bottle was a “Full Measure Levinson’s ‘our name our guarantee’ Seattle Wash” brown bulged neck bottle, a “Chas H Fletcher’s ‘castoria'” medicine bottle and a small 2-3 ounce cylindrical bottle with the paper label almost completely worn off. Any help would be great fun. Thank you!

    1. Andrew, thanks for your post. Please check out my page on the Chas H Fletcher bottles. Huge numbers of them were made over many years; in fact the Fletcher’s Castoria bottles are one of the most common types of bottles (especially from the circa 1890-1930 period) found in trash dumps, privy holes, and construction sites by antique bottle diggers. Concerning the other bottles, you might try searching google with keywords such as “Full Measure” Levinson’s, bottle, and other keywords. Bottles with only numbers on the base will be difficult to identify.
      Best regards,
      David

  65. Hi. Partially buried next to a tree in a cemetery, I found a short wide-mouthed jar with text on bottom “NO 62 PAT IN US DEC 22 1903” and “U 3” on heel. Any insight much appreciated.

    1. Mike, I think it is PROBABLY an early jelly glass. The design was patented Dec 22 1903. You might try searching GOOGLE PATENTS with the patent date and the word “jar”.
      David

      1. Hi Deanna, could you please give some references for this? I’m an archaeologist at Stanford University, and I’m working on fragments of glass from an excavation. I have the bottom of a glass object with these patent dates, No. 71, and M 15 on it. I’d really like more information!

  66. I have a square qt. fruit jar that has a diamond pattern all around, front side has a clear circular space, probably for the label. Bottom has the numbers 1631, and single number 5.. Also a small embossed symbol of a jar, shaped wider at the top. Is it possible to estimate the age of this jar and the maker? Another qt. jar has square embossed pattern, no other marks. Maker & age? Thanks.

    1. Agnes,
      Search the internet with the terms “Diamond mesh”, “crosshatch pattern”, “hoosier jar”, and “waffle pattern”. Those types of fruit jars were made, for the most part, during the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s, by many glass companies. I have more info buried somewhere on my site about these jars (answering other questions of the same nature) but I don’t know exactly what page it is on.
      David

  67. Hi David, I have a bottle that is just short of 6 inches. I found it in the woods among other bottles…it has 7 circles around the number 37 which is in the middle. Any idea?

    1. Ben, it sounds like a non-returnable soda bottle from the 1970s-1990s. Many of them have concentric circles on the bottom with a mold number in the center. The mold number just identified the exact mold the bottle was made in. Many of those bottles also have date codes or manufacturing plant logos on the “heel” , but in very faint lettering.
      David

  68. Can you please tell me what “C900” would signify on the heel of an EO Brody vase? I have several from this company, and all I have determined is that after 1995 the EO was dropped so I’m sure these are prior to that year.

    1. Lana,
      The “C900” is probably the catalog or stock number assigned to that particular vase style. I would assume it was made sometime in the 1960s-1980s, but it is hard to say with certainty. Please check my webpage on E.O. Brody.
      Best regards,
      David

  69. I have a glass bottle that has “central bottling & distribution co.” along the bottom lip of the bottle.
    It also has “conts. 6 1/2 ozs.” under what looks like a cursive capital G inside of a outlined shield.
    The same cursive capital G is also on the bottom of the bottle.
    the bottle measures 8 1/2 ” tall.
    Please help
    Thanks

  70. Hello I found a small amber/brown bottle with two circle humps on the back, and the markings on the bottom say 8 to the left and flag symbol with a capital P in the middle of the triangular flag, and also U.S.A

    1. Christy, I’ve seen this “P in a flag” before but don’t have info on the maker. I’m guessing it may stand for a pharmaceutical company, but I may be mistaken. Perhaps a reader will know.
      David

  71. I have a glass decanter and wine glasses set that I bought. It’s a smokey white glass with drop color art. There are three types of stamps on this set. On the bottle there is a 4 and Italy and on the cups there are France stamps. I’ve tried several times over the years to find something about this set. Any help you be greatly appreciated.

  72. I have a bottle from Bosch Houghton, Michigan that looks like a wine bottle with c5 xxx I think and the circle with the diamond in the middle with an I in it, 6 on one side and 6 on the other and a 1 below it. Found it buried and really wanna know what year it’s from.

    1. Hi Melissa,
      All I can pass along is that your bottle was made by Owens-Illinois Glass Company, at their Charleston, WV plant (plant code number “6” to the left of the logo), and the year date code “6” (to the right of the logo) stands for either 1936 or 1946. I would guess 1936, but I can’t guarantee that to be correct. Please see my page on Owens-Illinois.
      ~David

  73. Hi! I’m from Philippines. Just this morning my father found a brown bottle about 18cm in height. I’m not sure about its base logo, it reads like SAA. And above that logo there is a code (713 s). I tried to google the code but i can’t find any answers. Can you help me identify the bottle and where it is made? Thank you

    1. Hi Neptali,
      I’m sorry but I don’t know anything about your bottle. I’m guessing it may be from a glassmaker from somewhere in Asia, but that “covers a lot of ground”, as there are many glass bottle manufacturers in China and elsewhere. I haven’t searched through the Emhart punt mark database. Perhaps you could try that. That webpage lists a lot of bottle marks from around the world. However, there are MANY obscure bottle-making firms throughout Asia that are not listed on that site.
      David

      1. Hey David I found a clear liquor bottle date on bottom 1876 . it has a gold cap with the letters ND. And in the middle of bottle on the bottom with DAT it has a letter B with circle and few more letters. On side of bottle it says federal law forbids sale or re- use of this bottle. Its a squad long neck bottle. Can u tell me anything about this bottle. If so email me at jeffnandrea15@gmail.com thank u

        1. Jeffrey, all I can be sure of is that the bottle was made by Brockway Glass Company (B in a circle). the “1876” is probably a number assigned to that particular style of bottle, i.e. an inventory, stock or catalog number. (Definitely not a date).
          David

  74. Hi my name is brandan. I found twenty six small glass bottles within 4 sq feet in the woods near my house. They are all the same shape and size. They all have an f on the bottom and a 3 digit code. could you tell me anything you might now about them.

