Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Not your average glob top........











Here is a beautiful crier that recently came out of an early privy. I've always loved these early western bottles but have not heard many collectors speak of them.




How many examples of this variant and the other variant without the star are believed to exist ? What colors have they been seen in ? Do they come in both a 5th and 6th size ?








How about some photos of member's examples........




Andrew, here is the dark green shard found in Nevada City..

maybe a bit darker green than your piece.












Puce sixth found in an 1860's area. Didn't find the base to see if there was a star. I have owned puce western sixths with the star, but I haven't seen an embossed base sixth in any color but dark green. Green and puce cylinders, hmm, sounds like a couple of early western bitters. Wait, I might know someone that has some information on this.........

11 comments:

  1. I have dug the dark green sixth size, here in SacTown. I believe that Jeff Wichmann still has the base and neck to one of the examples we dug. I'll check maƱana and maybe get a picture.

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  2. Hi Andrew, I just traded (April) for one of these and it is now in the Warren F. collection. Dark green sixth dug somewhere in the foothill country, I will find out where. I found a broken one about 10yrs ago digging with Aaron H. in Nevada City. I kept the base, I'll post a picture to compare color.
    Only other example I have owned--- bought a very dark green example at a street fair a 10-12 years ago. Can't even remember where ... on '49 I think. I spotted it from about 30 yds and knew right away what it was. Price - 20 bucks! Too bad it had a 4 inch crack around the base and up the side. Sold it to J. Lindholm. Don't know where it went from there.

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  3. soleagent,
    Anything to report from #6 or Treasure Town?

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  4. I have a mint dark green one and there was a puce one on ebay about a year ago. There also is a sixth .I have a green one and a puce one .

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  5. Richard, do both of your examples have the star ?

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  6. I have a whole dark emerald green example w/o the star that is extremely whittled. I have also dug a few broken ones in dark green tones. I've only found one broken example with the star. All were found in the Bay Area and Sacto Valley.
    AP

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  7. The base of some of the Boca Beer bottles also have an eight pointed star, similar to this but obviously much later, probably by 20 years. Not sure if this means they were from the same or later glass house.

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  8. Rick, the #6 road was locked up tight as you suspected, so we headed for Austin and points east. Treasure and all other White Pine areas are now totally off limits. A spanking new jumbo BLM sign greets you on the road into Hamilton. Up to a 20k fine for digging or removing artifacts. No thanks! Leave the digging gear home if you are headed there.
    On a happier thought..
    Rick, thanks again for hosting such a fine bottle show and BBQ. We had a great time, sold well, partied, laughed and told stories until I was totally worn out... and it just keeps on going... reading your book! Fantastic! Don't have time to post anything. Great job, my friend.

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  9. I would assume that any pre-1876 star-based bottles are Pacific Glass Works. As far as I know this is the only bottle with both a star and glass works name on it which thus attributes the 'western star' to Pacific Glass Works and then San Francisco and Pacific Glass Works post-1876. What do you guys think ?
    -
    What other PGW base embossed bottles are known ? I have seen: whiskey, soda, master ink, pickle, jar, and apothecary bottles. Anything to add to the list ?????

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  10. Andrew,

    I think your assumption about the star is probably accurate. I would suspect there possibly could be a demijohn that is embossed on base it was a huge part of their market.

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  11. Sole Agent, those BLemMers mean bidness, too. They are nothing more than overbearing rent-a-cops, but carry Fed credentials and can't wait to bust ass on some innocent bottle digger or arrowhead hunter. I keep a VERY low profile when doing my thing in the NV outback. We'll have to make a point of doing some explorations in "P" town, before it's too late for that locale, too. It won't be long.

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