resources

EDUCATION

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF

MILK BOTTLE COLLECTORS

Official Website

www.milkbottlecollectors.com

Education Chairman Lee Kaiss has created an education
program for children called Milk Bottles For Schools.
This interactive program can be taught be any NAMBC
member with a few common milk bottles. The program
educates children about the history of milk bottles by
having them use different size bottles to measure liquids.
This packet has everything you need to bring the program
to your local school: A letter to the school, a short history
on milk bottles, photos of a class in action and more.
NAMBC MILK BOTTLES FOR SCHOOLS PDF KIT

How do I describe the type and condition of a milk bottle?

View a PDF of the official NAMBC Condition Chart

How do I clean a milk bottle?

First, thoroughly wash the bottle in hot, soapy water. Use a bottle brush. It may
be necessary to soak the bottle overnight. Rinse thoroughly and dry. A milk
bottle may be washed in the dishwasher.

If the bottle still looks cloudy, the glass may be ‘sick’ – a term used for glass
that has been damaged by minerals in soil, water, or other substances. If the
bottle is embossed, the bottle may be cleaned by ‘tumbling’ - a process in
which the bottle is tumbled with various sizes of copper wire, which polishes
the glass.

If the bottle is pyroglazed or ‘painted’, only the inside may be cleaned by
tumbling. Faded or missing pyroglazing or ‘paint’ can not be restored.

Some bottles may have ‘case wear’ – which may include scratches, rough
areas, etc. caused by the metal dividers in milk crates.

How did they get the ‘paint’ on the bottle?

Pyroglazing is a process similar to silk screening, using a special paint that is
then heat set.

Do the bottles with the raised lettering have a name?

Milk bottles with raised lettering are known as embossed bottles. Most
common are those with the name of the dairy, town and state. Some bottles
have embossing around the neck in a pattern of ribs, dots, diamonds, etc.
These are thought to have been an aid to the milkman in holding the bottle.

My milk bottle looks like it has dried sour milk in it.
How do I clean it?

Some bottles may have been painted on the inside by a collector to show off
the pyroglazing. In other cases, it may have been done by the manufacturer to
create ‘ a sample’ bottle. In the later case, the name of the manufacturer will
be on the bottle, rather than the name of a dairy.

What are the tiny two inch tall bottles with the names of dairies,
restaurants and hotels on them?

The small bottles are called "creamers". These were individual containers
served or placed in groups on tables in diners and dining rooms from the
1920's to 60's and held milk or cream for use with tea of coffee. These are
certainly a variety of milk bottle and are generally collected by people not
necessarily interested in bigger bottles.