Antique Bottle & Glass Collector • May–June 2022 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Vol. 33 $7.00

No. 1

January - February 2022 May - June 2022

Featuring... Facts, assumptions, and stories about round-bottom bottles: which ones stand up, and which don’t?

Also in this issue...

The House had an Illness A Fruit Jar Covered with Brownies The case of the ‘missing flasks’ of the St. Louis Bottle-Jar Expo Stockton’s Port Wine Bitters The Wisconsin Connection and so much more!

The official publication of the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors

Vol. 33

No. 3

$7.00

Vol. 33 No. 3

May–June 2022

TABLE OF CONTENTS

No. 261

On the Cover: Ginger Ale and Round-Bottom Bottles from the feature article by Ken Previtali.

To Advertise, Subscribe or Renew a subscription, see pages 66 and 72 for details.

FOHBC Officers | 2021–2022 .............................................................................. 2 FOHBC President’s Message ................................................................................ 3

To Submit a Story, send a Letter to the Editor or have Comments and Concerns, contact:

Shards of Wisdom ................................................................................................ 4 FOHBC News–From & For Our Members ................................................................ 6 FOHBC Regional News .......................................................................................... 9 The House had an Illness by Fred DeCarlo ............................................................... 14

Virtual Museum News by Richard Siri ..................................................................... 20 Birmingham Bottling: Soft Drinks in the Magic City ............................................. 22 The Wisconsin Connection by Michael Seeliger .......................................................... 26

The case of the ‘missing flasks’ of the St. Louis Bottle–Jar Expo by Bill Baab ......................................................................................................... 30

Stockton’s Port Wine Bitters by Eric McGuire ........................................................... 34 Facts, assumptions, and stories about round-bottom bottles: which ones stand up, and which don’t? by Ken Previtali .............................................. 42 Lost & Found ...................................................................................................... 60 30

Classified Ads .................................................................................................... 66 FOHBC Membership Additions & Changes .......................................................... 67 History’s Corner ................................................................................................... 70 Membership Application & Advertising .............................................................. 72

Coming next issue or down the road: Eli M. Gatchell, Charleston Briefest Doctor and Soda Bottle Manufacturer • Abraham Klauber, an early San Diego Pioneer • Jones’ Empire Ink New York–He was married to the “Ugliest Woman in the World” • George P. Morrill–Druggist and Soda Bottler • Pike’s Peak or Bust • A Clinton Physician Dr. Carl Gruber • M.E. Phelan’s, Indianapolis First Manicurist and Hair Tonic • Confessions of a Bottle Thief • Capers Bottles • Poison Bottles • Catawba Wine Bitters • History of the Baraboo Pottery Baraboo, Wisconsin • Early Potteries of Queen City • Cheers to the Privy Double Addendum • The Sprinkles of Whiskey: Distilling Their Story and so much more!

May – June 2022

Fair use notice: Some material in Antique Bottle & Glass Collector has been submitted for publication in this magazine and/or was originally published by the authors and is copyrighted. We, as a non-profit organization, offer it here as an educational tool to increase further understanding and discussion of bottle collecting and related history. We believe this constitutes “fair use” of the copyrighted material as provided for in Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this material for purposes of your own that go beyond “fair use,” you must obtain permission from the copyright owner(s).

Postmaster: Send address changes to Elizabeth Meyer, FOHBC Business Manager, FMG Design, Inc., 101 Crawford Street, Studio 1A, Houston, Texas 77002; 713.504.0628, email: fohbcmembers@gmail.com Annual subscription rate is: $40 for standard mail or $55 for First Class, $60 Canada and other foreign, $85, Digital Membership $25 in U.S. funds. Life Membership: Level 1: $1,000, Level 2: $500. The Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors, Inc. assumes no responsibility for products and services advertised in this publication. See page 72 for more details.

FOHBC Sho-Biz–Calendar of Shows ................................................................... 68 Membership Benefits, Ad Rates, Donations to the FOHBC ..................................... 71

Elizabeth Meyer FOHBC Business Manager FMG Design, Inc. 101 Crawford Street, Studio 1A, Houston, Texas 77002 phone: 713.504.0628 email: fohbcmembers@gmail.com

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector © (ISSN 10505598) is published bi-monthly (6 issues per year) by the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors, Inc. (a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization) at 101 Crawford Street, Studio 1A, Houston, Texas 77002; phone: 713.504.0628; Website: FOHBC.org, Non-profit periodicals postage paid at Raymore, Missouri 64083 and additional mailing office, Pub. #005062.

A Fruit Jar Covered with Brownies by Ralph Finch .................................................. 50 Member Photos .................................................................................................. 64

So you don’t miss an issue of Antique Bottle & Glass Collector, please check your labels for expiration information.

The names Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors Inc., and Antique Bottle & Glass Collector ©, are registered ® names of the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors Inc., and no use of either other than as references, is permitted without expressed written consent from the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors Inc. Certain material contained in this publication is copyrighted by, and remains the sole property of, the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors Inc. while others remain property of the submitting authors. Detailed information concerning a particular article may be obtained from the Editor. Printed by Modern Litho, Jefferson City, Missouri 65101.

FOHBC Board of Directors

The Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors is a non-profit organization for collectors of historical bottles, glass and related collectible items. Our primary goal is educational as it relates to the history and manufacture of historical bottles and related artifacts.

Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors

FOHBC Officers 2021–2022

Board elections will be conducted in May or June 2022. Please contact board president John O’Neill or business manager Elizabeth Meyer for more details. Presently, the FOHBC Board is considering restructuring all board positions and regional representation in the “New FOHBC” initiative. Meeting notes and presentation are available at FOHBC.org, Notes of Record, 16 March 2022 and at FOHBC News.

President: John O’Neill, 1805 Ralston Avenue, Belmont, California 94002, phone: 650.619.8209 email: Joneill@risk-strategies.com

Southern Region Director: Jake Smith, 29 Water Tank Drive, Talladega, Alabama 35160, phone: 256.267.0446 email: syl_bottleguy@yahoo.com

First Vice-President: Jeff Wichmann, American Bottle Auctions, 915 28th Street, Sacramento, California 95816, phone: 800.806.7722, email: info@americanbottle.com

Western Region Director: Eric McGuire, 1732 Inverness Drive, Petaluma, California 94954, phone: 707.778.2255 email: etmcguire@comcast.net

Second Vice-President: Michael Seeliger, N8211 Smith Road, Brooklyn, Wisconsin 53521, phone: 608.575.2922 email: mwseeliger@gmail.com

FOHBC Virtual Museum Directors

Treasurer: James Berry, 200 Fort Plain Watershed Road, St. Johnsville, New York 13452, phone: 518.568.5683 email: jhberry10@yahoo.com Business Manager: Elizabeth Meyer, FMG Design, Inc., 101 Crawford Street, Studio 1A, Houston, Texas 77002 phone: 713.504.0628, email: fohbcmembers@gmail.com Director-at-Large: Ferdinand Meyer V, FMG Design, Inc., 101 Crawford Street, Studio 1A, Houston, Texas 77002 phone: 713.222.7979 x115, email: fmeyer@fmgdesign.com Director-at-Large: Richard Siri, PO Box 3818, Santa Rosa, California 95402, phone: 707.542.6438 email: rtsiri@sbcglobal.net Midwest Region Director: Steve Lang, 13173 N. Paddock Road, Camby, Indiana 46113, phone: 317.734.5113 email: slang14@yahoo.com Northeast Region Director: Fred DeCarlo, 11 Sheely Place, Utica, New York 13502, phone: 315.725.7577 email: fdecarlo117@gmail.com 2

Alan DeMaison, 1605 Clipper Cove, Painesville, Ohio 44077, phone: 440.358.1223, email: a.demaison@sbcglobal.net Ferdinand Meyer V, FMG Design, Inc.,101 Crawford Street, Studio 1A, Houston, Texas 77002, phone: 713.222.7979 x115, email: fmeyer@fmgdesign.com Richard Siri, PO Box 3818, Santa Rosa, California 95402, phone: 707.542.6438, email: rtsiri@sbcglobal.net

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector Magazine Editor: Ferdinand and Elizabeth Meyer, FMG Design, Inc., 101 Crawford Street, Studio 1A, Houston, Texas 77002, FM phone: 713.222.7979 x115, email: fmeyer@fmgdesign.com, EM phone: 713.504.0628 email: fohbcmembers@gmail.com Design and Layout: Ferdinand Meyer V Proofreaders: Alice Seeliger and Bill Baab

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

President’s Message John O’Neil President Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors

1805 Ralston Avenue, Belmont, California 94002 650.619.8209 Joneill@risk-strategies.com

I hope all our existing and new members enjoyed our inaugural issue of Antique Bottle & Glass Collector. I can tell you that a lot of work went into combining both magazines. You know what they say about sausage making, you don’t want to see what goes into it, just the finished product, but believe me when I say it’s a monumental feat, and I hope you found it enjoyable. For those of you who are not aware, this would not happen without the extreme dedication of Ferdinand Meyer, who makes the magazine come to life.

on board as we promote our publication. We are receiving great feedback on many levels. The few negative comments we have received, we addressed and rationally explained our situation and have found that most people are very supportive and thankful for our efforts.

On the news front, I have informed the board of directors that I will not seek re-election due to some new work commitments I have agreed to take on. When I stepped up to take on this role two years ago, little did I realize that I would be steering this ship through some unchartered waters to deal with a once-in-a-generation, life-changing pandemic. Many of us have lost family, friends, and some of our members due to the virus. We lost our ability to conduct our bottle club meetings and our bottle shows both locally and nationally. Candidly, the organization was facing some rocky financial challenges, despite having an experienced treasurer in Jim Berry and a wonderful business manager in Elizabeth Meyer.

We have been working on our Auction Price Report for some time now, which compiles all relevant and current auction data from the major antique bottle and glass auction houses. This project is nearing completion under the stewardship of Jeff Wichmann and Ferdinand Meyer, with most of the bottle auction houses providing their data. This project is a real game-changer, and I think our members will be impressed with the final product. I have seen the beta test information, and it is terrific.

I want to take the time to review our combined accomplishments and what I deem to be some of the crucial successes we achieved over the last couple of years. In my mind, the first thing we have done is to address the severe lack of willing participants to volunteer their time in serving on the board. I express my gratitude to those members who have served in the past and those who continue to serve as well as those who have recently joined us. We have the cream of the crop in our current board members, yet we still lack the necessary numbers to fill out the board (more to come on this later). I think the most important aspect that probably saved our organization from imploding on itself is the merger of the Antique Bottle & Glass Collector with Bottles and Extras, thanks to the generosity of John Pastor and the willingness of the board to see this through. I was convinced that this merger was necessary, and it gave us a single voice for the hobby. We now have the most excellent stable of writers from both magazines like DeCarlo, Finch, McGuire, Sullivan, and Weiner, to name a few. With the merger now completed and moving forward, our membership has more than tripled, and for the first time, we surpassed 2,000 members overall with the expectation that more will come May – June 2022

Our financial situation is improving, and while the start-up costs on the increased publication and distribution costs were higher than anticipated, we sold out our magazine advertising space for the first time in many years. The board is also looking at increasing our rates for advertising which have not changed in years. We are placing FOHBC advertising in other journals and periodicals to spread the word about who we are and what we offer. These are nothing short of investments in our organization and our future success.

The Virtual Museum was an ambitious undertaking from its inception, and it has been nothing short of a stellar success as we add more and more bottles to it every day. Alan DeMaison and Gina (Pellegrini) Ott are wonderful photographers. We recently added Eric McGuire to the imaging team, who will also be photographing collections made available to us for additions to the museum. Recently, during one of our board calls, we discussed restructuring the FOHBC Board to formulate a smaller board. What’s the point of having open board positions that are unlikely ever to be filled? It’s time to consider a much smaller board that can be more agile and able to react to the necessary changes in a timely manner. This would require a change to our current by-laws and would need to be approved by our membership at Reno 2022. And, speaking of our national events, I think it is time to return to the “once every four years” format that we had years ago. These are significant events, with a considerable number of logistical issues, requiring years of planning. For sure, there will be no national convention in 2023. As past FOHBC president Matt Lacy told me several years back when I stepped up to the role of President, “just try and keep the train on the rails.” Luckily, I think we not only kept the train on the rails, but we laid some new track, put a whole load of coal in reserve, and are arriving at the station with a potential for great destinations ahead. Thank you for the honor it has been to serve the membership and my fellow board members. 3

Shards of Wisdom “Heard it Through the Grapevine”

2022 Australian National Bottles & Collectables Show & Fair

Research of bottles and glass through patents, trademarks, etc. The following information was extrapolated from a recent communication from FOHBC Western Regional Director, Eric McGuire, who has a vast amount of experience on the topic.

2021 Show Crowd

Exciting news! The Gippsland Antique Bottles & Collectables Club, hosts to the 2022 Australian National Antique Bottles & Collectables Show & Fair, has selected the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium, Catterick Crescent, Traralgon (Victoria) as the venue. Traralgon is 160km east of Melbourne via the Princes Freeway or by rail. The National will be held on the weekend of Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 November 2022. Set-up will be on the afternoon of Friday 25 November. A very recent $19 million expansion makes this indoor sports complex an impressive, modern venue. The lighting is exceptional and there is ample parking. There is an on-site, staffed cafeteria to cater for traders, exhibitors and the public. Traralgon is the major centre in the Latrobe Valley, a part of Gippsland, as eastern Victoria is known. The region is famous for its proximity to National Parks of great beauty, the Ninety Mile Beach, the Gippsland Lakes, early gold mining sites including the historic mountain mining village of Walhalla, situated in a valley of the scenic Great Dividing Range of mountains, only a 45 minute drive from Traralgon, through picturesque rolling farm land and kilometers of natural bush where you might well spy a kangaroo, a wallaby, a wombat, an echidna or a lyrebird, or some of the innumerable brilliantly plumaged parrots and other native birds.

Some of you may be interested in pursuing the research of bottles and glass through patents, trademarks, etc. It is a considerable resource and, admittedly, quite complex. It is even difficult to explain the multitude of resources without having you decide to give up before you begin. Let me start by saying that there is no single place to look, and there is very little Internet-based information. Perhaps the most available body of information found online is several sites for U.S. patents. They are not easy to use, but lots of information can be found there—primarily for Utility Patents. Google Patents and the U.S. Government sites are perhaps the best for this particular resource. Utility Patents would usually cover such things as medicinal contents and “inventions” that would cover such things as bottle and jar tops or other minor things that inventors devised, which they hoped would be accepted as a new idea by the patent office. Most of these types of patents, such as for medicine, closures, etc., were not significant, but it was a big marketing deal for a proprietor to say their item was patented. Most of the Utility Patent records run from 1836 to the present. A fire wiped out most of these earlier, pre-1836, patents. The search engines for these types of patents are a real challenge to use, but, at least, the data exists. Another significant patent source is for Design Patents. This category attempts to register and protect a particular design or shape for an item—including those made of glass. Here one can find unusually shaped bottles or other glassware. It was often used for bitters bottles or different bottle designs, although some designs can be very simple shapes. Again, anything someone could get patented could then be associated with the word PATENT. Also within this group are a myriad of glass tableware designs. Nearly all the old EAPG tableware had an associated Design Patent. This type of patent has only recently shown up in the few patent databases, and the search is a little more complicated. I haven’t searched these much myself as it is pretty frustrating, but the information is finally becoming available. If memory serves me correctly, Design Patents began somewhere in the 1840s.

There will be an important bottle auction on Friday evening 26 November, at the venue, to be conducted by a major bottle auctioneer. There will also be a dinner on Saturday evening 27 November, for all who wish to have a social evening with like-minded people. Ross Roycroft, well-known and long-time Victorian antique bottle dealer and auctioneer, will provide free antique appraisals for the public as he has done every year for our Club’s Antiques & Collectables Fair. Another huge group of extant information is that of trademarks, but also very complicated. Federal trademarks were first initiated As the first major Australian bottle and collectables show since in 1870, even though one can find the earliest examples registered the Covid epidemic, this will be huge. We know that overseas col- as Design Patents as early as 1855. These are quite rare, though. lectors are already planning to attend—so please make sure that Trademark registrations are the one group that I may help the you are one of them! Inquiries should be directed to Wayne Harris readers with the most, even though you will find very little on the (Club President and Fair Coordinator), Internet. A true trademark was usually defined as a device (some email: waynhbotl@yahoo.com 4

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

Shards of Wisdom “Heard it Through the Grapevine”

symbol or unique combination of numbers or letters) and often in combination with a unique set of words. There was lots of latitude here—which resulted in many lawsuits—but that is another story. I have indexed most of the bottle-related federal trademarks from 1870 to 1900. To complicate this trademark category more, most earlier states, say those formed until about 1870, devised their own trademark registration system. Those record groups would be held only by each state. To my knowledge, nothing is available in printed form for public consumption except for the State of California, which can be found online. Those records start about 1861 and run to about 1900. The inception of state trademarks will be unique to each state. I recall briefly looking at New York trademarks in Albany, which began in 1847. Another massive group of records that include trademarks can be found, but currently with extreme difficulty, within the copyright records. These documents can be found in essentially two record groups. The first group was registered by the various federal district courts when each state was formed. Some of these records, beginning as early as the 1830s, can include labels for the bottles to which they were attached. This is a confusing record group as it was primarily established for copyrights. Still, some states accepted the inclusion of trademarks, even after establishing the Federal Trademark Act in 1870. By 1870, the registration of copyrights was switched from district courts to the Library of Congress. Currently, the only public accessibility of this record group is at the Library of Congress. It contains many thousands of labels for bottles. Some of the earlier District Court copyright labels appear on federal government Internet sites. Still, most are not identified as such, and I don’t even think federal employees know why they have them. Again—that is another story. I will touch upon another essential record for which I can help somewhat. That would be the Federal Label Registrations, which began in 1874. This was another attempt to isolate this hugely expanding record group that was essentially clogging up trademark and copyright registrations. Along with the federal trademarks, I have also documented most of this group. Unless you have thousands of bottles to research, I will gladly help with potential Federal trademarks and label registrations. Let me know what you have, and we can start from that point.

Indiana’s Most Famous Landmark Disappears In the late 1800s, people flocked to the shores of Lake Michigan to play in the sand. Visitors loved to climb a 200-foot landmark dune known as Hoosier Slide in LaPorte County, Indiana. The view from the top provided an enticing vantage point, and the trip back down was even better. Thrillseekers loved to slide down the steep hill. Glassmakers soon discovered the sand produced a blue-colored glass and began to mine it—one shovel full at a time. By 1920, the sand from Hoosier Slide was all gone, and all that remains now are memories. May – June 2022

In the 1890s, Hoosier Slide was a destination for locals and tourists. Railroad cars packed with people came to the dunes to admire the panoramic views. An Indiana State Prison official, hoping to attract visitors from southern Indiana, offered a free marriage license, minister, and excursion to any couple willing to exchange vows on the summit of Hoosier Slide. Around the same time, glass manufacturers discovered the sand was perfect for making glass and began to chip away at the dune. One manufacturer, the Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Co., had recently moved from New York to Indiana to take advantage of newly discovered natural gas deposits. They believed the aqua glass made from Hoosier Slide sand produced canning jars that helped preserve fruit even longer because of its light-blocking properties. Other blue glass products, including Hemingray glass insulators, also came from Hoosier Slide. During the next 30 years, commercial enterprises removed nearly 14 million tons of sand from Hoosier Slide and leveled the dune. Concerns about the shrinking dune were published as early as 1894 when a paper reported that a nearby grocery store owner kept track of the shrinking dune by cutting a series of notches in the front door that coincided with the height of the dune. The Michigan City Dispatch warned that soon the dune would be nothing more than a memory. By 1920 the prediction proved correct. The disappearance of Hoosier Slide brought calls for the preservation of the rest of the dunes. In 1966, Congress authorized the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Subsequent acts have increased the size to more than 15,000 acres and, in 2019, the government re-designated the area as Indiana Dunes National Park. The blue-aqua jars and other glass objects made from Hoosier Slide are all that remain from the landmark dune. They are prized by collectors throughout our great hobby. 5

FOHBC News From & For Our Members

climbing under and over fallen tree trunks while at times up to your neck in swiftly flowing water and stumbling up and down steep, blackberry-infested creek banks. All for no reward today! It’s getting tough to find bottles here these days. You have to do research, hope that nobody has been there before you, put in the hard yakka, and then hope for the best! Anyway, my mate has been digging in outback New South Wales for many years, and he is very good at probing holes in old abandoned mining and town sites.

