With at least five (5) bottle auctions happening now (read September Auction Round-Up) including American Bottle Auctions, Glass Works, Heckler, North American Glass and the upcoming Pole Top/Glass Discoveries it is easy to lose sight of the big Thomas McCandless Collection coming up in three (3) sessions. Norman C. Heckler & Company has quite a bit of information on their web site about this historic collection.
I had always heard that John Hinkel collected labeled inks. It wasn’t until I saw his phenomenal display at the FOHBC Memphis 2011 Show and Sale did I really understand that This Guy Collects labeled inks! With close to 1,500 hundred examples, John certainly has an impressive collection. As I sort through his wonderful photography, I hope to break this down into a number of posts to eventually help me write a Feature Story for the FOHBC web site. These first pictures give you and idea of the depth of his collection.
Ever since I saw Tom Lines display of Corn for the World historical flasks about 5 years ago at the Baltimore Antique Bottle Show I have been hooked on liking these great Baltimore Glass Works flasks. I thought I would nest some pictures here for future use in the planned FOHBC Virtual Museum of American Historical Bottles and Glass. Stay tuned as I will be adding to the post when some other greats show up.
Quart Corn for the World historical flasks – Newman Collection
Quart Corn for the World historical flasks – Tucker Collection
Pint Corn for the World historical flask – Heckler Auctions
Peacock Blue Quart Corn for the World historical flask GVI-4 – Heckler Auctions
Amber quart Corn for the World historical flask
Heckler Auction 100 – Lot: 13 “Baltimore” And Monument – “Corn For The World” And Partially Shucked Ear Of Corn Historical Flask, Baltimore Glass Works, Baltimore, Maryland, 1860-1870. Brilliant yellow amber with an olive tone, applied short sloping collared mouth – smooth base, quart. GVI-4 Beautiful color, fine condition, strong embossing. Warren “Bud” Lane collection.
Heckler Auction 100 – Lot: 21 “Baltimore” And Monument – “Corn For The World” And Partially Shucked Ear Of Corn Historical Flask, Baltimore Glass Works, Baltimore, Maryland, 1860-1870. Apricot puce, applied double collared mouth – smooth base, quart; (minor blemishes to include shallow bubble bursts and some exterior high point wear). GVI-4 Gorgeous brilliant color, fine condition, strongly embossed. Warren “Bud” Lane collection.
“CORN FOR THE WORLD” / EAR OF CORN – MONUMENT / “BALTIMORE”, GVI-4), Baltimore Glass Works, ca. 1860 – 1870, peacock blue quart, smooth base, applied mouth. A lengthy crack travels from the top of the lip down through the neck, around the shoulder and halfway down one side. Striking color, and the damage is mostly away from the Ear of Corn side. – Glass Works Auctions | Auction #98
“CORN FOR THE WORLD” / EAR OF CORN – MONUMENT / “BALTIMORE”, (GVI-4), Baltimore Glass Works, Baltimore, Maryland, ca. 1840 – 1845, olive yellow quart, iron pontil, applied double collar mouth. A tiny flake is off the center husk of the corn. Also some slight wear. Brilliant appealing color, plenty of seed bubbles, and the flaws are minor. – Glass Works Auctions | Auction #98
A purple Corn For The World historical flask – Sandor P. Fuss collection
“Baltimore” And Monument – “Corn For The World” And Partially Husked Ear Of Corn Historical Flask, Baltimore Glass Works, Baltimore, Maryland, 1860-1870. Brilliant peacock blue, applied square collared mouth – smooth base, quart; (light exterior high point wear, 1/8 inch flake from base edge). GVI-4 Amazing color, strong mold impression and generally fine condition combine to make this a most important flask. – Heckler Premier Auction #141.
As most of you probably have figured out, Bottle Auctions happen in groups. Well the long hot summer is nearing an end and the heat and bottle drought is over except in Texas. I thought I would round-up the auctions happening in September.
