Antique Bottle & Glass Collector by Ferdinand Meyer V

$4.00

March 2020

Dr. S.B. Collins Painless Opium Antidote w PAGE 40

IN THIS ISSUE:

Medicinal Postal History of Buffalo w PAGE 7

Kansas Territory Bottle & Post Card Show w PAGE 12

Carl Worner and his Folk Art w PAGE 32

American Historical Flasks w PAGE 35

T h e Ma g a z i n e T h at Ke eps Yo u I n fo r m e d!

Don’t miss our Auction #25 - opening March 23, 2020

American Glass Gallery

Auction #25 will include a diverse selection of more than 275 Lots featuring Historical Flasks, a fantastic selection of choice Bitters, Pontiled Medicines, rare Sodas and Mineral Water Bottles, Whiskey and Spirits Bottles, Inks, Foods, Jars, Target Ball, Blown Glass, and much more! Full-color catalogs for this sale are only $15.00 (post-paid). Call, or visit our website to reserve your copy!

Watch for these fine items in our March 23, 2020 Auction #25.

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 36, #11 • March 2020 FRONT COVER:

This month's Medicine Chest focuses on the colorful life of Dr. Samuel B. Collins of La Porte, Indiana, and his thriving business built on his opium cure. An image of the extremely rare, "OPIUM HABIT - CURED BY DR. S.B. COLLINS - LAPORTE INDA" bottle is in the foreground. Read all about it beginning on page 40.

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

Heard it through the Grapevine......................................................... 4 Medicinal Postal History of Buffalo................................................... 7 The Kansas Territory Bottle & Postcard Show................................ 12 A Little History is Written with a National Treasure....................... 15 Fruit Jar Rambles: An Uncommon Weck Jar................................... 17 Classified Advertisements................................................................. 22 Show Calendar.................................................................................. 26 Carl Worner and his Folk Art in Old Bottles................................... 32 Revisiting the Group C Listings of Rare Flasks............................... 35

Design, Layout & Production Jake Pluta

Medicine Chest: Opium Habit Cured.............................................. 40

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.

Coming in April:

How Bottles Talk to Us, by Alex Prizgintas New England Review, by Mike George A Barrel of Fun, by Ralph Finch Fruit Jar Rambles: The Vacuum Seal Jars, by Tom Caniff Medicine Chest: Peruna - King of the Bracers, by John Panella and Joe Widman And other very cool stuff! March 2020

LETTERS

to the Editor

1964 for 50 years in service and passed away in 1965. He graduated from Ferris State College in 1911. My cousin sent a photo of the family bottle (bottom right). It is embossed “The Tunnel Drug Store / E.R. O’Neil / Port Huron, Mich” (and has an image of the tunnel). My grandmother Dorothy, his daughter, passed it down to her daughter, then to her daughter, my cousin.

Setting the Record Straight Hello, my name is Peter McQuade. In your February issue, there was an article about Addiction Cure bottles. The last bottle, Grant Goldcura for Liquor and Drug Habits shows a picture of the Collins Opium Habit Cure, not the Grants. Enclosed (above) is a photo of a Grants I dug 42 years ago. Excellent article Joe Widman. Hope this is of some help to you. Peter McQuade Concord, Vermont

A Little Help in Locating a Family Bottle Hi, AB&GC Readers, My name is Kelly Smith and I live in Naples, Florida, formerly from Port Huron, Michigan. I’m a member of Antique Bottle Collector’s on Facebook. Members there suggested that I get in contact with you. I posted my great-grandfather Edward R. O’Neil’s pharmacy bottle. He owned and operated his pharmacy for fifty years in Port Huron on Railroad St. from1912 to roughly 1964. He received an award in

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

I am looking for another bottle, or any bottle that is embossed from his drug store to pass down to my son. Although I don’t know if there are any others. Any help would be much appreciated in finding one. Thank you kindly for your time. Sincerely, Kelly Smith Naples, Florida (239) 228-9453

Addiction Bottles Become Very Addicting A reply to AB&GC Medicine Chest columnist Joe Widman regarding February’s article, “Medicines to Cure Addiction” Dear Joe, Here are some local Memphis bottles I have. The ones in the case (top right) are Ti Elixir Remedy bottles and the one to the right is from James Sanatorium. It is embossed “James Sanatorium Co / Memphis, Tenn.” They are curved on the back. Both companies had two locations with large buildings. I included a link showing the James Sanatorium, at https:// www.flickr.com/photos/26066943@ N06/39093681764/in/photostream/ There were a lot of drunk people, I guess. Ronnie Pevahouse Memphis, Tennessee

LETTERS

to the Editor

research their origins. Did those nostrums come from pure frauds or from individuals who, rightly or wrongly, thought they could cure disease? What were their lives like? Their families? Their resting places? There are many questions to answer that would help bring these bottles to life.

Business Names on Bottles

My second point relates to Joe’s final comment that all the bottles he featured are “rare to ‘one of a kind.’” Rare certainly, but no businessman ever had an embossed bottle made but ordered only a few. Plain bottles and paper labels sufficed for small lots. The originator of an embossed bottle must have had some certainty that he could sell sufficient product to warrant the additional expense of having his local glasshouse make a personalized mold. Orders likely were in the magnitude of at least a hundred or more. Because of attrition down through the years, an embossed bottle might be rare but my experience tells me “one of a kind” is unlikely. Somewhere in a privy as yet unearthed or a cellar long abandoned may reside an unbroken half-dozen or more of the presumed singularity.

Hi, John,

Sincerely,

Your January magazine was exceptionally good. I particularly was taken with Joe Widman’s article about “business name” bottles and was stimulated to write a letter on two points.

Jack Sullivan Alexandria, Virginia

From AB&GC Columnist Joe Widman Hi, John, AB&GC subscriber Robert Thorne, of Seneca, Kansas, read the “Addiction Cure” article in— your magazine (February Medicine Chest column). He noticed that many of them mentioned “GOLD.” I’m sure he is correct that this bottle was for addictions, too. Robert had called me and I requested an image of the bottle (above). Joe Widman Portage, Michigan

Joe seems to be denigrating the interesting group of cure/remedy bottles he owns and shows in his article, wondering if anyone really collects “embossed businesses.” Like Ferd Meyer, I believe there is a story behind every (or almost every) bottle. Both of us — Ferd on bitters, for me, whiskeys — have found lots of good stories lurking behind a single bottle. The bottles Joe displays in his article are a treasure trove. They cry out for someone to

Rare Warner’s To the Editor, The article on foreign Warner’s bottles was very interesting. I have one of the German bottles, embossed: Warner’s / “Safe” Cure / (safe) / Frankfurt A/M. The A/M are in upper case but smaller font. The bottle is amber, applied blob top, with lots of nice “whittle marks.” There is no glassworks mark, and the basal kick-up is round. The bottle is crude looking and I think is older than the green examples,

based largely on the appearance and number of green ones I have seen. A digging buddy had ten green ones, all from the same attic. There were three identifiable mold varieties. His wife is a German girl, which gave him a definite advantage. I dug in Germany for three years during an Army tour, 1971 to 1974. Never dug a Warner’s or even a piece of one. (I bought mine from a shop in, of all places, Frankfurt.) I agree with the opinion about age of the European Warner’s. The Germans continued to use moldblown bottles up to the mid-twenties or later, based on my digging experience and the mix of bottles and other material found. If you want to use this info with any other new stuff on Warner’s feel free to do so. I don’t know if Mr. Seeliger has this info or not. I would contact him directly but don’t have his email address. Perhaps you could forward it to him. Boyd Beccue Montecello, Minnesota

Good News on UK Dealer and a Bit of Egg on our Face Hi, John, The Warner’s article by John Savastio was very informative. Only, the LATE Rob Goodacre, well-known dealer from the UK, is still alive, which he informed me of yesterday. According to Rob he would like to hang around a little bit longer. Keep up the good work. Regards, Horst Klusmeier Dusseldorf, Germany Editor’s note: Dear Horst, thank you for the update. We apologize to you, and especially to Mr. Goodacre, for this error in our last issue. We are thrilled to hear that Rob is still with us and chasing bottles! March 2020

Heard it through the

Grapevine

Bottle Collectors Support John Ryan Grave Marker By Bill Baab Savannah, Georgia – One-hundred and thirty-five years ago, this port city lost one of its most prominent sons when soda water manufacturer John Ryan passed away after a short illness. From 1852, when he joined Savannah’s Irish community and established his Excelsior Bottling Works, Ryan became well-known for his soda water, ginger ale and mineral water — put up in a scintillating colorful array of bottles.

of Augusta (1866), Atlanta (1867) and Columbus (1883).

of America’s best-known pioneer soda water manufacturers.

In the early 1960s the hobby of digging privies and 100-year-old landfills in Savannah for antique bottles brought to life many of Ryan’s bottles that had been buried just after his death on March 25, 1885.

So a memorial fund has been established with a $5,000 goal, a suitable marker will be selected and a graveside memorial service to commemorate his life and achievements will be held. Once the goal is reached, the bottle collecting world will be notified of the date and time and collectors who would like to attend the service will be welcomed.

Collectors were astounded by the containers’ colors in cobalt blue, emerald green, various shades of amber, yellow, red, pink and even gray. Bottles in the odd colors are rare.

When the Civil War started, he faced difficulty in acquiring shipments of the bottles manufactured at Philadelphia’s Union Glass Works and other glass manufactories in the North.

After his death, Ryan was interred in the old Catholic Cathedral Cemetery on Savannah’s Wheaton Street. One would think a man of his prominence would have his grave marked with a first-class monument, but such was not the case, for unknown reasons.

But after the war ended in 1865, John Ryan resumed operations and even established branches in the Georgia cities

Many collectors of Ryan’s bottles have become offended by the lack of a monument or memorial on the grave of one

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

The writer financially supports such an endeavor and hopes many of his collector friends will feel likewise. Checks payable to the John Ryan Memorial Fund and mailed to P.O. Box 9491, Savannah, GA 31412-0491 will help reach the goal. If contributors wish to pay by credit card, ask for an invoice and it can be paid securely by their email.

r Note: Image courtesy of Mike Newman

Heard it through the

Grapevine

Classy Item for your Toilet Actually, it IS a toilet. An old one.

Van Gogh: Great Painter, Second-Rate Bottle Collector By Ralph Finch A brush with old bottles? Well-known now as an artist, but Vincent Van Gogh didn’t have an eye for old bottles. Clearly, his perspective on things was off. While the original painting might cost you millions, and the print shown here sold for $80 at a recent auction in Las Vegas, and the subjects of his oils were, well, less oil and more oy vey. If these items were to show up today at an antiques show, the pottery pieces might attract $25-50, while the bottle might bring a bit more. If only he had put in a great flask, or perhaps an early cure, then we would all be interested. If Van Gogh could be here today, and looking back, he’d probably ask, “Why didn’t I pick up a really good bottle? Even a fruit jar.” No wonder he committed suicide. He had a brush with art, but not an ear for the public’s taste.

Vincent Willem van Gogh, 1853-90, was a Dutch post-impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. Still, he isn’t my favorite painter. He even painted a series of old shoes. (I painted my garage once, but did that make me special?) Not so oddly enough, only one of Van Gogh’s paintings was sold while he was alive. How close Vincent would have come to create a real masterpiece if only he had also been a bottle collector. (Note: We have at least one painting on the wall that shows a bottle of ketchup. Now THAT’S art, and as American as apple pie with a taste of Heinz.) FYI: The original painting, called “Still Life with Four Stone Bottles, Flask and White Cup,” was done in 1884, and is in the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands. If you want to see a painting of a ketchup bottle, it is in the Finch Museum, in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and open to the public, free of charge.

