RARE Poland Spring Moses Bottle Tall 11.5 Long Staff Variant APPLIED LIP TOP For Sale
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
RARE Poland Spring Moses Bottle Tall 11.5 Long Staff Variant APPLIED LIP TOP :
$1124.75
Scarce Early 11.5" Poland Spring “Moses” Bottle – Long-Staff Variant – c. 1876RARE – EARLY PRODUCTION – GRAND OPENING BOTTLE
This is an outstanding example of thetall, early-production figural “Moses” mineral water bottlefrom Poland Spring, South Poland, Maine — a prized piece of 19th-century American advertising glass.
Key FeaturesHeight:Measures a full11½ inches tall– the sought-afterlong-staff/first-moldsize produced for theGrand Opening of the Poland Spring House in 1876.
Embossing:Shoulder seal reads“POLAND MINERAL SPRING WATER”with a strong central monogram. Heel is Boldly marked“H. RICKER & SON’S PROPRIETORS.”
Finish:Trueapplied sloping-collar lipwith visible drip marks — confirming early, hand-applied construction.
Glass:Light aqua with beautiful clarity, whittle marks, and natural bubbles that highlight its hand-blown character.
Condition:Small, white, pot-stone on the "L" in Poland; has two small radiations. Long, thin, shallow, open bubble that extends over to the left shoulder. Low, ring of white stain about an inch off the floor of the bottle. Faint, ghosting in the lower half of the bottle as well captured in the pics.
The Ricker family first bottled Poland Spring water commercially in1859. To celebrate the opening of the lavishPoland Spring House resort on July 4, 1876, they commissioned this now-famous figural bottle depicting Moses striking water from the rock.
Thetaller, first-mold exampleswere blown at theSalem, NJ glassworks(pre-fire, 1876–1878) and are considered theearliest and most collectibleof all Moses bottles.
Size Variation & DatingMost “standard” Moses bottles measure around10¾–11" tall. Examples in the11½" rangeare considered first-mold / early production for several reasons:
Early Salem molds were slightly taller and gave Moses a leaner look with a noticeably longer staff — hence the collector nickname“long-staff variant.”
Later molds (1880s onward) were shortened slightly, likely to save glass and standardize cases, resulting in bottles closer to 10.75".
If your bottle is 11½" and has an applied lip, you are almost certainly looking at a1876–1878 “grand opening” era bottle.
Value ConsiderationsThat combination —applied lip + extra-tall body + “H. RICKER & SON’S PROPRIETORS” heel embossing— firmly places this in the first production window and typically commandsa premium over later, slightly shorter examples.
Related Items:
VERY RARE. In N Out Burger Drink Cup Glass Ornament. Made in Poland. 2011
$25.25
Vintage Rare Poland-Soviet Union Friendship Society Vase 26cm / 10in
$125.69
RARE COASTERS POLAND CANALETTO PAINTINGS WARSAW 6 NOS GOVERNMENT SEALED ART
$13.79
