Vol. 24 No. 4
July - $XJXVW ‡
Included in this issue...
Charlie Gardner's Collection Impresses Visitors by Its Size; Its Future Concerns Collectors Letter to a Legacy The Early Druggists of Jasper County, Iowa Blueberries on the Bushes and Bottles in the Attic! A Dairy to Excel - X.L. Dairy Mansfield and the Hunt for the Greatest Bottle Ever S.C. Bottle Collecting History A Reminiscence of 53 Years of Bottle Collecting in S.C. Part 3 of a Series Morro Bay’s 45th Annual Bottle Show
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Table of Contents Charlie Gardner’s Collection FOHBC Officer Listing 2012-14 2 The Early Druggists of Jasper County, Iowa Impresses Visitors by Its Size; Its President’s Message .................... 3 by Mark C. Wiseman ............................ 20 Future Concerns Collectors by Noel Tomas ............................. 58 FOHBC News .............................. 4 S.C. Bottle Collecting History A Reminiscience of 53 years of Bottle Classified Ads & Ad Rate Info ..62 Shards of Wisdom .......................8 Collecting in S. C. Part 3 of a series by Harvey S. Teal ................................. 27 Membership Directory ..............65 Who do I Contact ...................... 12
A Dairy to Excel - X.L. Dairy Mansfield and the Hunt for the by Ken Morrill ...........................................38 FOHBC Show-Biz Greatest Bottle Ever Show Calendar Listings .............67 by Martin Van Zant ..................... 13 Blueberries on the Bushes and Bottles Membership Application ...........72 in the Attic! Morro Bay’s 45th Annual Bottle by Tony Marostica .....................................46 Show by Dave Maryo............................ 16 Letter to a Legacy by Eric Richter ..................................... 53
Next Issue
Complete coverage of the 2013 National Antique Bottle Show in Manchester, New Hampshire. S.C. Bottle Collecting History Conclusion, A Reminiscience of 53 years of Bottle Collecting in S. C. Part 4 of a series
Don’t miss an issue - Please check your labels for expiration information. Fair use notice: Some material above 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 copyrighted owner(s).
WHO DO I CONTACT ABOUT THE MAGAZINE? CHANGE OF ADDRESS, MISSING ISSUES, etc., contact Business Manager: Alan DeMaison, 1605 Clipper Cove, Painesville, OH 44077; phone: (H) (440) 358-1223, (C) (440) 796-7539; e-mail: a.demaison@sbcglobal.net To ADVERTISE, SUBSCRIBE or RENEW a subscription, see pages 63 and 72 for details. To SUBMIT A STORY, send a LETTER TO THE EDITOR or have COMMENTS and concerns, Contact: Martin Van Zant, Bottles and Extras Editor, 208 Urban St., Danville, IN 46122 phone: (812) 841-9495 or e-mail: mdvanzant@yahoo.com BOTTLES AND EXTRAS © (ISSN 1050-5598) is published bi-monthly (6 Issues per year) by the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors, Inc. (a non-profit IRS C3 educational organization) at 1605 Clipper Cove, Painesville, OH 44077; phone: (H) 440-358-1223; Website: http://www.fohbc.org Non-profit periodicals postage paid at Raymore, MO 64083 and additional mailing office, Pub. #005062. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Bottles and Extras, FOHBC, 1605 Clipper Cove, Painesville, OH 44077; phone: 440-358-1223 Annual subscription rate is: $30 or $45 for First Class, $50 Canada and other foreign, $65 in U.S. funds. The Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors, Inc. assumes no responsibility for products and services advertised in this publication. The names: Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors, Inc., and Bottles and Extras ©, are registered ® names of the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors, Inc., and no use of either, other than as references, may be used 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 Modernlitho, Jefferson City, MO 65101.
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The Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors is a non-profit organization for collectors of historical bottles and related collectible items. Our Primary goal is educational as it relates to the history and manufacture of historical bottles and related artifacts.
FOHBC Officers 2012-2014 President: Ferdinand Meyer V, 101 Crawford, Studio 1A, Houston, TX 77002; phone: (713) 222-7979; e-mail: fmeyer@fmgdesign.com First Vice-President: Bob Ferraro, 515 Northridge Dr, Boulder City, NV 89005; phone: (702) 293-3114; e-mail: mayorferraro@aol.com. Second Vice-President: Jamie Houdeshell, P.O. Box 57, Haskins, OH 43525; phone: (419) 722-3184 email: jhbottle@hotmail.com Secretary: James Berry, 200 Fort Plain Watershed Rd, St. Johnsville, NY 13452; phone: (518) 568-5683; e-mail: jhberry10@yahoo.com Treasurer: Gary Beatty, 3068 Jolivette Rd., North Port, FL 34288; phone: (941) 276-1546; e-mail: tropicalbreezes@verizon.net Historian: Richard Watson, 10 S Wendover Rd, Medford, NJ 08055; phone: (856) 983-1364; e-mail: crwatsonnj@verizon.net Editor: Martin Van Zant, 208 Urban St, Danville, IN 46122; phone: (812) 841-9495; e-mail: mdvanzant@yahoo.com. Merchandising Director: Sheldon Baugh, 252 W Valley Dr, Russellville, KY 42276; phone: (270) 726-2712; e-mail: sbi_inc@bellsouth.net Membership Director: Jim Bender, PO Box 162, Sprakers, NY 12166; phone: (518) 673-8833; e-mail: jim1@frontiernet.net
Conventions Director: Tom Phillips, P.O. Box 240296, Memphis, TN 38124; phone: (901) 277-4225; e-mail: tomlisa.phillips@gmail.com Business Manager: Alan DeMaison, 1605 Clipper Cove, Painesville, OH 44077; phone: (H) (440) 358-1223, (C) (440) 796-7539; e-mail: a.demaison@sbcglobal.net Director-at-Large: Gene Bradberry, 3706 Deerfield Cove, Bartlett, TN 38135; phone: (901) 372-8428; e-mail: Genebsa@comcast.net Director-at-Large: John Panek, 1790 Hickory Knoll, Deerfield, IL 60015; phone: (847) 945-5493; email: paperbottle1@aol.com Director-at-Large: John Pastor, PO Box 227, New Hudson, MI 48165; phone: (248) 486-0530; e-mail: jpastor@americanglassgallery.com Midwest Region Director: Randee Kaiser, 2400 CR 4030, Holts Summit, MO 65043; phone: (573) 896-9052; e-mail: pollypop47@yahoo.com Northeast Region Director: Ed Kuskie, 352 Pineview Dr, Elizabeth, PA 15037; phone: (412) 405-9061; e-mail: bottlewizard@comcast.net. Southern Region Director: Jack Hewitt, 1765 Potomac Ct, Lawrenceville, GA 30043; phone: (770) 856-6062, e-mail: hewittja@bellsouth.net. Western Region Director: Dave Maryo, 12634 Westway Ln, Victorville, CA 92392; phone: (760) 617-5788; e-mail: dmaryo@verizon.net Public Relations Director: Pam Selenak, 156 S. Pepper St., Orange, CA 92868; phone: (714) 633-5775; e-mail: pselenak@yahoo.com
