GXI-35 “For Pike’s Peak” Prospector – Eagle Flask – Yellow Green

GXI – 35

Prospector And “For Pike’s Peak” – Eagle And “Ceredo”

Historical Flask


Ceredo, West Virginia Glass Works

Yellow Green Pint

Provenance: Anonymous

We’ve previously looked at a brilliant medium yellow-olive example of a GXI-35 Prospector “For Pike’s Peak” – Eagle “Ceredo” flask. It had a rather unique tall neck. Here is an extraordinary example of the same flask in yellow-green glass. See GXI-35 Prospector – Eagle in brilliant medium yellow-olive.

The flask was made around 1859 and used to carry liquor for the prospectors headed west to Pikes Peak, Colorado at the height of the Gold Rush.

For Pike’s Peak GXI-35 examples in our museum collection, the second being in yellow-green

This flask was blown at a glassworks in Ceredo, West Virginia as evidenced by the word “Ceredo” embossed in the oval under the eagle on the reverse. These so-called “embossed Pike’s Peak flasks,” having the name of the glasshouse on them, are always held in a loftier position as opposed to the unembossed Pike’s Peaks.

The front and back illustrations of the subject For Pikes Peak flask shown below are from American Bottles and Flasks and Their Ancestry.

GXI-35 Prospector And “For Pike’s Peak” Eagle and “Ceredo” historical flask illustration

On what is considered the primary face of the flask, you will see a large embossed prospector wearing a hat. The prospector is walking left as you hold the bottle. He is holding a bindlestiff on his shoulder in his left hand. His right hand is holding a long cane that comes into contact with the ground or oval. He is wearing a long coat and has skinny legs and boots standing on even ground. The embossed copy, ‘FOR PIKE’S PEAK,’ occurs over the prospector in arched umbrella copy. The prospector is standing on a horizontal oblong oval that does not contain any embossed copy.

The reverse of the flask pictures an embossed, medium-sized eagle, with its head turned to the left as you hold the flask. The eagle has a small shield with vertical bars. The eagle talons are grasping three feathered arrows or long thunderbolts. A long banner is held in the eagle’s beak waving right. A horizontal oblong oval is embossed on the bottom of the flask. The copy ‘CEREDO’ is embossed within.

Known colors are aqua comparatively scarce, light green scarce, amber rare, and yellow-green very rare.*

Support: Two covers. (left) Cover of American Glass Gallery Auction #11 featuring three Pike’s Peak historical flasks. October 2013. (right) Cover of American Bottle & Glass Collector magazine, article “A Peek at Some Rare Peak’s“, September 2016.

Primary Image: Both featured GXI-35 Prospector And “For Pike’s Peak” Eagle and “Ceredo” historical flasks imaged on location by the FOHBC Virtual Museum midwest studio led by Alan DeMaison.

Support: Reference to American Bottles and Flasks and Their Ancestry by Helen McKearin and Kenneth M. Wilson, Crown Publishers Inc., New York, 1978.

Support Images: Auction Lot 158: Prospector And “For Pike’s Peak” – Eagle And “Ceredo” Historical Flask, Ceredo Glass Works, Ceredo, West Virginia, 1860-1870. Bright bluish aquamarine, applied mouth with ring – smooth base, pint; (1/8 inch flake from banner, light exterior high point wear). GXI-35 Numerous small bubbles. Generally fine condition. – Norman C. Heckler & Company.

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