Antique Bottle & Glass Collector by Ferdinand Meyer V

January 2021

$4.00

Tom Askjem Digs Deep Into North Dakota History ◗ PAGE 7

IN THIS ISSUE:

Early Lattice / Quilted Bottles ◗ PAGE 12

It Pays to Advertise? ◗ PAGE 14

At the Badger's Dump, Part I ◗ PAGE 28

What Are the Odds ◗ PAGE 33

Th e M ag a z i ne Th at K e e p s Yo u I n f o r me d !

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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, #9 • January 2021 FRONT COVER:

Tom Askjem of Buxton, North Dakota, is at it again. Tom is shown in one of his more challenging projects. He has also authored another new book. This one is titled, A History of North Dakota Bottle Operations 1879 - 1930. Read all about it beginning on page 7.

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

Heard it through the Grapevine ........................................................ 4 North Dakota Bottles Are Really Booming ...................................... 7 Early Lattice / Quilted Bottles ........................................................ 12 It Pays to Advertise? ......................................................................... 14 Come On, Pay Attention! ................................................................ 16 Fruit Jar Rambles: Mason's (Shield) Union Jars ............................. 17 Classified Advertisements ................................................................ 22 Show Calendar ................................................................................. 25 At the Badger's Dump, Part I .......................................................... 28 What Are the Odds (A New CD Number?) ..................................... 33 Medicine Chest: The Near Ultimate Medicines .............................. 42 What a Shame .................................................................................. 44 WWII's Infamous Gas Wars ............................................................ 45

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.

Coming in February: Painted Demijohns, by Ralph Finch The Badgers Dump, Part II, by Rick Weiner Gettysburg Katalysine Water, by Kevin Sives Fruit Jar Rambles: The Little Beef Jars, by Tom Caniff Medicine Chest: Best Bitters in America, by John Panella and Joe Widman And other very cool stuff! January 2021

LETTERS

to the Editor

I did the presentation at the local library in late September and the video is about twenty minutes long. Anyone who wishes to watch the video can go to the Abbott Memorial Library, in Dexter, Maine. The link is there to watch the video. I thought some readers might be interested in seeing it. Thanks for a great job on the magazine. I have a digging story coming in the near future. Rick Whitney Dexter, Maine

Now THAT’S Digging! Tom Askjem (above), the Nebraska and Dakota bottle digger and research king, has sent this update on how he keeps busy out on the plains. “I finished up my digging season recently. Brought an excavator in on a ghost town. We got nine Hutches. Seven were from Grafton, North Dakota, one from East Grand Forks and one generic without embossing.” Tom Askjem Buxton, North Dakota thomas.askjem@gmail.com Editor’s note: See Tom’s interesting article in this issue beginning on page 7.

Orrin Fitzgerald: A Presentation Hi, John, Just a note to let you and other collectors know that I did a presentation on Dr. Orrin Fitzgerald, the spiritualist and clairvoyant doctor from Dexter, Maine, that produced “Fitzgerald’s Membrane Cure and the Improved Invigorator.”

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

Editor’s note: We took a non-masked visit to the museum and watched the presentation; good photos, a pleasant narration. Despite there being no popcorn, we enjoyed our visit to Dexter, where a settlement was begun in 1801 by Ebenezer Small, David Smith, and others from New Hampshire, and was originally called Elkinstown. When incorporated as a town in 1816, it renamed itself after Judge Samuel Dexter, who was then running for governor of Massachusetts (of which Maine was still a part).

Family Shares Good Memories Hello, Friends at AB&GC, I received the December issue of AB&GC and want you to know how much we appreciate your masterful treatment of the Orangeine article, and your kind words about our family. The antique glass hobby has been very good to the Beardsleys for over fifty years now. We’ve made so many friends and had so many adventures. Lots of great memories of times and friends past, and the hope of more exciting times to come. On behalf of my amazing mother, my patient wife Nancy, and our entire family we want to send out a warm THANK YOU for your magazine, which brightens our

mailbox every month, and wish you and your families a very healthy 2021. Mike Beardsley Madison County, New York PS: I believe I saw that the National Federation Show is planned for Syracuse this August. If all the stars align and you folks head East, how cool would it be to get together with Mom again. Maybe she’d cook up some of her famous ribs? Sure would be fun.

Ralph’s on a Roll From our editor-in-chief, Ralph Finch: In the December issue of the AB&GC, I wrote about my toilet paper roll holder that played music. And, being a journalist, I wondered what music it should play. I suggested that since it was German made, I should opt for a European composer; maybe one of Beethoven’s First Movements. Or maybe No. 2? I was hoping to find one with a long title, one that included a colon. (Forgive me; I’m going to Hell.) FYI: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2, which has four movements, was written during the composer’s period of gastric problems. (Doesn’t this all tie in?) However, a few old friends offered their own suggestions. One said, “Leslie Gore’s It's my Potty” (Party) (1963). Another offered, “I think it should play Wipeout by the Surfaris” (1962). And old friend Bob Strickhart, a former New Jersey house painter, reminded me of this bit of wisdom: “You know though, that no job is done until you do the paperwork!” And the winner? The person (who remains anonymous) who said it should NOT be the National Anthem. Why? You have to stand up too long. I have old — but witty (and strange) — friends.

LETTERS

to the Editor

A Dandelion or a Huckleberry? Ralph Finch notes that Joe Gourd of Winfield, Ill., sent this email regarding the Tilton Dandelion Bitters story in the December issue AB&GC magazine, saying, “Liked the story! Let’s do some more.” The trade card shown with the story was courtesy of Joe Gourd, who is the bitters trade card king, having amassed 900 different bitters cards. He also has more than 3,000 other trade cards. Joe intends to donate his collection to an as-of-now unnamed museum. Recently, his cards have been extensively used as illustrations in the soon-to-be released Bitters Bottles Supplement 2 by Carlyn Ring, Bill Ham and Ferdinand Meyer IV. Want to correspond with Joe? Write him at joegourd@aol.com. Speaking of dandelions, Joe Gourd has been my *huckleberry for about five decades, when he became my friend, then the first president of the Detroit bottle club (the same club in which I met my wonderful wife, Janet), and later my neighbor two homes down. It’s a great hobby, and a small world. Enjoy it. *Courtesy of Doc Holiday in the 1993 movie, ‘Tombstone.’

Searching for a Family Bottle

A Little Help on a Peppersauce

TOP: Tom Swier is looking for a family bottle. Is anyone familiar this particular bottle?

Hi, John,

Hey, John,

I was recommended to you by Joe Butewicz. I am looking for an antique bottle from my great grandfather and his brother from Jersey City. “SCHWERKOSK BROS / 58 / VAN WINKLE / AVE / JERSEY.” Any help from you, or your readers, would be greatly appreciated.

BOTTOM: Bruce Jones has this rare peppersauce bottle. Do any readers have details on his prize?

Bruce Jones here. I’ve attached a picture of a rare peppersauce bottle. I would appreciate if you would include it in one of the upcoming issues of AB&GC to see if any of the readers might have any feedback on the bottle.

Regards,

It is embossed, “H.E. & CO / CIN’T” (and maybe an “I” following the “T”).

Tom Swier ptswi@aol.com

Bruce Jones Fairfax, Virginia

Editor’s note: Bruce, thank you for your email. That is indeed a very rare peppersauce. Hopefully, one of our readers might be able to shed some light on this very interesting bottle. If anyone has any information, please let us know, or contact Bruce at his email: cwaddic@yahoo.com

January 2021

Heard it through the

Grapevine

What’s in Your Attic?

“The excited homeowner also revealed

“Couple finds 60 bottles of 1920s bootleg whiskey in secret walls of New York home

to Fox News that his research has led him to believe that bottles and hidden compartments were used by a bootlegger named Adolph Humpfner. Drummond explained that after Humpfner’s death (which was apparently under mysterious circumstances), secret compartments were found in his other properties and vehicles. “It’s insane,” Drummond said after relaying the story of Humpfner.

“Old homes usually have a couple of

“As far as their own discoveries, Drum-

As bottle collectors, we all dream of finding treasure, whether by digging, or at an antique store, or scoring an amazing deal at auction. From Fox News in Jackson, Mississippi, comes this story:

secrets hiding behind their walls, but they’re usually not this boozy.