Did I Tell You? Did I tell you Mila, my 12 year old daughter, decided to go into debt and buy a light amethyst Dr. Tebbetts from Jim Hall? He had, I think, $1,400 on it. Mila won a $100 shopping spree and I told her it’s better to buy one $100 bottle than ten $10 bottles if she wants to maintain the value she paid. Jim heard Mila and me discussing that she could go into debt and pay off the Tebbetts at her pay rate of $20 per hour working on an investment house we are renovating. Jim said for a new collector like Mila he could do $1,100 on it. He is an awesome person. She thought about it and decided it was worth owing 50 hours of labor for the Tebbetts. Mind you, she is not an impetuous girl. She took my phone to the doorway, looked up auctions, and determined it was a good investment. Maybe I shouldn’t say she isn’t ever impetuous because she was thinking about taking on another $4k in debt for another treasure Jim has priced at $4k. Maybe, just maybe, we have another hard-core collector in the making. She is scuba certified and we got out only once in a very busy summer. Our best bottle was a “J. A. Gilka Berlin Schutzen Str No.9 This Bottle Not To Be Sold.” (pictured above) She is considering writing an article on her collecting endeavors for the Federation. Steven Libbey, Delafield, Wisconsin

By chance, today I went ‘splodging’ G’day Ferdinand, thank you very much for doing that for us— greatly appreciated. (editor: posting event information on FOHBC. org) By the way, my great-grandfather was named Ferdinand, so I have a soft spot for your name. By chance, today, I went ‘splodging’ (probing for bottles in rivers and creeks) with a mate. I’m now 77, so it’s hard yakka at times 6

It has been folklore here in bottle circles that the Cobb & Co. stagecoach drivers in the frontier days were Americans. That is reputedly the reason why quite a few antique bitters bottles and Townsend’s Sarsaparillas have been found at the old hotel and change-station sites along the outback stagecoach routes. They must have been tough old blokes as it is stinkingly hot and dry in summer and perishingly cold and wet in winter, over vast distances on dirt tracks through the bush. It beats me how any of the bottles made it in one piece! American bitters must have had a reputation for being of the best quality in the early days when colonial (i.e., Australian-made) products were often considered inferior. Accordingly, many Australian bitters were marketed under American names. They often even went to the extent of claiming to be American on their labels or being agents for American companies—all rubbish, apart from Dr. Soule’s (in amber, green & black). There is still conjecture whether Soule’s bottles were made here (as were the others) or made in America. I favor the latter—possibly at a west coast glass works? Ditto for our early Warner’s bottles—they were definitely made in America and appear to be of similar glass to the amber Dr. Soule’s Hop Bitters. Even though many of our bitters (generally semi-cabin shape) with American names are very rare, especially the pictorial coloured examples, fortunately for collectors like myself, American collectors have never raided our market. If they had, our rare bitters would have disappeared overnight as they are mostly very rare, with only a very few known of many of them! The pictorial coloured examples include St. Louis, New York, Boston, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia. Other non-pictorials include Dr. Grant’s Dandelion Bitters New York, Utica, American, and Frisco, at least. Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

FOHBC News From & For Our Members

Sorry to ramble on Ferdinand. What I am driving at is that my splodging mate has one definitely American Schnapps bottle and an unembossed 6-sided bottle that looks American to me. He dug both bottles where he dug an extremely rare damaged dark glass St. Louis Hop Bitters (flag trademark), in a now non-existent mining town in the New South Wales outback, on a stagecoach route. Unfortunately, as with many bottles from the hot, dry areas of outback New South Wales and South Australia, they are leached from mineralization in the soil. I have attached photos for you, in case they are of interest. My mate would be interested in learning of the Van Brunt’s rarity. He dug two (I certainly have never seen any others), but the best one was ‘bled’ out of him some years ago. We would also be interested in knowing if the 6-sided bottle is definitely American, as we suspect–what a shame that it is not embossed!!! If this is not too much trouble, I’d be pleased to hear your opinions, Ferdinand. Many thanks and all the best. Cheers, Wayne Harris, Traralgon, Victoria, Australia [See the balance of images at FOHBC.org, Editors’ Picks]

Loss of a Giant—Johnnie Fletcher The bottle digging and collecting community has lost a giant. Johnnie Fletcher passed away on January 21 after a long battle with cancer. Johnnie was an avid and very successful privy digger, starting in the 1980s. He dug thousands of bottles in Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Wyoming, and Oklahoma. This may not seem exceptional, yet hundreds of these bottles were previously unknown. The discovery of new bottles that are then introduced to the collecting community is essential to the vitality of the hobby. Johnnie located more unknown Kansas bottles than anyone else, significantly contributing to the interest in Kansas bottles. As newsletter editor for the Oklahoma Territory Bottle and Relic Club, Johnnie produced the monthly Oklahoma Territory News for 34 years and 408 issues. This newsletter has been recognized as one of the best amongst Federation clubs. The excellent digging articles and other information greatly contributed to the knowledge of and interest in bottle collecting throughout the Midwest. Johnnie exhaustively researched and wrote the definitive bottle

reference books for Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, and Missouri. These books are fully illustrated and include embossed bottles, embossed dose cups, stenciled jugs, and mini jugs. His books provide a wealth of information in a well-organized reference that greatly benefits regional collectors in particular and bottle enthusiasts in general. Johnnie was one of the greatest goodwill ambassadors the hobby has ever had. Johnnie was extremely generous in sharing dug bottles with homeowners. These acts spread an appreciation for antique bottles and bottle collecting and provided a positive image for the hobby. Johnnie unselfishly shared his knowledge of the specialized skill of privy digging. Without a steady stream of new bottles and people capable of digging them, the hobby risks getting stale and losing participants. Johnnie personally taught me, as well as many others, how to locate and dig privies. Johnnie taught an Atchison, Kansas gentleman how to dig privies. This man, in turn, taught his grandson how to locate privies, thus ensuring another generation of bottle diggers. Johnnie regularly supported and attended bottle shows in several states as both a dealer and buyer. Johnnie assembled several important bottle collections. His Kansas bottle collection is the largest and most complete in the country. Visiting his bottle museum was a fantastic experience. Johnnie was inducted into the FOHBC Hall of Fame in 2009. I had the honor of introducing Johnnie at his induction ceremony during the National Antique Bottle Show in Pomona, California. The hobby has lost one of its most enthusiastic supporters, and I have lost a good friend. Ed Stewart, Paola, Kansas

Altering Glass Ferdinand, this subject has been discussed before, but I believe that it is definitely affecting both of our hobbies, so would like to propose something. Here is the response that I sent to the insulator community: Fellow NIA Members and Collectors, After Dario DiMare’s post yesterday, there have been several comments and opinions on the altered insulator subject. Daryl Stahler and Dario both laid out the facts. Other than sending the individuals messages, or not purchasing any of their items, there is not much to be done. The NIA nor the FOHBC can act like policemen. In regards to this particular individual, most of the glass currently listed by him on eBay is altered, but he has identified it as irradiated...insulators, bottles, jars, dishes, etc. What he is doing is legal, even though a lot of us would think of it as unethical. Mark also mentioned something important and that is this in-

Continued...

May – June 2022

FOHBC News From & For Our Members

dividual’s attitude and comments about “harassment and defamation.” A person or an organization has to be careful of accusing someone of something, without proof of intent and illegal action. Obviously, Dario determined, and others have also, that this individual doesn’t care what he is doing to the hobbies affected by his actions. Others have told me before when I have asked them about why they alter insulators, that as long as someone will purchase their items, they will continue to alter them. Yesterday, I did reach out to my counterpart in the FOHBC (Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors) and they have the same rules as the NIA if someone is a member of our organization and they are misrepresenting and/or altering items from our respective hobbies, the most that the National Insulator Association can do is revoke their membership with the NIA. Same goes for the FOHBC. What we can do as collectors is avoid buying from people that alter. Show hosts can institute their own rules or state that they will use the NIA’s rules for fake and/or altered insulators. If dealers start asking show hosts to keep these items out of their shows, that might also help. The NIA has an Altered Insulator Display that is normally at the National show every year. There is also information on altered colors at nia.org. You can view various irradiated and heat-altered colors. The best things for collectors to do is educate themselves. Now for those that would throw stones at the NIA’s efforts for the hobby, here are a few comments and questions. First, what happened 15, 20 or more years ago doesn’t really have anything to do with our efforts today. Mistakes have happened in the past and we strive to not make the same again. Benefits have improved and efforts are ongoing to promote our hobby and the NIA to the Public in general. Second, if you are a current NIA Member and have proof that someone is doing something in an unethical or criminal way and that person is a current NIA member, then file an official complaint with the NIA’s Ethics Advisor. If you don’t have proof of inappropriate action or if the person is not a current NIA Member, then there is nothing that the NIA can do. If you just try to blow smoke at the hobby in general, you are not accomplishing anything that benefits.

Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions, suggestions or comments. A realistic solution with a complaint is always appreciated. If you made it this far, thank you for reading. Darryl Wagner, NIA President 50+ year Collector & Hobby Promoter

Baab’s bottle library being downsized I have reached my 87th birthday and have decided to downsize my personal library of antique bottle and pottery-related books, especially those unwanted by my local libraries. One of the first books in the discard pile is Bottles From the Deep, Patent Medicines, Bitters and Other Bottles from the Wreck of the Steamship Republic, by Ellen Garth, 2006. In 1865, off the Georgia coast, the sidewheeler SS Republic sank after being battered by a hurricane. During July of 2005, Odyssey Marine Exploration’s team of searchers came across the wreck after many days of frustration. Using a remotely operated submersible dubbed Zeus, the team eventually brought not only thousands of classic 19th century bottles to the surface, but gold and silver coins, all destined for New Orleans which was hard hit economically by the occupation of Union troops during the Civil War. Ms. Garth’s vivid story of the recovery of thousands of bottles and other artifacts will entertain collectors of antique bottles and the 112-page book is loaded with color plates showing many of the finds. The first Antique Bottle & Glass Collector reader to contact me at riverswamper@comcast.net can own the book by sending me a check for $7.50. Bill Baab, Augusta, Georgia

No Repeat in 22! Ferd, was recently going through some old cartoons and came across this one. I’m sure everyone is diligently striving not to repeat Reno 2012 (scheduling conflicts)! LOL. I loved drawing these. I may get back into it again sometime! Hope things are great! Take care and be blessed my friend! John Akers, Charleston, West Virginia

Third, what have you contributed to the hobby and, more importantly, what have you volunteered for to support the NIA and its efforts for the hobby? Have you filled any committee or leadership position? If you don’t think that the NIA is doing enough, then get involved, or stop complaining... especially if you aren’t even a current NIA Member. Fourth, in the best interest of our hobby, educate yourself and get involved. We can use your help. 8

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

FOHBC Regional News

Northeast Region [Fred DeCarlo, Director] I do not have much to report as I haven’t heard back from any clubs. I want to let everyone know that many great shows are coming up in the immediate future. They are listed on our show schedule and include the Empire State Bottle Collectors Association on March 27, The Baltimore Antique Bottle Club Show & Sale on April 3, GVBCA Rochester Bottle & Antique Show on April 24, Mohawk Valley Antique Bottle Club on May 1, Washington County Antique Bottle Club’s 48th Annual Show and Sale on May 15, The Little Rhody Bottle Club Tailgate Swap Meet on May 21 and the Somers Antique Bottle Club’s Antique Bottle Show and Sale on May 22. I hope we can get a chance to get to some shows and have fun. Please send in a few words and pictures of how your show went so we can potentially use them in the FOHBC magazine, website, and newsletter. Midwest Region [Steve Lang, Director] The Milwaukee Antique Bottle Show occurred on February 6, 2022. From all accounts, it was a great success and was exceptionally well-attended. There were 110 tables sold, and a great early buyer group started things out. A write-up is on our website FOHBC.org Editors’ Picks. It saddens me to announce that at some point in 2022, I will have to step down as Midwest Region Director. My wife Dawn has accepted a new job in Louden, Tennessee. She will be implementing a new software system then transitioning into a Scheduling–Planning and Manager role, which she loves to do. Neither of us has ever lived outside of Central Indiana, so this is a big move. We have purchased a house in Sweetwater, TN, and will be moving in late April or early May. I have met a lot of wonderful collectors, characters, and just plain good people in this role over the last year and a half, and I wish all of you health and good luck going forward and hope to see you at an upcoming show. Stay safe and happy collecting.

Southern Region [Jake Smith, Director] Level 1:Associate-

DeFuniak Springs Show Chair Richard Kramerich, $15 had serious level fordone new to a back trouble and could not attend the show, butAthe‘beginner’ he had hobby, students, youth etc. lot of advance work for name tags, table signs, advertising, etc. Co-Chair Russell Brown did a great job on the day of the show. A nice man brought donuts and coffee in the morning and sold crock-pot-made pork B-B-Q sandwiches, drinks, etc., for lunch.

Alabama, Texas, Kentucky, Georgia, and Tennessee. They had at least five show chairpersons from other locales in attendance. The venue was a very nice place with lots of room and space to grow. The chairmen Jason Herron and Buddy Lasater even held raffles throughout the show and were supportive. They even announced other shows in the south, including all chairs that were in attendance. There was food and lots of fellowship. Next year’s date is already set. Western Region [Eric McGuire, Director] With Covid apparently on the wane, Pacific Slope bottle collectors are enjoying the excitement of shows, as experienced by attendance at the Chico Bottle show. Well-attended, a good number of bottles changed hands. If history serves us right, the upcoming Golden Gate Historical Bottle Society show in Antioch will be as good and maybe better on April 23, 2022. Check the show schedule for time and place. The old guard seems to be quickly fading away. With great sadness, I report the passing of Doug Hansen, who left this world in Redding, CA, on February 24, 2022. Always congenial and a true gentleman, Doug was a regular fixture at nearly all California bottle shows. Doug was a lifelong collector and died at age 78. Part Two of the Mel Hammer collection was auctioned at American Bottle Auctions on March 17. Heavy with early gin bottles, the prices were quite strong, but some lots went surprisingly cheap. Perhaps the biggest surprise was a light green Patten & Sampson gin that brought $4,400. CONFIRM DIRECTION

R ESTRUCTURE OUR REGIONS

Go from 4 to 5 or 7 Regions for accuracy - Get 2 or 3 Correspondents from each Region

- Virtual Museum Access - Digital Newsletter - Zoom Events (Free) - Invoiced Annually

Cheryl Comans did a great job putting on the Jackson, Mississippi show. There were about 250 tables sold, and lots of money changed hands. The tables were set so that aisles were wide, and there was plenty of room for dealers to move around behind their tables. The atmosphere was pleasant despite the cold weather outside. Some folks came from far away places like Kansas, Kentucky, South Carolina, etc. Dinner on Friday evening was free for dealers and Early Buyers; it consisted of fries, hush puppies, and your choice of fried fish or chicken tenders. Several show chairpersons attended and passed out flyers for future shows in the Southeast. Cheryl also handed out a five-page vendor list, which showed mailing addresses and phone numbers. This list will be beneficial in keeping in touch and for show chairpersons to mail out flyers and contracts for their shows. The Chattanooga area show had around 100 tables. Lots of work and detail went into putting on the event. The chairs started a mailing list and hope to help it grow. Attendance was from May – June 2022

5 Regions

New England Region, Mid-Atlantic Region, Southern Region,

4 Regions

Midwest Region, Southwest Region, Rocky Mountain Region and Pacific Coastal Region.

7 Regions

From the FOHBC Board As part of the “New FOHBC in 22” campaign, “Step 12” is to restructure the FOHBC Regions from the present four (4) regions to either five (5) or seven (7). We would then have a handful of “Correspondents” from each region to help spread the word and reach collectors in every state. These would be non-voting positions that would be invited to all FOHBC board meetings. If approved, FOHBC membership would need to vote and approve this Bylaw revision at the Reno 22 Membership Breakfast Meeting on 29 July 2022. 9

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Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

RENO 2022 TEAM BOWLING EVENT Saturday Evening, 30 July 2022, 7:00 to 9:00 pm In conjunction with the FOHBC Reno 2022 National Antique Bottle Convention Ok all you antique bottle people. It’s time to team up for the FOHBC Reno 2022 Bowling Event at the GSR Bowling Center! Five per team whether it be bottle clubs, regions, collecting groups or just friends. Family members welcome. $25 per person for lane cost. Reserve your team now. Prizes and fun! Enjoy some serious family fun at the recently updated 50-lane GSR Bowling Center. Come try your skills on their all-new lanes. Some of the Bowling Center highlights include 50 Lanes, BESX Automatic Scoring System featuring Mad Games, You Toons, Signature Grids, Bowling Plus, and Facebook Game Connect, Blacklight Bowling featured every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night, 6 Lanes of HyperBowling – turn your lane into a “pinball-style” arcade game, Professional Instruction (by appointment), Pool Tables and Shuffleboard. Contact Richard Siri, rtsiri@sbcglobal.net or Ferdinand Meyer V, fmeyer@fmgdesign.com

RENO 2022

May – June 2022

FOHBC 2022 CLUB & MEMBER CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT Announced at the FOHBC Reno 2022 National Antique Bottle Convention!

A W A

CATEGORIES 12

- Newsletter Contest - Show Poster / Flyer Contest - Writer’s Contest (Including AB&GC Articles) - Club Website Contest - Club Social Media Contest

Please don’t delay, as our deadline is June 1, 2022

Get more information by contacting Elizabeth Meyer 713.504.0628 or fohbcmembers@gmail.com Download the applications by visiting FOHBC.org, scroll across the top to “Members,” scroll down to “FOHBC Club Contests” and left click. All winners and awards will be announced during the banquet in the Crystal Ballroom at the FOHBC Reno 2022 National Antique Bottle Convention in Reno, Nevada this coming July 29th, 2022. You do not have to be present to win. Thanks and Good Luck!

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

May – June 2022

The House had an Illness Privy Dig Diaries: Log #154

Fred DeCarlo

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

[Fig. 1] This is an 1858 map of the neighborhood with the property located in the white circle.

Ointment [Fig. 2] probably produced in the 1880s. The other was a small ink bottle, a squat little cylinder with a ring lip, most likely also 1880s. The usual loads of broken ironstone tableware and other broken items were not present, also a good indicator that the pit had been dipped. After cleaning out the bottom and making sure to get to each corner, we quickly began the refill process. Thankfully, the yard was not taken care of, so the refill process would not be as tedious.

Privy Dig Diaries: Log # 154—The House had an Illness Here is a story of a privy dig we undertook on a cold winter day. The house that once stood here had a resident with an apparent chronic illness. Someone’s misfortune is usually an opportunity for discovery. A dig by Fred DeCarlo & Guy Gazzilli.

We set out early in the morning on a crisp mid-March day to

continue digging a neighborhood that had yielded several mid1800 pits on previous digs. This day we targeted a large vacant lot situated between two apartment buildings in an area of the city that might seem dangerous to most. [Fig.1] The temperature outside was a balmy 25 degrees and the weather prediction for the day was overcast, but very little chance of precipitation. These colder days make for rough digging conditions, but on the bright side, there are no insects to bother you, and the neighborhood residents also generally do not bother you either. We began our search by probing the rear property line, and within several [Fig. 2] minutes we found a spot where the probe sank easily. Upon inspection, we saw that the probe’s tip had a blob of ash which appeared to be from the burning of coal. Generally, coal ash does not excite us as these pits were generally cleaned out (dipped) in our area and filled with coal ash and if bottles are present, they are usually turn of the century. This spot probed positive, so we began opening the pit up. The pit was indeed dipped, and the entire excavation yielded only two bottles. One was a smooth-based Dr. Kennedy’s Salt Rheum

[Left] “Where fearful fevers rage and death grows rife, there I have found her” circa 1867 magazine illustration

May – June 2022

As with most overrun yards, we gathered up most of the trash and litter and threw it in the hole. This process leaves the yard looking better and ensures that we can get the pit back up to the level in this wintry time of year. During the winter months, the pits are much more likely to be full of water. During the difficult process of removing water, a bunch of material is lost, and refilling the hole always leaves you short of material. With the first pit filled, we started back to probe the rear of the yard. It again was only a few minutes, and my digging partner sank the probe. This time the soil was much more compact than the last pit but still much easier than the regular soil probes of the yard. The tip also yielded ash on it. As with any dig, your mind fills with excitement. One could hope for an alcoholic or a person with health conditions. These two types of people generally will fill the pit with exciting discards of bottles. As the story continues, the person was the latter. We began digging the hole and hit the various layers of fill. The first two feet were a mix of dark coal ash and soil. As we continued, we hit our first bottle in the fill. It was an 1870s era medicine or bluing-type bottle with no embossing. When you hit bottles of this era, it is always exciting because many pits can get much older in the use layer. We continued digging and found another bottle in the fill. This one resembled a capers or olive-type bottle, also most likely from the 1870s. Around the depth of about four feet, we now hit water. This discovery is always tough as you must begin to bucket the water out. We use a handheld painter’s cup and a five-gallon bucket. It is not fun to get wet on a cold day, and now the wind had begun to pick up. From here on, we dug and bucketed and repeated the process over and over. We hit the five-foot mark that we were sure was the use layer. The use layer was a mix of wood ash, dirt, seeds, and fan roots. Here we started hitting lantern chimney parts, transferware, chamber pots, and glass. All broken, of course. Then I heard my partner say he thinks he sees a bottle. We could not bucket all the water out, so he was forced to sink his hand in the frigid water and pull out a large pint-sized paneled medicine with the top broken off. Thankfully it had no embossing but would have been a beautiful bottle in itself. At this point, we slowed down and began to remove the contents with a bucket in a much more careful manner. The buckets of material contained a mix of water and use layer material. This part gets very messy, and you must set up a method, if possible, of dumping in a spot for the water to run off and the material to pile up. This way, you 15

can get the material back into the pit. [Fig. 8]

[Fig. 3]

As we continued, of course, the weather prediction was wrong. A slight flurry began, which turned into wind-driven steady snow. Both of us started feeling the cold. We were wet and tired, but the dig must continue. As we progressed into the use layer, another large, paneled medicine appeared. This one looked undamaged. As I wiped the dirt off to read the embossing, I found it to be a bottle I had not seen before. The front of the bottle was embossed “Scrofula Remedy.” The side panels were embossed “Rome, NY” and “Packard’s.” The bottle was not pontiled but appeared to be from the 1860s. This dig began to become really exciting quickly even though we were frozen. A handful of other earlier-looking medicines came out, but they had no embossing. As my partner kept digging, he realized he could not stay ahead of the water. He was digging in about six to eight inches of water which does not seem like much, but he became so wet that we both decided it was best for him to stay put. To come out of that pit in the windy snow would be like getting sprayed with a hose and shoved into a walk-in cooler. As he moved along the use layer, I heard him say he had another bottle. This time he handed me up a small medicine. This bottle had an open pontil on the base, and as I wiped the front of it, it read “Pond’s Extract.” [Fig. 5] The bottle had a very crude applied lip, and for a few moments, I did not feel the cold wind.

