Need experts to help me identify age and origin of black glass bottle stem and top

edited February 2023 in Question and Answer

I found this top half of a bottle today beneath a huge sycamore tree that had blown over last year. It was half in a creek that runs behind the oldest home in our NE GA county. I know the original owners (circa 1828) had used the hill behind the home (and above the creek) as a dump of sorts. The family that built the house were from coastal GA/SC and would move their extended households up to the mountains during the warmer months. I’ve found many pieces of pottery, and old glass in the creek; as well as Native American pottery shards. I know very little about antique bottles and immediately got online to see if I could find anything re this find, this is when I found this site. I’m fairly sure the bottle was hand blown as you can see swirling on the sides and bubbles inside. The glass is approximately 1/8” thick, it’s a brownish color and relatively flat across the top. It to have filing on the inside of the top, where a stopper or cork would go. The most interesting feature is a 1/4 - 1/2” piece of glass that seems to be wrapped around the neck just below the top edge. I am hopeful someone can maybe tell me an approximate age and origin. I realize without the rest of the bottle it is a long shot, but i am hopeful somebody can help. Thank You for hosting this informative, fact filled site. I apologize if my terminology is off and would welcome any info out there. Thanks!


Comments

  • Thanks for posting!

    It is safe to say this is an 18th century fragment.

    The band lip may be able to tell us a bit more - I am no expert so I need to consult one of my texts on the subject (Understanding Antique Wine Bottles by Roger Dumbrell) which has a great graphic showing all the variations.

    @Harry_Pristis may beat me to that task....

  • Likely an 18th century wine bottle, likely an onion bottle. Many such bottles were imported from Western Europe in colonial times. The olive-amber color suggests it was made in the Low Countries, notably Belgium. If we had more of the bottle, it could turn out to be an early burgundy or even a champagne bottle =- many of these also were imported, though they are later.

  • Thank you both for the information! I will return to the area and see how my luck holds out. You confirmed what I thought re age and use. I was stumped by the glass band around the lip, had never seen anything like that. Thanks again for your expertise and for commenting.

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