“A couple in upstate New York made what they call a “wild discovery” when they uncovered what appears to be an old bootlegger’s supply hidden in the walls of their house. They also say that, upon further inspection, they’ve found hidden compartments with more bottles dating back to the 1920s stashed away. “Nick Drummond, who owns the house with his partner Patrick in Ames, N.Y., spoke with Fox News, confirming that so far, “it’s about 60 bottles actually, and there are more compartments we have to open in the floor. I definitely think there is more to find! “According to him, they had previously heard stories about the house. “We were actually told by a neighbor that the home was rumored to have been built by a bootlegger and a German baron,” he said, “and found the story endearing, but took it with a grain of salt. We never thought any part of the story was actually true!” “Drummond explained, “The more we keep digging, the more we’ve found, too! We set up an Instagram account called @bootleggerbungalow, and have been trying to document the discoveries alongside our renovation. Our followers have actually been helping us solve the mystery!”

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

One of the bottles found at the home.

mond says that while he’s not “a whiskey expert by any means,” he does “enjoy a good whiskey from time to time. Drummond said auction houses and collectors have contacted him, speculating that the value on some of the bottles might range between $500 and $1,200.”

The brand of whiskey found has quite a history of its own. Old Smuggler is an internationally known distinctive blended scotch whiskey dating back to 1835. Its fine, smooth taste is due to its special blend of the finest scotch whiskies. In 1644, the Scottish Parliament introduced a notorious excise duty on scotch whiskey. This tax would continue to rise for the next several decades. This was simply unacceptable to those whose families had been making whiskey mainly for themselves. Smuggling quickly became a way of life for the distillers, who made it their mission to share their whiskies throughout the Scottish Isles. Unable to curtail the smuggling, the government was eventually forced to reduce the duty in the early 1800s, leading to the establishment of legal distilleries. One of the few distilleries to have survived from that time is Old Smuggler, who chose their name to honor the spirit of the early whiskey makers.

A package of Old Smuggler comes out of the hatch.

Heard it through the

Grapevine

Not Sure What to Do in a Pandemic? Why not use the time to support one of several museums that feature great glass collections? Many of these museums are still open, practice safe policies with social distancing, masks and sanitizing stations. Here are just a few of the museums with outstanding bottle and glass collections: Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, N.Y. (website: www.cmog.org). Legendary collections of glass including a significant historical flask collection, miscellaneous bottles, pattern molded items, early European glass, and much more! Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion, Toledo, Ohio. (website: www.toledomuseum.org). The new contemporary glass pavilion at the Toledo Museum of Art opened its doors in August 2006. The building itself is impressive. In addition, it houses a vast collection of glass, including an impressive collection of ancient glass, early American bottles and flasks, and contemporary art glass. PHOTOS: TOP: Corning Museum of Glass logo. MIDDLE: Toledo Museum of Art logo. BOTTOM: The FOHBC Virtual Museum logo. TOP RIGHT: The Glass Pavilion at the Toledo Museum of Art.

Perhaps lesser known, but no less impressive, is the relatively new DavidsonGerson Gallery of Glass in Greenfield Village (next to Henry Ford Museum), Dearborn, Mich. (website: thehenryford. org). This beautiful new building constructed in Greenfield Village houses an

unbelievable collection of antique bottles and flasks, many collected by George McKearin. The late Kenneth Wilson was a long-time curator at the museum. The museum features more than 300 years of American glass from its beginnings to present day. Please note that Greenfield Village is closed for the season and will reopen in April 2021. If you are not comfortable venturing out, why not visit the latest glass museum to open its doors, The FOHBC Virtual Museum. You can visit this outstanding museum from the comfort of your own home. (website: fohbcvirtualmuseum. org). The FOHBC Virtual Museum doors are open and visiting is free to the public during the pandemic. The museum was established to display, inform, educate and enhance the enjoyment of historical bottle and glass collecting by providing an online museum experience for significant historical bottles and other items related to early glass. The museum is growing daily and has close to 500 examples in various galleries. There is no other place in collecting where such an endeavor has been undertaken. The best 3-D imagery, research and support imagery one can imagine have been employed to make bottles come to life. Come and take a look and consider supporting the museum, as it relies totally on donations. January 2021

Our Success is Your Success! We welcome your conversation to discuss consignment options for your singular item, group or entire collection.

Selections for Auction - Spring 2021

Heckler 6

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

www.hecklerauction.com | 860-974-1634 79 Bradford Corner Road, Woodstock Valley, CT 06282

North Dakota Bottles

Are Really Booming Thanks to researcher/digger/author Tom Askjem The Ralph Finch interview

emember in 2019 when we printed a story that started: “I’ve been digging 100-150 privies per year. I figure I’ve dug roughly 1,100 since I was about 14. I still live on the family farm where I dug my first privy.” That was the beginning of an interesting interview with Tom when he published his extensive — and interesting — book titled Nebraska Soda Bottles, 1865-1930.

Tom displaying his new book on North Dakota bottling.

Tom is back. Remember him? He’s from Buxton, North Dakota. (Buxton, FYI, still has a population of 323 people, including Tom.) For his book he said: “I started digging and collecting bottles behind my parents’ 1898 farmhouse outside of Buxton.” Tom is now 29, and collects “early soda bottles from the Dakotas and surrounding states. I also collect wagons, buggies and sleighs from the homestead era.” And despite a world shutting down, with most people distancing, Tom has been busy. Very busy, and sent us this interesting email in September 2020: “Hey, thought I would inform you of my new book, A History of North Dakota Bottling Operations 1879-1930. P.S. Earlier this summer (2020) I got permission to dig at a fort site here in the Dakotas. I’ve been extensively documenting everyJanuary 2021

thing. The findings from each pit have been kept separate in totes marked with GPS coordinates. I’ve found a lot of stuff. “Often when someone thinks about an old pop bottle, they think of the painted label, pry-off cap examples. It seems most have never thought about the fact that bottling took place many years before those types of bottles were even invented. Bottling in North Dakota dates back to pioneer times. Before statehood, on Nov. 2, 1889, North Dakota was part of the Dakota Territory. The earliest bottlers in the area were bottling during that time. The earliest confirmed bottles that they used were Hutchinson-style bottles. Due to sanitation concerns, those types of bottles started declining in popularity around 1906, and by 1912 they were banned in North Dakota. Bottlers then replaced those bottles with the pry-off cap examples, though the painted label versions weren’t manufactured until many years later.” And about his digging, Tom explains: “A lot of the privies were twelve feet deep and six or seven feet below the water table, which kept everything fairly well preserved. I’ve got four soldier hats and some clothing. “I also pulled out nearly thirty USA Hospital Department bottles. Four of them are cobalt blue quarts. I’d like to keep it under wraps until finished, though I should be able to finish this year. And what is ahead for Tom? “I plan to do a history book on the fort and the finds. I feel it would make a great article for the magazine and would gladly give some info when the time comes.” LEFT: “I’ve attached pictures of what I consider to be the best soda in North Dakota. It’s from the bottling works of Krueger & Kronenberg. They only bottled together for about a year in Grand Forks, Dakota Territory, from 1882-83. There are five or six known. The one I sent a picture of is one that I dug from a privy behind where a saloon once stood in Larimore, N.D.”

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

Amazing! Do you think this old newsman could say no to an offer like that? Tom, bring it on. In his first book, he revealed: “I’ve dug bottles in eight different states, literally from coast to coast. I’ve dug privies from Cape-style houses of Eastport, Maine, to an abandoned California gold rush camp. I spent part of a winter digging Galveston, Texas. My main focus, though, is the Dakotas. “While on digging trips, I’ve camped in downpouring rain, I’ve camped with near in-line winds, where the pop-up tent was literally blown down flat on top of me. I’ve also camped without being able to shower for days, waking up with dirt clods on my pillow from my hair. “The deepest I’ve dug is about thirty feet. The pit turned out to be an old homestead well. The deepest privy I’ve dug is about twelve feet.” And, the bottom line: I liked his first book, well done. And his recent one? Again, well done. From the new book’s introduction: “I consider the information is this book to be as accurate as it was originally recorded. Most of the information on bottler’s origins were found through U.S. census records and whenever possible, cross-referenced with historic newspaper articles. The date range on the bottling companies was found first through examination of the bottle’s style and, if any, the glass company’s marks. Then all of that information was cross-referenced with historic newspaper articles and advertisements.” “Various North Dakota history books were also used for reference, including centennial books. The Andreas’ Historical Atlas of Dakota, published in 1884, was TOP: A peek inside Tom's exciting new book. BOTTOM: “The Indiana Jones-style hat was found in an ash dump behind the company quarters. The pit seemed to date back to the 1880s. I also dug a poncho in the fort hospital privy. We had fun with a photo shoot.”