[Fig. 4]

[Fig. 5]

The dig continued, and the use layer began to be filled with glass and broken household items. Up came numerous broken bottles, almost all of which were medicine types. There were aqua, teal, amber, and various other shards of what were most likely great bottles. Several were other open pontil Pond’s Extract bottles. A few more were Bristol’s Sarsaparillas from Buffalo. Several bitter types, but many seemed to have no embossing. Finally, I heard him shout that he had a very large bottle that appeared to be intact. After some toying around in the cesspool of mud, a large open pontil Bryant’s Purifying Extract came up. The

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

bottle was enormous compared to most medicines we dig. The next bottle was a small Empire Chemical Works flint glass bottle with base signs of a snap case. I never did research the contents of this bottle.

[Fig. 7]

As we continued to load out buckets of use layer, we started to get a good portion of the pit dug. The snow still had not let up but began to fall harder and steadier with an unrelenting wind. My partner handed me one more bottle with [Fig. 6] another bottle I had never seen. This one read “The Peoples Cure” on the front panel. One side panel read “Not A Pat Medicine,” with the last “E” in medicine squeezed above the word. The other side read “NY Sanitary Socy.” The bottle was a beautiful shade of aqua with a sloppy applied double collar lip. My partner had become extremely cold and asked me to get in the pit. He was covered in mud and soaked, and the current weather conditions made it absolutely horrible. I could tell this was not going to last much longer, so I jumped into the pit. I had him send down the bucket, and I began filling it to get the dig moving along again. As I took out most of the use layer to the rear, I hit a bottle with my hand. This bottle was a cylinder, and I could see the skinny neck with an applied tapered lip. For some reason, my mind saw it as an

[Fig. 8]

May – June 2022

[Fig. 9]

amber bottle, and I instantly assumed it was a soda. My mind was so convinced it was a soda I thought the visible embossing read “Root Beer.” As I extracted the bottle and dumped the muddy contents, I realized it was aqua and definitely not a soda. It read “Longley’s Panacea” and had an open pontil. The bottle turned out to be a rare variant. Possibly extremely rare. As of this writing, I still have yet to see another undamaged example.

this writing, I still have yet to ‘‘ Asseeofanother undamaged example.”

I finally reached each corner and began running my hand down each side wall. In doing this, I found one more small bottle along the base of a wall. It was another Dr. Kennedy’s Salt Rheum Ointment. This one was older than the first one from the neighboring pit. This bottle was most likely from the 1850s. To finish the lip, the maker just sheared the lip. It is odd as other examples of this bottle have a pontil scar. Why would someone shear the lip of a small bottle that the user would have to stick their fingers in to use the product? I cannot answer this question, but it definitely has the makings for an interesting bottle. The bottle digging had finally come to an end with the discovery of the small ointment bottle, so I climbed out of the pit. Both of us were now steadily shivering from the wind and snow. We were now both soaked and still had the task of filling the privy. We looked at each other and the large tarp of fill we now had to shovel back in. It was challenging, but we made sure we went fast. As with other waterlogged pits, we fell short on fill, so before the end, we grabbed some large concrete fill from a neighboring

house tear down, which made up for our shortcomings in packing. Once the pit was filled and leveled, we could finally try to go warm up. The pit was interesting, to say the least, giving us insight into the activity of the occupants of the property. The resident who once lived on this lot must have had numerous health conditions of concern. One asks himself if the resident was very sick or what we would call a hypochondriac. They were not into drinking as not one actual alcohol bottle was uncovered. All were mainly medicine types. Some privies are so loaded with flasks and liquor cylinders you can tell they had a love of alcohol. Others have very little in them. We generally say they must have been prim and proper people. The type that did not want any [Fig. 10] trash in their outhouse. Well, I hope you, the reader, have enjoyed this short tale of a day in our lives as a privy digger. I have never really written on any digs, but I found this very fun and hope some of you also do. [Fig. 12]

[Fig. 11] Fred DeCarlo’s two children, Freddy and Scarlett, often accompany him on digs.

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

l a u n n A 2nd

B a o m t a t b a lA e le & u S q i h t o n w A Saturday May 14, 2022 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Free Admission & Appraisals

Gardendale Civic Center 857 Main Street Gardendale, Alabama 35071

(10 minutes north of Birmingham)

Featuring: Antique Bottles, Advertising, Pottery, Table Top Antiques and much more Dealer Set-Up: 7:00 AM Early Buyer: 8:00 AM ($20)

For dealer information contact Show Chairmen: Keith Quinn: 205-365-1983 / email: klq1812@gmail.com or Steve Holland: 205-492-6864 Visit Our Facebook Page @ Alabama Bottle Collectors’ Society

May – June 2022

VIRTUAL MUSEUM NEWS By Richard T. Siri, Santa Rosa, California

Virtual Museum Team: Terry Crislip (Imaging Assistant), Alan DeMaison (Imaging Director & Treasurer), Ron Hands (Imaging Assistant), Eric McGuire (Imaging & Research), Ferdinand Meyer V (Director, Design & Research), Gina Pellegrini Ott (Imaging), Richard T. Siri (Director), Miguel Ruiz (Website) Ferdinand Meyer is still adding to the museum almost daily. He has been receiving a lot of positive feedback from regular visitors and those visiting the museum for the first time. I don’t know if you saw it, but we took out a full-page color advertisement in the April 2022 issue of the Journal of Antiques & Collectibles annual “A Touch of Glass” issue. We are trying to reach new folks who may not have heard about our museum. Alan DeMaison, on the other hand, has been busy guiding Eric McGuire on the imaging process. Eric is setting up our third imaging studio for the museum. It was frustrating at first, as some of the software Eric was using wasn’t doing what he wanted it to do. All of the issues have been resolved and Eric is preparing to image his first bottles. Alan and his traveling buddy and imaging assistant Terry Crislip just returned (27 March 2022) from Mike Newman’s house outside Augusta, Georgia. Mike had provided a comprehensive target list of primarily southern soda waters. He even added a few southern bitters and historical flasks that are not represented in the museum. The imaging trip started out a little rocky as Alan left the battery and battery charger to the camera plugged in at his house in Ohio. Alan found a charger at Best Buy, and Elaine, his wife, overnighted the battery and charger. Alan and Terry were still able to get 38 spins and six others from Mike’s guests the first day and another 65 the next day, bringing the total to 109 bottles for two days which is a great total even when everything goes well. Bill Baab visited the Newman imaging session and commented, “I was very interested in the photographic technique used by Alan. More to it than meets the eye. Allen Woodall, his wife, granddaughter, and dog, arrived Wednesday. After breakfast Thursday morning, they followed us to Mike Newman’s, where they were astounded by the scope of his collection. After the photo session, we took them to the Augusta Museum of History to see the Bill & Bea Baab Bottle Collection. They loved it.” 20

The FOHBC Virtual Museum has been established to display, inform, educate, and enhance the enjoyment of historical bottle and glass collecting by providing an online virtual museum experience for significant historical bottles and other items related to early glass.

Alan and Terry then went to Bob and Shari Jochums’ to image embossed cure bottles in Atlanta. For the past several months we have been working with Bob and Dr. Bruce Shephard to develop a new Cures Gallery on the First Floor of the museum. We are building out the space now next to the Bitters and Medicines Gallery. Bob and Bruce have put together a comprehensive grouping of cures to image. Alan will visit and image the balance of the initial group of cures in Tampa, Florida, where Bruce lives, in the coming months. Michael Seeliger and Michael and Kathie Craig are also planning on bringing some Warner’s Cures to our national convention in Reno to be imaged. This addition will be an excellent start for the new gallery. Bob and Bruce are also planning to provide the research for each bottle, which will undoubtedly help when adding the bottle and write-up to the museum. Ferdinand also conducted a Zoom call with them and gave them some tips on finding information for each bottle. Alan and Terry are discussing an April trip that will take them to see Dennis Huey to image Ohio sodas. After that, the duo is planning to see Charles Betts from the Rochester area to image his fire grenades. I believe they are discussing plans to visit Jim Hall for more sodas after that. Gina Pellegrini Ott, our second imager, has added some more images from her father’s food bottle collection, like this rounded, draped square pickle bottle (left), which will be on display at FOHBC Reno 2022 National Antique Bottle Convention. Remember, at Reno, Alan and Eric will be shooting bottles too. If you have something you want imaged, contact Alan or Eric to see if they can schedule you in. Some collectors are asking when we plan to start the galleries for milks and creamers, beers and ales, perfumes and colognes, soda pop, ACL sodas, and the like. I know there are a lot of collectors in those categories. As a collector of antique bottle and glass advertising myself, I find the graphics on some of the ACL sodas very attractive. With three people now being able to image, we should start planning and getting into some of those categories. Remember, there is also the historical side to the bottles, so it would be a great help for a collecting group to get together and figure out what bottles should go into the museum and document the history of the bottle. You know, like who, when, and where? Is the proprietor known? This information would significantly speed up the process of opening new galleries. We are still asking for donations to keep this project moving forward—see our Phase 3 “Fill the Original Pocahontas Bitters bottle” on page 21. Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

Phase 3 Please help us fill our Original Pocahontas Bitters bottle

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FR E E AC C E S S FOR AL L !

T HE F O H B C V I RT U A L M U S EU M REL I ES O N Y O U R S U P P O RT !

Please help us in our Phase 3 fundraising capital campaign to continue development of the FOHBC Virtual Museum. The FOHBC and the Virtual Museum team thank our many donors who have helped us raise over $82k to date. We have $33,605 in available funds to continue development to build our galleries, exhibition hall, research library and gift shop. Donations are tax deductible. All donors are listed on our Virtual Museum Recognition Wall.

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With one salaried website technician averaging $1,000 a month, we need help. Plus, we are now traveling to collections again as Pandemic restrictions are gradually lifted so costs will be incurred. All other time is donated by the Virtual Museum team out of our love and passion for the hobby and the FOHBC. Thank you!

U A L MUSE U

Phase 1 Flask Filled Dec. 2018

FOHBC VIRTUAL MUSEUM OF HISTORICAL BOTTLES AND GLASS

Fohbcvirtualmuseum.org

For gift information contact: Alan DeMaison, FOHBC Virtual Museum Treasurer, 1605 Clipper Cove, Painesville, Ohio 44077, a.demaison@sbcglobal.net

May –– June June 2022 2022 May

Phase 2 Jar Filled Dec. 2021

29 March 2022

21 21

Exhibit now open!

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Have you ever heard of Mission Orange, TryMe Cola, National Dope, NuGrape, Jersey Creme, Glee Ola, Gay Ola or Wiseola? Discover these brands and many more in Vulcan Park & Museum’s latest exhibit, Birmingham Bottling: Soft Drinks in the Magic City.

Birmingham Bottling tells a comprehensive story of Birmingham’s soft drink history, complete with the inventors and innovators, marketers and visionaries, the workers and methods that made Birmingham the center of bottling innovation and one of the most important markets in the world. Running now until January 2023, visitors will see the Birmingham History Center’s collection of vintage bottles from classic companies such as Coca-Cola Bottling Company and Buffalo Rock as well as a flood of imitators and wannabes. This exhibit will quench Birmingham’s thirst for sugar and fizz exploring why Birmingham led the nation in soft drink brands. FOHBC member Dennis Smith’s KolaWars books inspired the exhibit. The Vulcan statue is the largest cast iron statue in the world, and is the city symbol of Birmingham, reflecting its roots in the iron and steel industry. The 56-foot tall statue depicts the Roman god Vulcan, god of the fire 22

and forge, with ironworking equipment. It was created as Birmingham’s entry for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904 World’s Fair) in St. Louis, Missouri. While it is the world’s largest made of iron, it is also among the nation’s tallest statues of any kind. Vulcan Park and Museum features views of Birmingham, an interactive history museum that examines Vulcan and Birmingham’s story, and a 10-acre urban green space. visitvulcan.com Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

May – June 2022

$8,960 May 2012 American Glass Gallery #8 $575 August 2017 Heckler Auction #154 84: “General Washington” And Bust – “E Pluribus Unum / T.W.D.” And Eagle Portrait Flask, Kensington Glass Works, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, 1820-1830. “Firecracker” Blue aquamarine with a strong olive tone, sheared mouth – pontil scar, pint; GI-14 (light exterior high point wear). Bill and Betty Wilson collection.

26: “General Washington” And Bust – “E Pluribus Unum T.W.D.” And Eagle Portrait Flask, Kensington Glass Works, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, 1820-1830. “Firecracker” Medium red amber with a strong olive tone, sheared mouth – pontil scar, pint; (light exterior high point wear). GI-14. Dr. Timoth Shuttle collection.

$15,690 September 2020 Glass Works Auctions #121 251: “General Washington” And Bust – “E Pluribus Unum / T.W.D.” And Eagle Portrait Flask, Kensington Glass Works, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, 1820-1830. “Firecracker” Medium amber with a strong olive tone, sheared mouth – pontil scar, pint; (light exterior high point wear). GI-14. Tremont Labeth collection.

$65,520 February 2019 Heckler #180 215: “General Washington” And Bust - “E. Pluribus Unum / T.W.D” And Eagle Portrait Flask, Kensington Glass Works, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1826-1840. Medium cobalt blue, sheared mouth - pontil scar, pint; (light exterior high point wear). GI-14 Known as the “Firecracker Flask”, this iconic piece is both beautiful and historically important. Fine condition with bold embossing. Ex Edmund and Jayne Blaske collection, Dr. Charles and Jane Aprill collection.

Firecracker GI-14

Coming Soon! Online Auction Price Report. Search on your smartphone, tablet or desktop computer. Includes 10 years of results from American Bottle Auctions, American Glass Gallery, Glass Works Auctions and Heckler in Phase 1. We hope to have this project ready by the summer of 2022. The Auction Price Report will only be available to FOHBC members. Joining the FOHBC will give the new member 24-7-365 access. What a great tool this will be for the collectors, diggers, pickers, researchers and the generally curious! 24

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

WANTED! Articles for

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector Our editor, staff and designers eagerly await helping you in any possible way. We do the layout and design! Please consider telling us about your collection or someone else’s. Tell us about your latest digging or picking adventure. Write a fictional bottle story. Tell us about an area or component of antique bottle and glass collecting that you find interesting. Every bottle has a story. Tell us about your favorite medicine man, merchant, or proprietor who is related to our bottles or about a glasshouse. Write an auction or show report. Tell us about a club outing, or maybe a visit to a glass museum. Maybe it is something you have learned in the hobby or have concerns with. Really, the sky is the limit. Don’t be shy. Young or old, new to the hobby or a veteran, please unmask that author that is hiding inside!

To submit a story, send a letter to the Editor, or have comments and concerns about Antique Bottle & Glass Collector, please contact the Editor, Elizabeth Meyer at fohbcmembers@gmail.com

May – June 2022

THE WISCONSIN CONNECTION Why do some of the greatest bottles seem to show up in Wisconsin of all places?

[above left inset and below] F 46, The Fish Bitters, W.H. Ware, Patented 1866, cobalt blue figural fish

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

By Michael Seeliger

When you look at Wisconsin, you don’t see much as far as population. Wisconsin was made a state in 1848 mainly because of Milwaukee and the lead mines of the southwest along the Mississippi River. Madison wasn’t even the first capital. When we began to collect bottles, 1880 was old, and if we found dumps from towns that were before 1900, we were lucky. Sure, Milwaukee goes back a little farther, but, for the most part, Wisconsin in 1880 was trees and open area, with very small towns along streams supporting some agricultural ambitions. Milwaukee became the world’s beer capital only because of the Chicago fire in 1876 which destroyed all the breweries in Chicago. I’m sure every state can claim its share of excellent bottles. Most have very local bottles that are very rare to that locale. Wisconsin seems to have come up with some very rare bottles that are from nationwide collections.

[below] Brothers, Jim & Bill Mitchell holding a Dr. Bells Golden Tonic Bitters, figural bell.

May – June 2022

The first example and probably the most famous is the cobalt blue Fish Bitters. I have seen it personally, and it is truly the most beautiful bottle and rarest bottle out there—until a cobalt blue Indian Queen comes along. The history on this one is almost as unusual as the bottle itself. Although the bottle was known to exist to a few Wisconsin collectors, the $500 asking price back in the 1970s was more than most of us could come up with. The bottle initially came from a small farm in upstate Wisconsin. A lady used it to give medicine to her horse because the long-tapered bottle would fit nicely down the animal’s throat. The bottle went through a couple of hands before Bill Mitchell of Stevens Point finally brought it into the national bottle world. He purchased it to resell around 1971. Like most of us collectors, he couldn’t afford to keep it because he was raising a young family. The sale of it for $1,600 made a lot of house payments. Over the course of 50 years, the bottle has changed hands a number of times. Rumor has it, the last sale price was in the couple-of-hundred-thousand-dollar ballpark.

[feature image] US State Of Wisconsin flag with postage stamp Illustration

[below] B 39, Dr. Bell’s Golden Tonic Bitters, G.W. Silver & Co., Chicago, Illinois, figural bell

About the same time, another unique (at the time) bottle appeared. An old doctor in Briggsville, near Wisconsin Dells, had a Dr. Bells Golden Tonic Bitters with an iron pontil. The bottle is in the shape of a large, old school bell. Again, it showed up in the hands of Bill Mitchell and his brother Jim. The boys know this is a unique find, but unfortunately, it has a hole drilled in the back base put there to have a lamp installed. After taking it to several shows trying to sell it for around $2,000, it finally changed hands for about $800. Jim and Bill were with me visiting John Feldmann’s collec27

based on speculation, down to half. When cleaned up, it revealed a mint Monopole Bitters made by Wm. Frank and Sons glass company with what looked like an iron-type pontil but no iron residue. The bottle sat in Dick’s collection for a few years before it reached the hands of Bill Mitchell.

tion a few years ago, and they came across their orphaned bottle sitting on John’s shelf. In the early 1970s, an entire case of twelve Millville Fruit Jars was located intact in a case in a basement near Milwaukee. The unusual thing about these was that they were all amber. The next odd find is two Warner’s “Safe” Cure London (Animal cure or Mammoth size in green) that oddly showed up in Wisconsin antique shops in 1971. You realize what an odd coincidence it is to have these unusual Warner’s present themselves to me, a be[above] Amber Millville Atmospheric Fruit Jar [left] Warner’s “Safe” Cure London [right] Warner’s Asthma Powder tin

ginning Warner collector. The purchase price of $18 and $22 makes all the better story. Dick Boosted was involved in the purchase of the second one, and we sold it for $600—again to make house payments. Dick Boosted also gets involved with the next bottle. Every weekend Dick either dug dumps or visited antique shops searching for bottles. He frequently visited a shop in Columbus which specialized in quality cut glass and high-end antiques. The proprietor assured him she rarely dealt in anything as lowly as bottles, although she did have one unusual example down in her basement. She proceeded to get it and produced a Monopole Bitters bottle covered in 20 coats of metallic gold paint. The asking price was $20. Dick could barely read the words Monopole Bitters on it and wondered if the bottle was cracked, chipped, or stained beyond belief once cleaned up. He negotiated the price 28

When it comes to barrel bitters, Old Sachem Bitters and Wigwam Tonic has all the nice things you want in a bottle. The bottle has an unusual name, great shape, and comes in various colors. A very remarkable example was found under a porch in Columbus, Wisconsin. The bottle didn’t appear as unique as it was when it was purchased again, by Bill Mitchell around 2008. After cleaning, it now resides in Bill Taylor’s collection as a peach

[right] S 53, Schlitz German Wine Bitters

[left] M 121, Monopole Bitters (embossed on other side)

copper color with pink swirls of color traversing the entire mid-section of the bottle. Dick Boosted and Mike Schwartz made their way to a small town north of Green Bay to purchase a Schlitz German Wine Bitters in a blinding snowstorm because the guy didn’t have a phone. The bottle is a triangular rope cornered bottle that is unique to the bottle world. The only known example of Warner’s Safe Asthma Powder was purchased at a half-price sale from a pharmacy going out of business in Columbus. The purchase price was 37 ½ cents. These are a few classic examples that we came up with. Let’s hear from other areas where fantastic finds have been made!

