Free-Blown Amber Glass Container

     This is a 1840s free-blown, tooled rim, amber glass container. There was a piece of paper taped to the glass at the time I bought the item, giving the dates 1846 – 1870. I bought the item from an Antiques store that was going out of business. The container was free blown using a pontil rod, which is identified by the pontil scar on the bottom of the container. The top of the container was made by using a glassmaker’s sheared top tool. The container has many little bubbles in it and other maker’s flaws on the bottom. The pontil rod came into use about 1840 and was slowly, replaced with the snap case, over a five-year period. The sheared top tool was, used from 1800s to 1850s. The maker is unknown; however, the glass company may have been in New York. I use the word container for the main reason it is unknown what it was made for or used for. Speculations are it could be a spice bottle, food bottle, a small bowl, or just art glass. It is in excellent condition with no cracks, chips, fleabites, nicks, repairs, or stains.

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