Rare Columbia/Eagle flask sets record at Glass Works Auctions

By AI, Created 5:00 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – Glass Works Auctions’ May 4 online Premier Auction #192 in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, set a new record for an American flask or bottle when a circa 1825-1835 Columbia / Eagle flask sold for $177,840. The 101-lot sale totaled $497,000 and also produced a second world record for a rare Harvey’s Prairie Bitters bottle.

Why it matters: - The sale set a new record price for an American flask or bottle. - Strong results across rare flasks and bitters bottles show continued demand for top-tier historical glass. - The auction also validated major collection material from the Richard Watson holdings.

What happened: - Glass Works Auctions sold a circa 1825-1835 Columbia / Eagle flask by Kensington Union Glass Works for $177,840 at its online-only Premier Auction #192 on May 4. - The flask was lot #1 and the top lot in the 101-lot sale. - The auction took place online, with the firm based in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania. - The sale totaled $497,000 including the buyer’s premium.

The details: - The Columbia / Eagle flask was described as the rare shorter 12-ounce mould with a single smooth wide vertical rib. - The flask was a light shading to medium yellowish citron green pint with an open pontil and sheared and tooled lip. - An identical but damaged example sold for $925 in 1983. - Glass Works Auctions said the flask was well known in the flask collecting community and was the prize flask in the Watson collection. - The auction featured choice selections from the collection of Richard Watson, a noted collector who began in the late 1950s and died in 2014 at age 82. - Watson was mentored by the late Charles Gardner. - Watson published two books on bitters bottles in 1965 and 1968, with illustrations by his wife, Elma. - Another world record came from lot #37, a circa 1865-1870 medium amber semi-cabin Harvey’s Prairie Bitters bottle that sold for $33,930. - The Harvey’s Prairie Bitters bottle stood 9 1/2 inches tall. - Glass Works Auctions said fewer than five or six examples of that mould likely exist. - Two other bottles matched at $17,550 each. - One was a circa 1880-1890 Seaworth Bitters Co. lighthouse-shaped bottle, aqua in color, 11 1/4 inches tall, unearthed outside Cape May, New Jersey in 1974. - The Seaworth bottle was nearly perfect except for light inside haze. - The other was a circa 1845-1860 Vogel’s Panacea bottle from Philadelphia, square-shaped, emerald green, and just under 7 inches tall. - Glass Works Auctions believed the Vogel’s Panacea bottle was the only known example and the most important pontiled medicine bottle in the Watson collection. - A circa 1855-1865 Horseman Hound pint bottle, likely from Baltimore Glass Works, brought $14,040. - The Horseman Hound bottle was light to medium pink amethyst, with a smooth base and applied double collar mouth. - Glass Works Auctions said it was only the second one seen in that color. - A circa 1865-1875 National Tonic Bitters bottle sold for $11,150. - A circa 1845-1865 Dr. B.H. Kaufman Stomach Bitters bottle, described as an attic find, sold for $9,360. - A circa 1850-1860 Ravenna Anchor Glass Company eagle pint bottle sold for $8,775. - A circa 1866-1875 Doctor Fischs fish-shaped bitters bottle sold for $8,190. - A circa 1848-1855 Dyottville Glass Works bottle with George Washington and Zachary Taylor busts sold for $8,190. - A circa 1855-1870 Baltimore / Anchor Glass / Works pint flask sold for $7,020. - A circa 1825-1835 J. Shepard & Co. pint bottle sold for $7,020. - A circa 1862-1875 St. Drake’s Plantation Bitters bottle sold for $6,435. - A circa 1860-1870 IXL Valley / E+B Bevan whiskey bottle sold for $5,265. - A circa 1860-1870 unlisted pint flask with clasped hands, 13 stars, a cannon, and an American flag sold for $5,265. - A circa 1845-1860 Wells, Miller & Provost glass jar sold for $4,095. - More than 3,500 registered bidders placed 811 bids. - The auction included examples from most major categories of American bottle and historical flask collecting.

Between the lines: - The results suggest that rarity, condition and provenance still drive premium pricing in specialty collectibles. - The Watson collection provided multiple anchor lots, which likely helped broaden bidder attention across the sale. - Record prices at the top of the catalog may have lifted interest in other scarce pieces throughout the event.

What’s next: - Glass Works Auctions plans Premier Catalog Auction #193 for June 2026. - The next online-only sale will feature more than 325 bottles and flasks across most collecting categories. - Glass Works Auctions continues to accept consignments of quality bottles and related items. - More information is available at the company website. - Consignment inquiries can be made by phone at 215-679-5849 or by email at info@glswrk-auction.com.