Vintage Bartlett Collins Milk Picture Tulip Beef Ad
Glassmaking & Glassmakers
Bottle & Glass Makers Markings
HOME: Glassmaking & Glassmakers: Bottle & Glass Makers Markings
(Click HERE to jump down this page to the listing of linked Makers Marking articles.)
The subject of bottle makers marks is a complex one - as is virtually everything to do with bottle dating and identification. However, the subject is important to refining the estimated date range for the manufacture of a bottle, how the bottle was made to some extent, and for the determination of origin (website "goals" #1, #3, and #4 noted on the Homepage).
Some glass containers make quite obvious which glass company made the item. For example, the quart canning jar pictured to the right is boldly embossed on one side with PACIFIC / SAN FRANCISCO / GLASS WORK (sic) making it easily clear that the jar was manufactured by the Pacific Glass Works of San Francisco, CA. - the first successful glass company west of the Rockies - which operated under that name from 1862 to 1876 (Toulouse 1971; Lockhart et al. 2018x). The full story on this glass company is available on this website at the following link: http://www.sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/PacificGlassWorks.pdf
Other makers marks are not as obvious as this jar. The image at the top of this page is of the base of a Wisconsin made beer bottle embossed with C. C. G. C. / No 1. on the base; it is also embossed E. L. HUSTING / MILWAUKEE/ WIS. in a circular body plate (the reverse side is also embossed THIS BOTTLE / NOT TO / BE SOLD). This bottle was certainly made by the Cream City Glass Company (Milwaukee, WI.) which operated from 1888 to 1893, possibly at plant #1 as it is believed they had two separate plants at the same location and the number "2" has been observed on at least one other bottle with the same makers marking (Lockhart et al. 2014v; article available at this link: http://www.sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/CreamCity.pdf ). Eugene L. Husting was in business under his name from 1877 to 1900 (Van Wieren 1995) which more than spans the time that Cream City Glass was in business, producing a certain (as certain as the historical record is accurate) date range for the production of this bottle to between 1888 and 1893. This is typical of the type of makers marks found on the bases of mouth-blown beer bottles produced from the 1870s through the 1910s until National Prohibition and is an example of how useful makers marks can be for the accurate dating of historic bottles. (Photo courtesy of Bill Lockhart.)
The following is quoted from the introduction to the book Bottle Makers and Their Marks by Dr. Julian Toulouse and is one of the better quick summaries on the subject of maker's marks pertinent to the goals of this website. (Note: Dr. Toulouse wrote his book from the perspective of assisting collector's as well as archaeologist's as implied in the following quote.):
Trademarks, whether registered or not, brand names, and other marks and symbols of identification found on bottles are datum points in determining the history and ages of the collectors' bottles. When the owner of the mark is known, and when more exact dates can be assigned to its use, the mark becomes a means of dating the piece upon which it appears. If the mark was used for many years, we may have to rely on other considerations in order to date the piece within the mark's span of years. (Website author's note: "considerations" would include manufacturing based diagnostic features - a primary goal of this website - and/or local research in to the user of the bottle, if that fact is known via embossing or labeling.) If the period of use of the mark was short, the age of the bottle may be pinpointed to a short period of time. In some instances, lucky for the collector but unlucky for the user of the mark, the period may be reduced to one or two years. One factory making beer bottles in the 1880s, whose ownership, name, and mark changed five times in eleven years, has helped historical archaeologists date a number of sites in the western United States. (Toulouse 1971)
The pictures to the left show the base of an 11 oz. beer bottle (and the entire bottle) which shows the some of the distinctive marks that the Owens-Illinois Glass Company - which had many plants around the country - used beginning in 1929 or 1930 until at least the mid-1950s. More specifically, the marks on this particular bottle indicate it was made in 1941 ("1" to the right of the diamond O-I mark) at the Oakland, CA. plant ("20" to the left of the makers mark). Why not 1931 or 1951? See the machine-made bottle dating page Question #11 for more information on this bottle. Also consult the two part article by Bill Lockhart and Russ Hoenig (retired senior engineer of the Owens-Illinois Glass Co.) - located at the links below - for more information on the history and marks of the Owens-Illinois Glass Company. That company's marks are probably the most commonly encountered U. S. makers marks on bottles made in the 20th century (Lockhart & Hoenig 2018t & 2018u).
