Lot Essay
This flask is presently unidentified but is from a mold owned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The mold was originally owned by Sheets and Duffy active 1846-1871, who owned Kensington Vial and Bottle Works in Philadelphia. In 1857, Sheets and Duffy rented showroom space in the same building occupied by Samuel Huffsey, active 1852-1857. As other altered bottle molds were owned by Huffsey, and due to proximity, it is plausible that he may have purchased the mold and altered it for his use. For a complete discussion, see Miriam E. Mucha, "Solving the Mystery of Two Altered American Bottle Molds," Journal of Glass Studies, Vol. 26, 1984. This bottle is illustrated figure 10, page 119.