Heinz 57 Tomato Ketchup Clear Glass Bottle - [Armstrong Cork Co.]

H. J. Heinz Company, founded in 1888 by Henry J. Heinz, is primarily known for their tomato ketchup:  Heinz began manufacturing and selling his ketchup under a different company name (F. & J. Heinz) back in 1876.  This product is still with us today (and likely will remain with us forevermore).  In 1896, Henry Heinz came up with the "Heinz 57" advertising slogan, deriving from "Heinz 57 Varieties" and began promoting the already-numerous Heinz products under this campaign.  

This brings us to the first of several Heinz ketchup bottles I've amassed.  The octagon (8-sided) shape of the ketchup bottle is patented by Heinz and was produced by most glass bottle manufacturers from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century.

The body of this bottle is unmarked and has no embossments.  There are air bubbles frequently visible throughout the glass.  The lip (not pictured) is threaded and holds a metal cap.  The base is rather messily finished, with the circular seam being rather off-center and the thickness of the glass unregulated.

The embossments on the base are as follows:  "H-257" in the very center, the numerals "63" followed by the glass maker's mark of the letter 'A' in a circle with a line underneath the mark, and finally, a small "x" to the right of the mark.

The 'A in a circle' is the trademark of the company, Armstrong Cork Company (Glass Division), which manufactured bottles and insulators from 1938-1969.  Because the mark is underlined, this means that the bottle was manufactured at the Dunkirk plant in Dunkirk, Indiana.

According to Heinz Company, the number '63' embossed on the base denotes that, "This bottle was in use from 1890 to 1913 and held either mustard dressing or ketchup.  From 1890-1900 this bottle was cork-sealed.  After that there was an edge added to the rim to hold a metal cap closure."