American Bottles FOR SALE at AUCTION

Dumpdiggers has a new friend in Rod Walck, the proprietor of the Galleria Auction which is headquartered in Lehighton, Pennsylvania. This online auction house specializes in antique bottles, glassware & stoneware.

Unlike many other North American websites, Galleria Auctions doesn't inflict the usual 10% surcharge on the seller. In fact Rod doesn't charge the seller anything. Rod Walck seems content to impose a 10% cost-of-doing-business fee on the buyer only. He estimates that in the last five years he has saved his clients over $350,000 in fees, and I only mention that because it strikes me as the cost-of-doing this online auction business, where it takes a lifetime to build a good reputation.

Rod Walck and the folks at Galleria are at present hosting Auction XXIV (#24) which ends February 24th 2008.

In this slightly overwhelming sale bill there's about a hundred colored sodas, several bitters, twenty five or more flasks, including several from the Seagrams Collection. There's also several colored pontil medicines, beers, a threadless insulator, lots of blown glass, some rare cures and much more. A catalog is available by order from the Galleria Auction website.

Lot 7. Master Ink, clear olive green, cylindrical with domed shoulders, pontil scar, crudely applied mouth, about mint (skin deep surface flake near the base edge). Blown at a New England Glass House, C. 1850, extremely rare. Rod believes the only other example of this ink that has ever come to light was included in the collection of Watt White. This piece is DEFINITELY New England in origin and is perfect for the advanced collector looking to add something "different" to the collection. Extremely Rare and beautiful example. 5 7/16". Estimate: ($1000-$1500).

Lot #8. Light yellow olive Pitkin diminutive flask. Beautiful basket weave pattern swirls with vertical and horizontal swirls. American ca. 1790’s-1820’s. Pitkin Glass Works Connecticut. Open pontil base, sheared top. Unusually light color and a great small and rare size. Good pattern molding definition. 5”. Estimate:($700-$1000).

In the Auction XXIV Sale Bill, there are about a hundred colored sodas, several bitters, twenty five or more flasks, including several from the Seagrams Collection.

There are also several colored pontil medicines, beers, a threadless insulator, lots of blown glass, some rare cures and much more. A catalog is available by order from the Galleria Auction website.

Lot #14. Stiegel Type 20 Diamond Creamer. PATTERN MOLDED CREAMER, cobalt blue, 20 diamonds, pear-shaped with applied solid glass handle, pontil scar, sheared and tooled mouth with pour spout, mint. American ca. 1780 - 1800. A beautiful example of this delicate diminutive creamer. Possibly blown at Stiegel’s Manheim PA Glass Works. 4”. Superb! Estimate: ($500-$750).

Lot #28. "KEEN - P & W" Sunburst flask, GVIII-10, golden olive amber, pontil scar, half-pint, sheared and fire polished mouth, about mint (some highpoint wear and a tiny, skin-deep base edge flake). Keene Marlboro, Street Glass Works, Keene, NH, 1820-1840.
It has been our opinion that the mold charted as GVIII-10 did not exist and those sunbursts catalogued as such were actually overblown GVIII-9’s. Noticeably broader and puffier than a typical 9, this flask is very crisply embossed and thus does not show evidence of overblowing. It also appears to have the more "squared" shoulders as documented by McKearin. In any event, this is a very attractive flask with good heft, an interestingly tooled mouth, boldly defined ribbing and a color that is more amber than olive. Estimate: ($700-$1000).

Lot #37. SPECTACULAR medium green barrel "C.W. Roback's - Cincinatti O". Large size, American ca. 1860's-1870's. Early smooth base, applied taper top. Although we have had several of the dark green Roback's, this is only the second true pure green we have seen. This gorgeous example easily passes light and has neither a trace of yellow or amber in it. Crude, whittled and RARE. Finest possible example. 10". Estimate: ($7000-$12000).

Dumpdiggers is proud to exhibit the very finest in American glass. Thank you Rod Walck and Galleria Auction. Best of luck with Galleria XXIV.