antique silversmith hallmarks late bird head england

It was extremely hot (especially in the warmer months), noisy, and dangerous for a number of reasons. Glass making factories in earlier days were, for the most part, rather unpleasant places … the general inside environment could be, and often was, brutal. And my site attempts to answer, in at least some cases if possible, these questions: Where, approximately when, and by what company was this piece of glass made?

Where was it made? What was the name of the company or factory where it was produced? How old is it? Is it handmade? Was it mass-produced by machine methods? What type of glass is it made of? What elements/chemicals were included in the glass formula or “recipe”? Why is it a certain color? If it’s an older, hand-blown bottle, who was the glassblower who fashioned it? Who was the last person who used it and handled it before it came into your possession? Where was the physical location of the sand supply that eventually was turned into the glass piece that you hold in your hand? Is it American-made, or a piece that was produced outside the United States? Are there letters, numbers, emblems or other graphics embossed into the glass itself? Can the factory or company/glassmaker be identified by the markings on it? What do the markings mean?Īll of these questions might come to mind to the collector or layman, student, flea market shopper, historian, researcher, archaeologist, or casual hobbyist.

For a brief, basic discussion on glass (especially concerning the most common type of glass used for containers and tableware), check out my webpage here: What is Glass?Įvery glass object, even the most lowly, commonplace glass bottle, has a story behind it, although all of the precise details may never be known. Īlthough some collectors and researchers might consider this a question with a fairly “obvious” answer, it’s not quite as simple as that. The glassmaking industry in the US is a huge field that dates back to the seventeenth century, and covers a vast array of items and applications, including both handmade and machine-made glass.Īccording to historian Rhea Mansfield Knittle ( Early American Glass, 1927), one of the earliest glass manufacturers in the United States (not counting the unsuccessful attempts at Jamestown in 16) who may have produced considerable quantities of glassware and actually met with some degree of success, was Johannes Smedes (or Jan Smedes), who operated an establishment - probably making bottles for the most part– sometime in the period of 1654-1664 at New Amsterdam (now known as New York City). Small medicine vial Telegraph line insulator Hobnail votive candle holder Bromo-Seltzer bottle Square ink bottle Bixby Shoe polish bottle I’m also in the process of adding various research articles to this site, with some histories or summaries of a number of glass companies, and information about different types of collectible glass and glass items. My “GLASS BOTTLE MARKS” website attempts to discuss those subjects and more.Ī lot of great information about glass is already available on the web, as well as in many books and magazines, but I’ve tried to gather some of the very best, basic info together onto this site, in particular concentrating on glass manufacturers’ identification marks found on bottles, fruit jars, insulators and tableware. Antique bottles, Fruit jars, Glass electrical insulators, Fishing net floats, EAPG (Early American Pattern Glass), Depression Glass, Milk Glass, antique children’s mugs, and other items are some of the forms of glass I enjoy learning more about. I’m interested in the general history of the glass manufacturing industry in the United States, especially that of container glass, electrical insulators and tableware (both pressed and blown).

Antique silversmith hallmarks late bird head england