Another dubious report by Ralph Finch Selling about the 1st of October was this circa 1900 “Sanitary Works Lambeth” item offered by Whitley’s Auctioneers of Dania Beach, Florida. Why was I interested? I don’t even have a good answer, but I’m a collector, so … I don’t need a good answer. And I really am not overly flush with money. It was described as 4 inches high, made by England’s Royal Doulton, and “ROYAL DOULTON SALESMAN SAMPLE TOILET, SANITARY LAMBETH.” Estimated at $600-$800, it sold for $200 plus a buyer’s premium of 25 percent. This is the kind of item that goes to a collector who wants to send his cash down the drain. Upset? Complain to rfinch@twmi. rr.com March 2020

Select Antique Bottles & Early Glass at Auction

Bidding Begins: March 9th

Closes: March 18th

Select Auction 185 Including: Early Glass, Bottles, Flasks, Bitters, Inks, Utilities, Soda and Mineral Water Bottles, Freeblown and Pressed Glass, Whiskeys, Medicines & More

Heckler

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

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

The Medical Postal History of Buffalo and a renewed philatelic spirit By Peter Jablonski

can remember it like it was yesterday. My father would take me to the Fr. Justin Rosary Hour Office at the Maximilian Kolbe Center of Corpus Christi Church in the heart of Buffalo’s Polonia District (“Little Poland” comprised of a large Polish immigrant population). They would let me take home a large box of cancelled stamps, many with large topical stamps from Poland to sort. I fondly recall the sleepless nights before my father’s Polish Philatelic Society Ampolex annual stamp bourse where my sister, Cynthia, and I manned the first day cover table selling cachets with Polish themes like “Casimir Pulaski Revolutionary War Hero” (who led the cavalry), or “Pope John Paul II the First Polish Pope.” We also had the chance to buy stamps from dealers. Fast forward 45 years, and I had outgrown my philatelist interests, that passion being replaced by antique bottle collecting. I love to dig privies for bottles and relics of the past, such as clay smoking pipes, marbles, chamber pots, china, tokens, railroad baggage tags, pot lids and coins. Perhaps even more exciting has become the thrill of researching these tangible pieces of history that I traced IMAGE 1: Father Maximilian Kolbe, a martyr who stood up to the Nazis at Auschwitz. IMAGE 2: A 1982 stamp issued by Poland (PL 2540) honoring St. Maximilian Kolbe.

using what information I could glean from the raised embossing on the bottles. What was the intended use of the bottle’s contents? Where was the business located? What were their years of operation? What ephemera related to this company exist today? Thus began my new collection of bottle go-withs, or ephemera, and, unexpectedly, a renewed philatelic spirit. It started when, while researching a Dr. Cumming’s Vegetine medicine bottle we dug, I came across a proprietary Vegetine tax stamp. I came to learn that tax stamps were used to help support the war efforts. For every $10 paid in taxes, the proprietary medicine company would receive $11 in stamps, and the stamps helped to advertise the product as well. I quickly became addicted and visited the local stamp store to find that some tax stamps were very affordable at $1 or $2 while others went into the hundreds of dollars. I soon thereafter discovered the bible of proprietary medicine stamps, Henry Holcombe’s Patent Medicine Tax Stamps. The cost of the book is hefty at $250 to $288, but I was thrilled to find one on eBay for $75. Through this reference I discovered cachets advertising medical products and discovered this type of collecting was called “postal history.” Unfortunately, not every medicine had a tax stamp, but the reasons remain unclear. Did the medicine March 2020

company have to exceed a certain monetary sales level before they were taxed? Or was it based on amount of product sold? Perhaps some medicine companies were not in existence during these tax periods while others managed to escape the grip of Uncle Sam. 3

Medicine companies were the largest users of these private die stamps, using Scott numbers RS1 through RS315 and RS320 through RS395. There are 350 design color varieties utilizing multiple paper options, including experimental silk paper, ultra-color ink, and watermarks. During the Spanish American War, thirteen companies used war tax stamps, and 169 companies used stamps during the Civil War. There are now reproduction sheets of the proprietary patent die stamps being sold on eBay, so “caveat emptor.” The fun of collecting is researching the story behind the advertising cover. For example, I never heard of Daniel Blocher’s Salve until I found the advertising cover

IMAGE 3: My favorite First Day Cover from Polish Philatelic Society celebrating 1000 Years of Poland’s birth. 1966 was the year of my birth. U.S. Scotts #1313. 5¢ Polish Millennium. Issue Date: July 30, 1966. City: Washington, DC. Quantity: 128,475,000. Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Printing Method: Rotary press. Perforations: 10 ½ by 11. Color: Red. IMAGE 4: Bottles found while digging in old privy sites.

IMAGE 5: Display of Merchants Bottles at Genesee Valley Bottle Collectors Association Show, April 2019. (Photo courtesy of John Pastor, American Glass Gallery) IMAGE 6: Advertising Cover for Blocher’s Salve 1874. Clarence Center, N.Y., is a suburb of Buffalo. Notice stamps affixed upside down. IMAGE 7: There is nothing related to the skin that Blocher’s Salve can’t cure. IMAGE 8: Colorful Dr. Claris Veterinary Label featuring same picture as on cachet and image of foreign mosque to entice the consumer. IMAGE 9: 1907 Dr. Claris Veterinary Hospital East, Buffalo, N.Y., advertising. Notice horse skeleton in upper left window.

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Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

IMAGE 10: This rare photo depicts a branch of Dr. Claris’ hospital that was located on Newell Street in Buffalo, in the heart of the Stockyard district and one of the largest horse markets in the East and only a block from my childhood home. (Courtesy of Dr. Michael Smith D.V.M.)

on eBay. I was very familiar with a John Blocher, who owned a shoe factory and supplied boots for the Union Army during the Civil War. When I researched the family, I saw they both came from Clarence, N.Y., so I assume they are related. Daniel moved to Michigan in 1851 and farmed for some years in Genesee County. He bought land in the township of Millington in 1855, but did not begin farming it until 1859. He was also a lumberman, ran a shingle mill from 1864-65, and held the offices of Justice of the Peace for 20 years, supervisor, treasurer, county superintendent of the poor, and postmaster of Millington from 1861-66, and again in 1883. He ventured into the selling of medicines as a senior member of the firm Blocher & Rathbun, druggists, etc. In January of 1874, David Blocher applied for a patent in Warren County, Pa., for an improved healing salve, with much detail on how the salve was made from crude petroleum using steam. The notice cachet is addressed to Warren, Pa. Researching on findagrave.com I found a picture of his tomb in Clarence Center, N.Y., but there is also a Daniel N. Blocher buried in Michigan. Without full genealogic records and no information on the company, it’s difficult to discern the correct resting place. One of my favorite covers is from Dr. Claris East Side Veterinary Hospital, as I have a Dr. Claris Medicine cabinet and jugs that go along with it. John Claris was born in London, Canada, in 1862, but his family moved to Buffalo, N.Y., where he resided his entire life. He attended public school in Buffalo and then went on to study at the Toronto Veterinary College, graduating with his degree as a veterinary surgeon in 1882 at the age of 20. Upon his graduation, he returned to Buffalo and immediately became involved in government and private veterinary practice. Dr. Claris became the federal inspector for the port of Buffalo, a post he held for eight

years. He also opened his Buffalo East Side Horse Infirmary on Clinton Street. His products had labels that were very colorful and attractive to the consumer. On the cachet image I noticed a horse skeleton in the upper window of the building depicted on the stamp and later read that Dr. Claris owned a museum of taxidermy animals and skeletons. One of my other small collections involves a business in Lockport, N.Y, called Merchant’s Gargling Oils “for man or beast.” Though called a gargling oil, it was initially a topical liniment used to treat sore mules and donkeys hauling canal boats along the Erie Canal. Dr. Merchant started out in “Lower Town” and moved to “Upper Town” in 1836. The company ownership changed hands at least three or four times in the 19th century, but the product had a long, continuous sales history up until 1928 when the factory finally burned down. Cachets from Merchants are rather common with the advertising on the reverse, while the return address on front cachet advertises another company. He most likely gave these envelopes to companies for free in order to promote his company. The Merchant’s Gargling Oils company, like most quack medicine dealers of the day, heavily promoted its products through advertising trade cards as well as almanacs or “songsters” for Merchants products. In 1869, John Hodge, owner of Merchant’s Gargling Oil, came to realize the benefit that could be obtained from using a private die stamp, which IMAGE 11: Author Peter Jablonski proudly displays a freshly dug, circa 1865, Merchant’s green blown glass from Lockport, N.Y. Glassworks. IMAGE 12: Open-pontiled, circa 1850, Merchant’s dug from a Lockport, N.Y., privy. IMAGE 13: Front of Merchant’s cover advertising Frank Howd, dealer in drugs and medicines in Mohawk, N.Y. IMAGE 14: Reverse of Merchant’s Gargling cachet advertising For Man and Beast.

March 2020

18 17

not only produced great advertising but would tend to discourage anyone trying to imitate Merchant’s Gargling Oil. The private die stamps were placed over the facsimile cork seal signature of original proprietor George W. Merchant. It was presumed the stamps would be destroyed when the bottle was opened and thus they were not canceled. Who had the foresight to soak the stamps off the products for future philatelists? Over 14 years, Merchants used 6,584,037 stamps with a face value of $90,811.51, meaning they did more than $2,270,287 in business. One of the most famous of the patent medicine hucksters was Dr. Ray Vaughn Pierce and his World’s Dispensary. After graduating medical school, Dr. Pierce saw the need for home remedies in rural areas, and from 1867 to 1880, he made almost half a million dollars per year. Pierce established the Invalids’ Hotel and Surgical Institute in Buffalo, as well as a manufacturing business producing “Doctor Pierce’s Favorite Prescription,” which he followed with other medicines, including “Smart Weed,” one million bottles of which shipped annually. Other of Pierce’s medicines addressed women’s diseases, such as fatigue, headache, “female weakness,” tumors, nervous diseases, and menstruation. Dr. Pierce IMAGE 15: Color lithograph advertising sign for Merchant’s Gargling Oil (photo courtesy of John Pastor American Glass Gallery). IMAGE 16: Lockport, N.Y.: Merchant’s Gargling Oil Proprietary Tax Stamp (1869-1883) on all papers (RS178 a,b,c,d,e; RS179 a,b,c,d,e) Most are common except 178e (12), 179c (20), and 179e (8). IMAGE 17: Merchant even advertised on the Maid of the Mist, the boat that rides below Niagara Falls. IMAGE 18: Barn-painted advertising for Pierce’s female medicines. IMAGE 19: Advertising cachet for Dr. Pierce’s World’s Dispensary.

IMAGE 20: Snake Oil salesman’s car advertising Dr. Pierce’s products. IMAGE 21: 1,506,624 of the one-cent and 3,121,970 of the two-cent stamps were printed, all on watermarked paper. 22

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

IMAGE 22: 2,227,350 of the one-cent blue stamps were issued on old paper and 1,804,030 on silk paper.

worked hard to make sure the government kept away from regulating the industry’s products, and forcefully fought off doctors who questioned the claims made by the cure-alls and tonics advertised in newspapers and sold by mail. Many of Pierce’s medicines, promoted through his book, The People’s Common Sense Medical Advisor, contained opium until the mid-1890s. Pierce’s book was in its 11th edition by 1907 and had sold more than two million copies. Dr. David Ransom began his practice in Buffalo in 1846, producing Dr. D. Ransom’s King of the Blood that claimed to cure cancer “without the surgeon’s knife,” as well as scrofula and consumption. Ransom’s two private die stamps were from July of 1865 through August of 1875. The name of the company was changed to Dr. Ransom, Son & Co. around 1872. When Dr. David Ransom died, his son and Sullivan Meredith took over. The new company used the predecessor’s stamp until 1875 when the National Bank Note Co. took over the contract and likely insisted on the update. The new corporate name appeared on stamps starting in 1876 and were last delivered in 1883. One of the better-known stamp inspiration stories surrounds the seven Sutherland sisters, who grew up as poor turkey farmers in Cambria, N.Y. As a hair treatment for her daughters’ long hair, their mother used a rather stinky ointment that appalled the girls’ classmates. Their mother died at a young age, leaving their father, Fletcher Sutherland, the idea of selling this tonic to make money. In addition to the marvel of their extremely long hair, the sisters were musically talented and gave performances in which they sang and played instruments as well. From the early 1880s to the early 1900s they toured with the Barnum and Bailey Circus as one of the “Seven Wonders of the World.” Despite the millions they made selling their patent medicine hair products the sisters squandered their wealth and died in poverty.

Research and the thrill of discovering new information, and discovery of ephemera from the past make philately come alive. There’s clearly no better exhibit at a stamp show than one that connects the stamps to their past and takes the viewer into a virtual time machine by displaying go-withs along with their exhibit. My adventures in digging in privies has reawakened my childhood love of stamp collecting, and I intend to keep researching, writing, sharing and inspiring the future stamp collectors. The inspiration to write this article was my dad, the late Fred Jablonski, president of the Buffalo Polish Philatelic Society, who instilled in me a fire to learn about our past. Thanks also to Rick Barret, who recently presented a lecture at Lewiston on his book, The Buffalo Cinderellas, a story about the Pan American Cinderella stamps of 1901 and the two men who made them, one a honest businessman and the other a rogue who did time in prison for removing cancellations on used stamps and then selling them as stamps for postage. Lastly, thanks to my wife, Heather, who supports my collecting addictions.

r ENDNOTES AND RESOURCES 1) Father Kolbe achieved sainthood for giving up his life so a married man with children could live at the Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland. 2) Terry Blum, 2015, U.S. Private Die Patent Medicine Stamps. June 9. Accessed June 20, 2019. http://www. stampinsider.org/other_pages/presentations/blum%20 proprietary/U%20S%20Private%20Die%20Proprietary%20Stamps.pdf. 3) V.S., Dr. John Claris, 1905. The Horse. Buffalo, N.Y. 4) V, Ferdinand Meyer. 2012. Peachridge Glass. Aug. 18. Accessed June 20, 2019. https://www.peachridgeglass. com/2012/08/merchants-gargling-oil-good-for-man-andbeast/. 5) Henry W. Holcombe, Patent Medicine Tax Stamps. Lawrence, Mass.: Quarterman Publications, 1979. 6) Charles LaChuisa, Buffalo, As An Architectural Museum, 2003. Accessed June 20, 2019. https://buffaloah. com/a/main/651/index.html. 7) Ibid. 8) Bob Hohertz, rdhinstl’s Page. Accessed June 20, 2019. http://www.rdhinstl.com/mm/rs194.htm. 9) Lisa Hix, Collectors Weekly. Sept. 6, 2013. Accessed June 20, 2019. https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/ the-seven-sutherland-sisters-and-their-37-feet-of-hair/.

IMAGE 24: Original box of Dr. Ransom’s Syrup Compound Notice office in Fort Erie, Ontario, as well as Buffalo. IMAGE 25: Rare advertising cover for the Seven Sutherland Sisters who toured with Barnum & Bailey Circus as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. IMAGE 26: Photo of the Seven Sisters. IMAGE 27: 7 Sutherland Hair Bottle with original box and contents.