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President’s Message Ferdinand Meyer V FMG Design, Inc. 101 Crawford Street Studio 1A Houston, Texas 77002 ferdinand@peachridgeglass.com I Ithink if I had the opportunity, a parallel universe, or t is early Sunday morning inand I sit here reflecting at another life, I would be involved with weather forecasting TimoleonÕs Diner in quaint Keene, New Hampshireand while chasing storms in some form or another. Mother nature has always drinking some coffee to warm me up (it is 45 degrees outside, fascinated me and I imagine myself in these sometimes terrible chilly for a Texan). The Yankee Bottle Show starts here shortly situations, as a student of nature or a person in awe. I know this and will as bemy a fun conclusion to abut long of bottle is crazy, wife reminds me, it isweekend true. I must check events the that started out with a gathering at Federation members Mark weather five times a day depending on where I am, where I am and Annie VuonoÕs in Stamford, Connecticut on Friday and going or what is happening near my collection. I say the all this because we as bottle always be included Heckler Columbus Daycollectors Hayfieldmust event in Woodaware natureConnecticut and how we display, insure (hopefully) plan stock of Valley, yesterday. I am thinkingand that this for impending weather us, great living wasand thecontend exactwith spot, two years agoevents. today,Many that ofthe in different story parts of theI country, to dealofwith tornadoes such Feldmann that retell in have this issue Bottles and Extras, as the terrible one south of Oklahoma City, forest fires because of got its wings. I hope you enjoy the article and pictures. John droughts, hurricanes, nor’easters, floods, blizzards, earthquakes, and Sheila are wonderful people that represent the foundation thunderstorms and trees falling, etc. We certainly get our share of and cornerstone of ouringreat hobby. events and catastrophes United States, usually all in a typical a whirlwind our like great in late year.What So what do we do?of Weevents wouldsince certainly to EXPO hear your July in Nevada. time this event, I am ideas andReno, thoughts on thisEvery topic as thisIisthink very of real. I remember one bottle collector, one yearI am, in Florida, reminded of how grateful and weevacuating all shouldhis be,house of Marty three in one season tow! Iand know ourselves Hall, times Richard Siri, the with Renobottles BottleinClub thewelegions of have had our scares, once with the Category 5, Hurricane Rita helpers that pulled off this mega event. Marty even reported a (4th largest hurricane ever that recorded in the Gulfyet of Mexico in our strong financial success demonstrates again, that 2005) heading our way. I remember cutting short a business trip organization is getting stronger and marching forward. The in Nashville and flying into one of the largest mass evacuations in 2013 FOHBC National in Manchester, New Hampshire next United States history. It took us like eight hours to get to our house year is of progressing smoothly withtime, a majority of the tables because traffic gridlock. The entire bottles were on my already Lexington, be ourNow location mind, of being coursesold. after the safety of Kentucky my family will and home. on to for the 2014 so make your plans here, too. You can another, more National, exciting topic. cannot believe time is almostby herevisiting for the much get Iinformation fortheboth events our website, anticipated and much planned for, first FOHBC National Antique FOHBC.org. Tom Phillips, our Conventions Director, was Bottle Show in New England. Time has really flown by since the even in the southeast this week looking at venues for the 2015 Reno EXPO am long still catching breath thatmore National. It last wasyear! not Itoo ago thatmywe werefrom much great event. And looking ahead even further, Lexington, Kentucky short-sighted. Now with this advance planning and public will be our host for the 2014 National Antique Bottle Show and announcements, we can stake our claim on a date that will help Chattanooga, Tennessee has been confirmed as our Southern other show chairmen whenwe tofinally hold their Asinana Region host location in decide 2015! Wow, have events. our ducks aside, did you know that there were nine bottle shows this row for these wonderful shows! weekend, including one across the pond? Our hobby is This planning ahead has really helped us provide a much so better better locations, venues and hostour hotels. YouLetÕs strong.event I seewith the glimmer of change even with shows. have to remember along the Bring large bottle show, weshows. have a promote more andthat, grow ourwith hobby. people to the banquet, bottle battle, auction, seminars, displays, raffles, cocktail Bottles, glass and positive change are contagious. party, board meeting, members meeting and so much more. I also see no conflict this year with other shows as we have staked our Federation membership is also drastically up which is excitNational Show date claims further out for other regional and local
show andbe organizers to reference. ing. chairs We will announcing a major new membership drive I would like to give deepest and sincerest thanks to We are later this month thatmy uses a 2,000-member target. FOHBC Conventions Director Tom Phillips for his tireless nearing 1,200 members now. So if you are a member, stay with and workare in laying the groundwork for There these national us,endless if youÕre undecided, please join! are so many events. Next I would like to thank the Manchester co-chairs exciting things planned. Our magazine, Bottles and Extras, is Michael George and Maureen Crawford. These two folks have undergoing a major face lift, we have a new web site, by the spent countless hours working on this show. My hat is off. I timewould you like readto this, be in 1,000 members also thankwe Rickwill Ciralli coordinating all plus of theon our FOHBC seminars. facebookKeep page, the FOHBC Virtual Museum is wonderful in mind, the more help we get, the moving forward (lookconsider for a major announcement soon) and we better the event. Please volunteering and helping out. Ifhave not Manchester, could certainly use youtohelp and ideas for of just sent ourwefirst digital newsletter a large audience Lexington and Chattanooga. people. The new Federation, your FOHBC. As you know, much-anticipated We needhopefully new blood andthe persons to carry theauction torch.isI will be being conducted by Glass Works Auctions and we owe themof a big reaching out to some of our membership for pictures your thanks for conducting this special live and online event. Look for bottles, assistance on the web site, articles and stories for some great bottles and opportunities. I heard that Jim Hagenbuch Bottles and Extras, the web site, the newsletter and help on the and crew have really stepped up to provide an exciting opportunity Virtual Museum. If youattend wouldand like to volunteer, in anyyou area, it for Saturday night. Please spend. Get that bottle would be very much welcomed and appreciated. always wanted and support a good cause. You will also we notice newNorman section Heckler in the front of Bottles and Additionally, also ahave & Company sponsoring the New England Battle on Friday Extras