Antique Bottle & Glass Collector by Ferdinand Meyer V

February 2021

$4.00

The Gettysburg Spring Company and Its Bottles w PAGE 29

IN THIS ISSUE:

Badger’s Dump, Part II w PAGE 6

Painted Demijohns w PAGE 13

George Washington: American Cincinnatus? w PAGE 40

The Best Bitters in America w PAGE 42 Th e M ag a z i ne Th at K e e p s Yo u I n f o r me d !

Seeking quality consignments for our 2021 auction schedule!

American Glass Gallery

As a consignor, consider these benefits to help ensure your valued items reach their highest potential: w Competitive consignor rates and low buyer premiums w Broad-based and extensive advertising w Experience, knowledge, honesty and integrity w Attention to detail and customer service

These quality items and many more, will be included in our upcoming March, 2021 Auction.

American Glass Gallery • John R. Pastor • P.O. Box 227, New Hudson, Michigan 48165 phone: 248.486.0530 • www.americanglassgallery.com • email: jpastor@americanglassgallery.com

VOLUME 37, #10 • February 2021 FRONT COVER:

AB&GC contributing columnist Kevin Sives walks us through the rich and storied history of Gettysburg and the Gettysburg Katalysine Water that bears the town's name. Read all about it beginning on page 29.

Publisher John R. Pastor

In This Issue:

Editors: Ralph Finch Bill Baab Jodi Hall

Letters to the Editor........................................................................... 2

Managing Editor Libby Smith The Medicine Chest John Panella Joe Widman American Historical Flasks Mark Vuono New England Review Mike George Bitters Columnist Bob Strickhart Spouting off on Mineral Waters Donald Tucker Contributing Writers: Ralph Finch Kevin Sives Design, Layout & Production Jake Pluta

ANTIQUE BOTTLE & GLASS COLLECTOR (ISSN 8750-1481) is published monthly by Antique Bottle & Glass Collector, P.O. Box 227, New Hudson, MI 48165-0227. Annual Subscription $35.00 at periodical rates, $49.00 at First-class rates and $4.00 per single copy. Canadian (First-class rate available only) $54.00 (in U.S. Funds). Overseas rates please inquire. Published by Antique Bottle & Glass Collector, PO Box 227, New Hudson, MI 48165-0227. Periodicals Postage is paid at New Hudson MI and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to ANTIQUE BOTTLE & GLASS COLLECTOR, PO Box 227, New Hudson, MI 48165-0227. PH: 248.486.0530; Fax: 248.486.0538, Email: jpastor@americanglassgallery.com, Website: www.americanglassgallery.com. © Copyright 2021 all rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any way without written permission from the publisher.

Heard it through the Grapevine......................................................... 4 The Badger’s Dump, Part II................................................................ 6 Painted Demijohns........................................................................... 13 Fruit Jar Rambles: The Little Beef Jars............................................. 17 Classified Advertisements................................................................. 22 Show Calendar.................................................................................. 26 Gettysburg Katalysine Water............................................................ 29 A Big Man in Idaho Springs............................................................. 35 There is Sickness at the Smithsonian............................................... 39 George Washington: American Cincinnatus?.................................. 40 Medicine Chest: The Best Bitters in America.................................. 42

Coming in March: The Wearin' of the Green, by Bob Strickhart Rare Stoneware Bottle from a Pennsylvania Ghost Town, by David Graci When is a Star not a Star? by Chuck Bukin Fruit Jar Rambles, by Tom Caniff Medicine Chest: My Second Shelf, by John Panella and Joe Widman And other very cool stuff! February 2021

LETTERS

to the Editor

Advertisement for Fine Flint Glass Bottles Hi, John, Here is an item (at left) that I saw recently on eBay. As you see, it is an interesting promotion for a large, 2 1/2 gallon flint glass British bottle. Best to you, Dick Sheaff Bethel, Vermont

British ad sent in by Dick Sheaff

I think the jar column is going to go under sometime in mid-2021, but I have said that before. I think I’ve just about reached the end on my tether though.

Unusual Trademarks

Ralph and Janet, hang in there, and maybe we’ll yet see you at another show.

Hello John,

Thanks, Peter B. Samuelson Intervale, New Hampshire

Thinking Back, and Thinking Forward Chief AB&GC Editor Ralph Finch assembles readers’ memories and good wishes. On a recent winter day, Tom Caniff of Steubenville, Ohio, sent this email:

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

Like everyone else, we’re hoping to see the end of this virus, but truth to tell, everyone dies and in the end it probably doesn’t matter whether the culprit is Crohn’s disease, COPD, or some goofy virus. It’s been a good run.

Editor’s note: That is a very interesting ad. This English glass manufacturer, J. Dunlop Mitchell & Co., must have had a niche market for these large store display bottles. We would love to see one of their bottles!

In my bottle collection are two crown top spring water bottles with odd embossed trademarks (at left). One bottle is from Crystal Spring Bottling Co., Barnet, Vermont; the other is from Lovers Leap Co., Lynn, Massachusetts. Perhaps the readership could tell me what the odd trademark designs represent.

Readers, any insights n these trademarks?

Since I’m not actively collecting, just maintaining the remnants of our 46-year accumulation, I don’t miss the bottle shows as such very much, but do miss seeing our surviving friends of long standing, such as Ralph and Janet. I do remember them in my prayers, but that’s not the same as having a chance to sit and visit and complain.

We’re still getting older day by day, but no new problems have appeared that we’ve haven’t had for some time. Trying to stay home as much as possible.

— Tom and Deena To Tom and Deena, Ralph replies: Fifty years of knowing you two … well, the memories of good bottles and much laughter could fill a book. I remember the day, maybe 35 years ago?, when my house caught on fire and you were the fire chief of Steubenville. I remember calling you and asking if you made home delivery with your trucks. It was extra-coincidental, since we were only hours away from heading off to your Steubenville bottle show. The coincidences continued. While you are the No. 1 jar historian, Chicago’s Jerry McCann, who had possessed perhaps the No. 1 jar collection in the world, was at my house when the fire broke out (I was at work). No, Jerry didn’t cause the fire and was the one who called the fire department, our fire department. Yes, so many good memories of so many good people. I just picked up a 1983 copy

LETTERS

to the Editor

of a bottle magazine I wrote for (Antique Bottle World) and there were photos of so many great people: Roy Brown, Norman Heckler, Barry Hogan, John Panek, Jim Mitchell, etc.

Late Delivery of Magazines Unfortunately, many readers are experiencing late delivery of their magazines. This has impacted both the December as well as January issues. It seems as though timely delivery of the October issue has been impacted as well. We apologize for any delays in delivery that some readers may be experiencing.

And pictures of people now gone: Bill Pollard, Jayne Blaske, Hal Wagner, Jean Garrison. And perhaps one of my favorite photos was when I snapped Charles and Mark Vuono and Paul Richards, all sitting at a picnic table outside of Bob Skinner’s auction house in Bolton, Mass. Memories …

We pride ourselves on meeting production deadlines and in delivering each month’s issue to the post office in a timely manner. December, January, as well as this current issue, have been printed and delivered to the post office on schedule. Unfortunately, we have no control once they are in the postal system.

My suggestion to all collectors: Tomorrow, pick up the phone and call some old friends, and remind them of all the good times we shared. Nothing lasts forever.

Calling the Past To Mr. Pastor, Sometime ago I came upon a few wellpreserved Chicago newspapers from 1884. Included here are some pictures of pitched products, including Madam Sonalea's English Milkweed and Nut Oil and The Harden Hand Grenade Fire Extinguisher. Beginning from the top, I really admired “The Belle of Baltimore” image that graced the ad for Mme. Carroll. This beauty and age-defying product is heavenly described to tempt all wishing for flawless complexions. And who wouldn’t want the best? I find it comical that a youthful woman was illustrated, as she probably had no need to buy the product. Hopefully she received residuals for her likeness, adding beauty to a topical mixture that couldn’t deliver beauty. The second picture includes a bit more history to savor. Although there was another Harden Hand Grenade Fire Extinguisher ad in the same paper, and both

The U.S. Postal Service has the following banner message on their website:

TOP: The Belle of Baltimore ad. ABOVE: The Harden Hand Grenade ad.

mention a telephone in service at the sales location, this one actually gives the phone number 660 to call if placing orders. I found this to be fairly sophisticated as early as 1884, but then again, the city of Chicago had to keep up with the times due to influx of business via population.

ALERT: USPS IS EXPERIENCING UNPRECEDENTED VOLUME INCREASES AND LIMITED EMPLOYEE AVAILABILITY DUE TO THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19. WE APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE. Timely magazine delivery is suffering greatly due to the postal delays. We have been in communication with the post office and are working with them to try and mitigate the delivery issues. In the meantime, we appreciate your patience. — John Pastor

Jersey Dan Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey February 2021

Heard it through the

Grapevine A Goblet Dated 1697? We’d be gobsmacked to own this Cheers, from Ralph Finch

Mac Leod, The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, Vol. 103 (1973). Up to this time this was the earliest known dated piece of Irish glass.

Selling December 8 at Gorringes auction house, located in Lewes, England, was: “A rare documentary Irish wheel engraved lead glass goblet, dated 1697, attributed to Odaccio’s Glasshouse, Dublin. The rounded funnel bowl engraved with numerous “M’’ family member initials within laurel wreaths, possibly for the Martin family, and the inscription “I : PRAY TO GOD BLESS THEM : ALL’’ above a *merese and angular inverted baluster stem, on an incomplete conical foot, 17.5 cm (6.88 inches) high, with a Victorian fitted rosewood & pewter inlaid box. It is from the Andrew Rudebeck collection.

“Interestingly, senior members of the Chichester family held the title of Earl of Donegall, Ireland and the current Parliament House in Dublin is built on the site of the former Chichester House named after Sir Arthur Chichester (1606-75). The former owners of the goblet had a box specially fitted and velvet-lined to house the glass, as the foot of the glass had been broken.” The goblet was estimated at £1,000 to £1,500, and sold for £9,500 plus a buyer’s premium ($12,566 U.S.)

“The foot is broken and large sections are lacking. A museum-style fitted perspex base has been made so that the goblet can be displayed standing up. There are visible striations to the glass bowl and some impurities in the stem. “See R.J. Charleston, English Glass and the Glass Used in England, where the author references a glass engraver, Joseph Martin living in Fleet Street, Dublin, opposite the Golden Ball, who was the only person employed at the glassworks in Fleet Street employed in the profession, and left to set up his own business in 1735. It is possible that Martin learnt the craft of engraving from a previous generation of his family who engraved the goblet in this lot with the initials of the Martin family members. The evidence that engraving on glass in Dublin preceded 1735 is a drinking glass which bears the roughly engraved inscription Lord Arch Bishop of Dublin 1715, decorated with similar laurel branches to our goblet (see The Earliest Dated Irish Drinking Glass, Dublin, 1715, Catriona

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

A similar small wine glass, dated 1680-90, sold by Bonhams, London, in the A.C. Hubbard Collection of Important English and Dutch Glass, Lot 2, sold for £25,000, with closely related engraving of laurel branches and lettering, inscribed “GOD SAVE THE QVEEN’’ which originated from Hall Estate, Barnstaple, Devon, the seat of the Chichester family.

“Similar stem fragments with a merese above an inverted baluster have been found in excavations at Rathfarnham Castle near Dublin dating to the late 17th Century. Colin Brain has undertaken extensive research on glass made in Dublin and has written about sixteen similar stem fragments excavated in the British Isles that share these features. He says: “Fourteen of these were found in excavations in, or near Dublin. That one of the stems was found during the excavation on the glasshouse site strengthens their identification with Odaccio. John Odaccio (Formica) was one was one of three people named in a glass patent for Ireland issued in 1675 and is thought to have operated in Dublin into the 1690s.

More about Gorringes (edited): Located at 15 North St., Lewes, UK (http://www. gorringes.co.uk) its “business began in the 1920s. Gorringes has grown and expanded in both infrastructure and reach. Gorringes has auctioned several notable lots and items, including a collection of Jane Austen artifacts sold to the Jane Austen House Museum in 2013. Gorringes has conducted 510 online auctions in its most popular departments — automobillia, books, coins, entertainment memorabilia, medals, textiles, toys, and stamps. “Among the staff, several are members of the prestigious Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors or have history working with the organization.” (Let’s see anyone on John Pastor’s staff make that claim.) Editor’s note: For those readers as uneducated as I am, the dictionary says: “Merese definition: (on a stemmed glass) a flat, sharp-edged knop joining the stem to the bowl or foot.”