March 2020

Circle the wagons and plan your trip to one of the hottest shows in the Midwest!

The Kansas Territory Bottle & Postcard Show By Mark Law

lear your calendar for April 5, 2020 to attend the Kansas Territory Bottle and Postcard Show in Hutchinson, Kansas. The show is sponsored by the Kansas Territory Bottle and Postcard Club based in Hutchinson, Kansas. The 13th annual show is being held at the Hutchinson State Fairgrounds. The fairgrounds is a great venue with easy access in and out of the building without any steps or stairs.

Setup will be available on Saturday, April 4, from noon until late evening and again on Sunday, April 5 from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Saturday setup allows for a great time for vendors to get an early look at the tables full of items and, of course, many of those change hands on Saturday. Setup is very unusual in that vehicles can be pulled into the building to unload during inclement weather. Only club members and dealers can be in the building on Saturday and before 9 a.m. Sunday. Club membership is only $10.00 per year so if you want in early become a member, or better yet get a dealer table. The show has never charged admission but does accept a free will offering. Over the past twelve years they have had dealers

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

from over fifteen states and it is proving to be a lot of returnees again this year. The potluck dinner on Saturday evening is always a great time to meet new friends, visit with old friends and, of course, eat (we give the Methodists a run for their money when it comes to potluck dinner). Following dinner, the club traditionally has guest speakers on topics including the history of brewing in Kansas, soda fountains in Kansas, bottle shoot-outs, and even live auctions. This year’s entertainment won’t disappoint you either. He’s a great speaker with a very curious topic pertaining to Goats, the Kansas Governor, and a radio station. Whether you are in the market for a rare fruit jar, bitters, flask, poison, applied color label, or any other bottle, this is a great show to find it. The insulator collectors are starting to make their way to this show too, and they have great colorful glass to show and sell. Great dealers with a wide variety of items are always available. Attendance has always been good with numerous walk-in items making their way to dealers. Tabletop collectables are always welcome, with a variety of advertising pieces available. The postcard collectors

have not been disappointed either, with several postcard and ephemera dealers making their way to the show each year. There have always been a good variety of displays each year showcasing historical, educational and even a collaborative collection of some of the rarest Kansas bottles ever assembled! If you are able to plan a few extra days to visit Hutchinson you can take in the Cosmosphere, Strataca Salt Mine Museum, Dillon Nature Center, Hutchinson Zoo, and the Indian Creek Bison Ranch. With easy access from I-135 crossing central Kansas, Hutchinson is an easy drive from most anywhere. As you cross Kansas be sure to stop in Topeka, Wichita, Abilene, Hays, Alma or any of the other towns to visit the antique shops and attractions. Whether you make plans to be a dealer at the show, or just come and visit for the day as a collector, a good time is in store. You are guaranteed to meet some friendly people and have a great time. For more information, or to register as a dealer, please contact either Mike McJunkin at scarleits@cox.net Phone: 620-728-8303, or Mark Law, kansasbottles@gmail.com Phone: 785-224-4836. We look forward to seeing you in April!

TOP LEFT: A nice display of Schnapps from 1840-1900. TOP RIGHT: Display of rare mini ACL and embossed sodas. MIDDLE LEFT: One of the many sales tables with great offerings. MIDDLE RIGHT: Display by author, digger, and collector Johnnie Fletcher’s rare finds from Atchison, Kansas. BOTTOM LEFT: H.H. Warner’s historical display BOTTOM RIGHT: The late John Moore and his wife, Katherine. John was a long time collector of early American glass. He proudly served our country in the Marines during WWII in the South Pacific.

March 2020

R E N O 2 02 0

FOHBC RENO NATIONAL ANTIQUE BOTTLE CONVENTION WESTERN REGION

Thursday, July 30 - Sunday, August 2, 2020 Antique Bottle Show & Sales, Bottle Competition, Early Admission, Seminars, Displays, Awards Banquet, Membership Breakfast, Bowling Competition, Silent Auction, Raffle, Children’s Events and more... $5 General Admission Saturday and Sunday half day

Go to FOHBC.org for hotel booking information, schedule and dealer contracts. Hotel rooms will go fast!

Richard & Bev Siri (Show Chairs) rtsiri@sbcglobal.net

Eric McGuire (Seminars, Keynote Speaker) etmcguire@comcast.net

Max Bell (Displays) maxbell1205@gmail.com Warren Friedrich (Show Treasurer) warrenls6@sbcglobal.net

Ferdinand Meyer V (Marketing & Advertising) fmeyer@fmgdesign.com

TEAM RENO

Info: FOHBC.org

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Gina Pellegrini (Event Photographer) angelina.pellegrini@gmail.com

A Little History is Written with a National Treasure Inkwell tells about William Henry Harrison and collectors David and Janice Frent Edited by Ralph Finch

The Harrison ‘Hard Cider’ glass inkwell

eritage Auctions of Dallas recently conducted the sixth auction of selections from one of the top collections of presidential material ever amassed, that of David and Janice Frent, two people who make the rest of us look like pikers, or pickers, or privy diggers. Shortly after they were engaged, the Frents received a small jar of political buttons from a friend. The Heritage catalog noted: “Both of us were intrigued by what we saw and wondered who wore the Teddy Roosevelt Rough Rider pinback, the Taft button and the Alton Parker picture pin,” David Frent recalls. “Both of us liked the history of our country and these few items formed the beginning of what would be a multi-decade quest.” (One can only imagine what they come have amassed if they had been given a roll of antique toilet paper.) “Fifty years later, the Frents have one of the premier collections of presidential and political campaign artifacts. Their pieces have been displayed at the Museum of Modern Art and featured in ads, textbooks, magazines, on television and on a U.S. postage stamp. At the latest auction installment, I selected Lot 43046, described as a

“William Henry Harrison ‘Hard Cider’ Glass Inkwell, 2.25 inches by 2. One side of the barrel-shaped, clear glass inkwell has ‘Hard Cider’ in relief with ‘Tippecanoe Extract’ on the other. The bottom has a ground pontil scar and was said to be in excellent condition.” It had a minimum bid of $200, and sold for $250. (The buyer’s premium per lot was “25 percent on the first $300,000, plus 20 percent of any amount between $300,000 and $3,000,000, plus 12.5 percent of any amount over $3,000,000 per lot.” Clearly, this was not an event for beginning collectors or privy diggers.)

Harrison, 1773-1841, was an American general and politician, the ninth U.S. president, and his ephemera is extensive. Especially popular with glass collectors are Harrison flasks, often impressive, and usually expensive. The Heritage catalog included this (edited) information: “Among members of the organized fraternity of political items collectors, the Frent collection has long been revered as the largest, most extensive, and valuable collection ever assembled. Its history began shortly after the Frents’ marriage in 1968, a monumental election year when public awareness of March 2020

politics was never higher. The young couple soon discovered their shared fascination with American history and they began to collect tangible political artifacts. Little did they know that this shared passion would lead to an unparalleled collection of over 50,000 items, embracing every category from buttons to banners, from George Washington through modern presidential candidates. “By the mid-1970s, their plan had crystalized: they would collect as broadly as possible, seeking to acquire important and representative examples from all categories of items from every presidential campaign, with an emphasis on pieces in top condition whenever obtainable. New Jersey residents, they always placed special emphasis on items from that state, and collectors residing in New Jersey will find a particularly exciting selection in the auctions of this collection. “Around 1990, renowned historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. conceived an ambi-

• • •

“The Frents still recall warmly that visit, when the historian expressed amazement not only that such a wide range of campaign items had been produced, but that such a diverse and important collection had been assembled by private collectors in one ambitious effort. Dr. Schlesinger opined that the Frents’ collection represented a ‘national treasure,’ and he was excited at the prospect of drawing upon it to illustrate his planned history of American politics. “The project evolved into a two-volume set titled Running for President, the Candidates and their Images 1789-1992, illustrated by some 500 selected items from the Frent Collection. With editing

assistance from Prof. Fred Israel (himself an avid political collector) and David Frent, the resulting volumes, published by Simon & Schuster, present an unparalleled overview not only of American political history, but also of the myriad items produced to support political candidacies. But they also do much more. The incredible industry and ingenuity demonstrated by these diverse artifacts represents in a very real way the American spirit. One cannot come away from perusing these books without feeling a sense of respect not only for our past, but for the unique qualities which led generations of entrepreneurs and public-spirited citizens to create this vast and ingratiating body of artifacts.”

For more on Heritage Auctions, go to www.ha.com.

FOR SALE!

Set of Three Figural Skull Poison Bottles + Extremely rare Trade Card

Selling the set only - no individual pieces (one example with rare, 'plain base') Bids starting at $10,000. To discuss, or for additional information, please contact: •

tious plan: he would assemble essays from respected scholars on every American presidential election, to be illustrated by images of items produced to promote aspirant’s candidacies. Schlesinger became aware of the Frent collection and arranged a visit to view their collection.

Dave at drlambert@dialez.net, or: 920.863.3306

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

AN UNCOMMON WECK JAR I have no idea just how scarce the jar in Photo 1 might be. I don’t think I’ve ever seen another, but for all I know they may just be plentiful in old basements throughout Europe. The jar was made by the J. Weck Company, which was founded in Wehr-Oflingen, Germany, in January 1900, by Johann Weck and Georg Van Eyck. Over the years the Weck company produced millions of Weck jars in many shapes and sizes, with a number of jar embossing variations and differing closure arrangements. Weck jars have been imported into this country for many years and are still being sold here, currently utilizing a glass lid, sealing rubber, and twin metal clamps. This particular jar is 6 1/2” tall, with a ground lip, and is embossed on the front SCHUTZMARKE within a banner, above the initials J. W. & what appears to be a flower, above FRISCHHALTUNG in fancy framing, and 1 LTR. The jar’s base is embossed WECK’S FRISCHHALTUNG around 6h (Photo 2). The glass lid is lettered 13A ORIGINAL WECK 13A around WECK in the center. In English, SCHUTZMARKE translates to “Trademark” and FRISCHHALTUNG to something like “Fresh Attitude” or “Fresh Product.” The J. W. initials, of course, refer to company founder Johann Weck. This was a special jar in our collection. It was sent to our good friend, Dick Roller, noted fruit jar researcher and writer, in May 1985, by the representatives of the Weck fruit jar company, of Oflingen Germany, whom he met during his first visit there in 1984 for research into genealogy and European fruit jars. We received it from his wife, Jenny, after his death in 1998.

The jar bears a label of sorts, placed there by the Weck folks. It reads (Photo 3), “A present from J. Weck Gmbh u. Co W. -Germany No.6, 1 liter –– produced between the years 1910 and 1917. “The jar was sealed with rubber ring, glass lid and spring clamp according to the conventional WECK system.” Inside the jar is the original three-page invoice (?) bearing a May 17, 1985 postmark and declaring the contents of the “Karton” to consist of “books, GlassSample,” with a declared value of $5. The books, probably catalogs, were not with the jar. No metal clamp was found with the jar when I got it from Dick’s wife, but Figure A shows the style of clamp that this jar is said to have had originally. But these jars didn’t really require a clamp if processed in one of the Weck canners that had clamping arms for the jar lids attached to a central post. And thereupon lies the rest of the story. It’s been said for years, for the forty-plus years that I’ve been collecting at least, that many of the Weck jars didn’t require clamps, and that story is at least partly true. Although it is still touchy explaining to a potential buyer that the Weck jar that you were trying to sell probably never had a clamp to begin with. But it is likely that large numbers of the Weck jars didn’t. In November 1988, jar collector Frau Karen Gross. of Breitenheim, West Germany (originally from New York), wrote a guest article for Dick Roller’s FRUIT JAR NEWSLETTER entitled “More on Early German Preserving Jars.” Karen talked about a German home economics textbook, SCHAFERS LEHRBUCH DER HAUSWIRTSCHAFT SECHSTE AUFLAGE (SCHAFFER’S TEACHING GUIDE SIXTH ISSUE), originally

PHOTO 1: Dick Roller's present from Weck.

PHOTO 2: Base of 1 Ltr SCHUTZMARKE jar.

PHOTO 3: Label on Dick's SCHUTZMARKE jar.

