Shipwreck Sale: Civil War Dug Glass Ink Bottle Fancy Ribbed Design

I don't want to make apologies in every description, but I need to point out that it isn't easy to move items around once I've listed them in this sale computer application I'm using. You probably have already noticed that like items aren't all together, which is because I've worked to describe items over many weeks. I also hoped that you would be able to scan through everything pretty easily as it isn't a huge sale.

So you may find some redundancies in listings as I want to be sure you get the whole story in case you don't read every description.

These bottles are called "shear" tops because that's exactly what was need to open them. When the glass bottles were made and filled with ink they were also sealed with the same extremey hot blown glass. It made shipping world's easier than any other method.

Soldiers in the field would have them sent from family members, bought them when they had time to shop and mostly from the regiment's sutler. The sutler's wagon was a pretty incredible overstuffed store full of anything a soldier could want--pens, new nibs for them, ink, clothes, soap, writing paper, envelopes and on and on.

Key to this supply line were other wagons that visited camped soldiers. The Sanitary Commission wagons were a very welcome sight. The Sanitary Fairs throughout the North raised money by the tens of thousands--even hundreds of thousands--of dollars to supply soldier with necessities.

I have listed four different ink bottles, all different. I have several others that duplicate the design for the most part, but since they have subtle differences I haven't listed one bottle as having 3 available. But if you want additional bottles, just ask!

These were dug at known campsites, generally winter quarters for Union troops, where garbage was buried and Civil War bottle or bullet hunters abound. I have never seen a Civil War era glass-sealed bottle but suspect there have to be some out there. The other necessity was a cork, as few soldiers would use all of the ink in one sitting.

This one is fancy and I do not know if in 1861 if it cost a penny or two more. It has ribs at the top designed as a place for pens to be set down. That would obviously be a great help if one were writing a letter perhaps starting and stopping numerous times. Officers generally used portable desks that would have a small writing surface and built in ink well. They still would probably fill it with ink purchased in exactly this way.