January 2021

a valuable source of information on the earliest bottlers.” “The date range covered in this book is based mostly off of my interests with the earlier bottles. The earliest bottles known from bottling operations in North Dakota date back to 1879. I decided to end the date range at 1930. It was around that time the next-generation ‘art-deco’ and ‘national-brand’ style bottles were in general use. Though some next-generation bottles were used in North Dakota bottling operations in the 1910s and ’20s, I wanted this book to focus on the earlier styles.” In it, Tom explores 76 bottling operations. “This book is meant to be a history book, a reference book, and an identification guide. From years of researching, collecting and digging for antique bottles, I’ve found that almost everyone has a connection with them. Old bottles are often found while digging a foundation, during a renovation, in an old crawl space under a building, in the woods while out on a walk, in a dirt pile on a construction site, or maybe in outbuildings after purchasing a property. I’ve heard all sorts of stories like these. Sometimes the bottles are found to be interesting so they’re kept, and other times little is known about them so they are once again discarded. I’m hoping that this book will help preserve these antique bottles, which are a part of everyone’s history.” Editor’s note: The book, hardbound with 80 pages on glossy paper, with 240 different bottles shown, can be purchased for $60, with free shipping. PayPal or a check by mail is fine. Tom says: “My Paypal is Thomas.Askjem@gmail.com.” Checks can be mailed to Tom Askjem, 16813 16th St. NE, Buxton, ND 58218. For more information, contact thomas.Askjem@gmail.com; his phone number is 701-864-0126. TOP: The four cobalt blue USA Hospital Department quarts that Tom dug at the old fort. BOTTOM: Tom peers up from the depths of a deep and muddy dig.

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

FOHBC.org

January 2021

Early Lattice/ Quilted Bottles by Richard Sheaff

have been interested for decades in an enigmatic type of bottle nobody seems to know anything about. Over the years I have discussed them with many glass folks, searched museum records and holdings, and consulted many books about early glass both American and foreign. Thus far, nada. Lane and Pappas (A Rare Collection of Keene & Stoddard Glass, 1970, Plate 4) included two such bottles, both 8-sided, shown along with various Keene “quilted” blown three mold bottles, speculating — based on color — that possibly they were early Keene products. That attribution has never gained traction. I have three related bottles in my collection, two 8-sided and one 4-sided. I have heard various tentative guesses about their age and origin over the years. Many think them older than the earliest New England glass. Some think they may have been made in Holland, or Germany, or the Middle-East, or Spain. One European dealer I queried a few years back said that he thought they were Victorian-

INSET: The two bottles shown in Lane and Pappas. The one on the left is 9 1/2” tall, the one on the right 8 1/2” with a “notched” (pinched) applied neck ring. BACKGROUND: This bottle looks to be another example the Lane and Pappas bottles. It is 9 1/2” tall, olive green with streaks of amber. It was blown into a mold, with the mouth snapped off the blowpipe. An applied neck ring was then added, pinched in a decorative way.

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

Lane and Pappas (A Rare Collection of Keene & Stoddard Glass, 1970, Plate 4) included two such bottles, both 8-sided, shown along with various Keene “quilted” blown three mold bottles, speculating — based on color — that possibly they were early Keene products. That attribution has never gained traction. era revivals of much earlier designs. But he had no information about exactly which earlier designs, or the location of said earlier bottles, which is what I am seeking to learn. Personally, I suspect that they are quite early, not Victorian copies, perhaps from Holland or thereabouts. The technique of attaching the pontil to the mouth, breaking it off, and then applying a neck ring is an ancient technique. If anyone out there has solid information about bottles of this sort, I would love to learn more. dicksheaff@gmail.com

TOP: This one has a similar lattice pattern, but was made differently with the pontil being applied to the base. It is dark amber in color, 7 1/2” tall with an applied smooth neck ring. BOTTOM: This rectangular bottle is badly damaged. It is 9 1/4” tall, made in the same fashion as the Lane and Pappas bottles and the similar one of mine, with the mouth snapped off the blowpipe. A smooth applied neck ring has been added. It has a lattice pattern more or less identical to the others. This one came to me from a woman, since deceased, who also owned an identical intact example. When I saw her again many years later she no longer had the intact bottle and no recollection of where it had ended up.

January 2021

It Pays to Advertise? Two cents worth of advice from Ralph Finch

o, does it pay? It better, since a few billion dollars are spent each year on various products, most of which we don’t really need. How about bottle sellers and collectors? They hope so, too. Recently, in a few issues of Antique Bottle & Glass Collector magazine, my better half has placed a nice “Wanted” ad, in color, asking for additions to her new collecting addiction to old snuff bottles. And the response? We have had several nice conversations with smart people willing to share their knowledge, including (in alphabetic order) Pitkin Glass Works man Tom Duff, Norman Heckler, Jeff Noordsy and John Pastor. And the results? Well, there is good news and some more good news. Janet has added a half-dozen old snuffs, our checkbook has been tested, and several sellers seemed content. Back in my target ball days, ads in the States, England and Australia got me much richer in glass orbs, but much poorer in checking balances.

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

So, how about you? I remember, maybe thirty years ago, various fruit jar collectors were sent a photo of a nice, but not super-rare quart jar. All of us passed on it, except one guy, who bought it. When it arrived, he was thrilled. The photo didn’t show that the jar was in a pint size and, up until then, unlisted in that size. Have you answered an ad, or posted one, and the deal turned up better, or worse, than you expected? Let me know about it and we will share it with readers. Please email me at rfinch@twmi.rr.com.

FYI: Wikipedia explains: “In the ancient and medieval world such advertising as existed was conducted by word of mouth. The first step toward modern advertising came with the development of printing in the 15th and 16th centuries. In the 17th century weekly newspapers in London began to carry advertisements, and by the 18th century such advertising was flourishing.”

PHOTOS: Some of our favorite snuff bottles from recent American Glass Gallery auctions.

January 2021

Remember: Advertising doesn’t cost,

IT PAYS! A cobalt Van Cutsem ball

Come On, Pay Attention! Rants by Ralph Finch You would think that as old as the bottle hobby is now, and as advanced at the internet is, and as long as eBay has been in use, people would sure seem smarter. Still, I know better. I’ve been using eBay for a few decades, and I’ve been complaining that eBay should give an IQ test, and if you can’t prove you aren’t an imbecile, you can’t use it! I know people who couldn’t recognize the difference between a rock and the Hope Diamond, and also don’t seem to care. I have long ago given up trying to gently explain to eBay sellers that what they have is in error. I can offer websites where they can find information showing what they actually have, but all too often I’ve been told by sellers that, basically, they don’t care. In fact, a few of them seem proud to be stupid. I guess that explains the mess the country has gotten into. People go to the time and effort to offer a gizmo on eBay, and don’t bother to look

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

that ten other similar — or exact — gizmos are listed. On the same day! For example, the other day on eBay I found a cobalt Van Cutsem ball listed. Several, in fact. (And, fyi, the Van Cutsem may be the most common target ball in the world.) Still, on the same day, three were offered, with minimum required opening bids of $255, $165, and $29 (most with shipping of $8). And most were described as “rare,” and “from the 1800s.” That certainly nails down the time frame. I know how long it takes to photograph, describe and list and then to pack and ship. Why not take five more minutes to try and figure out what you really have? Janet spends hours listing her items. eBay has done one thing for sure. It proved that Darwin was wrong. Each generation isn’t evolving or getting smarter. We are breeding a lot of dumb and dumber people.

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

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

MASON’S (shield) UNION JARS The MASON’S (shield) UNION fruit jar (Figure A) is one of those unusual jars that has a closure that’s worth much more than the basic jar itself. A nice quart or half-gallon jar, with an estimated value of about $100-150 without the zinc cap, can rise in value to about $2,000 or so with an original marked cap in good condition. In December 1973, Dick Roller showed the ad in Figure B in his newly launched (July 1973) FRUIT JAR NEWSLETTER. Dick found this undated ad in the MASON JAR CENTENNIAL booklet, which was prepared in 1958 for the hundredth anniversary of John L. Mason’s most famous patent. Dick felt that the ad’s main historical value lay in the depiction in the ad of the MASON’S IMPROVED and MASON’S (keystone) KEYSTONE jars and the mention of the “Mason’s Union and Standard” jars. The first three jars were known at this time. But the MASON’S (flag) STANDARD had yet to be discovered, although a trademark for a “Mason’s (flag) Standard” had been used by the Mason Mfg. Co. in 1871. Interestingly, the ad is titled “Payne’s Improved, or The Common Sense Fruit Preserver!” The canner is marked on the side “Pat. Sep. 3, 1867 Pat. Oct. 26, 1869,” and the text reads, “The above cut represents an improved apparatus for Preserving by Steam, Fruits, Vegetables, &c.; an arrangement regarded by scientific judges as the most complete for that purpose ever offered to the public. Its construction is perfectly simple and easy to manage. Six or more jars can in as many minutes be preserved, with one-fourth of the labor and fuel usually required by any other process. When perfect jars are used (those

