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March 28, 2024, 06:11:10 am
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"China' Etched/Scratched On Glass Imports In Late 19th/early 20th Centrury

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Pat - 查尚杰
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« on: August 30, 2011, 01:09:36 am »

Hi all... I was away for a few days without easy access to net.  Nice botttles Richard.  Seems like you resolved some open questions.  The first bottle seems indeed a bit older even if commercial grade.  I have some that were export quality (I guess this was the same as tourist quality today, haha) and inscribed/scratched (China) on the bottom.  Bill refers to this 'practice' in his website for early imports (1900-1920 or so),  Before I forget, I attach a picture of a 20s/30s bottle where they eliminated the scratching practice, and starting using paster paper.  I recall reading somewhere that this practice dissappeared altogether in the 30s, so it turns out to be a general 'dating' technique.  I like all three bottles, personally, but the third one is my favorite.   

Link to Bill's site: http://www.snuffbottlecollector.com/antique/old_unsigned/old_13.htm

From 1891 all Chinese items imported into the US were required to be marked with "CHINA". (McKinley Tarrif Act and U.S. Stamp Act 1891). In the early 20th Century some Chinese porcelain still arrived to the US only marked with paper labels. In 1919 "CHINA" should have been replaced by "Made in China".  This requirement was harder to enforce for small glass items like IPBs, thus the exporters (or the importers) would scratch the bottom of the bottle with 'CHINA'. The 'China' scratches found on Chinese IPBs and other glass are therefore a reasonable indicator (but probably not completely fail safe) of age between 1891-1919.  Good enough evidence for me... 

I have seen porcelain bottles with paper labels 'Made in China' that could be reasonably dated to the twenties and thirties (I posted a pic here too) but never saw this scratched on glass bottles (to be fair, there was not enough room on the base of the bottles to even try to scratch 'made in china' in most cases).  Another unsolved mystery is how they would have done this with agate or rock crystal items as these materials are harder than steel!  I am guessing that these had labels on them but I am still researching information as to when exactly this requirement was relaxed or ceased to exist altogether.  I think it is fair to say that an IPB scratched with 'China' on the bottom dates between 1891-1919.  Generally speaking, after this period, you see the quality of the export type IPBs go down also (if they are unsigned), both in terms of quality of material as well as the quality of the painting.

Also, from my experience in mainland China, these type of export type bottles we often see outside China are RARELY if EVER seen in mainland China for obvious reasons. They were that era's equivalent of the commercial grade bottles we see produced in mass today, often unsigned and unappreciated.  But keep in mind these were still completely handmade!  Glass automation machinery did not come to China until the 20s (even in US not until in 1905 and in Europe sometime after that).  Today there are chemical and photo transfers and entire factories dedicated to this.  Make no mistake, however, some of these IPBs made for export are very very nice, and provide an important link from the old masters to the late middle period.  The Chinese collectors are starting to pay more and more attention to these bottles as for them they are rarely seen in their own country.


* made in china sticker on exported snuff bottles.jpg (72.37 KB, 352x202 - viewed 28 times.)

* $(KGrHqUOKjkE4sidQvVBBONKJzJSCw~~0_3.jpg (44.35 KB, 800x600 - viewed 28 times.)
« Last Edit: September 27, 2011, 01:44:13 am by Bottle Guy » Report Spam   Logged

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« Reply #1 on: September 04, 2011, 07:03:21 pm »



From 1891 all Chinese items imported into the US were required to be marked with "CHINA". (McKinley Tarrif Act and U.S. Stamp Act 1891). In the early 20th Century some Chinese porcelain still arrived to the US only marked with paper labels. In 1919 "CHINA" should have been replaced by "Made in China".  This requirement was harder to enforce for small glass items like IPBs, thus the exporters (or the importers) would scratch the bottom of the bottle with 'CHINA'. The 'China' scratches found on Chinese IPBs and other glass are therefore a reasonable indicator (but probably not completely fail safe) of age between 1891-1919.  Good enough evidence for me... 


Your guess about the blue bottle I just picked up sounds like it could be spot on then. As it has China scratched onto it.



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« Reply #2 on: October 21, 2011, 03:11:09 am »

Another unsolved mystery is how they would have done this with agate or rock crystal items as these materials are harder than steel!  I am guessing that these had labels on them but I am still researching information as to when exactly this requirement was relaxed or ceased to exist altogether. 

After your comment about not seeing many carved agate bottles like the one I just purchased around these days. That made me take yet another close look at it.

That is when I discovered it to have "China" scratched on the base. Don't know how I missed that before.

Any way.. I also wonder just what kind of hand held tool could have been used to scratch something as hard as this agate. Each scratch is the result of one single swipe. Not repeated over.

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« Reply #3 on: October 21, 2011, 04:35:37 am »

only a diamond tip or sapphire tipped tool (anything basically harder than agate, which there is not much, i think, but you are the gemologist.  correct me if i am wrong) can do that without speed or rotation, i think.
« Last Edit: October 21, 2011, 04:37:10 am by Inside Painted Collector » Report Spam   Logged

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« Reply #4 on: October 21, 2011, 04:39:02 am »

so.... DONT sell this one  Roll Eyes Grin
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« Reply #5 on: October 21, 2011, 05:30:06 am »

so.... DONT sell this one  Roll Eyes Grin

I'm not going to.. I am leaving it on eBay for a few more days to help attract a little more attention towards a couple of others I have listed.

It would sure have to be something diamond or yes, saphire.. Still it seems like it would take a great deal of pressure to get it to scratch with just one stroke. On this bottle, each line etched was only scratced one time. Not over and over..

I posted the question to the lapidary forum.. Will see what others think ..
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« Reply #6 on: October 21, 2011, 05:43:00 am »

By the way..

Just for the record.. I am not a gemologist.. 

I am a lapidary.. Simply cut cabochons.. Nothing fancy..

I know little of all the different mineral compositions that are out there like a gemologist does. 

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« Reply #7 on: October 21, 2011, 06:41:58 am »

Ooopps.  My mistake.   Sorry.  I got that wire crossed. 
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