FINE EARLY & RARE ANTIQUE SYKES LEATHER SMALL POCKET SIZE WHISKEY FLASK 1830-60s. FINE EARLY & RARE ANTIQUE SYKES LEATHER CLAD 2 PIECE. DESIRIOUS SMALL POCKET SIZE HAND MADE GLASS WHISKEY FLASK. WITH ORIGINAL CORK CIRCA 1830 – 1860’s. This early handmade flask is a heavy duty, i. Is clad in a very heavy leather formed and stitched base with a small separate flat piece at the base bottom, and a form fitted very heavy leather shaped stitched removable top piece. This is a desirous small pocket size flask that is about 5 ½” tall x 2 ½” wide x 1 3/8 thick and heavy for its size at 5.9 ounces or 169 grams. The flask shape is in a bottle shape with heavy duty stitching on the sides and top with the bottom flat panels glued on and shaped to fit. The heavy leather bottom wrapping is permanently attached to the glass bottle. Originally, the top was designed to have a tight fit to the glass top that makes the entire flask covered in thick leather when closed. As expected, all-natural material shrinks over time, and the top now has an even tighter fit to the top portion of the glass, and both the top and bottom leather has shrunken and now has a gap between the top and base. Note that almost all early flasks in this style have the center gap from naturally occurring shrinkage and is an idiosyncrasy of this pattern flask. Note that the original cork has shrunken with a loose fit to the flask. The cork fits comfortably inside the top and does not prevent the leather top from closing all the way. If you close the top of the flask to the base all the way, you need the small gap to be able to force up the leather top as it is a very tight fit. Note there are small dots in the center of the top lip and bottom lip that designate which side matches up with the base. This leather covered flask is Maker marked SYKES and dates to the 1830 – 1860’s period. The glass is hand blown into a mold, and the leather wrapping is hand made to fit each flask. The glass is about 3/16 thick at the spout. The glass has the sideline from the mold and also the very early random slight undulations found on early hand-blown glass. The glass is fairly clear, with, as expected, some cloudiness inside. There appears to be a thin crescent shaped indentation on the inner lip that is smooth under magnification and is part of the glass casting. Complete with the original cork that has shrunken over time and no longer seals the contents; but displays well. This is a well-made, heavy-duty SYKES flask that would have been used by Frontiersmen, Hunters, Trappers, Travelers, Horseback riders, Military officers, Mexican American War or U. Civil War soldiers, Gamblers, Sporting Gents, and anyone needing to protect their precious liquid contents. Overall, in fine condition considering its extreme age of about 160 to 190 years old. Exceptions include holidays, power outages, and evacuations. Claims such as doesn’t match description or photos, doesn’t seem authentic, Doesn’t fit, Wrong item sent, Missing parts or pieces, Doesn’t work or defective, Arrived damaged. Due to a myriad of International and U. Listing and template services provided by inkFrog.
