Sealed Glass Bottles From a Private Collection

The use of seals on glass bottles to indicate ownership has a long and rich tradition in the United Kingdom dating back to the 17th century. In order to create a seal a glassmaker would attach a small blob of glass to the bottle whilst it was still warm and then stamp this area with an individualised metal or fired ceramic die.

Getting your own personal bottle was by no means a cheap endeavour – in 1822 the expense of cutting a seal ran at 7 shillings and 6 pence. The seals indicated the owners of the bottles, which could be either the individual or the institution, the tavern from which the wine came or even the merchant who supplied the tavern. In 1622 a law was passed which prohibited the sale of wine by the bottle, an individual would therefore have to take their bottle to a wine merchant who would then fill it with a wine from a cask using a liquid measure which meant the practice of bottle sealing was widespread by the mid-17th century.

Examples in this sale include bottles from Oxford and Cambridge University, the colleges of which all had their own wine cellars stocked with personalised sealed bottles by the 18th century (most of whom were buying in bulk at that stage!). The Common Rooms of each college were a centre point of social life for students during their time at the University. Wine was used for special occasions, entertaining guests and for provisioning Fellows on festivals and feasting days.

All Souls College at Oxford University has taken care to preserve their history and still has a magnificent cellar containing over 1000 intact sealed wine bottles in its collection. If you can’t make it down to see that archive, the All Souls Common Room bottle in lot 2 can be yours for a modest estimate of £60 - £80 – a small price to pay for a piece of history.

1. AN ENGLISH DARK GREEN GLASS SEALED CYLINDER WINE BOTTLE FOR GEORGE BICKFORD, NORTH DEVON circa 1770 - 1780 29cm high

£100 - £150

2. A SEALED ENGLISH DARK OLIVE GLASS WINE BOTTLE FOR ALL SOULS COMMON ROOM, OXFORD UNIVERSITY circa 1820 19.5cm high Bottles were produced for All Souls College from at least 1760 to 1840.

£60 - £80

3. AN IRISH DARK OLIVE GREEN GLASS SEALED CYLINDER WINE BOTTLE FOR THOMAS GERRARD OF GIBBSTOWN circa 1860 - 1880 28cm high

£40 - £60

4. A DARK GREEN GLASS WINE SEALED INNER TEMPLE BOTTLE mid-late 19th century 25cm high

£50 - £70

5. TWO 19TH CENTURY GREEN GLASS BOTTLES 20cm and 25cm high (2)

£60 - £100

6. A SEALED CYLINDER WINE BOTTLE FOR TRINITY COLLEGE COMMON ROOM, OXFORD UNIVERSITY circa 1860 - 1880 27cm high

£60 - £80

7. A LARGE GREEN GLASS MARITIME OR ADMIRALTY RELATED BOTTLE 19th/early 20th century the body of ribbed form and etched with an anchor 32cm high

£60 - £100

9. AN ENGLISH DARK OLIVE GLASS WINE BOTTLE 18th century deep kick to the base 25cm high

£50 - £80

10. AN EARLY 19TH CENTURY SEALED CYLINDER GLASS WINE BOTTLE with heraldic seal of two hounds flanking a shield below a crown, motto indistinct 25cm high

£60 - £80