Sunday, March 14, 2010

Pacific Glass Works...


Hopefully I will not get "booted" from the Western bitters site, but I know Warren has been doing massive research on the Western glass houses. This was a pick up from the Chico show, and is the only example I have seen in a long time. Also, since the "star" motif has been a topic of discussion here in the recent past, this bottle crosses over into a couple of areas of recent interest on this blog. This example has the star embossed on the shoulder, but does not have the embossing on the base. it is 11 1/2" tall. I understand they come in two sizes? I am curious as to when they were made, and how many exist. It appears to be a late 1860s jar, but has anyone pinned it down? What a beautiful piece of glass this is. Warren, any ideas? Hey...there have been sodas, gins, and meds featured, so hopefully a pickle does not ruffle too many feathers.
Pacific Glass Works first advertised pickles as one of their products on June 23 rd, 1863. The first time they advertised different size pickles came on June 3rd, 1864, having a 1/2 gal. size & quarter gal. size.
On November 17th, 1870, Pacific Glass Works advertises pickle bottles in 1/2 gallon large, 1/2 gallon small and quarts.

3 comments:

  1. Pickles, poisons, pontils and anything else that has to do with antique bottle collecting has a place on the WBN.
    Keep them posts rolling
    rs

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  2. I dug one of the base embossed PGW "pickle" bottle a long number of years ago and sold it to a Marin Co collector. At that time, there was little interest in the "non cathedral" type food bottles, so this one languished in a lower end bottle show box until it was sold. in the meanwhile, I have yet to find another one. It came from a foothill town pit that most likely dated to the 1860s. Sorry, but my aged mind has no more detailed recollection.

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  3. One of these came out of an SF hole full of Classen sodas and from what I remember most of the layer looked late 60's to early 70's with a few mid 60s throwbacks.

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