called Letters to theBottle Editor. I amthat notoccurs sure why this was night after the banquet. This follows thereally successwant of to not there in some form or special anotherevent before but we the Reno shootout withhow the planned for thebetter. hear your storiesand andcontinues ideas and we can ‘Run do things Roses’ in Lexington 2014. What a great way to superboard You can send anine-mail, write a letter orlook callatany examples of glass with all of our friends in an exciting format. member, including myself at any time. Our contact information Thank you, Norman Heckler. is inGreat this news! magazine and on the web site. A $5 thousand dollar anonymous donation has been In the January/February 2013 issue of Bottles and Extras, given to the FOHBC Manchester Show to conduct a raffle or raffleswe will be starting a two-page Regional Overview section during the show (both early admission and general admission). where we FOHBC will highlight incoming information from the four The thanks this well known west coast auctioneer forregions this generous gift.up Another GREAT reason to attend the show! that make the Federation (northeast, southern, midwest and We’ll be this donation have aforward $1,000 to raffle onRegional western). If using you have materialtoplease your Saturday the end of the the day theorearly buyersour and newsletter, eight Director.near If you visit webfor site received $500 prizes throughout the day on Sunday. Dealers setting at the you will see that Regional News is now appearing in a up different show are also eligible for these raffles. Vouchers will be given to and more refreshing format in these venues too. the lucky winners to be spent at the show or the auction only. We are only as strong as our weakest link. I use this expresThere will also be a separate raffle (above and beyond the sion often in business and inbottle my general raffles noted above) for a $1,000 to benefitconversations the Virtual with people. Keep an open mind, be positive, and try Crawford) to help, give Museum. Show Chairs (Michael George and Maureen constructive criticism Smile andofsomeone will have the authority to and buy amove flask forward. or equivalent piece glass with money. Wetowill sellListen six $1and raffle tickets $5.aThe winner willthe smile back you. you will for hear story. Step will not have be present. person making the $1,000 forward andtotell a story. The Look at your collection and donation find that does not want public recognition. missing bottle or link. This is what it is all about. Our best asset Of special note, FOHBC is all of our great members.officers, show chairpersons and their spouses/partners or children are not eligible for the $5,000 I am also looking forward to the great 49er Bottle Show in promotion. Any consultants to the FOHBC are also not eligible. Old Town Auburn, California in December. We usually go to FOHBC officers, show chairpersons, and their spouses/partners or the Festival of Lights parade each year after theraffle. show. We love children are eligible for the Virtual Museum bottle it because thealso horses, dogs, goats, peoplefrom and our trucks all are Thanks are in order for the volunteers adorned with for Christmas. Remember, a show membership and lights our FOHBC Board in helping us round out theis so event staff if theyou Federation Please make sure you bya muchand better make ittables. an experience. While youdrop are at and say hello. A schedule is posted in the program and online. show, visit a collection, go to a museum, have dinner with a Have fun, buy anda sell bottles, up with youryou friends bottle friend, go on dig some etc. There arecatch so many things can and make sure you enjoy this National show to the fullest capacity. do to stay connected with our great hobby. Make it a multiThis will be remembered for years.
dimensional experience. Happy autumn and winter.
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FOHBC News From & For Our Members The Aussie Bottle National
Wow! They are obviously doing a lot of things right promoting the hobby. Our efforts with the website, Facebook and continual upgrade to our magazine and our organization have had a tremendous positive impact on our hobby. We need to find more ways to make people aware of what bottle collecting is all about. We collect these beautiful works of art that were made for utilitarian purposes. They help tell the story of our history from the local to the National level. The glass industry was an essential part of our development as a Nation. The first manufactured product sent to Europe from America was glass from Jamestown.
Dear Ferdinand, Hope all is well state side. The Aussie Bottle National has come and gone this past weekend. Just over 3,500 folks came for a look which is a new record for the Sunshine Coast Club and unprecedented in this country at any previous National Bottle Show. Another first is for members of Federal Parliament, State Council and a Charity wishing to speak formally opening a Bottle and Collectables Show. I consider myself pretty well travelled to most world related events, but have never seen a line to get in like SaturdaysÉ The Sunshine Coast Club has a humble presence on Facebook where this show and previous have been recorded digitally to share. Best Regards, Greg Dean Readers: Visit FOHBC.org for expanded show coverage and pictures The following response is from Tom Philips (FOHBC Conventions Director).
Whether finding something in a junk shop or unearthing a great find from a privy, the treasure hunt aspect is a big attraction. As I mentioned before, my son became a collector after his first dig. For me, digging is the closest I can get to time travel. I feel a connection to the era and the person that last touched an artifact that I dig. Shows are much more than bottles for sale. We include so many categories like jars, pottery, marbles, insulators, early glassware, advertising/go-with, candy containers, etc. Most shows have educational displays. Most of all, our National Shows are packed with activities. We need to find more ways to market our hobby to the huge portion of our population that doesn't know what bottle collecting is all about. Awareness will create more collectors. Tom
Beers and Ales in the Virtual Museum Ferdinand In reviewing the material on the proposed museum it appears that there is no provision for the type of bottles that I and many others collect...beers and ales. While they often get shunted off into the corner as lowly junk bottles,
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there are many outstanding examples of both aesthetic and historical value. Certainly the museum would gain broader support if it was more inclusive of all collector interests. Just sayin . . .
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hand-out he distributed at the recent Mansfield Bottle Show. He also has an article planned for the July issue of Antique Bottle & Glass Collector.
