Vintage and Antique Ink Bottles

Vintage Ink and Ink Bottles

Acme	Aurora	Caran d'Ache	Conway Stewart	Cross
Delta	Diamine	Erasers	Itoya	J. Herbin
Lamy	Pencil Leads	Miscellaneous Ink	Monteverde	Namiki
Noodler's	Omas	Parker	Pelikan	Platinum
Private Reserve	Rohrer & Klingner	Rotring	Sailor	Schmidt
Sheaffer	Stipula	Visconti	Waterman	Ziller
Ink Accessories	Ink Scents	Vintage Ink	Ink Facts & Reviews

This page last updated on 6/2/09

This is the place to be for old ink bottles from the early 1800s up to the 1960s. Many of the bottles we have listed are strictly for the ink bottle collector. We also have a number of older ink bottles that still contain useable fountain pen inks which many fountain pen aficionados prefer over modern day inks.

In addition to our selection of vintage ink bottles on this page, you'll also find related items such as ink eraser fluids, rubber stamp inks and travelling ink bottle containers.

Old Inks in Your Pens

Many people ask us if they should use old ink and we believe this is another one of those common sense issues! We use 50+ year old ink frequently in new fountain pens and vintage fountain pens with excellent results. Before using old inks, you need to take a few precautions.

Vintage Ink Precautions:

1. Check to make sure there is no sediment, mold or other non-ink substance floating around or in the bottom of the bottle. Solids don't flow well, keep them in the bottle and out of your pens.

2. Look at the color of the ink, if it has taken on an odd hue that just doesn't look right - keep the ink in the bottle.

3. Unscrew the lid and take a little sniff, if you notice any unusual odor, screw the lid back on and refrain from using the ink.

Vintage Blue and Blue-Black inks
seem to have survived the years better than other colors of inks and are a pretty good place to start if you're looking to try vintage inks. Older Sheaffer Skrip, Parker Quink and Carter's Inks are generally pretty stable inks and we've had good results using these.

Never, never, ever use Drafting, Drawing or India Inks
in a fountain pen - these contain shellac which can gum up the insides of a fountain pen quickly. Early iron gall based inks can also be very corrosive to a fountain pen and I urge that you try them out with a dip pen or glass pen instead of a fountain pen.

The National Postal Museum website has some great information about V-Mail and how it worked during the Second World War. Many of the major ink manuafacturers made special V-Mail inks during WWII including Parker, Sheaffer, Staffords and others.

Stoneware Half Pint Ink Bottles

England - ca. 1860s

Stoneware half pint ink bottles are glazed in a dark brown and have a pour spout formed on lip. Each is slightly different and may or may not bear a pottery's mark on bottom edge. Base is 2.25 inches diameter and height is about 4.25 inches. All in very good condition.

Limited Supplies Available!

SWARE-INK-HALF

Stoneware Ink Bottle, brown, Half Pint

$20

Vintage & Collectible Inks

I858

DIAMOND INK Imperial Black Ink bottle, clear glass cube embossed Diamond Ink Co 12-1-03 in the bottom. Base is 2 inches square, 2 1.8 inches tall. Yellow, red and black label. Cork with black hard rubber stopper reads, "Diamond Inks Trade Mark."

$20

I859

Bourne Denby imprint pictured above

BOURNE DENBY stoneware master ink bottle, UK, ca. late 1800s, soft matte finish, dark brown/tan glaze - there is some color variation in this one which is not uncommon, pour spout at top. Bottle measures 4 inches diameter and is 9.5 inches tall. Bourne Denby imprint near bottom edge. Bottom of bottle is not glazed. There is a small nick at shoulder and one small spot near bottom edge where the glaze has chipped off. There is a little bit of ink dust in it that sprinkles out when I turn it upside down. Very good condition and these old master stoneware bottles are getting more and more difficult to find in nice condition.