March 2020

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

published in 1886 and reprinted, with revisions, by Robert Hacker, in 1911. “The chapter on food preservation,” said Karen, “was one of those that had obviously been revised [since 1886].” Touching upon our subject, Karen explains that “Weck’s lids were held on during processing by an adjustable spring attached to the special rack [of the Weck canner]. Separate clamps were available for Weck jars in 1911, so that they could have been used for pickles too.” Figure B shows one of the Weck canners with the jars’ lids held securely by the spring clamps attached to the center post. This is supported by the 46-page booklet WECK INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE, dating to about 1915, which has on the last page awards won by Weck at various expositions in 1911, 1912, and 1913. Published in English, this booklet may have been intended for either the British or American trade. Weck already had markets in Austria, Belgium, France, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Depicted in the booklet is a round Weck canner similar to the previous 1911 example, as well as a smaller preserver model (Figure C), with smaller stacking insert, allowing the sterilizing of one or two jars at a time, using less water and time. The jars depicted are shown with the same basic embossing as our featured jar, as are about a dozen other variously sized SCHUTZMARKE jars shown therein. Also pictured are the individual clamps that our SCHUTZMARKE jar is said to have taken. “Bow Springs (Figure D),” it reads “are only for use when it is desired to close single glasses without the preserver. It is placed on the middle of the cover and pressed downward, until the bentover (sic) end hooks catch under

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the glass rim.” With this reasoning, it seems likely that those processing a good number of jars for a large family would probably save the expense entailed by purchasing individual clamps for each of the processed jars. And on a more modern note, we shouldn’t ignore the bright red, metal WECK miniature doll-house reproduction of the earlier canner in Photo 4, which works nicely for those who dislike bulky fruit jar go-withs. It comes complete with thermometer, center stack with holding clamps, and four miniature jars. A Bodo Hennig product, made in Germany a few years back, this canner is only 57mm tall, to the top of the thermometer. (The penny in our photo shows the canner’s relative size.) The little unmarked 20mm tall jars are made of plastic (you can’t have everything), but have separate lids and red gaskets. It shows how the jars were secured under the four individual clamps on the center stack. It might also bear reminding that a properly processed jar doesn’t really need a clamp to secure the lid. That’s taken care of by the vacuum formed in the processed jar. In any case, Dick’s presentation jar gives the impression of being quite scarce on this side of the Atlantic. It may be that Weck didn’t have a U.S. outlet until long after World War I, by which time these particular jars had passed on. Vivian Kath, author of “Granny Kath’s Kitchen,” reported in her July 1997 fruit jar column that she’d acquired one of PHOTOS (from top): FIGURE A: Bow Spring Clamp for Wecks circa 1915 SCHUTZMARKE jars . FIGURE B: Illustration from 1911 book showing clamping arms on canner. FIGURE C: Clamping arrangement for two-jar canner.

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

the SCHUTZMARKE jars in the early 1970s. Vivian likened her jar to Dick’s, but they were actually different, with her one-litre example being a taller, smallermouthed version, with its lid embossed WECK FRISCHHALTUNG. And to help confound future collectors, Vivian, who had been unable to find a Weck clamp, had put an EVERLASTING JAR toggle clamp on her SCHUTZMARKE, just to secure the lid (Photo 5). But it’s not unlikely that whoever may have acquired this jar from Vivian’s husband, Curtis, after her passing believes that the EVERLASTING JAR clamp is an original Weck variation, of which there were many.

FIGURE D: Bow Springs of the style used on our featured SCHUTZMARKE jar.

PHOTO 4: Miniature doll-house Weck canner, showing use of lid clamps.

PHOTO 5: Kath's tall SCHUTZMARKE jar.

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March 2020

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FRESH WATER • SALT WATER • DRY DIRT 22 ½" x 14" x 3" Deep Oak & Stainless Constuction Triangular Corner Blocks Belly Bar for Additional Support SS T-50 Staples & Screws Secure Screen 6" Handles, takes 3-6 Shovelfuls $150.00 U.S. Post Pd. & Shipped World-Wide. ($100.00 off regular price of $250.00)

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

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For Sale d FELLOW COLLECTORS/DEALERS: Please include a name and phone number with your advertisements. Not everyone has a computer, and an address does help. FOR SALE: (1) S.C. Dispensary 1/2 pt. Huggins #175 $290. (2) KV-8 2 3/4" D P Coffin 1/4" flash in back otherwise nm $290. (3) G.O. Blakes Rye & Bour Whisky Qt Light Purple $200. (4) Panacea Mineral Spring Water 1/2 gal Amber, Littleton NC small sliver on lip otherwise nm $225 PLUS SHIPPING. BILL HARRELSON, 843-855-0483. 4340 Hwy 19 Conway SC 29526. 3/20

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FOR SALE: Georgia Hobbleskirt CocaCola Collection - all varieties available. RANDY, Email: zachobbs@bellsouth.net 3/20 FOR SALE: Jeffries' No. 1 Cough Mixture (Richmond, Virginia) Blown Aqua Medicine 5 3/4" tall overall stain but no damage. free shipping. WANTED: Bottles from Aurora, Indiana especially Aqua Crescent Brewing Co. Beers, Amber Aurora Bottling Works, N.O. & N. Oester Sodas, Druggists, Whiskies, Jugs, Etc. Top prices paid. Also want McCullough Bottles from Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Phone: 812-907-0015. 3/20

Shows, Shops & Services d Kovels' Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide, 2020, 52nd edition, the source for current prices. 2,500 color photographs, 16,000 prices, 730 categories including bottles and related categories. Factory histories, marks, tips about buying, selling, collecting, preserving treasures and more. Free gift with order. Order at Kovels.com Phone: 800-303-1996, or send $29.99 plus $4.95 postage to Price Book, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122. 3/20

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ANTIQUE BOTTLES AND ANTIQUES FOR SALE in my booth and case at Scranberry Coop, Rt. 206, 42 Main St. Andover, NJ. Many milks, blob beers, medicines, oak furniture, jars, sodas, etc. Hours are 10-4 Wednesday through Sunday. JOANNE ZARGER,18 Alan Lane, Mine Hill, NJ 07803. 973-366-7482. Email: zarger18@aol.com 12/20 ATTENTION COLLECTORS (or the curious!) DON’T MISS the 54th Annual Golden Gate Historical Bottle Society’s BOTTLES, ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES SHOW AND SALE. This 2-day event takes place at the Contra Costa Event Park (Sunset Hall) in Antioch, CA on Friday 4/10 from Noon to 5pm ($10 early admission fee) and Saturday 4/11 from 9am to 3pm (FREE ADMISSION). Free walk-in appraisals and buyers available both days. You’ll find bottles, plus a wide variety of collectibles and “go-withs”. For more info, contact GARY OR DARLA ANTONE at 925-373-6758 or packrat49er@netscape.net 4/20 SOUTHERN STONEWORKS -- PROFESSIONAL POTTERY RESTORATION SERVICE. We can replace a handle or lip that's missing, hide chips or do a complete restoration. Alkaline, Salt and Bristol glaze reproduced to match. Excellent work with a quick turnaround. Before and after photos of past work and references available upon request. ERIC NYGARD, 706-691-1968. 3/20 VISIT THE NATIONAL BOTTLE MUSEUM and see a collection of over 2,000 bottles dating from the 1700s to a few years ago. Learn about bottle manufacturing from the handmade era to modern day. 5/20 FELLOW COLLECTORS/DEALERS: Please, if at all possible, include a name and phone number with your ads. Not everyone has a computer, and a physical address does help. Thanks. 12/18

MASTER ARTIST, WOOD CARVER, PAINTER. Can rebuild a bottle from pieces or carve or paint any type of sign for your bottle display. Quality work and fair prices. Google me, KEN KLINGLER, VERMONT CRAFT COUNCIL, for examples. Barter possible. I seek embossed pontil or interesting early medicines, poisons, pharmacies, etc. Call evenings wait for machine to pick up. 802-426-3811. 3/20 BOTTLE TREE ANTIQUES - South Carolina Sodas, Milks, Dispensaries, Advertising Signs, Southern Pottery, Primitive Furniture. www.bottletreeantiques. com or Facebook. 3/20 SEEKING NEW MEMBERS nationwide to enjoy and share the outstanding benefits currently accorded to the 51 families of the 1st Chicago Bottle Club. INFO: 1st CHICAGO BOTTLE CLUB, PO BOX 351, WESTERN SPRINGS, IL. 60558 orwww.1stchicagobottleclub.com 3/20 WHEN IN NEW MEXICO, PLEASE COME VISIT. We have the Cerrillos Turquoise Mining Museum, Casa Grande Trading Post and Cerrillos Petting Zoo. Come see our fifty year collection of antiques and bottles. We are fifteen miles south of Santa Fe on Highway 14 on the Turquoise Trail Scenic By-Way. 3/20 Interested in Pre-Prohibition Whiskey? Try my blog "Pre-Prowhiskeymen@blogspot. com" JACK SULLIVAN, Alexandria, VA. 3/20 JOHN'S ANTIQUE BOTTLE SHOP One East Main St., McGraw N.Y. By appointment only. Collecting over 50 years. Bottles, flasks, saratogas, pontil medicines, milk bottles, etc. QUALITY BOTTLES! JOHN SEARS, 607-745-1828. 3/20 CANISTEO VALLEY ANTIQUES Ebay: Ebay.com/usr/canisteovalleyantiques Facebook: Canisteovalleyantiques Email: Canisteovalleyantiques@gmail.com 3/20

Wanted d WANTED: Hobbleskirt embossed Coca-Cola bottles: 1915's, 1923's, D-Patent's 6oz's and 6 1/2 oz's. Collector will buy or trade. JIM GEORGES, georges77@twcny.rr.com or 315-662-7729. 7/20 WANTED: EMBOSSED CURES WANTED: Including these pontils: Avery's, Benson's, Bernard's, Brown's, Bull's, Burt's, Cannon's, Flander's, Frambe's Geoghegan's, Hamilton's, Jacob's, Lay's, McAdoo's, McElroy's, Parham's, Rhodes' Prov. R.I., Rohrer's, Rudolph's, Star-in's, Stone's, Toledo, Woodman's. ALSO BIMALS: Anchor, Bavarian Bitters, Beesting, Bixler's, Bliss, Boot's Indigestion, Bowanee, Bower's, Bradford's, Bromo Mineral, Bronson's, Bull's (Baltimore), Carey's CholiCura, Clement's Certain (green), Collins' Opium (aqua), Cook's Turpentine, Cowan's Certain, Davis Indian, Detchon's Infallible, Edelweiss, Electrofluid, Ewer's Arcanum, Forest Pine (unpontiled), Francisco's, Frog Pond 8", Green's King's Cure, Large Handyside's (chocolate amber), Helmer's, Hilleman's, Hinderman's, Holden's (green), Hungarian, Indian Mixture, JBF, Kauffman Phthisis, Keeley's (opium, neurotine, solution), Large Kellum's, Kid-Nee-Kure, Lenape's, Lindley's, Long's Malaria, Loryea (green), Marsden, McConnon Cough, Amber McLean's (8"), Miniotti's (clear), Morning Glory, Murphy K & L. Pageapfel's, Park's (clear), Peck's, Pennock's, Peterman's (green), Rattail, large River Swamp, Riverview, Scott's (bird), Streetman's, Struble's (aqua), Tremaine's, Universal, Vosburgh, Wadsworth (goat), Warner's K & L Rochester (green, aqua, clear), Wildwest, Wilkinson's, Wilson Footrot, Winan's (no Indian), York Corn Cure. Looking for many others, especially embossed with label, contents, box. Also would like data on unlisted cures for future Cure Book. JOHN WOLF, 937-275-1617. ohcures@yahoo.com 1186 Latchwood Ave., Dayton, OH 45405. 12/20 March 2020

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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: 703307-7792. 12/20 WANTED: Any "flag" Esposito, Philada, Pa. that I do not already have. R.J. BROWN, 813-286-8696. Rbrown4134@aol.com 4114 W. Mullen Av., Tampa, Fl 33609. 11/20 WANTED: Lime Green J. Esposito "flag" bottle, 812 814 Washington Avenue, Philadelphia PA. R.J. BROWN, 813-2869686. rbrown4134@aol.com 4114 W. Mullen Ave. Tampa, FL 33609. 11/20 WANTED: Clarke's Vegetable Sherry Wine Bitters, Sharon, Mass & Rockland, ME. All bottle sizes & variants. Thank you. CHARLIE MARTIN, 781-248-8620. cemartinjr@comcast.net 5/20 WANTED: HUTCHINSONS - G.H. Wilkison, Wallingson Conn. (eagle with flags and powder horn), American Soda Works S.F. (flag green color), New Castle Bottling Co. New Castle, Del. (crossed flags), J.E. McKinley, Frankford, Pa. (flag), McKinley & Schlafer, Frankford, Pa. (flag). R.J. BROWN, 813-286-9686. Rbrown4134@aol.com 4114 W. Mullin Av. Tampa, Fl. 33609. 11/20 WANTED: Hutchinson - (FLA BREW'G CO. TAMPA, FLA) R.J. BROWN, Phone: 813-286-9686. Email: rbrown4134@aol.com 4114 W. Mullen Ave. Tampa, FL 33609. 5/20 WANTED: McQuade Utica NY liquor bottles. SUE YOUNG, 315-724-2778. 6/20 WANTED: Dr Claris Buffalo NY bottles, jugs, billheads, advertising items, photos, All Buffalo NY bottles, stoneware and beer advertising. PETER JABLONSKI, Phone: (716) 440-7985. pjablonski66@gmail.com 12489 Hunts Corners Rd. Akron, NY 14001. 6/20

