Letters to the Editor

to the Editor

Another Hampton’s V, this is No. II in Aqua

Dear AB&GC,

This is a picture of an aqua Hampton’s V. Tincture that I purchased on eBay a few weeks ago. I thought it fit the bill for “a bottle in a different color than normally seen in” article from the August Medicine Chest column.

Hampton’s come in almost all colors, but this is only the second one ever recorded in aqua. The other is from the Greer Collection and was sold in a Glass Works auction a few years ago.

Phillip Edmonds Greenbelt, Maryland

Editor’s note: Manufactured in Baltimore and highly collectible due to their beautiful colors and big pontils, the Hampton’s Vegetable Tincture claimed to cure “rheumatism, dyspepsia, scrofula & c., and for all Nervous Diseases and Female Complaints.” Hampton’s Vegetable Tincture was made by Mortimer & Mowbray from 1845 to 1855.

TOP: An arresting array of Hampton's colors. LEFT: Phillip's recently purchased aqua example.

A New Twist on an Old Favorite — Shupps Grove in September

We received the following notice from Shupps Grove Show Chairman Steve Guion: “Due to the majority of bottle shows being cancelled this fall and winter, we are extending an offer for another outdoor show with plenty of social distancing this Sept. 18, 19 and 20!”

The survey at the July 17-19th Shupps Grove Bottle Festival was an overwhelming 100 percent “YES” in response for another Fall show this September. Anyone wishing to get a contract or need additional information on the show, please see their full-page ad in this issue.

Let’s have a fun and safe show this coming Sept. 18-20, 2020.

Outhouse Art from a Dump?

Dear John,

The article in the July edition of AB&GC by Ralph Finch titled “Outhouse Art Is In” caught my attention immediately.

I was intrigued to see that there was something strikingly similar to a porcelain piece I dug in a Yarmouth, Maine,

to the Editor

bottle dump back in 2007. Although the piece pictured in the article appears to be of foreign manufacture (possibly Germany?), my little outhouse is Black Americana, although the subject matter is exactly the same. (See attached image).

Any additional background information provided by AB&GC readers would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You,

Dan Lakatos Buxton, Maine email: fossil_glass@yahoo.com

Maggi Bottles Taste German

Dear John,

I enjoyed Tom Caniff’s article about Maggi’s products. (Actually I enjoy all his writing, even though I don’t collect jars.)

When while digging in Germany in the early ‘70s I dug several Maggi bottles. Almost all of them were either 0 or 1, the small sizes. I did dig a size 6 once, but that one was traded away, along with most of the others, long ago. All but one was some shade of amber, but I dug a green example, size 0. That one was sold several years ago to a collector named Maggi. I was happy it would find a good home among relatives.

The one Maggi still on my shelves is a 0 size, embossed on all four sides: Maggi Wurze (Maggi Spices) Ist Einzig (Is Genuine) Achtet Auf (Pay Attention to) Schutzmarke (Trade Mark) Kruze Stern (Cross Star). Maggi is embossed on all four shoulders and a cross star is on the base. The 0 appears on the neck, like virtually all Maggis. I believe the 0 size was a sample bottle, but that may not be the case given the number I dug.

Many examples are not as heavily embossed, and this one is very crude. That and the context it was dug in makes me believe it is one of the oldest styles.

Maggi spices were on the table in restaurants across Germany and Austria. The stuff is wonderful on viener schnitzel (veal cutlets). Good memories.

Boyd Beccue Montecello, Minnesota

LEFT: Dan Lakatos would appreciate any additional information on the subject of outhouse art. BELOW LEFT: Boyd Beccue still owns this size 0 embossed Maggi bottle from Germany. BELOW: The Guilford Mineral Springs as they appeared around 1870.

Editor’s note: The Maggi company originated in Switzerland in 1884, when Julius Maggi took over his father’s mill. He quickly became a pioneer of industrial food production, aiming to improve the nutritional intake of worker families. Maggi was the first to bring protein-rich legume meals to the market, and followed up with a readymade soup based on legume meals in 1886. After that Julius Maggi introduced bouillon concentrates, first in capsules, then in cubes.

Guilford Mineral Springs Eternal

Hello, John,

My husband, Richard Cofrancesco, and I enjoyed seeing his article and photo on the Guilford Mineral Springs in the latest edition of your magazine.

Attached is another photo I just realized I had. Also, could you send a copy of the August 2020 magazine to our friends who introduced us to Guilford Mineral Springs, and provided the information and the photo above?

Diane Kemble

Note: The photo above is courtesy of Linda and Steve Lembke and the Guilford Historical Society.