A Visit From Old Saint Nick

We all need a little Christmas, right this very minute

It’s been a tough year. In many ways, which I will not remind us all of, it’s been a really difficult year. However, it’s the Christmas season and even if you are not a Christian celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, my wish for you is that you may enjoy this end-of-the-year season when hopefully we can all experience a little bit of the spirit of “peace on earth and good will toward all.”

If I may for a few moments, I would like to take you back to a time when things were, at least for me, so much more simpler. When I was a youngster, we looked forward to Christmas with great enthusiasm. I’d get a break from school, there would be cousins and other family to visit with, and, of course, there would be the gifts under the tree. Dad actually got the day off, and because he was my best friend, that was very, very cool.

The tree in our house always had bubble lights and tinsel, and my Lionel trains ran underneath. We weren’t rich, but my Dad always made sure we had nice gifts. For me, one of those gifts always included something new for the train layout. There was a late November ritual, you would always get a new Lionel catalog from the hardware store and then you would dream. I think my Dad somehow listened to those dreams very carefully as it seemed he always knew what it was I dreamt most of. How could he possibly know that the Tie Jector Car and the Bosco car were at the top of the list? But he did. We weren’t rich, but we were happy. I know now how lucky I was to be brought up in that kind of world. To make that world even better, we lived upstairs from Uncle Herman, because that’s what you did in those days, you sort of kept things in the family. In a previous article, I mentioned my Uncle Herman, who lived downstairs with Aunt Elsa. He was really a great uncle by blood, and we spent many days together in my youth.

Uncle Herman was, in fact, a true sailor from Germany, and one of my heroes. He started his long sailing career as a cabin boy to the captain on an early sailing vessel. That deal was struck, I was later told, because his family could not afford to keep him at an early age. Many years later, when the ship was in port in New York City, Uncle Herman, now a veteran sailor, decided it was time to go ashore and start that part of our family tree here in New Jersey.

Tales of going around the Horn and of far away exotic ports were among the wonderful stories Uncle Herman would explain in great detail to me, and I thought they were great adventures. And so now, to tie this all together, let me explain that it was at the Christmas season that first I heard the name and learned about Sinterklaas from my Uncle Herman.

"Yup, that's your author and his best friend in the world at Christmas with Lionel Trains under the tree."

In the 4th Century, Nicholas of Myra became a bishop. He became the patron saint of many, including Russia and Greece. Most importantly to Uncle Herman, Nicholas was also the patron saint of sailors. His kind acts were well known and led to legends of miracles performed for the poor and needy. When researching St. Nicholas, one miracle I found included restoring life to three boys who had been cut up by a butcher and thrown into a vat of brine. Good Grief!

Further research shows he was also the patron saint of children and unmarried girls. He reportedly once paid the way for three young girls out of poverty who would have been forced into prostitution.

Many churches were named for St. Nicholas, but his popularity waned throughout Europe after the period of time known as the Reformation, except in Holland, where his reputation as a generous miracle worker persisted. Sinterklaas was the Dutch version of St. Nicholas, and it was the Dutch immigrants who brought his legend with them when they settled New Amsterdam, or as we call it today, New York City. Sinterklaas morphed into Santa Claus, a jolly old fellow who rewarded youngsters with gifts for good behavior.

Actually, the fable also speaks of punishing bad children and even today we talk about getting coal in your stocking. My three kids always got one piece of coal in their stocking yearly to remind them that at times they weren’t, let us say, angels! Uncle Herman spoke of leaving shoes out at night and finding gifts in them the following morning at Christmas. Now, I’m not sure if all that is completely accurate, but there’s still a part of me that wants to believe in Santa thanks to Uncle Herman. Oh! Forgive me! I’m supposed to be writing about bitters bottles! Too easy, right? In the spirit of old St. Nicholas, let’s take a look at one of the neatest-shaped bitters bottles around.

There are, in fact, two sizes of the St. Nicholas Bitters. While both are very, very scarce, one is even more rare than the other. Bitters Bottles Supplement #1 by Carlyn Ring and Bill Ham list the two as follows:

S 16 f // ST ( sd ) / NICHOLAS ( sd ) / STOMACH ( sd ) / BITTERS (sd ) // f // IMPORTED ( sd ) / BY ( sd ) / GENTRY ( sd ) / & OTIS, (sd ) / N.Y. ( sd) //

9 3/8 x 3 3/8 x 3 (7 3/8) 5/16

Tapered rectangular, amber, LTC, applied mouth, rough pontil mark and metallic pontil mark, extremely rare.

TMS 388, WIL 19cMed p80

S 16 is larger and much rarer than the smaller S 17 bottle. Most S 16 examples are heavily etched and damaged. An example was found in an estate in Texas, and examples were dug in New Orleans.