represented in the cut, with Mason’s Union and Standard, are regarded by him as among the best), and our directions followed, success is guaranteed! Price of Preservers: Single pipe, $3; two pipes, $4; for pipes, $5; six pipes, $6.” “Liberal arrangements made with the trade and good canvassers. For particulars, address Williams & Chase, 35 Park Place, N.Y. City.” In his 1983 STANDARD FRUIT JAR REFERENCE, Dick Roller listed Patent 918 MASON’S / shield / UNION with three styles of screw caps. 1: With the impressed shield and two vertical wrench lugs soldered on the top; unlined. 2: Stamped MASON’S UNION PAT’D FEB’Y 15 1859 * ALWAYS SAFE * around the shield; wrench lug pressed out from cap’s outer skirt; liner; the cap having a porcelain-covered iron disk. (bottom, Figure C) And 3: Stamped MASON’S UNION * PAT JUNE 6TH 1871 ALWAYS SAFE * around shield, wrench lug pressed out from cap’s outer skirt, liner; cap with a porcelain-covered iron disk. John Mason’s patent 115,754, for an “Improvement in Screw-Caps and Rings for Fruit Jars,” registered on June 6, 1871 showed the pressed-out wrench lug found on both lined cap varieties. (Figure D) The MASON’S UNION jars are scarce, but finding one with an original cap is a rare occurrence. Photo 1 shows a cap of style No. 1, unlettered, unlined, verticalwrench-lug caps, with the shield in the center. Pint examples take a cap 1/8” smaller in diameter than the quarts, while the half-gallon jars take a cap 3/8” larger than the quart. FIGURE A: MASON'S (shield) UNION quart fruit jar. FIGURE B: Undated Payne's Improved or The Common-Sense Fruit Preserver! ad.

January 2021

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

The “MASON’S UNION” trademark patent 1,308 was registered June 10, 1873 by the Consolidated Fruit Jar Co. Its use was claimed back to 1870. The Consolidated Fruit Jar Co. had acquired the trademark in late 1871 when it bought the Mason Manufacturing Co., owned by John L. Mason. The “Union Shield” on the jar is basically the same (with stars rather than “E Pluribus Unum”) as that found on the reverse of our current Lincoln head pennies, first appearing on the coins in 2010. (Figure E) The shield design is said to symbolize President Lincoln’s preservation of the United States as a single, undivided country. “MASON’S (shield) UNION jars,” according to Roller’s STANDARD FRUIT JAR REFERENCE, “with ‘Metal Cap’ or ‘Porcelain Cap,’ were advertised on July 3, 1872 by J. P. Smith, Son & Co., a Pittsburgh glass jobber.” Accurately dating the use of these MASON’S (shield) UNION jars is difficult. There were several cork-top and waxseal UNION fruit jars marketed over the years, making identification of “Union” jars featured in ads difficult. Indeed, for years the term “Union” was used in relation to groove-ring wax-seal fruit jars in general, even when unembossed.

LEFT COLUMN: FIGURE C: MASON'S (shield) UNION zinc cap styles #1 and #2. FIGURE D: John L. Mason's patented pressed-out wrench lug for jar caps. RIGHT COLUMN: PHOTO 1: Unlined MASON'S (shield) UNION cap without lettering. FIGURE E: 2010 Lincoln penny with Union Shield. FIGURE F: 1900 newspaper ad for Mason and Union fruit jars.

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

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

A letter from the Bellaire Stamping Co., a Bellaire, Ohio, glassmaker, to mold maker Charles Yockel, of Philadelphia, dated May 2, 1888, asked, “Do you happen to have any moulds in stock for the Union or Wax Top Jar. This is the Jar that takes a small tin cap with a wire and is made air tight with sealing wax.”

cap (Photo 3). I don’t know if the shield was molded in plastic or like material and applied or just how it was done, but it looked impressive in the photo, standing out boldly from the cap’s top, flanked by the two vertical wrench lugs. It sure looks good on the jar, assuming that an original shield cap wasn’t available.

Figure F shows an S.R. Stark ad from the July 31, 1900 DAILY GAZETTE, of Steubenville, Ohio, offering generic “Mason” and “Union” jars, along with trimmings and “Crystal Ceiling (sic) Wax.” Just as a point of interest, several years back, someone showed the UNION jar in Photo 2 on the internet. I’ve lost track of whether the jar was for sale or just being shown, but it had a repro shield screw

PHOTO 2 (above): MASON'S (shield) UNION quart with repro cap. PHOTO 3 (left): Reproduction MASON'S (shield) UNION zinc cap.

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January 2021

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

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

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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.

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January 2021

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For Sale FOR SALE: The updated Poison Bottle Workbook and Price Guide by Rudy Kuhn. $50.00 plus $7.00 media mail USA. JOAN CABANISS, jjcab@b2xonline.com, Phone: 540-297-4498. 1/21 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. 12/21 FOR SALE: GI-29 Flint Glass Creamer Deep Sapphire Blue, 12 Diamond Base, Sold at Garth's to Alberta Rodgers

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Patterson Collection, $2500 or best offer. GII-28 Square Keene Pint Decanter, No Stopper, $2300 or best offer, Ex-Wayne Ayers. Cruiskeen Lawn Mitchell's Old Irish Whisky Belfast Jug, Red Transfer, Rare, only one I've ever seen, $500 or best offer. GIII-16 Pint Keene Decanter, have 2. Deep Olive Amber $725, Light Amber $850. Stoddard Bowl, Light Orange Amber, Not Footed, Rolled Rim, rim similar to McKearin Plate 61, #5 and #7 and rims on Plate 72 #4 and #7. Inside of bowl has a shallow bubble burst and scratches/ware from a spoon. Ex-collection of Roland Salada. $2500 or best offer. A gem of early table ware. Postage and insurance extra. WALTER WISZ, 508-823-8469. 1/21

Shows, Shops & Services 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

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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 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

Wanted 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 WANTED: Wishing all Bottle Collectors a safe, healthy holiday season and a much better 2021! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! HAROLD FROMM 1/21

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: 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: 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: Medicinal Tonics. MARTY, roadrunner@centurylink.net, Phone: 260367-2400. 1/21 WANTED: Any bottles or glassware from Howard Beach or Ozone Park. JOHN SCARPATI, jmed91@gmail.com 1/21 WANTED: Old Marbles. Will pay top $$$$! BOB GEIS, rhgeis@me.com, Phone: 410299-2800. 3/21 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: 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: 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: DRUG BOTTLES - Embossed Only, Name/Must have City, State. When retire in 2022, create team to compile all drug bottles in all 50 states. Offer to public on E-bay, etc. -- reactivate interest in collecting through ancestry/genealogy. I cannot be active until 6/22. WILL, kanza1859@gmail. com. 1/21

WANTED: Cyrus Noble Bottles and Advertising, Lilienthal Bottles, Reno Brewing Advertising. Nevada Calendars. Stretch and Carnival Glass. Nevada Souvenir China and Silver Spoons. Faro Game items. Chism Ice Cream items. RUSSELL UMBRACO, russelu1@juno.com, 775-972-7007 or 510693-0550, 10195 Silver Knolls Blvd, Reno NV 89508. 1/21

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: 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 January 2021

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WANTED: Cobalt Phcy Bottle mint - 8 and 1/4" tall Purcell & Littlejohn - Physicist Leesburg, VA. BILL SIMMS, Phone: 443-235-0114. 1/21 WANTED: Buying bulk common bottles in Georgia region. Please email pictures and prices. TOM MENDES, Email: tjmfire80@ yahoo.com WANTED: American Whiskey & Bitters Barrels. Thanks in advance. FRANK, bottlepickers@bottlepickers.com, Phone: 260-347-4551. 3/21 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: 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 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

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: Emaus PA Bottles and Advertising. Grizz.fegley@gmail.com

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: Art deco soda bottles. Any NC bottles. JERRY HIGGINS, higswalk@ embarqmail.com, 919-553-3341. 3/21

WANTED: Always looking for Somerville, Mass. bottles and related Items - Ephemera, Go-Withs. PETER LESSES, Email: pflesses@verizon.net. 1/21

WANTED: Dr. Kilmers Cure from Schoharie NY. JIM BENDER, Jim1@frontiernet.net, 518-673-8833, PO Box 162, Sprakers, NY 12166. 3/21

WANTED: New Washington, Ohio bottles JOE BLUM, jblum@woh.rr.com, 419-4922829, 217 N. Center Street, New Washington OH 44854. 3/21

S Show CALENDAR JANUARY 10, 2021

FEBRUARY 7

FEBRUARY 27

TAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS

MANVILLE, NEW JERSEY

ROUND ROCK, TEXAS

The Little Rhody Bottle Club Annual Show & Sale, (9:00 AM to 3 PM, early buyers 8:00 AM, $15), at the Holiday Inn, 700 Myles Standish Blvd., Taunton, MA (off Exit 9, Rt. 495). Adm. $3. Info: BILL or LINDA ROSE, PH: 508.880.4929; or Email: sierramadre@comcast.net

New Jersey Antique Bottle Club (NJABC), 25th Annual Show & Sale, (9 AM to 2 PM) at the V.F.W. of Manville, New Jersey, 600 Washington Ave, Manville, NJ 08835. Admission $3, no early buyers. Info: KEVIN KYLE, 230 Cedarville Rd, East Windsor, NJ 08520. Email: bottlediggerkev@aol.com PH. 609.209.4034 or JOHN LAWREY, 908.813.2334.

