identify amber bottle - maker's mark has human figures and royal crest
I found the bottom only of a rectangular brown bottle off a trail in northern California. It is approximately 3.75" long X 2.75" wide. Glass appears to be wavy like old windows. There are markings on the bottom inside an oval beveled area - a shield with a crown above, there are two figures (one on either side of the shield) that are mirror images of each other. I wanted to know what the marks can tell about what the bottle was used for, where it originated and when it was used. Photos attached - sorry for poor sketch!
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This is quite the coincidence - I had the same question from someone who found a fragment of one of these bottles recently.
The bottle was made for the J.A. Gilka Company in Berlin. It contains a liqueur called "kummel" which is a sweet alcoholic drink flavored with caraway seed, cumin and fennel. It reminds me of the traditional bitters which is made from an herbal infusion in alcohol.
Gilka Kummel is still made today.
Here is a link to the wikipedia page for kummel and to the German wikipedia page for the Gilka company.
Below is a picture of a circa 1966 Gilka bottle from the Master of Malt website. The current bottle has been modernized somewhat but has a similar feel.