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

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 3/20 WANTED: GEORGE OHR CABINS. Or Cabin Inks. BOB TERRY, 303-569-2502. llterryualusa@yahoo.com 9/20 WANTED: Old OWL DRUG Co. bottles, tins, boxes, paper, anything/everything from the Owl Drug Company. Paying TOP DOLLAR. MARC LUTSKO, Email: letsgo@montanasky.net PO Box 97, Libby MT 59923. 5/20 WANTED: Paying $2000 for amber or unusual colored Wisconsin strapped-sided Flasks. Let me know what you have. Also looking for Wisconsin Whiskey advertisement especially Peter Barth - Milwaukee advertisement or signs. JOE WHEELER, 715-572-9810. llnur@uniontel.net PO Box 232 Plainfield WI 54966. 4/20 WANTED: Harley bottles of West Chester, Pa. and Philadelphia, Pa. The West Chester bottles display either J. Harley or James Harley. The Phila. Bottles display Edwd Harley, Schul (Schuylkill) 4th & Market St., Philada (Philadelphia) or E. Harley, 802 Market St or E. Harley, West Market St. These two bottling businesses operated in the 1840s through the early 1880s. BOB HARLEY, Phone: 215-721-1107. Email: rwh220@yahoo.com 12/20 WANTED: Buffalo, NY & Lockport, NY stoneware and bottles. Also, Buffalo beer trays and advertising signs. PETER JABLONSKI, 12489 Hunts Corners Rd, Akron, NY, 14001. Ph: 716-440-7985. 12/20 WANTED: New York State Redware, especially marked ones. Other marked Redware. VINCE MARTONIS, Phone: 716-208-1013. vmartonis@gmail.com 3/20

WANTED: E.G. Whiskey Bottles: GV1114 - Green - Jersey Green GV11-15 - Jersey Green, Black Ruby, Red RubyGV11-16 - A GV11-38 - Clear GV11-40 - Ruby RedCall or write. STEVE GRAY, 440-279-8381. 7533 Clay St., Thompsonville, OH 44086. 3/20 WANTED: Houston, and Galveston, TX bottles, Triple XXX Root Beer, Cola and Ginger Ale, Javo, Mo-Pep, Weber's Root Beer, Muscadine Punch, Dr. Nut, New Orleans, High Island Mineral Water, Juni-Phosphate any flavor, Mexican Hot, Delaware Punch, Joe Testa Bottling Works Alexandria, LA. Jackson Brewing Co soda bottles, New Orleans. EARL McINTYRE, 281-980-5147. emcintyr@comcast.net 14214 Jaubert Ct., Sugarland, TX 77498. 3/20 WANTED: Large Size Only, Dr. Langleys / Root & Herb / Bitters. 99 Union St (L-21), 99 Union St, Reversed (L-23) and 76 Union St (L-25). Colored, Pontiled, or with Unusual Lip Applications. Also, other Unusually Colored or Shaped Bitters. Perfect Only. Top Prices Paid. 415-518-4124 (leave message), hawkeye751@outlook.com 3/20 WANTED: Complete 1/2 Gal Light Amber Globe Fruit Jar Beautiful Example! PHILIP CATTABELLOTTA, 914-263-5374. 3/20 WANTED: Tin cans, oak barrels or any others with the Hires Condensed Milk Co. written on from Cass City, Mich. Milk bottles from Cass City, Mich. pyro - Bigham's, Embossed (I.S.P) - Forts, Burts, Gotts, East Side Dairy / S. Dodge or Kenny Creamery. Thumb area Milk bottles: to include towns of Bad Axe, Elkton, Caro & Marlette. Phone: 989-872-4912, leave message. 3/20 WANTED: Serious collector looking for Eulberg Beer Tray with Elk. Portage Wis Seltzer Bottles. Fort Dairy Milk Bottle Portage Wis. Zegler Beer Bottle Portage Wis. Crystle Bottling Works Soda. Embossed cont. 1 pt 11 fl oz Portage Wis. Paying $100 to $300 each Portage Wis bottle I don't have. TOM, 608-697-3452 call or text. 3/20

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WANTED: RARE Florida 1930-1950's ACL Bottles Gator Beverages, RIPS's Sport Wildwood, Beach Club Beverages Fernandina Fla. Top prices paid for very good - excellent shape bottles. Must have characters on label (Gator - Boxer - Bathing Suit Beauty), Jockey Club - Miami, Sun Spot - Gainesville. ALAN, JMARTI27@tampabay.rr.com Phone: 352538-0945. 3/20 WANTED: Bottles, Jars, Tins, Advertising, Toys, Give Aways, etc. Any item with the name SCHILLING on it. Please no coins or cards. No text or email. BARRY SCHILLING, 410-749-7762. 3/20 WANTED: John A. Lomax (J.A.L.) Bottles from Chicago. All sizes, shapes and colors. RAY, komo8@att.net 3/20 WANTED: 3 Centa Soda bottle made by Chattanooga Glass Company for the Rome, GA 3 Centa Bottling Company. ARCHIE HUFFSTETLER, 704-827-5058. nomorecop@aol.com 3/20 WANTED: Always looking for Coca-Cola Hutches and proprietary straight sided script Cokes! I will pay top dollar or trade for other bottles. JEFF PEACOCK, 360-731-1072. Fricaba1@gmail.com 20434 10th Pl. SW, Normandy Park, WA 98166. 3/20 WANTED: Pontiled Wm W Wells Liniment Freehold NJ also small town NJ medicines. BOB RANDOLPH, Phone: 732-223-6938. randgal@aol.com 3/20 WANTED: Happy New Year to my fellow collectors. Looking to purchase a GI-33 Washington-Jackson flask. Condition important. If you have one for sale; serious inquiries only. Thank you. MIKE THOMAS, mthomas8182@gmail.com 3/20 WANTED: California Hutchinson sodas! Prefer mint. I like rare towns, colored ones, picture hutches. Would especially like amber Paul Jeenicke! MIKE ELLIOTT, Phone: 520-884-1873. 2432 N. Balboa Ave. #12, Tucson, AZ 85705. 3/20

WANTED: Arizona lady's leg amber bitters. S. HICKMAN, 520-648-8148. 4/20 WANTED: Indian Territory Hutchinson bottles with no major damage. I am ready to buy one or a whole collection. Please text or email. JEFF, oldhouse156@yahoo.com 706-247-6373. 3/20 WANTED: ST. LOUIS SODA'S: C. ABEL olive green, P. BERMINGHAM green & yellow. J CAIRNS & CO.yellow & med to dark green. C.W. SCHLIEPER green. SMITH & FOTHERINGHAM IN A SHIELD cobalt & teal plus other colored soda's. Aqua Soda's: CHAMPION BOTTLING CO. ARCH. D. MATTHEWS. T.I. REIGHENBACH. S. LIPPINCOTT. WAKE & CO. CONGRESS HALL, MASS & SCHLISLER. HENRY FROEGG'S ITALIAN LEMONDADE. HUMBERT & BION. HOME BOTTLING WORKS. THOS. J. LEONARD. JNO. WEAVER. THEO ADAMS, Phone: 618-781-4806. stlouissoda@aol.com 3/20

WANTED: Montgomery County, Illinois bottles, advertising and memorabilia. Seeking sodas, advertising stoneware & druggists from Hillsboro, Litchfield, Nokomis, Witt & Raymond. I am especially seeking Wm. Gerhardt, J. Neuber, and F. Weber from Litchfield, Illinois sodas and Dr. W.C. Hovey Nokomis, IL druggist bottle. JIM MAY, 217-246-1121. jcmay1998@yahoo.com 3/20 WANTED: Looking for RARE Fruit Jars and Closures. Especially interested in 1858's, pint size, strong colors, midget size and Hemingray Co's products. Look forward to new and interesting Kerr, Bell Shaped Comm Jars. Some wild colors and combination coming with very limited selections. From an Orig Kerr Bell Mold! PHIL SMITH, Email: phil.smith@zoomtown.com 2281 Clarkston Lane, Union, KY 41091. 3/20 WANTED: H.H. Warner bottles and go-withs to enrich our collection. MIKE or KATHIE CRAIG, 408-374-4158. kathiecraig@sbcglobal.net 4/20

WANTED: Looking for Rockingham / Bennington Pottery Spaniels. Email: sjlagrange@psci.net 4/20

WANTED: Clean, crude, early American pontiled blackglass DemiJohns. Phone: 248-922-3723. 4/20

WANTED: Always looking for rare colored Demijohns & Wisharts Pine Trees. Also collecting glass tobacco or cigar jars. Will pay top dollar for any I don't have. Many thanks. MIKE, bottleking@rocketmail.com 3/20

WANTED: H. & J. F. Meyer / New York, aqua soda bottle. DAVID RAKES, 352-8175136 call or text. Barakes123@gmail.com 5/20

WANTED: Old Books, any topic. Books printed prior to 1800 or 1900. Leather bound. DOUG ALLINGER, 614-263-5999. 3/20 WANTED: Dr. Ward's Barbwire Cure, Plainview Minn. Also other southeastern Minnesota Bottles, Breweriana and advertising. RICK OLSEN, 507-721-5799. QS4469@aol.com 3/20 WANTED: Connecticut drug store, pharmacy or apothecary bottles. Embossed or labeled. We collect, research and document Connecticut drug stores. STEVE POULIOT, 860-608-7208. steve@ctbottleman.com 3/20

WANTED: Any written information on "CLYDE GLASS WORKS, CLYDE, NY" (1827 to 1925). Will consider any items marked; Clyde Glass Works, Clyde Glass Manufacturing, S & R, S.R. CO., E & R, E.R. & CO., Ely & Hoyt, Ely Son & Hoyt, E S & H. ALSO glass bottle "FIRE GRENADE EXTINGUISHERS" (1800's ONLY) buy and sell!! NOT SURE contact me anyway! CHARLIE BETTS, Phone: 315-587-9614. cpb55@rochester.rr.com 3/20

March 2020

Show CALENDAR MARCH 8

MARCH 20 & 21

APRIL 4

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND

MORRO BAY, CALIFORNIA

DAPHNE, ALABAMA

The Baltimore Antique Bottle Club's 40th Annual Show & Sale, (9 AM to 3 PM), at the Physical Education Center, CCBC-Essex, 7201 Rossville Blvd. (I-695,Exit 34). Info: Show Chairman RICK LEASE, 410-4589405 or e-mail: finksburg21@comcast.net For contracts, call: ANDY AGNEW, 410527-1707 or email: medbotls@comcast.net. Website: baltimorebottleclub.org

The San Luis Obispo Bottle Society’s 52nd Annual Show and Sale, (Fri. 1 PM to 6 PM, and Sat, 9 AM to 3 PM), at the Morro Bay Veterans Hall, 209 Surf St., Morro Bay, California. Free admission. Info: Show Chairman RICHARD TARTAGLIA, PH: 805.543.7484, or: STEVE MELLO, email: dirtydiver53@gmail.com

The Mobile Bottle Collectors Club's 47th Annual Show & Sale, (9 AM to 3 PM; Dealer set-up Friday, April 3rd, 3 PM to 7 PM, and Sat. 7 AM to 9 AM), at the Daphne Civic Center, 2603 US Hwy 98, Daphne, AL 36525. Free Adm., Free Appraisals. Info: ROD VINING, 251.957.6725, Email, vinewood@mchsi.com, or, RICHARD, P.O. Box 241, Pensacola, FL 32591. PH: 850.435.5425; Email: shards@bellsouth.net

MARCH 13 & 14 CHICO, CALIFORNIA Chico Bottle Club’s 53rd Annual Bottle, Jar, Insulator & Collectibles Show and Sale, (Fri. 10 AM to 5 PM - $10 admission; Sat. 9 AM to 4 PM – Free adm.), at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds, Chico, CA. Info: RANDY TAYLOR, P.O. Box 1065, Chico, CA 95927, PH. 530.518.7369, email rtjarguy@aol.com MARCH 15 FLINT, MICHIGAN 51st Annual Flint Antique Bottle & Collectibles Show, (9 AM to 2:30 PM), at the Dom Polski Hall, 3415 N. Linden Rd., Flint, MI. Adm. $3, children under 12, free (No early adm). Info: TIM BUDA, 11353 Cook Rd., Gaines, MI 48436. PH: 989.271.9193, Email: tbuda@shianet.org MARCH 15 ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI The St. Louis Antique Bottle Collectors Assoc. is pleased to present their 50th 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

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

MARCH 29 MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA Dunkard Valley Antique Bottle Show & Sale, (9 AM to 2 PM; Early buyers 7 AM, $25), in the new Agricultural 4-H Building, 500 Mylan Park Lane, Morgantown, WV 26501. Adm. $2, 16 and under FREE! Info: DON KELLEY, PH: 724.998.2734, email: bonzeyekelley@gmail.com. MARCH 29 DOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE New England Antique Bottle Club 54th Annual Show & Sale, (9 AM to 2 PM, early buyers 8 AM, $15), at the Elks Club, 282 Durham Road, (Rt. 108), Exit 7 off Spaulding Turnpike, Dover, NH. Adm. $3. Info: GERRY SIROIS, PH: 207.773.0148 or JACK PELLETIER, PH: 207.839.4389. MARCH 29 BLOOMINGTON, MINNESOTA 49th Annual Minnesota Antique Bottle, Advertising, and Stoneware Show & Sale sponsored by the North Star Historical Bottle Association, (9:30 AM to 2:30 PM; Dealer set-up, 6:30AM), at the Knights of Columbus Bloomington Events Center, 1114 American Blvd West, Bloomington, MN 55420. Adm. $3 (No early adm.). Info: JEFF SPRINGER, PH: 651.500.0949, Email, springer_associates@yahoo.com

APRIL 4 WHEATON, ILLINOIS DuPage Collectors Expo featuring insulators, lightning rod items, weathervanes, telephone & telegraph items, bottles, jars, and related items, (9 AM to 3 PM), at the DuPage County Fairgrounds, 2015 Manchester Road, Wheaton, IL. Adm. $2. Info: BOB STAHR, 360 S. Kenilworth Ave., Glen Ellyn, IL, 60137. PH: 630.793.5345; email: bob@hemingray.com APRIL 5 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, PH: 785.224.4836, email: kansasbottles@gmail. com. Sponsored by the Kansas Territory Bottle & Post Card Club. APRIL 5 ENFIELD, CONNECTICUT Yankee Polecat Insulator Club Antique Insulator, Bottle & Collectibles Show, (8 AM to 2 PM), at the American Legion Hall, US Route 5, Enfield, CT (Exit 49 off I-91). Insulators, Bottles, Railroadiana, Telephone & Telegraph Collectibles, Lightning Rod Equipment. Info: JOHN RAJPOLT, PH: 860.342.5511, email: rajpolt@earthlink.net

Show CALENDAR APRIL 19

MAY 9

TYLERSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA

APRIL 5

HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA

MANSFIELD, OHIO

The 26th Annual Bucks-Mont Bottle Show & Sale, (9 AM to 2 PM, Early buyers 8 AM, $10) at the Tylersport Fire Company, 125 Ridge Rd., Tylersport, PA. 18971. Adm. $2. Info: AARON HECKLER, PH: 484.655.8170; Email: pegpens822@gmail. com, Web: www.bucksmontbottleshow.com. (See display ad in this issue!)

