Kyle's Collection

grrl8trax said...


My brick collection is here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/grrl8trax/sets/72157626521273006/with/5623882964/

I have one that says D B Co without the CBMA stamp, wondering if it's Donnelly or Duffney or something. All were found in Boston or Newton, MA. I have Puritans, Stiles and Reynolds' and Don B's to trade for anything I don't have. I would be crazy enough to mail a brick to you if you would mail me one. I have one brick with an inverted 'S' the only mark on it, any clue what it is? Happy Bricking to all! Kyle K.

7 comments:

  1. Great photos, Kyle. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Hi folks,

    There's a pile of rubble in my neighborhood that's full of Hudson River bricks. Mostly Brockways, so let me know if you need any, but I also have found Rose Co, Morrissey, O'Brien and Vaughey and a couple others I haven't identified yet. See 'em here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/grrl8trax/sets/72157626521273006/with/5623882964/

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  3. Hi Kyle,
    I took a look at the "S" and the D B Co. I'm not familiar with the S, and our principal resource Graves' "Brick Brands of the United States" lists the brick in both a raised S and an embossed S, but no other information about it is given. It may be helpful to know where it was found and what other brick brands surrounded it. Is the "S" pressed in, or raised up?

    The D B Co, which I have found on the site of the Duffney Brick co. in Mechanicville, NY, has a rectangular shaped "D" . Yours has a more conventional shape. The Question becomes: Are the other, more conventioal DBCo s as yours, also Duffney or the product of another brick Co? Drury and its successor Densmore are located in nearby Vermont. Drury brick tend to show up in northeastern NY and the conventional letter styles of D B Co also tend to be found in NE NY.

    In my mind the "jury" is still out on the conventional lettered versions. If these brick show up on the site of the old Duffney site , that would bode well for determining the ID of that mark. Because so many NY made brick tend to be found in the New England states, it is difficult to reliably say, with certainty, whether the D B Co is NY or New England made.

    Fred.

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  4. Hi Fred, Thanks! The S is pressed in. I found it in Boston near Fenway Park. We have a huge plot of Victory Gardens which have been there since WWII and old bricks are always turning up buried in the gardens.

    I see what you mean about the D not being squarish. I expect we'll figure it all out some day. These DBCo bricks are common here. I've found a bunch and seen more around the gardens.

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  5. grrl8trax said...
    My brick collection. http://www.flickr.com/photos/grrl8trax/sets/72157626521273006/with/5623882964/
    I have Don B's. Puritans and Stiles and Reynolds' for trade. Looking for anything I don't have. Especially firebricks. Any guesses as to the provenance of the one with the inverted 'S' mark?

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  6. I think I found the provenance of the 'S' brick. In an 1897 book, "Somerville[Mass.], Past and Present," I read the following:
    "Somerville bricks are known as among the best in the eastern market, and, about three years ago, Mr. Sanborn wishing to mark a certain grade of his product, stamped the bricks with the letter S; this stamp has become well known in surrounding cities as well as Somerville, and is recognized as a guarantee for a superior grade of bricks."

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  7. Hi Kyle, How does the size of your "S" brick compare with, let's say, the WIDEMIRE, or the STILES? I'm trying to get a sense of whether its size may place it in a firebrick or a building brick category. Nice work ! - Fred

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