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

visit [left] M 121, Monopole Bitters (embossed on other side)

May – June 2022

The case of the ‘missing’ flasks of the St. Louis Bottle-Jar Expo by Bill Baab The 1976 National Antique Bottle & Jar Exposition – St. Louis, Missouri There is no doubt this show set the standards for those to follow. There were 140 outstanding displays of bottles and fruit jars, many of which had never been in the public view; 280 sales tables, and 4,000 collectors. Hal Wagner was chairman and Jerry Jones co-chairman of the event. The program featured articles by some of the legends of the hobby, including Helen McKearin, Alice Creswick, George Herron, William E. Covill Jr., Dr. Cecil Munsey, Dick Roller, John Wolf, and Paul Ballentine. Ken and Shirley Asher, Old Bottle Magazine publishers, devoted 17 pages to photos of the displays, unfortunately, all in black and white, because the color was expensive to print back in those days. There was a surprise awaiting visitors—a commemorative Expo bottle in the shape of a scroll flask with the Federation’s distinctive eagle on one side and crossed flags on the other. How many of these bottles sold during the Expo still exist? From FOHBC.org – History – National Shows

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

Photo: Jim Bender

I enjoy collecting non-historic bottles and flasks, including antique bottle club and FOHBC-related items marking events and anniversaries. The first Federation show was held in 1976 during our nation’s Bicentennial Celebration. Billed as The National Antique Bottle & Jar Exposition, it was held in St. Louis, Missouri, attracting thousands of collectors. One of the show’s souvenirs was a 7-inch-high scroll flask, but you’d never know it. There was no mention of it in the souvenir program. The only reason I know about it is because I have an example in my collection. In trying to research it, I became frustrated and decided to contact some of the collectors who attended the show: Tom Hicks, Richard Siri, Michael Seeliger, Ralph Finch, and Jerry McCann. Neither Hicks nor Siri remembered such a flask, Seeliger never responded, but I struck “gold” in Finch and McCann 45 years after the Expo.

May – June 2022

Photos: Jim Bender

The St. Louis Expo was organized by Chairman Hal Wagner and Co-Chairman Jerry Jones. The former decided to have “a commemorative Expo bottle in the shape of a scroll flask with the Federation’s distinctive eagle on one side and 1976 and crossed flags (among other embossing) on the other.” I tried to learn the identity of where the flasks were blown, how many were produced, and how much each would cost a souvenir-hungry collector? Ralph Finch recollected show officials “over-estimated the demand and recalled he was given a case after the show to sell them for Hal and (wife) Vern Wagner.” “I was told by a member of our Detroit bottle club that he had the flasks in all of the colors they came in,” Finch said. “I didn’t remember that there was a color range,” he said, adding, “I always thought it was not a good idea for any show. There were always bottles left over, and it was a bad investment all the way around.” 31

“My best recollection is that the flasks were blown by the Clevenger Brothers in New Jersey, using a stock mold with a circular slug plate,” McCann said in an email. “By the mid-1970s, the Clayton, N.J. glassworks was owned and managed by Jim Travis of Millville, New Jersey. Hal Wagner ordered the flasks as a profit-maker to support the Expo. They were not expensive, costing in the $15 range. Unsold inventory bounced around from Federation officer to officer, not because they did not sell (they may not have), but probably because Hal was too optimistic as to the postshow market.” On a whim, I contacted Tom Haunton*, an expert on “Jersey glass,” and got more than I bargained for. “There is a good reason why Jerry McCann would think Jim Travis made the bottle at Clevengers,” Haunton said. “The flask was made at the Downer Glass Works of Downer, N.J., located about five miles from Clevenger Brothers and operated by Tom Zinsky, assisted by his father, Anthony. Downer made most of its blown glass pieces between 1974 and 1982, after which it was mostly cast pieces such as paperweights, cup plates, and some specialty ware.” “The Downer scroll bottle is an actual copy of the Clevenger commemorative scroll bottles,” Haunton continued. “During the years before the American Bicentennial, the wait to receive a Clevenger commemorative bottle order had reached six months. Zinsky had the idea that he could complete orders in a much shorter time. He went over to Clevenger’s, bought a scroll bottle, then cast a mold from the copy (they used to cast their own molds). Tom’s dad was a foundry worker. The first molds were bronze and later iron. Tom’s dad would make drawings, then cut out the plates and make the inserts. The insert plates were cast at a foundry, then brought down to the machine shop to have them cut off into a long, sausage-type thing from which the pieces wanted were cut. Tom’s original bronze scroll to make the FOHBC scrolls was probably junked before 1980. Zinsky made the FOHBC scrolls in a wide variety of colors. Former FOHBC historian Jim Bender of Sprakers, N.Y., owns somewhere around a dozen different color shades.”

Unembossed honey amber ribbed flask 6 1/2 inches high, marked in white ink on pontiled base 72 and 12. Glassworks unknown. Cobalt blue flask, 7 inches high. Embossed THE FEDERATION OF HISTORICAL BOTTLE CLUBS in a circle around an eagle bearing an indecipherable banner in beak. FOUNDED 1969. Embossed on the other side A CELEBRATION OF AMERICAN GLASS JULY 7-10 1988 LAS VEGAS, NEVADA. Olive green flask, 7 inches high. Embossed on one side ABCA 10TH ANNIVERSARY 1859**–1969. In the center is embossed a large bottle form flanked by a pick and shovel. Embossed on the other side SUCCESS TO THE RAILROAD (with embossed early train engine in the center). **Error should be 1959. Antique Bottle Collectors of California, the predecessor to the FOHBC. Olive green flask, 5 1/2 inches high. Facsimile of slug plate bearing FOHBC 1969-1994 in tiny lettering (25th anniversary of the FOHBC). *Haunton is the author of “Last Links to the Past, 20th Century South Jersey Glass, Volume 1, Clevenger Brothers. 2001. He is working on another book in which he says, “Downer will be covered.” Thanks for Your Memories! The following contributed to the contents of this article: Jim Bender, Ralph Finch, Tom Haunton, Jerry Jones, Phyllis Koch, Jerry McCann, Ferdinand Meyer V and Mike Newman.

Phyllis Koch, a member of the Ohio Bottle Club, suggested contacting Jerry Jones, who now resides in Coldspring, Texas. The former vice-chairman at the Expo admits to once owning a cobalt blue example of the flask. “It got lost during our moves over the years,” he said. “Hal (Wagner) had ordered an entire color run of the flask.” The author’s collection contains the following FOHBC-related flasks: Handled honey amber, 9-inch-high flask embossed in a circle around the FOHBC eagle, the latter an early “trademark” of the Federation. Unembossed olive green ribbed flask, 6 1/2 inches high. Marked in white ink on pontiled base HV 84 FHBC 36. Glassworks unknown. 32

Photo: Mike Newman

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

May – June 2022

STOCKTON S

Malvoisie & Maxfield Adapted from a post on Western Bottle News and the FOHBC Virtual Museum where the subject bottle resides in the Bitters Gallery

By ERIC McGUIRE

WILLIAM WALTER STOCKTON was the son of Nathaniel Hiram Stockton, born in Tennessee on November 6, 1818, and Mary Lynn. N. H. Stockton married Mary on October 17, 1852, in Watsonville, California, and resided near Santa Cruz, California, where their six children were born. Their oldest son, William Walter Stockton, was born in Santa Cruz on June 30, 1857. He then moved with his family to San Jose in 1862, where N. H. Stockton engaged in viticulture. W. W. Stockton graduated from San Jose State Normal School, which was established as a teacher’s college and is known today as San Jose State University. By March 1882, William W. Stockton entered into a partnership with fellow San Jose resident Lewis B. Wilson. Stockton opened a wine store in San Jose, and Wilson opened a branch store in Grass Valley. Stockton’s short-lived partnership with Lewis B. Wilson ended when Wilson was declared insolvent in Grass Valley. Wilson then returned to San Jose, where he immersed himself in education, receiving his certificate to teach school. He eventually became vice-president of San Jose State College. Wilson married Alice Blythe in San Jose on January 10, 1883. Wilson died in San Jose on May 16, 1924. Meanwhile, William W. Stockton married Sacramento native Mary A. Gay in San Jose on August 12, 1882. W. W. Stockton wasted no time creating a new business under the name of W. W. Stockton & Co. This was most certainly a business formed for the purpose of selling wines, etc., from his father’s own extensive vineyards and soon included his Port Wine Bitters. Newspaper ads for his bitters initially incorporated the word “MALVOISIE,” which represented the initial grape variety used to compound the product. By June 1883, Malvoisie was no longer used in his ads. This action, which is not entirely explained, may be because of his father Nathaniel’s varietal grape choices in his vineyards, where the juice was derived for Stockton’s Port Wine Bitters. 34

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

PORT WINE BITTERS The original label for Stockton’s Port Wine Bitters, included with his trade mark registration for the brand, deposited with the California Secretary of State as trade mark Number 971 on April 9, 1883.

As would be expected in the relatively small town of San Jose, the local newspaper gave notice to a promising new business by a well-respected resident. (San Jose Mercury-News, April 28, 1883)

Newspaper advertisements for Stockton’s bitters originally incorporated the word “MALVOISIE” which represented the initial grape variety used to compound the product. (San Jose Mercury-News, April 17, 1883)

May – June 2022

An interesting news-byte noting the original art work for Stockton’s Malvoisie Bitters was being displayed in the window of Rhode’s Drug Store in San Jose. (San Jose Mercury-News, April 7, 1883)

Stockton’s advertisements for his bitters soon dropped the reference to the Malvoisie grape which probably represented a switch to the use of the more abundant Zinfandel grape from the much larger vineyards of his father’s Madera properties. (San Jose Mercury-News, June 17, 1883)

On May 28, 1883, Stockton registered an additional trademark (No. 971), with the essential feature being the words “PORT WINE BITTERS,” further suggesting his move away from using the Malvoisie grape.

The successful business of N. H. Stockton and the newly emerging business of his son, W. W. Stockton, and his Port Wine Bitters, all came to an abrupt end when the senior Stockton died at his ranch in Madera on June 30, 1884.

The malvoisie grape, or malvasia in Italian, is a European species of the Vitus vinifera family (aka Vitus vinifera “Cinsaut”). It has been commonly used in the production of port wines for many generations and was a freely planted grape in the early orchards of California, especially Napa and San Jose. As different grape varieties became better tested in the new California geography, it was noted that the Malvoisie grape was not as hardy as first expected and fell out of favor by the early 1880s. Much of Stockton’s success should be put squarely on his father’s shoulders, Nathaniel H. Stockton, who was producing vast amounts of grapes. All documentation located indicated a successful business venture that was to be an excellent financial success to both Stockton and the city of San Jose. (San Jose Herald, March 19, 1884)

A letterhead from N. H. Stockton, documenting his vineyards in Madera, Fresno County, California. In 1893, Madera became the county seat of the newly formed Madera County, reducing the size of Fresno County. It is clear from this newspaper advertisement that N. H. Stockton, and his son, W. W. Stockton, had a close relationship in the spirits and bitters business. (San Jose Mercury-News, December 18, 1883)

[below] This somewhat close father–son relationship between W. W. Stockton and his father becomes even clearer with this IOU, on W. W. Stockton’s letterhead, with both father and son’s signatures.

Retaining his successful Live Oak Vineyard, Nathaniel later purchased as much as 640 acres in the warmer San Joaquin Valley and planted a large portion of it in grapes as well. He had been particularly critical of the milder and wetter climate of the San Jose Valley. Stockton also established a house and winery at his Madera property. When their father died, William W. Stockton was the only surviving male sibling, along with his four sisters. William became the executor of his father’s rather large estate after Nathaniel H. Stockton’s wife, Mary Stockton, gave up her first right as executor. It took Nathaniel Stockton’s Live Oak Vineyard became a model for the newly emerging viticulture that once rivaled its counterpart in Napa County. While Stockton was a successful grape grower he looked enviously toward the area of Fresno County where the climate was much more to his liking.

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

six years to finally complete the probate process, which consumed much of his time. It is apparent that Stockton ceased producing his Port Wine Bitters and closed the wine and liquor store in San Jose, which was considered part of his father’s estate. Stockton sold his liquor business in May 1885, which by that time was only advertising Thistle Dew Whiskey. From that date, he no longer was involved in liquor sales. Not staying idle, Stockton soon exposed his inquisitive side. He had a great fascination for the properties of electro-magnetic energy and spent some time with the development of a telephone. He was noted as being the co-developer of a new type of highly efficient telephone transmission. (San Jose Herald, March 2, 1885) After an extensive interview with Stockton about his new invention, the local newspaper illuminated predictions about this new modern field. “Mr. Stockton has given several years of careful study and systematic experiments to electrical science, studying the best textbooks obtainable and keeping informed on the progress made in the world through valuable sources as the Electrical World, Scientific American, Electrical Review, and similar papers.” “And yet,” he remarked, “although what the world knows today about electricity would fill many books, what the world does not know today about it would fill a vastly greater number; and we are now on the threshold of a century in which there will be such discoveries and applications of known principles made as are too wonderful to contemplate.” “One hundred years or so hence people will navigate the air by electrical force, will see a friend a hundred or a thousand miles away. The refrangibility of light, refractive power of lenses, etc., will be so affected by electro-magnetic action that telescopes will be made powerful enough to show every pebble in the planets, and so will other wonderful results, ad infinitum, be obtained through the agency of this wonderful form of energy, electricity.” Not overlooking more traditional innovations, in December 1885, Stockton and G. Phelps patented a yoke for double team draft animals. (Draft yoke or bar for double teams, Patent Number 332,366, filed July 29, 1885) Later that year, Stockton went to Mexico to superintend the installation of an electric light plant. (San Jose Mercury News, December 17, 1885) By 1887, he was noted as a “constructing electrician” for the Risdon Iron Works of San Francisco (San Jose Mercury News, August 19, 1887). For the next several years, he remained in San Francisco, where the city directory listed him as an electrician. May – June 2022

The remaining stock of Port Wine Bitters was being sold by secondary parties as late as 1890 at The Family Wing & Liquor Store in San Jose—at a reduced price of 35 cents per bottle, and noted as 11 years old. (San Jose Herald, February 28, 1890) By 1892 it was being sold at $1.00 for five bottles. Stockton briefly moved to Niles, Alameda County, about 1890, where the voting register notes his occupation as an accountant. From that date, he is no longer documented in California but probably stayed there until about 1894. By 1891 Stockton left Niles and became somewhat aloof in his whereabouts, even though Mary Stockton, his wife, born as Mary Albertine Gay, remained in San Francisco and engaged in various odd jobs to support herself. She even bore a child, Mary Arlene Stockton, on August 22, 1893. It is assumed that her father was W. W. Stockton, even though Arlene’s death certificate notes her father was “Frank Stockton.” This listing is likely an error. By 1895, the San Francisco city directories simply listed Stockton’s wife as a widow, which was a common descriptor for a woman who had no husband for reasons including death, divorce, and abandonment. She had relocated to Chicago, Illinois by 1900, and eventually moved to Michigan where she married John Herman Hensen in Grand Rapids, on April 11, 1938, at the age of 74 years. She died in Kalamazoo on January 24, 1946. W. W. Stockton was clearly determined to make another life-changing move and was found next in Maricopa County, Arizona, in the voting register, when he signed up to vote on September 29, 1894, in Gila Bend, Arizona. He apparently had decided to stay in the area for a while. Local newspapers periodically made note of his prospecting and mining activities in Arizona Territory. William Walker Stockton died on December 24, 1901, at Castle Creek Hot Springs, Yavapai, Arizona. The only signed affidavit from the inquest of his death, except for the Coroners Jury final determination, was from William “Billy” Walker, a well-known chef who went to work at the Castle Creek Hotel about 1899, according to a newspaper article. (Prescott Arizona Weekly Journal Miner, October 4, 1899) As an aside, in 1909, Walker was arrested for an assault with a deadly weapon—a heavy beer glass, that he threw at Joe Bush in McDonough’s Saloon in Globe, Arizona. (The Daily Silver Belt, Globe, Arizona, July 21, 1909. The Arizona probate court determined that although Stockton had an undivided interest in the Prosperity, Oro Grande, and Rich Rock mining claims in the Castle Creek Mining District of Yavapai County, Arizona, they were not sufficiently developed to have any ac37

tual value, and probate was closed on February 2, 1903. In cases where deaths were either suspicious or unknown, Arizona law required that the coroner name a panel of six jurors that would look into, and attempt to determine, the cause of death. The Billy Walker inquest deposition for Stockton notes he had been drinking heavily, went to bed, and died in his sleep.

The final result as determined by the Coroner’s jury was that Stockton had died from apoplexy (stroke). To say the least, it was a bit of a shock to note the signature of Maxfield Parrish as a member of the Coroner’s jury, as noted in this document.

The Maxfield Parrish print, Daybreak, first produced in 1922, was the most popular, and recognizable print of the twentieth century. The original painting was sold in 2006, for $7.6 million, to the wife of actor, Mel Gibson. It was again sold in 2010, at a loss—for $5.2 million.

Here are the names of the Coroner’s jury: Oren A. Ensign: Jury foreman and miner in Castle Creek District, Charles M. Calhoun: Manager of Hot Springs, beginning in 1898, Maxfield Parrish: Artist – see below, John Deck: Miner, killed in a mining accident at Tip Top, Yavapai County, in 1905, Charles E. Stuart: A pioneer painting contractor of Phoenix, Thomas M. Kerr: He was a successful freighter operating in Yavapai County. Maxfield Parrish, and his new bride, Lydia, visited Hot Springs in the winter of 1901-1902. He had been suffering from the effects of tuberculosis and jumped at the chance to accept an offer by The Century Magazine to visit the Southwest and create pictures for a series of articles. Parrish created 19 paintings while staying at Castle Creek Hot Springs, considered Arizona’s first springs resort. It was here that Parrish first employed the intense blue that he experienced in the Western skies, which became a hallmark of many of his paintings. Little else need be stated about Parrish, as he is so well-known, except this hidden fact about his Coroner’s jury obligation, which has not previously been documented to my knowledge. The story of how he was selected for the jury is a story that will probably never be discovered. Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

May – June 2022

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

Greater Buffalo Bottle Collectors Association 23RD ANNUAL SHOW & SALE

BOTTLES, STONEWARE, INSULATORS, ANTIQUES, ADVERTISING, BREWERIANA, POST CARDS, PANAM EXPO AND WESTERN N Y COLLECTIBLES Sunday, September 18, 2022 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Polish Falcons Hall 445 Columbia Avenue Depew, NY Admission - $4.00 (Children under 12 free) Free Appraisals

Information/Contracts:

Tom Karapantso (716) 487-9645 - tomar@stny.rr.com Peter Jablonski (716) 440-7985 - peterjablonski@roadrunner.com Joe Guerra (716) 207-9948 - jguerra3@roadrunner.com Tables $30/$15 for second table if available Set-up Sunday 7:00 to 9:00 AM

MAY 21, 2022 (Saturday) SEEKONK, MASSACHUSETTS

LITTLE RHODY BOTTLE CLUB TAILGATE SWAP MEET

State of Franklin Antique Bottles & Collectible Assoc. hosting

Can & Toy Collectors

Leonard’s Antiques, 600 Taunton Ave., (Rte #44) Seekonk, Mass. (10 minutes from Rte #95 & Rte #195 at Providence, Rhode Island)

8:00 am to 2:00 pm

Free set-up for all who wish to attend. Bring your own tables!