    1. Brandan, they were probably made by Fairmount Glass Company, at their factory site located in Indianapolis. See my page on that company.
      ~David

  75. Hello, I just found a small (3 to 4 inches tall) amber or brown bottle. It has what appears to be a metal lid with red rubber center. On the bottom is this: a #7 – then a diamond and oval – then the #8. Beneath that is the number 1845. The base is covered with a circular pattern of bumps. Can you help me with this ? – Elizabeth
    Thanks

    1. Elizabeth, I’ve discussed this elsewhere on my site, in reply to other comments/queries about the “1845” bottles, but, sorry, I don’t know what page(s) it appears on. The “1845” is an inventory/design number assigned to that particular style bottle (a “generic” amber cylindrical type, made in several sizes, usually used for liquid chemical products or medicines). They seem to be found quite often so I assume huge quantities were made over several years. I think all these bottles are products of Owens-Illinois Glass Company. In your case, the “7” is a plant code for O-I’s glass factory at Alton, Illinois, and the “8” is a date code for 1938 or 1948. You can find similar “1845” amber bottles by searching ebay with the keywords “amber”, “1845” and “bottle”. Hope this helps,
      David

  76. Hello!! Your page is so awesome! Almost anything is on here. I’m very curious to know if there are bottles you are still in search of or must have? I live in Washington Pa, and literally with in walking distance of the Hazel Atlas Co Plant 2. It’s been abandoned now forever. My twin and I have been combing the area and finding all kinds of bottles. We’ve also found huge chunks of colored glass, which had to be their dumping place, from the Hazel Plant. I can keep an eye out for any bottles on your collection. I’m just a fan of this page! You Rock!! Thanks Christy

    1. Hi Christy,
      Thank you very much for the nice words about my site. Sounds like you are lucky to live so close to an old glassmaking plant. Although I have tried to write articles about many kinds of glass and glassware for posting on the site, my main interest is the history behind the factories and I usually don’t actively search for most of the bottles and other glass that is discussed……..I have too much already and am strapped for room! Currently my main interests in glass collecting are 1880s-era mugs made by Atterbury (see my webpage on Atterbury Glass) and bottles actually made in Louisville KY by several factories there in the late 1800s. Thanks a lot!
      ~David

  77. David and bottle owner, we found amber bottles maybe pint size in the dunes on New Jersey Shore years ago that were supposedly cod-liver oil. Without a picture that’s the only lead. The site was near a late 19th c seahore “Reeds Hotel” on what’s now Island Beach State Park

    1. There have been many kinds of cod liver oil bottles made over the years. Many of them are of amber glass and often they have some type of fish graphic (raised embossing) on the sides. Of course many bottles that once contained Cod liver oil just had a paper label, and in those cases if the label is missing there is no way to be sure what was originally in the bottle.
      David

  78. David, I have two amber colored bottles in the shape of a fish that I believe were manufactured by Canton Glass in Marion, Indiana. The number on the bottom is 233. Any ideas?

  79. hI Dave, I have an old brown or amber colored bottle about 10 to 12 ” tall. it has the letters and numbers on bottom all seprated by 3 lines A -L-79-25, I said it was an old syarpe bottle madein 1979, my son-in law says no made in the 1800’s or early 1900. any help would be helpful andwina bet!!

    Thanks
    Cissy

    1. Cissy, I can (almost) guarantee from your description that the bottle was made sometime in the 1950s-1970s. You don’t mention a glass manufacturer logo which might give better info on date range. If you wish, email me a photo of the bottle (and the base markings) to the address on lower bottom right of any page on this site. No bottles from the late 1800s or early 1900s have numbering or lettering on the bottom like you describe. It certainly sounds like it is a modern, machine-made product.
      David

  80. I pulled what looks like the bottom of an bottle out of the Chesapeake, just wanted to know what it was and my Google searches have come up with nothing. has the numbers 39008 and a box across the top then to the right a 55 in a box to the left at 3 in a box and then an m in a Hexagon- all I could gather from the Internet is that the bottle was made in Maryland due to the m. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    1. Jen it sounds like a container made by Metro Glass in 1955. I think the “55” is a date code and the “3” is a mold number. The “39008” is a catalog number assigned to that bottle style. Those are my guesses…….no guarantee that is accurate! 🙂
      David

  81. I picked up the bottom of a bottle on a beach near Marco Island, FL. It has Liquor Bottle and the numbers 69 and 23 either side of a logo which I can’t quite make out. Then underneath it has 1807 (I’d love to know if this was the year). Its about 3 inches wide and clear glass. Would love to know anything about it.

    [Instagram URL originally posted here no longer works – link to photo removed 11/18/2022]

    1. Hi Rob,
      Thank you for the link. The base is from a bottle manufactured by Foster-Forbes. The weird logo is supposed to be an “FF in a circle” and please check out my entry for that mark in my alphabetical lists of glass marks. The “69”, in this case is a Liquor Bottle Permit Number assigned to Foster-Forbes Glass Company. (Search on google with “liquor bottle permit numbers” to see a page with a list of numbers associated with various glass bottle companies).

      The “23” doesn’t seem to make sense, but it may have been intended as a “73” (date code for 1973). Often the markings on bottle bases are not clearly embossed, especially when the mold engraver was in a hurry or did not carefully engrave the number into the bottle mold. Since Foster-Forbes wasn’t in business in 1923 it could not stand for 1923.