Heard it through the

Grapevine Read the Small Print Comments by Ralph Finch

Antique Bottle Collection? By Ralph Finch Well, that’s what the auction house offered Dec. 25 when it listed “Lot 25U: An Antique Bottle Collection with 15 great vintage pieces, est. value $125$150.” Honest, that’s what it said, alongside the image of … cullet in a box? The auction house, Baker’s of Bohemia, N.Y., added: “Request more information.” I was tempted to request: “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?” So, readers, what do you think this “collection” is worth? Assuming they ship this (rhymes with ship) stuff free, I think it’s worth … Well, the clear soda bottle in the dead center is worth possibly a buck to a 12-year-old beginning collector. I think the real value of this future cullet is as a really, really, really bad joke. Consider: If you can buy this vintage trash for $1 and have it sent to, say, Norman Heckler or Jim Hagenbuch, but don’t sign your name. Can you imagine how confused they would be? If you do it, don’t mention my name, or I’ll likely find coal (at the very least) in next December’s stocking. Janet says I will deserve it.

Recently I was looking at an auction house’s listing and noted the “small print,” which stated (word for word): “All descriptions are visual opinions based on the Auction house’s experience and do not warrant as a guarantee. Condition is appropriate to age of the item. The absence of a condition report does not imply that the lot is free from damage and wear. Please review all pictures posted on this listing. We encourage all buyers to request a condition report and/or additional photos prior to bidding on any lot as ALL ITEMS ARE SOLD AS-IS, WHERE IS.” In other words, a lawyer has apparently freed the auction house from ANY responsibility for anything it is selling. Have you ever read anything like that with any of the glass sold by the major auction houses? Nope.

And that is one of their great strengths. (Of course, that is one of the reasons that all of the heads of the glass auction houses are going gray — or have no hair at all.) Dealing with bottle collectors can be a hassle. Many glass collectors want, no demand, that the glass they buy is as perfect if not better than when it was made 150 years ago. Ask how many of these auction chiefs have had to accept the return of a piece of glass from someone who has taken a 100X microscope to a piece of 200-yearold glass and found an unlisted grain of sand in the bottle. We are fortunate to be dealing with Pastor, Hagenbuch, Heckler and others who give us faith in who we are dealing with and what we are purchasing. I know I am pleased with them. I also know what it is to buy something from someone (often on eBay), and when you get it there are major discrepancies with the descriptions.

If You’re Looking for Something Different For the bottle collector who also “digs” cars, the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) in Baltimore (website: www.avam.org), may just have one up on the other museums: a bottle-covered classic car. Leave it to them to find a new and inspiring use for Bromo Seltzer and Phillips’ Milk of Magnesia bottles. While the AVAM Museum may not have caviar taste in bottles, its website indicates that it specializes in the “preservation and display of outsider

art.” It is located in Baltimore’s Federal Hill neighborhood at 800 Key Highway. AVAM artists, the museum boasts, include “farmers, housewives, mechanics, the disabled, the homeless, all inspired by the fire within.” February 2021

Badger works carefully behind a recently unearthed A.H. Reinbold bottle from Bethlehem.

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

At the Badger’s Dump, Part II Last month we started our journey down the rabbit hole with Rick and the gang. The bottles were flowing as the diggers kept going deeper. Now stay with us for the exciting conclusion. By Rick Weiner Danger! Danger! Rick warns us never to dig alone.

adger had invited me to do some dump stomping on the upcoming weekend. He had also invited some friends from up the line to join in on the dig. He mentioned the Jim Thorpe boys. The plan was for us to all meet up at 8 a.m. Saturday at the dump.

These plans usually never fall into place as envisioned. I forgot that my main digging shovel had been snapped in half on a recent dig. Badger was prying a huge rock from the top of the dump and it rolled down the ash mountain at breakneck speed, almost hit me, but hit my shovel instead. It cracked the fiberglass handle in half. So now I had a handle and a shovel head, not an acceptable digging tool. I had to go to Cantelmi’s, a local hardware store, before the dig and get a replacement. Badger called and said that the Jim Thorpe boys, “Lil Digger,” “Big Digger” and “Ole Digger,” would be late also. That is what you call a happy digging family.

I guess they got tied up on the home front for a half hour or so. These circumstances meant Badger would end up going to the dump by himself and start digging until all of us slackers got there. Badger would always say, “I know why everyone is always late. So I can dig a deep hole, closer to the bottles.” I cannot say I haven’t been guilty of that trick before. The Badger is a digging machine. He will dig fifteen feet by himself and hit bottles. But digging alone is a dangerous game. The walls are not stable and if the vibrations around you get to be too much, down come the walls like an ash tsunami. If you are not on your toes you could get buried. It is part of the risk if you are willing to dig deep. Like I said at the beginning, this dump was dug by other diggers for 35 years so it always takes some work and a strategy to get to the good bottles. As I pulled up to the dump there was no one around. Oh, wait, I thought I saw a

head pop up from a freshly started hole. I slowly walked over, being as quiet as I could and said “What’s up, prairie dog?” His head snapped sideways and he just scowled and said, “Bite me.” With all the joking out of our system, I asked if he had gotten into any good pockets? He was only down five feet into the ash, but it was still the “dug layer.” The newbies digging at Badger’s dump would not quite understand that terminology. To show the Digger family that was coming today what that meant, Badger left a 16-inch Firestone radial tire sticking out of the ash for a present. Remember he is not very deep! It is very depressing for the newcomer who wants to find bottles right away to see this horrible sight. In most cases, you have to dig past the dug layer to an untouched area, a place no digger has ever been. I am pretty sure they didn’t have radial tires when this dump was first started. February 2021

At 10 a.m. the Digger family finally arrived. Lil Digger walked up to the hole Badger was in and said, “OMG, that’s a freaking crater! Find anything?” His excitement level was a ten. Badger pointed to the tire in slow motion. The disappointment on the kid’s face was priceless. I knew we would find bottles somewhere that day. Badger doesn’t leave this dump without bottles. Without hesitation he decided to try his luck elsewhere. Ole Digger walked closer to the road and decided that was going to be his spot for the day. The family followed suit. I decided to stick it out with Badger for a while and see if we could make magic happen in the Firestone hole. We were always digging deep because we knew the story of the dump and what we found in the past. You should always have that in the back of your mind so depression doesn’t set in. The Digger family was new to the dump and they just wanted to pick and scratch. Doing that you will only get what others didn’t want and tossed away. I looked over and I saw Lil Digger getting down in a hole about waist deep. Badger was ready to call a few of them over to let them try their luck in our deeper hole since they were guests. Then all of a sudden someone yelled out, “Oh, my God, I got heroin.” It was a cylinder-shaped amber bottle that read “Glycol Heroin.” It was a pretty cool bottle to dig from any dump. Badger and I were at the ten-foot mark and we had no bottles to show for it yet. I had that gut feeling that the hot action today would be near the road this time, and we wouldn’t be digging too deep to get into the glass action. It was a rare occurrence in this dump, but we would take it. Everyone else was pretty quiet for about half an hour but then, out of nowhere, I heard Ole Digger chirp out, “Hey, I got a Hutch and it’s yellow.”

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

On that note, Badger and I shot out of our hole like a couple of surface-to-air missiles! The spot that they were in must be an untouched vein. They probably rolled up in their horse-drawn trash wagons in the 1800s and dumped the trash right next to the dirt road. Then they worked their way back out of the dump. It seemed no one wanted to risk being seen digging right on the road in fear of being kicked out or locked up back then. But today we would swallow that fear because we were on a quest for old bottles. I joked and told Badger if a cop would show up I would say, “I don’t know any of you guys, I was just passing through.” He gave me that look that said, “Get the dirt moving, we have bottles to find.” Today was one of those rare occasions where I had to agree with Badger. Each of us picked a spot ten feet off the road and started to dig. We were in a clear view of anyone who passed by on the road, so now we were all a little uneasy. I knew that was why the bottles were being found in so shallow of a spot. No diggers before us wanted to take a chance and dig that close. When we dug in the middle area of the dump the brush gave us heavy camouflage. After about twenty minutes of digging, we would all forget about being in the wide open. It soon became like a big bottle party, no social distancing back then. Everyone was pulling out the old glass. Ole Digger and Big Digger had a pile of assorted Hutches scattered about. I had some blobs, squats and aqua tallboys. Badger was admiring a handful of marbles and a few embossed medicines. I saw the opportunity and said, “I thought you lost your marbles?” TOP LEFT: Dunn & Roebuck / New York. TOP RIGHT: Jas H Sheridan / Pharmacist. MIDDLE LEFT: Two Dr. King's New Discovery.

TOP: L. Carroll Hutch from South Bethlehem.

MIDDLE RIGHT: Gross Cereal from Philadelphia.

MIDDLE: A Daniel Ritter bottle appears.

BOTTOM LEFT: Badger becomes a cave man.

BOTTOM: The pit yields an A.W. Long blob.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Results of a good day of digging.

February 2021

Everyone was in bottle heaven. As we all were wandering around checking out each other’s cool finds, a car drove up next to us. “Hey, Badger, are you guys pulling anything good?” I had no idea at the time who this guy was but I was about to find out. He proceeded to park his car and join in on the digging uninvited. At first, I thought, what is one more digger going to hurt? I was very wrong with that assumption. What happened next would shut the whole operation down. The man that showed up that day was later dubbed “Jeffery Dumber.” When he began to dig, he claimed residence right on the road’s edge. Badger and I told him that it was not a good idea to dig so close because of a possible cave-in but he shrugged it off like it wasn’t important. We all just blocked him out and went about our business. About an hour had passed when I looked over and Jeffery was gone! He was nowhere to be seen. I decided to get out of my hole and see what was going on. As I walked over to the road I saw two nice colored Hutches on the ground near his spot. One was yellow, one green, but still no sign of him. What I saw next put me on point with the nickname I gave him. Jeffery Dumber was at least seven feet under the blacktop! I yelled out “OMG man, are you crazy?” He just rolled his eyes and replied “What? I’m finding bottles?” I ran back to the Badger’s hole and told him what was going on. Within a half hour of this debacle someone driving by had called the cops. The dig was shut down in the blink of an eye. The city called in a crew to close the road and to fill the side hole in with a backhoe so no cars would crack the blacktop and sink into the dump. TOP: A few of the day's discoveries. MIDDLE: A Heroin bottle emerges. BOTTOM: Lehn's Magic Liniment from Easton.

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

We got lucky with this one. We were not thrown out of the dump completely but were told never to dig close to the road again. That day we did get some really good bottles and we also learned a good lesson. Never let Jeffery Dumber on any of our digging spots in the near future. A little more on the dangers of cave-ins. There were times when this dump became a dangerous ash monster. Sometimes the cave-ins were enormous. Digging deep through the layers of ash that had already been dug by others over the years makes the walls unstable and the situation stressful. When we start to get down to the untouched layer, the odds of a cave-in significantly increase. I believe the diggers who dug there before we did felt this stress and stopped digging when things got iffy. So they left the booby traps for us! But we keep going despite the danger. This is not a dump to dig alone if you plan to dig deep. But these days digging deep is the only way you will put older bottles in your bag. You have to get down to the untouched layer. The danger comes when you are down in a smaller hole pulling out bottles with a fifteen-foot wall of ash over your head. The hole has to be very wide behind you so there is room to run back when the wave starts to come down. If not, you have just made a grave for yourself. Also, you have to watch the other guys while digging. Once you see bits of ash falling, however lightly, it’s time to jump back! If you cannot read dump warning signs it will swallow you up. I had a few close calls here and there, and vowed I would never dig at Badger’s dump again. But I keep coming back for more. I joke and say I don’t want to get buried over a TOC bottle. But if it were a colored pontiled soda, I might take a chance! That is all joke talk. In Badger’s dump, you have to dig safely or don’t dig at all. That also goes for any dump where you have to dig extremely deep to get to the real goodies.

As the years rolled by the Badger’s dump would continue to dish out good times and bad. There was talk from the city about digging out all of the ash and hauling it away to make room for an animal hospital at that location. Nothing has been done and four years have passed since we first heard about it. There were never any “No Trespassing” signs posted since we started digging there and the cops have always just driven by and left us alone. Some even stopped to talk to us about our bottle hobby, and seemed sincerely interested. Everything was fine until some idiot started digging under the road! Badger got smart and decided for the future not to make the dump a public spectacle. The more people, the more of a chance the ash dump will be shut down. We tried to keep it on the down-low, and I mean that literally. Most days it is just two people at a time digging at the dump. You always need someone to watch your

back for that trickling ash that taps you on the shoulder. Badger’s dump would become a love/ hate go-to spot for me. I would rather be digging a privy and everyone knows that. But I always break down and visit Badger’s dump. First of all, it’s a social event. The bottles are just an extra. But Badger’s dump corrects us – “You are full of crap! You know you want bottles.” I guess both hold true, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

D TOP: An array of multi-colored Hutches. RIGHT: Badger flings a shovelful of debris out of the hole, while Rick's broken shovel lies in the foreground.

