Didn't know this;


Glass that shows an amethist tint is pre 1917. Thats when the US entered WW1, and could no longer obtain German maganese dioxide, which was used as a decolorizing agent, reducing the greenish tint caused by iron impurities.

The manganese tends to impart a purplish hue to the glass after long exposure to sunlight.

As a substitute, the US bought selenium from Canada, and its use was preferred thereafter.

What prompted you to find that? You a glass collector?

No I do not collect glass. I thought it interesting as a way to date glass though.

The stuff one learns here.

Thanks

Some of those old glass insulators people collect are like that.

Yes sir. A guy might be able to date an old cabin found in the woods also.

Years ago, I found a bottle in a slough in the creek bottom. It's about the size of a 7 oz. coke bottle, but smooth sided with bubbles in the glass. On the bottom is Junction City Bottling Co. and Junction City, Ark. After online researching, I concluded the bottle was made in the early 1900's, but no later than about 1920. I contacted the city hall in Junction City and asked them if they had any record of a bottling company. The lady said she didn't know, but gave me a name/number of a fellow that might could help me. I contacted him and found out the he also had a similar bottle and he knew of one other. This man said he had done pretty extensive research and I was correct on the dating of the bottle. He also said he had contacted several collectors in the area and none of them had a bottle like these. We discussed the bubbles in the glass and he said that these could be rejects, but as far as he could find out, no other samples of these bottles existed. Being a reject could well explain why I found my bottle 8-10 miles down the creek from Junction City. He said he found his near the creek just outside Junction City and the other fellow found his while tearing down an old building in the same area.

found a gw merchant bottle in a cow pasture partly full of water on day on the job. worth over a $100 to collectors. how it survived cows and freezing is a mystery.

I dug up some early 1900 whiskey bottles on a job in Jacksonville Oregon. Very historic mining town in southern Oregon. I also got some purple glass off another job. Owning an excavator opens up all kinds of possibilities.

Changing the subject a little...... Working in the Milwaukee area a few years ago and a tree had fallen on a fence that was atop a cinder block wall. It had broken some of the cinder blocks and when inspecting the damage, I found quite a few empty qt. oil cans. The were placed in the hollow spaces of the cinder blocks. There were about 20 that I saw, all empty, all in pristine condition, and most were brands that I had never heard of. I asked if they wanted them and the land owner did.

Very interesting. I have a few old bottles that were picked up in areas that were small local dumps in the early 20th century. Plus a couple taken out of the dirt basement of an old 1800's abandoned home out in the sticks. All I really know about them is that they're real old. Perhaps this info will help. Some are colored, some are clear. All I can recall offhand is that one of the clear ones says " SLOAN'S LINIMENT" on it.

Yes and selenium is still used to this day in some glass batches. Another way to "date" glass is by the amount of defects or streaking seen in it. There can be small bubbles or simply a distorted appearance. This glass was made by the draw process which was phased out by the 1970's here stateside and replaced by the float process wherein glass is still produced to this day and is virtually perfect.

Glass is truly a liquid and another way to "date" it is by measuring it's thickness. An old window pane or as it's called in the industry a "lite" will be thicker at the bottom than at the top due to gravity. It takes a long time for the glass to run down hill but is a sure sign of old age of any piece of glass that has been vertical for decades....

same thing happens to women

I did not know the former, but have noticed the latter.

Its myth that glass flows.

https://www.cmog.org/article/does-glass-flow

I found an old Coke bottle buried in sand on a ranch one day.

Sold that bottle to a guy that dealt and collected old west memorabilia for $150...

He was not happy to pay that, but he did. Made me grin.. He was a friend, and I knew if he paid that, it must be worth more than that. But I got my asking price.

I find a lot old purple necks in the farm fields.


Every once in a while, find a whole one

Covfefe

pre 1917. Everyone who drank from that bottle is dead.

I got a better one

Still a faint purple tint

Our city had a fire in 1878, then we had an F-3 tornado in 1999 came right through downtown.

Many of our old bldgs were toppled into piles. I found this peeking out from under the edge of a sidewalk, buried in soot and ash presumably from the fire. Likely a previous bldg caved in upon. Found a telegraph insulater, deep blue color beside it.


I called Jack Daniels, at the time they weren't able to tell me anything but they were very interested in it, and wanted me to bring it down there.

That's been 20 years, I never have looked further into it. Just put it back on my shelf.

That's neat! Wouldn't be surprised if it's quite collectable too

awesome

I've never seen any purple glass but driving out in the country its not unusual to see an old hat rack out in the yard exposed to the sun with a glass bottle hanging on every limb. Guess they are hoping they will change color.

Found three large clear glass batteries near a railroad track once. Guess they were from a train. Way to heavy to carry out. Near by was an old "telephone line" with clear glass insulators on it. Any pole on the ground had the insulators removed.

There’s a process where unscrupulous” antique“ dealers actually color clear bottles to have that purple tint.

My FIL did this on a somewhat common basis.

I know nothing about glass. But I do remember lots of folks putting Coke and whiskey bottles in the tunnels of Area 12 at NTS prior to the Weapon Effects Tests. Apparently nuclear radiation turns glass purple. Buyer beware.


mike r

All glass is not made the same. Having worked a few decades for a company that has been in the glass making business just as long as Corning it is very true that certain types of common glass are affected a measurable amount by gravity after just a few decades. If you will notice the article mentions stained glass and glass that is only kept at room temperature. Draw glass was one of these types and nearly no one uses this method today and is probably safe to say it is not used at all. I have had the luxury of working many days with researchers in this field. Do not take everything google tells you as undisputable fact....

You's two are both gonna be in trouble when your wives read this. For the record I've never witnessed either one........

I always knew you were a smart man Paul.

But it's a fun gee whiz science "fact" to explain old wavy window glass. You're supposed to push STEM these days. Whether appropriate or not.

I’ve found lots of glass bottles being a plumber-backhoe operator. I did lots of work in Downtown Houston. I found a lot at Prairie View University also. My oldest has all of it. A lot of those bottles were purple and green.


I like the old Jack bottle!

Similar bottle on eBay for 1600.00