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

The Ohio Bottle Club’s 42nd Annual Mansfield Antique Bottle & Advertising Show & Sale, (9 AM to 2 PM, early buyers Friday 3 to 6 PM, $35), at the Richland County Fairgrounds, Mansfield, OH. Adm. $5. Info: MATT LACY, PH: 440.228.1873, Email: info@antiquebottlesales.com; or LOUIS FIFER, 330.635.1964, Email; fiferlouis@ yahoo.com Website: www.ohiobottleclub.org

APRIL 10 & 11 ANTIOCH, CALIFORNIA

APRIL 19 ROCHESTER, NEW YORK

Golden Gate Historical Bottle Society 54th Annual Show & Sale, (9 AM to 3 PM, early buyers Fri, Noon to 5 PM, $10), at the Contra Costa Event Park (County Fairgrounds), Sunset Hall, Antioch, CA. Sat. FREE Adm. Info: GARY or DARLA ANTONE, PH: 925. 373.6758, email: packrat49er@netscape.net

The Genesee Valley Bottle Collectors Association's 51st Annual Bottle, Table Top Antiques, Paper & Postcards Show & Sale, (9AM to 3PM), at the Roberts Wesleyan College, Voller Athletic Center, 2301 Westside Drive, Rochester, NY. Info: AARON & PAM WEBER, PH: 585.749.8874, Email: gvbca@frontiernet.net, Website: www.gvbca.org

APRIL 11

MAY 3

KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN

MARCY, NEW YORK

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.

Mohawk Valley Antique Bottle Club’s 26th Annual Antique Bottle Show & Sale, (9 AM to 2:30 PM), at the Utica Maennerchor, 5535 Flanagan Rd, Marcy, NY, 13403. Adm. $3; (no early adm). Info: PETER BLEIBERG, 7 White Pine Road, New Hartford, NY. PH. 315.735.5430, Email: pmbleiberg@aol.com www.mohawkvalleybottleclub.com

APRIL 17-19

MAY 9

WHEATON, ILLINOIS

COVENTRY, CONNECTICUT

Antique Bottle Club of Northern Illinois Antique Bottle & Advertising Show, (Dealer set-up and Early Adm. Friday 17th, Noon 6 PM; General Adm. Saturday & Sunday), at the DuPage County Fairgrounds, 2015 Manchester Road, Wheaton. For hours, additional info. and dealer set-up packets please call: JOHN PUZZO, 815.338.7582, or: GREG SCHUENEMAN, 847.623.7572. Note; the show is being held in conjunction with Zurko Promotions, Antiques, Bottles & Collectibles Show.

The Museum of Connecticut Glass Annual Spring Antique Bottle & Glass Show, (9 AM to 1PM, Early buyers 8 AM, $15), outdoors, rain or shine, on the grounds of the historic Coventry Glass Works, 289 North River Road, (at the blinking light - intersection of Rt. 44 & North River Road), Coventry, CT. Adm. $4. Tailgate show and House Tours. Info: BRUCE MITCHELL, PH: 203.799.2570, Email: Bruce.Mitchell@glassmuseum.org. Visit: www.glassmuseum.org

MAY 17 WASHINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA Washington County Antique Bottle Club 46th Annual Show & Sale, (9 AM to 2 PM), at the Alpine Star Lodge, 735 Jefferson Ave., Washington, PA 15301. Adm. $3. Info: ED KUSKIE, 352 Pineview Dr., Elizabeth, PA 15037. PH: 412.405.9061, email: bottlewizard@comcast.net MAY 17 ELLENDALE, DELAWARE Delmarva Antique Bottle Club Show & Sale, (9 AM to 3 PM; Dealer set-up 7 - 9 AM), at the Ellendale Fire Hall, 302 Main Street, Ellendale, DE. Adm. $3. No early buyers. Info: KEITH FLEMING, 13798 Emerald Pine Rd., Ellendale, DE 19941. PH: 302.684.8138; email: JohnKeithFleming@ gmail.com MAY 17 HAMMONTON, NEW JERSEY The Spring Antiques & Bottle Show, presented by the Batsto Citizens Committee, Inc, (9 AM to 3 PM), in the Historic Batsto Village, Wharton State Forest, Rt. 542 Pleasant Mills Road, Hammonton, NJ. FREE Adm. Info: HARRY RHEAM, PH: 856.768.1532, email: hcrheam@gmail.com

March 2020

Show CALENDAR JUNE 6

JULY 18 & 19

OCTOBER 4

RALEIGH (YOUNGSVILLE), NORTH CAROLINA

ADAMSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA

CHELSEA, MICHIGAN

The 20th Annual Shupp’s Grove Bottle Festival, (Sat. & Sun. 6 AM to dusk, early buyers Fri. 3 PM), at the famous ‘Shupp’s Grove’, 607 Willow Street, Reinholds, PA 17569. Info: STEVE GUION, PH: 717.626.5557, or: 717.371.1259, Email: affinityinsurance1@windstream.net

The Huron Valley Bottle and Insulator Club 44th Annual Show & Sale, (9AM to 2 PM), at the Comfort Inn Conference Center, 1645 Commerce Park Drive next to the Comfort Inn, Chelsea (Exit 159 off I-94). Adm $3 for adults, children 16 and under, free. Info: MIKE BRUNER, Email, abbott4girl@ sbcglobal.net, or ROD KRUPKA, 248.627.6351; Email: rod.krupka@ yahoo.com

New Location: The Raleigh Bottle Club Annual Show and Sale, (9 AM to 2 PM, Dealer set-up 7-9 AM) at the Hill Ridge Farms Event Center, 703 Tarboro Road, Youngsville, NC, 27596. Adm. $3, Children under 12 Free! Info: DAVE TINGEN, PH: 919.848.4387, Email: tingen1@mindspring.com, or visit the Website: raleighbottleclub.org JUNE 7 BALLSTON SPA, NEW YORK The National Bottle Museum presents the Annual Saratoga Springs Show & Sale, (9:00 AM to 2:30 PM; early adm. 8:00 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; www.NationalBottleMuseum.org, email: nbm@nycap.rr.com; Co Chairmen: ROY TOPKA, PH 518-779-1243, email: rmt556@ yahoo.com, or ADAM STODDARD, PH: 518.256.7663, email: acstoddard63@gmail. com JUNE 27 JOHNSTON, IOWA The Iowa Antique Bottleers 51st Anniversary Show and Sale, (8 AM to 1 PM), at the Johnston Lions Club, 64th Place and Merle Hay Road, Johnston, IA. Adm. $2. Info: MARK C. WISEMAN, 3505 Sheridan Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50310-4557, PH: 515.344.8333, email: markcwiseman@msn.com, or: JOYCE JESSEN, 515.979.5216.

JULY 30 - AUGUST 2 RENO, NEVADA

2020 FOHBC 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. SEPTEMBER 12 HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA

The Los Angeles Historical Bottle Club’s 54th Annual Antique Bottles, Fruit Jars, Insulators, Antiques & Collectibles Show & Sale, (9 AM to 3 PM; Early Birds $10 at 8 AM), at the Huntington Beach, Elks Lodge #1959, 7711 Talbert Ave., Huntington Beach, CA 92648. Free Adm! Info: DON WIPPERT, Ph. 818.346.9833, Email donwippert@ yahoo.com, or DICK HOMME, Ph. 818.362.3368. SEPTEMBER 26 BATH, ONTARIO, CANADA

4th Annual Bath Antique Bottle and Insulator Show, (9 AM to 2:30 PM), at the Bath Masonic Lodge, 428 Main Street, Bath, Ontario, Canada. Info: RICHARD DOBING, email: loyalistcollectibles@gmail.com

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

The Spring Antiques & Bottle Show Presented by Batsto Citizens Committee, Inc

Sunday, May 17, 2020 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Rain or Shine event Batsto Village Wharton State Forrest Hammonton, NJ 08037 For information: Harry Rheam (856) 768-1532 (hcrheam@gmail.com)

"WANTED"

Also:

Any old Medicine or Pharmacy Bottles from Columbus, Georgia or Phenix City, Alabama March 2020

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

"WANTED"

Also:

Any old Medicine or Pharmacy Bottles from Columbus, Georgia or Phenix City, Alabama

Presents our absentee mail/phone bid cataloged auction #72 of Patent Medicines, Pills, Tins, Apothecary/Drugstore and Advertising items. Closing date: Saturday, March 28th, 2020 at 10:00 pm EST Some of the Highlights to Include:

Labeled Patent Medicines: Warner’s = Small size Log Cabin Extract, Safe Remedy and Safe Compound, Rare, Kemp’s Sarsaparilla, Mixer’s Cancer & Scrofula Syrup, Rare, Large Hospital Size X-Zalia, Dr. Pierce’s Favorite Prescription, Dr. Shoop’s Cough Remedy, Dr. Sawyer’s Family Cure, Otto’s Cure-German Remedy, Dr. Miles New Heart Cure, Papillon Cattarh Cure, Dr. Hair’s Asthma Cure, Lawson’s Curative, Corbin’s German Drops = Syracuse, Sample = Dr. Harter’s Wild Cherry Bitters, C.A Bowen’s Indian Root Bitters, James Tufts Fine Flavoring Extracts, Sears, & Roebuck = The Princess Hair Tonic Restorer, DeWitt Sarsaparilla, Burnett’s Kalliston, Dr. McMunn’s Elixer of OPIUM, Complete Case of Dr. Clark Johnson’s Indian Blood Syrups, Several Labeled Vermont Medicines etc… Most of the above with Original Boxes Also!!! Tins: Dr. McBain’s Famous Blood Pills (Seroco), Scott’s Blood Tablets, Dr. Shoop’s Lax-ets, Magic Regulators, Bear’s Jack Frost, Complete, Sam Katz Oxygen Treatment Pkg., Popham’s Asthma Medicine, Nice 5lb.Runkel’s Chocolate Store Tin, Rich’s Canton Ginger 5lb Store Tin, Counter Displays: Lederle Aspirin, Whites Pink Tablets for Headache, Group Lots and more!! Tooth Powder Tins: Scarce, Orange Version Perfection Tooth Powder, San-Tox Tooth Powder. Co-Re-Ga Dentists Sample W/Box, Minute Plate Repair. Tooth Bottles = Sozodont, Dent’s Tooth Gum, Pratt’s Antiseptic, Loser & Co Borax & Myrrh Tooth Wash, Eastman’s Tooth Powder, Tetlow’s Golden Foam and more! Nice, Ingram’s Tin Litho Toothbrush Holder, 1911 M.F Patterson Dental Catalog etc… Pills: Warner’s Cathartic Pills, Morrow’s Kid-Ne-Oids, Selection of Wood Ovals, Humphrey’s, Munyon’s, Group Lots and more!! Apothecary: Fabulous, Wheel Cut Etched Four Piece Roman Vase Showglobe, Label Under Glass Jars in Clear, Amber, Green and Cobalt Blue! Porcelain Drug Jars, Powers & Weightman Powdered OPIUM Tin, Clayton’s Formaldehyde Disinfector W/Box, Inverted Merck Jars, Bromo-Dispenser, Nice, Cobalt Blue Mulford Co. Poison, Boxed Maw & Son Nipple Shells, Starkey & Palen Compound Oxygenaqua Box, Wooden Quassia Tonic Cup, Lots of Porcelain Drawer Pulls and more!! Veterinary: Labeled Bottles = Norwood’s Cough Mixture and a Chill & Fever Drops, Free Sample Dr. A.C Daniels Family Liniment, J.T Flint Horse Liniment (Derby Line, Vt.) Pratt’s Veterinary Colic Cure, Yager’s Cream Chloroform Liniment, Giles’ Liniment. Pkgs: Rare, Large Size Security Poultry Food, International Distemper Medicine, Trial Pkg. Pratt’s Poultry Regulator, Conkey’s Sore Head & Chicken Pox Remedy. Tins: Polk Miller’s Victory Poultry Food, Glover’s Sulphur Tablets for Dogs, Sample Size Columbia Antiseptic Powder. Complete Box of 50 Sheets = Tanglefoot Sticky Fly Paper. Barker’s Liniment and Barker’s Powder Cardboard Die-Cuts. Hewitt’s Dog Soap, etc… Books: 1901 Henry Wampole & Co. Catalog, 1882 Morrison, Plummer & Co. Catalog, 1889 McKesson & Robbins Catalog, Sears, Roebuck & Co. Our Family Doctor Booklet, Reference Books and a set of Kickapoo Trade Cards etc… Advertising: Signs: Nice, Reverse Glass Warner’s Log Cabin Remedies and Log Cabin Sarsaparilla signs, Warner’s Safe Tonic Bitters – Garfield and His Cabinet paper sign. Great, D . Schenck’s Mandrake Liver Pills – Cure all Bilious Disorders, Nice, Dr. Russell’s Pepsin Calasaya Bitters, Ayer’s Sarsaparilla and Cathartic Pills signs, Wright’s Indian Vegetable Pills, Dr. Jayne’s Expectorant = William Penn Banner Sign, Dr. Jayne’s Tin Litho = Robt. E. Lee, Hartshorn’s Cough Balsam, Dr Dana’s Sarsaparilla, Unusual Sanford’s Ginger with Black Man & Watermelon etc..Tin Litho Match Strikers: Old Judson, Sharples Cream Separators. Celluloid: Luden’s Cough Drops Match Safe. Also, Nice, Munyon’s Homeopathic Home Remedies Tin Litho Cabinet, Soda Fountain Syrup Jars, Hamlin’s Wizard Oil Wooden Thermometer. Counter Jars: Dr. King’s, Dr. Simmon’s Aspirin, Colgans Taffy-Tolu. Complete Counter Displays: St. Joseph’s Aspirin, Blue-Jay Corn Plasters, Tin Litho: Vaseline and Smith Bros. Cough Drops. Tip Trays, Unusual Life Savers Display Box, Selection of Wood Shipping crates and more!!!