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.

JANUARY 23 JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi Antique Bottle Club presents their 35th Annual Show and Sale, (Sat. 9 AM to 4 PM, Free admission; Dealer Set-up and Early Buyers, Friday, 22nd, 12 Noon to 7 PM, $20.00, and Sat. 7 AM - 9 AM), at the Mississippi Fairgrounds, 1207 Mississippi St, Jackson, in the East Bay of the Trade Mart Building. Info: CHERYL COMANS, PH: 601.218.3505. FEBRUARY 6

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI FEBRUARY 14 COLUMBUS, OHIO

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.

DeFUNIAK SPRINGS, FLORIDA

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

MARCH 21

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.

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 MARCH 28 MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA

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 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. January 2021

S Show CALENDAR APRIL 17

JUNE 6

AUGUST 6 & 7

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA

BALLSTON SPA, NEW YORK

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK

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

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.

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.

APRIL 18 HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA

JUNE 19

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

JOHNSTON, IOWA

APRIL 18 HUTCHINSON, KANSAS

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.

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

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. 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.

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January 2021

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

At the Badger’s Dump Here’s how to watch out for ‘pit pirates’ By Rick Weiner

his story goes back at least fifteen years to the day. It all started on a bottle website called “Antique Bottles.net,” a.k.a. ABN, the blue pages. At that time I had just begun my career in privy digging, but I have been a dump digger since I was fourteen years old. I was working for the city of Allentown, Pennsylvania, parks department in 2005. My friend and co-worker, Paul, was my partner in crime at the time. We always had our hands full of permissions and we started digging privies nonstop around that time. When things started to kick into gear and the bottles were flowing, I began to post our better finds on ABN. Soon after, I decided to write a story on a killer pit we did. I called it “The Cobalt Hole.” We hit an 1850s privy with 35 cobalt sodas! It was only our second dig. I sent it to AB&GC, the Antique Bottles & Glass Collector magazine. It was published and set to arrive in a month. I enjoyed writing about our adventures almost as much as actually participating in them. I could always reread a story at the dinner table and get that feeling the excitement was happening all over again. Memories are one thing, but a good story with pictures takes you right back to the past. ABN was a no-frills bottle site. It wasn’t like FaceBook with the quick messages and the easy picture posting. It was crude, slow, and old fashioned. But we liked it

PREVIOUS PAGE: Digging down deep with Badger.

that way. The people on ABN were honest and fun to be with. Well, most of them were anyway. Every group has its designated troublemakers. But they were dealt with swiftly by spending a week in the ABN hole for their crimes. There were many long hours spent on the blue pages. After dinner each night, we would have great conversations about every aspect of collecting bottles and bottle digging. One night I got a message in the room from a member named “Badger.” He began asking me questions about my location. My first thought was, “This guy wants to muscle in on our digging spots,” as there were people like that all over the net. I called them “lurking pit pirates.” It could be a dump, a privy, or a metal detecting area that they were after. There was no discrimination when it came to ripping off your local digging sites! As I talked a little more to this Badger fellow I could see he wasn’t a pirate after all. He gave me the impression he was just starting in the digging world and was looking for some honest advice. I was fairly new to privy digging back then but I knew enough about dumps to keep the conversation going. As the texting continued we began to talk about our geographical locations again. The folks from ABN were stationed at all points of the compass, from Hawaii to Alaska. When Badger asked me where I lived, I told him I was from Allentown. He paused and came back with, “You are kidding me. I am in Bethlehem, dude!” That was only fifteen minutes away from me.

The conversation got friendlier and soon we were planning on setting up a time to dig together. I wanted to invite him to a privy dig but my buddy, Paul, was the type of guy who only wanted the two of us involved in the digs. He didn’t want any outsiders taking part in our digging jaunts. I always thought it was a little weird and antisocial, but I never questioned it because we had such a good thing going, and the good bottles were always flowing. One weekend Paul and I were supposed to do a privy on South Strawberry St. in the village but some issues came up with the homeowners and we had to reschedule for next weekend. I remember Badger inviting me to his dump during the time we talked on ABN. Weeks have gone by since we talked and I decided to text him to make sure he remembered me so I could take him up on his offer. I was upset about the cancellation of the Strawberry St. dig, but sometimes a change is a good thing. Like I said, I grew up digging dumps but this privy thing had me hooked! I finally got a hold of Badger and made plans to meet him at his house on the upcoming Saturday morning. When I arrived he wasn’t quite ready. I took a seat on an old wicker chair in his enclosed porch and he began to tell me a little bit about the Badger dump history. It was a large city dump that was started back in the late 1880s and ended operation in the 1930s. I have never really dug January 2021

any large city dumps before. I have always dug the single, smaller, old house dumps. He went on to tell me that this dumping ground was dug into by other diggers for over 35 years. But he began to explain that there were many spots left that past bottle excavators have missed. Badger paused for a second and took a sip of his Monster energy drink. He said, “In the beginning, cobalt sodas came from that dump.” It almost sounded like he was quoting from the Bible. His buddy, “Crazy Larry,” and his small crew started that dump. They were probably the first ones to scratch the surface and break sacred ground. Badger went on to tell me the story about how this dump came to be. One day while driving over South Mountain, Crazy Larry, Dio, and The Slacker pulled over to pick through this massive trash pile someone had dumped off along the side of the road. It just happened that some garden tools were sticking out of the heap. Dio picked up a spade digging shovel. “I could use this, my shovel just broke,” he said. They gathered up a few items and started to head back to the truck. Before Dio joined the crew he decided to stick the shovel in the ground to test it out. After he did that he let out a loud holler to the guys. “You’re not going to believe this!” When that shovel came out of the ground so did an aqua squat. It was a Bethlehem soda with a blob top! As they looked beyond the brush, trees, and modern trash piles they saw white ash, as far as the eye could see! This was without a doubt an old, untouched city dump. A gold mine just waiting to be dug into. The stories I have heard about these guys digging this dump are amazing. It almost sounds like a bottle digging fairy tale. But it has truly happened, I have seen the pictures as proof. But the time TOP: Part of the haul from a good digging day. BOTTOM: A freshly dug Bethlehem Hutch.

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

they dug ten cobalt blue iron pontil sodas in four hours has to be the topper. As the years rolled on more and more people have found this place and dug here. I was never one of them because I didn’t know about it until later on. I also was digging privies like a madman with Paul at the time. Like Badger said, there are many pockets of bottles that these guys had missed or just got scared to dig any deeper. To get to the decent stuff nowadays you have to dig at least fifteen feet or more. As I gazed around his porch while Badger was finishing up the story, I noticed a lot of bottles sitting on shelves in boxes and on the floor. Some were dirty and some clean. It was definitely a dump diggers domain. He picked up a Hutch off of a bottle-crammed table and said, “We dig a lot of these.” Hutches were always fun to dig. Charlie Cook, an old digging friend and fellow story writer from New Orleans who recently passed over into that big privy dig in the sky, used to say, “After a while, they all look like a line of soldiers standing at attention,” meaning Hutches all look the same, except for the names on the front. I’m guessing Mr. C had dug thousands of them in all of his years digging. Some people get spoiled when they dig really good bottles regularly, like Charlie. Then they can make comments like about the Hutches. It is just a progression we go through. That being said, it was time to go and do some digging at the Badger’s dump. I remember my first time at Badger’s dump. When we rolled around the corner approaching the spot we were going to be digging, all I could see were mountains of household trash. There were TVs, rugs, tires, even a kitchen sink! My first thought was, is this a modern landfill or was this actually an old bottle dump? While walking on the road I saw a sign on a telephone pole that read, “No