Bruce Heckman
National Show Format Hi Ferdinand, My name name is is Joe Joe Widman. Widman, Mike Mike Henness Henness introduced introduced us us at at My the Reno show. I have collected bottles for fifty years, I am the Reno show. I have collected bottles for fifty years, I am Federation Life Life Member Member 200, 200, II have have attended attended all all of of the the Federation EXPO's. II am EXPO’s. am aa private, private, low-key low-key collector collector of of rare rare and and unusual medicines. medicines. unusual think you you are are doing doing aa good good job job as as President. President. It It is is apparent apparent II think that you want the Federation and the hobby to grow and that you want the Federation and the hobby to grow and prosper. I hope for that too. I enjoy your website. You have prosper. I hope for that too. I enjoy your website. You have many good good new new ideas. ideas. II want want you you to to consider consider an an old old idea. idea. II many think the Federation should only have EXPO's, not annual think the Federation should only have EXPOs, not annual shows. The The 1992 1992 Toledo Toledo Expo Expo was was the the biggest biggest blockbuster blockbuster shows. of aa show show ever. ever. After After 92 92 the the Federation Federation started started to to have have of more than than just just EXPOs. EXPO's. II think think everyone everyone would would agree agree that that more those extra shows diminished the EXPO's. I realize that the those extra shows diminished the EXPOs. I realize that the hobby has also changed. The large number of auctions and hobby has also changed. The large number of auctions and Ebay have have changed changed the the landscape. landscape. II don’t don't know eBay know ifif there there could be another Toledo even if you had a show every could be another Toledo even if you had a show every fourth year, year, but but II do do think think that that if if you you didn’t didn't have fourth have aa show show every year, year, that that an an EXPO EXPO could could be be bigger bigger than than any any of of the the every established yearly shows. I think that a Federation show established yearly shows. I think that a Federation show should be be bigger bigger and and better better than than Baltimore Baltimore or or Mansfield. Mansfield. should Some of of the the EXPO’s EXPO's haven't Some haven’tbeen. been. know that that the the Federation Federation needs needs to to have have an an annual annual meeting. meetII know ing. Please consider having a Federation EXPO Show Please consider having a Federation EXPO Show every second second year year along along with with aa Federation Federation Meeting. Meeting. And And every piggy-back the other annual meetings with an established piggy-back the other annual meetings with an established non-Federation show. show. non-Federation Maybe you could poll Federation Members? Thank You Joe
Color Measurement Ð Latest from Michael Seeliger Michael Seeliger (Brooklyn, Wisconsin) has been periodically updating me with his progress on his work for a color spectrophotometer for use in determining the color for a particular bottle. This is really cutting edge work for our hobby. I included one of his historical e-mails below plus a
Ferd, I just spoke to my guy who will make a spectrophotometer to measure glass color. He will have it to me by the 19th so I can play around with it either with Bill Mitchell, maybe go over to Jeff Burkhardts and then take it to St. Petersburg with me to see what Jim Mitchell has to say and some of the auction guys there. According to Ted (guy who is making it) it will consist of a tungsten lamp placed inside the bottle and a spectrophotometer about the size of a cigarette package placed against the side of the bottle. The color will be given in terms of RGB (red, green blue). I plan on trying several bottles, taking pictures, deciding which bottles look the same color and see if they show up with the same readings. Then see what changes in readings constitute a change in color perception in the eye of the beholder. Determine changes in color in the same bottle (bottom to top). Possible changes due to thickness etc. etc. just to see if it is at all measurable. Ted feels this is just a prototype and we can see how it works and perfect it if it does. If it does work and I go to enough collectors and certify color on enough bottles maybe we have something. Again it will work on a tungsten lamp although we can try other light sources if that doesnÕt work. It would be run by a usb attachment to a lap top. You would start by measuring specific known color discs just to make sure your calibration zero is working. Then measure the bottles etc and then measure the discs again to see that the results arenÕt shifting. Ted thinks the final unit would cost around $5,000. DonÕt know about upkeep. If it works, it looks like a business opportunity or perhaps selling some units to the larger shows or renting it out, or maybe having people send bottles in for testing. I donÕt know exactly how it would work but it might be really cool. WeÕd have to have a kind of a book that would have color shades defined in terms of RGB equivalents vs. color names just to allow us to talk about a color scale. Maybe glass samples from stained glass to determine color definitions???? it would have to have the backing of the Federation or at least a lot
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of the big collectors who value color. Just a few thoughts to keep you in the loop on what is going on here. I copied Bill Taylor and Bill Mitchell because I have been talking to them about this also and I value their ideas.
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me know. Roy Topka 2013 Saratoga Show Chair
National Show Raffles
Michael Seeliger Readers: Visit FOHBC.org for MikeÕs Color spectrophotometer technical information (EditorÕs Picks)
Fantasy Jug Raffle and Saratoga Bottles featured at the 2013 Saratoga Show Great news! A $5 thousand dollar anonymous donation has been given to the FOHBC Manchester Show to conduct a raffle or raffles during the show (both early admission and general admission*). The FOHBC thanks this well known west coast auctioneer for this generous gift. Another GREAT reason to attend the show! WeÕll be using this donation to have a $1,000 raffle on Saturday near the end of the day for the early buyers and eight $500 prizes throughout the day on Sunday. Dealers setting up at the show are also eligible for these raffles. Vouchers will be given to the lucky winners to be spent at the show or the auction only.
Ferdinand, Roy Topka with the Bottle Museum in Ballston Spa here. Local collector and artisan Jim Healy (he was tickled pink by the mention of his good work in the current Bottles and Extras) created the attached Fantasy Jug for the Museum and donated it to be raffled. The theme being the 150th anniversary of the Racetrack in Saratoga. By early April the Museum website should be featuring the jug and information on the raffle, along with other media exposure that will be undertaken to promote the raffle. What I am asking, is it possible when the website is ready could the jug be pictured on your website with the link to the NBM? I understand if this is not possible, as all the clubs and the Federation are needing to raise money for their own purposes. I figure it never hurts to ask! Thank you for your consideration, if you have any questions, or if there is ever anything I can do please let
There will also be a separate raffle (above and beyond the raffles noted above) for a $1,000 bottle to benefit the Virtual Museum. The show Chairs (Michael George and Maureen Crawford) will have authority to buy a flask or equivalent piece of glass with the money. We will sell six $1 raffle tickets for $5. The winner will not have to be present. The person making the $1,000 donation does not want public recognition. *FOHBC officers, show chairpersons, and their spouses/partners or children are not eligible for the $5,000 promotion. Any consultants to the FOHBC are also not eligible. FOHBC officers, show chairpersons, and their spouses/partners or children are eligible for the Virtual Museum raffle.