      The “1807” is a number assigned to that particular bottle style or design. No, the 1807 doesn’t have anything to do with a date. Btw, just for some trivia, relatively few glass bottles have survived intact from that early time period (most are now in museums or “upscale” antique bottle collections) but in any case utilitarian bottles made in the early 1800s were hand-blown, and tend to be crudely made and most of them are found in shades of dark olive green, olive amber, blackglass or aqua. Virtually none of that era are known in clear glass (except for some upscale flint glass decanters or “steamboat glass” which is another category entirely). Hope this helps,
      David

      1. Hi David, Thank you so much for your extensive, comprehensive and very informative reply. So interesting to know the history and I like what I’ve found purely for it’s look. You certainly know your stuff and I know where to come back to for any future finds. Thanks for taking your time to respond.
        Rob

  82. HI I found a glass bottle in upstate NY that appears to have the words “Jo-CUY” inside of a pine tree embossed on the front. On the bottom it reads made in the USA and a B and a 6 on opposite sides. I was thinking it can’t be that old because it is clear and is labeled made in the USA, which I don’t think that label was too important until we started to outsource our goods to China.

  83. Hi, I have found a few old bottles and can’t seem to find any info. Maybe you can help. All of them have numbers on the bottom.One is a brown bottle, about 6 inches tall, with 28 on the bottom over a W that’s inside a circle….. One is smaller, around 4 inches, with a W inside a circle over 92…. And the last one is a clear bottle, about 6-8 inches tall, with 12. A 1 inside a circle, and and 82 over the number 15. Thanks for any info!!

    1. Hi “WalkbyFaith79”,
      The bottles with “W in a circle” were made by T.C. Wheaton Company, Millville, NJ, as I have explained in my alphabetical mark listings on this site. They are probably medicinal vials or “serum bottles”. Not sure about the clear bottle although it might be from Armstrong Cork Company of Millville, NJ. The “82” might be a date code for 1982 but honestly I am not sure about that.
      David

  84. Hello there, my wife found a brown bottle in the ground while camping in the Sawtooth Mountains near Stanley, Idaho. It is approximately 6 inches tall. The markings on the bottom are as follows : all marking are on the bottom of the bottle.
    NW on top (connected together)
    523 on the left
    56 on the right
    12 on the bottom.

    Again, all of those numbers are on the bottom of the bottle. I have matched the symbol to the Northwestern Glass Co. out of Seattle. It would be interesting to know the year and what was in it. I tried to research but had no luck.

    1. Hank, I don’t have specific information on Northwestern Glass Company bottle mold codes / configurations, but I would assume the “56” is almost certainly a date code for the year 1956. “523” is probably a style number assigned to that mold.
      ~David

  85. I have an 8″ high brown bottle with rounded edges at the top. It has raised grapes on the front of the bottle. On the back at the top it says 4/5 (some grapes) then PINT. On the bottom it says WINE then under that there is a 72 on the left an N in a square then a 7 on the right. Under the N in the square there is a 4. Can you tell me anything about this bottle?

    1. Toni,
      From your information, evidently the bottle is a pint-size wine bottle made in 1972 by Obear-Nester Glass Company of East St. Louis, IL. Please check out my webpage on that glass company. The “72” is almost certainly a date code. The “4” is probably a mold identifier number.
      Best regards,
      David

  86. I’ve got a bottle with a few imperfections and very little labeling I’m trying to figure what kind of bottle it is the only markings on it are i. P. C. Co .125 3 it’s got a thick bottom with a little more glass to one side and a few air bubbles halfway up the bottle it’s clear glass can anyone help

      1. Hey, i have found a triangular norwich bottle, it has norwich embossed on all 3 sides of the bottle, its is a see through clear glass, the lid is also a screw on. Naturally i assumed it is a old pepto-bismol bottle, but everyone says that those have a P mark on the bottom. On the bottom of mine there is a circled B in the center, above that is the number 1037 and under the B it has a 4 with a dot after it. I cant seem to find anything on it, any ideas? Thanks.

        1. Grace, You can be sure that your bottle was made by Brockway Glass Company (B in a circle logo). The “1037” would be a style number assigned to that bottle design. I would not agree with the statement that “All” Pepto-Bismol bottles would be made by one glass manufacturer, such as Pierce. I haven’t researched those bottles and don’t know who all made them, but it was (and is) very common for popular products to be sold in bottles made by a number of different glass companies if the product was sold for any length of time. Pierce was only one among many bottle manufacturers, and it would stand to reason that other Norwich / Pepto-Bismol bottles with other glass company logos will be found sooner or later.
          Hope this helps,
          David

  87. Hi there, David! First off, thank you for maintaining and being awesome with this website!
    Second, I found this today…. the bottom of a bottle. It is about 4 or 4.5 inches in diameter …. and it has a large number 4 on it. Here is a photo of it:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BGKQeRgxNdU/

    Any idea as to who, what, when or where it is from?!

    I live on the Jersey Shore, which might help (or not)

    Thank you!

    1. Hi Erin,
      Thanks for the kind words about my site, and for the link to your photo. I am not familiar with that particular marking. Sorry I have no info!
      ~David

  88. Hello, I have a small jars from nutella and another from honey producer company. On nutella jar there is no code at all. And in the other honey jar written ’30’ (underlined), a symbol of jar/like an inverted omega, and ’27.’ . My question is, can I reuse the jar to make “cake in a jar”, so that I will put the jar into the oven to make the cake. What is the maximum temperature allowed for both if jars? Thank you

    1. Mayra,
      You should NEVER use any ordinary glass jars such as the ones you describe to bake or heat products in an oven. Usually they are made of ordinary soda-lime glass (“bottle glass”) that can easily be shattered by very intense heat or sudden temperature changes. We should only use glass approved for oven use, such as the “Pyrex” or similar “heat resistant” or “ovenware” brands which have a stronger glass formula made specifically for that application. Hope this helps!

      ~David

  89. I found a bottle like the second one from the left in your cover picture I can tell it has 1/2 and the number 51 on the bottom and some other markings I cant make out what is it.

