I have a light purple bottle embossed with "Elgin's". I would like more information and the value.
Hello. I am new to this community, and I have been collecting bottles for a while. However, there is this one bottle that is giving me trouble.
I bought this one from the local antique store. It's a light purple color and has embossed lettering that says "Elgin's" and that's it. There is no other embossed lettering on it, and on the bottom of it, there seems to be a faint circular pontil mark that can only be seen under direct sunlight.
I tried taking a picture of the pontil mark in the third picture.
There's also a seem that starts from the bottom of the bottle and then veers off course when it gets near the top.
I would like to know if this bottle is a forgery, the year(s) that the bottle was made, and the value.
Thank you for accepting me into this community.
Comments
Thanks for posting, glad to assist. The bottle's shape says "medicine" without question. As for the name ELGIN, I cannot be certain but I did find a reference to Elgin Medicine and Extract Co., Elgin, IL for the years 1909 through 1913 which is consistent with what I believe to be the age of this bottle. Here is one of those references:
https://books.google.com/books?id=mMbmAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA86&lpg=PA86&dq=elgin+pharmacy+bottle+1910&source=bl&ots=mXY_sN4R9R&sig=ACfU3U17rgxcrfC8wYb1MeZtscAYm7WZTw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjP8In-ht31AhVRUt8KHTZyDk8Q6AF6BAgsEAM#v=onepage&q=elgin%20pharmacy%20bottle%201910&f=false
By the time of the First World War, manganese was no longer used in glass making - it is precisely this element that causes the purple coloration in this bottle. (Search this forum for word "manganese" to find more info on this) Although the coloring can occur from exposure to sunlight, it is almost certain that your bottle has been exposed to ultraviolet light to achieve the same effect. So it is not a forgery but call it an "enhancement."
Value-wise, it has some minor decorative value...what I like to call "flea market value".
Chris
Thank you so much! This bottle was giving me a hard time. I couldn't find anything about it, but I'll take this information and research it more!