$50

I877

SANFORD's Double Action Ink Eraser No. 298 - New old stock bright orange and brown tin with 2 amber bottles filled with the two solution ink eradicator. Tins and bottles are in pristine condition. I doubt that the ink eradicator would still be potent. Tin measures 2.5 wide x 1.25 deep x 2.75 inches tall.

$10

I985

Sanford No. 274 Blue Black Fountain Pen Ink - clear 1.5 ounce cylindrical bottle with light blue, dark blue, red and yellow label. Embossed Sanfords on bottom. This bottle would have originally had a cork stopper, but the stopper is missing. Ink dust in bottle. Measures 1.75 inches diameter and is 2 3/8 inches tall. Label in very good condition.

$25

I1008

Sheaffers Skrip Safeguard Ink No. OS, ca. 1950s. New old stock Sheaffers Automatic Safeguard Ink was used to refill Safeguard desk sets, the bottle was inverted and ink flowed to a reservoir which fed a fountain pen. 55cc clear bottles are full of red ink. We’ve spot checked the ink and it some of it has bits floating around inside the bottle, so I would suggest you not use this ink. Yellow and blue boxes. Note that condition varies on the boxes, all are in very good shape, but show varying signs of wear.

$10

I1028

Visco Ink, Visco Chemical Products Co, Cleveland, OH - clear 4 oz ink bottle with cork stopper (no adornment on top, just a cork). Yellow, red and blue label with fountain pen illustrated. The label has several creases in the center area, bottom right label corner is missing. Bottle measures 2.5 inches square and is 2.75 inches tall. Ink dust in bottle. Unusual label, have not seen Visco Ink before.

$25

I1034

Osmiroid Red Calligraphic Ink, ca. 1980s, made by Hunt Speedball in Statesville, NC under license from ES Perry in England. Cone shaped 2 oz clear bottle. Plastic screw on lid is embossed on top with the Speedball "S", small amount of ink in bottle. Base of bottle is embossed: Hunt Mfgr Co, Statesville North Carolina, Speedball USA, Measures 2.25 dia and is 2.25 inches tall.

$10

I1035

Pelikan 4001 Ink, Germany, ca. 1980s, clear bottle with dark blue screw on lid, Pelikan logo is embossed on top of lid - 2 baby Pelikans in the nest. White, black and black label for Royal Blue ink printed in German, English, French and Spanish. Several small tears on bottom edge of label. Measures 2.25 x 1.5 at base and is 2.5 inches tall.

$15

I1037

Crescent Fre-flo Ink, ca. 1940s, made in Terre Haute, Indiana. Clear glass bottle, black metal screw on lid, great graphics on the label. Small amount of blue black ink inside. Base measures 1.75 in diameter and bottle is 2.25 inches tall. New old stock in excellent condition.

$15

I1049

Pelikan Tusche - Drawing Ink, White, cylindrical clear glass bottle with eyedropper inside cap, 29ml. About 1/2 full of ink. Includes box. This bottle is ca. early 1990s, Pelikan has now switched to plastic bottles for their drawing inks. These smaller bottles with the dropper are great for mixing inks.

I1050

Kwikmr K, El Monte California - Black Marking Machine Ink, Clear square 1.25 cc bottle with black metal screw on lid. Light mark on label, but still very easily readable. No, this is not fountain pen or even writing ink, but I found the manufacturer a little unusual and some of you veer off a bit in your bottle collecting!

I1054

F. Werer Co Waterproof Drawing Ink, clear oz dropper bottle with black and white elaborate label. Embossed on bottom: F Werer Co Phila and in the center a quite detailed embossing of a Sphinx. Very dried up ink inside bottle. Cork style lid with dropper is loose. Some specks of ink on the label, but overall not too bad and quite unusual.

