TURN TRASH INTO TREASURE

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Hand-blown bottles usually have uneven bottoms, because the molten glass tended to run to one side. Another means of identification is the jagged scar where the blowpipe was removed from the still-hot glass shape. The bottoms of such flasks may also be either torpedo-shaped or deeply indented, and their necks are sometimes slightly askew.

Some of the best indications of a bottle's age can be seen in its neck seams. A free-blown container will have no seams at all . . . one blown into a mold will likely have a seam partway up the neck (the lower the seam stops, the older the bottle) . . . and, if the container was made in a three-piece mold, there'll be a seam around the shoulder and up each side, showing that the necks were blown in their own molds and then applied. If the seam runs all the way up through the lip, the bottle is at best from the Owens machine.

The manner in which the lip was made and applied is an additional clue to a bottle's age. On old free-blown containers, the lip is sometimes just a crude blob or ring of glass. In fact, the very oldest often have no lip at all ... before 1840, blowers simply snipped the neck straight across while the glass was still hot. The result was a stovepipe effect, or perhaps a slight flare.

Around 1869 embossed lettering came into vogue and continued to be popular until the invention of the Owens machine and paper labels. Medical vials were usually embossed with whimsical catalogs of complaints, cures, and promises . . . and bottles with mistakes in spelling or lettering are particularly cherished by collectors.

CLEAN WITH CARE
Once you've uncovered your trophies and carted them home, you'll be faced with the task of cleaning them. Be cautious . . . just because a bottle has survived intact under tin cans, rock, and horseshoes for nearly a century doesn't mean it isn't fragile. In fact, after years of deterioration, some containers become very porous and brittle, and these delicate prizes may snap even if subjected only to sudden temperature changes.

Use vinegar and water, steam-iron cleaner, and steel wool pads to handle the scrubbing chores. Sometimes effective but often unsafe are lye and acids. The caustic cleaners can ruin valuable discoveries ... to say nothing of clothes, shoes, and skin.

There's one type of "dirt" that'll defy all efforts at removal. Afflicted receptacles—usually those found in a damp place—are called "sick glass": They'll be covered with a flaky, opalescent film that will stay in place no matter what attempts are made to clean it off. When you encounter this milky coating, you're probably best advised to clean what you can and leave the rest alone, because the opalization can occur in a variety of interesting forms . . . appearing as iridescent colors or beautiful etching. The value of the bottle may even be enhanced if the "sick" colors are particularly vivid or the etching has taken unusual forms.

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