“Pimlico Tobacco Works / Baltimore” snuff jar and associated broadside.
A COUPLE OF TRUE BALTIMORE SURVIVORS Almost a year ago, I received an email from a bottle club here in New England, asking for information on a grungy tobacco or snuff type bottle that was unearthed in Texas. The bottle immediately caught my eye, as it was one that I have never seen before. After 40 years of playing with bottles, a new discovery is thrilling, to say the least! I started doing some research, and very little was found, other than an old broadside.
I quickly contacted (through email) the owner of the bottle with the little information I had. No response, and this went on a few times, but the third time was the charm. They were a very small historical society in Texas, and were very excited to hear about how rare this dirty “PIMLICO TOBACCO WORKS / BALTIMORE” bottle was. They explained receiving the bottle from a local land owner who found it in the side of a riverbank. Instead of discarding the old bottle, the land owner gave it to
the county historical society, and they didn’t have any clue about it. Since this Baltimore-marked bottle (some 1300 miles away) wasn’t a local historical item, they said it might be for sale, which I was quite delighted to hear. Knowing the rarity of this item, I made a generous offer, which seemed a little overwhelming to them. It needed to be discussed with the board, and since we were in the midst of a pandemic, this meeting had to wait. Sigh. After a few months went by, I decided to revisit this, and begin the discussions May 2021
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