The ribbed pocket flask was a standard mid-century American spirits format — the vertical ribbing applied during manufacture to improve grip on a wet or cold surface, a practical detail that also added visual texture to what would otherwise be a plain amber cylinder. The Federal Law embossing dates this bottle to between 1935 and the mid-1960s, and the 52 base code places it precisely in 1952. The pocket flask shape — narrow depth, flat face, tapering toward the neck — was used for both medicinal tonics and small-batch spirits by distillers and rectifiers across the country.
Embossing: FEDERAL LAW FORBIDS SALE OR REUSE OF THIS BOTTLE on the body. Base marked 52 confirming 1952 manufacture. Vertical ribbing runs the full height of both flat faces.
Condition is excellent for a beach-recovered bottle with authentic age-appropriate patina. No chips or cracks. Clear embossed Federal Law text and ribbed design details fully intact. Minor surface wear consistent with 70+ years of history.
Dimensions: 7.5" H × 3.4" W × 1.25" D | Amber glass | Excellent vintage condition with honest surface wear
The vertical ribbing gives this flask a more tactile quality than smooth-sided Federal Law bottles — the texture catches light differently and adds visual interest at any distance. Works on a bar cart alongside other Federal Law amber pieces, as a bud vase for a single tall dried stem where the amber and the ribbing provide warm texture, as a photography prop for vintage spirits styling, or as a dark academia bookshelf accent where the regulatory embossing and the 1952 date ground it in specific mid-century American history.
Recovered from New York City’s historic shorelines and landfill sites by Brooklyn Sea Glass. Ships carefully packed.
