A ca. 1825-1835 Columbia / Eagle flask by the Kensington Union Glass Works of Philadelphia, a very rare shorter 12-ounce mould with the single smooth wide vertical rib, sold for a staggering $177,840 in Glass Works Auctions online-only Premier Auction #192 held on May 4. It was a new record auction price for an American glass flask or bottle. The auction featured choice selections from the collection of Richard Watson, one of the best-known collectors of bottles and flasks in the country. He started collecting in the late 1950s and continued until his death in 2014 at age 82. The late Charles Gardner was his mentor. Watson published two books on bitters bottles, in 1965 and 1968. We knew the Columbia / Eagle flask was going to receive strong bids, as only a very few exist in both the mould and color, said James Hagenbuch, the owner of Glass Works Auctions. It was the prize flask in the Watson collection and was well known throughout the flask collecting community. In all, the auction was very successful, with several individual records established. The 101-lot auction totaled a robust $497,000, including the buyers premium (all prices quoted here include the buyers premium). The flask was a light shading to a medium yellowish citron green pint, featuring an open pontil and sheared and tooled lip. An identical but damaged example sold for $925 in 1983. Another record auction price was achieved for a ca. 1865-70 medium amber semi-cabin Harveys Prairie Bitters bottle. Probably less than five or six of this mould exist, and this one was an exceptional example, reported Hagenbuch. The combination of its rarity and unusual attractive appearance attributed greatly to the final price. The bottle realized $33,930. Two outstanding bottles posted identical prices of $17,550. One was a ca. 1880-90 Seaworth Bitters Co. bottle, aqua in color and in the shape of a lighthouse, unearthed just outside Cape May, N.J., in 1974. It was nearly perfect except for some light inside haze. The other was a ca. 1845-60 Vogels Panacea bottle (Philadelphia, Pa.) square form and emerald green in color. It is believed to be the only known example of the bottle and was the most important pontiled medicine bottle in the entire Watson collection. A ca. 1848-55 medium cobalt blue bottle featuring busts of George Washington (The Father of His Country) and Zachary Taylor (Gen. Taylor Never Surrenders) made by the Dyottville Glass Works (Philadelphia, Pa.), with open pontil and sheared lip, earned $8,190. A ca. 1855-70 Baltimore / Anchor Glass / Works (Baltimore, Md.) (Phoenix Rising From the Flames / Resurgam) pint flask, medium yellow with a hint of topaz, sold for $7,020, and a ca. 1825-35 J. Shepard & Co. (Zanesville, Ohio) pint bottle, golden yellow with an olive tone, boasting an extremely bold impression with superb color and condition, achieved $7,020. Overall, the auction featured examples from most categories of American bottle and historical flasks. More than 3,500 registered bidders combined to place a total of 811 bids. Glass Works Auctions has offices and a gallery in Pennsburg, Pa. To learn more, visit www.glassworksauctions.com.