February 2021

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Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

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What’s the Picture on

Painted Demijohns? At first, the Finches drew a blank, but now they brush up on maritime history By Ralph Finch

n the December issue of AB&GC, we wrote about a rare Dutch painted demijohn showing a historical AngloDutch sea battle. It was offered by a Chicago firm, and after a quick exchange of emails regarding the price, we raised the white flag. But, like the English say about buses, you wait forever for one and suddenly there are several. Regarding this Dutch demijohn, that’s not quite the story. But close. (Who knew there are so many demijohns honoring Admiral Tromp … or WHY?) Yes, the Finches collect big old demijohns with big old painted scenes. But that doesn’t mean we know what we are doing. We were sad to have not gotten the previous bottle, but you can imagine how excited we were, and very surprised, when at the end of November we got this email from a collector named Neil Haffey offering: “A demijohn, 20 inches high and 44 in circumference. It is not pontiled and has a slight kick-up; it has no nicks, cracks or scratches. The painting depicts the battle of Etna in the bay of Syracuse, near Sicily. It shows four ships (maybe five) in the midst of battle, complete with fire, explosions and two sailors hanging on to a floating timber.

How do you like them apples … and ships?

February 2021

“It depicts the sea battle in which Admiral Michiel de Ruyter was killed by a cannonball that severed his leg. He was on the ship ‘De Zeven Provincien.’ The battle pitted Spain and Holland against the French. I have seen many demijohns honoring Admiral Tromp, but this is the first I’ve seen honoring Ruyter. Overall it is a very nice, attractive bottle.” Yes, indeed, very attractive. And we wanted it, but buying in a category when you really aren’t too familiar is a challenge. As we told the seller what very little we knew: “With fifty plus years of collecting glass around the U.S. and in England, we have never met another collector of painted bottles. With the demijohn we got at a Heckler auction, Norman said there was only one other bidder.” We have twelve painted bottles, from nice to great, image-wise. And price-wise? We got two for $1,000 each from an auction house in Belgium, and they arrived in a huge box, with no damage! But, finally, we came to terms with Neil, and in time Admiral de Ruyter lowered anchor in the small but growing Finch fleet. And in more time, we learned a little more about Admiral de Ruyter. Editor’s note, edited from Wikipedia: The naval Battle of Agosta, also known as the Battle of Etna, took place on April 22, 1676 during the Franco-Dutch War and was fought between a French fleet of 29 man-of-war, five frigates and eight fireships under Abraham Duquesne, and a Dutch-Spanish fleet of at least 27 warships (17 Dutch, 10 Spanish) besides several frigates and five fireships, with a Spanish admiral in overall command and Dutch Lieutenant-Admiral-General Michiel de Ruyter commanding the squadron most involved in the fighting. TOP: These are new ships, great for use in movies. MIDDLE: A portrait of the admiral; A closeup view of the admiral on the demijohn. BOTTOM: The Finches found a place for the new prize to moor; Another look at the painted bottle.

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

The battle was intense. It ended when de Ruyter skillfully extracted his outnumbered squadron from being attacked on both sides by superior French numbers, without the loss of any ships, although de Ruyter himself was mortally wounded. Neither side lost a ship, so the result was tactically inconclusive. The scenes on the bottle in the December article, as on the new Finch acquisition, are apparently versions of the battle recorded in a painting, “Naval Battle of Agosta,” by Ambroise-Louis Garneray. Also edited from Wikipedia: Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter, March 24, 1607 – April 29, 1676, is regarded as one of the most skilled admirals in history. De Ruyter is arguably most famous for his achievements with the Dutch Navy during the AngloDutch Wars. He fought English and French forces and scored several critical victories. Often dubbed a Dutch folk hero, de Ruyter is said to have been beloved by his subordinates and seamen, and was commonly nicknamed bestevaêr (“grandfather”), a name still used to refer to him in Dutch media. During the Battle of Agosta, he was mortally wounded in the left leg by a cannonball. Clinging to life for a week, he died on April 29, 1676. On March 18, 1677, de Ruyter was given a full state funeral and buried in Amsterdam’s Nieuwe Kerk, a 15th-century church in Amsterdam located on Dam Square, next to the Royal Palace. The reel thing: In 2015, a Dutch film about the admiral was produced. Had we known how famous de Ruyter was (or how much money he would cost us) we would have visited his grave when the Finches were in Amsterdam. (And, I am embarrassed to admit, the first time I went to Amsterdam I visited the condom museum. Honest.) Comments or plans to keelhaul Finch can be sent to rfinch@twmi.rr.com TOP: The admiral was the subject of this Dutch movie, which can be found (with subtitles) on YouTube. BOTTOM: A close-up of the demijohn’s “label” reads “Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter.” Thank goodness, I was afraid it might say “Made in Occupied Japan.”

February 2021

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

Fruit Jar Rambles Extra By Tom Caniff — Photos by Deena Caniff

THE LITTLE BEEF JARS Collecting fruit jars sounds pretty limiting but still, specializing within those boundaries opens up wide possibilities. One can concentrate on specific sizes of jars, on amber jars, on pre-1900 jars, on jars made in a particular state, or on jars with unique patented closures. There are numerous choices. One area category that appears to receive short shrift, however, is the small baseembossed vacuum-closure jars that came into vogue around 1900, ushered in by the EASY VACUUM fruit jars made to use the July 11, 1892 patented clamp granted to Franz Guilleaume and Edwald Goltstein, of Bonn, Germany, to hold on a metal cap. Figure A shows an ad from the July 1898 LADIES’ HOME JOURNAL, featuring one of the EASY VACUUM jars with its metal press-on cap. The bizarre thing is that the noted July 11, 1892 patent applied to a three-armed wire clamp that was possibly never produced; no patent claims were made for the metal press-on cap. True, the little beef jars featured here, and their kin, aren’t what we generally think of when the subject of fruit jars arises, but they are basically the same as many of the small jelly jars, legitimate first cousins to the fruit jars. Part of the stigma surrounding these tiny second cousins is that they’re base-embossed, and just like the wax seal fruit jars, that makes them less exciting to display. But when you find one with an original label, their history shines forth and their personalities blossom. Possibly the earliest of the small vacuumclosure beef jars may be the style shown in our Photo 1. This is a clear, straightsided, ground-lip, 4 1/2 inches tall, glass jar that takes an unmarked, gold-lacquered metal press-on vacuum cap. The

jar’s base-embossed PATENTED APR. 10. 1900 5. But the patents attributed to these small jars are elusive. The only jar-related patent granted on April 10, 1900 that we’ve been able to identify is 647,233, the Julian P. Lyon patent on which the BALL PERFECTION fruit jar is based, and we see no way that it could apply to this piece with its bead around the top, just below the ground lip. Our photo shows a small piece of the jar’s rubber sealing gasket still adhering down over the jar’s mouth bead. The original somewhat-darkened label (Photo 2) reads “Indian Brand Sliced Dried Beef Trade Mark Registered (scene with three sitting Indians in front of their teepees) To Open Puncture Top Keep Out Of Sunlight Prepared By New England Supply Co. Providence, R.I. Philadelphia, Pa.” Photo 3 shows two jars with Feb. 10, 1903 patent designations on their bases. The 4 1/2 inches tall, straight-sided jar on the left is embossed simply PAT. FEB. 10, 03 straight across, above a number 117 mold identifier. The Feb. 10, 1903 date on the jars’ bases is that of a “Vacuum Preserving Jar” patent issued to Carl C. Giles and Granville H. Gray, of Upland, Ind., who assigned it to John S. Giles of Chicago. The patent drawing shows the sealing ledge and lateral wall of the jar finish, against the outside of which the sealing gasket was compressed by pressing on the metal vacuum cap. Photo 4 shows a remnant of the original gasket still adhering to the jar’s sealing surface. FIGURE A: EASY VACUUM JAR ad from 1898 LADIE'S HOME JOURNAL. PHOTO 1: 1900 patent Indian Brand Dried Beef jar. PHOTO 2: Indian Brand label from The New England Supply Co. PHOTO 3: FEB. 10, 1903 patent base jars.

February 2021

Fruit Jar Rambles Extra By Tom Caniff — Photos by Deena Caniff

This jar has a label reading “Royal Brand Sliced Dried Beef Packed For The McGowan Bros. Co. Steubenville And Uhrichsville, O. U.S. Inspected and Passed Under Act of Congress Of June 30th, 1906. Establishment No ...” McGowan Bros., wholesale grocers, had roots going back to 1827, when the business was formed in Steubenville by 28-year-old David McGowan, who had arrived here in my home town from Ireland in 1813. The company name style changed from McGowan & Sons to the McGowan Bros. Co. in 1873 or ‘74, and the firm, located on North 3rd Street in Steubenville, continued successfully for many years. On the right in our photo is a clear, 3 5/8 inches tall, tapered, half-pint jar, base-embossed: J.W. BEARDSLEY’S SONS PAT. FEB. 10. 03. NEW YORK. U.S.A. (Photo 5) The unmarked, goldlacquered cap has been punctured with a knife blade to open the jar. This jar’s label reads, “Beardsley’s Junior Acme Sliced Dried Beef J.W. Beardsley’s Sons New York U.S.A. To Open The Jar Puncture The Top Or Rubber U.S. Inspected and Passed Under Act of Congress June 30th, 1906. Establishment No. 313.” The “Puncture The Top” advice on the label is one of the reasons that original lids for these vacuum jars are so scarce. These “Junior” size jars were selling in the January 1908 GROCERY WORLD wholesale catalog for $1.60 for a dozen jars; “Large glass jars” and “Special jars” of “Acme Sliced Smoked Beef ” were also offered at the time. PHOTO 4: Gasket remnant on Feb. 10, 1903 Dried Beef jar. PHOTO 5: Base of the Acme Dried Beef jar. PHOTO 6: Armour and Cudahy jars with two patent dates. PHOTO 7: ARMOUR AND COMPANY base.

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According to the Jan. 4, 1917 PRINTERS’ INK, J.W. Beardsley’s Sons was founded in 1857, “to catch and cure Codfish,” and Beardsley’s Shredded Codfish was a big seller for many years. Exactly what name the company was founded under is unclear, but it seems likely that it may have been the J.W. Beardsley Co. at some early point. As to the dried or smoked beef, this type of product was much more important in the days of early refrigeration than it is now. Vacuum-packed beef in jars or tins would last a long time without worrying about spoilage, in an age where off-flavor meats accounted for much of the popularity of pepper sauce, mustard and other condiments. A circa-1907 booklet claims that, “One pound of ‘Acme’ [Sliced Dried Beef ] will go further than two pounds of the ordinary dried beef sliced by hand ... The jar, when empty, can be used for jellies, etc.” The little PAT. FEB. 10. 03 embossed jars were probably used at one time by hundreds of packers and wholesalers for several styles of food, but especially for smoked or dried beef. Examples of beef labeled jars in our collection represent the Royal Packing Co. (location unknown); Austin, Nichols & Co., New York; Wm. Moland’s Sons, Philadelphia; Dilworth Brothers’ Elwood Brand, from Pittsburg, Pa.; Wiles Grocery Co., Zanesville, Ohio; and the W.W. Harper Co. of Zanesville. And there were many, many more. At one time, it seems like every wholesale grocery company in the country carried a line of special brands, packed by other companies, but sold under the wholesaler’s private label. Photo 6 features two jars with lids differing slightly from the previous examples. The clear, smooth-lipped tumbler on the left is embossed on the base: ARMOUR

Fruit Jar Rambles Extra By Tom Caniff — Photos by Deena Caniff

AND COMPANY PATENTED JUN. 9, 03 JUNE 23, 03. (Photo 7), and its metal vacuum cap is stamped PAT JUN 9 03. The June 9 patent had been issued to Ewald Goltstein, “a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Cologne, in the Kingdom of Prussia and Empire of Germany,” for his sheet-metal cover for vacuum receptacles. The cover had “a compressible washer or gasket secured to it, rather than requiring a gasket separate from the cap. Figure B shows the Goltstein metal cap as depicted in one of the patent drawings. Goltstein assigned the patent to Julius A. Landsberger of Alameda, Calif., who made a success of it on the ECONOMY fruit jars. The June 23, 1903 patent cited, which covered a spring metal clamp of the ECONOMY jar style, also belonged to Julius Landsberger, but it doesn’t appear to have been used on these small, vacuum-sealed, tumbler jars. Aside from adding slightly to the cost, the clamps would only have been in the way when stacking the jars on grocery shelves. The jar’s label reads: “Armour’s ‘Shield’ Sliced Dried Beef Armour And Company,” with a band running around the jar advising to “Keep Out Of Strong Light • Keep In A Cool Dry Place.” A separate oval label was added in the back with “U.S. Inspected And Passed Under The Act Of Congress Of June 30 1906 Establishment 2.A.” HARPER’S MAGAZINE, May 1907, shows this basic jar with an almost identical label for Armour’s (Star) Sliced Bacon, but with an earlier July 11, 1893 EASY VACUUM JAR-type cap. Armour & Co. was founded in Chicago, in 1867, by the Armour brothers, led by Philip Danforth Armour. During the late 19th century, Armour became a national operation and one of the country’s largest businesses. They are also recognized as

the first business in the nation to produce canned meat using an assembly line. The metal sign in Photo 8 features a small jar of Armour’s Veribest Dried Beef with the 1903 Goltstein metal cap. Betty Zumwalt’s KETCHUP PICKLES SAUCES 19th CENTURY FOOD IN GLASS (c. 1980) states that the Veribest trademark was first used in 1892, and Armour used the Veribest trademark for many years, on products from jelly to onion rings. This jar’s label reads “Armour’s Trade Veribest Mark Dried Beef Wafer Sliced Armour & Company U.S.A.,” with “Armour Quality Products” on the lid. Although sliced or chipped dried beef is best known, and either loved or hated, for creamed chipped beef on toast, it also inspired recipes for fancier and tastier dishes such as chipped beef and sweet potato casserole, turkey scallops stuffed with dried beef, and dried beef with sweetbreads and spices. Cudahy’s 3 3/4 inches tall jar in Photo 6 is embossed on the base simply, PATENTED JUN. 9, 03. JUNE 23, 03. (Photo 9) The gold-lacquered lid is unmarked. Its label reads “The Taste Tells’ Rex Sliced Beef The Cudahy Packing Co. U.S.A. U.S. Inspected And Passed Under The Act Of Congress Of June 30, 1906. Establishment No. 19.” Michael Cudahy had moved to Chicago in 1875, to oversee Armour & Co.’s meat packing plant, and by 1887, he and his brother Edward had formed a partnership with Philip Armour. The Armour-Cudahy FIGURE B: Goltstein's June 9, 1903 patent drawing showing the stepdown metal cap. PHOTO 8: Metal sign featuring a jar of Armour's Veribest Dried Beef. PHOTO 9: Cudahy's base with patent dates only. PHOTO 10: Mohawk and Erie brands of jarred beef from Beech-Nut.

