# Need Help Identifying a Bottle

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-a-bottle/370555>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 28, 2006, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-a-bottle/370555 "2006-08-28T17:58:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2006, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-a-bottle/370555/1 "2006-08-28T17:58:32Z")

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A friend of mine was meandering about the back forty at a bar we frequent and stumbled upon an old glass bottle of a sort - it was about 12" tall, maybe 5" across, and had a metal cap that clamped on - it didn’t screw on or anything.

Other than zombie dust or something, none of us could figure out what it could have been used for - the bottle/glass has a mark that looks kind of like [this](http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a203/Missy2U_/bottle.jpg) - it’s probably been back there for more than 50 years it’s being assumed - can anyone tell me what this might be or direct me to a site that might be able to? The friend wants to know what it held or was used for and if it might be worth anything.

Many thanks in advance, everyone.

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2006, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-a-bottle/370555/2 "2006-08-28T19:57:13Z")

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If it clamped on, it sounds like a fruit or canning jar. Is there a glass piece between the metal lid and the jar? If so, it was almost surely a home canning jar. If there is no glass under lid, then it might have been a commercially sold jar of fruit.

[Antique Fruit Jar Hall of Fame](http://www.antiquebottles.com/fruitjar/fame.html)

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**Author:** ![FormerMarineGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/65b543/32.png) [@FormerMarineGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FormerMarineGuy)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2006, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-a-bottle/370555/3 "2006-08-28T19:58:06Z")

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[QUOTE=Missy2U]  
A friend of mine was meandering about the back forty at a bar we frequent and stumbled upon an old glass bottle of a sort - it was about 12" tall, maybe 5" across, and had a metal cap that clamped on - it didn’t screw on or anything.  
[/QUOTE]

Got a pic of the bottle, or a pic of a bottle that resembles the one stumbled across?

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2006, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-a-bottle/370555/4 "2006-08-28T20:04:34Z")

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(Have you opened the jar to see the bottom of the lid? If the lid was not glass, there should be a rubber seal so that the metal lid did not rust in contact with the contents. if there is no seal, you may be able to see whether there had been a seal that has now been lost.

I have not yet found any, but it would seem that similar jars could have been used to hold flour, sugar, salt, or other powders or grains free from moisture.)