dumping; you are on camera.” I did see a camera but I was pretty sure it was a dummy model to try and scare people off. It definitely wasn’t working. How ironic was that, an 1800s dump that had a “No dumping” sign. Badger made a statement. “It doesn’t matter what’s on top.” As I thought about those words of wisdom I began to realize he was right. It wasn’t like we were standing along a beautiful babbling stream with a strip of lovely hardwood trees behind us, and at our feet lay piles of disgusting trash. But today it was a dump. It was a dump in the past and it is a dump now. It was time for digging. Before we knew it, we were down about five feet into the white and gray ash. As I dug down and enjoyed the conversation with Badger I was wondering what my first bottle would be. In about ten minutes I would find out, as my three-prong dig tool finally hit some glass. The dang thing took a while before I got it to wiggle free. Then, with the use of my trusty snake tongue tool, it rolled out sideways right into my hand. “Hey, would you look at this, it’s a soldier!” I was joking because I had just told the story at Badger’s house about Mr. C. But this soldier was different. It was a mug-based Hellertown Hutch. It was a cool looking bottle, one I had never dug. It looked like the first day at Badger’s dump was starting with a high salute. As the day progressed we had nine Hutches and two local blobs laying on the ground. The Hutches were all the same “F Mcfadden’s,” a local Bethlehem brewery. And yes, I did line them up on the ash pile like soldiers lined up for the attack! It was not a bad day, considering it was a dump that had been dug for 35 years. I put this place on the list to revisit; after all, it was a very big dump and they couldn’t have dug everything. I had a privy dig coming up with Jack (Jacko). He was a guy that took care of business. What I mean by that is he prac-

tically dug the privies himself. He was on some sort of medication that mimicked a cup of coffee times ten; it was legal so I wasn’t worried. I told him you can dig as long as you like, just make sure you let me know when the glass starts popping. I can say that in jest because I am the guy who always gets the permissions so I get to pick first anyway. I tried to get him out of the hole so I could share the workload but he would not have any of it. Soon Jacko was down in the pit just over his head. I was getting bored waiting for bottles and drifted off on my old beach chair. I was unaware he had gotten that far; he was shoveling the fill onto the tarp the whole time. Now I had to do a little work because it was getting hard for Jacko to throw the fill out. It was time to pull some buckets and get to the bottom of this privy. But I wouldn’t be pulling too long. It turned out to be only a seven-foot privy. By the time I pulled three buckets up Jacko hit the use layer and bottles were starting to appear. I didn’t have the heart to tell him to get out of the hole after he did all the work by himself. So I said, “Keep on digging, man, I got your back.” I did pull a few more buckets up but they were full of bottles with no dirt! The first batch had two Warner’s Safe Cures, a bunch of embossed local medicines and some blown slicks. The second bucket had a lot of food jars and a lone soldier, but the rest of the stuff was all broken. A Warner’s Safe Cure wasn’t too bad for me doing the amount of work I did. Wait. I spoke too soon. We had to fill the pit in. After an hour of filling in and cleaning up this privy, the dig was over. Another one for the books and the memories. TOP: Down in the hole. BOTTOM: Another Bethlehem medicine from Badger's dump.

CONTINUED NEXT ISSUE! January 2021

WANTED!

ATTENTION READERS:

"LITHIA NYE SPRINGS" WYTHEVILLE, VA

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.

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!

Publisher’s Note: Antique Bottle & Glass Collector is looking for great digging stories! Do you have an interesting digging (or diving), story that you would like to share with your fellow readers? Let us know, as we would love to include recent finds and funny stories in one of our upcoming issues. And don’t forget about the Antique Bottle & Glass Collector Writer’s Contest: you may also win a great bottle!

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Send articles (and don’t forget to include plenty of good images) to:

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Antique Bottle & Glass Collector Attn: Editor P.O. Box 227 New Hudson, MI 48165

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904-764-7651

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

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What Are The Odds (A New CD Number?) By Tod von Mechow THE START OF IT ALL It started with an email. I get many emails from fellow bottle collectors and potential collectors, asking for information about many types of collectible glass. I run a website, www.sodasandbeers.com, which often answers questions people may have about bottles, but sometimes the answers aren’t found there, so folks email me. Many times the person has found something old which they believe is unique and valuable, but which often turns out to be a commonly available, modern Coke bottle or other mass-produced item. I hate to burst their bubble, so I try to be honest but encouraging with them. A longtime acquaintance emailed me about a glass item that was found by his “wife’s niece’s husband” on their property, wondering if it was an insulator. I figured it was going to be one of thousands of common insulators, like Brookfield or Hemingray, that are found near old railroad rights-of-way. While collectible, they are not rare or expensive. I opened the photo attachment — it certainly was an insulator, but not one that I was familiar with. Perhaps this was something of value. I don’t collect these, so I did some research by first consulting my reference books on older insulators. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any information on this particular one. I then searched online for any images that resembled this insulator, but to no avail. Clearly this was not a common insulator. Then I started looking at insulator patent records at 2 a.m. or so.

I did find two patents that were close to the insulator but not exact matches. Out of ideas, I called a friend who had helped me with content on my website years ago, who I knew was an insulator expert and a researcher and historian like myself. I described the patents I had found, and he replied that there were no known insulators with those patents. He surmised that the insulator I was researching was possibly a Harloe. I decided to send him a picture of it while we were on the phone. After he opened the attachment, all I heard was, “Oh my God! OH MY GOD!” Then I knew this was something really good. He said it looked like the McGrory patent, under which prototype insulators were produced but there were no known examples.

What I expected

THE INVENTOR I’m always interested in the history of glass and bottles, so I began researching the origins of the McGrory patent. Thomas McGrory was born in Ireland around March 1827 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1848 at age 21 on the ship Columbus, possibly settling in Philadelphia around 1854, based on a contemporary reference. He married his wife, Mary Jane, in 1855. They had five children: Mary Ann 1856; Thomas Jr 1859; Eliza Jane 1862, Martha 1869, and Laura 1872. In 1859, oil was discovered in northwestern Pennsylvania. The first oil well was drilled by Colonel Edwin Drake that same year, and an oil boom followed. There was

Thomas McGrory circa 1900

January 2021

a massive migration of speculators to the area, all hoping to make their fortunes in the oil business. Census records in 1860 state that Thomas and family were living in Harmony Township, Venango County, in northwestern Pennsylvania, where Thomas worked as a farmer. His brothers John, James, and Charles were drilling for oil on the adjacent property. He entered his first real estate transaction in 1863, and it appears to be a sideline during the time he lived in Venango and afterwards. After 1863 he apparently moved to Fayette City, where he filed for his first patent, for a coal car, granted in 1870. After he left the area, also in 1870, there are later references describing productive oil wells on the “old McGrory farm” in Harmony Township. TOP: Thomas McGrory 1870 Coal Car Patent 104,332. RIGHT: Thomas McGrory 1895 Door Stop Patent 525,507. BELOW: Circular for the Philadelphia International Electrical Exhibition in 1884. (Library of Congress Collection)

Census records in 1870 show him working as an engineer in Line Lexington, Montgomery County, which is north of Philadelphia. This property was apparently next to a railway. He ran a queensware, ceramic and crockery shop in Norristown, Montgomery County, in 1875. In 1880, he moved to Philadelphia and became a real estate agent, which was his main livelihood until he passed away in 1917 at age 90. He was described as “deservedly popular in both social and business circles, where he has made hosts of friends by his honesty, push, sound judgment, and inflexible integrity.” His wife, Mary Jane, unfortunately passed away in 1876, and was later interred in the Laurel Hill Cemetery family plot in 1890. Later, Thomas married a widowed neighbor named Sophia Guy in 1887; she passed in 1931 and is buried in North Cedar Hill Cemetery with her first husband. Thomas and Mary Jane’s children all passed before Thomas’ death in 1917. The year 1887 was a pivotal year for Thomas. Not only did he remarry, but he established his own real estate office at 2771 Kensington Ave. in Philadelphia. He also organized a car-building, heating, and ventilation company in Camden,

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New Jersey, because he had patented a method for heating and cooling back in the year 1883.

McGRORY PATENTS I have no idea why a real estate agent would decide to patent an insulator. We do know that McGrory had experience in filing patents. So perhaps, he was just a creative individual with a mechanical mind who saw a problem and thought he could make a killing introducing a novel product. When living in the heart of coal country, he invented a coal cart. When dealing in real estate, he invented a ventilation system, and a door stop. I just cannot imagine what triggered him to come up with an idea to patent an insulator. McGrory filed for his first insulator patent on December 14, 1883 (Illustration A). He states that his filing was for a lock wire insulator for telegraph wires. The insulator had an upwardly-projecting “V-shaped slot” to receive the wire, which was locked in place by “two upward bearing” grooves at either end of the “V.” He does not claim that the “V-shaped opening” was his idea, as it was used before, but his design improved upon the overall configuration of the wire locking approach. McGrory was assigned Patent Number 293,901 on February 19, 1884 for his Lock Wire Insulator.