An n ua l S ho w & S a l e

Saturday May 7th, 2022 9:00AM until 3:00PM

Gray, TN off I-26 at Exit 13 Appalachian Fairground

Contact Bill or Linda Rose May – June 2022

sierramadre@comcast.net 508.880.4929

sfabca.com 41

Facts, assumptions, and stories about round-bottom bottles: which ones stand up, and which don’t ? By Ken Previtali

Round-bottom Ginger Ale bottles on display at the FOHBC 2013 Manchester National Antique Bottle Convention, Manchester, N.H. – Ken Previtali award winning display.

Cheers!! From the Brinton & Brosius girl, trade card, Philadelphia, 1912, “The bottles are easily opened and the beverage fairly sparkle and fizz.”

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

Before we delve into the main subject of this article, we will begin with a preface. Usually, I do not write in the first person, but it is necessary this time. I always wondered how many people actually read “prefaces,” so I looked up the word. The Latin origin means “words spoken beforehand.” Some prefaces can be the author’s self-indulgent meanderings used to thank so-and-so for this or that or are used to explain something that didn’t need explaining. However, prefaces can serve a greater and perhaps more useful purpose—to provide context for what is to follow or to set the record straight on the author’s writing from the past. For this article, the preface serves both purposes. Historical accounts of just about anything rely on the accuracy of what was understood at the time, who wrote it down, and where. It is what I call “current wisdom.” It is what we know or believe right now. In a world that has digitized so much of the documents of history, a significant part of our current wisdom has been replaced. Of course, in the future, the interpretation of all the newly connected information will change again as “well, they didn’t know that back then, did they?” and our current wisdom will continue to evolve.

Embossed Culverhouse London Ginger Ale in a yellow olive tone.

May – June 2022

Nearly 35 years ago, I started collecting ginger ale bottles and studying their history. I scraped information from numerous books on the soda industry, many published in the 1880s or before. I went through 50 years’ worth of National Bottlers’ Gazette (1882-1932). Graciously, the editors of BeverageWorld magazine (successor to the Gazette) let me spend days studying in their library and archives. I made hundreds of photocopies. The initial culmination of all that work was an article on the history of ginger ale published in 1991 in BeverageWorld, by those same editors with whom I had become friends.

Let’s not give up yet on these “words spoken beforehand,” I’ll get there. In that 1991 Beverage World article I wrote this:

ale’s content was alcoholic: From the Southern Reporter and Cork Commercial Courier, December 22, 1825:

The best-informed historians attribute the invention of ginger ale to the Irish in the 1850s. However, as with most of history, there is another point of view: Robert Robinson of New York City claimed he was the first one to make ginger ale in the U.S. in the 1840s, calling it ginger soda. By all accounts it was more like the “ginger-ades” being made in England at that time, rather than the ginger ale “flavor” produced in Ireland. Nobody really knows, but it is likely that Dr. Cantrell in Belfast, was the first inventor of ginger ale—perhaps with Grattan & Company, also of Belfast, as a party to the earliest production of the beverage. Grattan proudly claimed the rights by embossing a slogan on its bottles: “The Original Makers of Ginger Ale.” Possible, but not provable.

“A. J. Welstead’s Tea & Grocery Warehouse, Bottled Wine, Cider, Porter & Ale Vaults—Clarified Spruce and Ginger Ale Brewery–Introduced by A. J. W. and now universally established, light, wholesome and cheap beverage. Clarified Spruce & Ginger Ale brewed by A. J. W. The well-known excellence of these Bottled Liquors, now high in general estimation, needs no comment...”

The best informed historians attribute the invention of ginger ale to the Irish in the 1850s. However, as with most of history, there is another point of view: Robert Robinson of New York City claimed he was the first one to make ginger ale in the U.S. in the 1840s, calling it ginger soda.

That was my current wisdom at the time. The article was reprinted in Bottles and Extras in 2001 and was quoted on numerous websites and blogs on the history of soda. However, as “digital diggers” dove into new troves of information, they found things I did not know in the “dark ages” of 1991. Since then, several published accounts challenge my assertion that ginger ale was invented in Ireland in the 1850s, even citing an 1818 advertisement by a J.F. De Gruchy of Baltimore that listed “ginger ale” as one of his products. However, we don’t know what De Gruchy’s “ginger ale” was. But I now know “ginger ale” was being advertised in over 20 Northern Ireland newspapers as early as 1825, which is concurrent with the founding of Grattan & Company. Early newspaper advertising and articles raise more questions on the origin of “true” ginger ale. Were the earliest “ginger ales” brewed alcoholic beverages and not extract-flavored carbonated water? Perhaps they were like Robert Robinson’s version, which was reported to be crushed ginger root steeped or boiled in water, then sweetened and carbonated. Based on some newspaper ads from the period, we might conclude that ginger 44

Even 25 years later, ginger ale was advertised as being made by fermentation. In May 1850, the Limerick and Clare Examiner published this: “... Bottling Ales, Porters, Cider, and which will be ready in few days. Mineral Waters of all kinds in repute, as also Lemonade and Ginger Ale, made by fermentation; those two latter refreshing beverages are not manufactured in any other House in this city.” And then in 1863, there is this from Godey’s Lady’s Book: “GINGER ALE.–To ten gallons of water, put twelve pounds of sugar, six ounces of bruised ginger (unbleached is the best). Boil it one hour, put it into a barrel with one ounce of hops and three or four spoonfuls of yeast. Let it stand three days; then close the barrel, putting in one ounce of isinglass. In a week, it is fit for use. Draw out in a jug, and use as beer.” That is undoubtedly a recipe for ginger beer, but Godey’s Lady’s Book called it ginger ale. There was much confusion between the two beverages, which wreaked havoc in the ranks of the early Temperance Movement, and gave true ginger ale a “bad name” that it was burdened with throughout prohibition and beyond. There is also some doubt about the quality of very early ginger ales, which makes documenting the product’s true origin difficult. For example, here is a commentary from the Dublin Weekly Register dated September 12, 1840. (Carlow is a small town 52 miles southeast of Dublin.) “In Carlow, the use of coffee as a beverage has given way to that of what I may call explosives, such as spruce beer and ginger ale. I do not think this is a change for the better. The coffee, as it was prepared, was certainly not good, but, bad as it might be, I think it was calculated to do less harm than those stimulants.” The writer most probably called them “explosives” not because of over-carbonation but perhaps primarily because of the fiery, hot taste of the ginger ale of that period. Ginger contains resins and volatile oils that will not dissolve in water. These components concentrated in an extract made the quality of early ginger ales dubious indeed and probably quite raw and burning. Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

However, by 1859, a method had been developed for partially “de-resinifying” ginger extract. The improved extract’s better release of the distinctive flavor “re-invented” ginger ale, and its incredible popularity began. Being a chemist, Dr. Cantrell would have likely applied the improvement to his already highly successful recipe. What is still in question is when and who really invented the flavoring extract recipe known as “ginger ale.” In this digital age, I also learned that in the 1840s, Dr. Thomas J. Cantrell worked for the chemist firm of Grattan & Company that made and sold soda water. During Cantrell’s time there, it is suggested that he perfected his closely-guarded formula for “ginger ale,” which Grattan & Co. most likely did make and sell at the time. Cantrell and his ginger ale formula left Grattan in 1852 and joined up with 60 years later, the soluble ginger extract used by flavor manufacturers to produce their ginger ale flavor James Dyas to establish their was offered by numerous companies. The H.K. Mulford own chemists’ firm. Cantrell company started in 1889, and by 1920, employed went on to create what was to about one thousand employees and had 52 buildings become one of the largest soda on a 200-acre property in Glenolden and Folcroft, water manufacturers in Ireland Pennsylvania. and, ultimately, the world. By 1866, Cantrell was exporting his ginger ale to America. The conclusions: I retract my 1991 assertion that what was generally called “ginger ale” in the first half of the 19th century was specifically invented by Cantrell, but I do believe his flavor formula was unique at the time and the genesis for true ginger ale. Thomas Chester, in his 1882 book Carbonated Beverages, The Art of Making, Dispensing, & Bottling Soda-Water, Mineral-Waters, Ginger-Ale & Sparkling-Liquors, supports that view. “Cantrell & Cochrane, the celebrated Belfast and Dublin manufacturers, whose “aromatic ginger ale” furnishes the standard by which the products of all other makers must be estimated.” I also correct my statement that it is not provable that Grattan & Company was the original makers. If they did make ginger ale before Cantrell’s employment at the firm, most likely it was more akin to the steeped/brewed ginger-ade beverage and probably not made with a flavoring extract. But it is almost certain they were the first to use Cantrell’s extract-based formula for making true ginger ale, but it wasn’t in 1825.

Most round-bottom bottles were label-only. This example from England is circa early 1870s. Denniford’s Celebrated Ginger Ale, Russell Street, Plymouth.

Note: The earliest reference to Grattan’s claim to be the original makers May – June 2022

seems first to appear around 1871, nearly 20 years after Dr. Cantrell left Grattan & Co. Grattan must have realized just how much they missed the mark by letting Cantrell and his recipe slip out the back door. Perhaps they decided they might regain some ground on the fortune that escaped them by at least claiming they made ginger ale first and promoting that “fact” in their advertising and embossing it on their bottles. This preface to set my record straight from 30 years ago on the origins of ginger ale is now complete. The most important point is that we consider our knowledge to be true until we learn otherwise, and the learning never stops. That is the context for what follows. As a reminder, we started this ramble with this title: Facts, assumptions, and stories about round-bottom bottles: which ones stand up, and which don’t? To be clear, there are several types of bottles that do not have a flat base. This offering of “current wisdom” will focus on my area of expertise, ginger ale, but to examine the facts, assumptions, and stories about round-bottom bottles, we have to start from the beginning. (Well, not too far back; certainly not to the days of Roman amphoras.) So, what are the facts, assumptions, and stories? It is well-documented that the late 18th century and early 19th-century stoneware and glass bottles could not withstand the pressure of the new super-charged carbonated waters. Around 1795, J. Schweppe & Company was putting up soda water in stone bottles.

“I cannot procure any glass bottles which will not burst, nor any stone ones what are impervious to the fixed [carbonated] air.” It appears by his comment that the stronger English soda water bottles were not yet available in America. Rather than continuing to try to bottle his soda water, he instead began selling it at “soda fountains.” The growing popularity of “aerated waters” drove glassmakers to find a more permanent solution. The challenge was making a bottle that had a consistent thickness. Bottles that did not need to withstand high carbonation pressure could have varying thicknesses, especially those with a flat bottom. It didn’t help that early CO2 generators made it difficult to control the volume (%) of gas imparted to the water, thereby increasing the potential for dangerous explosions. The initial solution, probably based on Schweppe’s stone bottle, was an ovoid-shaped glass bottle that was described as egg-shaped. This type of bottle became known as a “Hamilton.” That name has stuck, but not for the right reason. Hamilton was not the inventor, but instead was one of the earliest to describe the form of the bottle, which he did in his patent description on making soda and other mineral waters in 1809: “I generally use a glass or earthen bottle or jar of a long, ovate form for several reasons viz not having a square bottom to stand upon it can only lie on its side, of course, no leakage of air can take place the liquid matter being always in contact with the stopper. It permits its contents to be poured out more easily and consequently with less loss of fixed air. It can be much stronger than a bottle or jar of equal weight made in the usual form and is, therefore, better adapted for packing, carriage, etc.” His patent was for his manufacturing process, not the bottle. In Olive Talbot’s comprehensive article The Evolution of Glass Bottles for Carbonated Drinks she writes this:

J. Schweppe & Co. was putting up soda water in stone bottles around 1795.

In 1802, Jacob Schweppe’s business partner, Nicholas Paul, decided that a glass bottle was far superior to stone: “A long experience, and careful comparison of results, have induced me to prefer glass bottles, notwithstanding their higher price, to the earthen ones commonly used for that purpose. My reason for this preference is that the earthen bottles, from their porous texture, are apt to let a quantity of gas escape. I have experienced, on the contrary, that mineral waters could, with proper precautions, be transported in glass bottles to the distance of three or four hundred miles by land and could bear a voyage to the East or West Indies, or indeed any voyage whatever, without being in the least injured.” Professor Benjamin Silliman of Yale University, an early soda water manufacturer in New Haven, Connecticut, made a similar observation in 1806: 46

“The first bottles specifically designed for carbonated drinks were undoubtedly ovate. The reason always given for this is that the bottles could not stand upright and were therefore kept on their sides, thus preventing the cork from drying out and allowing the gas to escape. Certainly, this precaution against upright storage was advisable when carbonated drinks were new and people were unused to the strong pressures within the liquid. Still, perhaps a more important reason for the egg shape was its basic strength. A flat-based cylinder has weak areas at the shoulders and the junction of side walls and base; if these are rounded off gently, the strength increases, but the ovate shape is still superior in its ability to withstand internal pressure. This was particularly important at a time when it was difficult to control the thickness of glass throughout the container. Also, the new egg bottles would become associated in people’s minds with the new type of drink.” The Coleraine Chronicles newspaper published this advertisement in June of 1845: “Aerated Waters, Single and Double Soda Water, per dozen... 3s [shillings]... Aerated Lemonade, Aerated Ginger Ale, Exclusive of the bottles, which are 2s per doz. and will be taken back at full price...” We don’t know if the bottles in the advertisement were egg-shaped or the flat-bottom style. But we can document that eight years later, flat-bottom and egg-shaped soda water bottles were in use concurrently for a long time. In 1853, the “Great Industrial Exhibition” catalog listed exhibitor 997: Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

The Dublin Glass Bottle Company. The entry indicated that they offered both flat-bottom and egg-shaped designs:

The Dublin Glass Bottle Co. offering both flat-bottom and egg-shaped designs, Official Catalogue for the Great Industrial Exhibition, 1853

The egg-shaped or ovoid bottle used for soda water eventually evolved into one with a rounded base. These bottles, like their predecessors, were heavy and thick, especially at the base.

Most round-bottom bottles were label-only. This embossed example is circa early 1870s. Cassin’s English Aerated Waters, Cassin Bros., San Francisco, California.

When this changeover in design began is difficult to pinpoint precisely. While some round-bottom bottles were made in Ireland, most were made in England. Some records show that this type of bottle was first used in the 1840s, with embossed examples appearing in South Australia within that time period. The bottles are known as Maugham’s patent, but again we have a misnomer as his patent pertained to the process of making Carrara Water and not the bottle. However, evidence supports that this form of round-bottom bottle was in production at least in 1845. From The Spectator, July 1845: “The title of ‘Carrara’ has been given to the new beverage on account of the Carrara marble being the source from which the purest lime is obtained and which is employed in the manufacture of the water. The bottle made use of in order to stand the great pressure is constructed on the principle of high-pressure steam boilers, viz.: -a cylinder with semi-spherical ends.”

Carrara bottle courtesy ABCR Auctions.

(Carrara water essentially was the mid-19th century version of an antacid. Modern antacids in pill form contain calcium carbonate, which is limestone. In the 1840s, the efficacy of the Carrara water as a “wonder-remedy” had mixed reviews from the medical ranks. Still, the public drank it up, and recipes for manufacturing it continued to appear into the 1880s.)

Embossed Schweppes Oxford Street, 51 Berners Street (London).

In addition to this announcement in The Spectator, Maugham’s patent for the antacid water is also referenced in a notice from the Hull Packet May – June 2022

four hundred miles by land, and could bear a voyage to the East or West Indies, or indeed any voyage whatever... ” Maugham–1809: “...can be much stronger than a bottle or jar of equal weight made in the usual form and is, therefore, better adapted for packing, carriage, etc.” (In the 19th century, one meaning of “carriage” was to transport.) London exhibition report–1878: “...they [round ended bottles] are largely used for exporting ginger ale, etc.”

newspaper, August 13, 1847, in Yorkshire, England: “Maugham’s Patent Carrara Water. Licensees under Mr. Maugham’s Patent beg to inform the Public this celebrated Water may now be obtained of all respectable Chemists, &c.” The new cylindrical bottle style took quite a while to break the egg bottle of its hold as the accepted vessel for soda water. In 1878, a soda water machinery and appliances exhibition was held in London, and a report in November of that year documented that both egg-shaped and cylindrical bottles were indeed in use at the time: “Although the egg-shaped bottle holds its ground, many mineral water manufacturers prefer the cylinder shape because the bottles pack closer together, and thus economize room and cost in cases, in consequence of which they are largely used for exporting ginger ale, etc. It is a strong shape and has a good appearance.” Further development in the design of the round-bottom bottle was also documented in that 1878 exhibition report: “Messrs. Kilner state that they have recently introduced a bottle having the same shape of body, but with the edge of the bottom rounded off and only the centre of the bottom flat, so that while retaining the strength of the round-bottom, it has the advantage of standing upright.” This bottle was sometimes referred to as a “tenpin” as its balance standing upright was easily upended. “Messrs. Kilner” referred to the Kilner Brothers glass company of northern England.” (More to follow on Kilner.) Along with the original style round-bottom bottle, English and American firms continued to use the eggshaped form into the early 20th century. Three references above mention the subject of shipping soda water products in glass bottles.

What is generally not mentioned, most likely because it was considered common knowledge at the time, is that the bottles were packed and shipped in various ways. Sailing ships, teams of horses and wagons, steamships, and railroads all carried massive amounts of goods, primarily in wooden barrels. When it came to shipping soda water bottles, the ovoid and rounded bottom shapes provided a distinct advantage: they could be packed easily in barrels, carefully nested with each other in the packing material, most likely straw. One of the assumptions made about round-bottom bottles is that the primary reason for the shape was to force bottles to be stored lying down to keep the cork wet. (Some have even suggested that one purpose of not being able to lay the bottle down ensured the contents had to be quaffed down much faster, thus increasing consumption and volume of business. Let’s relegate that idea to the category of “a story” rather than a fact.) However, so far, we have learned that the ovoid or rounded bottom glass bottle served a number of documented purposes: strength to prevent explosion, impermeability to prevent loss of carbonation, greater insurance that corks would be prevented from drying and shrinking, and last, but significantly not least, its shape afforded economical and safe handling and shipping. By 1870, millions of ginger ale bottles, both full and empty, were being shipped around the world, predominantly from Ireland and England, most certainly all in barrels or casks, as they were most frequently known. (To be clear, we are now shifting our focus to ginger ale as from 1870 on, the vast majority of round-bottom bottles were explicitly made for that product. The use of egg-shaped bottles appears to have continued, but primarily for plain soda water and some lemonades.) In the 19th century, casks were used for nearly everything from whiskey and beer to nails, flour, dried foodstuffs, and, yes, bottles of ginger ale. Casks came in many sizes, from the massive 255-gallon tun that stood over four and a half feet high to the small scuttle-butt that barely reached 18” high. Import/export records from the 1870s indicate that a “package” of ginger ale held ten dozen bottles. But what size cask would that be, and how much would it weigh?

Nicolas Paul - 1802: ...with proper precautions, be transported in glass bottles to the distance of three or The serif font of the number on the base of this bottle indicates a European bottle factory. There is a very good chance Kilner Brothers made this in England, but experts on the brothers may have more complete knowledge of mold numbers.

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

Within my collection of ginger ale bottles, the size of the round-bottom bottles coming from Ireland and England were much different from those made in America. One noticeable characteristic of the bottles from the United Kingdom was their length and circumference consistency. [Left] Bottle makers in the U.K. kept the round-bottom bottle dimensions a consistent ~ 9.25” long with a ~ 2.5” diameter. The bottle on the left is an example of an American bottler using an un-embossed bottle that most likely never made it back across the Atlantic: Pacific & Puget Sound Bottling Co. Seattle, WA. (I have seen two examples of this label-only ginger ale on this type of bottle.) [Below] Why were American round-bottom bottle sizes so inconsistent? I have no answer. From left to right: (all embossed “ginger ale”) U.S. Ginger Ale Company, Cleveland, O., Caswell Hazard & Co., New York, Sylvestre & Labregque, St. Louis, Anton Heil, Tompkinsville, S.I. (Staten Island, NY.)