February 2021

Fruit Jar Rambles Extra By Tom Caniff — Photos by Deena Caniff

Packing Co. bought a plant in South Omaha, Nebraska, which they operated until 1890, when the Cudahys bought out Armour and established the Cudahy Packing Co. The new company grew, setting up new plants across the country. In March 1906, Austin, Nichols & Co., wholesale grocers in New York, carried a surprisingly long list of Rex Brand canned meats, including Sliced Beef and Sliced Bacon in Glass. Renamed the Cudahy Company in the mid-1960s, the company was dismantled in the 1970s, after being purchased by General Host. The two 4 1/2 inches tall, beef-labeled jars in Photo 10 are both from the Beech-Nut Packing Co., of Canajoharie, N.Y. Both are unique, with attractive, colorful labels and unmarked, gold-lacquered metal caps. Embossed on the base, to be read from the inside, the jar on the left reads: NO. 63 PAT. IN U.S. DEC. 22. 1903. This patent, 747,450, was issued to William A. Lorenz, of Hartford, Conn., for a “Hermetically-Sealed Jar,” dealing with a flared-rim cap, a gasket, and a sealing seat for the gasket. A jar with the patented cap is shown in Figure C, from the patent drawing Lorenz assigned three-quarters of his rights to the Beech-Nut Packing Co., of Canajoharie, and to William H. Honis of Hartford, Conn. This patent was applied to jars meant to contain many other products than beef. The label on this first jar reads, “Erie Brand,” above a scene with a canal boat being drawn by three horses accompanied by a handler, all superimposed upon a red Indian shield with crossed bow and smoking pipe. “Chipped Beef,” it continues, “Beech-Nut Packing Co., Canajoharie, N.Y. U.S.A.”

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Jar number two, on the right of our photo, has a base embossed in the same style, NO. 63 PAT. IN U.S. DEC. 22. 1903 JULY 17.1906. The second 1906 patent, 826,104, for “Hermetic Gasket And Its Manufacture,” was granted to William H. Honis, who shared part of the previous 1903 patent. This patent dealt with the process of making “acute-angled ring gaskets” of rubber or similar elastic material. Figure D shows part of the Honis 1906 patent drawing The label on this second jar reads: “Mohawk Brand U.S. Inspected And Passed Under The Act Of Congress Of June 30th 1906 Establishment No. 323,” all above a scene with two Indians beside a teepee, watching a horse-drawn covered wagon, all superimposed upon a red shield with crossed Indian bow and smoking pipe. Beneath this it continues, “Sliced Beef Beech-Nut Packing Co., Canajoharie, N. Y. U.S.A.”

FIGURE C: Jar and cap from the 1903 Lorenz patent drawing.

It’s quite possible that the two differentbut-similar labels were used to allow competing grocers or wholesalers in a single town or area to carry these comparable, if not identical, Beech-Nut products, while appearing to offer exclusive brands. Beech-Nut had roots back to 1891, as the Imperial Packing Co., adopting the name Beech-Nut Packing Co. eight years later. They were reportedly the first to pack sliced beef in jars that used an internalvacuum, cap, and gasket to hold the seal, with no mechanical clamp for the cap. Of the couple dozen labeled beef jars that we had in our labeled jar collection, we had none with a later date than Honis’s 1906 patent. Later dates have been found on small jars of this type, but I know of none of these with beef labels. But who knows what other small beef-labeled jars are out there waiting, and they do make nice inexpensive collectibles.

FIGURE D: Part of the 1906 Honis patent drawing.

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Coca-Cola Hutchinson bottles

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Call: Luke Sresovich

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WANTED! "LITHIA NYE SPRINGS" WYTHEVILLE, VA 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!

February 2021

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For Sale d FELLOW COLLECTORS/DEALERS: Please, if at all possible, include a name and phone number with your advertisements. Not everyone has a computer, and a physical address does help to make sure that all of our readers can reach you. Thank you for your consideration. 12/21 FOR SALE: COMING SOON . . . The definitive book on Georgia straight side script Coca-Cola bottles. All 72 known cities and nearly every variant pictured in great detail. A project by Jeff Weinberg, 35 years in the making. For info, please email me. JEFF, oldhouse156@yahoo.com 4/21

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Shows, Shops & Services d Hello Fellow Collectors -- When you are in CENTRAL COAST CALIFORNIA, specifically Paso Robles, CA, there are two antique stores that have a really nice selection of bottles and insulators. Great American Antiques & Vineyard Antique Mall. Thanks. ROGER, 916-217-7665. 2/21 BOTTLE FANS!!!!! BE SURE TO CATCH HISTORY DIGGERS, airing this spring on PBS-39. Join us in our metal detecting and bottle digging adventures. www.historydiggers.org 3/21

ANTIQUES ON FIRST - 919 FIRST ST. BENICIA, CA. When visiting the S.F. Bay Area or Napa Wine Country, be sure to stop in nearby historic downtown Benicia; a nationally designated small town “Main Street” with shops, restaurants and magnificent Bay views. Also location of the Gold Rush era brick State Capitol museum, Civil War Camel Barns military/ local museum, and legendary former waterfront Bottle Digging bonanza of the West (“Benicia Glass”, Balto torpedoes, cathedrals, sodas, bitters, pontiles). ANTIQUES ON FIRST has a rotating selection of locally dug Bottles, Clocks, Militaria, Railroadiana, Art, Advertising and more. Open Wed thru Sun 12:00 (often earlier) to 5:30. 9/21

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March 28, 2020, Morgantown, W.VA. Don't miss THE DUNKARD VALLEY ANTIQUE BOTTLE / WV STONEWARE SHOW AND SALE in the spacious Ruby Community Centre at Mylan Park. Very large floor plans for comfortable social distancing and table spacing. In addition, bottle collectors are excited to welcome the WV Stoneware Collectors to the show to give us all more to see and learn about the wonderful state. There will be plenty of free parking for all of us. Food will be available from the Mason Jar Catering Co. The show is located just off exit 155 on I-79, Morgantown W.V. Many motels and restaurants available nearby. For additional info, please contact DON KELLEY: 724-998-2734. 3/31 THE NATIONAL BOTTLE MUSEUM is announcing our 2021 museum show taking place on the first Sunday in June. Outdoor spots will again be available as well as indoor tables. Social distancing will be observed as well as masks, unless otherwise notified. Tables will be $40.00 and admission will be $5.00. Early admission is again at 8am and will be $15.00. Food will be available on the grounds, as well as free parking. We look forward to seeing everyone again, for a great time. If there is inclement weather shelter for outside dealers will be provided. Contact the museum at 518-885-7589. 6/21 THE CAPITAL REGION ANTIQUE BOTTLE CLUB has announced their show will take place in the summer instead of October. July 18th is the date we chose. This will be an outdoor show with 25ft. spaces and ample parking. The show will be at the Mabee Farm along the Mohawk River, Exit 1 (rt.5s) off of 890. The cost per space will be $30.00. There will not be food but it can be procured if enough people want it. We hope to see you all there. Our contacts are: ADAM STODDARD, 518256-7663; email: acstoddard63@gmail. com, or: PHIL BERNNARD, 518-4297641; email: explomar@hotmail.com 7/21

Wanted d WANTED: Hobbleskirt embossed Coca-Cola bottles: 1915's, 1923's, D-Patent's 6oz's and 6 1/2 oz's. Collector will buy or trade. JIM GEORGES, georges77@twcny.rr.com or 315-662-7729. 7/21

FELLOW COLLECTORS/DEALERS: Please, if at all possible, include a name and phone number with your advertisements. Not everyone has a computer, and a physical address does help. 12/20 WANTED: Old Marbles. Will pay top $$$$! BOB GEIS, rhgeis@me.com, Phone: 410299-2800. 3/21

WANTED: Better Albany N.Y. bottles and flasks, L.Q.C. Wisharts in rare colors / all variants. Guilderland, N.Y. Stoneware. DON KELLY, dmebottles@aol.com, Phone: 518365-3783. 12/21

WANTED: Washington / Taylor Flasks from the Lockport Glassworks: GI-47, GI-48 and the Fat Boys GI-60 and GI-61 in colors. If I need it, will pay your price. JOHN LAWREY, 973-222-7635. 2/21

WANTED: PHILADELPHIA STRAPSIDED or Seamed Whiskey Flasks. I collect and catalog these and also have an interest in Thomas H. Dillon (TD) Philadelphia mineral water bottles. Please contact me if you have any in your collection or wish to sell. ART MIRON, 215-248-4612. jestar484@verizon.net 4/21

WANTED: Adirondack Springs, Westport, NY. Top prices paid for bottles in excellent condition, photos, postcards or other advertising. These springs are presently owned by my family. JIM TROMBLEE, Email: jtromblee@together.net, 813-633-8285. 2/21

WANTED: BUYING Pre-Pro etched & amp; embossed beer brewery glasses; whiskey shot glasses; pre-pro brewery mugs, steins including souvenir steins mugs; souvenir china; old advertising material: signs, trays, mirrors, saloon material; back bar whiskey bottles; other early American bottles, flasks, bitters, especially from Kentucky. PAUL VanVACTOR, Phone: 502-533-2693, email: pvanvactor@aol.com P.O. Box 221171, Louisville, KY 40252-1171. WANTED: George Ohr Pottery Cabins. Or Cabin Inks. BOB TERRY, 303-5692502, llterryualusa@yahoo.com 9/21 WANTED: Almost anything marked "Colorado Territory" ... bottles, hard goods, billheads, trade cards, other paper ephemera, Colorado Territory maps, etc. No reproductions, please. Thank you. donfritschel@gmail.com 2/21 WANTED: American Whiskey & Bitters Barrels. Thanks in advance. FRANK, bottlepickers@bottlepickers.com, Phone: 260-347-4551. 3/21

WANTED: Embossed beer, soda, and druggist bottles from Ford City, PA. Hutch bottles from Ford City, Manorville, Kittanning, Dayton, Sagamore, Leechburg and Apollo, PA. Also Flickenger's Dairy, Ford City. billoleksak1947@gmail.com, Phone: 724-859-0113. 3/21 WANTED: Looking for a deep cobalt blue, open pontil umbrella ink. SCOTT, Phone: 714-914-3446. 2/21 WANTED: Any labeled, pre-prohibition spirits bottles from W.H. Jones and Co., Boston, Mass. that I don't already have. PETER B. SAMUELSON, 603-960-4194, PO Box 281, Intervale, NH 03845-0281. 3/21 WANTED: Buying bulk common bottles in Georgia region. Please email pictures and prices. TOM MENDES, Email: tjmfire80@ yahoo.com 3/21 WANTED: Collector seeking bottles from Greene county PA. Soda, Beer, Medicine and Stoneware. Interested in common bottles for inventory and paying good money for good bottles. DON KELLEY, 724-998-2734, Mt. Morris, PA. 3/21 February 2021