Owens-Illinois Glass Company Part 1 - History.
Owens-Illinois Glass Company Part 2 - Logos & Codes.
The information below directs a user towards some of these sources of information or provides links to other works that will assist in the interpretation of most known makers marks. Some marks - like the Owens-Illinois Glass Company mark shown above - have a lot of good information available to allow for definitive interpretation; a link to an excellent article on the subject is found below. Other suspected maker's marks have not even been accurately assigned to a particular glassmaker and even if the maker is known, much company specific research has yet to be done. In short, though a lot of information is available there is still a lot yet unknown; the author of this website is a member of a group that is currently pursuing that task...more on that below...
Specific Bottle Maker Articles
This important website section is devoted largely to the published articles of the Bottle Research Group (BRG) members - past, present...and future (more below) - on most major bottle producers in the U. S. and a few Canadian, Mexican and English manufacturers...all free of charge!
In order to make full use of this comprehensive information, however, one has to know what mark or marks were used by what glass or bottle manufacturing company. If not known and the marking is either a clearly identifiable alphabetical letter or letters (like A. B. Co. for the American Bottle Company) or a distinct logo or symbol, a user must first determine the origin of that makers marking. This can be done by using the appropriate "Makers Markings Logo Table" to ascertain which mark/marks were used by what company. This alphabetical grouping of individual tables is located further down this page below the following box or by clicking on the following link to "jump" to that section:
Makers Markings Logo Tables Chart
(As an alternative, consult the Glass Factory Marks on Bottles website. The following link will take one to David Whitten's exceptional webpages that cover most known American glass makers marks assigning specific markings to the known (or strongly suspected) user of the marking - Glass Factory Marks on Bottles Website David Whitten is a serious avocational student of bottle and insulator makers marks and his pages are a wealth of information on the subject. His webpage is also a great resource for those wishing to figure out what an observed makers mark stands for on a bottle they may have and an approximate date range. Whitten's site typically also includes some brief history behind the companies. Also see his main webpage - "Glass Bottle Marks - Collecting History of the Glass Manufacturing Industry" - at the following link: http://www.glassbottlemarks.com)
Currently, and ongoing for foreseeable future, the Bottle Research Group is using this Historic Bottle Website to exclusively publish new makers markings articles as well as revisions of previously published ones. This is all directed towards the eventual completion of...
" ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MANUFACTURERS MARKS ON GLASS CONTAINERS "
This work is a massive treatise on American glass container manufacturers from the late 18th century to the present day. These new/revised articles are noted below followed by the publishing date. Supplementary files to complete each alphabetical section - e.g., "Preface/Introduction & Table of Contents" and the pertinent "List of Factories" and "Logo Table" of actual bottle markings - will also be listed in the appropriate alphabetical section.
Currently (Early 2021) all of the Makers Markings sections are complete! Take a look at these sections below which if printed out (well over 6000 pages!) comprises the complete 14 volumes of the "Encyclopedia of Manufacturers Marks on Glass Containers."
Final copies of all the alphabetical "Logo Tables" - PDF tables of the actual markings, the associated glass makers that used them, and dates of use - are posted in their entirety below. All of the "A" through "Z" manufacturers articles are linked further down this page. Updates to the articles will be posted as deemed necessary.
These Tables in total comprise a quick reference guide for the identification & dating of makers markings found on historic bottles!
The articles listed further down the page (below the "Encyclopedia" alphabetical boxes and entitled " Previously Published Makers Markings Articles ") are those published via other venues - primarily in "Bottles and Extras" which is the official publication of the The Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors (FOHBC). Although virtually all of these older articles are or will be superseded by updated web published articles, they will continue to be listed and available here as published articles of use as references.
All articles - previously published or new here - are also all found in the "Periodical & Journal Articles" section of the Reference Sources/Bibliography page.