American Bottle Auctions (online now)Catalog for Auction #53 . Closing Thursday September 8th, 2011 at 7:00 PM PDT / 10:00 PM EST
Read… Oh I miss Baltimore – Wichmann ABA 53
Read… Nice Romaine’s Crimean Bitters in ABA Auction #53
Norman C. Heckler & Company (online now)Message from Norman C. Heckler & Company
You are Registered to bid in our auction which closes on Wed. September 14th , 2011 at 10 PM Eastern Time. The catalog can be viewed at:
https://bid.hecklerauction.com//93/cgi-bin/CATALL.CGI
You may bid online using your Bidder ID and Password.
Read… Professor Byrne and Landsberg – Some Highly Decorative Bottles
Read… My Vote for the Best Bottle Color Description of the Year!
Read… A Couple of Big Standouts in Heckler 93 Auction
North American Glass (online now)Dear Collector-
Our current auction at the North American Glass website has opened for bidding. This sale includes the Bill Dudley collection of Hemingray Glass Co items, plus many other rare and colored jars. To view all lots and place your bids, please visit our website here: http://www.gregspurgeon.com/auction/
If you encounter any log-in or registration issues, or have forgotten your password, just let us know and we will be glad to help.
Thank you,
Greg Spurgeon
NORTH AMERICAN GLASS, xx78@msn.com, 812.466.6521
Read… North American Glass Commissioned to Disperse the Late Bill Dudley Collection
Pole Top Discoveries and Glass DiscoveriesPole Top Discoveries and Glass Discoveries are pleased to announce our Auction #65, with 235 items, will be conducted in September.
Insulators include 135 scarce, rare & colorful items from most categories. Numerous colored threadless, along with rare and colorful threaded examples will be offered for your enjoyment. THREE exciting novel discoveries, all being granted new North American CD numbers by Mr. Woodward, will be included!
Bottles, flasks and jars are represented with 100 examples in various categories. Click on the Bottles tab on our website for more information.
Visit our WEBSITE at: www.glassdiscoveries.com
ONLINE BIDDING, with full descriptions and large color images of all items will commence on Sunday, September 18, 2011.
All items will CLOSE on Monday, September 26, 2011 at 10 P.M.
Anyone who has not yet reserved a 144 page, all color Catalogue may still do so! Price is $32 ppd, in the U.S, $38 to Canada. International, please inquire. Preferred form of payment is a check payable to Ray Klingensmith. Those who desire to use PayPal, please add the $1 fee to your total. Use the email account shown below.
CATALOGUES will be mailed in mid September.
A PREVIEW of approximately 100 items is currently viewable:
Bottles http://www.rtam.com/poletop-prev/cgi-bin/PREVIEW2.CGI
Insulators http://www.rtam.com/poletop-prev/cgi-bin/PREVIEW.CGI
THANKS to everyone for your continued support of our Auctions! For now, enjoy the Previews!!! Remember, these previews are only a tip of the iceberg, with 135 more surprises coming in mid September!
Ray Klingensmith. P.O. Box 628, Parkman. OH 44080, 440.548.5408, poletop@clover.net
www.glassdiscoveries.com
Glass Works 
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…
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
Hello Ferdinand,
I thought you might want to add a post about the Los Angeles Show to your website. This is our 45th annual show. Los Angeles has held a bottle show every year for nearly a half century. The attached photo shows a few rare Los Angeles bottles. The small ceramic jug is a Plantation Whiskey (it reminds me of the early roman head flasks). The center bottle is a half gallon Star Wine in red amber. And the last bottle is a Radium Radia medicine. I wanted to put a J. Keller bitters in the group, but I don’t have one yet…..
