Baltimore – 1869
I have already written a post on Jeff Wichmann’s American Bottle Auctions | Auction 53 (see Nice Romaine’s Crimean Bitters in ABA Auction #53) but as I sat on the plane yesterday from Charlotte to Washington and looked closer at the wide variety of good bottles, I was stunned to see five (5) gorgeous BALTIMORE bottles. My home town. Where I grew up. Where I left at 18 years of age to go to Art & Design school in 1975. Home of the greatest Bottle Show on Earth!
Anyway, Baltimore is a cool city. A number of us are already planning our trip to the show in March. We will side trek to Fells Point, the B&O Railroad Museum, Little Italy and Geppi’s Entertainment Museum…oh and Crab Cakes at By The Docks Saturday night after set-up.
Here are the ABA bottles of note and their descriptions…
ABA Auction 53
P BABB BALT.O – ABA 53
P. BABB BALT.O. Sand type pontil, 8 ¼”. Lots of whittle on this early Baltimore soda. There is a chip and some roughness on the lip, however the crudity and beautiful color certainly add to its appeal. Probably professionally cleaned. Would Grade a 9.3 without the lip roughness. Minimum Bid: $ 100, Estimate: $ 200 – $ 300
JOHN CLARK F.P. BALTO – ABA 53
JOHN CLARK F.P. BALTO with C on reverse. Applied top and iron pontil. Here is a rare Baltimore soda in an emerald green. Nice whittle and overall good condition. Only Fell’s Point soda, an Ex-Roger Long piece in a unique color. There is a pressure ding on the reverse base edge; otherwise, it’s in very good condition. First one we’ve sold. Despite the base distraction, displays like a million bucks. Grades an 8.5. Current Bid: $ 160, Estimate: $ 200 – $ 400
FL SCHAUM BALTIMORE GLASSWORKS – ABA 53
FL SCHAUM BALTIMORE GLASSWORKS with applied top and iron pontil. We have been lucky enough to have a couple of these desirable Baltimore sodas. This one is a beautiful citron yellow or green with loads of whittle and everything one is looking for in vintage glass. Condition is right up there with the best of them. Professionally cleaned by someone who knew what they were doing. Outstanding color and condition—maybe the best one out there. Grades a 9.4. Current Bid: $ 2,000, Estimate: $ 2,000 – $ 3,000
KEACH with BALT on reverse – ABA 53
KEECH with BALT on reverse torpedo. Applied top 9”. Once again we are graced with the presence of some wonderful Baltimore glass. This terrific example is one of the prettier torpedoes we’ve encountered. This is a medium apricot and although likely professionally cleaned, they did an outstanding job. The glass dances in the light, the myriad of whittle, color, and texture combine to create a true thing of beauty. Unfortunately there is a ¾” annealing check in the lip that we did not know about until the consignor told us. Once again one of the better examples we’ve seen. Grades a 9.5 without the top distraction, you be the judge. Just a hint of light scratching, mostly toward the base area. Glass Works 1990’s. Minimum Bid: $ 3,000, Estimate: $ 5,000 – $ 8,000
CAUGHLAN with BALTO on reverse – ABA 53
COUGHLAN with BALTO on reverse. Here’s another very rare torpedo with a tapered top, measures 8 ¾”. This one was also cleaned, but like all the examples shown here, was done very professionally, as the glass is very pristine. There are a few different variants of the Coughlan bottle, this one is easily as rare as any of them. A nice medium green with a touch of blue. Found in West Virginia in the 1990’s. Grades a 9.3. Current Bid: $ 700, Estimate: $ 800 – $ 1,500