    1. Hi Michell,
      I wrote to you twice by email with no response. (My emails probably landed in your “spam” or “trash” folders.) Since I have several different pictures that rotate and appear at random along the top of the website, I assume you are speaking of the small squarish emerald green medicine bottle. That is a common type of “generic” medicine bottle made by Owens-Illinois Glass Company. I don’t know the exact time period but it seems it was made in quantity over many years, probably 1930s-1960s and maybe later. They are typical containers for medicinal products such as iodine or merthiolate (for minor burns, cuts and bruises). It may have been used for other types of liquid medicines as well; not really sure on that! Hope this helps!
      David

  90. I am having some challenges locating the manufacturer of a bottle, that has the numbers/letters reading: “ZSM 10 33 DD” on the heel.

    If anyone has any sense or knows the origin that would be super appreciated!

    Many thanks!!

  91. I have a decanter that I have been able to identify from a near duplicate offered on Ebay. It is an Old Mr. Boston whiskey decanter, and the heel markings read “Old Mr. Boston Fine Liquours” in a circle; then inside the circular text it reads: BRAND PAT. APP FOR I D 1 12 A 51 (with a circle around the A). The decanter offered on Ebay reads the same except the number after the encircled A is 50 rather than 51. Does this mean my bottle was manufactured in 1951?

    1. Hi Nina,
      Yes, your decanter was made in 1951, by Armstrong Cork Company (their Glass Division). They used the “A in a circle” mark for many years…..circa 1938-1969. This shows the decanter mold was re-tooled slightly for the year 1951 and so was used for at least that period of time (1950-1951), and possibly much longer. (The “0” engraving in the metal bottle mold was filled in, and then a new digit was engraved in the same spot). Ebay can be a great tool for researching bottles, merely by studying other pieces put up for sale by sellers. Even though oftentimes the sellers are not sure what they have, comparing posted photos of the markings on various glass bottles and other items can be a very useful learning tool. Best regards,
      David

  92. I have a bottle of green liquid. It has a white, rusty cap and has two lowercase cursive ‘f’s in a circle on the bottom. To the left of the two ‘f’s is ‘3’, and to the right is ‘186’. It was found on a property that was first built on in 1947, but has remained uninhabited since 1980. Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks.

    1. Hi Drew,
      The only information I can give you offhand is that the bottle was made by Foster-Forbes Glass Company. The “186” would be a number assigned to the particular bottle mold, or the bottle design or catalog/style number. Please see my “FF” entry in the alphabetical listings of glass manufacturer markings on this site.
      ~David

  93. I found a brown, hour glass shaped bottle with a rusty metal screw on cap. The only markings are on the bottom. S at the top 15 below and to the left of the S, 69 below and to the right of the S. Straight across from the S is the number 4. Between the S and 4 is an arc of letters and numbers, PAT.DES.187 302. There are concentric raised rings from the center to the outer double ring of raised dots. No labels. Two seams are on opposite sides and run the length of the bottle. Any idea what was sold in the bottle or how old is the bottle? Thanks, Bobby

    1. Bobby, Searching “Google Patents” page, using D187302, we find it is an early Windex bottle, patented by the US Patent & Trademark Office, in 1960 (design submitted in 1958). Term of Design Patent was for 14 years, so that particular bottle was presumably made sometime between 1960 and 1974.
      http://www.google.com/patents/USD187302

      Most bottles found with a marking such as “DES PAT” (plus number) can be researched by going to google and typing in “D” (for design) immediately followed by the full multi-digit number. Hope this helps,
      David

  94. I recently found a small rectangular bottle with a metal lid, it has bumps/dots on the bottom, in the center of the bottom is has a 9, an encircled 1, and a 7. Above these numbers is says 1 1/2 OZ, and below the numbers it has a 6. It also has a circle around the previously stated characters, but the circle is indented and may have been added later. Any ideas?

    Thanks,
    Claire

    1. Claire, I think the “1 in a circle” is actually supposed to be a I inside an oval (one of the glass manufacturer marks used by Owens-Illinois Glass Company). Please see my webpage on that company for some pics of their marks. The “9” is a plant code number for their Streator, Illinois glass plant, the “7” is a year date code (uncertain year, possibly standing for 1957 or 1967), and the ‘6″ is a mold number. Sorry I have no other information.
      David

  95. I have an old ten gallon glass jug, with a slight cobalt blue hue to it. The only markings on it are a capital ‘i’ in a circle on the bottom. Beside that is the number 73. And there is also the number 11 off towards the edge. The bottom of the jug also has a veiny, or mosaic look about it. I’ve look all over and can’t find a thing. Any ideas? I could mail you pictures.

  96. Has anyone heard of larvatox? I found about ten crates filled with these bottles never opened and sealed by a cork. Its made by dean manufacturing co chicago. It says it is a moth proofing chemical. I’m just trying to figure out if it is worth anything or just any information on it as I can get. The bottem has a diamond with a upper case I in the center and a number 4 underneath it so any help will be much appreciated.

  97. I have found a bunch of wooden crates filled with bottles of larvatox 1 gallon jugs. I have looked all over Google and other websites trying to figure anything out about them and can find nothing. It was made by dean manufacturing co chicago and is a moth proofing chemical. They are all full of a clear liquid and have never been opened. There is a symbol of a diamond with a upper case I in thecenter and the number 4 under that. Can anyone tell me what this is a little about it if it’s worth anything. Thank you.