Please visit the FOHBC.org web site for expanded coverage and information. We are always looking for letters and material to use within Bottles and Extras, or on the web site. Your news is our news!
FOHBC.org
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‘Secrets’ of keeping a club together
Local Club displays at Library to promote hobby and club “In an attempt to promote the bottle hobby at the grass roots level, local collectors James Smith and Tom Lines set up a display of Hutchinson and crown top bottles from the Birmingham, AL area at their local library. The library administrators were very happy to host the display and even provided clerical support for producing the labels used in the display. We were also allowed to include a show flyer for our 2011 event set for June 18th, the weekend before the Memphis national show. We used a secure display cabinet supplied by the library. Local interest seems to be on the rise in the Birmingham area so James and Tom wanted to take the opportunity to plug the hobby a bit more. A number of inquiries resulted. Tom encourages all of you to check in with your library to see if you can do something similar in your area.”
Tom Lines (L) and James Smith (R) at their display at the North Shelby County Library in the Birmingham, AL metro area.
How do you keep an antique bottle club together and keep it from disappearing? The way it’s done at the Horse Creek Bottle Club in Aiken, South Carolina is to provide speakers whose subjects don’t always include bottles. Diversity works for this FOHBC affiliate. This year, club members have heard talks about advertising envelopes (covers) used during the Civil War and an overview of local (Edgefield District) pottery from homegrown authorities and club members. Scheduled for later in the year are master potter Justin Guy, who operates the Old Edgefield Pottery, and a local historian and collector of Native American artifacts. Previous programs included slide shows featuring the Charles Gardner collections, as well as a visit to a private museum loaded with Civil War artifacts and big game mounts. Oddly enough, when pottery programs are scheduled, more members show up than when bottle programs are set. The formula appears to be working because the club celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. The May program was presented by historian, collector and published author Harvey Teal, of Columbia, S.C., who also is a club member. Here is a summary of his presentation: The South Carolina Interstate and West Indies Exposition was held in Charleston in 1901-02. Billed as sort of a world’s fair, attendance at the event proved disappointing. However, organizers provided many souvenirs, most of which are rarely seen today, and Teal provided many examples from his personal collection. Among the items are stationery in different colors, advertising covers (envelopes), including those showing an outline of the eastern U.S., with Charleston’s location pin pointed, picture post cards, ash trays, aluminum trays, coin holders, note cases, paper weights and silk book marks, all marked with the Expo name. The book marks contained the words to the old favorite song, “Home, Sweet Home.”
Bottle expert extraordinaire Matthew Levanti will assist the Editor with Shards of Wisdom, so send in your news or bottle updates to: Matthew T. Levanti, 700 Skyline Ct. Placerville, Ca, 95667 m.tigue-levanti@hotmail.com
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The U.,S. Post Office Department (now called U.S. Postal Service) set up a branch at the exposition and used a special postmark on souvenir covers. Teal’s collection also included covers advertising fairs and carnivals in other parts of South Carolina as well as in Georgia, and included press passes and general admission tickets. The South Carolina Dispensary also set up and sold booze during the Expo. Some enterprising individual also had Exposition bottles made. The tiny bottles have the state tree (a palmetto) embossed on one side and the Expo name ebossed on the other. The bottle is rare – BILL BAAB
By the Numbers During the Big Digs
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2011 to Sept. 30, 2012 was 301. The most found during a one-day dig was 38, the least 11. Jugs ranged from whiskey jugs manufactured at the Hahn Pottery Works in North Augusta, South Carolina (1898-1906) to jugs from the midwest and northeast containing drugs and other stuff. The total number of sodas, mostly crown tops, but some Hutchinsons and blobtops, was 1,406. CheroColas from different cities and towns joined small town crown tops as well as a host of others from Augusta. It was the dig of a lifetime for collectors Mike Newman, Bob Riddick, Pat Oliver, Jerry Newton and yours truly – BILL BAAB
Some Bottles and Extras readers have been curious to know just how many jugs were found during the Big Digs of 2011-2012 in Augusta, Georgia. The digs were conducted using a backhoe on property previously known as the Augusta Mill Supply Company. The business sat atop a late 19th-early 20th century landfill. The total number of jugs found from March 26,
Book Review Embossed Bottles, Jugs and Go-Withs of Arkansas By Johnnie Fletcher Self-Published 274 pp., 1,600-plus listings By Bill Baab Johnnie Fletcher has performed yet another feat of magic by providing the bottle collecting world with yet another statewide source – this time, Arkansas It is the fourth book self-published by the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors Hall of Famer. The others were Oklahoma Soda Bottles (1989), Oklahoma Drug Store Bottles (1991), Kansas Bottles (1994) and a revised Oklahoma Bottle Book (2006). Fletcher, who lives in Mustang, Oklahoma,, had lots of help in compiling more than 1,600 listings, providing line drawings of many examples, as well as photos (some in color) of others. Veteran collectors Ed Tardy, Bill Burrows, Larry and Wes Childers, Brad Francis, Dean Marvel, Bob Alexander and Fletcher’s daughter, Lori, all contributed. Fletcher also was able to take photos of Arkansas items on display in the Museum of Native American
History in Bentonville, Arkansas, thanks to David and Tina Bogle. The book also includes an up-to-date price guide so collectors of Arkansas bottles, pottery and go-withs can check out values of their own collections. It is hard for me to imagine just how much time Fletcher & Friends spent on gathering photos and rubbings, not to mention time spent on laying out the book and making sure the right photos and line drawings were in their proper places within the 274 pages. Speaking of time, Fletcher’s book is a time-saver for collectors seeking more information about their stuff. The Internet is a great tool, but even multiple files from Google and other search engines cannot duplicate his dedication and work ethic. Collectors in Arkansas and adjoining states will place a high value on the book and its contents. And you can get all of it for $25 plus $5 shipping. I receive Fletcher’s Oklahoma Territory Newsletter (where does he find the time?) He edits for the Oklahoma Territory Bottle & Relic Club. In his last issue, he is contemplating work on yet another book, this time Missouri.. Do you know how many bottles, jugs ands go-withs were produced in just St. Louis? I don’t, but just thinking about it is mindboggling. So Fletcher & Friends, including Ed Stewart, of Paola, Kansas, who has promised his help, are facing another dauntless task. Mission Impossible? It may take a few years, but if anyone can do it, Fletcher & Friends are your men. You can order his Arkansas book by sending a check or money order for $30 payable to Johnnie Fletcher, 1300 S. Blue Haven Drive, Mustang, OK 73064.
