1893 Chicago World's Colombian Expo decanter or back bar bottle
Souvenir decanter or back bar bottle made for the 1893 Chicago World's Colombian Exposition. Bottle is embossed with 3 medallions gilded in gold with a gold gilded neck. The first and smallest medallion or "seal" is "M F & CO", which probably stand for M. Finnigan and Co out of Worcester, Mass. The other two are pictures of the commemorate medal of the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition. One medallion shows Columbus standing as if coming ashore and embossed is his name with a Roman date of Oct XII, MDCCCXCII. The other medallion is of a scroll and reads, "WORLDS COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION/IN COMMEMERATION OF THE/FOUR HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY/OF THE LANDING OF COLUMBUS/MDCCCXCII. MDCCCXCIII/TO C. EMMERICH & CO." It also has what looks to be navigation instruments and a ship on the bottom. The bottle is blown in the mold with applied hand finished lip. It stands 10 1/2" tall. I am trying to find any information on it and a value. I am working on getting a clear picture of it. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you.
Comments
I did some digging around - one source I found says the bottle was blown at the Central Glass Company in Wheeling, West Virginia
The medallions shown on the bottle are facsimiles of the Saint-Gaudens bronze medallions created for this World Fair.
I do not recall ever seeing this bottle before.