    1. Hi Joe,
      From a quick google search, Larvatox was evidently a very short-lived product, presumably one of countless numbers of U.S. products of every description that saw poor sales, or failed to “catch on” for some reason or other. (I searched Google along with other keywords such as “bottle”, “jug”, “moth” etc, to help weed out unrelated hits).
      Apparently Larvatox was first sold in the mid-1920s and the sales office was in Pittsburgh, although I’m not certain how accurate that information is. You might be interested to know that the diamond/oval/I mark is the earliest logo used by Owens-Illinois Glass Company, (used from 1929 through the mid-1950s and sometimes later) and you can find more info on that company on my webpage here.
      Owens-Illinois has made containers for a tremendous number of businesses since 1929. I have no info on value, but in my opinion there is not much collector demand for chemical/cleaning agents/pesticide and similar product bottles/jars/jugs by antique bottle collectors at the present time. But since it was a very obscure product and evidently was not sold for very long, the containers might have a little value just as a “curiosity” or to someone who is interested in the local history of particular businesses. I am assuming that the bottles are of a “generic” type with the glassmaker symbol on the bottom, and the only identification of the company name and brand name is from labels on the side. (Correct?)
      In any case, concerning value, I can only suggest you might try selling a jug online (auction site) and see what happens.
      Hope this helps,
      David

  98. Hello I have a large mason jar. I am trying to get some info on if you can help me. It stands 19 inches high , 28 inches around.It says mason then a star under that then patent nov,30th 1858. The other side has an eagle with it’s wings spread The bottom there is a 2 thank you

    1. Hi Autumn,
      I don’t know much about those huge jars, but I understand that some were made as “conversation pieces” or gift items, and some of the same (or very similar) design jars were made to serve as large-size (institutional size, restaurant size) pickle jars. I think they are usually 4 or 5 gallon in capacity. I understand that some were made during the same period of time that the original smaller ones were made, but nearly all of these jars now encountered are much, much more recent……. not sure on exact age, but I thought they were made over a considerable period of time, perhaps 1960s, 1970s into the 1980s or later.
      They are often saved and used to hold coins or other items.
      They are basically imitating the “look” of the older normal-size quart and half-gallon glass “MASON’S PATENT NOV 30TH 1858” jars which were made for a very long time in huge numbers by many, many glass companies……from c.1858 up to the 1910s.

      Hope this helps, sorry I don’t have more info.

      Best regards, David

      1. HI David I was woundering if you new anything about my jar ?Its a pint jar BallPerfectMason and Number 2 at bottom little air bubbles all around jar lines incraved all around jar they swirl .A glass cover with ball written on it with a number5 rite below The B and a silver lid with ahole shaped like a bow no dates

        1. Hi Rhonda,
          You have a “mix” or “marriage” of items that didn’t quite go together originally. The earliest BALL PERFECT MASON jars had metal (zinc-coated steel) lids that are lettered “BALL” in cursive lettering on the top. Some types of Ball jars (including some of the later variants of the Ball Perfect Mason) but also the “Ball Improved” and the “Ball Special” jars, have a separate glass lid used along with the metal screw band. But the metal band on your jar is from a different brand of lid used with some of the old PRESTO fruit jars (search Google Images with “presto lid”) as it has that bow or bannerstone-shaped slot or “cut out’ hole in the center. The PRESTO jars were made by Owens-Illinois Glass Company.
          ~David

  99. I have a small pink or rose colored bowl, (possibly a fruit bowl?) with a unique design I haven’t been able to find online yet. it has plain leaf pattern with a line in the center of each leaf and frosted oval shapes with flat bottoms around the circumference. It does not have a star pattern on the bottom like most I’ve seen. It has the only the word France and the number 14 stamped on the bottom. Does anyone know the maker of this bowl and if it’s valuable?

  100. I need help! I have an Arcorac Lance tumbler. Along the bottom is says Arcorac France 33. Can someone tell me what the 33 means? I’m assuming the France means that it was made in their French factory, not the American one? I’ve tried EVERYWHERE. I even e-mailed the company, to no avail. Thank you!

    1. Hi Whitney,
      I am happy to tell you I was able to contact a representative at Arc International. Vanessa Thompson in the marketing department has kindly replied to my query and she wrote “The 33 on the bottom of the glass is the mold number. Arcoroc is the glass line and it is made in France.”

      Searching sites such as ebay, and reading some of the auction listing descriptions, it is apparent that many different numbers (mold numbers) can and do appear on the bases of various types of glassware made by Arc International.

      I hope this helps! Take care, David

  101. I found a very small glass bottle maybe an inch and half tall. It has 3-2 on the bottom along with an H and a small H symbol inside of that one. It has a clear liquid and Ann orangish liquid which separate in the bottle. Anyone know what this is?

  102. Hello, please could someone help me out , because i have spent my whole day trying to find out what this dating code means, a friend of mine brought me an empty bottle of coca cola from Morocco 24,5 cm tall with the red colour included on the label ( label includes Arabic and the word marques et modele desposes) now on the lower heel there is embroidery with 35,5 cl ( the cl very calligraphic) and then on the other side it starts with the number 16 after smal space there is the S in circle and small space again and there is number 9 with 7 code script ( or dots if you like ) in the shape of C covering the right side of number 9.. i tried but i didnt found something similar article .. pls help me

    1. Hi Zack,
      Your bottle has the maker’s mark of a “S inside a circle” which, according to Emhart’s punt mark database, is the mark used by a glass company in Morocco, the exact name of which (in the French language) is “Societe D’ Exploitation De Verreries Au Maroc S.A”, located in Casablanca, Morocco. I do not have any info on the code markings. The 9 with dots is probably the date code, but I cannot be sure since I am not familiar with that glass company or the way they code-date their bottles. The “16” is probably a mold number. Perhaps a reader can supply more info (not very likely, to be honest with you) or you can try contacting them directly through their website. Incidentally, I should mention that the mark “S in a circle” has been used by various companies in the United States as well as in several other countries around the world, but in this case we can be absolutely certain on the identity of the glass manufacturer since it is a bottle from Morocco. Just guessing, I would imagine your bottle was made sometime within the last 20 to 30 years or less, but I really don’t know.
      Hope this helps a bit,
      David

  103. Would anyone know what an old glass jar (about 3 inches tall) would be used for? When right side up, you see markings on side noting 1, 2, 3 ounces…. but the ounces start with one on the top and go down to 3 at the bottom, seems backwards if you filled it up with something… and words are upright with the jar…. Only other marking is a number 17 with an roof (<17)

    1. Pictures would help but maybe a baby bottle of some sort are what I have come across with this description.

      1. My guess would be an old medicine bottle. Measurements make sense. You would take one ounce at a time.

  104. Can anyone tell me about a Nov 30th embossed 1858 Mason Jar that has a base marking of a triangle and the numbers 3 and what appears to be a 9 or a Z? Thanks so much.

