Shapes of (ceramic) bottle caps:

During the last century there were used manny different types of beer bottle caps. This site gives a short overview of these bottle stoppers.

Manny countries had their preferred types of bottle caps at a given time. So the shape of an unknown bottle cap can already tell a lot about the country of origin and also about the approximate age of that specific cap. Besides this different types of bottle caps were also an important factor in the economic development of the brewing industry. Hence there were filed many patents on bottle caps and these patents are interesting historic documents telling us even more about the history of these bottle stoppers, who invented them and which company manufactured these stoppers.

For some of the bottle caps depicted I obtained the corresponding patents. Links to pdf-documents of these patents are provided below the picture of the corresponding stopper.

In case you know further patent numbers, which for example often are printed at the bottom or at the side of these bottle stoppers, I would be very much interested in hearing from you. Please let me know the patent numbers you identified on some of the stoppers in your collection. Also pictures of the stoppers would be very much appreciated. You can easily contact me using this Form.

Composite swingtop of beer bottles; still in use today mainly in Germany
Still in use today
DE, NL, AT, CH,FR 
Porcelain & Plastic
Pat.: EP1094010
Bottle stopper made from plastic, still in use
Still in use today
DE, NL, FR, CH, AT, Europe
Porcelain or plastic
Pat.: ?
Cylindrical bottle cap, still in use today
Still in use today
DE, NL, FR, CH, AT, Europe
Porcelain or plastic
Pat.: ?
Old type of swivel stopper which was in use before WWII
Until cir. 1945
Common:
DE, PL, Europe
Porcelain
Pat.: ?
Very old type of brewery bottle closure
Until cir. 1920
Rare: DE
Porcelain
Pat.: ?
ype of swing top bottle closure still used by breweries today
Until cir. 1945
Common: DE, BE, FR
Porcelain
Pat.: ?
Typical ceramic beer bottle stopper used in Britain as well as in the German Empire
Until cir. 1945
Rare: GB,
Common: AU, DE, PL
Porcelain
Pat.: GB1906-7172
Rare ceramic bottle stopper used in former times in France, pre-WWII
Until cir. ?
Rare: FR
Porcelain
Pat.: ?
Unusual shape of a ceramic bottle stopper; rarely used by brewers
Until cir. 1945?
Very rare: DE
Porcelain
Pat.: ?
Unusual shape of a ceramic bottle stopper; rarely used by brewers
Until cir. 1945 ?
Very rare: FR
Porcelain
Pat.: ?
Rare, historic type of bottle stopper urse prior to 1945
Until cir. ?
Rare: DE, FR
Porcelain
Pat.: ?
Mushroom-shaped old ceramic bottle stopper
Until cir. 1945
Rare: DE, FR
Porcelain
Pat.: ?
bottle stopper, conical shape, Germany
Until cir. ?
Very rare: DE
Porcelain
Pat.: ?
Mushroome ceramic bottle stopper
Until cir. ?
Very rare: DE
Porcelain
Pat.: ?
Mushroome ceramic bottle stopper
Until cir. ?
Very rare: DE; ZA
Porcelain
Pat.: ?
swingtop stopper, glass, Germany
Until cir. 1970 ?
Very rare: DE
square-shaped stopper
Porcelain
Pat.:
Ceramic bottle stopper, Russia
Until cir. 1940
Rare: RU, UA, BY, LT, TR
Very rare: DE
Porcelain
Pat.: RU11322 DRGM73835
FR389693
swingtop stopper, glass, Germany
Until cir. ?
Very rare: DE
Glass
Pat.: ?
Landenberger, glass bottle stopper
Until cir. 1920
Very rare: US
Landenberger type
Glass
Pat.:  US665689
Mushroom-shaped ceramic bottle stopper
Until cir. 1900
Very rare: DE, FR
Porcelain
Sping mechanism
Pat.: FR349229
FR349535
GB1904 13526
Hutter stopper
Until cir. 1920
Very common: USA
Rare: South Africa
Hutter type
Porcelain
Patent: US491113
GB1892-14801
GB1875-4438
Dreyfuss stopper
Until cir. 1920
Common: USA
Dreyfuss type, Porcelain
Pat.: US547878
Dreyfuss stopper
Until cir. 1920
Common: USA
Dreyfuss variant,
Porcelain
Patent:
Dreyfuss stopper
Until cir. 1920
Very rare: USA
Dreyfuss variant,
Porcelain
Patent:
Ball-type ceramic stopper
Until cir. 1920
Rare: USA
Globe type
Porcelain
Pat.: US725505
US821456
magnum bottle swingtop
Still used today,
2 or 3 liter Magnum (compared to normal stopper)
Common: DE, NL
Porcelain or plastic
Pat. ?
Syphon ceramic stopper, Germany
Still used today
Common: DE, AT
Syphon, Porcelain
Pat.: ?
Kunststoff-Syphon-Verschluss
Still in use today
Rare: DE
Syphon, plastic
Pat.:?
Syphon ceramic stopper (porslinskorkar), Sweden
Until cir. 1970
Common: DK, SE, FI
"lät ol", Porcelain
Pat.: DE896016
SE81344
Kannenbier-Verschuss, vor 1945, Deuschland
Until cir. 1910
Rare: DE; GB, RU
"Kannenbier-Versand"
Earthenware & Metal
Pat.: DRP1895-88333
Swingtop square-type
Until cir. 1970
Very rare: DE
Common: DK, FI, Europe
Porcelain
Pat.: DRP58602
DRP59915
Swingtop
Until cir. 1920
Rare: DE, PL
Porcelain
Patent: DRP58602
DRP59915
Swingtop, square-type, German Empire, Scandinavia
Until cir. 1920
Very rare for breweries: DE, PL
Porcelain
Pat.: DRP79821
Swingtop
Until cir. 1920
Very rare for breweries: DE, PL
Porcelain
Pat.: ?
Swingtop, metal-porcelaine composite, Grauel-stopper, Germany
Until cir. 1900
Very rare: DE, PL Grauel type
Metal & Porcelain
Pat.: DRP1685
US217425


