Antique 6oz Codd-Neck Mineral Water Bottle with Original Marble
Merchant/Brand: Nicholson (Pictorial Horse Trademark), Billy Row
Manufacturer: Ayres Quay Bottle Co. Makers, Sunderland (Base mold "A 10")
Origin: County Durham, North East England
Era: Late Victorian / Early Edwardian (circa 1880s–1910)
Overview & Historical Significance:
This is a fantastic piece of North East English industrial and social history. This late 19th-century Codd-neck soda bottle was made by the renowned Ayres Quay Bottle Works in Sunderland for Stephen Nicholson’s Aerated Waters, which operated alongside the family's local trade in the historic coal-mining village of Billy Row (near Crook, County Durham).
It features an embossed pictorial horse trade mark on the front along with the "Billy Row" village name, making it an exceptionally desirable and localized piece of antique advertising glass.
Details & Embossing:
- Front: Large arched embossing: STPH NICHOLSON / Horse Pictorial Trademark / BILLY ROW (Note: The "H" in STPH is a smaller, underlined superscript abbreviation for Stephen).
- Lower Heel / Reverse: AYRES QUAY BOTTLE CO. MAKERS SUNDERLAND
- Base: Embossed factory mold mark A 10
- Color: Classic light aqua glass with light natural manufacturing bubbles
Condition:
- Marble: Still present and securely trapped inside the neck chamber (packed with cotton to prevent movement/rattling).
- Glass Clarity: Very good, visually clean "as-dug/preserved" condition with minimal internal haze.
- Flaws: There is a horizontal fracture/stress crack running around the top tooled lip (clearly visible in photos). The lip is intact, but please handle with care. No other major chips or base bruises observed.