    1. I strongly doubt that anyone can be sure what glass company made any particular NOV 30TH 1858 variant (That is, assuming there are no recognizable glass manufacturers’ marks or logos on the jar). Gobs of different molds were used by hundreds of glassmakers in the US that made that style jar, and many of them were marked on the bottom with various numbers, letters, as well as geometric shapes and other marks. It would be wonderful to find out for sure if a certain mold was used by a certain glass company, but it would be very, VERY difficult to prove. One very slim possibility……….it might be possible, for instance, if someone was able to excavate where an an old glass company used to stand, and IF they were to find considerable quantities of a particular jar base with a unique appearance (for instance, an unusually shaped number or letter) it might be possible to assign an origin to that mold……………but don’t hold your breath! (And sometimes molds were sold to other glass companies, after shutdowns /buyouts of failing companies). ~David

  105. recently bought a decanter-type bottle from a local flea market store. the bottom is marked
    55(either an i or a 1, inside of a 0 or O)69
    0-369
    3

    any ideas?

    1. The “I inside an O” is one of the trademarks used by OWENS ILLINOIS GLASS COMPANY, the largest, “longest-lived” glass company in the United States, and one of their glass bottle marks I get tons of questions about. Please see my page on Owens-Illinois for more info. The ’55” in this case is a liquor permit number assigned to the Owens-Illinois Glass Company and their Huntington, West Virginia glass plant in particular.
      http://www.sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/LiquorBottlePermits.pdf The “69” is a date code for 1969. The “0-369” is probably a code number for that style bottle.( Or is it a “D-369”?) The “3” might be a mold identifier number. Hope this helps.

  106. Hello. I believe I have a owens bottle Co tiny glass bottle with a brass lid. It has an O or 0 Inside of a square. What I can’t figure out is on either side of this mark there is a number 4
    So we have (4 O inside square 4)
    What do these numbers mean?

    1. Hi Justin,
      The bottle was made by Owens Bottle Company (“O in a Square” mark). One of the “4” digits is a mold number, but I’m not sure about the other “4”. Best regards, David
      PS. I answered your query several days ago via direct email with no reply from you, please check your SPAM / TRASH / JUNK folders.

  107. I have a Diet Rite which was an RC brand, with the number 73 on the bottom. According to Collections (collections@drpeppermuseum.com) my bottle was made in 1973. Maybe the web site mentioned would be able to help you.

    1. Tara, the Royal Crown bottle was evidently made by Liberty Glass Company, Sapulpa, Oklahoma. See my entries concerning the “L G” listings on the “Glass Bottle Marks” series of pages (links pointing to the articles are located in alphabetical order along the right-hand side of any page on this site). The “67” is a date code for 1967.
      Hope this helps,
      ~David

  108. Hello,
    I have a clear floral vase 10 inches in height with an E.O. Brody marked on the bottom of the vase. It has C 928 mark. What can you tell me about this vase? When it was made? Rarity and the possible value it .

      1. Hi Brad,
        Although I am sure you are right (the “C928” is a style or model number assigned to a particular design), there is conflicting information on E. O. Brody and what they are producing presently (if anything), and where it is being made. Can you provide specific background sources for your statement (i.e. they are making floral vases “today”). Most of the information on Brody that has been posted online dates from 2007 or 2008 and before. Anchor Glass acquired the Brody Company in 2007. (Please see my webpage on Brody here). Brody apparently didn’t make the glass themselves, but distributed glass and ceramic products (the glass being made by Indiana Glass Company) for the floral industry.
        Best regards,
        David

  109. hi i was wondering if someone could help me i live in a small remote community and iv found a brown bottle that has matilday bay australia on it and at the bottom it reads( a not to refilled) underneth the bottle the number are15530 what kind of beer is this and how old could it be?

  110. hello david ,,,i have a old rawleigh’s bottle it is rectangle it says trademark under rawleighs and bottle made in the usa and on the bottom is a circle with a P and a 2 underlined ,,,the bottle is greenish tint and has quite a few air bubbles in the glass there is also three rings around the neck of the bottle what are you thoughts ?

    1. Hello Dana,
      I’m sorry but the only “solid” info I can provide is that the bottle was actually made by Pierce Glass Company (the ‘P in a circle’ was their makers’ mark). Most of the bottles with the “P in a circle” on the bottom seem to date from the 1920s-1950s (in general) but I’m afraid I can’t be more specific than that very general range of years.
      David

  111. I found a old small bottle that is brown and says W. T. CO D USA on the bottom. It is sealed with a cork, and it has a very fine white powder in it. Any ideas what it could be or how old it is?

    1. Hi Rachel, it’s probably a medicine, druggist or chemical bottle. (Don’t know what the white powder could be, any of a number of different substances. DON’T TASTE IT! 🙂 The bottle was made by Whitall Tatum Company (see my webpage on that company) and dates to sometime between 1901 up to the early 1930s. Whitall Tatum made gobs of different style of bottles……that type could have been used to hold any of many different products. There would have originally been a contents label pasted on the side which is now gone.
      ~David

  112. Hi David, recently in the eastern goldfields of western australia I found a small jar embossed with the trade mark – Vaseline – chesebrough – new york and on the bottom was the number 38. This old minesite operated from 1896 to 1910. Eric.

