antique Victorian or Edwardian amber glass poison bottle killgeram cleckheaton

“The Killgerm Company Limited, Cleckheaton.”

. This is an antique Killgerm chemical or poison bottle, not a medicine bottle.

Displayed with other bottles illustration only for sale separately

13 cm tall

5 cm triangle

Killgerm was established in 1893 and became associated with agricultural chemicals, pesticides and professional pest-control products. A closely comparable triangular amber Killgerm bottle has been catalogued as a four-ounce poison bottle dating from the 1890s, while other examples are generally described as circa 1910. A sensible date for yours is therefore circa 1890–1910.

A striking late antique Victorian or Edwardian amber glass poison bottle produced for The Killgerm Company Limited of Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire.

The bottle has an unusual rounded triangular body, sloping shoulders and a thick applied-style collar rim, originally intended to take a cork stopper. One face is beautifully embossed in elaborate script with the company name and location. The smoky amber-brown glass contains bubbles, striations and subtle manufacturing irregularities that give the bottle tremendous period character.

Founded in 1893, Killgerm developed into a specialist supplier to the pest-control and public-health industries. This bottle would originally have contained one of the company’s agricultural, disinfectant or pest-destroying chemical preparations. Its triangular shape may also have helped make the dangerous contents distinctive when handled.

The bottle is offered empty, with the original stopper and paper label no longer present. There are age-related marks, internal deposits and historic residue, but the embossing remains particularly attractive. It should be sold strictly as a decorative and historical collectible and must not be used for food, drink or medicinal storage.

Suggested title:

Antique Killgerm Cleckheaton Amber Triangular Poison Bottle c.1900

Recommended price: £34.00

An exact comparable example is currently offered at £35 yours could reasonably sit slightly higher because the deep colouring and ornate embossing display very well, although the residue and missing closure limit the value.