Condition Terms
Anneal Lines: These are shallow lines or troughs
that occur during the cooling process and in most cases do not
detract from the piece but instead accentuate the “crude” (see
crudity) handcrafted qualities of the glass.
Bruise: An area of glass that has been, as the name implies,
bruised. One type of bruise, referred to as a “Star,” has “legs” (usually
flashes but can also be fractures) radiating out from the central
point of impact. Bruises are usually described by size and noted
whether or not they resulted in the loss of glass.
Bubbles, Open Surface Bubble: One of the more attractive qualities
of antique glass are the air bubbles often present in the glass,
sometimes thoroughly saturating it. The more bubbles there are,
the more likely it is that there will be one or more near the
surface that either opened in the mold or after manufacture when
the thin layer of glass covering it was broken away. Typically,
open bubbles detract little, if any, but there are occasional
examples that really draw the eye and detract from the quality
of the bottle.
Case Wear: Bottles like sodas, milks and seltzers we re-used
and acquired wear on the high points and bases from being transported
in cases. Case wear is graded as light, average or heavy.
Chip Repair: In recent years more and more bottles on the market
are showing evidence of chip repair. Early attempts were crude
and obvious but of late they have gotten more and more professional.
While often the result cannot be determined at all, or looks
as much like manufacturing crudity as repair, it is important
to let the buyer know if such an alteration is suspected or obvious.
Generally, a repaired chip looks better and is preferred to an
un-repaired one.
Crudity: Although it may not sound like it, “crudity” is
a good thing in terms of antique bottles. Various characteristics
of hand blown glass can accentuate its uniqueness. Bubbles, potstones,
anneal lines and any other “defect” which occurred
during the blowing process can add to the desirability of a piece
by highlighting the irregularity of its hand craftsmanship.
Etched Scratch: This is a scratch that is deep enough to have
left a white trail of bruised glass in its void. This type of
scratch usually cannot be removed by tumbling (see Bottle
Cleaning)
Etched scratches are most often the result of digging tools or
in the case of water-recovered bottles, caused by repeated contact
with rocks or shells in a river or sea bed.
Flash: A flash looks like a crack in the glass but cannot be
seen at the surface or felt. Flashes most often occur in manufacture
and are the result of glass cooling too rapidly, or a result
of “stress” caused by overlapping areas of glass
such as an applied lip, handle etc. They can also result from “potstones” (see
Potstones)
Fracture: A crack that can be seen to reach the surface of the
glass and be felt with a fingernail.
Glossed-Over Wear: This term is used in association with tumbling
or treatment with acid (see Bottle Cleaning.) When a bottle with
a deeply etched scratch is tumbled or dipped in caustic acid,
it comes out looking more like an anneal line or blowing defect
than a scratch but the fact is that it is glossed-over wear and
this should be pointed out to the buyer.
Ground Wear: This term is used on bottles that show obvious signs
of having been dug, usually with overall scratching and/or dullness.
Haze or Sick: This is a condition caused by prolonged contact
to moisture in the ground or water immersion. Though this condition
may look like “dirt” it has actually altered the
properties of the glass and can be removed only by tumbling or
by acid (see Bottle Cleaning.) Degrees of haze range from “light” to “heavy”.
In most cases we won’t buy a bottle for resale if it has
heavy haze, unless we plan to correct it by tumbling, or as in
some cases, it actually adds to the character of the piece (see
iridescence).
High-Point Wear: This wear shows on the highest points of a bottle,
such as the shoulder and emboss, or any other point that would
touch a surface it came in contact with such as a case or the
ground. These areas were the first to receive wear and usually
received more wear than other areas.
Iridescence: A rainbow-like effect on the surface that often
accompanies haze or sickness. In profound cases this can add
a desirable quality to a bottle. Sometimes iridescence can be
present without any visible haze and is not evident until angled
to the light.
Nibble: A small bit of glass missing, usually less than 1/16” in
size. These are common in the lip area and also on side and base
corners.
Potstones: Pieces or clumps of sand or small stones in the glass
that never melted. These often add to the character of the piece
but can sometimes detract when in cooling they result in “legs” or
flashes (see Flash) radiating from its edges. If a potstone has “legs’ their
measurements are usually noted.
Tumbling or Acid-Dipped: These are both methods used to clean
bottles (see Bottle Cleaning). If we have tumbled a bottle, or
it is apparent that someone has previously tumbled it or dipped
it in a caustic acid, we will state this in the auction. Buyers
should be made aware of such modifications to bottles.
Whittle/Texture: Whittle refers to a waffled texture pattern
in the glass that most often occurred to the first few bottles
of the day blown into a mold that had not had sufficient time
to warm up. It is a very attractive and desirable feature, particularly
when backlit.
Previous Page | Next
Page
|
|