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It is time to make the Virtual Museum a reality. We are now ready to move forward with the design development and eventual implementation of the FOHBC Virtual Museum of Historical Bottles and Glass. The FOHBC Virtual Museum will be 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. The Virtual Museum will be a digital expression of what one might find in a real ‘bricks and mortar’ museum. There will be galleries, exhibitions, resources and support functions to enhance the visitor experience. The museum will contain, but not be limited to, images of subject bottles and glass, a written description of those subjects with dimensions, and if available, the history of the bottles along with an estimation of rarity. The museum will grow and be expandable.
28th Annual
ANTIQUE BOTTLE & ADVERTISING SHOW Memphis, Tennessee
Get your Ad in today! Advertising pays for itself! Send advertising info to: Alan DeMaison FOHBC Business Manager 1605 Clipper Cove Painesville OH 44077
Agricenter International 7777 Walnut Grove Road Memphis, Tennessee 38120
Saturday, September 28th, 2013 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Collectors from 25 States Early Admission Available
Admission $5.00
www.memphisbottleclub.com www.fohbc.org Show Chairman Gene Bradberry, 3706 Deerfield Cove, Bartlett, TN 38135 (901)372-8428 (901)359-8428
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Antiques
Glassware
Old Bottles
Collectibles Photo Courtesy of
ABCC:
Chris Buys
A Colorado Non-Profit Corporation
Historic Leadville in Rare Photographs & Drawings
JULy 27, 2013 9 AM TO 4PM: Dealer Setup: 6AM National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum Convention Center
117 10th Street, Leadville CO $3.00 Admission Contact: Jim and Barb Sundquist 303 674 4658 www.antiquebottlecollectorsofcolorado.com
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Who do I contact at the FOHBC? MeMbership:
Director - Jim Bender
stArt A new club:
Membership Director - Jim Bender Attention Clubs! As a member club you are not only entitled to club insurance but you may place your entire show package for your show on the website as well‌FOR FREE!
FederAtion ribbons:
Public Relations - Pam Selenak (formerly Secretary Jim Berry)
club MeMbership:
Business Manager - Alan DeMaison or Membership Director - Jim Bender
club insurAnce:
Business Manager - Alan DeMaison
website:
(show information, news for posting, updates): PresiDent - Ferdinand Meyer V
show Ads For MAgAzine:
(Bottles and Extras): Business Manager - Alan DeMaison
hosting nAtionAl conventions:
Conventions Director - Tom Phillips
slide shows (visuAl MAteriAl For proJection):
Secretary - Jim Berry
writing Articles For MAgAzine:
(Bottles and Extras assistance): Bill Baab, 706.736.8097 or riverswamper@comcast.net, Martin Van Zant or mdvanzant@yahoo.com
All Advertising in MAgAzine:
(Bottles and Extras): Business Manager - Alan DeMaison
FederAtion contests:
Ed Kuskie
FederAtion Meeting notes:
Please visit FOHBC.org for access to all FOHBC meeting and monthly teleconference notes.
hAll oF FAMe And honor roll noMinAtions
Alan DeMaison
suggestions For iMproving the Fohbc:
President - Ferdinand Meyer V
virtuAl MuseuM
President - Ferdinand Meyer V
All of the above names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses can be found on the officers page in Bottles and Extras or on the FOHBC web site at FOHBC.org
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Mansfield and the hunt for the greatest bottle ever by Martin Van Zant
I
t was a week before the Mansfield show and I wasn’t for sure if I was even going. My good buddy Balsam Bill and I had talked several times about going, but just wasn’t for sure. The Saturday before the show, Bill a week thefor Mansfield showtoand I wasnÕt had was picked up abefore bottle me. I went pick it up for and sure if I was even going. My good buddy Balsam Bill I had talked to Bill about the show. We decided thatand I would talked times about but there just wasnÕt for sure. call several Bill Koster right going, then and and get us a The table. All Saturday before show,know Bill had picked up agoing bottle to forfind, me. Iand it because youthe never what you’re went to pick up andbe talked Bill aboutbottle the show. We decided very wellitcould thatto“greatest ever.” that I would call Bill Koster right then and there and It was early Friday morning and we wereget offustoa table. Allsome because you never know whattoyouÕre find, and find bottles. We decided take agoing routetowhere it very well could be that Ògreatest bottle ever.Ó the possibilities of garage sales were available. Then when the time was right we would switch to visit some It antique was earlystores, Friday all morning and we were off we to find some to be the while knowing needed bottles. We decided to take a route where the possibilities of at the show by 2 p.m. or close thereafter. garage sales were available. Then when the time was right we Bill picked up a few items, but no bottles. I also wouldpicked switch up to visit some antique while knowing a few items, butstores, againall nothe bottles. We finally we needed to be at the show by 2 p.m. or close thereafter. made it to Markel, Indiana and found an antique store that opened at 9. We searched for many items and we Billare picked a few items, but noIfbottles. I alsoyourself picked upyou a notup limited to bottles. you limit few items, again no anything. bottles. We Ifinally it to pharmacy Markel, will but never find foundmade a small Indianamedicine and foundbottle an antique store that opened at 9. We searched from the northern part of the state. for many items and we are not limited to bottles. If you limit The bottle had four towns on it, and I know the yourselfnorthern you will never find anything. a smallBill pharmacy collectors will likeI found this bottle. bought medicineanbottle from the northern part of the state. The had 1849 Almanac for a Fahnstock’s Coughbottle Balsam four towns on it, and I know the northern collectors will like this and off we went. We plowed through a few more bottle. Bill bought an 1849 forantique a FahnstockÕs garage sales and Almanac one more store Cough before Balsam and off we went. We plowed through a few more garage
It
deciding we gotta go. Wow, what a long drive! However, it wasn’t as long as it was for some of the other people who I ran into. There were people from New York, Tennessee, Florida and sales and one more my antique store before deciding we gotta go. even Iowa. I guess drive was short, comparatively speaking. We pulled up to the gate, received our Wow, and whatname a longbadges drive! However, it wasnÕt contracts and off we went.asI long wasassoit was for some of the other people into.car. There were people excited I couldn’t wait to getwho outI ran of the I could from New York, Tennessee, Florida and even Iowa. I guess already see people I knew and wanted to say hello to. my drive was short, comparatively speaking. We pulled up to theIf The bottle community is a wonderful group of people. gate, contracts name and off wecore went. I you do received the localour shows, youand run intobadges the same hard was so excited I couldnÕt wait to get out of the car. I could bottle people time and time again. The people at thesealready see people knewwant and wanted to say hello to. The commushows makeI you to come back, again andbottle again. nity a wonderful group of people. If shows you do the local shows, Thisishas to be one of the greatest in the you run into the same hard core