$25

I1057

Carter's Rytoff Ink Eraser bottle. Amber glass in "half" bottle shape - the back of bottle is flat, it originally fit up against another identical bottle as part of a two part formula to erase ink, the two bottles would have fit inside a tin. Faceted brown bakelite lid. Measures 1.75 in wide and is 2.75 in tall. Very good condition.

I1070

Sanford's Stamp Pad Ink No. 580 - clear glass octagonal bottle with black bakelite screw on lid, 59cc.. Black, white and gold label. Measures 2 in wide at base and is 2 3/8 in high. Very good condition.

$10

I1071

Osmiroid Exceptionally Black Ink, ca. 1980s, made by Hunt Speedball in Statesville, NC under license from ES Perry in England. Cone shaped 2 oz clear bottle. Plastic screw on lid is embossed on top with the Speedball "S", small amount of ink in bottle. Base of bottle is embossed: Hunt Mfgr Co, Statesville North Carolina, Speedball USA, Measures 2.25 dia and is 2.25 inches tall. Label is fading.

$10

I1101

Parker Micro-Film Black V-mail Ink, ca. 1940s, WWII era. New old stock, 2 oz bottle in original box stored in original Parker cardboard shipping cartons for about half a century! Most bottles contain some V-Mail ink dust! Some boxes show light shop wear.

$10

I1112

Crescent Fre-flo Ink, ca. 1940s, made in Terre Haute, Indiana. Clear glass bottle, black metal screw on lid, great graphics on the label. Blue black ink dust inside bottle. Base measures 1.75 in diameter and bottle is 2.25 inches tall. Label is slightly faded and some rust specks on the metal screw on lid.

$10

I1114

Carter's No. 492 Two Solution Ink Eradicator, cylindrical blue and white tin holds two bottles, one clear and one amber with black bakelite lids. Original paper instructions for using the ink eradicator are also tucked inside the tin with the bottles. Tin measures 2 in diameter and is 3.25 inches tall. Light wear to bottom of tin, but overall very good condition.

$15

I1117

Thomas' Inks, LH Thomas Co., Chicago USA, aqua quart master bottle measures 3.5 in diameter and is 8 5/8 inches tall. One small chip on bottom edge. The photo makes it look like there is also a chip on the rim, but that is a mold mark. Nice crisp embossing, but no label.
Ink Bottle - I1117

$25

I1118

Stafford's Ink Made in USA - Aqua pint master bottle measures 2 7/8 in diameter and is 7.5 in tall. No chips or nicks. Crisp embossing, but no label. Pint bottles are more difficult to find than quart masters.

$25

I1164

Parker Quink ink bottle, ca. 1940s, clear glass, 2 ounce size, art deco styling, black metal screw on lid with Parker Quink in silver on top of lid. Permanent Red, no ink in bottle. Bottle, label and cap in very good condition.

$10

I1171

Parker Quink, ca. late 1940s, clear glass bottle, black metal screw on lid with Parker imprint in silver. 2 ounce bottle. Washable Blue, no ink in bottle, Original box, Bottle and label in very good condition. Top flaps are missing from box.

$10

I1174

Parker Quink, ca. late 1940s, clear glass bottle, black metal screw on lid with Parker imprint in silver. 2 ounce bottle. Washable Green, no ink in bottle, Bottle , box and label in excellent condition.

$10

I1175

Parker Quink, ca. late 1940s, clear glass bottle, black metal screw on lid with Parker imprint in silver. 2 ounce bottle. Permanent Red, no ink in bottle, Bottle and label in excellent condition. Box flaps are missing.

$10

I1176

Parker Quink, ca. late 1940s, clear glass bottle, black metal screw on lid with Parker imprint in silver. 2 ounce bottle. Washable Royal Blue, no ink in bottle, Bottle and label in excellent condition. Box flap is off, but with box.

$10

I1177

Parker Superchrome ink, ca. early 1950s, clear glass rectangular bottle with ribbed sides, black metal screw on lid with Parker imprint in silver. 3 ounce bottle. Blue-Black, no ink, excellent bottle, label and box. Illustration of Parker 51 fountain pen on box.