Making consistent-size bottles is undoubtedly more efficient for manufacturing, but there’s more to it than that. Casks were an accepted unit of measure in commerce, and many laws on both sides of the Atlantic governed exact sizes, albeit with varying degrees of success. Buying and selling by the dozen was (and is) a convenient and accepted practice, and ten dozen equally-sized ginger ale bottles would fit in a consistently-sized cask. That made everything easier for bottlers, shippers, and wholesale customers. After doing some measuring and rough calculations, plus researching the sizes of 19th-century casks, it appears that the hogshead cask was the one that Irish and English bottlers used to ship their products around the world starting in the late 1860s. With some creative extrapolations, it appears that ten dozen bottles could be layered safely and far enough away from the side of the cask. Note: The Illinois Glass Company 1906 catalog listed a “round-bottom May – June 2022

Chapman & Jose Soda Water, Geraldton. Western Australia, Cobalt blue torpedo bottle.

sent to this port (New York) alone, inside of a single year, and the trade is steadily increasing. Here are two agents in New York who make a specialty of importing it, while such large grocers as Park & Tilford order one or two thousand dozen at a time for their own trade. So firm is which Cantrell Cochrane’s beverage has obtained on public favor that Park & Tilford sell twenty dozen to one of the only American ginger ale that appears on their price list.” In 1883, The National Bottlers’ Gazette recorded that over a five-year period from 1878 to 1882, over 5.6 million bottles of ginger ale were imported into America. That’s nearly 48,000 casks being shipped across the Atlantic, predominantly from Ireland. The bottles were mostly made in England as it is reported that by the mid-1850s, very few of Ireland’s glass bottle factories were still in production.

Unfortunately, no illustrations of “bottles packed in a cask” have surfaced. Whether the bottles were packed like this is not known. At the widest diameter of the cask, about 15-16 bottles would fit. With some creative extrapolations, it appears that ten dozen bottles could be layered safely and far enough away from the side of the cask. These drawings by the author are done to scale.

ginger ale” bottle. The dimensions happen to be nearly the same as the U.K. bottles that fit so nicely into a hogshead cask.

Ginger ale found its way to all parts of America. Consider this 1888 order from Baker & Gilbert of Virginia City, Montana made to R.C. Halliday of Dillon, Montana for one bbl. of ginger ale to be delivered by freight team. (that’s horses and wagon.) There was no railhead in Virginia City. It was a declining gold rush town, and the Great Northern railroad builders decided there was no reason to put Virginia City on the route. So, the horse and wagon were the only delivery method, and by the looks of the map, the Ruby Mountains made the trip from Dillon to Virginia City a circuitous one indeed. We don’t know if Halliday had the ginger ale shipped to Dillon (there was a railhead there) or if it was bottled locally. We can safely say it was a cask of bottles that was being delivered to Baker & Gilbert.

Freight costs by steamship were also a factor. This listing from the mid1870s documents shipping charges and weights for various casks of product. The standard abbreviation used for a cask is “bbl.” The dimensional volume of a cask of ginger ale is listed as nine cubic feet, which is nearly that of the hogshead cask.

Let’s talk numbers. Now that we have established that ginger ale was being shipped in “packages” of ten dozen bottles each, it is staggering to look at the import figures. Thomas Chester reports on the importation of Cantrell & Cochrane’s ginger ale in 1882: “The extraordinary popularity of this Belfast ginger ale appears from the fact that as high as sixty thousand dozen bottles (six thousand casks) are 50

It is difficult to tell where and who in the U.K. made these millions of bottles. A firm mentioned above was certainly one source of production—the Kilner Brothers. The John Kilner family began making bottles in 1842 in the north of England. By 1863, the business had undergone several transitions in family relations and factory locations. By 1894, the Kilner Brothers’ factory employed as many as 400 hands: men, women, and boys. Their primary product was glass jars of all sorts from the outset, but they did make soda water bottles, as indicated in the 1878 Exposition report. There are many in-depth accounts of the Kilner Glass Company but scant information on their soda water bottles. Kilner Brothers did make the bottles we are describing as a “cylinder with semi-spherical ends.” A great Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

deal of their production of these bottles was probably shipped to Ireland, where they were filled with ginger ale and exported to America. Almost all had no embossing.

This C & C bottle label wants the customer to know it’s genuinely Irish!

We can’t be entirely certain that Kilner Brothers made these consistently-sized round-bottom bottles. For those with a “blob-top” finish, we can’t tell who made them as there are no maker’s marks. However, we have better evidence for some round-bottom bottles with a crown finish. A perhaps heretofore unreported maker’s mark of “K.B.” appears on the curvature of the base of several labeled examples. The crown on these bottles is applied, not machine-made. [Far Left] Cantrell & Cochranes Ginger Ale crown-top with KB embossed base. [Left] Schuyler Delatour crown-top with KB embossed base. This American company applied their label to its English-made bottle. It could have been imported by Delatour or was a “re-use” of a bottle already on this side of the Atlantic.

This brings us to the question of why put a crown finish on a round-bottom bottle if William Painter’s 1892 invention virtually eliminated leaks, making the “lying down” requirement obsolete? Some say that consumers of ginger ale expected it to come in a round-bottom bottle; “after all, the Irish ginger ales are the best, and they always come that way...” The dimensions of the “K.B.” marked crown-top bottles are nearly identical to the blob-top style. The “no leak” crown-top finish of the bottle made no May – June 2022

“Pilgrim & Co Hamilton C.W.” Soda Water Bottle, possibly Canada, 1860-1880. Torpedo form, brilliant light to medium sapphire blue, applied heavy collared mouth - smooth base, ht. 8 inches; A rare bottle from Canada West now the province of Ontario. Generally fine condition. - Heckler

difference to the efficiency of shipping ten dozen to a cask. So, there’s one mystery of the round-bottom bottles story with perhaps a better explanation. In 1899 the Minneapolis Star Tribune remarked: “...it is worthy to note that 3,000 barrels of ginger ale of 120 bottles each, or 360,000 bottles have been sent to Manila.” (Most likely for the troops in the Philippine-American War, a war between the United States and Filipino revolutionaries.) By 1899, is it possible that all the bottles were crown-top finished? Perhaps, but it is unlikely we can confirm that. However, many American firms were using the round-bottom/crown-top combination. Some even offered both the traditional-style finish and the crown top. Either way, shipping in casks was very much in practice. American firms trying to make a dent in the Irish ginger ale “cartel” also packed their ginger ale in casks.

R. Robinson’s XXX Ginger Ale bottle, Circa 1880, 402 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, rare color!

An interesting notation is found in Thomas Chester’s 1882 book describing a modified bottle box (or crate) where there is no “bottom” to the box. Instead, a “lattice” of crosspieces suspended the bottle securely.

From Chester; “The bottles are placed in these boxes bottom upwards, their shoulders resting on the cross-pieces. This arrangement is particularly intended for bottles closed by internal gravitating stoppers, but it is also the best for corked bottles, as it keeps the corks moist and prevents the escape of the gas, past a dried and shriveled stopper. English “soda” water bottles are always made with round bottoms to ensure a position that will keep the corks wet, but American manufacturers are strangely indifferent to this important advantage, so happily secured by the bottomless box.” These pages of the Vartray Company catalog circa 1901 establish that both blob-top and crowntop finishes on round-bottom bottles, as well as the egg-shaped style, were being sold at the same time (packed in casks or cases).

Note this from the New York Sun, June of 1898: “Almost half a million old bottles are handled every day by a single firm in New York City. Most of them are wine and beer bottles, but there are also hundreds of bottles used for catsup and other table sauces. The mineral waters furnish a large proportion of the full numbers. None of these bottles was washed or cleaned by the firm that collects them, but they must not be old and “gummy,” or they will not be accepted. They are shipped all over this country, and a good many of them are sent back to Europe. Those reshipped across the water are mostly ginger ale bottles sent to Ireland...” It would not be a stretch to conclude those coming and going overseas were in casks. There are just a few questions left in this ramble. What about all those flat-bottom blob-top ginger ale bottles from the 1870s to 1890s that were closed with corks? (I have over 120 in my collection; all embossed “ginger ale.”) What prevented their corks from drying out if they weren’t kept “lying down?” And there are many hundreds more cork-closure soda bottles than just those marked ginger ale; how were they shipped?

Were the American ginger ales in flat-bottomed bottles shipped to and consumed by more locally based customers in a very brisk business, where keeping the cork wet was not a time-sensitive problem? It is indeed surprising that Mr. Chester noted bottlers in America did not use the bottomless box. Could his “current wisdom” in 1882 have been inaccurate? However, in support of his view, other references to the bottomless box are so far not showing up in the documents of the period. So, we have an open question, and surely not the only one stirred up by this ramble. Finally, there is the notion that these bottles shaped like a “cylinder with semi-spherical ends” were considered useful as ballast in ships’ holds. To address this assumption or story, a short primer on “ballast” is needed. If you have ever stepped onto a rowboat or small sailboat, you may remember the first thing you had to do to prevent going overboard or tipping everyone else into the drink was to find your balance. To keep the boat steady, one would immediately aim to distribute his/her weight evenly across the boat’s width, usually by straddling the center with legs equally distanced. The name “torpedo” was applied by some to all round-bottom bottles; it is more correctly applied to the “eggshaped” style. Image courtesy eBay seller.

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Essentially, that is the function of ballast in a ship’s hold. The balanced weight below decks helped prevent disastrous lateral pitch and roll in heavy seas.

Postcard is canceled Times Square Station, 1909. That has to be a round-bottom bottle, right?

There are accounts floating around that the bottles were actually laid on their sides in the hold. Here is one such story about “ballast bottles” that doesn’t make a lot of sense any which way you read it! The name “torpedo” was applied by some to all round-bottom bottles—it is more correctly applied to the “egg-shaped” style. Ballast could be a cargo of a certain weight or other material which could be offloaded when more valuable cargo was to be picked up. These materials could include sand, gravel, iron bars, or anything that would not easily shift in the hold. If any bottles were to be used as ballast, they would certainly be packed in casks. The notice of freight costs above states that a cask of ten dozen ginger ale bottles would weigh 2 cwt, 14 lbs. That converts to 238 lbs. Just 500 casks of full ginger ale bottles would make nearly 60 tons, a significant weight in a ship’s hold. Loading cargo and or ballast was a critical task and needed to be performed with exacting discipline. Because of their shape, easy handling, and consistent sizes, casks were particularly efficient for stowage. While there were different methods to stow casks, the most common was called “bilge and cantline.” Pieces of wood or billets were placed on the floor, where the lowest tier of casks would rest. This method supported the widest part (bilge) of the cask and kept them from being crushed under the weight of the casks above. A cantline is the v-shaped space between two abutting, parallel horizontal cylinders. This arrangement distributed the weight of the casks evenly against each other and stabilized their lateral movement.

Bottle images: Except where noted, all are from the author’s collection. SOURCES (in ascending date order): The Repertory of Arts, Manufacturers, and Agriculture, Volume 16, Second Series, Notice of all patents granted for inventions, London, (1810) British Newspaper Archive, clips from 1825-1847 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk Official Catalog of The Great Industrial Exhibition In Connection With The Royal Dublin Society (1853) Godey's Lady's Book, Godey, Louis, Edited by Sarah Josepha Hale, Philadelphia (1863)

Bilge and cantline cask stowage pattern (after K. Smith 2009 and Staniforth 1987)

The “story” that ginger ale round-bottom bottles were used as ballast may be partially true, but perhaps not as one might have imagined. There were many other options for ballast, but certainly any casks of empty bottles being shipped, either to be filled or being returned to the bottler, would not have been heavy enough to be effective ballast at the bottom of the ship’s hold. More likely, the casks of empties would be placed on the top tiers of the load or above other forms of ballast. We can call them “ballast” bottles, but they haven’t truly earned the name. It is very likely that a fact, assumption, or story about round-bottom bottles has been overlooked in this offering of current wisdom. However, I will leave the digital diggers to find new information that may clarify or improve this article and to see what stands up and what doesn’t. The information and observations gathered herein rely on the accuracy of what was understood at the time, who wrote it down, and where. That applies to us chroniclers of today, the historians who came before, and also those who will follow.

May – June 2022

Carbonated beverages. The art of making, dispensing, & bottling soda-water, mineral-waters, ginger-ale & sparkling-liquors, Chester, Thomas, Copyright 1882 by John Mathews, New York. The National Bottlers’ Gazette, New York, 1882-1932 A Treatise On Beverages or The Complete Practical Bottler, Sulz, C. H., (1888) “Glass Imports and Exports,” National Glass Budget. (May 15, 1916) Soda Water Apparatus Book of Directions for Bottlers, James W. Tufts. Unknown Edition, (ca. 1890) An Economic History of Ireland since 1660. By L.M. Cullen. London, (1972) A History of Glassmaking. Douglas, R.W., Henley-on-Thames, (1972) The Evolution of Glass Bottles for Carbonated Drinks, Post-Medieval Archaeology, 8:1, 29-62, Olive Talbot (1974) The First Irish Industrial Exhibition: Cork 1852, Irish Economic and Social History, Vol. 2, Davies, A.C., (1975) The Casks from the Wreck of the William Salthouse. The Australian Journal of Historical Archaeology 5:21-28. Staniforth, Mark (1987) Comparative Analysis of Cask Material from Late 16th Through Early 19th Century Shipwrecks, thesis, Smith, Kimberly M., (2009) Historic Glass Bottle Identification & Information Website, (2020) Bill Lindsey* et al., *Mr. Bill Lindsey was kind to review this article, applying his knowledge and academic skills.

Tennessee Bottle Collectors Area

Antique Bottle & Advertising Show 21 & 22 October 2022

Free Appraisals! Advertising, Signs, Soda, Beer, Hutches, Bitters, Medicines, Milk, Whiskey, Jars, ACL’s, Blobs etc.

Wilson County Fairgrounds

945 E. Baddour Pkwy, Lebanon, Tennessee 37087 Building E-D behind Expo Center (I-40 Exit 239B)

Bring the Entire Family!

Dealer Set up: Fri. 1pm–7pm Sat. 7–8am

Show Chairmen:

Early Buyers: Fri. 3pm–7pm $20 Admission

Stanley Word 615-708-6634

Saturday: 8am–2pm FREE ADMISSION !

Greg Eaton 865-548-3176

Contact chairmen for contracts or show information

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

May – June 2022

A fruit jar covered with Brownies There was a tough fight, Mike Beardsley lost...and he Balled Boxing match introduction by Ralph Finch Mike Beardsley of Chittenango, N.Y., comes from a family of jar collectors. His late father, the great Leigh Beardsley, once dealt with some of the best jars ever found or sold, and his lovely mother, Mary, has a great collection of early baking soda jars. With that background, Mike has sent an interesting letter of his most recent find:

Later, Mike added:

“Boy, I turned up something that is right up your alley, I think. Is this very unusual fruit jar box beyond cool—if it is real? The graphics are insane—little brownies running off with Ball or Mason fruit jars and prying the lid off the box. It was likely symbolizing jar breakage in shipment, which I guess Best Package felt they solved. Bizarre.

With such cool (and humorous) graphics, I’m kind of surprised that more of these did not survive.

The problem is, I can’t find any information about the company, the logo, etc. I even thought this might be a Victorian ‘fantasy’ piece, but a stencil clearly created the design, and I can’t see anyone going to that much trouble for a joke. I’m in a heated battle for this beat-up box (one side is cracked, no lid, etc.). I’ll let you know if I am lucky enough to get it. Have you ever seen this before? It sure blew me away.

I contacted Jerry McCann and Greg Spurgeon. Both confirmed that this is the real deal. Jerry had never seen or heard of the box, but he knew of Ball’s efforts to make Best Package shipping boxes.

When I was a kid, I had an old book that featured the antics of the Brownies, so I recognized them right off the bat. This item is in a local, rural auction. I was kind of hoping that the box wouldn’t draw much attention. Fat chance! Last night I got outbid at $500. Yikes—it seems like a lot for an old, busted box, but it may be kind of a ‘Holy Grail’ for a Ball collector. I took a pause at bidding, but I’m not throwing in the towel yet. I’ll let you know the outcome of the battle of the box—hope it doesn’t turn into a blood bath. I replied: Maybe not a blood bath, maybe just—jarring. And, on Jan. 1, Mike started the year with a downer, explaining: Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

“Just to close the loop, I lost out on the Ball Brownie box. I went to $1,800, and it sold for $1,920 with buyer’s premium. Not bad for a beat-up fruit jar box!” On Jan. 6, Mike concluded: “Here are a few more shots of the Ball Brownie box. Once the bidding got heated, my auctioneer friends felt that they should take some pictures of the ends of the box. The box end is interesting in that the jar shown is a Mason jar—not a Ball jar. Jerry (McCann) found that the Minnetrista Heritage Collection* does contain one of these boxes, so this one was not unique... only insanely rare. Canadian author and illustrator Palmer Cox introduced his cartoonish ‘Brownies’ in 1887, and they stayed popular into the 1920s. Eastman Kodak named their first portable camera after them. Apparently, Elizabeth Ball (daughter of G.A. Ball), was a fan of the Brownies, and their drawings have been found in her papers. Her fondness of the Brownies may have inspired Ball to put them on one of their Best Package boxes. The message to the public may have been that the Ball patented boxes would protect your jars even from the mischievous Brownies. This box was discovered in a cellar in Cazenovia, N.Y. The homeowners had dumpsters waiting in the yard to throw out anything that the auctioneers didn’t take. The auctioneer has a great eye for the unusual, especially advertising. He was surprised at the thinness of the box walls and wondered how this could have provided much protection to the jars? Needless to say, the auctioneers were blown away at the final sale price. I bid $1,800 (with buyer’s premium), and $1,920 won the day. The box is being shipped out of state. My auctioneer friend wouldn’t share what the winning bidder submitted to secure the box, but he did say that I had a long way to go to beat his bid. Oh well, it was fun to learn about this box and to dream of perhaps owning it—so much for dreaming.” A few years ago, Mike recalled his family’s early jar collecting days: “Decades ago, my Dad (Leigh Beardsley), and I discovered the first Griswold Fruit Jar (RB 1156), the first Mansfield ‘Hat on a jar’ (RB 1618), and my wife and I turned up the first X-Ray Fruit Jar (RB 3383). We were ‘scouts’ for Alice Creswick, as it were— and a pristine S. B. Dewey Fruit Jar from Rochester, N.Y. for 50 cents. Shortly after, his dad got a Dr. Ramsey jar. Dad was true to his word about not being a fruit jar collector. He never saved a single jar for himself. The really wonderful collection of colored Mason jars was a collection that I put together over the years. I finally reluctantly parted with a black glass, a breath-taking Real, etc. That collection and an F. A. Bunnell Empire jar from Syracuse were the only jars I kept for myself.” May – June 2022

And Mike added: “In my humble opinion, your writings are the best part of AB&GC magazine. Love your humor, insights, and your easy-going style which are a true pleasure. I hope the new group realizes what you have meant to the magazine over the years and what a strong fan base you have among collectors!” Editor’s note: Chittenango, now with a population of 5,081, started in 1825, joining Buffalo on Lake Erie with Albany, the capital of New York, and the Hudson River. The Erie Canal passes just north of the village. When incorporated in 1842, the village contained 900-1,000 inhabitants, 180 dwellings, three churches, the Yates Polytechnic Institute, a large woolen factory, two large water lime factories, one flouring mill, three taverns, and ten stores. Has anyone dug behind where those taverns were? And: The Chittenango Pottery Co., largely owing its early success to its location near the Chittenango Landing, was established in 1897. After burning down twice, the present, now-abandoned brick structure, was erected. After years of neglect and disrepair, the building was demolished in 2015. The Chittenango Pottery and nearby St. Paul’s Church are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Also: Chittenango holds a three-day annual festival called Oz-Stravaganza!, formerly called OzFest, to celebrate the literary works of author L. Frank Baum, who was born in Chittenango on May 15, 1856. The children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was published on May 17, 1900. The weekend-long festival, usually held during the first weekend of June, has a parade saluting the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz. To this, I asked Mike: Did you ever participate in the parade? He explained:

“No, but our kids have when they were small. It is quite the event. Chittenango used to be the annual gathering spot for all of the surviving Munchkins. It was fun to have them here signing autographs (for a price) and kissing babies.” (pre-COVID). We tried to get Judy, but she moved; same with Jack and Ray. Snobs! The Munchkins are all gone now. We thought about stuffing one or two and mounting one on the front of a Buick convertible in the parade, but New York State regulations prohibit parade Buicks. Drat. The event doesn’t have the sizzle it used to after they cut out the beer tent. No sense of humor. Nothing like a bunch of drunk little people and Ozofiles.” Mike, I once went to Greenville, Ohio—maybe 15 years ago—to the Annie Oakley Festival weekend. It really was nice, a big-time, small-town festival. I have collected a few stuffed items but no Munchkins; taxidermy items seemed big in Victorian England. Also: Mike, your story reminds me: My sweet Janet, as a child, got thrown out of Brownies! Honest. It’s a sweet story, something about a philosophical debate over the proper way to make marshmallow cookies (s’mores). *FYI: From the Internet: The Minnetrista Heritage Collection in Muncie, Ind., preserves (pardon the pun) and provides access to all sorts of “materials documenting the history of the Ball Co., Ball family, and the East Central Indiana region. Comprised of 15,000 objects and 1,800 linear feet of archival materials, Minnetrista’s museum collection includes Ball company records and an extensive holding of Ball jars and Ball products.”