bottle people time and time Midwest. There are 350 tables and over 200 dealers again. The people at these shows make you want to come back, all looking to buy something good. There are people again and again. looking for their collections and people looking for a deal. I tend to look for both. The Friday afternoon This has smooth to be oneas of butter. the greatest shows in thegoodies Midwest. There set-up went I found a few are 350 tables and over 200 dealers all looking to buythree something but nothing to brag about. I looked for the entire good.before There putting are people their collections hours outlooking any offormy own bottles.and I people looking for a deal. I tend to look for both. The Friday sold well on Friday. I didn’t find anything for my afternoon set-up went smooth as butter. I found few goodies nothing collection, but still had a blast. The aOhio Bottle but Club to bragprovides about. I looked entireattending three hoursonbefore putting always dinnerfor forthethose Friday out any of my own bottles. I sold well on Friday. I didnÕt night. I love fried chicken, and there was plenty of find for my collection, but on stillduring had a blast. The Ohio Bottle it. anything The camaraderie that goes the dinner Club always provides dinner those attending Friday night. I is always superb. If you lovefortalking bottles, on these love fried chicken, and there was plenty of it. The camaraderie
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An assortment of treasures to find
guys are bottle nuts. After the dinner, off to the hotel. We ended up at Motel 6, a very nice and small place loaded with bottle collectors. We stayed next to Keith Felemlee and his crew, who have an assortment of great pontiled medicines and Ohio blob beers. These guys were from Zanesville and boy, do they know their bottles. On the other side of us was Marty Troxell who runs the double-head saloon antique store in Cambridge city. He specializes in fruit jars and is well versed in other bottles and general antiques. Between the two we talked bottles all night. All night I dreamed of finding the ultimate bottle, the one sleeper that nobody noticed. What could it be? Let’s first define what the greatest bottle is. Is it the most expensive bottle out there? Is it the cream of the crop for your collection? Is it that one of a kind bottle that you’ve been hunting for years? How about a bottle you’ve never even heard of? What is the greatest bottle that you would like to find? There are a number of things this could be. Saturday morning came bright and early. Off to the races we went, scouring for that ultimate find. Early on the day before a gentleman approached me and said I have a bottle you need to see. I saw the gentleman again on Saturday and he said he would see me later. I finally found a few keepers and a few sale items and then back to my table. I sold fairly well, but it’s
Labeled Medicines and plenty of go-withs
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Seems every table had something good to look at
M. Van Zant bottle
hard to stay at the table when there are so many people to see and talk to. Lots of familiar faces to see Finally the man with the bottle I must see approached me. Wrapped up in paper and a plastic bag, I unwrapped this bottle. The bottle looked like a whiskey, deep amber in color. Double banded lip with a beautiful finish. Now here’s the kicker, the embossing which went around the shoulder part of the bottle read, “M. VANZANT.” (see pictures) WOW, what a bottle! Where did this bottle come from, and where can I get one? How awesome was it to find a bottle with not only my name, but my first initial as well. If anyone out there has one of these bottles please contact me. I was not able to purchase the bottle, yet. The bottle is in his personal collection and I can understand that. So what is the ultimate bottle? To me the ultimate bottle is the one with my name on it! Happy Hunting, Martin Van Zant
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Morro Bay’s 45th Annual Bottle Show
July - August 2013
by Dave Maryo
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Cindy and I had a nice drive up the California coast Friday morning. The sun was shining and the ocean waves were rolling in on the beaches as we drove north along the coast.
The Morro Bay show is California culture at
its best. While the east coast was in freezing temperatures with rain and snow, most people attending the Morro Bay show were in t-shirts walking around tables filled with bottles on the outdoor patio surrounded by palm trees. The Morro Bay show is a little out of the way, but is located at a great spot on the California coast. There are many things to do and see while you are in the area. The Hearst Castle is only 25 miles north, there are a dozen state beaches within a short drive, and for those wine lovers the world famous Paso Robles viticultural area is only 10 miles inland. But the bottles are the attraction for this event and most collectors would not be disappointed if they attend. Each year very rare and valuable bottles make their appearance at the show. The show may not be as large as Auburn or Baltimore, but the bottles, the collectors and the location make this a very special show. The show always has a fantastic selection of bottles in every price range for collectors. When you arrive at the entrance to the show you are immediately surrounded by the bottle displays. This year, there was a nice collection of colored hair bottles in front of the window to the patio that would make even the most excited buyers stop and look. After I was distracted by the displays, it was a tough decision whether to go out to the patio or go inside. The patio did not have as many tables, but I knew some dealers outside would have an
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interesting selection of bottles at great prices. I chose to go inside where I would most likely find most of the rare and exciting bottles. Last year, there were two fantastic Plantation Bitters bottles in green and teal blue. This year, I was thrilled by four Catawba Wine Bitters bottles sitting side by side in a display case. The bottles were not for sale, but it was the first time that I can remember seeing more than one example of Catawba Bitters in a display. The bottles were four different colors and two were pontiled. This is why I try to never miss the Morro Bay show! While I was distracted by those great bottles, Cindy slipped away to walk around the show with Val Wippert. Looking around the show to see where Cindy had gone, I spotted Robert Frank walking around the show talking to the dealers and collectors. Robert is a longtime collector with a true passion for all types of collectible bottles and has a museum filled with many interesting items just south of Morro Bay. I also saw many of the Los Angeles Bottle Club members attending the show. Several of the LAHBC members had sales tables while others were there just to buy and socialize. As I walked around inside I stopped to talk to many of my bottle friends. Ken Salter and his wife were set up with a great selection of early bottles many of them he dug in San Francisco many years ago. They also had a nice selection of San Francisco pot lids . I also stopped to talk with Mike Henness while I looked over his sales table. Mike always has some early bottles that would Òfit just rightÓ on my bottle
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Beautiful window displays
Outside Vendors
Paso Robles, which I enjoyed just the same.
