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A beautiful and very early Adolphus Busch Glass Manufacturing Company beer bottle, embossed only with the distinctive connected \"AB\" monogram on the base. This attractive pre-Prohibition bottle was mouth-blown in a mold and features a hand-tooled crown finish, placing its manufacture during the earliest years of crown-top beer bottles.
Made in a pleasing ice blue/aqua glass, this example displays all the characteristics collectors appreciate in early brewery glass: abundant seed bubbles, numerous elongated twisting bubbles throughout the neck, crude glass distribution, a heavy base, and subtle manufacturing irregularities that give it tremendous character. The mold seams fade well below the upper neck, confirming hand-finishing of the crown.
The connected AB monogram is attributed to the Adolphus Busch Glass Manufacturing Company, established by brewing magnate Adolphus Busch to manufacture bottles for Anheuser-Busch and other breweries. The company operated its major works in Belleville, Illinois, later expanding to St. Louis, Missouri, before becoming part of the American Bottle Company in 1905. Bottles bearing this mark represent an important period in the evolution of American brewing and glass manufacturing.
Originally intended as a returnable beer bottle, it would have carried a paper label identifying the brewery or brand, most likely one of the many beers bottled by Anheuser-Busch or another brewery supplied by the Busch glass works.
Condition
Excellent antique condition.
- 9 5/8 inches tall.
- Bright, clean, shiny glass.
- Beautiful ice blue/aqua color.
- Heavy crude construction.
- Numerous seed bubbles throughout.
- Many elongated twisting bubbles in the neck.
- Hand-tooled early crown finish.
- Embossed connected AB monogram with S7 mold designation on the base.
- Small localized patch of light white haze near the lower heel.
- No chips.
- No cracks.
- Displays beautifully.
An outstanding example of an increasingly desirable early American brewery bottle that combines excellent eye appeal, attractive color, and fascinating manufacturing history.