1885 Weyman Patent 310,484

The main benefit of the locking insulators was the efficiency of installation and material savings, as no wrapping wires were needed to secure the telegraph wire to the insulator. However, the practical implementation of McGrory’s brainchild soon proved to be problematic. He did have some prototype insulators developed and we are lucky that these were described and illustrated in reports from the International Electrical Exhibition at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which ran from September 2 to October 11, 1884. The following is a description of his insulators in The Electrician & Electrical Engineer edition of October 1884:

1884 Patent 293,901 (Illustration A)

1884 Electrical World (Illustration B)

January 2021

“A collection of white glass insulators is shown by Thomas McGrory, manufacturer and patentee, called the lock wire insulator, from its peculiar form. By means of a crooked groove on one side, into which the wire is forced, it is held by means of the bend so made, on the same principle as by the well-known iron hook. The use of a tie wire is thus dispensed with. The glass has no screw thread for securing it to the pin.” An illustration with a nearly identical description to the above was found in the Electrical World trade journal for October 18th, 1884 (Illustration B). Another illustration, in the Telegraphic Journal and Electrical Review dated November 1, 1884, included the following comments:

1885 Patent 323,055 (Illustration C)

Actual insulator (Illustration D)

“The inventor claims for them that once the wire is pushed into its place it can neither slip nor strain out. He also claims that one man can put up as many wires on this system as two can by tying or wrapping; and that it saves from 14 to 18 inches of wire per insulator. We do not, however, think that this insulator will commend itself to English electricians for many reasons.” These illustrations and the description point out some material flaws that would prevent commercial production and lackluster interest in his product. White glass refers to a form of lead or flint glass, which is softer and easier to manipulate than common green glass. Second, as described, there were no threads to secure the insulator to the pin. Third, as can be seen in the illustration, the opening for the upwardly-projecting “V-shaped opening” had to be widened to the point of not having enough tension to securely hold the telegraph wire in place. Finally, the sharp edges in the grooves would have been weak points and subject to breakage as the wires were forced into them. All of these issues were no doubt compromises made to actually mold the insulator in this configuration. I suspect that McGrory got some practical advice from a glass engineer, during the

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

Philadelphia Exhibition, who gave him advice on how to manufacture his insulator and I believe that this advice may have come from George W. Weyman. Weyman was an experienced Philadelphia glass worker who held several patents for pressing glass granted during the previous decade. In an incredible coincidence, Weyman filed a patent for pressing glass insulators in the waning weeks of the Electrical Exhibition. This was to be his only insulator patent. His Patent Number 310,484 focuses on the threaded die to form the threads for the pin to be set from the bottom of the pressing table. Additionally, the glass was poured into the mold from the top or dome side. A mold for the dome was then pressed down to form the insulator. This is the inverse of the typical insulator where the glass was loaded into the base of the molds and the pressing was done from the pin side. The patent also mentions removable mold sections that would have been necessary to mold the complex form of the McGrory insulator. I suspect that Weyman conveyed to McGrory his success in coming up with a mold to manufacture his insulator. Unfortunately, this would require McGrory to file an improvement to his 1884 Patent to make its manufacture possible. Just days after the conclusion of the Exhibition, McGrory files his second insulator Patent on October 15, 1884. McGrory clearly states in his 1884 Patent filing that “This insulator is intended to cure the defects of my former patent.” His “useful Improvements in Lock Wire Insulators,” which now included other wires in addition to telegraph wires, was granted a Patent Number 323,055 on July 28, 1885 (Illustration C). The improvements basically changed the orientation of the “V-shaped groove” to a downward projection from the previous 1884 Patent, which had an upward projection. Another improvement was the rounding of the edges in the grooves, which would avoid breakage. Those changes can be clearly

Full illustration of the 1885 McGrory patent.

January 2021

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

seen when comparing the illustrations of the two patents. Once I had completed the research, I emailed it to the family who found the insulator. My wife and I made arrangements to meet them at their home so I could see the insulator for myself.

THE FINDING The old house, built in the 1840s, was on a busy main street that clearly was once a quiet rural road outside of Philadelphia. The property was narrow but very long, with remnants of old stone walls and a free-standing barn. There is a meadow behind it and a new fence at the rear. The family had at first been interested in buying the house next door, which was on the market, but a fortuitous conversation with the then-owner of this property led to their happy decision to buy it instead. Interestingly, the sale was brokered by the husband, who happened to be a real estate agent at the time, the same occupation as the inventor. The homeowners commissioned a survey, because they intended to sell an overgrown portion of their land to the owners of the property behind theirs and were not sure where their back property line was. The proposed sale fell through, so they decided to clear away the thick vines and brush and neaten up the parcel. This turned out to be a very good move. The lady of the house (in contradiction to the email) saw a blue object in the debris, which fortunately had not been broken by the brush trimmer’s metal blade. She had no idea what it was, but thought it was old and interesting. They texted family members in case any of them had any idea what it was, which is what led to PHOTOS (previous page, clockwise from upper left): The overgrown area, almost sold, where the insulator was found. Survey sticks marking the property. The lucky family with the insulator. Looking towards the barn and house.

the email sent to me by my acquaintance. The spot where she found it certainly did not look like a dump, but there was other construction debris there, including a coil of wire and some bricks. The kids were amazed at finding things also, and got a metal detector to go on treasure hunts in the yard. In the three years they’ve lived in the house, they have found some old newspapers and other items, so perhaps there are plenty more treasures left to be found. The homeowners renovated the barn, and discovered newspaper insulation dating back to 1900 in the walls. It seems likely that the barn was rented out or used as an apartment at some point. We were looking forward to examining the insulator in detail, and spent some time sketching its features and photographing it. The insulator is a beautiful turquoise aqua, as seen in the photo of the family next to their barn. It was interesting to compare the drawings I’d found in the patent records to the real thing I held in my hands. A deviation between the actual McGrory insulator (Illustration D) and the 1885 patent is the moving of the upwardly projecting “V-shaped opening” to be higher on the body, clearly necessary to allow room for the threaded pin. The mold used to press this insulator was duly complex even with the improvements, but it is clear that inverting the “V” was the genius behind making this more practical. The insulator is 4 ½ inches in height, and 2 5/8 in width at the base. As can be seen in the illustration, the base flares out slightly. The threads are 1 ½ inches in height, which I believe is about ½ inch smaller than what is normal and likely due to the presence of the groove. The bottom of the “V” is 2 3/8 inches from the base and the top is 3 inches from the same starting point. The groove on the sides are 2 ¾ inches from the base. There is no visible embossing on it, but it is clearly the McGrory 1885 Patent.

The collector community has a new, interesting and currently unique insulator added to the catalogue. I have to assume this will be a new CD number.

CONCLUSIONS The discovery of this insulator was a series of incredible coincidences. What are the odds that this family was looking to purchase the house next door, but a chance conversation with the owner of the current property changed their mind. The sale of the piece of land were the insulator was found, fell through, inducing them to clear it of overgrowth. The insulator was not shattered by the weed-whacker with the metal saw blade, and an uncle knew some bottle collectors who helped identify it so that it was not relegated to a drawer or box in the basement as an interesting relic that they found. Although there was clearly a production run of McGrory 1885 insulators, it seems likely that it was limited since there is only one known. I suspect that McGrory had the insulator manufactured at one of the Philadelphia glasshouses. Weyman, who may have invented the mold to make this insulator, lived close to the Dyottville Glass Works, and the color of this insulator reminds me of period soda water bottles manufactured at that works. This design probably never caught on and, as previously mentioned, Thomas had a very busy year in 1887, and perhaps his interest in producing more insulators waned. January 2021

An interesting look from the side.

Angled view of the McGrory insulator.

So how did this one-of-a-kind insulator end up in this family’s backyard? Since the barn was once a living space, it probably had an electric wire running into it from the house. The insulator would have been used in the connection. The coil of wire and other construction debris found near the insulator is evidence of a later renovation of the barn. It was common practice to discard debris at the back of one’s property in an overgrown area. Being an old dump digger, we would always search for these artifacts along the property lines and ditches on old farms. In any case, the collector community has a new, interesting and currently unique insulator added to the catalogue. I have to assume this will be a new CD number, but that is yet to be determined. For me, I’ll be on the lookout for one of the insulators that McGrory displayed at the Philadelphia Exhibition in 1884.

Editor’s note: The author, Tod von Mechow, may be contacted at: todvon@verizon.net; website: www.sodasandbeers.com

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

A view of the back clearly showing the threads.

