This is a crude 1860s small size 4 1/2"long tear catcher vial or "lachrymatory"bottle. It could have been a cologne bottle. The old folk tale is that these vials were used by both, Union and Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. They were given by a departing soldier to his wife or girlfriend to collect and save her tears. If the soldier returned home, the tear vial was proof of his wife's devotion and concern. If the soldier was killed, the tears would be poured upon his grave. Tear catchers go all the way back to Roman times over 2000 years ago. I would say though, that it is a cologne bottle. This is an early flint glass vial.... The square thick glass bottle is hand blown with 4 wheel cut sunken notches on 2 sides with gold hand painted designs....gold hand painted snakes on other two sides ......crude snapped off glass pontil scar on bottom is uneven so bottle wont stand upright on its own....only 4 1/2"long..... crude smooth sheared lip with natural smooth dip.....Excellent condition with no chips or damage. Shiny clean ..This vial came from an old Virginia estate ... ..We are selling a lot of bottles and stuff that we've accumulated over the years so stay tuned for many exciting finds fresh to the market!......FREE SHIPPING WITH TRACKING ANYWHERE WITHIN THE U.S.A....THIS IS A FIXED PRICE, BUY IT NOW BOTTLE FOR SALE IN MY STORE. ...Always a full money back guarantee(minus the return postage) if you are not happy with any of my items. . Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.   We are happy to accept most forms of payment including paypal. Thank you for your business....your friendly fellow collector, Digger Dave Beeler