Glass Klappdeckel-Verschluss
Until cir. ?
Very rare: DE
Glass
Pat.: ?
Doppel-Klappdeckel-Verschluss
Until cir. ?
Very rare: DE
Porcelaine
Pat.: DRGM89288
E.R. Schmidt, Leipzig
Mushroome ceramic bottle stopper
Until cir. ?
Very rare: DE
Threaded cork
Porcelain & Cork
Pat.: ?
Swingtop, metal-porcelaine composite, Grauel-stopper, Germany
Until cir.  ?
Very rare: DE
Closure with valve, Metal & Porcelain
Pat.: ?

plastic bottle stopper
Still used today
Very rare: DE
Plastic
Pat.: ?
plastic bottle stopper
Still used today
Very rare: FR
Plastic
Pat.: ?
plastic bottle stopper
Until cir. 1960 ?
Rare: FR
Plastic, various colors, embossed
Pat.: ?
plastic bottle stopper
Until cir. 1960 ?
Very rare: DE, PL
Plastic
Pat.: ?
Composite-bottle stopper made from porcelaine and cork
Until cir. 1920
Very rare for breweries:
USA
Porcelain & Cork
Pat.: ?
Ceramic cap; composite porcelaine and kork, mainly for mineral water, rarely for beer
Until cir. ?
Very rare for breweries: DE, PL
Porcelain & Cork
Pat.: ?

Mushroom-shaped ceramic bottle stopper
Until cir.
Rare: DE
Threaded cork
Porcelain & Cork
Pat.: ?
Mushroom-shaped ceramic bottle stopper
Until cir. ???
Rare: DE
Porcelain
Pat.: ?

Mushroom-shaped ceramic bottle stopper
Until cir. ???
Very rare: USA
"Slip Seal" Closure
Metal & Rubber
Pat.: ?
root beer stopper from the USA
Until cir. ???
Very rare: USA
Root Beer
Metal & Leather
Pat.: ?
Until cir. ???
Rare: USA, GB
Hutchinson type
Metal
GB1883-1770

Until cir. 1945 ?
Common: FR,DE,PL
Porcelain
Pat.: FR245687
Lightning-type of old bottle stopper from the US
Until cir. 1910
Rare: USA
"Lightning" type,
Metal & Rubber
Pat.: US158406
root beer bottle stopper from metal and rubber
Until cir. ???
Rare: USA
Root Beer, rare
Metal & Rubber
Pat.: US624363
Ebonite/Vulcanite screw stopper, Britain, Australia
Until cir. 1960
Common: GB, ZA, AU
Rare: DE, BE, USA
Vulcanite
Pat.: GB ?
US230605 ?
US589505 ?
Ebonite/Vulcanite screw-type beer bottle stopper
Until cir. 1960
Common: GB
Vulcanite
Pat.: ?
Ebonite/Vulcanite screw-type beer bottle stopper
Until cir. 1960
Rare: GB
Vulcanite
Pat.: GB12942
Wooden screw stopper
Until cir. ???
Rare: GB
Wood
Pat.: GB ???
US230605 ? 
Earth-ware screw stopper from scotland
Until cir. 18xx
Rare: GB
Earthenware
Pat.: ?
Ebonite/Vulcanite screw-type beer bottle stopper
Until cir. 1960
Common: GB
Vulcanite
Pat.: GB1924-213852
EEbonite/Vulcanite screw-type beer bottle stopper, Riley-type, flat
Until cir. 1960
Common: GB
Very rare: BE, ZA, ZM
Riley form, Vulcanite
Pat.: GB1885-8198
Ebonite/Vulcanite screw-type beer bottle stopper
Until cir. 1960
Rare: GB
Vulcanite
Pat.: GB12942
Riley screw-stopper, wood, Britain
Until cir. ???
Rare: GB
Riley-Form, wood
Pat.: GB1885-8198
Earth-ware screw stopper, Scotland
Until cir. 18??
Rare: Scotland
Earthenware
Pat.: ?
modern crown cork, based on William Painter patent
Still used today
Very common: world-wide
Crown Cork: Painter
Pat.: US468258
DRP68350

FR370178
FR516241
DRP9962


Still used today
Common: USA
Twist-off Crown Cork
Pat. from 1988:
US4782969
Beer bottle closure made from cork, pre-1920
Until cir. 1910
Common: Europe, USA
Cork
Likely no Patent
belgian kork and wire cap - champagne-closure for beer
Still used today
Common: BE
Cork & Wire
Likely no Patent
kork'n'seal crown cork
Until cir.  ?
Rare: USA
"Kork and Seal"
Pat.: US1130783


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