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MANUFACTURERS
MARKS ON GLASS CONTAINERS
"A" Makers Markings
Preface/Introduction & Volume "A" Table of Contents
- The Glass Factories and Bottles of Alexander and David H. Chambers (3/2013, revised 3/2021)
- A. G. Smalley & Co. (3/2013, revised 4/2021)
- A. M. Foster & Co. (5/2013, revised 4/2021)
- A. R. Samuel, the Philadelphia Jar Maker (8/2013, revised 5/2021)
- Acme Glass Co. and the Acme Logos (9/2012, revised 5/2021)
- Adams & Company and the other Adams firms (1/2013, revised 8/2021)
- The Adolphus Busch Glass Factories (1/2013, revised 8/2021)
- The Strange Case of the Aetna and Arsenal Glass Works (1/2013, revised 8/2021)
- The A. G. Co. Logo (1/2013, revised 8/2021)
- The John Agnew Companies (2/2013, revised 10/2021)
- Alexander Arbogast (4/2013, revised 10/2021)
- The Glass Houses of Alfred Alexander (2/2013, revised 10/2021)
- American Bottle Company: A Study in Contrasts and Contradictions (3/2013,revised 10/2021)
- The Perplexing AB Logo on Beer Bottles (10/2021)
- American Glass Works, Ltd. & American Glass Works, Pittsburgh (3/2013, revised 10/2021)
- American Glass Works - Richmond and Paden City (4/2013, revised 10/2021)
- The Anchor Glass Co., L. E. Smith Glass Co. & The Mystery of the Anchor Fruit Jar (3/2013, revised 10/2021)
- Anchor-Hocking Glass Corp. (4/2013, revised 10/2021)
- Armstrong Cork Co. (4/2013, revised 10/2021)
- Arthur, Burnham & Gilroy: A Study of Unlikely Relationships in Early Fruit Jars (8/2013)
- Atlantic Bottle Co. (4/2013)
- The Atterbury Glass Houses (4/2013)
- Other "A" Marks (8/2013)
"A" Factory List
"A" Logo Table
"W, X, Y & Z" Makers Markings
Preface/Introduction & Volume "W, X, Y, & Z" Table of Contents
William Walton, Whiteman Brothers, and the Warren Glass Works (5/2020)
WEBER (5/2020)
Weeks & Gilson and the South Stoddard Glass Co. (5/2020)
West Coast Glass Co. (5/2020)
Western Bottle Manufacturing Co. (5/2020)
Western Glass Manufacturing Co. (5/2020)
Whitall Tatum & Co. - Part I (8/2020)
Whitall Tatum & Co. - Part II (8/2020)
Whitney Glass Works (8/2020)
The Thomas Wightman Glass Companies (8/2020)
William Frank & Sons, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (8/2020)
William Franzen & Son (8/2020)
William McCully & Co. (11/2020)
Winslow Glass Co. (11/2020)
Wisconsin Glass Co. (11/2020)
Woodbury Glass Houses (11/2020)
Wormser Glass Companies (11/2020)
The W.G.Co. Mark (11/2020)
Other "W" Marks (11/2020)
X Marks (11/2020)
York Glass and the YGCo Logo (11/2020)
Z Logos (11/2020)
"W, X, Y & Z" Factory List
"W, X, Y & Z" Logo Table
Additional articles of interest
The Milk Route articles
The Milk Route is the official publication of the The National Association of Milk Bottle Collectors and another venue for articles published by BRG members which may be of interest to site users. To quote from their website: The National Association of Milk Bottle Collectors (NAMBC) provides research, educational opportunities and information about milk bottles, milk bottle collecting and dairy memorabilia to its members, museums and the general public... The NAMBC is often called "The Milk Route", which was an early name for the organization, and is currently the name of the NAMBC's monthly newsletter. The following are articles from that publication compliments of the NAMBC:
Liberty Glass, Lamb Glass, and updates - Bill Lockhart (Issue #287:1-3; September 2004)
The L. G. CO. Mark (Again) - Bill Lockhart (Issue #290:2; December 2004)
Milk Bottle Production at the Knox Glass Bottle Co. - Bill Lockhart, Pete Schulz, Carol Serr and Bill Lindsey (Issue #335:1-4; September 2008)
The DuBois Glass Co. - Bill Lockhart, Pete Schulz, Carol Serr and Bill Lindsey (Issue #352:1-2; February 2010)
The IPG Mark - Not Quite - Bill Lockhart (Issue #356:3; June 2010)
The Mysterious Number System - Bill Lockhart, Pete Schulz, Al Morin and others (Issue #359:1-4; September 2010)
Blake-Hart: The Square Milk Bottle - Bill Lockhart, Pete Schulz, Carol Serr, Beau Schriever, and Bill Lindsey ( Part 1 [Issue #369:1-3; July 2011] and Part 2 [Issue #370:1-3; August 2011])
...more to be added in the future...