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WANTED: Dakota Territory bottles and South & North Dakota advertising, stoneware, medicines, sodas, trays, signs. GEORGE LASS, gslass@frontiernet.net, 1440 181st St. Hardwick MN 56134. 3/21 WANTED: Rockford, Illinois bottles. Looking for 7-up and Dad's Root Beer ACL'z - any size. JEFF DAHLBERG, 815-963-5477. 3/21 WANTED: Stoneware from Crisfield, Marion Station & Princess Anna, Maryland. CALVIN DIZE, dcabrob@verizon.net, 26400 Minden Ave Crisfield, MD 21817. 2/21 WANTED: PA Pontils - Chester Co, PA Bottles - Ireland Bottles. 717-779-8324. 3/21 WANTED: Any Cream Soda, there Small Blob Top's approx 4 1/2" to 5" high, Open Pontiled Medicines from New Jersey, a Milk Bottle from Island Heights, NJ. MUST have NJ after Island Heights. CHARLES A DASCENZO, 732-270-0545. 2/21 WANTED: North Dakota Hutchinson Soda Bottles. Also in search of an Ed C. Erfling soda bottle from Omaha. TOM, Thomas. Askjem@gmail.com 3/21 WANTED: Hutchinson Soda from Charleston (Amber) and Greenville, SC. JOE, 803-926-0906. 3/21 WANTED: Clevenger North American Log Cabin Commemoratives GVII-25-A GVII-25-I and GVII-25-Q Clevenger Commemoratives GVII-16-A GVII-16-C and GVII-16-E. Phone or write. STEVE GRAY, 440-279-8381, 7533 Clay St., Thompson, OH 44086. 6/21 WANTED: New Washington, Ohio bottles JOE BLUM, jblum@woh.rr.com, 419-4922829, 217 N. Center Street, New Washington OH 44854. 3/21 WANTED: Dr. Kilmers Cure from Schoharie NY. JIM BENDER, Jim1@frontiernet.net, 518-673-8833, PO Box 162, Sprakers, NY 12166. 3/21

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

WANTED: Harley bottles of West Chester, Pa. and Philadelphia, Pa. The West Chester bottles (3) display either J. Harley, James Harley or E.M. Harley. The Phila. Bottles (3) display Edwd. Harley, Schul (Schuylkill) 4th & Market St., Philada or E. Harley, 802 Market St. or E. Harley, West Market St. These bottling business operated in the late 1840s through the early 1880s. BOB HARLEY, rwh220@Yahoo.com, Phone: 215-721-1107. 12/21 WANTED: Milk Bottles from these small California towns: Bridgeport - Mono Lake - Lee Vining - Mammoth - Bishop - Big Pine - Independence - Lone Pine - Inyokern - Ridgecrest - Atolia - Mojave. RICHARD OLSON, 760-920-3997. 3/21 WANTED: New collector buying blood bottles (cures, medicines, purifiers, bitters, etc.). Am an advanced collector of insulators and celebrating new life. Nostrums in beautiful bottles intrigue me as a young adult survivor of Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Am awed by compassionate treatment received at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and want to use this hobby to help give back. ZAC MIRECKI, zacharymirecki@protonmail. com, 860-916-9014 (call/text), PO Box 4401 Hartford, CT 06147. 2/21 WANTED: Art deco soda bottles. Any NC bottles. JERRY HIGGINS, higswalk@ embarqmail.com, 919-553-3341. 3/21 WANTED: Deadwood and Lead, S.D. bottles and jugs. All painted sodas with pictures or multi colors from anywhere in U.S. - one or a collection. FOR SALE: Lots of Nevada drugstores and some milks & crown top sodas. JAMES CAMPIGLIA, chipsbottles@bresnan.net, 805-689-0125 text or call, 36 Wabash St. Deadwood SD 57732. 2/21 WANTED: Pontiled Sodas, collections. Text pictures. See my current bottles for sale at bottleland.com. DANIELLE KREEGER, privygal007@gmail.com, 610-329-0055. 3/21

WANTED: U.S.A. Hospital Dept. and any pre-1866 embossed food bottles, mustards, early Baltimore, Wheeling, D.C., Alexandria sodas, beers (stoneware or glass) damage free. BRUCE, cwaddic@yahoo.com, Phone: 703-307-7792. 12/21 WANTED: The Hero, Hero Improved, The Hero Ine and The Hero Improved jars. debantonez@comcast.net 3/21 WANTED: Exposition Brewing Co. Delray (Detroit) Mich. Beer Blob Tops 12oz Amber Or Aqua Or Quart Size Amber -- American Brewing Co. Delray (Detroit) Mich. Blob Tops 12oz Amber, Aqua Or Clear Or Quart Size Amber. Also, Geo. H. Schmitt Delray (Detroit) Hutchinsons, Quarts Blob Tops Or Crowntops - Geo. H. Schmitt Delray (Detroit) Seltzer Water Clear. RICK MYERS, 313-742-8668. 2/21 WANTED: Emaus PA Bottles and Advertising. Grizz.fegley@gmail.com

3/21

WANTED: Hello Fellow Bottle & Glass Collectors! "We" as a "specialized bunch" are becoming almost as "rare" as the "cool old stuff" we seek and collect. Please cultivate and encourage any young person that shows interest in our hobby. All the best, Past President (1994) Los Angeles Historic Bottle Club, TIM BLAIR. 4/21 WANTED: Pontiled Wm W Well's Liniment Freehold, NJ and also the smooth base Belmar NJ version. BOB RANDOLPH, randgal@aol.com, 732-223-6938. 4/21 WANTED: 9 1/2 inch - Milk Glass Violin Bottle. SONNY SMILEY, Email: lithiaman1@yahoo.com, 540-478-2005. 4/21 WANTED: Top Dollar Paid for green embossed Western fifths and flasks. Rare Western bitters including Cassin's Grape Brandy, G.A. Simon's and Lacours Bitters. I'm also looking for New Almaden Vichy Water bottles and keyhole peppersauce bottles. STEPHEN HUBBELL, Email: morpehus@centurytel.net, 253-851-7036. 3/21

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WANTED: Looking for Bottles from Muskegon Co., MI that I don't have. Also seek souvenir china and spoons, postcards and memorabilia. Towns include Bailey, Brunswick, Casnovia, Fruitport, Fruitvale, Holton, Lake Harbor, Lakewood, Michillinda, Montague, Muskegon, Muskegon Hts, N. Muskegon, Ravenna, Sullivan, Trent, Twin Lake and Whitehall. Also items from Gladwin, Michigan. ELMER OGG, elogg@comcast.net, Phone: 231-5577526. 4/21 WANTED: San Pedro, California bottles and tokens. ERIC KLEPL, ekmail66@gmail.com, 707-499-2459. 5/21 WANTED: Researcher seeking information on 19th century Wisconsin pottery makers. Old photos, bill of sales, genealogies, especially earthenware examples with known provenance. HENRY HECKER, phantomhah@gmail.com, Phone: 262-8445751. 3/21 WANTED: BALL PERFECTION No. 2 glass lid. FATHER PATRICK WILHELM, 973-986-3974. 5/21 WANTED: Anything pontil Charleston, S.C. JAMES WESTENDORFF, Phone: 843-4524419. 4/21 WANTED: L. Brownell Cobalt Blue pontiled New Bedford Soda. Nice, clean example, no ground staining, chips or cracks please. I am NOT a dealer and wish to add to my personal collection. scorey2916@comcast.net 3/21 WANTED: College and University milk bottles and go-withs. Also milk bottles from the state of Delaware. I will also buy any caps and advertising from both College and Delaware dairies. DEAN SHIPPY, Email: ajsrds@verizon.net, Phone: 302-368-0549, 26 Fremont Road Newark DE 19711. 3/21 WANTED: Blobtop Beers with Special Colored Glass and/or Blobtop Beers with unusual closures attached. BRUCE HECKMAN, hisser@comcast.net, Phone: 248-760-1722. 3/21

WANTED: Collector seeking Kenosha & Racine Bottles & Go-Withs. Also unusual Janos Hunyadi and Hungarian related Bottles & Go-Withs. kbencs6@yahoo.com 3/21 WANTED: Lancaster, PA. Looking for anything rare from Lancaster, PA. SAM NOLT, 717-807-4011. 4/21 WANTED: Pontiled Bottles with the name "Kelly" on them. kdziak@aol.com 4/21 WANTED: Florida "Small" town milk bottles and ACL Soda Bottles with Unique Characters. Both pre-1970. Send photos. Any early embossed or pyro small town milk bottles without damage - pre 1960! JMARTI27@tampabay.rr.com, Phone: 352-538-0945. 3/21 WANTED: Modoc Beer, Modoc in Arch over Indian embossed head and shoulders, Beer below Indian, back side reads Trade Mark Beer, M & O Newburgh N.Y. Height 10 1/2", round, aqua, bimal. BILL REEVES, 530-279-6304 or 530-640-1943 evenings, PO Box 252, Cedarville CA 96104. 3/21 WANTED: Kadushin Dairy bottles and related items. Also, anything related to Mr. Kadushin's "Milky Way Ice Cream Bar." All were located in Nanuet, New York. hmpf@ manheim1762.org, 717-665-5560. 3/21

WANTED: Hires Condensed Milk, pocket pin holder, can shape, opens to show baby in highchair, 2 1/2 x 1 1/2" or anything else Hires Condensed Milk related. Milk bottles from the thumb area of Michigan, towns of: Cass City - dairies: East side, Burt's, Bighams and Kenny Creamery, Bad Axe - Elvin Farms, A.E. Krueger, Honey Bee, Rochefort, W.B. Irwin and Sommerville. PETE MARTIN, 989-872-4912. 2/21 WANTED: John W. Steele Niagra Star Bitters - Seeking a green JW Steele Bottle cracked the entire length along one corner. I owned this bottle in 1972 and would love to have it again. JIM EVANS, jcevans@jamescevansllc. com 4/21 WANTED: OWL DRUG bottles, tins, boxes, paper, anything from the Owl Drug Company. MARC LUTSKO, Email: letsgo@montanasky.net, 406-293-6771, Box 97 Libby, MT 59923. 1/22

WANTED: Peppersauce with roped corners and stars on panels, Radam's Microbe Killer, base shard of an old Sachem, med. amber for repair project, Cobalt blue, applied top, squat whiskey, similar to Neal's Ambrosia, around 9" and unembossed, Myers, druggist, Reno, NV., Mis-spelled McCullough, Reno, NV. 406-888-9092, please leave message. 3/21 WANTED: These MONTANA bottles: Marsden's Mountain City Cough Cure Kalispell Montana and David Drug Co. Barb Wire Liniment, Moore, Montana. Also collecting small oval pill bottles, and OWL DRUG bottles and related items. TOP DOLLAR paid! MARC LUTSKO, Email: letsgo@montanasky.net, 406-293-6771, Box 97, Libby MT 59923. 2/21 February 2021

Show CALENDAR FEBRUARY 6

FEBRUARY 27

APRIL 17

DeFUNIAK SPRINGS, FLORIDA

ROUND ROCK, TEXAS

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA

The Emerald Coast Bottle Collector's Inc, 20th Annual Show & Sale, (8:00 AM to 2:00 PM), at the DeFuniak Springs Community Center, 361 N. 10th Street, DeFuniak Springs, FL 32433. Free Adm., Free Appraisals. Info: RICHARD K, P.O. Box 241, Pensacola, FL 32591. Call or Text: 850.435.5425; Email: shards@bellsouth.net

The Austin Antique Bottle, Jar and Collectors Club 4th Annual Show, (9 AM to 3 PM), at the Old Settlers Park Events Center, 3300 E. Palm Valley Blvd. (E. US 79), Round Rock, TX. Free Adm. Info: JOHN REED, PH: 512.468.5097, Email: compliant.relo@gmail.com, or: GARY INGRAM, PH: 512.461.0157.

FEBRUARY 14

New date, Larger and better Location! The South Carolina Antique Bottle Club's 48th Annual Show & Sale, (9 AM to 4:30 PM; dealer set-up 7:30 AM to 9 AM), at the Jamil Shrine Temple, 206 Jamil Road, Columbia, SC. Info: MARTY VOLLMER, PH 803.629.8553, email: martyvollmer@aol.com, or ERIC WARREN, PH: 803.960.7814, email: scbottles@aol.com

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

COLUMBUS, OHIO

The St. Louis Antique Bottle Collectors Assoc. is pleased to present their 51st Annual Show & Sale, (9 AM to 2 PM), at Orlando Gardens, 4300 Hoffmeister (off Union Road), St. Louis. Adm. $3, children free. Info: PAT JETT, 71 Outlook Drive, Hillsboro, MO 63050; PH: 314.570.6917; email: patsy_jett@ yahoo.com

The Central Ohio Antique Bottle Club's 51st Annual Show & Sale, (Sunday, 9 AM to 2 PM; early buyers 7:00 AM - 9 AM, $20), at the Doubletree Inn, 175 Hutchinson Ave., Columbus (I-270 & Rt. 23). Adm. $3. Info: ROJER MOODY, PH: 740.703.4913, Email: rtmoody@juno.com; or: BRAD FUNK, Email: bradfunk@yahoo.com or PH: 614.264.7846.