    1. Hi Eric,
      Please check out my webpage on the Vaseline jars. There are a few pics there showing various types. They are very plentiful, and were made for many years, with many slightly different lettering variations found. The “38” on your jar would be a mold identifier number.
      Best regards,
      David

      1. David,

        Here in Jacksonville FL today 6/9/15 I found a small glass jar, out near the road where they happen to be digging it up to do some repairs. I am sure this is an old Vaseline bottle as well from the information I found on your page, but on my clear glass bottle it does not say Vaseline. And like Eric Morey it is only written on the bottom but unlike Eric I could not see a number. Mine reads
        ” Chesebrough
        MFG
        CO.CD
        NEW YORK”

        The glass bottle or jar is small, it is clear in color, it does have a rainbow looking effect to the glass but I am guessing that it is either something it was made with or because it has been buried for years. The sides of the bottle are all intact but the top has a couple of pieces broken on it. But you can tell that it looks like it had a screw on top. And I can see little lines that look like it was not as old as I hoped it was it looks like it was made from a mold and put together. But since I love bottles I will keep it no matter what but I did find your page very interesting and I look forward to learning more. Thanks,

        Dalla Roberts

        1. Hi Dalla,
          Thanks for your post! Yes, there were many slight variations in the embossed wording on the Vaseline jars. Some carry mold numbers on the bottom, and others don’t. Since the glass Vaseline jars were made over such a long period of time, by a number of different glass companies, there were no doubt many different molds used for their manufacture. Some glassmakers would have used several molds at once, and each mold might have carried a number to identify it if any problems arose with the finished product.
          The “rainbow” look you see is a result of long burial in the ground. The jar would have been an ordinary colorless / clear glass when brand new. The lines you see are vertical mold seams. There is a lot of misunderstanding of the process by which most typical jars and bottles are made, but to describe it in a VERY VERY simplified manner, basically the molten glass is blown into a hollow metal mold which is typically made of two halves (sometimes more). Those two halves are shut (somewhat like closing up a book momentarily), the glass (hot syrup) is blown into the mold, and after a very short time (seconds), the glass hardens sufficiently and then the parts of the mold are opened back up and the finished glass bottle or jar is removed from the mold. This was done by hand until the first fully automatic bottle machine was put into production in 1904. The mold seams you see along the sides are where the two halves of the mold came together, and the molten glass was “pushed against” (by compressed air) the crevice to create a visible raised line. Your jar would be a later type made by machine, as I believe all of the “threaded closure” Vaseline jars were.
          Here is a webpage that has more info on various bottle bases and mold types: http://www.sha.org/bottle/bases.htm

          Hope this helps, and take care,
          David

  113. I have an old glass bottle with DuBouchett Many Blanc written on it. At the bottom of the front it says federal law forbids sale of re-use of this bottle. Underneath the bottle the numbers read R-798. Do you have any idea or information you can provide me. Thanks

  114. I have a glass bottle that has a serial number etched in it just above the dots at bottom of glass, this glass bottle has a cobblestone body and what looks like a seem , it also has the number 43 in center as well as other numbers around base of bottle. I can’t seem to find anything on serialized bottles, can anyone help ?

  115. Hello, we have 2 one-gallon glass jugs. One says Duraglas and has what looks like E-1841 on the heel. The other only has the numbers 120 and 30 on the bottom. Any thoughts on the years of these?
    Thanks.

    1. Hello Mary,
      Well, we can be sure the jug marked “DURAGLAS” was made after 1940, the year of introduction of that brand name by Owens-Illinois. However, I really can’t offer info on a specific year it was made. The “E-1841” would probably be a catalog number or style number assigned by Owens-Illinois Glass Company to that particular type jug. I don’t have information on when that was used. It is theoretically possible, if you could find an older Owens-Illinois catalog, to estimate the date range IF this style container was listed in a catalog of, perhaps, the 1940s, ’50s or ’60s, but I don’t know if any are available. Concerning the other jug with just “120” and “30” on the base, I’m afraid I really have no info to pass along. In general, I think both of your jugs probably date from sometime in the 1940-1970 period, (and, sorry, I realize that is a wide year date range), but pinning down an exact year may be close to impossible.
      Best regards, David

  116. I found a beer bottle with 3 sets of numbers. The first set is on the bottom around the outside which is 01 95 ws-4. The next is near that and is simply 22. The last number is on the underside of the bottle and is an underlined 71. They beer is still inside with a rusted cap so I don’t know what it is.

    1. Hello Eva,
      This bottle was made in 1995. The “95” (along the lower heel of the bottle) is a date code. I believe this may be a product of Owens-Illinois, Inc.
      Best regards,
      David

  117. I have some Cobalt Blue bowls that have only numbers on the bottom. One is 34, another 23, etc..; there is a different number on each bowl. These numbers are about 1/8 of an inch tall. I was wondering if a manufacturer could be located with these numbers?

    1. Hello Dennis, I am sorry but they are merely mold numbers. The mold numbers CANNOT help identify the name of the company that produced the glass. Most glass companies have used mold numbers at some time or other on their products.
      Best regards,
      David

      1. I can think of one instance where the mold number can identify the glass manufacturer. On the mason’s patent 1858 fruit jars the ones produced by hemingray have a very distinctive mold number style.

        1. Hi Justin,
          Yes, you are absolutely right. As with any general rule, there is usually an exception here or there. In an attempt to be concise, and not “muddy the waters” more than necessary, I didn’t mention that exception in my article.
          So, to expound a bit on that here: on early handmade ground-lip “MASON’S PATENT NOV 30th 1858” fruit jars with a mold number on the center of the base, if the number is VERY, VERY LARGE, BOLD and “Ornate”, the jar can generally be attributed to Hemingray Glass Company. Most were probably made at their earlier Covington, KY factory, and perhaps some were made at Muncie also– presumably dating in the 1870s-1880s.
          Thanks Justin,
          ~David

    1. Tam, I suppose you mean the markings are on the bottom, or is this on the front / side? The 2 is probably a mold number. The star could be a trademark used by the wine company, or a decorative design motif / emblem with no specific meaning.

      ~David

  118. Hi David,

    We moved into a house in Stinson Beach last year that is on a double parcel and is built over the footprint of a cabin that was torn down in the late seventies. As far as we can tell the occupants of the cabin (the last of whom were notorious partiers including Janis Joplin) would toss their bottles from the house into the bushes in the lower parcel – there is about a 30 sq ft. patch that is literally coughing up glass. Today I found the 2″ wide oval base of a bottle inscribed with the Owens-Illinois logo, and the Duraglas logo. To the left of the Owens circle/diamond/i logo is the number 23, to the right is the numeral 4. Below the Duraglas logo is the num/alpha 536-B, and to the left of everything is inscribed 4 A. I assume it was made in LA, but am not sure what date the numeral 4 refers to or the other numbers. Thanks!

