Fruit Jar Rambles: Collins, Wheaton & Luhrs

By Tom Caniff — Photos by Deena Caniff

COLLINS, WHEATON & LUHRS

Collins, Wheaton & Luhrs was first found listed in the1868 San Francisco city directory. Indeed, on Jan. 18, 1868, the company, consisting of Albert F. Collins, George Henry Wheaton, and Nicolas C. Luhrs, started running the ad in Figure A in the SANTA CRUZ [California] WEEKLY SENTINEL. The ad describes them as “Commission Merchants And Wholesale Dealers In Butter, Cheese, Lard, Hams, Bacon, &c. 219 Front Street.” There were some mistakes, however, and the ad was later corrected in the PETALUMA [California] WEEKLY ARGUS, June 4, 1868, to show A. F. Collins and N. C. Luhrs as being the two partners “Late with Dodge Bros. & Co.,” one of the precursors to Dodge, Sweeney & Co., 406 Front St., dealers in the same basic commodities as Collins, Wheaton & Luhrs. George W. Wheaton had previously been listed as a deputy city and county assessor.

Nine years later, the April 1877 billhead in Figure B reads “Collins, Wheaton & Luhrs, Commission Merchants and Wholesale Dealers in Provisions, 219 Front & 307 Sacramento Streets.” The aqua, ground-lip, wide-mouth, straddle-lip top-seal jar in Photo 1, embossed PACKED BY COLLINS, WHEATON & LUHRS S.F. across the front, with the base embossed MARCH 10th 1870, has been reported as identical to the 2 lb. and 4 lb. MASON’S IMPROVED BUTTER JAR. The jar’s lid, secured by a zinc screw band, is embossed MASON’S IMPROVED PAT MAY 10 1870. The jar is half-gallon in size. In 1999, a well-known auction house is reported to have sold one of these jars from the Alex Kerr collection for $2,750.

Support for assuming the company’s use of this particular style of COLLINS, WHEATON & LUHRS S.F. jar as a butter container may lie in the association of Collins and Luhrs with Dodge Bros. Dodge, Sweeney & Co. was founded in San Francisco by L. C. and Henry Lee Dodge in 1855 (or 1856), under the title of L. C. Dodge & Company. Over the years the company was also known as Dodge Bros.; Dodge & Shaw; Dodge Bros. & Co.; Dodge & Sroufe; and Sroufe, Sweeney & Co.; culminating in Dodge, Sweeney & Co., which was formed in 1875 (or 1876), and located at 406 Front Street. The company survived until at least 1921.

Figure C illustrates a jar used by Dodge, Sweeney & Co. for their butter. Embossed DODGE, SWEENEY & CO’S CALIFORNIA BUTTER, this widemouth, aqua glass jar has a ground lip, and its straddle-lip top-seal glass lid is also embossed MASON’S IMPROVED PAT MAY 10 1870 around two concentric circles.

FIGURE A: 1868 Collins, Wheaton & Luhrs advert. FIGURE B: 1877 Collins, Wheaton & Luhrs billhead.

PHOTO 1: PACKED BY COLLINS, WHEATON & LUHRS S.F.

By Tom Caniff — Photos by Deena Caniff

FIGURE C: DODGE SWEENEY & CO'S CALIFORNIA BUTTER jar. FIGURE D: 1882 billhead from WHEATON & LUHRS.

With Dodge, Sweeney & Co. using this jar for their California Butter, something with which Collins and Luhrs might well have been familiar, it seems quite possible that Collins’ and Luhrs’ new company might well have used the same style jar for their own butter.

Another jar used by Collins, Wheaton & Luhrs is shown in Photo 2. This jar, embossed PACKED BY COLLINS, WHEATON & LUHRS S.F. has a regular-size glass straddle-lip top-seal lid with three concentric circles around a mold number, and it is said to be identical to the VICTORY jars made in San Francisco, California, and as far as I know has only been reported in a half-gallon size.

The last directory listing for Collins, Wheaton & Luhrs was in 1878, and on Sept. 1, 1878, the DAILY ALTA CALIFORNIA, of San Francisco, reported a: “Change of Firm. The copartnership heretofore existing under the firm name of Collins, Wheaton & Luhrs is this day dissolved by mutual consent. Geo. H. Wheaton and N. C. Luhrs having purchased the interest of A F. Collins, will... continue under the firm name of Wheaton & Luhrs... San Francisco, August 31st, 1878.”