Miscellaneous articles
The following are some additional articles not specifically related to makers markings or are from other publications, i.e., not Bottles and Extras or The Milk Route (see References page for the source):
A New Twist for Uncapping Old Information about Glass Artifacts Bill Lockhart (webpage [2001d])
The Other Side of the Story: A Look at the Back of 7-Up Bottles Bill Lockhart (The Soda Fizz - Jan/Feb 2005)
A Tale of Two Machines and A Revolution in Soft Drink Bottling - Bill Lockhart (Bottles & Extras, Spring 2006)
The Origins and Life of the Export Beer Bottle - Bill Lockhart (Bottles & Extras, May/June 2007)
Rabbit Trails: The Twisted Path to Bottle Identification - Bill Lindsey (Bottles & Extras, May/June 2009)
The Finishing Touch: A Primer on Mouth-blown Bottle Finishing Methods - Bill Lindsey (web published on this website 2010)
Bottle Makers and Their Marks
by Dr. Julian Toulouse
The classic published reference on the subject of maker's markings, as noted above, is the aptly named Bottle Makers and Their Marks by Dr. Julian Toulouse. Published in 1971, this book is a good source of information on bottle makers marks and the history of the companies that produced them. To quote from David Whitten's website - "(Toulouse's)...book is the best reference work ever published on glass manufacturers' marks on bottles, but it does contain many errors which have been discovered...since it was first published."
A plethora of new information has been uncovered and older inaccurate information refined since the publishing of the book, most of which is now or soon to be available on this website as noted above. Regardless of that, Dr. Toulouse's book may still be a useful "quick" reference source for maker's mark information, especially the modern (1971) world markings section found near the back of the book. When used in hand with the information provided on this page a bottle information seeker has powerful tools in their quest to find bottle dating "truth." This book is currently being reprinted by Blackburn Press; check the Historic Bottle Related Links page under Toulouse (1971) for a link to this website and the reprint. It is also widely available used on the various internet used book websites (e.g., Amazon, ABE, etc.)
Glass/Bottle Makers catalogs
And finally, one of the more useful tools for determining what a particular bottle shape or type was likely used for are period bottle/glass makers illustrated catalogs. This website provides complete scanned copies (jpegs) of several never before re-printed bottle makers catalogs covering a wide array of bottle types. Click on the following links to access these catalogs:
1906 Illinois Glass Co. bottle catalog
1916-1917 Kearns-Gorsuch Bottle Co. catalog
1920 Illinois Glass Co. bottle catalog
1926 Illinois Glass Co. bottle catalog
1933-1935 Owens-Illinois Glass Company bottle catalog
Return to the top of this page.
Return to the Glassmaking & Glassmakers page.
SEARCHING THIS WEBSITE:
To do a word/phrase or image search of this website one must use the following Google search link:
Search the SHA/BLM Historic Glass Bottle Identification & Information Website
(Note: Search results for this website will be just below the final top-of-the-page Google paid ads.)
10/27/2021
This website created and managed by:
B ill Lindsey
Bureau of Land Management (retired) - Klamath Falls, Oregon
Questions? See FAQ #21.
Copyright � 2021 Bill Lindsey. All rights reserved. Viewers are encouraged, for personal or classroom use, to download limited copies of posted material. No material may be copied for commercial purposes. Author reserves the right to update this information as appropriate.
Source: https://sha.org/bottle/makersmarks.htm