FEBRUARY 27 GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN

The West Michigan Antique Bottle Club presents its 30th Annual Show & Sale (10AM - 2PM) at the Fonger American Legion Post, 2327 Wilson, S.W., Grand Rapids, MI. Entry donation $3, children free. Info: STEVE DEBOODE, 616.667.0214; Email: thebottleguy@ comcast.net or; ROGER DENSLOW, Email: rogerdcoger@gmail.com or Phone: 616.447.9156.

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

MARCH 21

MARCH 28

APRIL 18 HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA

The Historical Bottle-Diggers of Virginia 49th Annual Antique Bottle and Collectible Show & Sale, (9 AM to 3 PM), at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds, U.S. Rt. 11 South, (Exit 243 off I-81), Harrisonburg, VA. Info: SONNY SMILEY, PH: 540.434.1129 or email: lithiaman1@yahoo.com

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA

APRIL 18

Dunkard Valley Antique Bottle Show & Sale, (9 AM to 2 PM; Early buyers 7:30 AM, $25), at the Ruby Community Center, 500 Mylan Park Lane, Morgantown, WV 26501. Adm. $2, 16 and under FREE! Info: DON KELLEY, PH: 724.998.2734, email: bonzeyekelley@ gmail.com

HUTCHINSON, KANSAS

APRIL 10 KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN

The Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Club’s 41st Annual Show & Sale, (10 AM to 3 PM, early buyers 8 AM), at the Kalamazoo County Fairgrounds, 2900 Lake St., Kalamazoo, MI. Info: JOHN PASTOR, P.O. Box 227, New Hudson, MI 48165, PH: 248.486.0530, Email: jpastor@ americanglassgallery.com, or: MARK McNEE, PH: 269.343.8393.

13th Annual Kansas Antique Bottle & Postcard Show & Sale, (9 AM to 3 PM), at the Kansas State Fairgrounds (Sunflower South Bldg), Hutchinson, KS. Free Adm. Info: MIKE McJUNKIN, PH: 620.728.8304, email: scarleits@ cox.net, or, MARK LAW, Phone: 785.224.4836, email: kansasbottles@ gmail.com. Sponsored by the Kansas Territory Bottle & Post Card Club.

Show CALENDAR MAY 2 EAST WINDSOR, NEW JERSEY

New Date! New Location! The New Jersey Antique Bottle Club (NJABC), 25th Annual Show & Sale, (9 AM to 2 PM) at the Kyle Family Farm, 831 Windsor Perrineville Road, East Windsor, NJ 08520. Come join the fun! For contracts please email: bottlediggerkev@aol.com; Other questions - please call JOHN LAWREY: 973.222.7635. MAY 22 & 23 ADAMSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA

New, Special Spring Shupp's Grove Bottle Festival, (Sat. & Sun. 6 AM to dusk, early buyers Friday, 3 PM), at the famous 'Shupp's Grove', 607 Willow Street, Reinholds, PA 17569. Info: STEVE GUION, PH: 717.626.5557, or: 717.371.1259, Email: affinityinsurance1@windstream.net JUNE 6 BALLSTON SPA, NEW YORK

The National Bottle Museum presents the Annual Saratoga Springs Show & Sale, (9 AM to 2:30 PM; early adm. 8 AM, $15), at the Saratoga County Fairgrounds, 4H building, 162 Prospect St, Ballston Spa, NY. Adm. $5, Children 12 and under free. Info: NATIONAL BOTTLE MUSEUM, 76 Milton Avenue, Ballston Spa, NY 12020. PH. 518.885.7589; Email: info@nationalbottlemuseum.org. JUNE 19 JOHNSTON, IOWA

Rescheduled from October 10, 2020. The Iowa Antique Bottleers 51st Annual Show and Sale, (8 AM to 2 PM), at the Johnston Lions Club, 64th Place and Merle Hay Road, Johnston, IA. Adm. $2, children free. Info: MARK C. WISEMAN, 3505 Sheridan Avenue,

Des Moines, IA 50310-4557, Email: markcwiseman@msn.com, PH: 515.344.8333, or JOYCE JESSEN, 515.979.5216. JULY 18 ROTTERDAM JUNCTION, NEW YORK

New date, New location! The Capital Region Antique Bottle Club outdoor Show & Sale, at the Historic Mabee Farm along the Mohawk River, 1100 Main Street, Rotterdam, NY (exit 1, Rt. 5S off 890). Info: ADAM STODDARD, PH: 518.256.7663; Email: acstoddard63@gmail.com, or: PHIL BERNNARD, PH: 518.429.7641; Email: explomar@hotmail.com

JULY 28 - AUGUST 1, 2022 RENO, NEVADA

FOHBC 2022 National Antique Bottle Convention & Expo, Grand Sierra Resort & Casino. Information: RICHARD SIRI, email: rtsiri@sbcglobal.net, or FERDINAND MEYER V, email: fmeyer@fmgdesign.com. FOHBC National Convention – Western Region.

AUGUST 6 & 7 SYRACUSE, NEW YORK

FOHBC 2021 National Antique Bottle Show, OnCenter Civic Center, Syracuse, N.Y. View and download info. packet & contract at fohbc.org. Additional info: JIM & VAL BERRY, Email: jhberry10@ yahoo.com, or: JIM BENDER, Email: jbender@millservicesinc.com. FOHBC National Show – Eastern Region. SEPTEMBER 26 BALTIMORE, MARYLAND

Rescheduled from March! The Baltimore Antique Bottle Club's 41st Annual Show & Sale, (9 AM to 3 PM), at the Physical Education Center, CCBC-Essex, 7201 Rossvile Blvd. (I-695, Exit 34), Rosedale, MD. Info: Show Chairman RICK LEASE, 410-458-9405, email: finksburg21@comcast.net. For contracts, call: ANDY AGNEW, 410-527-1707 or email: medbotls@comcast.net. Website: baltimorebottleclub.org.

ATTENTION READERS: Due to COVID-19 precautions, a number of upcoming bottle shows have been postponed or cancelled. Please check with local show chairperson to see if your favorite shows are affected. We will have further updates in future issues as new information becomes available. Thanks.

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IT PAYS! A display ad this size costs only $30.00 for one month. What are you waiting for? Call us today!

February 2021

WANTED

Greer #s of the mint state #1265 United States Syrup #1685 United States Syrup #1383 Dr. Perkins’ Syrup #5 Arthurs Renovating Syrup #778 Halls / Palingenesia / Or Regenerator

Also non Greer bottles of the mint state Dr. C.W. Robacks Scandinavien Blood Purifier Cincinnati, O, IP

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John Keating P.O. Box 13255 Olympia, WA 98508 360-628-9576 johnkeating473@yahoo.com

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Subscribers -

Please don't forget to use your 60-Word FREE classified ad credit in the magazine. Email, or "snail-mail" your ad to us! Libby@AmericanGlassGallery.com P.O. Box 227 New Hudson, MI 48165

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

WANTED: Clarke’s Vegetable Sherry Wine Bitters, Sharon, Mass. All bottle sizes & variants…pontil/smooth base. Also, ANY ephemera..newspaper ads, invoices, letterhead, etc.

THANK YOU. Charlie Martin Jr. 781-248-8620, or cemartinjr@comcast.net

**SPRING SPECIAL BOTTLE SHOW**

Friday, May 21st

Saturday & Sunday May 22nd and 23rd

Illustration from The Soldier in our Civil War.

Gettysburg Katalysine Water By Kevin A. Sives

ettysburg. The name conjures up visions of war and suffering, even 157 years after the last shot was fired. But to us bottle collectors, it’s not a name that we usually associate with great bottles. Unless, of course, you collect mineral water bottles.

The Town The town of Gettysburg was founded in 1786, and named after an early settler and tavern owner, Samuel Gettys. As the area began to become more settled, a total of ten different roads converged in the town, positioning it to become a hub for travelers, and a strategic location should war break out. With the completion of the

Gettysburg Railroad in 1858, and a railroad station in 1859, Gettysburg began to shed some of its small-town image.

decided to take his army (and the war itself ) north into Pennsylvania, followed at a distance by the Union Army.

But despite the growth, by 1860 the town only had about 2,400 residents. They occupied around 450 buildings, including private homes, as well as several commercial enterprises, such as lumber yards and tanneries. In other words, Gettysburg was a typical mid-19th century town.

The Battle

On June 26, 1863, Confederate Major General Jubal Early and his division passed through Gettysburg. In town, rumors were rampant about what was happening, and the next few days were filled with worry and excitement. But nothing could prepare the citizens for what was about to be unleashed upon them a few days later, on July 1.

All things changed in late June of 1863. After Confederate general Robert E. Lee’s decisive victory over the Union army at Chancellorsville, Virginia in May, he

On the morning of Wednesday, July 1, advance units of the entire Confederate army began to arrive on the western side of town, led by Confederate Lieutenant February 2021

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General A. P. Hill’s Corps. The lead brigades encountered Union Major General John Buford’s Cavalry Corps and fighting broke out. As more and more Confederate troops began to converge from the west and north, Union infantry corps arrived from the south, forcing an all-out battle on the north and west side of town. By the end of the first day of fighting, Union troops had been pushed back through the town, and took up defensive positions on Cemetery Hill, just south of downtown Gettysburg, while Confederate troops occupied the town itself. To quote Brian Mockenhaupt, in his Atlantic article, “The Battle of Gettysburg: A Time When American Civilians Saw War Firsthand”: “Residents cowered in cellars as artillery shells screamed overhead. The southern end of town became a no-man’s land as Confederate snipers hidden in houses traded fire with Union snipers around Cemetery Hill. Out in the fields and forests – within view of Gettysburg streets and homes – the two armies slaughtered each other in places that would soon be known across America: Little Round Top and the Wheatfield, Culp’s Hill and the Devil’s Den.” After two more days of intense fighting, the battle ended with what has become known as Pickett’s Charge, late in the afternoon of July 3. Realizing that he couldn’t continue to fight where he was, Confederate General Robert E. Lee ordered his army to begin to withdraw back toward Maryland on July 4, with the Union Army in pursuit.

The Aftermath Now that both armies were gone, what faced the citizens of Gettysburg? The simple answer was unspeakable horror. PREVIOUS PAGE: TOP: Pages from the Gettysburg Spring Company 24-page booklet “The Gettysburg Katalysine Water.” BOTTOM: The Gettysburg Springs Hotel circa 1886.

It is estimated that the two armies suffered about 50,000 combined casualties, approximately one third of the total number of troops engaged. Of this number, approximately 8,000 were killed outright, and somewhere around 30,000 were wounded to some degree. So, when the armies withdrew, they left behind nearly all of those killed, and somewhere between a third and a half of those who were wounded. The town of 2,400 citizens was faced with the unsurmountable challenge of caring for over ten thousand wounded soldiers, and burying the bodies, many of whom had been lying out in the blazing July sun for days, and sometimes weeks. The wounded filled every conceivable space in town, private homes, churches, businesses, the college, courthouse, and even the train station. Make-shift operating rooms were set up wherever there was available space. In addition to the soldiers, around 5,000 horse and mule carcasses lay scattered over the battlefield as well. The stench hung over the town for weeks. The area was soon flooded with the arrival of doctors, nurses, and anyone else who thought they could help. Soon too, family members of the soldiers began arriving, in search of husbands, sons, or fathers. At best they hoped to find their loved one in hospital. But more than likely, their search was fruitless. Or, even worse, they wound up leaving with a body to take home for burial. Finally, as summer became fall and headed toward winter, Gettysburg climbed out of the darkness, and slowly began to return to normal. On November 19, 1863, the town turned out for the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. The keynote speaker that day was statesman and orator Edward Everett who spoke for over two hours. He was followed by President Abraham Lincoln, whose speech lasted barely two minutes. Even though

the content of Everett’s speech has faded into history, Lincoln’s 272 word “Gettysburg Address” lives on.

The Profit Seekers Along with the volunteers and devastated families, soon the profit seekers came to town as well. Souvenir sellers popped up, selling everything from swords and guns recovered from the battlefield, to manufactured mementoes. Tour guides began to appear, to take the curious out into the battlefield. But for us bottle collectors, the profit seeker of most importance was Emanuel Harmon (or Harman). Harmon owned a 95-acre farm on the west side of Gettysburg, where much of the first day’s fighting took place, although he was not in Gettysburg at the time of the battle. Probably hoping to recoup some of the losses he suffered to his property and buildings, he began touting the medicinal properties of a spring located on his farm.