For a fully illustrated catalog with color pictures send $15.00 to: McMurray Antiques & Auctions, P.O. Box 393, Kirkwood, N.Y. 13795. *ENTIRE CATALOG SHOULD BE VIEWABLE ON MY WEBSITE MARCH 20th.*

Email: mcmurrayauctions@aol.com Website: www.mcmurrayauctions.com

Phone (607) 775-5972. or Phone/Fax (607) 775-2321 Post auction price list included.

NEXT AUCTION SUMMER 2020

I am currently accepting quality items for future sales.

March 2020

The Talented Carl Worner: A miracle in a whimsey bottle? Edited by Ralph Finch

emember when you were an adolescent and called people on the phone at random and whispered, “Do you have Prince Albert in a can?” (“Then let him out”). Or, “is your refrigerator running?” Could you now call a glass collector and ask, “Do you have a Carl Worner in a bottle?” On Sept. 21, 2019 an unusual, and perhaps unique, item was auctioned by Rachel Davis Fine Arts of Cleveland with a pre-sale estimate of $300 - $500, and described as: “Carl Worner Bottle whimsey, Henry Lamm Saloon, 1901. Illustrated in Susan D. Jones’ 2003 Genius in a Bottle: The Art & Magic of Bottle Whimseys, White Holmes Press.” The Worner wonder sold on Sept. 21 for $600, with 19 bids (plus 25 percent buyer’s premium). And, edited from the internet site, www. folkartinbottles.com and Susan Jones’ home page is this information: “Worner is regarded as one of the bestknown folk art bottle builders. He is certainly one of the most prolific of his time, with over 100 surviving examples after nearly 100 years from the last dated bottle. And while his name is well-known and his bottles highly recognizable to collectors, we really know very little about the man. What we do know comes from his bottles, hearsay, and from accounts passed down by others. As a good example of his regard

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

and the growing scholarship of him and his work even among ‘experts,’ he is the only bottle whimsy artist to ever be featured on the Antiques Roadshow where two of his bottles have been featured.

ing to note that of the six clock bottles known at least three of them show the same time of 11:37. Did this time have some special meaning or significance to Worner?

“We know that he was an immigrant from Germany in the late 1800s. We know he lived and traveled extensively though New England and the Midwest. We know that most of his bottles were not signed but when he did sign a bottle, he might spell his first name as Carl, Karl, Chas, or simply K; and his last name as Worner, W?rner, or Warner. And, we know that after 1919 no additional documentable information about the man has surfaced to this point.

“Of all of his bottles, Worner is best known for his Saloon Bottles with many of them containing a ‘Find the Missing Man’ sign. These bottles have a hidden man, often under the floor toward the back of the bottle and located inside a privy. Many of these bottles had the name of the establishment and sometimes a date and through this information we have been able to track some of his travels.

“Carl Worner was a prolific builder with a very distinctive style. He built four main categories of bottles: crucifixion scenes, clocks, bar or saloon scenes, and non-saloon dioramas. Among Worner’s non-saloon dioramas were bottles of bakeries, meat markets, a cigar factory, shoe repair shops, a tailor shop, an office, a funeral home (complete with a body in the casket), a marine diorama (with a woman waving to man sailing away in a small boat), a Catholic church altar scene, private homes (including one with the man in lederhosen), and a very different outdoor woodsman scene.

“His known four religious bottles, believed to be his earliest bottles, were colorfully decorated scenes of Jesus and the two thieves hanging on crosses. He also built at least six clocks. It is interest-

“He identified himself as a ‘Sailor’ in two of his bottles, one of which said ‘U.S. Sailor’ and he likely worked on the Great Lakes and on many of the rivers and canals which accounted for much of his travels. It is also possible that he worked as a porter. “A Carl Worner bottle was appraised on the Antiques RoadShow on Aug. 21, 2010, by Allan Katz in the range of $3,000-$4,000.”

r Also: “Carl Worner was a bottle-making wonder, and from what we can gather from people whose fathers and grandfathers met him, he was a man with a fondness for a good cigar and a drink. We have found many places where he has been, but we have precious few facts about Carl, the man.

“His art is very distinctive. His trademark bottle was a saloon scene, often with the saloonkeeper’s name over the bar, featuring a mustached bartender standing in front of rows of bottles and signs advertising Cuban cigars. In front of the bar, he put a table and chairs. Two men usually stood at the bar, with glasses of beer raised in toast to each other. Sometimes the men were sitting at the table, and when the bottle was large enough, there were men standing and sitting. “In one bottle, he carved a woman sitting at a table. Almost always he put a sign in front of the entire scene with the phrase ‘Find the Missing Man,’ or ‘Find the 4 Man.’ This was a challenge to find another figure, but he had hidden the last man under the floor of the bar, in a cubbyhole meant to be the toilet. Even when there was no sign to find the missing man, he would hide a man under the floor. “Besides saloon scenes, Worner carved shops and even some vignettes of family life around the dinner table. He made several crucifixion bottles (which seem to be early examples of his work), and he probably made a bottle containing a mantel clock. Only about a fourth of the known bottles are signed, and even fewer are dated. There are very few hard facts about his life. “Presumably the earliest bottle we know of is signed along with ‘Hanau a Main,’ a city in Germany he may have been born in. He made another religious scene in a pharmacy bottle from a Norwalk, Conn., drugstore that went out of business in 1896. He claimed to be from ‘New York, TOP LEFT: Lot 129, a Worner bottle marked for “FRED BENZ / HOTEL AND / SALOON” “FIND THE / MISSING MAN,” signed „K. WOERNER,” an incredible example, likely unique, was sold in American Glass Gallery’s July auction for $1,100 with 10 bids. Benz Saloon was located in Medina, N.Y., along the Erie Canal. TOP RIGHT: Carl Worner Bottle whimsey, Henry Lamm Saloon, 1901. On Sept. 21, this Rachel Davis item sold for $600, with 19 bids (plus 25 percent buyer’s premium). BOTTOM: A close-up of the FRED BENZ bottle.

March 2020

San Francisco and Honolulu’ in 1901, and ‘New York and Chicago’ in another. He was a hobo in 1912 or 1913 when he came into the H.C. Meyers Saloon in Granite City, Ill. “He asked for an empty bottle and a cigar box and returned with the saloon bottle, which he presented to Mr. Meyers. And he showed Meyers how to present the “missing man” riddle so that the hidden cubbyhole was obscured by the holder’s hand. Whether or not he had always been a hobo is just conjecture. But he certainly moved around! “Worner made bottles for saloons and businesses in the St. Louis area, all around Chicago, north central Illinois, a town along the Erie Canal around Buffalo, N.Y., Havre-de-Grace Md., Reading and Wilkes-Barre Pa., and Newark, N.J. Another possibly came from Terre Haute, Ind. Almost all of these places are near the coast, rivers or canals. “The earliest dated bottle is 1890 (not known from where), a bottle from the Chicago area is dated 1900, and the bottle from Maryland is dated 1901. The latest dated bottle is 1919, from Chicago. In an undated bottle, possibly from the 1920s, he put his street address in Chicago, a center-city neighborhood. By finding the saloons and business establishments themselves, it is possible to get a range of dates on some of the undated bottles. “For example, the ‘M. Rummel Saloon’ bottle was probably made for Michael Rummel of Newark, whose saloon was listed in the city directories there from 1911-16. It can be assumed that Worner was born in a German-speaking country, probably in Hanau. In one of his saloon bottles hangs a poem written in German, which translates as, ‘He who has not wine, women, beer and song is a poor man his whole life long.’ He also used the German words for ‘beer’ and ‘wine’ on bar signs in that bottle.

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

“Other bottles were signed ‘Carl Wörner’ clearly with an umlaut over the ‘o,’ and one was additionally signed ‘Gemacht bei Hermann Domke, Bäkersgeselle,’ which translates as ‘made at the establishment of Hermann Domke, journeyman baker.’ That bottle is dated 1907. The 1890 bottle is signed ‘K. Worner,’ Karl being a common German spelling, but the 1901 bottle says ‘Chas.’ which is from English. “He made a Meat Market scene for a butcher in Chicago; the family still has the bottle. The story they associate with this treasure is that Worner made it for them at the Columbian Exposition (World’s Fair) of 1893. The greatest number of his bottles have been found to come from Chicago and northern Illinois, including two which made reference to the coal industry. Perhaps he came to work in the coal mines, or perhaps he worked in shipping. “Most of the places he made bottles were near water, either the ocean or rivers or canals. The Illinois coal country is connected to both the Great Lakes by river from Chicago, and to the Mississippi by canal to Molene. But the early Connecticut bottle may suggest that he came first to the East Coast, worked around New York for a few years and went to Chicago to work building or servicing the Columbian Exposition. “If he had a drinking problem, it could explain why he had only transient jobs and frequented so many saloons. “Because nobody who knew him is still living, it makes the research difficult, (although) a number of these bottles are still in the possession of the families for whom they were made. Worner seems to have moved around too quickly to have been listed in the directories of the cities where he patronized the bars. “This artist of great talent is also a man of mystery, and every new bit of information on his art shows us more about his wandering life.

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Revisiting the Group C Listings of Rare Flasks F

or those of us who enjoy collecting and studying historical flasks, I think this article will help us learn and understand how important it is to study the rarity of the different molds and their desirability. Desirability is the key word in this article.

Many of the advanced collectors who have studied the book American Glass (published in 1939) and the book American Flasks and Their Ancestry (published in 1978), are cognizant of the fact that the McKearins made three different groupings of flasks according to their degree of desirability and rarity. For the novice collector, they classified them in Groups A, B, and C. In Groups A and B are located the “Cream of the Crop” as far as flasks are concerned. Most of these flasks are early, historical, and pontiled. The A and B grouping is concentrated not only with the rare mold of the flask but also with the desirability of the mold itself. There are a few flasks that can be considered unique as far as their rarity, but for eye appeal and “desirability,” the desirability supersedes the rarity to make the lists. Group A contains 42 flasks and Group B contains 40. For the novice collector, study the lists in the two books above.

For the more advanced collectors, review the two groups and you will be amazed as to how much you have forgotten! In this article, I will revisit the Supplemental Group C list of rare flasks. There are 31 flasks in this grouping, most of which are later in manufacture. By later in manufacture, I mean the 1860-70s timeframe. Many of them are somewhat challenging to locate and at least one remains unique to date. As one can imagine, since the books American Glass and American Flasks and Their Ancestry were published, things have changed. Some of the flasks in the grouping may not hold the esteem they once held in 1939 and 1978 when the two above books were published, respectively. However, a few others might have been deemed rare enough to be included in the Group B of desirable flasks. One has seen technological progress and change over the years in all aspects of life. Flasks are no exception. As a youngster, I can remember waiting anxiously for a Polaroid photo to arrive via snail mail of a flask being offered to my father. Today, collectors have instant gratification by receiving the picture immediately via the internet. As article space allows, I have chosen six flasks to discuss from the

GXIII-32, Sheaf of Grain flask

Group C listing of rare flasks; three that I feel are less rare than charted and three that I believe have maintained both their rarity and desirability. Let’s get started with discussing the three flasks that I feel should be “demoted” in the Group C listings. Not that they are not nice flasks. I feel they are more common in nature than so listed and should not be included in the grouping. These are some of the flasks that have turned up more frequently over the past forty one years since the book American Flasks and Their Ancestry was published. Please note that images of these three have been included for your pleasure. All of these flasks are in a color other than aqua, March 2020

making them extremely more desirable and harder to locate than their aquamarine counterparts. The first flask to discuss is listed as Number 11 in the Group C listings and charted as McKearin number GXIII-32. This is a pint-sized flask that depicts a sheaf of rye on each side. It is not really a historical but more of a pictorial flask. I understand that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but this flask, also being smooth-based, just does not attract my attention and lacks eye appeal in my opinion. It was originally listed as rare but I believe it to be comparatively scarce presently. The pale blue example shown is quite rare because of its color.

