Rare Vintage Amber Glass Apothecary Bottle with Heart-Shaped Stopper – Early 20th Century Chemist's Vial
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A charming and rare vintage amber glass apothecary bottle featuring a beautifully crafted heart-shaped stopper with a side spout, likely for precise liquid dispensing. This small chemist’s bottle likely dates to the late 19th or early 20th century and retains part of its original paper label, now softly faded with handwritten script—adding to its period character. A wonderful piece for collectors of antique medical or pharmaceutical glassware. Ideal for display or use in historical setups.
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Material: Amber glass (common for protecting light-sensitive substances).
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Stopper: Ground glass stopper with a heart-shaped top and side spout, likely for controlled pouring or precise dispensing. This is quite an unusual and possibly bespoke or handmade feature.
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Bottle Design: It has two small side lugs (possibly for tying on tags or labels), and the glass is blown or moulded, showing wear consistent with age.
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Size: Small (typically used for potent or expensive liquids like tinctures, essential oils, or chemical compounds). It stands at just 8cm tall and the diameter of the base is approximately 3cm.
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The paper label is heavily worn, but some faint handwriting is legible. It appears to say:
...arney O...
...clino...
HKAM
"Barney" or "Carney" could be a surname (perhaps the name of a chemist or a patient).
The second word may be "Tincture" or "Solution", though it is very faded.
There seems to be faded handwritten script, which might have included dosage or preparation information. The partially intact label appears to read "R. Ashkam" or similar at the top — likely the name of the dispensing chemist — and “St. John’s Wort” near the bottom, suggesting this was a herbal tincture bottle used for a traditional nerve tonic. This kind of handwritten label was typical of late Victorian/Edwardian apothecaries, especially small-town chemists who would prepare herbal tinctures in-house and adds wonderful provenance and charm.
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Given the label, amber colour, and shape, this was most likely used for medicinal or pharmaceutical storage.
The pipette-style spout suggests it may have held a liquid that was dispensed drop by drop—possibly a tincture, chloroform, laudanum, or a diluted herbal extract.
The stopper's heart motif may not have originally been symbolic but could indicate handmade lab glassware, or it could be from a homoeopathic or alternative remedy maker.
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Collectors of apothecary bottles, vintage chemistry, and medical history would find this bottle appealing, especially due to its unique stopper.