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American Bottle Express - Alex Kerr Collection Parts 1-4 |
Auction Catalog |
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American Bottle Express - Alex Kerr Collection Parts 1-4 |
Auction Catalog |
 |  Click on certificate at leftfor information on our Alex Kerr Certificate of Authenticity | Click on picture above to listen to an interview of Alex Kerr on the radio program 'Let's Talk Antiques' |
| Lot Number | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| TARGET BALL. Here is a ball that although is fairly common, collectors never seem to tire of. Made in France, it is also called a grenade because of its obvious resemblance. A super example with Kerr family provenance. About Mint. 2.5 ounces. Estimate $100-200 MB $50. | $ 160 | |
| N.B. GLASS WORKS PERTH N.B. GLASS WORKS PERTH. Here is an English ball made for about 20 years from 1880 to 1900. This is the flat base variant, which makes for easy displaying and is About Mint. A fairly common ball but one that every collection should have. A fairly hefty ball at 3.2 ounces. Estimate $100-200 MB $70 | $ 120 | |
| TARGET BALL WITH WINDOW DESIGN. Here is a cobalt example with a big chunk of glass on the lower inside which makes the ball dented at the bottom. This manufacturing flaw makes for a perfect base for display in your home or office. Seriously, this is a great ball with lots of personality. View streaming video for a better look at this wonderfully crude sphere. 2.5 ounces due to the glob of glass. Estimate $200-300 MB $100 | $ 230 | |
| TARGET BALL. Talk about crude and dark, I haven't seen anything this strange since I found a melted sugar daddy under the seat of my car. These balls are actually made of graphite. This is a fine example if you are looking for round dark and handsome. Condition is great with a couple light scratches; it is hard to assess something this crude. These do not come along often and it certainly will lighten (darken) up your collection. About Mint with just a few areas of wear, check out the video. 1.8 ounces. Estimate $200-300. MB $100. | $ 275 | |
| J.YAMDELL BRISTOL. 2 inches. Light sapphire blue. Here's a range ball from England with a crude exterior and lots of eye appeal. This one is About Mint with loads of bubbles and crudity. 1.3 ounces. English. Estimate $100-200. MB $50. | $ 800 | |
| SEVEN HORIZONTAL BANDS in amber. These comparatively scarce balls were made during the 1870’s and most likely a little later. They are American and the standard 2 5/8-inch diameter. This fine example has a slightly open bubble on the base (please see streaming video). However, it does not really detract from the ball. Aside from the bubble, this one is About Mint. Estimate $300-500 MB $150. | $ 475 | |
| TARGET BALL. Three-piece mold. Fancy “t” on base. This is an amethyst or purple ball most likely made in the United States. A fairly heavy ball, most of the weight is located on the base due to its odd mold configuration. It has a few scratches but generally it is Near Mint. The heaviest ball in this sale at 3.9 ounces, it is due to the migration of glass in the base. Estimate $200-300 MB $100 | $ 550 | |
| SHOOTER BALL. Here is a beautiful English amethyst target ball made during the 1880’s. With strong amethyst coloration and a strong strike, this is pretty much a top specimen. There is a little indented area on the lower base. A terrific ball. 2.0 ounces. Estimate 300-600 MB $250 | $ 500 | |
| SHOOTER BALL. Here is another example of this popular English target ball. This one is in a shade of teal, which is a rare color for this ball. The strike is not as strong as some of the other examples we have seen, however the color certainly makes up for it. This is one we would be surprised you would have and a wonderful addition to any multi-colored shooter ball collection. 2.0 ounces. Estimate $300-700 MB $300. | $ 1,100 | |
| TARGET BALL. Lattice design with horizontal band. Ground lip. This is a beautiful apricot colored target ball, which would enhance any collection. In antique bottles, this color is often referred to as apricot puce, which is a French term for a purplish-gray color. As time and color progress, puce (pronounced puse) is becoming more of a broadly used term for color’s ranging from an almost deep cherry red to this lighter delicate apricot. At any rate, this is a fine ball and is in About Mint condition. 1.6 ounces. Estimate $250-500 MB $200. | $ 200 | |
| C.BOGARDUS GLASS BALL PATd APR 1877. This is your basic light amber Bogardus with the large "C.” It is perfect, except for a very hard to see lead shot hole located above the “C.” It is amazing that a ball could endure a piece of buckshot and still be unbroken. It is most likely that these were picked off the ground after trying to fulfil their original duty of being blown to bits. This is nice light amber and despite the slight damage, would be a great addition to any collection. 1.5 ounces. Estimate $400-500 MB $250. | $ 300 | |
| BOGARDUS GLASS BALL PATd APR 1877. Here we have another Bogardus ball, this one being deep amber which is not too dark to see through. Noticeably is the difference from the previous lot, this has a much bolder embossing pattern in both its lettering and design. About Mint, here is a wonderful example of the Bogardus ball straight out of the Alex Kerr collection. 2.3 ounces which shows you the increase in glass used by the glass blower for this fresh and striking mold. Estimate $400-600 MB $300. | $ 750 | |
| BOGARDUS GLASS BALL PATd APR 1877. And now we travel back to yet another Bogardus mold and color. This example is a wonderful olive hue with virtually no amber. It has a solid strike and would certainly be considered a top specimen. Collecting a run of Bogardus balls in various colors is a challenge. We believe this is the same ball shown in the Alex Kerr article on target balls http://www.traphof.org/target-balls/kerr.htm). This is a good example and one that is fairly hard to find. When you combine color, condition, and provenance, you are bidding on the very best. 2.4 ounces. Estimate $1500-2000 MB $800. | $ 1,900 | |
| MADE BY RUTHERFORD AND CO HAMILTON ONT. Here is a scarce and desirable Canadian ball with the lattice design and crudely blown mouth. This example also has an area of extra glass on the inside near the mouth. We have only seen a few of these sold publicly in the last number of years. This is an outstanding example that grades About Mint. Another super specimen from the Alex Kerr Collection. 2.2 ounces. Estimate $3000-4000 MB $2000. | $ 3,200 | |
| PAT’d SEPT 25TH 1877 SAND BALL. Three-piece mold. Possibly Whithall, Tatum & Co, New York. These sand balls are called just that because as they were cooling, they rolled the ball in very find sand, which embedded into the glass, causing a more course surface. This allowed for better penetration of the ball by the shooter, which was expected to give the shooter a better chance at breaking the ball. Heavier than most balls, it weighs 2.7 ounces compared to most Bogardus style balls which weigh generally anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 ounces. It would probably be even heavier if it had more embossing. It is believed that there are only three known variants of the sand ball. What a year 1877 was for target balls, as you will see again and again. Of course, the 1877 date is the patent date and as it is the same for bottles, it's not generally the date the piece was made. For example, the Whithall Tatum ad as shown on the cover of the Summer 2005 On Target was printed in 1879 according to the author. As for rarity, you do not see a lot of these sand balls in any color. It is advertised they could be made in amber also, but to date we know of no such animal. To our knowledge, only a couple has been offered publicly. A beautiful cobalt blue, it might be a while before you have another chance to bid on one of these beauties. Estimate $5000-7000 MB $3000. | $ 3,600 |