Thanks,
Dave
HOPATKONG WHISKEY J.C. HESS & CO PHILA. 10” With applied band and smooth base. These interesting whiskeys are one of the few that come in cobalt blue. This example came from the Sandor Fuss collection. Sandor is very particular about the condition of the bottles he collects. To our knowledge this is believed to be possibly the only perfect specimen known. If you are reading this and you disagree because you have either seen or own a perfect example, you will have to forgive us. However, in the many years we’ve dealt with bottles, the few of these we’ve seen all had problems. As for that condition, we are adopting a new term for any bottles consigned by Mr. Fuss and that is, “Fuss Proof.” That simply means that if it came from his collection, you can be assured that if it is not flawless, it is as close to “perfect” as possible. This has a series of varying blue striations throughout the bottle. Grades 9.8. Our first Fuss example and one that can be considered rare if not impossible to find in this condition.
More Than Meets Your Eye
In from Rick Simi…
I was wondering if you might want to post this article http://www.westernbitters.com/2010/12/gold-rush-squares_28.html on your site. I posted this back in 2010 for the Western Bitters News. Maybe the collectors on the east might get a kick out of it.
Will we be sharing some wine & BBQ in Downieville? (Downieville Show Information)
regards
rs
The California gold rush produced some interesting and rare products that were contained in square glass bottles. Gin, various brands of schnapps and more than a handful of medicated, aromatic and other vague sounding alcohol based concoctions competed for their share of the California market.
Read the rest at Western Bitters News
A bottle collectors paradise! Coming to Downieville, CA on Saturday, September 10, 2011 is the annual antique bottles and collectibles show “Bottlemania! A Blast of Glass from the Past”. The show is being held in the Downieville School Gym at 130 School Street. It opens at 8:00 am for a $10 early looker fee and is free to the public from 10 am to 3 pm.
Ferd,
We got out Wednesday for a dig since we figured the weekend was going to be shot due to Irene. We started out on the east side of Baltimore and found a recently boarded up house near Johns Hopkins hospital. They have been buying up the neighborhood around them for about 5 years now and demolishing blocks of houses. Mostly 1870s-1890s which is a bit newer then I like to dig. But there are a few rows of earlier 1860s houses mixed in the area. These I always dig when the opportunity arises, as there is lots of good 1860s Baltimore glass, and good glass in general from all over the country. And with Baltimore being a major port we find stuff from all over.
But this first house was likely built right about 1860. I have dug a bout half this row of houses and most of the pits produced early 1860s bottles and artifacts in the bottom. This pit was no exception however it was quite a bit shallower then the others we have dug in this row. This one being only about 5 feet deep, the others where about 7 feet deep. Being this was the only privy in the yard it was used until about 1910 when the city finally finished its sewer system. So this pit saw its share of dipping over the 50 or so years it was in use. But luckily the dippers left a few bottles dating from the 1860s-1900. The best find was a small redware ink but over all most of the bottles were unembossed baking powder types. We also found an early J&IEM turtle ink and a crude quart aqua master ink from the 1870s. The only real crier in the pit was a crushed Spring Garden Glass Works half pint flask, glad it was just an aqua example. It really hurts when you see a good colored flask broken.
After we finished this pit and filled it in we headed over to the west side of town to check out a construction project. They were in the process of digging a large hole for a new storm drain system. They were still working when we drove by so we headed farther west and ended up looking at an empty lot where some 1880s houses once stood. Again much newer then I would like to dig, but we needed to kill a few hours until the workers on the construction site finished up for the day. So I started probing on this empty lot and found a small pit on the back property line. We started digging it and found it to be a barrel lined privy. This one again was about 5 feet deep and had about a foot of 1890s-1900 era artifacts in the bottom. We had it dug and filled back in a couple hours. This pit produced a couple common beers and inks but was really devoid of decent bottles.
After we finished up on the empty lot it was late enough to go back to the construction site. We walked on the site and gave it a quick going over but they hadn’t exposed any undug privies today. So we moved on and saw a recently demolished 1840s house a few blocks away. But unfortunately we had missed this one as it appeared to have been dug over the weekend by another team of diggers. The pit looked to have been good age judging by the shards they left laying around. I will ask around and find out who dug this one and what they found. here are some pictures I took of the two privies we dug today.
Chris
