An affordable selection of early American glassware was offered at Norman Heckler’s absentee auction recently. The auction, which closed on February 9, featured just under 100 lots with prices ranging from $150 to more than $20,000.

The top lot of the auction came as a Harvey’s Prairie Bitters was offered. The rare bottle, termed by Heckler as being “one of the ten most popular bitters bottles,” was in a shaded golden yellow with amber tones. With patterned brick decorated sides and sloping globular shoulders, the bottle was in near mint condition with only two pinpoint flakes on the rings at one top corner. Heckler called the bottle “extremely rare and beautiful” with it selling at $22,400.

A Mason jar brought a premium price of $6,720 at the sale as a rare half-gallon example in light golden amber was sold. The smooth based jar, marked “Masons, Patent Nov. 30th, 1858” and with the “HGW” monogram, was said to be the only known example in the half-gallon size in that color.

Several scroll flasks in desirable colors were offered in the sale with a Louisville Glassworks example in a deep strawberry puce doing well. The GIX-34 half-pint bottle, with a sheared mouth and tubular pontil scar, sold at $5,600. A “BP&B” scroll flask in a deep cobalt blue, so dark that it almost appears black at the shoulder and near the base, was hampered by an epoxy repair, yet it still realized more than four times the high presale estimate. Bidding on the lot was active, according to Heckler, with the bottle selling at $4,200.

A Louisville scroll flask in a nice light cobalt blue was another lot that was kept in check due to damage, although it also easily exceeded estimates. The rare bottle was described as being in a “beautiful color” and it displayed as perfect. Despite a 1/2-inch fissure in the neck, the rare and desirable flask sold at $2,800.

A nice blown three-mold bar bottle from the Kent Glassworks, GII-6, in a greenish aquamarine color with a rolled lip did well at $4,480, a hearts and flower scroll flask in a deep aquamarine shot past the $500-$1,000 estimates to bring $4,480, and a rare seal bottle marked “Sidney Breese 1765″ that was made at the Glass House Company of New York” also sold well above estimates at $4,200.

A lot of three “Trademark Lightning” fruit jars in graduating size from half-gallon to pint sold reasonably at $364, a large free-blown covered bowl believed to be New York State brought only $236, and a nice free-blown witch ball and stand realized $1,232.

The next auction at Heckler’s is currently scheduled for a spring closing date. A good selection of medicine bitters bottles, blown glass, flasks, fruit jars and utilities will be among the assortment. For further information regarding this auction, future sales or consignments, contact Norman Heckler, 79 Bradford Corner Road, Woodstock Valley CT 06282, or call 860-974-1634.