Figure D shows an 1882 billhead from Wheaton & Luhrs, Importers & Jobbers Of Provisions, 219 Front & 307 Sacramento Streets, San Francisco, Fine Grades Of Butter, Cheese, Hams, Bacon, Lard, &c.

Undated Photo 3 of Front Street, San Francisco, shows on the right, next to Castle Brothers, a partial view of a fairly unimpressive two-story building lettered near the top, “Butter & Chee__... Collins, Wheaton & Lu__.” But the groundstory has signage reading “Wheaton & Luh__ Hams Bacon Butter 219 [Front Street] Cheese Pork Lard.” Possibly it was just too much trouble for Wheaton & Luhrs to correct the upper sign, since Wheaton & Luhrs was, in a way, just a continuation of the founding firm.

Wheaton & Luhrs appears to have still been operating in September 1894, when the SAN FRANCISCO CALL announced the engagement of Miss Bessie Wheaton, “Daughter of George H. Wheaton of the firm of Wheaton & Luhrs, the well-known San Francisco commission merchants.” But things had changed by March 3, 1896, when the SAN FRANCISCO CALL listed them as “Wheaton, Luhrs & Co.,” consignees of goods on a steamship. The company line progressed by August 1900 to Wheaton, Breon & Co., then in 1901 to Wheaton, Pond & Harrold.

By Tom Caniff — Photos by Deena Caniff

PHOTO 3: WHEATON & LUHRS building at 219 Front Street.

PHOTO 4 (above): GLAS-BAREL OLIVES jar. PHOTO 5 (above right): Base of GLAS-BAREL OLIVES jar. PHOTO 6 (above right): Base of GLAS-BAREL OLIVES jar.

THE GLAS-BAREL JARS

Our offering, in Photo 4 shows an attractive clear (light amethyst) glass, smoothlip, barrel-shaped quart jar, 5 3/4” tall, base-embossed (Photo 5) GLAS-BAREL OLIVES FINEST QUALITY. The jar has a clear, 3” diameter, top-seal, glass lid (Photo 6), embossed EVERY BITE A DELIGHT GLAS-BAREL OLIVES SEVILLE SPAIN, and it is secured to the jar’s four quick-lock threads by a metal screw band, the threads of which are engaged by four metal lugs pressed in from the cap’s rolled bottom edge.

As far as I can find, the words “Glas-Barel” could be a brand or trademarked name, as it translates to nothing more than what sounds like in English, “Glass Barrel.” This creates a bit of a problem in researching this piece, as I can find no listings of “Glas-Barel Olives” anywhere. There are a number of listings for “Glass Barrel Olives,” which may relate to this jar, or they may just be describing unknown brands of olives sold in glass barrel-shaped containers.

The earliest pertinent newspaper ad found in the Newspapers.com archives of over 18,400 newspapers was found in the Oct. 23, 1925 edition of the EVENING NEWS, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which offered “$1.50 Glass Barrel Fancy Olives, special... $1.00.” But a potentially more likely candidate appeared about three years later, on Aug. 25, 1928, when the TAMPA BAY TIMES, of St. Petersburg, Florida, carried an ad by Nolen’s that included a “Quart Glass Barrel Spanish Olives... 49¢.” Of course, neither of these ads may cover our “Glas-Barel” jar, but the time period appears right.

The last ad appeared in the Jan. 22, 1932 LINCOLN (Nebraska) JOURNAL STAR, offering a “Quart Glass Barrel Spanish Olives... 49¢.” There was not a wide time span for glass barrel olive jars.

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CORRECTIONS —

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector wants to correct mistakes appearing in our magazine. If you believe we have made a mistake, please call us at 248.486.0530, or e-mail us at: jpastor@americanglassgallery.com

Aqua with Standing Indian ½ gallon size

I'm from Wytheville and really want this bottle. My family knew some of the Nye family! Will pay a "good price".

Larry Veneziano 27W115 Vale Rd. West Chicago, IL 60185 Email: LarryHH@Comcast.net

I would like to hear from anyone who has one, even if not for sale - thanks!