Take a Sip with Jack the Ripper and The Krays? Have You Got the Bottle?!

LONDON, June 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271514603274

A unique bottle found laying on the surface of the mud in the River Thames estuary is being sold on eBay with a starting bid of £2000 ($3350). The eBay listing has been specifically created by ThamesLark - an upcoming company providing merchandise and experiences inspired by the river Thames http://www.thameslark.com also http://www.facebook.com/thameslark

The sale will donate 10% to charities Crisis - the UK's National Charity for Single Homeless People and Mind - the National Association for Mental Health in the UK.

So what's so special about this bottle? Firstly its uniqueness and secondly, its original home. This small spirit bottle or flask is dated around 1880 and comes from the notorious Blind Beggar pub in Mile End, London.

If it were possible to take the East End crime history of one of the world's most infamous and notorious pubs and bottle it - this sale would be it! The bottle listed was found laying on the surface of the mudflats of the River Thames estuary - a casual find made by a passer by, having recently been washed up/eroded out after more than 130 years. Its journey began at the Blind Beggar Inn - Mile End, London in the 1880's, the pub itself having been established in the 1600's and giving its address as 173 Whitechapel Road. This Inn was possibly an establishment frequented by Jack the Ripper and his victims around the mid to late 1880's. The landlord was listed as Tom Harwood. In 1894 the Inn was rebuilt and the later pub stands today giving its address as 337 Whitechapel Road. The later Blind Beggar pub was the hangout of the Kray twins and the site of the murder of rival gang member George Cornell. Read about the history of both establishments on the internet which also gives some excellent insight into the history of the original pub from which this bottle came. Sometime between 1880 and the establishment of the new pub on the former site, this bottle found its way some 30 miles downstream to the River Thames estuary, the area of the gruesome Prison Hulks of Charles Dickens Great Expectations and an area rife with smuggling. All of this history is literally reflected in the bottle itself. The fantastic bubble inclusions within its misty glass create a unique and frozen snapshot of 130 years of time. This bottle is unique! You will not find another like it, hence the interest and the publicity this item is attracting. A superb investment and great story! There is no damage to this item and it is presented as found by the finder having conducted extensive research into its history and uniqueness. There is some slight iridescence within the bottle, the effects of being in the mud for 130 years plus but this adds to the character. The dimensions of the bottle are length: 180mm width: 79.3mm depth: 53.1mm. Weight: 258g. Colour is aqua/green.

The eBay listing can be found here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271514603274