May – June 2022

Read and see more in the FOHBC Virtual Museum.

[left] “Tippecanoe” – “North Bend” Historical Cabin Bottle, probably Mount Vernon Glass Works, Vernon, New York, circa 1840. GVII-1. This rare bottle was recently found in a home in South Carolina. A historically important and awe-inspiring bottle according to a recent Heckler auction.

[above] 2,000-Year-Old Roman bowl discovered intact in the Netherlands unearthed in the Dutch city of Nijmegen. The blue glass artifact was in pristine condition. Archaeologists working at a dig in the Dutch city of Nijmegen uncovered this well-preserved, 2,000-year-old blue glass bowl late last year, reports Anne Nijtmans for Dutch newspaper de Gelderlander. The palm-sized dish had survived centuries buried underground, remaining perfectly intact with little to no wear. January 28, 2022, Smithsonian Magazine

[left] DALLAS—This jersey was worn by Mickey Mantle when he played his final game as a New York Yankee on September 28, 1968. It sold for $2.19 million to lead Heritage Auctions’ February 26-27 Winter Platinum Night Sports Auction. That’s the highest price ever paid at auction for a Mantle jersey, shattering the previous record of $1.32 million set at Heritage Auctions in August 2018.

[right] Have you ever wondered why these tall cylindrical bottles are referred to as “Willington Blueberry Jars.” The jars are attributed by family history to the Willington Glass Works in West Willington, Connecticut, circa 1840 to 1870. A grouping of these bottles was found around 1820 in the vicinity of the glassworks, with a few of the bottles still containing blueberry preserves. [left] One of 13 Grimaldi Venuses found at the Balzi Rossi caves in northern Italy, this female statuette stands 2.4 inches tall and is about 24,000 years old. National Archaeology Museum, Saint-Germain-enLaye, France. A second example is also pictured.

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

Lost & Found

[left] This Dürer drawing bought for $30 at a yard sale is worth more than $10 million, experts say. The 16th century drawing, by one of the key figures of the German Renaissance, has been valued in excess of $10 million after it was initially purchased at a yard sale in 2017. According to Agnews Gallery–the London auction house in possession of the artwork–Albrecht Dürer, who died in 1528, is regarded as both the greatest German artist of his time and as one of the most important artists and intellectuals of the European Renaissance. Published 3rd February 2022, Agnews Gallery.

[left] Most examples of this GII-15 Geometric Inkwell seem to turn up in New York and Pennsylvania leading some glass historians to suggest the Mt. Vernon Glass Co. as the source. This attribution has now been revised to the Kensington and Dyottville Glass Works in Philadelphia due to the numerous shards of the inkwell uncovered during the I-95 construction project. Many were in a partial completion or “worked” state by a gaffer, offering irrefutable evidence that they were produced there.

[above] This “BOGARDUS GLASS BALLS – STOLBERGER GLASHUTTEN A.G.,” is interesting as it is probably the rarest of the Bogardus embossed balls and one of only four known examples. They were all dug on a castle grounds outside of Paris, France.

[below] I’m very lucky to have come across my druggist bottle example at a yard sale of all places. This was probably close to 28 years ago now. Anyway, you can probably make out the embossing clear enough, but just in case, it’s COLUMBIAN PHARMACY 461 STATE ST. PERTH AMBOY, N.J. Since I’m from NJ, this was a very spectacular find for me. - Chris Eib

[above] In south Brooklyn, Dead Horse Bay has been a destination for those seeking antique treasures amid a melange of seaside refuse. But now, authorities have shut down the southern end of the park, which sits atop a former landfill, after finding radioactive waste mixed in among the glittering shards of green, brown and clear glass spread across its beach. Dead Horse Bay gets its unsavory-sounding name from the numerous horse-rendering plants that operated along its marshy shoreline from the 1850s until the 1930s. - Smithsonian Magazine

May – June 2022

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

Sunday, May 15, 2022, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, rain or shine, Set-up 7:00 am to 9:00 am

No admission cost! Batsto Village, Wharton State Forest, RT 542 Pleasant Mills Road, Hammonton, New Jersey 08037

For information: Jim Hammell, Hammelljm@gmail.com, (856) 217-4945

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

Santa Rosa Veteran’s Building 1351 Maple Ave Santa Rosa, CA

Saturday Sept.17, 2022

10 am–12 pm early bird $10.00 12 pm-4 pm General $3.00

Sunday Sept. 18, 2022 9 am – 2 pm Free admission

Buy – Sell – Trade – Raffle Prizes Contact Show Chairman for dealer info: johncburton@msn.com Member of FOHBC

707-523-1611

May – June 2022

Member Photos A collection of spectacular and inspiring photographs from around the world and around the web. Please feel free to submit your images for consideration.

Fishing Floats Mike Lehman Last Couple of Shows - Mike Seeliger

Adams & Co. No. 140 (OMN) Wildflower 7.5” Open Compote Rick Ciralli Two bottles by J. Rohrer of Lancaster, Pennsylvania - Greg Price

A beautifully proportioned vase and ball. I “lean” towards Pittsburgh! Barry Hogan

Lancaster, Ohio Beers - Gary Beatty

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

Member Photos

Some of my Queens Dave Kyle

Spiritschweppes´snow outside the Wunderkammer, January 20th 22, Potsdam - Hans-Jürgen Krackher First saw a pontiled puff roughly 30 years ago and immediately fell in love. Over the years we have kept those of unusual form that were found locally. Some were likely blown at the nearby Lake Dunmore Glass Factory(s). - Jeff & Holly Noordsy

Extremely Rare EAPG piece–the Russian Sleigh Rick Ciralli

A geometric salt and an 1837 Pepperbox - Bobby B. Luthi

May – June 2022

Grapes anyone? Steve Lowry

Uncaptioned John Joiner

Classified Ads

ADVERTISE FOR FREE: Free “FOR SALE” advertising in each issue of Antique Bottle & Glass Collector (AB&GC). One free “WANTED” ad in AB&GC per year each renewal. DEALERS: Sell your bottles in the Antique Bottle & Glass Collector. Change the bottles and your ad is free month after month. Include your website in your ad to increase traffic to your site. Send all advertisement info to FOHBC Business Manager, Elizabeth Meyer, FMG Design, Inc., 101 Crawford, Studio 1A, Houston, Texas 77002 or best, email to: fohbcmembers@ gmail.com

FOR SALE FOR SALE: 1840s 10-sided cobalt blue iron pontil Heiss’ Superior Soda Or Mineral Waters, Clean $475, 1860s G.W. Merchant Lockport N.Y. Teal, hinge mold, light scratches $100, 1860s round blue Stearns, hinge mold, 7”, clean $150, Keith Yunger, text 706.970.0283, kyunger73@gmail.com 05/01/22 FOR SALE: The 2018 updated Poison Bottle Workbook by Rudy Kuhn. Price $71 plus $7 media mail USA. Contact Joan Cabaniss for postage out of the United Stares. Email: jjcab@b2xonline.com. Phone: 540.297.4498. Make check or money order out to Joan Cabaniss, 312 Summer Lane, Huddleston, Virginia 24104. 05/01/22 FOR SALE: My mother collected infant feeders for over 30 years; she had over 300. Now that she has passed, I want to get rid of them. Sadly, however, no one around here wants them. I would be willing to let them go for $1-5 each. However, due to their weight, it would probably be cheaper, and less damage, if someone picked them up. If anyone has any interest in getting some, or all, please contact me, Kenneth M. Lowe, Jr. 2920 Adam Keeling Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23454-1001, Tele: 757.965.2225, KML500A@cox.net. 05/01/22

WANTED WANTED: BLACK HAWK, COLORADO Th. Crook Sky Light whiskey flask. I will pay $10,000 for a half-pint coffin or a pint coffin or a pint shoofly. Flask must be in mint condition and delivered to Colorado. Other Black Hawk bottles might be of interest if not already owned. Contact: David D. Spellman at spellmand@centurylink.net 01/01/23

WANTED: New members to join the St Louis Antique Bottle Collectors Association. We meet at the Kirkwood Community Center, Room 302, 111 S. Geyer Rd, Kirkwood, Missouri, 1st Tuesdays (except July when we don’t meet) at 6:30pm. Always a lively discussion. Patsy Jett, Show Chair, 314.570.6917 11/01/22

WANTED: Pontiled Vermont bottles. Contact: David Mosher, Email: dachamo@comcast. net 05/01/22

WANTED: In search of Reed’s Pharmacy Bottles from Atlantic City, New Jersey. Chris Myer, direct cel: 732.814.1450, Shore Antique Center, Allenhurst, NJ 732.531.4466. 05/01/22

WANTED: Blob sodas from Central Illinois. Also, beer bottles from Peoria, Illinois. Contact: Jim Searle 309.346.7804 or Email: skyjames962@gmail.com 05/01/22

WANTED: Rare Dr. Kilmer examples (such as sample bottles of Cough Cure or Female Remedy) or any examples with contents/boxes/ circulars. Also, rare cobalt “Extract of Witch Hazel, 8” (see Adams’ Bottle Collecting in New England, page 30). Also, if anyone has the prices realized list from the 1976 Charles Vuono auction, I would greatly appreciate it if they would scan it and email it to me. Mike, maleect@aol.com (preferred) or 623.440.1929.

WANTED: Williamsport, PA – all rare bottles from Williamsport, PA including labeled, colored hutches/squats from Muncy, Watsontown, Lock Haven, Lewisburg, Milton, Jersey Shore, Renovo, Bloomsburg, Berwick, Danville. Dr Porter bottles from Towanda, PA. Minnequa Springs bottles from Canton, PA/Bradford County. Also, blue decorated crocks from Williamsport PA such as Slpe, Moore, Nichols, Hobart, or Rexford & Gordon. Contact: Bob Kane 570.220.5982. 05/01/22

05/01/22

WANTED: I collect Route 66 Illinois. Looking for bottles clearly showing location for the following Illinois towns: Berwyn, McCook, Countryside, Willowbrook, Plainfield, Romeoville, Elwood, Godley, Odell, Cayuga, Chenoa, Ocoya, Lexington, Towanda, Normal, Shirley, Funks Grove, McClean, Lawndale, Broadwell, Elkhart, Williamsville, Sherman, Glenarm, Divernon, Farmersville, Waggoner, Mt Olive, Livingston, Hamel, Mitchell, Granite City, Fairmont City, Chatham, Auburn, Thayer, Girard, Nilwood, Carlinville, Benld. Any type of bottle acceptable. Also looking for a copy of Bottled in Illinois by Walthall and Farnsworth. Please send photo(s) and price desired to smkpromo@yahoo.com, Susanna Karbowski. 05/01/22

WANTED: North Jersey Sodas, Hunterdon and Somerset County bottles, picture beers, sodas and Hutches. Contact: Ray Buch, 908.735.5014. 05/01/22 WANTED: Dr. Ball’s Vegetable Stomach Bitters, O.P., Mint. Contact: Michael Willbanks, 179 Cottage Street, New Bedford, MA 02740; Phone: 508.542.2750 05/01/22 WANTED: Authentic bottle or jug with name Morton on it. This was my father’s name. No preference as to size of any item. Contact Darlene Furda: Email: dfurda@roadrunner.com or landline: 818 889.5451. 05/01/22

WANTED: “Dr. Leroy’s Antidote to Malaria Morris Illinois” Russ Sineni, 815.501.6820 or bottlenut@aol.com 05/01/22

WANTED: I seek to offer in trade following Antique Early 19th Century PA Coal Region stone bottles, one from a Pottsville brewery and the other Shamokin. Large early large lip bottles. Also, seek in trade certain Weissport PA bottle. I do not have certain early bitters, Amber Wishart’s Pine Tree bottle and others. Contact: David and Joann of Limerick, PA area, Email: cestia777@gmail.com 05/01/22 WANTED: For research project: Vermont drugstore bottles: JERICHO DRUG STORE / JERICHO, VT and also, DR. W.S. NAY / UNDERHILL, VT. Also want genuine Colorado Territory map. Thanks. Don Fritschel, donfritschel@gmail.com 05/01/22 WANTED: Hobble skirt embossed Coca-Cola bottles: 1915s, 1923s, 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. 07/01/22 WANTED: U.S.A. Hospital Dept. and any pre1866 embossed food bottles, mustards, early Baltimore, Wheeling, D.C., Alexandria sodas, beers, (stoneware or glass) damage free. Bruce, cwaddic@yahoo.com, 703.307.7792. 12/01/22 WANTED: Colored Illinois and Missouri Sodas. Also Colored Fruit Jars. Top $$$ Paid. Call, text or email. Steve Kehrer, email: kehrer00@gmail.com, 618.410.4142. 03/01/23

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

Classified Ads

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, email: jestar484@verizon.net, 215.248.4612. 06/01/22 WANTED: CABINS such as: GV11 2 Harrison Tippecanoe Cabin, P132 Prairie Plantation Bitters, W160 Woodgates Bitters, M42 Martins Bermuda Bitters, C698 Pottery Ink, C675 Cabin Ink, L62 Lediard 1863 OK Plantation (no lettering), Wiggs Bros. Cabin, Roehlling & Schultz Cabin, George Ohr Pottery Cabin, Bennington Pottery Cabin, “The Log Cabin” Portland, OR, Bob Terry, 303.569.2502, email: llterryualusa@yahoo.com 12/01/22 WANTED: Harley bottles of West Chester, Pa. and Philadelphia, Pa. The West Chester bottles (3) display either J. Harley, James Harley or E.M. Harley. The Phila. Bottles (4) display Edwd. Harley, Schul (Schuylkill) 4th & Market St., Philada or E. Harley, 802 Market St. or E. Harley, West Market St. or Edw. Harley, 1838 Market St., Phila. Bob Harley, email: rwh220@yahoo.com, Phone: 215.721.1107 12/22 PERMANENT WANT: OWL DRUG bottles, tins, boxes, paper, anything from the Owl Drug Company. Marc Lutsko, letsgo@montanasky. net, 406.293.6771, Box 97, Libby, MT 59923 TOP DOLLAR paid 01/01/23

WANTED: Buy-Sell-Trade fruit jars and parts, lids, metal pieces, etc. One piece or a collection. Dave Eifler, 269.362.1302, 4043 Wildon Ct., Buchanan, MI 49107. 05/03/21 WANTED: Volunteers to help the FOHBC. Help our organization stay strong by writing an article, volunteering at the upcoming Reno 22 Show, be a magazine proofreader or a Virtual Museum researcher. Post on our social media sites and share our posts. There are many ways you can help. Donations to our non-profit organization are always accepted. Thank you. 01/01/23

SHOWS, STOPS & SERVICES NEEDING: Historical pictures for the online FOHBC Research Library. 03/01/23

REMEMBER: Please keep up with your membership to avoid interrupted service. A SPECIAL SHOUT-OUT & THANK YOU: Alice Seeliger and Bill Baab are the FOHBC magazine proofreaders. This behind-thescenes task is immense and could not be more professionally done. 05/01/22 WARNER COLLECTORS: Mike and Alice Seeliger and Mike and Kathie Craig are planning a trip to the UK to the Summer National show there in July of this year. They will be giving a seminar on Warner to the collectors attending the show, meet other Warner collectors and get more information for Mike’s Warner book. They are looking forward to the trip and will bring lots of photos back of the English collections. 03/01/22

CA LL F OR HIS TOR ICA L IMA GES The FOHBC, led by board member Michael Seeliger, has started a major new initiative to preserve our history. We would like your assistance in locating potentially long-lost images before it is too late as they could potentially be forgotten forever. We are looking for photographs, either in black and white or color, of the great collections, collectors, bottle shows and displays of yesteryear. Our goal is to gather, enhance and index this material digitally and make it available to our members and collectors for generations to come.

WANTED: Collectors of all good, colored glass. Crude and mint. Eastern or Western. Hair, Inks, Meds, Bitters, Pickles and Pepper Sauces. Also collect Red Wing and Blue White Stoneware. Ed & Tami Barber, 425.941.5620, etwcb4@comcast.net, 05/01/22 WANTED: Native Southern Californian still needs the sample bottle embossed, FIRST WATER FROM LOS ANGELES AQUADUCT NOV 5th 1913. It celebrated the opening of the 235-mile aqueduct from Owens Valley to L.A. and spawned one of the most aggressive growth spurts ever! PS: When in Montrose, Colorado, visit Richard Fikes Museum of the Mountain West–outstanding bottle collection. It was the highlight of our trip last summer. Marty Vollmer, 803.629.8553, martyvollmer@aol.com, 05/01/22 WANTED: Bliss Bottles and go-withs also Speta Milk Bottles and go-withs from Cleveland, Ohio. Bruce Bliss, 814.765.5911, 05/01/22

May – June 2022

Send photos to: Michael Seeliger We prefer images in digital format, jpg or pdf format, or original photos that we will scan and archive, or return. Please specify. The highest resolution possible. Please caption each image. If you know of anyone who may have some of these images, like club historians, or old collectors, please let them know or provide contact info for them. We are also looking for older bottles books to scan and archive on our web sites. Thank you.

N8211 Smith Road Brooklyn, Wisconsin 53521 mwseeliger@gmail.com 608.575.2922

Sho-Biz Calendar of Shows FOHBC Sho - Biz is published in the interest of the hobby. Federation-affiliated clubs are indicated in red. Information on upcoming collecting events is welcome, but space is limited. Please send at least three months in advance, including telephone number to: FOHBC Sho-Biz, c/o Business Manager: Elizabeth Meyer, 101 Crawford Street, Studio 1A, Houston, Texas 77002; phone: 713.504.0628; email: fohbcmembers@gmail.com Show schedules are subject to change. Please call before traveling long distances. All listings published here will also be published on the FOHBC.org website.

