Robert E. Lee - Jeff Davis Piece Traced to 1961 Civil War Centennial

The milk glass item below appears both as a flask, with a sheared mouth, and also as a vase with fluted mouth which is shown here. A photo of the flask version appears on page 707 in American Bottles & Flasks and Their Ancestry, H. McKearin & K. Wilson, Crown, NY 1978 (out of print).

Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate states, is on the obverse; Confederate General Robert E. Lee is on the reverse. The mold has been intentionally roughened to give the piece an early look. A swirl on the base resembles a pontil mark. The example shown is opaque white glass (milk glass) but both flask and vase also appear in transparent colors including amethyst and a pale amber.

McKearin and Wilson say the pieces were first sold at a centennial celebration in Gettysburg, PA in 1961 then later at other sites. The maker is unknown but presumed to be from the United States. Size: 7 1/2" tall, 5" across.

Jefferson Davis obverse; Robt. E. Lee portrait on reverse.
Portraits surrounded by stars and bars.