    1. Hello Jeb,
      As you realized, the “23” on the left of the logo indicates the bottle was made at Owens-Illinois’ Los Angeles glass plant. The “4” on the right is a year date code (last digit of a year) and stands for 1954 (since their Duraglas trademark was issued c. 1940, the year 1934 can safely be excluded as a possibility, and the Los Angeles plant (#23) was started circa 1948, eliminating 1944 as a possibility). “536-B” is almost certainly a code number for that style of bottle (i.e. a catalog, inventory or design number assigned to that shape). “4 A” is a mold identifier. Since the bottle is machine-made, (Automatic Bottle Machine or “ABM”) and there would have been several molds (or “mold cavities”) arranged in a circular configuration on the assembly, with many identical bottles being produced each minute. Each individual mold was numbered (engraved), and “4 A” is the designation for the particular mold that specific bottle was made from.
      I hope this makes sense. Thanks for writing!
      David

  119. I have 3 bottles, one is a clear cylinder threaded on top, circle on bottom with A inside, a line under the circle and a 3 under that. Second is I believe a Heinz ketchup bottle but would like to date it if possible- has anH-257 with a B in a circle under that. The 3rd has numerous markings,maybe a soda bottle. Looks like lattice on the bottom 2/3 of the bottle, with a capital I on the bottom along with 250z above it, an S to the left and 48 to the right.also has symbol below that looks like T with a 4 on left side and odd shaped c on the right. Anyone have anything?

  120. My boyfriend found varies types of bottle bottoms with writing or numbers. First is cobalt blue with a 5 and m with a 3/4 circle around the m. Second is brown with S G . Third is brown with 75 with 3 slashes on bottom. Fourth is brown has 649 NW. Fifth is white with symbol of an arrow with flat bottom and J L on each side. Sixth is white with 4869. Seventh is brown with TIREG. I guess you already know this is authentic beach glass. I understand your statement on tumbling but as a beginner I can already tell the difference,especially when you have seen some aging on pieces or another.

    1. Hi Valerie,
      Yes, I totally understand. Btw, the only piece I can positively identify as to glassmaker source is your cobalt blue piece, which has the “M in a circle” used by Maryland Glass Corporation.

      Thanks for writing and have a great weekend!
      David

      1. Thanks David for your prompt response. My boyfriend has been combing the beach in Moss Landing for a few years, taking the dog for a walk. I think he has over 10,000 pieces from white, blue, amber, aquamarine, pink, purple, green. I can go on but is this profitable? We have so much glass (not including rocks and shells) but I did see some sites that have festival’s. What is your opinion?

  121. I have a tall, rectangular bottle (possibly a decanter) with a square stopper. On one side, there are 4 embossed, vertical circles, each with a different picture. The top one appears to be a crest or shield of some sort; the second one is a man and a woman; the third is a silhouette of a woman’s face (like on a coin); and the fourth is a man. On the other side, there’s a large circle with nothing in it. The bottom of the bottle reads (clockwise): D-9, 65, 8, 67. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks,
    Meagan

    1. Hi Meagan,
      I can’t tell you much in particular about your specific bottle, but it is typical of tons of decorative glass decanters made from the 1930s into the 1970s and even later. They were made as containers for whiskies and other alcoholic beverages, and were made in many, many different artistic, attractive designs to help sell the product. They were often saved and re-used as decanters, vases, etc, so lots of them are still around. In your particular case, I am assuming that the date code is either “65” or “67” (made in 1965 or 1967). Sorry, not sure which year would be correct. Although I am not an appraiser, people often do ask about their value. In general these types of decanters are, at the present time, not high in value….perhaps a typical one will sell for anywhere from 50 cents to 5 dollars, depending on exact style. They often show up at yard sales and thrift stores. A good percentage of the were made by Owens-Illinois Glass Company. They are ususally in ordinary clear glass (shows off the golden/amber color of whiskey), which does limit their appeal to collectors of colored glass bottles. I’m sure there are collectors out there that specialize in studying and collecting these decanters. Perhaps as time goes on, they will gain in value and interest to a wider group of glass collectors. Hope this helps a bit.
      David

  122. I have a 2oz bottle with numbers where there should be a makers mark. The number 3 is in the center with X721 above. Any comments?

    1. Hi Sue,
      The “3” is a mold number, and the “X721” is probably a bottle style number or inventory/catalog number assigned to that particular bottle type by the glass manufacturer. Other than that, there isn’t really much else I can pass along. If there is no maker’s mark, it is difficult or impossible to know who made the bottle.
      ~David

      1. I’ve found similar! Except, mine has an additional “4” beneath the “3”. So, X721 at the top (bottom of bottle) with a 3 in center, and a 4 directly below. I found mine while hunting arrowheads, I came across this among other “settler” trash. Definitely has age, and is not a screw top. It’s been decades since a road was even close to this place. Oh, and mine is about 4-5 inches tall.

  123. Hm, I followed the advice given. However, I could not fiind out, HOW to decipher these “dot codes”. E.g. what “form” does a code *****__*_*_** refer to? (The stars are the dots and the underlines are the empty spaces on the bottle)?

    1. Hello Jörg! Ok, you got me. I honestly don’t know. Unless this is something “top secret” (not accessible by mere mortals who don’t have the proper “glass-industry security clearances” ;-o) perhaps someone can chime in and reveal exactly how these dot codes are interpreted.
      Readers?

      1. Hi, all I can tell you is that your bottle was made by Consumers Glass Company, Montreal, Canada, later in Toronto, as shown by the “C inside a triangle”. I would guess the bottle was made by Consumers FOR Heinz and contained some type of sauce or condiment. The “233” is probably a code number for that particular bottle style, or a mold identification number.
        David

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