Vintage Seltzer Bottles
Before there was bottled water there was seltzer. Large cities
were dotted with trucks delivering a weekly supply of carbonated
or sparkling water to their thirsty customers. The driver often
had to shlep the heavy glass bottles up many flights of stairs.
There was a deposit on the bottles so customers would return the
empties so that they could be cleaned and refilled. This required
the driver to haul slightly lighter bottles down the stairs. For
those who did not get delivery there was always the corner candy
store, the source of the 2 cent plain made famous by Harry Golden.
This cup of cold fountain seltzer without syrup was the least
expensive cold drink you could get at a time when the freezer
compartment in the family refrigerator was minuscule. or non-existent
We are not sure when the seltzer man actually disappeared from
the urban landscape, probably in the 1960's. This was the point
at which many people in the city bought cars, large supermarkets
were flourishing and seltzer lovers began to shlep the bottles
up the stairs themselves. Seltzer companies tended to be local
and there were many competitors in a given area. All bottles were
etched with the name of the company and occasionally a graphic.
The spouts were interchangeable so they did not necessarily bear
the name of the bottler. We have acquired a small selection of
bottles from the greater Boston area, including several of the
44 oz. bottles Standard size was 26 oz.
003Seltzer01 | 003Seltzer02
Fizz Sparkling Water - Blue bottle with remains of the label
that reads Fizz Bottling Co., Inc. Malden, Mass. MA 4-4260. Bottle
is etched Boston, Mass. Cont. 26 oz. Spritzer is from Suffolk
Bott. Co. An image of a person carrying a tray with a seltzer
bottle and a glass of seltzer appears in the lower left. 11"
tall. (Stock number 003Seltzer01) $35.00
Fizz Sparkling Water - Blue bottle is etched Boston, Mass.
Cont. 26 oz. Spritzer is from Suffolk Bott. Co. An image of a
person carrying a tray with a seltzer bottle and a glass of seltzer
appears in the lower left. 11" tall. (Stock number 003Seltzer02)
$35.00
003Seltzer03 | 003Seltzer04
Plymouth Bottling Works - Plymouth, Mass. Clear bottle with
remains of the label that reads Fizz Bottling Co., Inc. Malden,
Mass. MA 4-4260. Cont. 28 oz. Spritzer is from Simpson Spring
Co. Footed bottle is 11.5" tall. (Stock number 003Seltzer03)
$25.00
Plymouth Bottling Works - Plymouth, Mass. Clear bottle. Cont.
28 oz. Spritzer is from Fizz Bottling Co., Inc. 11" tall.
(Stock number 003Seltzer04) $25.00
003Seltzer05 | 003Seltzer06 | 003Seltzer07
The Gladstone Springs Water Co. Narragansett Pier, R. I. Registered.
Image of a fountain in center. The reverse is marked Richmond
Carbonated Beverage Co. Somerville, Mass. Contents 26 oz. Spout
is from Canadian Imperial B. Co. Footed bottle is 11.5" tall.
(Stock number 003Seltzer05) SOLD
Sterling Dry Beverages - Truly Delicious Kearny, N. J. Cont.
26 ozs. Top is from S. Steinberg. N. Y. Bottle is 11.5" tall.
(Stock number 003Seltzer06) $25.00
Maydale Beverage Co. Made from pure spring water. Contents
26 flu. oz. Maynard, Mass. Small bird is etched above brand name.
Spout is from Maydale Bev. Co. Bottle is 11.5" tall. (Stock
number 003Seltzer07) $25.00
003Seltzer08 |003Seltzer09
GESCO Sparkling Carbonated Water. Quincy, Mass. Cont. 44 oz.
Spout is Gesco. Bottle is 12.5" tall. (Stock number 003Seltzer08)
$25.00
GESCO Sparkling Carbonated Water. Quincy, Mass. Remains of
paper label. Cont. 44 oz. Spout is Gesco. Bottle is 12.5"
tall. (Stock number 003Seltzer09) $25.00
003Seltzer10 | 003Seltzer11 | 003Seltzer12
N. Y. M. B. Co. Minsky Bros. Chelsea, Mass. Paper label on
neck reads Golden Dome and in Hebrew "Kosher for Passover"
and shows an image of the Massachusetts State House Gold Dome.
No capacity is written but we suspect given the size of the bottle
that it held 44 oz. Spout is Canadian Imperial. Bottle is 12.5"
tall. (Stock number 003Seltzer10) $25.00
General Seltzer M'f'g. Co. Quincy Adams, Mass. Registered.
Image in center of two fish on a hook? Embossed "Made in
Germany" on bottom. No capacity is written. Spout is Royal
Bot. Co. Cinti. Bottle is 11.5" tall. (Stock number 003Seltzer11)
$25.00
J. Yoffe 7-9 Genesee St. Boston, Mass. Registered. No capacity
is written but we suspect given the size of the bottle that it
held 44 oz. Spout is Canadian Imperial B. Co. Footed bottle is
12.5" tall. (Stock number 003Seltzer12) $25.00
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