January 2021

By John Panella and Joe Widman

THE NEAR ULTIMATE MEDICINES Need to be saved from death? Use these Some time ago I wrote an article about a bottle embossed “Grave Robber.” I said at the time that I thought it was the ultimate embossed medicine. I still think that. Can you even think of a single better name? I also said I thought it was one-of-akind. I still think that. Readers were asked to let me know of another one. No one did. Today, I am writing about a more well known bottle that I think is the second best ultimate medicine. It is the Hyatt’s Life Balsam. I have four of them. Three are the more common Infallible Life Balsams. The fourth is the more rare Double Strength Life Balsam. There are big differences in the color and price of these bottles. Aqua to light blue green is the common color, and hundreds to thousands of dollars is the common price. The prices have been going up, as they have with many bottles. Last year I would have said that an aqua Infallible was worth about $100, an aqua Double Strength about $200, a dark-blue green Infallible about $750, and a dark pontiled Infallible several thousand dollars. This year a dark blue green Infallible sold for $1,500, and a Double Strength sold for $365. Wouldn’t you agree that an Infallible medicine is nearly as good as a Grave Robber? It is certainly better than a stomach bitters, kidney and liver cure, or a root liniment. I have to think that the Infallible bottle and the Double Strength bottle must

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TOP LEFT: Double Strength mold (left), and normal “Hyatt’s Infallible”mold (right). TOP RIGHT: The two different deep blue green examples. ABOVE: Embossing on the front panel of the rare Double Strength mold.

have been different formulas. If the medicine is Infallible then why would it need to be double strength? I guess we will never know the answer to that question. Maybe the Double Strength bottle was first before they found the Infallible formula that replaced it entirely. My four bottles are:

• Aqua Infallible • Aqua Double Strength — much harder to find • Deep blue green Infallible • Deep green blue, iron pontiled, Infallible They aren’t Grave Robbers, but they are very desirable to me.

The “Infallibles.” From left to right are the Double Strength example, aqua Infallible, and the deep blue green examples, smooth base and iron pontiled.

Image showing the bases of the two deep bluish green examples. Smooth base is on the left and iron pontiled is on the right.

January 2021

WHAT A SHAME Just because you are a big auction house, there’s

no guarantee that you won’t miss the target A rant by Ralph Finch

owan’s Auctions, of Cincinnati, has been in the business for more than 25 years, but, maybe with the virus, it’s hard to get good help. Or, maybe it’s hard to hire people who know anything. Despite having sold a ton of stuff over the years, including some incredible merchandise, on Nov. 8 the firm offered what they called “Glass Target Balls.” Not one, not two, but SIXTY of them. I sent them an email that said, “Shame on you.” Of the lots, almost all were fish net floats, three were lightning rod balls, and four — only four — were actual target balls. Cowan’s claims to offer “over forty auctions each year, with annual sales exceeding $16 million. We reach buyers around the globe, and take pride in our reputation for integrity, customer service and great results.” Maybe the firm should cut back on quantity and focus more on quality, and maybe integrity. Wes Cowan (the founder) would surely be embarrassed. And, did the “target ball experts” reply to my email? Two weeks later, nothing. Three weeks later, now four … And calling the company doesn’t seem to work either. Finally, on Dec. 1, I connect with Cowan’s, and Eric Duncan, the marketing direct for Cowan’s, who replied: “We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and we are in the process of removing the incorrectly catalogued lots from the auction. I’d also like to

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apologize for no one getting back to your initial email. A month is certainly far too long to have to wait for a response and I will look into where the breakdown in communication occurred to make sure this doesn’t happen again.” At last, the antique world is safe (and Cowan’s is safe from me). And after a lengthy exchange of emails, complaining about my @#$%^ computer, and praying for a cure to the virus and that the pizza delivery man stays healthy, Eric

kindly added: “Even though you were pointing out some errors we made, I have to say this has been one of the most pleasant and enjoyable email exchanges I’ve had in months. May your pizzas always make it to your door safely and your IT support arrive in a virus-free Spring. Happy Holidays!” TOP: Eighteen of the sixty so-called target balls offered by Cowan’s. Despite that “little” error, it is a great auction house with great merchandise. BOTTOM: Cowan’s glass orbs. Four are real target balls, but the three largest are lightning rod balls.

WWII’s Infamous Gas Wars Could Detroit medicine maker Parke, Davis & Co. have shortened, or lengthened, the battle with Hitler? Ralph Finch raises a historical stink

ar is unquestionably horrible, but one controversial issue in WWI and WWII was the use of poison gas. In WWII, all combatants used or considered using poison gas. On the Japanese side, for example, in 1944, in Hengyang, China, Japanese troops used “a great number of gas shells.” Even as his Nazi regime was exterminating millions in gas chambers, Adolf Hitler resisted calls to use the deadly nerve agent sarin against his military adversaries. But there is another facet of gas attacks that many are unaware of. Hitler’s personal gas attacks in the form of — hold your breath — flatulence. No joke. This problem made Herr Hitler so conflicted that it could have affected his battlefield decisions for better or worse.

First, let’s focus on the topic. Flatulence is defined as “flatus expelled through the anus” or the “quality or state of being flatulent.” This in turn is defined as “marked by or affected with gases generated in the intestine or stomach; likely to cause digestive flatulence.” The root of these words is from the Latin flatus, “a blowing, a breaking wind.” Flatus is the medical word for gas generated in the stomach or bowels. The scientific study of this area of medicine is termed flatology. Flatus can be a sign of a health disorder, such as irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease or lactose intolerance. Historical studies suggest, “Not that Adolf Hitler wasn’t already crazy, but it couldn't have helped that the flatulence he suffered, according to medical reports, led him to poison himself with medications containing strychnine and atropine.”

“Hitler suffered from uncontrollable flatulence,” one study says and by “1936, the cramps were so severe, he said that he could scream.” So Hitler’s consulted Berlin doctor Theodor Morell, who prescribed Dr. Koester’s Anti-Gas pills, which contained the poisons in amounts that were less than immediately lethal. (And this still may have been better than Hitler's favorite medication before that, which contained machine oil.) By early 1941, when Hitler was invading the Soviet Union, he was up 120 to 150 pills a week. In addition to Dr. Koester’s AntiGas Pills, Dr. Morell prescribed weekly injections of amphetamines. “Strychnine and atropine tend to make you very edgy and affect your sleep and emotional health,” says one historian. “How large a part his flatulence treatments played in World War II and the Holocaust, we’ll never know. But the effects of these pills became known only six months before the mentally eroded Führer killed himself in his bunker. “Ironically, Hitler’s flatulence,” according to biographer John Toland, “was caused by the most widely known benevolent thing about him: his vegetarianism.” And, now the good news: For people who want to breathe a sigh of relief, Ralph promises to pass on any more news about antique flatulence. FYI: Wikipedia states (edited): Parke, Davis and Co. was founded in Detroit by Dr. Samuel P. Duffield, a physician and pharmacist. In 1860, Duffield owned a small drugstore at the corner of Gratiot and Woodward avenues. He made a

A Parke-Davis bottle. Could this have change WWII? Detroit bottle club prez, Mike Brodzik, an expert on Detroit bottles, commented on its possible age: “It’s hard to pinpoint. I have not exactly worked out the timeline of Parke-Davis, which should be possible from their label-style type transition. I know that my 1907 catalog has pictures that use both the straight, black-line label as well as some of the rounded, stylized labels printed in black. Eventually, the rounded stylized brown (PD Brown) will replace it all. The bottle pictured is an automatic bottle machine example, which would suggest as early as 1905. I would estimate the bottle to be from 1905-1910.”

variety of pharmaceutical preparations, including Hoffman’s anodyne and mercurial ointment. Dr. Duffield and Hervey Coke Parke formed a partnership in 1866, with George S. Davis becoming a third partner in 1867. Duffield withdrew in 1869 because of poor health. The partnership adopted the name Parke, Davis & Co. in 1871. January 2021

WANTED!

Irresponsible collector willing to pay reasonable prices for: Attractive, bubble-filled snuff jars, pretty snuff jars, or unusual snuff jars Ralph & Janet Finch, 34007 Hillside Ct., Farmington Hills, Mich. 48335 or e-mail rfinch@twmi.rr.com, or janloik@yahoo.com.

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Articles inside

Medicine Chest: Th e Near Ultimate Medicines

What a Shame

What Are the Odds (A New CD Number?

Show Calendar

It Pays to Advertise?

At the Badger's Dump, Part I

Classifi ed Advertisements

Come On, Pay Attention

Heard it through the Grapevine

Early Lattice / Quilted Bottles

Letters to the Editor