$10

I1178

Parker Superchrome ink, ca. early 1950s, clear glass rectangular bottle with ribbed sides, black metal screw on lid with Parker imprint in silver. 3 ounce bottle. Turquoise Blue, no ink, very good, label and box. Illustration of Parker 51 fountain pen on box.

$10

I1179

Parker Superchrome ink, ca. early 1950s, clear glass rectangular bottle with ribbed sides, black metal screw on lid with Parker imprint in silver. 3 ounce bottle. Red, no ink, excellent bottle, label and box. Illustration of Parker 51 fountain pen on box.

$10

I1180

Parker Superchrome ink, ca. early 1950s, clear glass rectangular bottle with ribbed sides, black metal screw on lid with Parker imprint in silver. 3 ounce bottle. Blue Black, no ink, Illustration of Parker 51 fountain pen on label. Very good bottle and cap, light wear to label at top right edge.

$10

I1181

Parker Superchrome ink, ca. early 1950s, clear glass rectangular bottle with ribbed sides, black metal screw on lid with Parker imprint in silver. 3 ounce bottle. Turquoise Blue, no ink, Illustration of Parker 51 fountain pen on label. Bottle and cap are very good, but the label is quite worn.

I1202

Sanford's Penit White Ink in original box - clear - ounce diamond pressed glass bottle, white metal lid with black imprint: Sanford's White Ink Shake Well. Base measures 1.25 inches square and bottle is 1 7/8 inches tall. Dark blue box with white lettering and printing on all sides. Front: For Albums and Greeting Cards, Side: for Dark Colored Stationery, Back: The Smart Way & directions for use, Side: for scrapbooks. Big chunks of dried white ink inside bottle. Excellent condition.

$15

I1205

Carter's American Blue - From the early 1940s, new old stock in original box with four panel enclosure. Clear glass ribbed oval bottle with screw on lid. Great red, white and blue label on the bottle. Bottles contain ink dust, the liquid has long evaporated. A very clean batch of vintage ink, over 60 years old! Limited Supplies available.

$15

I1206

Fount-o-Ink No. 2S - New old stock bottles of Fount-O-Ink in original boxes. No. 2S blue black. Black and white boxes. Clear bottles have a nice art deco design embossed on sides and bottom. Made to refill round and hexagon base Fount-O-Ink sets, each 2 ounce bottle is about 3/4 full of ink and it looks to be good usable ink.

$15

I1210

Jos. Biesinger, Stuttgart "Rote Tinte" (Red Ink), Germany, a small clear bottle with faceted edges and a cork in the top - the cork is imprinted with the Biesinger logo, quite fancy for a cork! Measures 1.5 in. square and is 1.75 inches in height. Three sided label in black, red and white. Ink dust inside bottle.

$20

I1211

Jos. Biesinger, Stuttgart "Tusche Schwarz" (Black India Ink), Germany, a small clear bottle with label on four sides. Measures 1 1/8 in. square and is 1.5 inches in height. The cork is missing from this one. The label has a few tiny ink smudges and shows some edge wear, but all quite readable and in quite decent shape. Ink dust inside bottle.

$15

I1212

Pelikan - Gunther Wagner Fullhalter Tinte (Fountain Pen Ink), Germany, prox. 1 ounce green tint glass bottle with label that wraps a bit around each side from the front. Shows a Pelikan FP illustrated on each side. Black bakelite screw on lid. Bottle measures 1 5/8 in. sq. at base and is 2.25 inches in height. Nice full color label with just a little ink line someone has written across front bottom edge. Bits of ink dust inside bottle, not much.