GII-142 reverse Indian Shooting Bird

The second flask to discuss is listed as Number 15a. in the group C listings and charted as McKearin number GII-142. It is a product of the Pittsburgh District Glass Works of Cunningham and Co. It is a very elaborately decorated flask depicting an Indian, dog, and an American flag, among other things. It is also embossed Continental in an oval below the American flag. Although a very fancy and attractive flask, I would have to designate it as common in aquamarine. The third and final flask that lacks the luster it once held in the Group C listings would be Number 21 in the group and charted by McKearin as GII-128. This little half-pint was originally listed as rare and depicts an eagle on both sides with pebbled feathering. I still feel it is an attractive historical flask with the stippled feathering and American eagle depicted but just too many have come to light over the years to designate it as rare and desirable. I believe the degree of rarity should be reduced to possibly comparatively scarce. There are two colored examples known; the light olive yellow example depicted and a pale sapphire blue example. Both of these should be considered extremely rare. Now that I have discussed the flasks I feel have lessened in rarity over the years,

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

GII-142 obverse

GII-128 Eagle flask

let’s discuss the ones I feel have stood the test of time and have remained truly extremely rare and much desired. These three in my opinion are “the cream of the crop” of the Supplemental Group C listing of rare flasks.

GXIII-62 reverse

In numerical order of their listing in the group, we come upon Number 3, charted by McKearin as GXIII-62; The Richmond Glass Works flask. This pintsized rarity depicts an anchor on the front with Richmond embossed in the pennant above an anchor and Glassworks embossed in the pennant below the anchor. The reverse depicts a folky glassworks building with a center chimney puffing smoke. This flask is so rare that the last one offered for sale publicly was in 2009 at Heckler’s when the Bud Lane collection was dispersed. That may not seem too long ago, but previous to that offering, the very same flask hadn’t been offered for sale since 1955 when The Pennypacker Auction Gallery sold it from The Dr. Charles Osgood collection to Warren Lane, Bud Lane’s father.

GXIII-62 obverse

GII-134 Kirkpatrick & Co flask

When you do the math, the flask was out of circulation for 54 years before being offered in 2009. McKearin states about two examples known but I think there are four to five known presently, one of which is in a museum. The flask charts state that the base of the flask is smooth with a small nipple at the mold seam. The flask shown in this article has an open tubular pontil making it even more exceptional. This flask is a flask that certainly could have been placed in the Group B listings of most desireable flasks. Let’s move along to my second pick of rarities from the Group C classification. This flask is Number 14 and charted by McKearin as GII-134. This is the quartsized D. Kirkpatrick & Co flask. The flask is smooth-based and depicts a folky somewhat large eagle with pebbled feathered breast and wings and a long, broad tail. Above the eagle is embossed D. Kirkpatrick & Co. Below the eagle, March 2020

Chattanooga, Tenn. The reverse of the flask is plain. This flask was undoubtedly made as a private mold for the above liquor distributor and dates circa 1865. At the time the flask was listed in Group C (1965) there were two examples known. To date, I can account for at least two more, one of which is in The Corning Museum of Glass. It is a big bold, gutsy flask and perfectly fits into The Supplemental Group C listing of rare flasks.

GXI-54 reverse

Lastly, we have the only flask in the Group C listing that is unique to date. It is listed as Number 28 and charted as GXI-54. It is the somewhat famous E. Kauffeld quart Pike’s Peak flask. The obverse depicts a prospector with For Pikes Peak above and the reverse depicts a hunter shooting a deer. Below, it is embossed E. Kauffeld. The flask is smooth-based and clear in color with a pinkish cast. According to the Pittsburgh business directories, Elias Kauffeld was a whiskey wholesaler in Pittsburgh with his brother from 1871-1876. For whatever reason, he is listed as a sole proprietor from 1877-1890. The business was later located at 1505-07 East Carson Street in Pittsburgh in a Victorian Renaissance building built in 1881. The building was restored in 2004, in part through the Pittsburgh History and Land Foundation’s Preservation Loan Fund. It is interesting to note that it is the only Group C flask depicted with a line drawing in the American Glass book. The drawing and description can be seen on page 511. Considering the later manufacture of this flask, it is amazing it remains unique as of this writing. Hopefully, another example may come to light and be enjoyed by yet another collector! So there you have it. A small discussion of The Supplemental Group C listing of rare flasks. Hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed writing this article! If you wish to reach out to me for commentary, questions, or suggestions, I can be contacted via email at mark@ americanflasks.com

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

GXI-54 obverse

March 2020

By John Panella and Joe Widman

OPIUM HABIT CURED

FROM THE BEGINNING

Dr. S.B. Collins Opium Cure, his life, his times and his dive into ambiguity meant more misery during the Golden Age of American Medical Quackery

On July 30, 1834, Samuel B. Collins was born in Darke County, near Greenville, Ohio. By 1843, the Collins family moved to Indiana, first to Dearborn County and then to Wabash County in 1843. Samuel followed in the footsteps of his father and learned the trade of brick mason. From Wabash County he then moved to La Porte County to be close to his aunt and uncle on his father’s side. He had been married about two years to a Miss Bronson and this marriage had ended in a divorce due to her filing on grounds of incompatibility.

INSPIRATION A passage from Arthur William Meyer, “The Vogue of Quackery,” Medical Journal and Record 125 (1927): “Bravado, self laudation, a ready wit and double tongue, shrewdness, a knowledge of the foibles of men, a blunted conscience and an ignorance of the very things in which they claimed competence always have characterized the quack.” INTRODUCTION In June of 2019 I was contacted via my online patent medicine, trade card, advertising and quackery website by my good friend and part-time bottle digging enthusiast/historian, Zack Baer. He had posted his recently unearthed, unlabeled, Dr. S.B. Collins embossed Opium Cure bottle. Its interesting size, shape and embossing led to quite a discussion regarding the nature and history of this totally quack narcotic curing, narcotic based, habituating and bogus patent medicine. This was just my style. Zack, his lovely wife and I instantly went to work mining details of this discovery, which turned out to be quite interesting for our readership, especially cure and patent medicine collectors out there. We found some excellent references and here is Part 1 of our drama. We assembled some well-researched and unique facts in order to present this rather exciting and interesting story of American medicine during the days of expensive doctors, no drug regulations and plenty of selfmedication. Welcome onboard!

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

In September 1859, he married Josephine Drollinger in La Porte County. They had three children but their marriage was at best rocky. Josephine along with a “confidential” employee, W.S. George, worked with Collins in the development of his opium cure, so both were very knowledgeable about its content. In 1868, Samuel announced the establishment of Dr. S.B. Collins’ Painless Cure for your Opium Habit, and it was “recommended by the Medical Facility.” Morphine was commonly used during the Civil War as a painkiller. Morphine was extremely habituating, but was the best painkiller on the market. Given for battle injuries, its addiction and withdrawal symptoms became known as the “soldier’s disease.” It was well known Collins was a ladies’ man, with no guilt about cheating on his wife. Within a short time, they divorced and she resumed her maiden name of Drollinger. She and a Collins agent began producing their own opium cure. Samuel filed an injunction to stop her, but Drollinger won and was allowed to continue after the divorce.

Collins never had any medical training and referred to himself as a “Spirit Physician” and stated that the original formula for his cure came to him in a dream. In 1870, he published a pamphlet of one hundred pages titled Theriaki and their Last Dose. It was published in Chicago and noted that it was “relating to the most wonderful medical discovery of the age.” It was full of testimonials of numerous “cured” individuals having used Collins’ antidote.

It is rumored that Meeker paid a few rough thugs of La Porte to burn effigies of Collins and his new wife in retaliation for Collins immoral behavior. At this juncture in the story, Dr. Daniel Meeker enters the picture. In 1871, Meeker had issued a pamphlet stating that he had discovered a certain cure for the opium habit. Meeker was born in Schoharie County, New York. In May 1835, Meeker relocated to La Porte. In 1842, Meeker helped start La Porte University and was president of the Indiana State Medical Society. When he published his pamphlet, Professor Meeker’s Opium Cure - a Certain and Safe Remedy for the Opium Habit, this led to his expulsion from the State Medical Society the same year. At this time it was reported that Meeker’s two daughters were being treated unsuccessfully by Collins for opium addiction. Daniel went into partnership with his

By John Panella and Joe Widman

Dr. S.B. Collins Opium Habit bottle, obverse

Dr. S.B. Collins Opium Habit bottle, reverse

March 2020

By John Panella and Joe Widman

son, Dr. L. Meeker, under the firm name Drs. D. and L. Meeker La Porte Indiana Opium Cure Company. Meeker died in 1876 but his son continued to produce the cure until 1897. There was no more advertising after that date and the son was no longer in the business. Meeker went public with a statement accusing Collins of fraud in his publication of Theriaki, so it became a court case — Meeker vs. Collins, in the October 1871 term of the La Porte Circuit Court. At this time, Collins, Meeker and Drollinger were all making the basically same formula for opium addiction, all out of La Porte, Indiana. Collins alleged that Meeker paid a local reporter to publicize the whole trial as a means to discredit him. Collins was realizing that the town was turning on him and needed a scapegoat. His son was still making the cure and, at the time of his death, his son was still in business, having moved to Chicago. In November 1871, Collins announced the construction of a new building, which was located on the west side of East Main Street and north of the post office at the time. A.P. Andrew, Jr. & Sons, Bankers was located on the lower level. The building was called a “marble front” and on the facade was the name “Doctor S.B. Collins,” where he manufactured and shipped his antidote on the top two floors. As already mentioned, Collins was a ladies’ man. During his marriage to Josephine, he became acquainted with Caradora (Andrew) Gregory. She was the daughter of Abraham Piatt Jr. and Viola (Armstrong) Andrew, who was the son of one of the founders of La Porte. Caradora was married to Samuel Oscar Gregory and they had one child. Samuel Oscar divorced Caradora in June of 1872 and she was allowed to resume her maiden name of Caradora Floretta Andrew.

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

TOP LEFT: Dr. S.B. Collins TOP RIGHT: Large advertisement on building for Dr. S.B. Collins "Painless Opium Antidote" BOTTOM: Close-up of embossing on Dr. Collins bottle

By John Panella and Joe Widman

Josephine was divorced from Collins in December 1873. By February 9, 1874, Caradora and Collins were married. The media had been silent about the activities until February 1874, when the story, “The Latest Sensation - A Local Scandal” hit the headlines. A history was published detailing his activities about his divorce from Josephine and marriage to Caradora. The general public was very stirred up, which culminated in “burning Collins and his wife in effigy in the street in front of his office.” It is rumored that Meeker paid a few rough thugs of La Porte to burn effigies of Collins and his new wife in retaliation for Collins immoral behavior. This was one big Opium Cure competitive crazy free-for-all. It takes home the lesson that everyone loses when it comes to opium, buyers and sellers of cures alike, just one big mess! In January 1875, Josephine commenced the manufacture of the cure for the Opium Habit. It was reported that “she was a worthy woman and clearly entitled to the support of the public, she will be almost certain to succeed.” Collins applied for an injunction to prevent her and W.F. George from manufacturing the antidote. A refusal from the court to grant the injunction was filed in South Bend. It was later reported that “Josephine beat Collins” in the injunction suit and she had the right to use the names of all his patients. Following this, Josephine issued a scathing circular titled “In Self Defense” to vindicate herself against the false charges issued and circulated by Collins. W.F. George and the Argus office reported they kept a few copies “for us to look at and show to the Doctors’ friends.” TOP: Wonderful early advertisement for Dr. S.B. Collins "Painless Opium Antidote" BOTTOM: Instructions to order medicine

March 2020

By John Panella and Joe Widman

Caradora died in August 1880, perhaps from complications of the birth of a child born in July. A libel case filed by Collins against Josephine was finally settled in March 1881 with a verdict favorable to Josephine. The trial lasted two days and the court room was packed with people at all times. On May 3, 1881, Collins married Sadie Bearup of Elkhart. By 1889, Collins purchased a home in Chicago and moved there soon afterward. It was reported locally that on November 1, 1893, “Dr. Dreamt Himself Rich” Collins died. This believer in dreams of cures and spiritualism, who entered the medical profession from bricklayer, was gone for all eternity. According to one of Caradora’s descendants, “There are some who have said that his Opium Cure” was nothing more than a liquid containing opium. It is reasonable to assume, that being the case, his patients did, indeed, feel better after a good dose. Unfortunately, most of America during this era was utilizing one narcotic to “cure” the addiction to another, thus simply masking withdrawal symptoms. History, once again, teaches us another valuable lesson. Where there is money, greed and immorality, some are ready to balance the ugly equation, especially when they are merchants of opiates.

It was reported locally that on November 1, 1893, “Dr. Dreamt Himself Rich” Collins died. 44

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LEFT: A beautiful plate from a book depicting an image of Dr. Collins estate as well as his offices and laboratory.

BELOW: An attractive ad promoting Collins' "Painless Opium Antidote."

March 2020

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Medicine Chest: Opium Habit Cured

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Medicinal Postal History of Buffalo

Heard it through the Grapevine

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A Little History is Written with a National Treasure

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