22 & 23 April 2022 – Antioch, California The Golden Gate Historical Bottle Society’s 54th Annual Bottles, Antiques & Collectibles Show, Early Buyers: Friday 12 pm – 5 pm, $10 Admission; General Admission: Saturday 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, Free. Contra Costa Event Park (Fairgrounds), Sunset Hall, 1201 West 10th Street, Antioch, California 94509. Info: Gary and Darla Antone, 925.373.6758, packrat49er@netscape.net, FOHBC Member Club 23 April 2022 – Columbia, South Carolina The South Carolina Bottle Club’s 49th Annual Show & Sale, 206 Jamil Rd. Columbia, South Carolina 29210, 166 Tables last year with room to grow! Dodged Easter and The Masters this year! Saturday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Donation At The Door Suggested, Dealer Only Set-Up 7:00 am to 9:00 am, Jamil Shrine Temple, Contact: Marty Vollmer 803.629.8553, martyvollmer@aol.com or Art Gose 803.840.1539, scbottlehunters@gmail.com, FOHBC Member Club 24 April 2022 – Morgantown, West Virginia Dunkard Valley Antique Bottle WV Stoneware Show & Sale, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm; Early buyers 7:30 am, $25. Both inside and outside vendor spaces are available! Monongalia County Extension Services & 4H Center, 270 Mylan Park Lane, Morgantown, WV 26501, Contact: Don Kelley, 724.998.2734, bonzeyekelley@gmail.com 24 April 2022 – Rochester, New York 51st Annual GVBCA Rochester Bottle & Antique Show, Roberts Wesleyan College, Voller Athletic Center, 2301 Westside Drive, Rochester, New York 14624, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, Admission $5. 17 and Under FREE, Show and Dealer Inquires: Aaron and Pamela Weber gvbca@frontiernet.net 585.749.8874, FOHBC Member Club 01 May 2022 – Marcy, New York 26th Annual Utica Bottle Show & Sale, Hosted by the Mohawk Valley Antique Bottle Club, at the Utica Maennerchor, 5535 Flanagan Road, Marcy, New York 13403, Info: Peter Bleiberg at 315.735.5430 or email pmbleiberg@ aol.com, www.mohawkvalleybottleclub.com, FOHBC Member Club 07 May 2022 – Mansfield, Ohio 43rd Mansfield Antique Bottle Show, Hosted by the Ohio Bottle Club, at the Richland County Fairgrounds, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, Early admission, May 6, 2:00 to 6:00 pm. Info: Matt Lacy at 440.228.1873 or email info@antiquebottlesales.com or Louis Fifer at 330.635.1964, fiferlouis@yahoo.com, FOHBC Member Club 07 May 2022 – Gray, Tennessee State of Franklin Antique Bottles & Collectible Assoc. hosting Can & Toy Collectors Annual Show & Sale, Saturday, May 7th, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, Appalachian Fairground, 100 Lakeview Street, Gray, Tennessee 37615, Exit 13 on I-216, No Early Admission. sfabca.com, FOHBC Member Club

13 & 14 May 2022 – Kent, Washington Washington Bottle & Collector’s Antique Bottle & Collectible Show, Kent Commons Community Center, 525 4th Ave N, Kent, Washington, 98032. Admission Free, Early Admission $5, Friday, May 13th Noon – 5:00 pm & Saturday, May 14th, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. Info: Pete Hendricks, 253.335.1732, shannoncora@msn.com, or Mark Nelson, FOHBC Member Club 14 May 2022 – Gardendale, Alabama 2nd Annual Alabama Bottle & Antique Show (10 minutes north of Birmingham) 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, Free Admission and Appraisals, Dealer Set-Up: 7:00 am to 9:00 am, Early Buyers: 8:00 am to 9:00 am ($20), Tables are $35 each. Contact: Keith Quinn, 205.365.1983, klq1812@gmail.com or Steve Holland 205.492.6864. Visit on Facebook at Alabama Bottle Collectors’ Society, FOHBC Member Club 15 May 2022 – Washington, Pennsylvania Washington County Antique Bottle Club 48th Annual Show and Sale, Alpine Star Lodge, 735 Jefferson Avenue, Washington, Pennsylvania 15301, Admission $3, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, Info: Ed Kuskie, 412.405.9061, 352 Pineview Drive, Elizabeth, Pennsylvania 15037, bottlewizard@comcasat.net, FOHBC Member Club 15 May 2022 – Hammonton, New Jersey 2022 Spring Bottle Show at Batsto Village by Batsto Citizens Committee, Inc., 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, rain or shine! Free admission! Historic Batsto Village, Wharton State Forest, Rt. 542 Pleasant Mills Road, Hammonton, New Jersey, See Press Release online. Contact Info: Jim Hammell, 856.217.4945, hammelljm@gmail.com 20 & 21 May 2022 – Adamstown, Pennsylvania Shupp’s Grove Bottle Festival, Sat & Sun, 6:00 am to dusk, early buyers Friday, 3:00 pm, The famous “Shupp’s Grove,” 607 Willow Street, Reinholds, Pennsylvania 17569, Contact Info: Steve Guion, 717.371.1259. william03301956@gmail.com 22 May 2022 – Somers, Connecticut Somers Antique Bottle Club’s Antique Bottle Show and Sale, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm., Admission $3, Early buyers: 8:00 am $15. Joanna’s Restaurant, 145 Main St., Rte 190, Somers, Connecticut. Contact: Don Desjardins, 22 Anderson Road, Ware, Massachusetts 01082, 413.967.4431 or 413.687,4808, dondes@comcast.net, FOHBC Member Club 05 June 2022 – Ballston Spa, New York The National Bottle Museum presents the 42nd Annual Saratoga Antique Bottle Show & Sale, 9:00 am to 2:30 pm; early admission 8:00 am, $20, Admission $5, Children 12 and under free. Saratoga County Fairgrounds, 4H Building, 162 Prospect St, Ballston Spa, New York, National Bottle Museum, 76 Milton Avenue, Ballston Spa, New York 12020, 518.885.7589, info@nationalbottlemuseum.org, FOHBC Member Club

11 June 2022 – Lincoln, Alabama 7th Annual Lincoln Bottle & Antique Show. Lincoln Civic Center, 123 Jones Street, Lincoln, Alabama 35096, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Contact chairman Jake Smith, 256.267.0446, syl_bottleguy@yahoo.com. Free public admission, $20 early admission Saturday 8:00 am till 9:00 am, Free appraisals. Info on Facebook. 11 June 2022 – Cambridge City, Indiana 8th Annual Cambridge City Jar & Antique Show formerly the Huddleston Farmhouse Jar Show, Creitz Park, 150 North Foote Street, Cambridge City, Indiana, Saturday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Set-up 7:00 am. Contact Marty Troxell, Chairman, 137 W. Main Street, Cambridge City, Indiana, 765.478.3800, doublehead@myfrontiermail.com, Also contact Marty on Facebook Ball Jar Collectors if you prefer. FOHBC Member Club 11 June 2022 – East Windsor, New Jersey New Jersey Antique Bottle Club (NJABC) 27th Annual Show & Sale, (Rain date Sunday, 12 June 2022) 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Admission $3, no early buyers. Kyle Family Farms. 831 Windsor Perrineville Rd. East Windsor N.J. Contact Kevin Kyle, 230 Cedarville Road, East Windsor, New Jersey 08520, 609.209.4034, bottlediggerkev@aol.com or John Lawrey, 908.813.2334, FOHBC Member Club 18 June 2022 – Weyers Cave, Virginia The Historical Diggers of Virginia 50th Antique Bottle and Collectibles Show & Sale, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, Weyers Cave Community Center, 682 Weyers Cave Road, (Rt. 256), Weyers Cave, Virginia, Sonny Smiley, 540.434.1129, lithiaman1@yahoo.com, FOHBC Member Club 18 June 2022 – Tallahassee, Florida 2022 Tallahassee Antique and Bottle Show, Saturday. 9:00 am to 3:00 pm ($3); Friday dealer setup and early buyer 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm ($25). North Florida Fairgrounds, 441 Paul Russell Rd., Tallahassee, Florida 32301, Contact Info: Britt Keen, 850.294.5537, Britt_keen@hotmail.com 25 June 2022 – Johnston, Iowa The Iowa Antique Bottleers 52nd Annual Antique Bottle & Collectibles Show and Sale at the Johnston Lions Club, 64th Place and Merle Hay Road, Johnston, Iowa, Admission $2, Children Free, For info contact Mark Wiseman, 3505 Sheridan Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50301, 515.344.8333 or Joyce Jessen, 515.979.5216, See Contract on FOHBC website, FOHBC Member Club 02 & 03 July 2022 – Nr Barnsley, S. Yorks, United Kingdom, the 30th UK National is back! BBR, Elsecar Heritage Centre, Nr Barnsley, S. Yorks, S74 8HJ, tele: 01226 745156, email: sales@onlinebbr.com, www.onlinebbr.com 23 July 2022 – Concord, North Carolina 4th Annual Concord Antique & Collectibles Show, City Club at Gibson Mill, 325 McGill Avenue, Concord, North Carolina 28027, Saturday 8:00 am to 2:00 pm, No Early admission, Set up: 7:00 am to 8:00 am, FREE Cost of admission, Contact:

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

Sho-Biz Calendar of Shows

Johnny McAulay, Show Chairman, 704.439.7634, mcaulaytime@aol.com 24 July 2022 – Rotterdam Junction, New York Capital Region Antique Bottle Club Annual Show & Sale, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, at the Mabee Farm Historic Site, 1100 Main St., Rotterdam Junction N.Y., Contact: Jeff Ullman, 518.925.9787, jullman@nycap.rr.com, FOHBC Member Club 28-31 July 2022 – Reno, Nevada FOHBC RENO 2022 National Antique Bottle Convention, Grand Sierra Resort & Casino, Information: Richard Siri rtsiri@sbcglobal.net or Ferdinand Meyer V fmeyer@fmgdesign.com, FOHBC National Convention – Western Region. Full event information at FOHBC.org, FOHBC National Event 10 September 2022 – Castle Rock, Colorado The 56th Annual Antique Bottle Collectors of Colorado Show. Douglas County Fairgrounds, at Kirk Hall, 500 Fairgrounds Dr., Castle Rock, Colorado 80104. General Admission: Saturday, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, Free. Information: Eric Grace, 303.250.7498, eleegrace@aol.com, antiquebottlecollectorsofcolorado.com, FOHBC Member Club 16 & 17 September 2022 – Jacksonville, Florida Antique Bottle Collectors of North Florida Show & Sale! Saturday 8:00 am to 2:00 pm, Fraternal Order of Police Building, 5530 Beach Boulevard, Jacksonville, Florida. Free Admission. For more information contact Mike Skie at 904.710.0422. Early Birds Friday. 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm $50, 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm $40, 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm $20. Also contact Cory, 904.444.4346, jaxbottleshow@yahoo.com 17 September 2022 – Santa Ana, California Los Angeles Historical Bottle Club’s 56th Annual Antique Bottles, Fruit Jars, Insulators, Antiques & Collectibles Show & Sale, 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, Early Bird $15 at 8:00 am, General Admission Free 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, Club Members All Day Entry, at the Santa Ana California Elks Lodge, 1751 South Lyon St., Santa Ana, California 92705. Free Admission, Info: Don Wippert, Tele: 818.610.9332; Email: donwippert1@gmail.com or Chuck Gildea, tele: 949.351.7620. FOHBC Member Club

Avenue, Depew, New York 14043, General Admission $4: Sunday 9 am to 2 pm. Contact chairman Joe Guerra, 29 Nina Terrace, West Seneca, New York 14224, 716.207.9948 or jguerra3@roadrunner.com, or www.gbbca.org, FOHBC Member Club 01 October 2022 – Chesterfield, Virginia The Richmond Area Bottle Collectors Assoc. presents the Richmond Antique Bottle and Collectibles Show and Sale, General Admission $3, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm; Early Admission $10 at 7:30 am, at the Chesterfield County Fairgrounds, 10300 Courthouse Road, Chesterfield, Virginia 23832. Info: Tony Townsend, 804.379-0902; RichBottleClub@comcast.net, FOHBC Member Club 08 October 2022 – Coventry, Connecticut 50th Annual Coventry Antique Bottle & Glass Show, Hosted by the Museum of Connecticut Glass, 289 North River Road, Coventry, CT 06238. General Admission 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, $4; Early Admission 8:00 am, $15. Info: Bruce Mitchell, Show Chairman, 465 Dogwood Road, Orange, CT, 06477, bruce.mitchell@glassmuseum.org, 860.508.6269. Southern Connecticut Antique Bottle & Glass Collectors Association, FOHBC Member Club 21-22 October 2022 – Nashville, Tennessee Area Tennessee Bottle Collectors Presents their Nashville Area Antique Bottle & Advertising Show, Wilson County Fairgrounds, 945 E. Baddour Pkwy, Lebanon, Tennessee 37087, Building E-D, Behind Expo Center, I-40 Exit 239B, Friday 2:00 to 7:00 pm Early Buyer $10 Admission, Saturday 8:00 am to 2:00 pm Free Admission. Dealer Set-up: Friday: 1:00 pm, Saturday: 7:00 am, For Show Info or Vendor Contract, Contact Show Chairmen Greg Eaton: 865.548.3176 or Stanley Word, 615.708.6634, FOHBC Member Club 22 October 2022 – Macungie, Pennsylvania

Forks of the Delaware Bottle Collectors Association 48th Annual Bottle and Antique Show & Sale, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm $3, early buyers 7:30 am, ($20 admission fee) Macungie Park Hall, Macungie, Pennsylvania 18062, For Info: Bill Hegedus, 610.264.3130, forksofthedelawarebottles@ hotmail.com, See Facebook page, FOHBC Member Club 11 & 12 November 2022 – Jefferson, Georgia 51st Annual Southeastern Antique Bottle and Pottery Show, Sponsored by the R.M. Rose Co., Saturday, November 12th, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, Dealer Setup & Early Admission, Friday, November 11th, 3:00 to 8:00 pm and Saturday 7:00 am to 9:00 am, Jefferson Civic Center, 65 Kissam Street, Jefferson, Georgia 30549, Free Admission! Early Admission with Dealers: $10, For table reservations and show information contact: Jack Hewitt, Box 12126, Big Canoe, Jasper, Georgia 30143, 770.856.6062 or Bill Johnson, 770.823.2626, bj3605@comcast.net, FOHBC Member Club 26 & 27 November 2022 – Traralgon, Victoria, Australia 51st National Bottles & Collectables Show & 25th Gippsland Antiques & Collectables Fair, Saturday, 26th November, 9.30 am to 5:00 pm, Sunday, 27th November, 9:30 am to 3:00 pm. Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium, Catterick Cres. Traralgon, Victoria. Admission: Adults $5 Children under 16 yrs. Free. Early Bird Entry: Friday from 6:30 pm (Bottle Auction) & Saturday from 8:00 am $30. Inquiries: Wayne: 0435587535, waynhbotl@yahoo.com, www.facebook.com/gippslandantiques, Hosted by Gippsland Antique Bottles & Collectables Club Inc.

17 & 18 September 2022 – Santa Rosa, California The Northwestern Bottle Collectors’ Association’s 54th Annual Antique Bottle Collectors Show. Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building, 1351 Maple Avenue, Santa Rosa, California 95404. General Admission: Saturday noon to 4:00 pm $3, Saturday early admission 10:00 to noon $10, Sunday 9 am to 2:00 pm Free Admission. Contact chairman John Burton, johncburton@msn.com, 707.523.1611, FOHBC Member Club 18 September 2022 – Depew, New York The Greater Buffalo Bottle Collectors Association’s Annual Show & Sale, Polish Falcons Hall, 445 Columbia

May – June 2022

HISTORY’S CORNER In memory of Dick Watson—long-time FOHBC Historian Submitted by Jim Bender

One day at work, we talked about how much a bottle of water costs. One of the guys said, “if my grandfather were alive to see this, he would not believe it; water was free in his days.” This comment got me thinking, so I researched what drinking water costs were over the years. I found it very interesting that in 1856 over 7 million bottles of water were sold at Saratoga, New York. At the time, Saratoga was one of the most popular places to buy spring water. Merchants sold it for $1.75 per pint! So the price we pay today is a steal, and the bottles we get are plastic.

Watch each issue for a new installment of History’s Corner.

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

Membership Benefits

The Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors (FOHBC) is a non-profit organization supporting antique bottles and glass collecting. The goal of the FOHBC is to promote the collection, study, preservation and display of historical bottles and related artifacts and to share this information with other collectors and individuals. Federation membership is open to any individual or club interested in the enjoyment and study of antique bottles. The FOHBC publication, Antique Bottle & Glass Collector, is well-known throughout the hobby world as the leading publication for those interested in antique bottle and glass collecting and all associated ephemera. The FOHBC Virtual Museum is the most comprehensive antique bottle and glass experience on the Internet. Your FOHBC Individual Membership benefits include: A full year subscription to the all-color, bi-monthly (6 issues a year) 72-page plus covers publication, Antique Bottle & Glass Collector. Various membership options are available including Digital Membership. Free advertising of “For Sale” items in Antique Bottle & Glass Collector (restrictions apply—ads may be up to 100 words, items must be of $25 or greater value, and free advertisements are limited to the first 100 received, based upon date mailed). One free ad of 60 words each year for use for items “Wanted,” trade offers, etc. Access to FOHBC.org, a comprehensive website dedicated to the organization and hobby. Access through the Members Portal to the Membership Directory, archived FOHBC past issues, indexed articles and a vast assortment of research material. Access to the FOHBC Virtual Museum of Historical Bottles & Glass. FOHBC members are museum members. Access to the online FOHBC Auction Price Guide. Look for cost and description of anything auctioned by the top antique bottle and glass auction houses in the past decade. The opportunity to obtain discounts to be used on “Early Admission” or table rental at the annual FOHBC National Shows and Conventions. FOHBC digital newsletter and so much more. We encourage Affiliated Bottle Club memberships by offering these additional benefits to your group: Display advertising in Antique Bottle & Glass Collector at discount of 50%. Insertion of your bottle club show ad on the Federation website to increase your show’s exposure. Links to your club website free of charge. Social Media (Facebook) exposure. Free Federation ribbon for Most Educational display at your show. Participation in the Federation-sponsored insurance program for your club show and any other club-sponsored activities. We need your support! Our continued existence is dependent upon your participation as well as expanding our membership. If you haven’t yet joined our organization, please do so and begin reaping the benefits. If you are already a member, please encourage your friends and fellow collectors to JOIN US!! For more information, questions, or to join the FOHBC, please contact: Elizabeth Meyer, FOHBC Business Manager, FMG Design, Inc., 101 Crawford Street, Studio 1A, Houston, Texas 77002, phone: 713.504.0628. or email: fohbcmembers@gmail.com or visit our home page at FOHBC.org

May – June 2022

Where there’s a will there’s a way to leave Donations to the FOHBC Did you know the FOHBC is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization? How does that affect you? It allows tax deductions for any and all donations to the FOHBC. You might also consider a bequest in your will to the FOHBC. This could be a certain amount of money or part or all of your bottle collection. The appraised value of your collection would be able to be deducted from your taxes. (This is not legal advice, please consult an attorney.) The same-type wording could be used for bequeathing your collection or part of it; however, before donating your collection (or part of it), you would need the collection appraised by a professional appraiser with knowledge of bottles and their market values. This is the amount that would be tax deductible. Thank you for considering the FOHBC in your donation plans.

Membership Application & Advertising FOHBC Individual Membership Application For Membership, complete the following application or sign up at FOHBC.org (Please Print)

Name_________________________________ Address________________________________ City __________ State___________________ Zip ___________ Country _________________ Telephone______________________________ Email Address____________________________ Collecting Interests ________________________ ____________________________________

Do you wish to be listed in the online membership directory?(name, address, phone number, email address and what you collect) { } Yes { } No Would you be interested in serving as an officer? { } Yes { } No

Antique Bottle & Glass Collector Free Ads Category: “WANTED” Maximum - 60 words Limit - One free ad per current membership year. Category: “FOR SALE” Maximum - 100 words Limit - 1 ad per issue. (Use extra paper if necessary.)

Would you be interested in contributing your bottle knowledge by writing articles for our magazine? { } Yes { } No Would you be interested in volunteering to

Additional Comments _______________________ help on any FOHBC projects? { } Yes { } No ____________________________________ Membership/Subscription rates for one year (6 issues) (Circle One)

(All First Class sent in a protected mailer)

United States

- Standard Mail - Standard Mail w/Associate* - Standard Mail 3 years - Standard Mail 3 years w/Associate* Digital Membership (electronic files only)

$40 $45 $110 $125 $25

1st Class $55 1st Class w/Associate $60 1st Class 3 years $125 1st Class 3 yrs w/Assoc. $140

Canada – First Class $60 Other countries – First Class $80

- Life Membership: Level 1: $1,000, includes all benefits of a Standard 1st

Class membership. No promise of a printed magazine for life. - Level 2: $500, includes all benefits of a regular membership but you will not receive a printed magazine, but rather a digital subscription.

Add an Associate Membership* to any of the above at $5 for each Associate for each year.

Associate Member Name(s) __________________________________

*Associate Membership is available to members of the immediate family of any adult holding an Individual Membership. Children age 21 or older must have their own individual membership. Associate(s) Members enjoy all of the rights and privileges of an Individual Membership.

Signature ______________________________ Date _______________ Please make checks or money orders payable to FOHBC and mail to: FOHBC Membership, Elizabeth Meyer, FMG Design, Inc., 101 Crawford Street, Studio 1A, Houston, Texas 77002, Phone: 713.504.0628 Email: fohbcmembers@gmail.com

Affiliated Club Membership for only $75 with liability insurance for all club-sponsored events, 50% discount on advertising in Antique Bottle & Glass Collector, plus much more, Contact: FOHBC Business Manager: Elizabeth Meyer, FMG Design. Inc., 101 Crawford Street, Studio 1A, Houston, Texas 77002 72

Clearly Print or Type Your Ad Send to: FOHBC Business Manager: Elizabeth Meyer, FMG Design, Inc. 101 Crawford Street, Studio 1A, Houston, Texas 77002; phone: 713.504.0628; or better yet, email Elizabeth at: fohbcmembers@gmail.com

Magazine Submission Requirements: We welcome the submission of articles and related pictures pertaining to antique bottle and early glass collecting, our hobby, digging, diving, and finding, as well as other interesting stories. SUBMISSION POLICY—Articles: All Antique Bottle & Glass Collector articles or material needs to be submitted via an FTP site, email or hard copy. Electronic text files should be in Microsoft Word. Electronic photo files should be in JPEG, TIFF or EPS format. Resolution of 300 dpi at actual publication size is preferred but as low as 150 dpi (at double publication size) is acceptable. SUBMISSION POLICY—Classified ads: All ad copy should be typewritten, clearly & legibly printed, or sent via e-mail. The FOHBC will not be responsible for errors in an ad due to poor quality, illegible copy. The FOHBC reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Please send articles/images to fmeyer@fmgdesign.com or mail to business manager noted on bottom of previous column. Antique Bottle & Glass Collector

FOHBC c/o Elizabeth Meyer, FMG Design, Inc. 101 Crawford St., Studio 1A, Houston, Texas 77002

FOHBC Member. Please check your mailing address information and notify us of any corrections. FOHBC.org

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