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PELLUCID
04-08-2008, 09:34 AM
As some of you know, I pick up a LOT of sea glass. I'm usually pretty good at identifying the source of the odd pieces (for instance, flourescent light bulb bases produce pretty blue buttons) but three round "sea marbles" I found had me stumped.

At first I thought they were just chunks of glass worn spherical in a rock hole. But why all the same size? And why odd shades of blue, rather than the more common green, brown, or clear?

I think I have the answer -- they are stoppers to Codd bottles. These were oddly designed bottles to hold soda water and other carbonated fluids. Here's a link: http://www.go-star.com/antiquing/codd.htm

If I'm correct, this makes the glass quite old as they were manufactured from 1872 until the early 1930's, mostly in the UK.

Do any old-timers recall drinks or medicines being sold in the kinds of bottles in the Bahamas or the US? Or did they float all the way over from England?

vharrison
04-08-2008, 09:57 AM
That is really neat, where did you find them?

South Pause
04-08-2008, 10:10 AM
I, too, am a sea glass collector, and would feel fortunate to run across some of those little "jewels". Where did you find them?

flyingdogs
04-08-2008, 10:22 AM
Not to bust your bubble, but the the Bacardi Anejo had a grey glass marble in their plastic pour tops for a while. They didn't pour worth a darn, and you would have to break the plastic and take the marble out to get at the rum. Also had a friend find an old apothecary stopper, will try to get a picture and post it

Patti Puzo
04-08-2008, 10:30 AM
They would make a really pretty necklace! I love sea glass too.
Very cool Bob.

PELLUCID
04-08-2008, 03:46 PM
One of them I found snorkeling off Elbow Cay, the other two from... ah... an undisclosed location in the central Exumas!

Further research shows the Codd bottle is still in use in Japan and India, so there may still be some lost ones floating about. They are designed to be refilled, but people may not care enough to collect the deposit.

I can't find any reference on line to Bacardi bottles with glass marbles in them. I guess if they worked as poorly as Flying Dogs says they must not have been around for long!

Here's a newsletter with more pictures of sea marbles: http://seaglassassociation.org/Docs/Newsletter-20070917.pdf

They must have some value, as the collector they interview says she is a massage therpist and will exchange massages for sea marbles!

Patti Puzo
04-08-2008, 04:20 PM
Well Bob, there you go!:)

Patty&Rudi
04-08-2008, 08:47 PM
I collect sea glass too, and now you make me want to search the seaside in Japan when we are there in July!

The colours of those are just wonderful!! Thanks for the story and photos.