The Katalysine Springs The spring on Harmon’s property was known to residents as far back as the 1830s. The Reverend Charles G. McLean purchased the property in 1817 and was convinced of the spring’s medicinal properties. So it was already locally well known by the time Emanuel Harmon purchased the land in 1857. However, soon after the firing of the final gun of the Civil War, the spring took on almost mystical properties, and people began believing that the waters from the spring didn’t just relieve the symptoms of disease, but actually cured or prevented disease. Rumors spread that even during the battle, Confederates who washed their wounds with the spring water achieved miraculous cures. To give the water a greater audience, the springs was leased in 1867 by the Gettysburg Spring Company from New York City. They began to bottle the water, February 2021

which was called “Gettysburg Katalysine Water,” eventually employing 30 workers, and shipping over 200 cases of a dozen bottles each day. What does “Katalysine” mean? According to Jim Weeks in his book Gettysburg: Memory, Market, and an American Town, he attributes the name Katalysine to a Greek word that means to literally “loosening below,” a subtle reference to the water’s laxative effects. In 1868, the Gettysburg Spring Company printed a 24-page booklet, entitled “The Gettysburg Katalysine Water. The Reports of Physicians and the People of its Wonderful Cures. History of the Spring.” Here’s how it described the Spring and its curative powers: “The Spring from which the medicinal fluid known as the Gettysburg Water is taken, is situated in a miniature valley on the McClean farm, about one mile west of the town of Gettysburg, Adams county, Pennsylvania. It presents the singular phenomenon of a mineral spring having a number of outlets through the rocks, within a distance of several yards, and even rods, of each other. The identity of the water thus discharged from apparently several sources, is fully established by chemical and medical tests. The Spring enjoyed a local traditional reputation for curative and sanitary virtues before the arrival of the armies which contended for the mastery on its surrounding fields (for the first struggle commenced immediately around the spring), but these virtues were first practically demonstrated by some of the wounded who had fallen in its vicinity — so at least says one of the legends of the great battle. This story caused the water to be practically tried as a medicine by some of the local citizens.” It goes on further to describe how amazing the water was: “The medicinal virtues of the Gettysburg Water are so various, so extraordinary, even in comparison with those of the great

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

springs of the Old and New Worlds, that we have deemed it due to ourselves, and to the medical public, to have the facts which prove them verified, not only by the statements of invalids and their medical advisers, but by the corroborative testimony of physicians of high reputation, some of whom have made the study and application of medicinal waters a specialty.”

The Gettysburg Springs Hotel Obviously owning a spring and bottling the water was only half of the earnings potential, as we saw repeated throughout the country where mineral springs were prevalent. Soon after the springs were established, some more profit seekers decided to build a hotel, to offer visitors a place to stay, enjoy the springs, tour the battlefield, and relax. David Wills, a prominent lawyer in Gettysburg, was instrumental in building what was officially called the “Watering Place Hotel.” The result was a four-story hotel adjacent to the springs, which could accommodate three hundred guests. The hotel building included a cupola, which allowed guests to get an excellent view of the battlefield, a bowling alley, billiard room, dining room, men’s and women’s parlors, and rooms set up to “take the waters.” In addition, the grounds included an artificial lake, acres of beautiful landscaping, and even a telegraph line. It opened on June 28, 1869, to much fanfare. Over its existence, the hotel hosted several veteran’s reunions, and a number of notable guests stayed there, including generals George Meade, Daniel Sickles, and James Longstreet. Although initially successful, the hotel went bankrupt in 1901, with much of its land eventually being transferred to the National Park Service. On Monday, December 17, 1917, at 11:30 a.m., a fire originated in the flue of the fireplace, between the second and third floors.

TOP: Cover of the Gettysburg Spring Company 1868 booklet. BOTTOM: Handbill promoting the Gettysburg Springs healing powers.

/ WATER // c //.” This bottle is smooth based, with a double tapered collar, and is found in green and olive-green glass. The other two Saratoga-shaped bottles are T-M-18:A and T-M-18:A1. These two bottles have the embossing in a circle on the front, rather than in two vertical arcs. They are virtually identical to each other, except for the embossing on T-M-18:A1 being in a smaller font than on T-M-18:A. Both are embossed “ GETTSBURG KATALYSINE / WATER // c //.” T-M-18:A1 is found in green, whereas T-M-18:A can be found in a number of wonderful colors, including greens, amber, olive yellow, and teal. All these bottles probably date to the 1865 to 1875 period. The next group of bottles, which probably date after 1875 to 1890 or so, are listed as numbers T-M-19:A and T-M-19:B. These two bottles are narrow cylinders, rather than Saratoga-shaped, with a long tapering neck and double tapered collar. The difference between the two is that “A” is quart sized, and “B” is a pint. Both are embossed with a large monogram “GKW”, for Gettysburg Katalysine Water on the front, and are embossed around the base with “WHITNEY GLASSWORKS / GLASSBORO, N. J.” All these bottles are found in various shades of green — from light green, to teal, to deep green. Katalysine Spring Water flyer with price list.

The fire spread quickly throughout the wooden building, and soon it was just a memory.

mation about the bottles comes from the “sodasandbeers.com” website, maintained by Tod von Mechow.

The Bottles

The oldest embossed bottles are in the typical “Saratoga mineral water bottle shape.” There are three variations, numbered 55680AB, T-M-18:A and T-M-18:A1.

Over the years, Gettysburg Katalysine Water was sold in primarily three different embossed bottles (with some variations). In addition, the water was sold in bulk in unembossed three-gallon and six-gallon demijohns. Most of the following infor-

55680AB, is a quart sized bottle, which is vertically embossed “GETTYSBURG

The final bottle is 55680AA. The water was marketed into the 1930s, when the spring closed, so it’s possible these bottles were used in the early 20th century. The embossing uses the word REMEDY rather than CURE, so it’s possible that it was made after the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, but that’s just a guess on my part. This smooth based, aqua cylindrical bottle, with a square collar, stands at over ten inches tall. And when the owners had this bottle made, no expense was spared cutting the embossing on the mold. It’s February 2021

embossed: “TRADE MARK / GETTYSBURG KATALYSINE WATER / NATURE’S / GREAT REMEDY / FOR / GOUT RHEUMATISM & ALL / KIDNEY & BLADDER TROUBLES // GKW (monogram) //.”

Summary All the Gettysburg Katalysine Water bottles are highly collectible. Some are seen regularly at shows and auctions, while others are much more difficult to find. But with a little work, and some disposable cash, it’s possible to create a very colorful and historic display that won’t fill up too many shelves.

With a little work, and some disposable cash, it’s possible to create a very colorful and historic display.

Gettysburg will never compete with Saratoga, New York, when it comes to the quality and quantity of mineral water produced. But at least for a while after the Civil War, Gettysburg took its place amongst mineral water producers. And if nothing else, the mineral water industry in Gettysburg did yield a nice grouping of bottles, with a tie-in to the deadliest battle ever fought on American soil. REFERENCES Bachelder, John B.: Bachelder’s Illustrated Tourist’s Guide of the United States. Boston: John B. Bachelder, Publisher, New York: Lee, Shepard, & Dillingham, 1873. The Gettysburg Spring Company: The Gettysburg Katalysine Water, Reports of Physicians and the People of its Wonderful Cures. History of the Spring. New York: Peck & Winchell, Steam Printers, 1886. Meyers, Edwin K.: For Veterans, Patriots, Tourists, and the Great Army of Generous Youth: In Whose Souls the Stirring Reminiscences of the Battle of Gettysburg Find a Place. Harrisburg: Edwin K. Meyers, Printer and Binder, 1886. Mockenhaupt, Brian: “The Battle of Gettysburg: A Time When American Civilians Saw War Firsthand.” The Atlantic, July 3, 2013. Moorman, J. J., M.D.: Mineral Springs of North America; How to Reach, and How to Use Them. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippencott & Co., 1873. Mottelay, Paul Fleury: The Soldier in Our Civil War. Frank Leslie’s Columbian Memorial Edition. In Two Volumes. A Pictorial History of the Conflict 1861-1865, Illustrating the Valor of the Soldier as Displayed on the Battle-field. New York: S. Bradley Publishing Company, 1893. Tucker, Donald: Collector’s Guide to the Saratoga Type Mineral Water Bottles, North Berwick, Maine: Donald & Lois Tucker, Inc., 1985. von Mechow, Tod: “Bottle Search Results – Gettysburg Katalysine Water Company,” Soda & Beer Bottles of North America, 2019, www.sodasandbeers.com Weeks, Jim: Gettysburg: Memory, Market, and the American Shrine. Princeton: Princeton University Press., 2003.

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Beautiful blue green Gettysburg Katalysine mineral water bottle.

A Big Man in Idaho Springs Sol Weinberger left his mark on old whiskey jugs By Jack Sullivan

Figure 1

hown here behind the bar of his saloon, Solomon “Sol” Weinberger stood a diminutive five feet, three inches (Figure1). His height had little to do with his reputation as a genial and civic-minded resident of Idaho Springs, Colorado. Shown here are four jugs in which he sold his whiskey throughout the region, all of them proudly emblazoned with the name of his hometown.

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Each jug has a distinct personality. My guess is that an early one was the plain gallon “shouldered” jug, somewhat rustic and primitive in appearance (Figure 2). This ceramic recently sold at auction for $322, indicating a healthy market for Western whiskey ceramics. The next jug (Figure 3) still bears a stenciled label but adds a dark brown “Albany slip” top. That is followed by a more cleanly thrown container with a more defined stencil (Figure 4). The final jug (Figure 5) is the most finished, bearing an all-over white Bristol glaze, tapered neck and underglaze cobalt label. As the capacity of local potteries was improving, Weinberger was simultaneously improving his whiskey containers.

February 2021

The diminutive Sol was born in July of 1864 in a part of Europe then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At the age of 17 he emigrated to the United States, arriving in June 1881 and settling in Cripple Creek, Colo. There Weinberger met his future wife, Anna Glauber, a woman who had immigrated to Colorado from Hungary. They would have three children. After working in other saloons, Sol struck out on his own, opening his own drinking establishment. The 1900 census found him in Cripple Creek and recorded his occupation as “wholesale liquor.” A year or so later, for unexplained reasons, Sol moved his family 105 miles north to Idaho Springs, located in Clear Creek County, Colorado, about thirty miles west of Denver. Idaho Springs had been the site of the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush, the state’s first gold strike. Findings of gold in stream beds were soon followed by discoveries of rich veins of gold in the rocks of the canyon walls on both sides of Clear Creek. Underground mining for valuable metals and minerals became the mainstay of the town long after the gold-bearing gravels were exhausted. As a result, Idaho Springs moved into the 20th Century with a healthy economy. An early photo captures dozens of wagons hauling ore and other goods down the town’s main drag, Miner Street (Figure 6). In Idaho Springs, Weinberger opened a saloon and liquor store. A photo of the interior (Figure 7) shows him with four customers. Sol had installed or inherited a fancy carved bar with an unusual elaborate tower that held bottles of liquor. The usual foot rail and spittoons are in evidence and an array of glasses are reflected in the large mirror. From his facial expression and body language, Sol looks somewhat discomfited by having his picture taken. Called the Weinberger Liquor Co., the saloon and store stood downtown at 1630 Miner St.

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Figure 6

Figure 7

Sol also sold his liquor in smaller flasks, most of them embossed with his name and “Idaho Springs” (Figure 8). Recently a clear flask has come to light that contains a rare Weinberger label advertising “M.S. Bond” whiskey (Figure 9). This was a brand from T.B. Ripy Distilleries in Lawrenceburg, Ky., owned by one of the famous Ripy distilling family. Bringing liquor from distant places to Idaho Springs had been made possible because the Colorado & Southern line, financed by railroad millionaire Jay Gould, had reached Idaho Springs by 1877. An engine and tender have been preserved in a local museum (Figure 10).

Figure 8

Figure 9

Sol rapidly gained popularity in Idaho Springs as a saloonkeeper, providing strong drink to thirsty miners. He gave five-cent tokens to regular customers, (Figures 11,12), always a way to gain acclaim among the drinking public. The token would have been enough to buy a shot of bar whiskey. As this mining camp evolved into a town whose main street is now on the National Register of Historical Places, Weinberger became known for his strong support of progressive civic causes. Although Idaho Springs continued to exhibit a buoyant economy into the 20th Century, Prohibition was making a statement in Colorado, first through local option laws and then a state law establishing a total ban on making or selling alcoholic beverages. On Jan. 1, 1916 — four years before National Prohibition — Colorado went “dry.” Sol had no choice but to shut down his saloon and liquor business. He wasted no time in making another move.

Figure 10

Taking his profits from his Idaho Springs saloon, Weinberger said goodbye to Colorado for “wet” California, settling in San Francisco. Not long after, with a relative of his wife, he opened a restaurant/ saloon at 1510 Fillmore St. This was soon followed by a second eatery in which he appears to have been sole proprietor, one located at 1106 Market St. February 2021

LEFT COLUMN: Figures 11 and 12, the five-cent tokens Sol Weinberger gave out to frequent customers. ABOVE: Figure 13, the Sol Weinberger gravesite outside of San Francisco, in the Hills of Eternity Memorial Park in Coma.

