The Torpedo bottles have a round end to prevent them from being stood
up. The idea was that the soda kept in contact with the cork and
stopped the cork from shrinking; the corks would dry up and shrink on
upright bottles, causing the bottle to loose pressure.
A side
advantage for the merchant was that the consumer had to finish the beverage
before the bottle could be laid down.
These bottles are known as "Hamiltons" in the United Kingdom, named after their inventor Paul Hamilton.
The aqua or green tinted torpedo bottles with no embossing are very common and usually not worth more than a dollar or two. Embossed examples are worth more, and colored examples (amber, cobalt blue, emerald green) are worth even more.
Below is the PIC of a very rare cobalt blue torpedo bottle.
The bottle is embossed "G Elands Potass Water Cross Street Westgate Road
Newcastle Established 1837".
There is a large trademark on the
rear of the bottle, which consists of a
large leter E in a belt.
The bottle is 9.5 inches long and would have held about 10 fluid ounces.
The bottle has an early lip. Later examples have a more rounded lip.