$29

I1221

Parker Superchrome Ink, Jet Black, Rectangular clear glass bottle with ribbing on sides. Black metal screw on cap. Bottle measures 2.75 x 1 7/8 inches at base, height is 2.5 inches. Black metal screw on lid with silver Parker mark on top. Ink residue on inner walls of bottle. Front bottle label has light ink smudge and lower corner bends. Bit of rust on the metal lid. Box shows some wear on folds, but overall in fair condition. Marked for the Parker 21 and 51 pens only.

I1223

Stafford's Red Ink - clear rectangular glass bottle with cork stopper, top of stopper is black wood. Bottle label in bright red, metallic gold and white, shows some edge wear and aging, but no red ink stains. Measures 1.75 inches square at base and is 2 3/8 inches tall.

$15

I1224

Sanford's Violet Ink No. 230- clear rectangular glass bottle with cork stopper, top of stopper is black wood with Sanford's Inks embossed on top. Bottle measures 2 inches square and is 2.5 inches in height. Great 3 sided label in ivory, violet, red and metallic gold. Lots of violet ink dust and stained inner bottle walls. Excellent condition with exception of one very small ink smudge at top edge of left side label.

$20

I1233

Carter's Ryto Ink Bottle - Quart master in cobalt blue glass. This bottle measures a full 9.5 inches tall and is 3.75 inches diameter at bottom. No front label on this bottle, but the back and shoulder labels are intact, as is the original pour spout. Carters No. 1 embossed on bottom and 32 Fluid Oz embossed on shoulder.

$45

I1234

Sanford's Fountain Pen Ink - Cardinal Red. This is a Half Pint Master bottle with original bottle cap style lid, center metal pour spout and screw on metal spout lid. Half pints are hard to find, complete pour spouts even harder! This bottle is 7 inches tall and diameter is 2.5 inches. Embossed on side: Sanford's Inks Half Pint And Library Paste. Label is stained evenly with ... you guessed it ... Cardinal Red Ink!

$35

I1236

Ault & Wiborg Co. Reflex Ink Bottle No. 125, made in Cincinnati, Ohio. Bottle still has a little bit of red ink swishing around inside. Clear bottle measures 2 in square at bottom and is 2.75 in in height. Bright red wood topped cork stopper is embossed: The Ault & Wiborg Co. USA in a circle and Reflex Inks in the center. Excellent condition

$25

I1238

Diamond Inks Red Ink, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Clear glass bottle measures 1 5/8 square and is 2 inches in height. Original cork stopper is missing, no lid at all. Two sided red,yellow and black label is beautiful, there are two tears in the label, both small - one at lower right corner and one about mid way on left side bottom.

$15

I1239

Carter's Blu-Rex Ever Blue Ink bottle No. 166. Clear glass bottle measures 2 inches square and is 2.75 inches tall. Black wood cap on cork stopper is embossed: Carter INX Products. Excellent label in light blue, dark blue, red, white and metallic gold. The original box is included, but top flaps are missing and shows shop wear on top edges. Ink dust in bottle.

$30

I1249

Waterman Carnation Red, 2oz Tip-Fill bottle, red metal lid, ink stain mostly across on left side of label. About 1/3 full of Carnation Red ink. I can see some specs of sediment in ink, use at your own risk!

$10

I1251

Waterman Carnation Red, 2oz Tip-Fill bottle, red metal lid, no ink stains, but label is faded. Nearly full of Carnation Red ink. No sediment in ink, should be usable.

$50

I1254

Signet Carmine Red Ink No. 838, made by the Russia Cement Co, Gloucester Mass, clear 2 oz rectangular bottle has ribbed ends, red metal lid. Excellent label and about 3/4 full of red ink, no sediment detected, should be usable.

$20

I1255

Pelikan Tusche Waterproof Drawing Ink No. 518, No. 17 Black, Germany. 1 oz clear glass bottle with white plastic lid and dropper inside. Excellent yellow, black and white label. At least half full of ink, not for fountain pen use. Box included and in very good condition.