Sol Weinberger died at the age of 87 in June 1952. His small stature and labors in the hardscrabble American West clearly had not proved to be an impediment to longevity. His grave lies adjacent to his wife’s in Hills of Eternity Memorial Park in Coma, outside of San Francisco (Figure 13). While his height may have been short, Sol’s legacy is large in the jugs and bottles he left for posterity. Note: The photo of Sol Weinberger in his saloon has fascinated me for showing the diminutive immigrant proprietor holding his own among the rough and tumble residents of an often rowdy Western mining town. The photo was displayed on the internet in 2014 by Sol’s great-grandson,

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Mark Weinberger, who ran a local history museum outside San Francisco. He in turn credited Marjorie Bell of the Idaho Springs Historical Society for finding the photo, dated circa 1915. FYI: Local legend is that Idaho Springs’ name derived from annual visits to the radium hot springs made by a Native American chief and his tribe who journeyed there each year from Idaho to bathe in the “magic healing waters.” Also: The 1969 film “Downhill Racer” portrayed an alpine ski racer from Idaho Springs, played by Robert Redford. A brief scene in the movie was shot on location in Idaho Springs.

There is Sickness at the Smithsonian Comments by Ralph Finch

If you get there, here is some of what you will find. To make it easy (or easier) you can search by keywords.

o bottle shows? Can’t go anywhere, except maybe the drugstore? Want to read about antique bottle stuff, and with good photos? And do you want to feel smarter as you spend day after day sitting at home in your pajamas (OK, that’s what I’m doing, and don’t try to picture it).

There are some pictures of a Dromgooles Bitters (with a name like that, it had to be good), as well as “Little Imps,” pills for those who want to ease their throat and “breath perfume,” or Kurtz’s Improved Electric Oil (good for rheumatism), or Dr. Taylor’s Oil of Life Liniment for Man or Beast, or Moses Atwood’s Jannice Bitters (good if you are suffering headaches due to constipation), or Larrabees’s Rheumatic Liniment, or E.C. DeWitt’s Cascasweet, circa 1900, “For Your Baby,” because it eases “Wind, Worms, and Vomiting of Sour Curd” Huh? Yuck.

How about making a modest (and edited) visit to the Smithsonian Institution and find out what it has about patent medicine? Here we go …

“Balm of America: Patent Medicine Collection “The Smithsonian Institution began to collect objects related to health and medicine in 1881. It first obtained examples of patent medicines in 1930, acquiring packages of Haarlem Oil (or Dutch Drops), Dr. John Hooper’s *Female Pills, and Roche’s Herbal Embrocation. Since then the Smithsonian’s collection of patent medicines has expanded to more than 4,000 products, dating from the 19th century to the present day.

“About this Object Group: “This group of objects features examples from this collection, found in the Division of Medicine and Science at the National Museum of American History. Each entry includes a photo of the object, the product’s name, maker’s name, place of manufacture, and a date range. Ingredients and therapeutic claims are included when indicated on the product packaging.

“Browse “Browse the collection by therapeutic category. You can also use the keyword

Labeled Dromgooles Bitters bottle with contents and packaging. The first of many contents listed was unicorn root.

search (at right) which searches all fields of information.

“More information “Learn more about patent medicine history and how this history is revealed in examples from our collection. Questions or comments? Contact us.”

r OK, to contact the Smithsonian you will need a computer (if your bottle experience has been limited to standing kneedeep in privy muck, you may need to ask the nearest nine-year-old close to you for help. Go to https://americanhistory. si.edu/collections/object-groups/balmof-america-patent-medicine-collection. Honest; that’s why you may need your grandchild’s help).

Or how about Whitlock’s (non-PC) Red Indian Liniment (good for “All Painful Affections”). For another Indian, there’s Kickapoo Sagwa. Also, Lester Greene’s Syrup of Tar, which “Breaks up La Grippe” in ten minutes, while “Mayr’s Wonderful Remedy” is good for Torpid Liver, or Spells. (I could have used that when I was in the fifth grade, and couldn’t spell a thing.) *From Wikipedia: “Female Pills” that claimed to help with menstruation, indigestion, pain relief, hysteria, depression and sallow skin have been sold in Britain and the States since the 18th century. Dr. John Hooper’s Female Pills, patented in 1743, was one such product that was still being advertised and consumed well into the 20th century.”

r For what ails you (male or female), email rfinch@twmi.rr.com February 2021

George Washington:

American Cincinnatus? By Chris Bubas

n the February 2019 and April 2019 issues of AB&GC, respectively, Anthony Picadio presented some amazing (and, in my opinion, completely convincing) research suggesting that the busts on the GI-17 flask were those of Washington-Armistead rather than Washington-Taylor, and that the images on the GI-114 flask were those of Webster-Clay rather than Byron-Scott. I was sold the moment I read the articles. Finding myself with some time on my hands this holiday season and, in the spirit of continuing the quest, I thought I would spend some time researching and attempting to identify the so-called “classical bust” on the reverse of the GI-25 Washington-Classical Bust flask. The individual is presumed to be either Zachary Taylor or Henry Clay. I very much doubt that the individual is Zachary Taylor. I agree that the individual could very well be Henry Clay, however two things have bothered me about that attribution. First, Henry Clay, in every bust I’ve viewed, is depicted with sweptback, brushed-down hair and prominent sideburns. The individual on the flask, however, is depicted with swept-forward hair (similar to Roman hairstyles) and no sideburns. Secondly, the individual, in my opinion, bears little to no resemblance to Henry Clay, especially in certain key areas such as the nose, chin, and jaw. I would like to propose another possible identification: Cincinnatus. As you may know, Cincinnatus was a former military commander living a simple

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Reverse of the GI-25 Washington Bust flask.

life on his farm when Rome, facing the threat of war, called him to duty and bestowed upon him absolute power. After about two weeks of battle, Cincinnatus claimed victory and, instead of capitalizing on his military power and popular support, left Rome behind to return to his farm. George Washington followed a similar path. He was living a simple life on his farm when the Continental Congress, facing threat of war, called him to duty. Once the Revolutionary War was won, he, instead of capitalizing on his military power and popular support, left to return to his farm. Both men were citizensoldier-farmers who repudiated monar-

19th-century plaster library bust of Cincinnatus.

chic ambitions, believing that public service meant more than personal glory. George Washington has, in fact, been referred to as the Cincinnatus of America since 1783, a fact that would have been well-known to the glassworks and mold makers of the time. Of the numerous articles I located describing George Washington as the American Cincinnatus, one in particular caught my eye. It was an article from the March 13, 1832 issue of The National Gazette in Philadelphia in which the General Committee of Arrangement requested that the Chief and Assistant Marshals for Washington’s Centennial Birthday Procession on February 22, 1832 immediately gather all

information and materials from the procession for preservation in the archives of the city. The article states in part:

Links of Washington and Cincinnatus were common.

“When the special report shall be completed, arranged, and sanctioned by the General Committee of Arrangement, it is proposed to give the entire work to the public, accompanied with a suitable introduction as a perpetual memorial of the sublimest moral spectacle ever witnessed in any age or country. The generous effusion of a people’s gratitude, spontaneously afforded to the memory of their chieftain, the American Cincinnatus.” What I find most interesting is this. George Washington’s centennial birthday was celebrated in Philadelphia in 1832, an event that would undoubtedly still be fresh in the minds of the people of Bridgeton, New Jersey (only 45 miles distant) in 1836. Given that the GI-25 WashingtonClassical Bust flasks were likely blown at the newly-constructed Bridgeton Glass Works circa 1836-1841 (and possibly later in the 1840s by subsequent owners John G. Rosenbaum and/or Joel Bodine & Sons), I can’t help but wonder to what extent, if any, the recent centennial birthday celebration of “the American Cincinnatus” in Philadelphia inspired the portraiture on the flask? Quite a bit, I suspect!

Illustration of the reverse of the GI-25 flask.

ABOVE: Washington in classical garments.Once the Revolutionary War was won, George Washington resigned as commander of the Continental Army to affirm the belief that public service meant more to him than personal glory and honor. Coming out of retirement later to assume the Presidency, and then to exit office after two terms even furthered the narrative that the United States was rooted in classical nobility and the ancient principles of selflessness of Sparta and especially the Republic of Rome.

Appearing here are images of Cincinnatus juxtaposed with the reverse of the GI-25 Washington-Classical Bust flask. Cincinnatus’ likeness in the plaster bust, in particular, compares very favorably with the image on the reverse of the flask and, in my opinion, appears to have been the inspiration (model) for the mold maker. I find the comparison especially convincing when comparing facial elements in isolation (e.g., eye-to-eye, nose-to-nose, mouth-to-mouth, chin-to-chin, jaw-to-jaw, etc.). John, I’d very much appreciate it if you could present this information to your readers for their feedback. In the meantime, I wish you and the bottle collecting community a wonderful New Year!

LEFT: Obverse of the GI-25 flask.

February 2021

By John Panella and Joe Widman

THE BEST BITTERS IN AMERICA That would make a great name for a bitters bottle. Wait, B. Desenberg, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, thought of that about 150 years ago. This is undoubtedly the best known of any rare bitters. If you are a collector I bet you at least recognize the name and you probably know some of the story about it. John Pastor asked me to write a follow-up story about this bottle because he has one for sale in his first 2021 auction this spring. Since I have studied this bottle and written more about it than anyone else the following is excerpted from my previous articles. I was born in Kalamazoo and have lived in the area all my life. I have collected medicines and bitters for a very long time. I worked at the Upjohn Co. in Kalamazoo, so it didn’t take long for me to settle on medicine bottles as my main desire. I purchased Dick Watson’s Bitters Bottles when it came out in 1965. I spent hours looking at every bottle in the book. No. 40 stood out more than any other. “The Best Bitters in America / B. Desenberg & Co. Kalamazoo Mich.” The Best Bitters was my first “heart’s desire” and it was the inspiration for this article. As I said, I primarily collect American medicines. I wanted to own a Best Bitters from the time I knew it existed. I also knew that my chances were very small of ever getting one. It was originally listed as one of the ten most wanted bitters. Only a couple of examples were known. In the 1960s I was paying between five dollars and thirty dollars for bottles for my collection. I didn’t know if I would ever even see a Best Bitters, let alone own one. I did see one in the late ’60s at a Detroit bottle show. Elvin Moody from Ohio was one of the

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dealers. He had a number of good bottles, including several Drakes Plantations for sale. He spent time talking to me as a new collector. I eventually told him my heart’s desire was a Best Bitters. He told me he owned one that he had purchased a few years earlier for less than a hundred dollars. He said it was in with a line of Drakes and he didn’t think the seller recognized the difference. He then asked if I would like to see it. He reached in a box under the table, pulled it out, and handed it to me. I couldn’t believe my luck. It was beautiful. It wasn’t for sale. He said it was probably worth five hundred dollars. It made my day. And it enhanced my permanent status as a collector. In the early ’70s I got a call from the president of our local bottle club. He had a call from a man in a nearby community who found a Best Bitters while digging to connect a new septic system. He told the man that he didn’t have much information but I did. I called the guy and went to his house that very night. The Best Bitters was soaking in a cast iron sink with several other dug bottles. I examined it carefully. It had a small crack in the base. I told the man that it would be worth as much as five hundred dollars if it were in mint condition. I would have made an offer for it but he didn’t want to sell it. I left my contact information just in case. Later that year I received another call. He had found a second Best Bitters and would sell one of them. I rushed to the bank and drove to his house that night. He had one that was mint except for a little dirt. He wanted five hundred dollars. I asked which bottle he was selling. He surprised me by saying the mint one. I drove home the owner of a Best Bitters. I still remember my total excitement.

Over the years I have owned five other Best Bitters, including the original bottle with the crack. I paid $750 for it, and I paid $1,500 each for the other four. I won’t tell each individual story but they were all exciting. I still own one, and the sales of the other five were profitable and memorable. Best Bitters have been good to me. I found B. Desenberg’s grave in the Jewish section of an old Kalamazoo Cemetery. I first saw the original headstone but it has since been replaced with a new one. I have never found an advertisement for his bitters. I have several for his grocery store but they post date the bitters by about twenty to thirty years. The Desenberg Building, located at 251 East Michigan Avenue, is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built by the famed Chicago architects Adler & Sullivan, and is located within the Haymarket District of downtown Kalamazoo. As stated previously, I’m writing this article on Best Bitters as it is one of my favorite medicines. It is also timely, as John Pastor will be featuring a nice example in his upcoming March catalogued auction. If anyone has, or has ever seen, an advertisement for the Best Bitters, I would love to know about it. Part of the fun of collecting is you never know what is out there! Please contact Joe Widman at oldmedicines@yahoo.com

By John Panella and Joe Widman

FAR LEFT: The Best Bitters in America, obverse. NEAR LEFT: The Best Bitters in America, reverse. BOTTOM: The Desenberg Building, located within the Haymarket District of downtown Kalamazoo, is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

February 2021

www.jeffnholantiquebottles.com

Always buying and selling quality bottles, flasks and early gla s. Please check back often - we are regularly updating the site with fresh material! Jeff and Holly Noordsy jeffnhol@gmail.com 44

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February 2021

WANTED!

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