A.W.L. Wright

A. W. L. Wright

Unknown Proprietor and Maker

Aquamarine Wax Sealer Quart Jar

Provenance: Jerry McCann Collection

Here is a rather unusual “A.W.L. Wright” wax sealer jar that is considered extremely rare. The aquamarine quart jar is hand blown with a ground lip. There is a grooved ring for a metal cap.

This double tapered jar was made in a specially constructed three-part mold. There is a seam around the circumference of the jar, near the middle top area and two opposite seams running upward from this seam to the lip. There is a rib below the groove ring finish. The top of the jar tapers in from the shoulder seam to the lip circle of glass and tapers down from the seam to the base. Above the juncture of the seam are the embossed letters ‘A. W. L. WRIGHT’.

This jar is somewhat of an enigma as the proprietor and maker are unknown. There is a similar wax sealer jar embossed “OK” instead of “A. W. L. Wright” which contributes to the mystery. As with the A.W.L. Wright jar, the proprietor and maker of the OK jar is unknown. Also, the Agnew & Co. jar from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is very similar in appearance to the OK wax sealer. We have the OK wax sealer pictured above.

As an aside, the double-tapered shape of the jar is unusual and reminds us of the threadless glass “egg” insulator form.

Primary Image: A.W.L. Wright jar imaged on location by Alan DeMaison, FOHBC Virtual Museum Midwest Studio

Support: Reference to Fruit Jar Annual 2020 – The Guide to Collecting Fruit Jars by Jerome J. McCann

Support: Reference to Red Book #11, the Collector’s Guide to Old Fruit Jars by Douglas M. Leybourne, Jr.

Support Images: Auction Lot 10816: OK on Shoulder Early Wax Sealer Quart, Aquamarine. Closure: push-down style grooved ring wax sealer with a ground mouth finish and comes with an early unmarked tin cap. Appearance: sparkling glass. Condition: minor flaking of the ground mouth. Embossing: strong. Base: unmarked. Age: 1860s, Availability: rare and a beautiful example. – Greg Spurgeon, North American Glass

Support Images: Auction Lot 15811: AGNEW & Co PAT 1887 Pittsburgh Push Down Wax Sealer, Size: Half Gallon Color: clear Closure: push-down style grooved ring wax sealer mouth finish with a ground lip Appearance: crude and sparkling glass. Condition: normal nicking of the ground mouth, has a ¼” reflective fissure in the side only visible when held under a bright light at just the right angle Embossing: base only Base: “AGNEW & Co PITTSBURGH 2 PAT APL FOR 1887” Age: late 1800s, Availability: uncommon – Greg Spurgeon, North American Glass

Join the FOHBC: The Virtual Museum is a project of the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors (FOHBC). To become a member.