$10

I1256

Pelikan Waterproof Drawing Ink, Germany. 1 oz clear glass bottle with black plastic lid and dropper inside. Light ink stains on yellow, blue, black and gold label. About half full of very thick ink, not for fountain pen use. The label reads in part: 44 Prize Medals.

$10

I1261

Sanford's Desk Well Royal Red No, 55, 2 oz clear bottle with 8 curved panels. Black metal lid is printed in silver: Sanford's Inks Always Dependable. Full color label shows some light wear on lower right edge. About 1/4 full of red ink, probably too old to use.

$20

I1270

Sanfords Penit Ink, Jet Black Copy Ink, 3/4oz square bottle with diamond embossed patter, Black metal lid with white lettering, measures 1.25 square x 2” high, excellent condition. Fun little bottles to collect or use them to keep a small amount of ink with you when away from your desk.

I1271

Signet (LePage’s) Blue Ink, 2oz clear square bottle with metal screw on cap. Beautiful label in dark blue, light blue, pastel yellow and white with gold highlights. White metal cap with black center insert is marked: Lepage’s Signet Glue Oils Paste Inks. Measures 1.75 in square at base and is 2 3/8 in in height. Label is excellent, lid shows some wear on outer edge but lettering is clear. Overall very good.

$20

Vintage & Collectible Ink Cartridges

Ink cartridges, in their most common forms, have now been in existence for over 50 years, since the mid-1950s and have become a collectible in their own right. Some of the cartridges for early cartridge filling pens were proprietary style cartridges and the only way to get your pen working is to find original cartridges and refill with bottled ink using a needle-less syringe or small pipette. Some of the packaging on these older cartridges is of wonderful graphic design and appeals to those collecting advertising and packaging items. Many pen collectors enjoy including same brand inks and cartridges to go with their pen collection.

I1148	Sheaffer Skrip Envelope Pack, ca. late 1950s, white envelope with brown printing has detailed instructions on refilling your Sheaffer cartridge fountain pen. Envelope measures 2 x 3 inches. Two washable blue cartridges inside, ink is evaporated. Tape and some wear marks on back of envelope.	$3
I1240	Sheaffer Skrip Cartridges, ca. late 1960s, Washable Blue, bright yellow and sky blue cardboard box, 5 original cartridges inside, ink is almost all evaporated.	$3
I1268	Parker Super Quink Ink Cartridges, Permanent Green - Marked for Parker and Eversharp cartridges, so they would date to the 1960s at least. Each cartridge has a little bit of ink in it, but it's the neat early package that appeals to me most. Five cartridges in pack. Front of package:	$5

Vintage Ink & Bottle Related Resources

Evan Lindquist's Gallotannate Ink Recipe
Evan Lindquist, artist, printmaker, penman and retired Professor of Art at Arkansas State University has experimented extensively with Gallotannate and other old style inks. We invite you to visit Evan's website to see how inks of days gone by were made.

Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors
This association site offers up all sorts of ink bottle information as well as info on glass in general. Click on the link above to visit this very informative website.

Thompson Conservation - Manuscript Inks
Lots of information on very old inks that pre-date fountain pens.

Ink Bottle Patents
An article by Ed and Lucy Faulkner, well researched text and many illustrations of early ink bottles.

The Carter Ink Company
An article by Ed and Lucy Faulkner, history of Carters, many photographs of unusual early Carter's Ink bottles.

The Original Higgins Ink, A Nevada Invention
An article by Fred Holabird, fascinating account of the first Higgins ink bottles (not the ones made in Brooklyn!)

Dating Older Ink Bottles
Digger Odell has some excellent general antique bottle information on his website, in particular a good section on how to determine when your ink bottles were made based on bottle characteristics such as mold seams, embossing, type of lid, etc.

Federation of Historic Bottle Collectors

Thompson Conservation Manuscript Inks

Fountain Pens Inks

Fountain Pen
Filling Instructions

Diamond Ink Labels

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