A bottle is a glass, plastic or metal container that has a neck that is smaller than the body and accepts a screw-type cap, snap cap or other closure. This type of container has a capacity that is less than five gallons and is intended for use as a single-service bottle.
Bottles are used for a wide variety of products. The most common is carbonated soft drink bottles (like 2-liter soda containers), but you’ll also find glass containers for juice, beer, mouthwash, salad dressing, detergent and cleaners. Plastic bottles are widely used for water as well. The most common types of plastic are polyethylene terephthalate (#1 PET, or PET) and polycarbonate (#7 PC). Both are extremely durable and lightweight. They are a good choice for water as they can be easily carried and can withstand repeated impacts. They are also easy to recycle.
Glass is a material with an extraordinary range of properties and applications. From the earliest glassware to modern fiber optic cables, glass has played a vital role in shaping our daily lives. The unique properties of glass are the result of a complex interaction between the silica particles and oxygen in a molten state. These interactions give rise to a physical structure that is not found in any other material.
In addition to the general physical characteristics of a bottle (see the Glossary Page for definitions) bottles have many idiosyncratic features that distinguish them from other glass objects such as glasses, bowls and jars. Many of these characteristics can be seen when viewing a bottle closely or by using a magnifying lens. Bottles that have a number of these distinctive characteristics are considered collector oriented and therefore of great interest.
This page is dedicated to providing a reference for these bottle idiosyncrasies and features. It includes both definitions of terms that are commonly understood and collector jargon which may be unfamiliar to the average person.
Bottle Morphology
A molded finish is a glass surface that has been molded into the shape of the bottle with a mold or machine tool. The resulting finished surface is usually smooth with no molding marks. During the early to mid 20th century most bottle production was done by machine using an open mold. This type of mold formed the base, body and usually (depending on era) the shoulder and most/all of the neck with the finish conformation being applied after the bottle was blown.
A free-blown bottle was a bottle made without the aid of a mold. The bottle was blown and manipulated by hand and/or tools to shape the glass to the desired form. Often the glass was shaped with the use of a pontil rod which was a long iron rod used to hold and manipulate the hot glass when finishing it. This technique was the ancestor of the rotary bottle machines. See the Glossary page for definitions of other terms.
