Colonial Era Glass Bottle Stoppers - Picture Collection 38

Occasionally seen in ones and twos amongst bead dealers' stocks in many of the countries of West Africa, but rare to find in such large collections.

Left over from the days of the European Colonialists in the 1800's and early 1900s.
We are grateful for this informative information provided by Carole Morris,
Secretary of the Bead Society of Great Britain.

Most likely to be from perfume bottles and some from little medicine bottles,  or at least from items one would buy from the chemists. Whatever, they must have come through the chemist/pharmaceutical trade in colonial Africa.

As they have ground stems, they were for bottles containing liquids which were volatile
( containing alcohol, for instance ) and needed a very tight seal to stop evaporation.

Also, as they have been ground, then they would almost certainly have been used. Stoppers were ground to fit their own particular bottle -  as in those days, it was not possible to mass produce the seals needed between the two parts.

Carole's words were indeed accurate .. subsequent information kindly supplied by
Rod Comer of Antique Bottles - South Africa .. confirms their previous usage.
Click this Link: http://www.antiquebottles.co.za/pages/categories/Perfume.htm

52 Glass Stoppers in excellent condition tied onto an 18 ins / 46 cm strand
Ranging in size from 28 x 18 mm to the large bulbous one ( lower right ) at 39 x 20 mm

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