Rare 18th century Onion Bottle, as in books and museums

This is another great piece being offered, it is an early onion bottle dating to the first half of the 1700's. It has a crude open Pontil mark on base with a kick up. It measures 8 1/2" tall x 6" diameter. It has a crude sheared flared out hand applied string lip. The bottle is a dark olive green, so they began to be known as “black glass”.               

Onion bottles were the shape of bottles used during the 18th century. They were most commonly used to hold wine but were also used for other spirits. At the beginning of the 17th century wine bottles were small and thin glassed, making them difficult to store and ship.

A method of making stronger glass with hotter furnaces began to evolve which was the beginning of the onion bottle shape. This shape gradually evolved to be stouter with a wide base and short neck, reaching its height at the end of the 17th century before becoming more elongated during the onset of the 19th century.

Onion bottles remained popular through the Revolutionary War until the end of the 18th century. They were very durable, so they kept being reused. They are on display at the Colonial Williamsburg Museum and shards of glass are often found at Revolutionary War forts and sites (see pictures). Onion bottles are also shown in “Collector’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Revolution” by Neumann & Kravic (see pictures).

The previous owner said that he thinks there is a hairline crack on the base, however, I really can’t find an actual crack. There does seem to be a blemish or flaw line, but I think this was just on the surface. I did run a line of clear glue over it just in case. It is a beautiful bottle with all the crudeness of early glass.

Revolutionary War artifacts have always been difficult to find. With the upcoming 250th anniversary of the nation's founding next year, there will be a revitalized interest. Just about all Revolutionary War relics and artifacts will be in demand, which will only add to their scarcity and price. I am already seeing a substantial increase in sales.