S 17 f // ST ( sd ) / NICHOLAS ( sd ) / STOMACH ( sd ) / BITTERS (sd ) // f // IMPORTED ( sd ) / BY ( sd ) / GENTRY ( sd ) / & OTIS, (sd ) / N.Y. ( sd) //

7 1/2 x 2 3/4 x 2 1/2 (5 3/4) 3/8

Tapered rectangular, amber, LTC, rough pontil mark and metallic pontil mark, very rare. A number of examples were dug in San Jose, California. Example found in Lake Tahoe.

By now, if you’re reading carefully, you’re wondering where in the world was this bitters made. I was able to find an advertisement dated Nov. 10, 1858 in a Texas newspaper, but the same Gentry and

LEFT: An early ad for St. Nicholas Stomach Bitters depicting a labeled bottle.

Otis combination shows up as wholesale grocers in New York City, also in 1858. The bottles themselves, with their wild pontils and that “early amber” coloration, bear truth to that timeline as pre-Civil War bottles. When you read carefully the notes in Bitters Bottles, it speaks of bottles being found in California, Texas and New Orleans. Furthermore, I have personal knowledge of an example of this bottle being dug in, of all places, lower Jersey City, N.J., my hometown just across the river from the Big Apple. Let us not forget that the bottle is embossed N.Y. as well. At any rate, you be the judge. The bottom line is that it is truly a wonderful early bottle.

The first time I ever handled this bottle in person was at the FOHBC Expo in Toledo. If my memory serves me correctly it was under dome-shaped glass on the table of friends of mine, Dian and Wes from New England. What a crude, early thing it was, and I remembered how I thought it would be so cool to own one someday. Later on, when I produced my price guide in the late 1980s through the 2010 period, I realized how difficult a quest it was, as only one sale of the S 16 large size St. Nicholas was recorded.

Even the more available smaller S 17 only had five recorded auction sales during that period. For the record, the S 16 brought $9,360 in March of 2010 and had been in the Greer collection. While damaged examples of the S 16 realize a bit short of $1,000, a cleaned but perfect example realized over $3,400 in 1998 and a nice example with a possibly buffed corner reached $2,223 in 2010.

Private sales aside, this is a bottle you just don’t get many chances at. I have to tell you that I know I am one of the luckiest guys in the world to be able to have both sizes in undamaged condition on my shelf. The larger S 16 has a wild open pontil and I think is more towards the yellow end of the color wheel. These wedge-shaped beauties are really top shelf for me.

With the help of a post in Peachridge, as well as Jim Schmidt, who once wrote for this magazine, and Ralph Finch, ex-newsman extraordinaire, I was able to come up with and share with you now an ad which was actually the label for this bottle. Yes, it really does show Sinterklaas on his way down the chimney with his sack which contains, yes, you guessed it, a bottle of St. Nicholas Bitters.

But this is Christmas and, if I may, I’d like to ask you to read carefully the poem on the following page, which I heard for many years as a child around the Christmas Yuletide Season. I so clearly remember my mom had a Perry Como album with this poem fit in between many Christmas standards on a 33 1/3 longplaying album. I still play it yearly, but in CD form.

You have heard the poem before but it is important for you to read it again, this time letting the feeling of peace and better times soak into you. You know the poem, it was written in 1822 by an anonymous author. A friend of that author who wished to remain in the shadows sent the poem to the New York Sentinel, who first published it two days before Christmas in 1823. It was a big hit! It wasn’t until 1844 that Clement Clark Moore stepped forward and took the rightful credit for his work. Interestingly enough, he changed our perception of St. Nicholas, as before this poem Santa had never been associated with a sleigh with reindeers. To all of you, my dear bottle family, Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Advertisement from Galveston, Texas, for St. Nicholas Stomach Bitters.

Twas the Night Before Christmas or, A Visit from St. Nicholas

By Clement Clarke Moore

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads. And mama in her kerchief and I in my cap, Had just settled our brains for a long winters nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer

With a little old driver, so lively and quick I knew in a moment it must be Saint Nick More rapid than eagles his courses they came And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name

“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! on, Cupid! on Donner and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now Dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky So up to the house top the coursers they flew With a sleigh full of toys, and Saint Nicholas too.

And then in a twinkling, I heard on the roof The prancing and pawing of each little hoof. As I drew in my head, and was turning around, Down the chimney Saint Nicholas came with a bound

He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot, And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot A bundle of toys he had flung on his back And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack. His eyes - how they twinkled! his dimples how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His drool little mouth was drawn up like a bow, And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath. He had a broad face and a little round belly, dThat shook when he left like a bowlful of jelly

He was chubby and plump. a right jolly old elf, And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself! A wink of his eye and a twist of his head, Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk. And laying his finger aside of his nose, And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle And away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight, “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

"Guess who that is with old St. Nicholas?" asks Bob Strickhart.

This image shows the opposite sides of the two St. Nicholas Bitters.

RIGHT: Close up of the larger R/H #S16 example. Both examples, the large S-16, as well as the smaller S-17, have the unique wedge design. LEFT: Both St. Nicholas Bitters decked out for Christmas.