Another new find!

Naber, Alfs and Brune was established in either late 1879 or early 1880. The firm was originally located at 413 Front Street in "The City" (San Francisco). This dating puts it  smack dab in the middle of the glop top era, and at the zenith of bottle production by San Francisco and Pacific Glass Works.

One of their products is highly sought after, and equally valued, by collectors of western whiskies. The full faced Phoenix / Sole Agent fifth embodies the essence of glop top picture cylinders.

The pint amber flasks, dating to roughly the same era, are equally attractive and sought after. But one main difference separates the two; in the past, the flasks have only been encountered with a tooled top.

That was, until this past week...

I received word that a killer amber pint Phoenix flask, with an "applied drippy top", saw the light of day for the first time in roughly 135 years, after being rescued from it's sun baked tomb somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. "Further inspection revealed no air vents but  plenty of whittle".

Stay tuned for photos! In the meantime, does anyone else out there have a glop top pint amber Phoenix flask?

(glop top fifth - writers collection. pint flask photo courtesy of ABA)

New variant of WC Peacock pre-pro glass?

Once in a blue moon, it happens. And last week, we had a blue moon~

Got an email from a collector over in the islands that I've become acquainted with. He said;

"I have a question regarding the shotglass in the attached photo. I've come across this one, and wanted your opinion. Does this look authentic and have you seen this variation before?"

 
He was concerned that it was a fake. These days, anything seems possible... We both noticed that one significant difference existed in this glass compared with the previously documented examples. Besides the absence of the gold rim and the base label under glass coat of arms (Hawaii seal), "Compliments" was etched in a straight line, as opposed to upward slant from left to right.
 

Regardless, it appeared to be the correct configuration in terms of height, width, proportions, and wall diameter. The conformation appears to be correct. The glass was blown using a manganese dioxide cullet, the font appears to be in keeping with the other WCP's that I've seen, the depth of the "etch" appears to be correct, and the lip "fire polished' finish appears to be correct. That being said, my opinion is that it indeed appears to be the "real deal".

New finds of western glasses are few and far between. Discoveries of a new variant of an HT glass are rare as hens teeth.

Congrats!