A Tilton Dandelion Bitters?

Courtesy of Joe Gourd, this trade card is the cat’s meow.

You’re my *huckleberry if you have one of these

Ralph Finch recently came across this auction item and writes: It is different, unusual, and of modest size … wait, that’s what Janet thinks about me.

A Cazenovia, N.Y., auction house, Wm. Morford, described it as Lot 91, 11.75 inches high, “a nice, early wicker-wrapped amber medicine bottle featuring beautiful label under glass advertising label for Tilton’s Dandelion Bitters. Label is clean and displays very well w/ minor haziness in outer background; w/ a little scattered wicker loss to outer protective wrap.”

In late August the Finches tried to soar, but we were an underbidder. It sold for $2,100 plus an 18 percent buyer’s premium. No, I’m not a bitters collector, but found it attractive. I also found only a modest amount of information about it, and most of what follows is courtesy of Ed and Kathy Gray of DuBois, Pa., Ferd Meyer of Peachridge Glass, and Carlyn Ring and W.C. Ham. One example is from GreatAntique- Bottles.com (Ed and Kathy Gray’s website), which described the bottle (previously sold privately) as: “TILTON’S DANDELION BITTERS on multicolored label under glass, cylindrical, amber, covered with wicker, 11 3/8” high, applied top, original metal stopper. Near perfect condition, a great example of this extremely rare bottle. Ex-Gardner collection Lot 2165, America circa 1870-80.”

The Ring/Ham listing is as follows: T 30 L … Tilton’s Dandelion Bitters

/ s // PATENT / b / DYOTTVILLE GLASWORKS PHILA 5 0

11 3/8 x 3 1/8 (6 3/8). Round, amber, LTCR, body is covered in wicker.

Label is reverse painted on glass. Drug catalogs: 1876-7, 1880 and 1885.

Bitters expert Bob Strickhart of New Jersey did a little research and reported that two times the bottle has sold, for “$935 in 1991 and $825 in 1993, respectively. I personally like the bottle and think it’s great. I’m not a label guy but this is nice. To me, the wicker makes it very cool.”

“It’s a great bottle; really rare,” said Ed Gray. “Until I heard of the Morford example, that’s the only one for years.” (See: E. Mishler Wild Cherry Bitters, a very similar bottle.)

On his Peachridge website, Ferd Meyer wrote: “I could not find any references to a Tilton’s Dandelion Bitters, but there are references to a Dr. J.C. Tilton’s Indian Balm Pills and Indian Balm Medicated Toilet Soap from Pittsburg (Pittsburgh). Dr. Tilton was also selling a D. Karsner’s Catarrh Remedy. I wonder if J. C. is our man? Interesting to note that Ed Gray is from the Pittsburgh area.”

Later, in 2015, www.peachridgeglass.com added: “Found the correct Tilton; this labeled example tells us: DR. TILTON’S

DANDELION BITTERS. ‘prepared under the supervison of J.A. Tilton, MD, Newburyport, Mass.’ and ‘entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1868, by James A. Tilton, in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of Massachusetts’.”

*And, courtesy of Wikipedia: In the movie Tombstone, “One of the most iconic parts of the entire film is the line ‘I’m your huckleberry,’ which is, of course, said by Doc Holliday. It’s likely that the line means ‘I’m your man,’ in reference to a challenge. It might also be a reference to Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. He is the sidekick to Tom Sawyer.”

Trade card king Joe Gourd of Winfield, Ill., offered: “This is what I have for Ham/Ring T 28 Tilton’s Bitters. Can’t say for certain that this is made by the same company that put out Ham/Ring T 30 Tilton’s Dandelion Bitters. Main one says Dr. Tilton and the other doesn’t. Neither my trade card nor Tilton’s Dandelion Bitters mention where they where manufactured to help us with identification. There is also a Dr. Tilton’s Ham/ Ring T 28 Compound Dandelion Bitters prepared by James A. Tilton, M.D. of Newburyport, Mass. Hope your research helps to clear up some of the confusion associated with these bitters.

“My trade card is a die cut. The reverse carries an additional advertisement for C.H. Richardson’s Cough Drops. This matches Ham/Ring T 28 Compound Dandelion Bitters prepared by James A. Tilton, M.D., and Ham/Ring T 29.5 Dr. Tilton’s Bitters / C.H. Richardson / Newbury POT (Pottery). My guess is that they are all made by the same company.”

Another Dandelion Bitters is from the Beggs Manufacturing Co., which put out a wide variety of medicines and remedies such as Beggs Hair Renewer, Beggs Blood Purifier & Blood Maker, Beggs Soothing Syrup, Beggs Cherry Cough Syrup, Beggs Tropical Oil, Beggs Vegetable Liver Pills, Beggs German Salve, Beggs Diarrhea Balsam, Beggs Royal Tooth Soap, and Beggs’ Dandelion Bitters.

The reverse of the card shown on the previous page advertises Richardson’s Cough Drops.

LEFT: Ed and Kathy Gray’s example has the original stopper. Lot 2165 sold for $275 at Bob Skinner’s 1975 auction of the Charles Gardner auction. The 2870 sticker on the stopper refers to Charles’s number. ABOVE: Close-up of the Tilton's label. BOTTOM: Beggs' Dandelion Bitters ad.