What do Pontils look like on wine bottles?
Made where the glassblower’s pontil rod meets the base of the bottle, this mark comes in a range of styles, including open, iron and smooth. Open pontils look like circular indentations in the base of the bottle, and they are popular on bottles made between the 1600s and the mid-1800s.
How is a pontil scar formed from a bottle?
This type pontil scar was formed by the use of a solid iron bar as the pontil rod. One slightly widened end of the bar was tipped with molten glass then applied and fused to the base of the bottle. A glass tipped pontil rod made contact with most or all of the bottle base within the confines of the diameter of the pontil rod tip.
How does a pontil rod break a glass bottle?
The process of applying the pontil rod to the base of a glass item (or the later use of a snap tool) and the detachment of the blowpipe was called “reversing” by glass makers (Trowbridge 1870). Once the bottle is “finished”, the pontil rod is sharply tapped which breaks it free of the bottle.
When did pontil rods become snap case tools?
Supporting the above estimates is one study of medicinal bottles which determined that the peak of transition from pontil rods to snap case tools was during the period from about 1853 to 1856 with utilitarian bottles made during or prior to 1845-1850 having less than a 10% chance of not having a pontil scar.
How old is the apothecary bottle of pontil?
1840’S OPEN PONTIL, FREE BLOWN, ANTIQUE APOTHECARY BOTTLE! 170 YEARS OLD! SUPER! 1850s PONTILED 15 1/2″ BEAUTIFUL TEAL GREEN DEMIJOHN BOTTLE CRUDE WHITTLED NICE!
Where did the pontil glass pail come from?
Pontil scarred base, applied double collar lip. Shipping and insurance extra. Please click on photos at left for a closer look. LIKELY MADE BY THE BOSTON AND SANDWICH GLASS WORKS OF SANDWICH, MASSACHUSETTS, THIS CLEAR GLASS PAIL HAS A SMOOTH BASE WHICH IS EMBOSSEDTO READ, GLASS PAIL PAT.
Where are the bubbles on an antique bottle?
Lots of small bubbles also swirl to right and are mainly near the surface, but only one surface bubble shows a bit of broken skin. A little light, scattered wear. Ribs are widely spaced and give this one an interesting pattern of light-dark-light amber as the eye goes from rib to rib.
How are glass bottles made in the 1800s?
Most of these antique bottles were made by pouring melted glass into a mold, but a few were made by glassblowers. In some cases, companies had their own containers made; however, many companies used generic ones, making it difficult for today’s collectors to know the exact purpose of many early glass bottles.