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Indoor vendors
shelves. This year Mike had a ten pin Luke Beard pontiled soda in dark cobalt that drew my attention. The bottle looked attic mint and even had the original metal bail to hold the cork stopper in place. I have never seen a better example at the shows on the east coast. Then I ran into Jerry Forbes and he asked me if I had seen the green Drake’s Plantation Bitters at one of the tables at the back of the room. I did get a chance to see it later while Jeff Wichmann was holding it up in the light out on the patio. The sun was shining through the bottle showing the yellow green color with a bit of olive. The way Jeff was looking at the bottle I knew it would be going to a new home in Sacramento. Jeff had his sales table out on the patio filled with bottles, but it was difficult to look at them with the large crowd that always surrounds his table. I spent some time talking to Jeff about the FOHBC and his auctions before moving on to the other tables on the patio. I would have liked to stay around for the barbecue later that evening and the second day of the show, but my time was limited and I needed to be back at work on Saturday morning. I said my good-byes to all my bottle friends and headed east. Even though I did not have a chance to attend the barbecue I did indulge myself in wine tasting at a small vineyard nestled in a valley at the end of a winding country road on the west side of Paso Robles. Overall it was a great trip, a fantastic show and I came home with six bottles. They were new and full of wine, but I enjoyed them just the same.
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The Early Druggists
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By Mark C Wiseman
of Jasper County, Iowa
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The book ÒCelebrating 150 Years a Pictorial History of Newton, IowaÓ also contains a photograph of the east side of the Newton Square around 1875 which shows the drugstore of ÒS. Gardner & Co.Ó
NEWTON
The 1860 Census for Newton Township in Jasper County, Iowa, lists Sol. Gardner a 39 year old druggist, born in Ohio, living in the household of H.J. Skiff listed as a 39 year old banker born in New York with 20,000 dollars in real estate and 1500 dollars in his personal estate, along with Sarah L. Skiff age 36, Frances Ross a 16 year old female, and Sarah Gardner a 3 year old female. The 1870 Census for Newton Township, Jasper County, Iowa, lists Soloman Gardner a 48 year old druggist born in Ohio as the head of the household his 31 year old wife, Azeuath, and children Sarah, 13, Elizabeth 3, and George 1. Living in the same domicile is Harvey J. Skiff a 49 year old Dry Goods Merchant. The March 22nd , 1877, Newton Journal contains an advertisement: ÒS. Gardner & Co., Newton, Iowa, Old Drug Store With New Goods! Drugs, Patent Medicines, Paints, Oils &c. Full Stock AlwaysÓ This ad is continued in the Newton Journal through January 9th, 1879. The 1878 History of Jasper County lists ÒSoloman Gardner, drugsÓ and ÒH.J. Skiff, druggistÓ in Newton Township (Newton). In the 1880 Census Soloman Gardner is listed as a 58 year old Druggist, living with his 41 year old wife, his 22 year old daughter Sarah, now listed as a school teacher and four children Lizzie 13, George 11, Walter 8, and Harry 6. The 1880 census lists Harvey Skiff (in a different domicile) as a 58 year old druggist, with his wife Lavinto age 43, a four year old son Earle, and a stepson 22 year old Ralph Parmenter listed as a druggist born in Iowa. Without much proof except there close family ties, both men the same age living in the same domiciles in the 1860Õs and 1870Õs it appears that through 1879 and likely up to January of 1881 that the firm of S. Garner & Co. was composed of Soloman Gardner and H.J. Skiff, with H.J. SkiffÕs stepson Ralph An early photo of Harvey James Skiff
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The Newton Journal, August 29, 1878
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The Newton Journal, January 13, 1881
Parmenter. The first ad for H.J. Skiff Drug Store is in the Newton Journal of January 13, 1881. The 1880-81 State Gazetteer lists Harvey J. Skiff as a druggist in Newton. The ad indicates his establishment as “The Newton Drug Store,” which is also found embossed on the amber drug store bottles he used during this time, along with a small boat or “skiff” embossed on the bottle. Harvey J. Skiff was one of the early settlers of Jasper County. The book, “Heritage Tour of Jasper County Volume II” by Jasper County Writers, Inc. 1982, has the following description: “Harvey J. Skiff, an Amherst College graduate, came to Newton, Iowa, in the summer of 1851 when he was about 31 years of age, to investigate the western prairies. He brought with him his wife, Sarah Burleigh Skiff, whom he married in Castile, New York, on August 26, 1849, and his cousin, William Skiff. Harvey and his wife liked Newton so well they decided to settle here. William returned to the “Skiff Neighborhood” in Allegheny County, New York, where he and Harvey were both born.” William would later move his family to Newton in 1853. The “Annals of Iowa” 1905 indicates Harvey J. Skiff was in Iowa earlier: “Harvey J. Skiff was born in Alleghany County, New York, in 1821. He was educated at the Academy in Wyoming, New York, and later attended Amherst College, Massachusetts, from which he graduated in 1846. He studied law in the office of Fillmore & Havens in Buffalo. (The senior member of this law firm was Millard Fillmore, afterwards President of the United States.) Mr. Skiff migrated to Iowa, reaching Oskaloosa in 1849. He removed to Newton in1851, where he engaged in the practice of the law, in which he continued until 1861…” The 1878 History of Jasper County indicates H.J. Skiff was the
Photo of Larry Ray Hurto’s bottle.
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The Newton Journal, April 14, 1881
District Attorney during the second and only Judicial Term of 1851 in Jasper County, and in the spring of 1854 he had a historic confrontation with then District Court Judge Mc Farland whom he had opposed in the election of 1853. The confrontation blew over due to the loyalty of Mr. Skiff’s colleagues and Mr. Skiff eventually had the Iowa State Supreme Court overrule Judge McFarland’s contempt judgments against him. Mr. Skiff was chosen as a member of the State of Iowa Third Constitutional Convention of 1857, representing the counties of Poweshiek, Marshall, Tama and Jasper, and the proceedings of the convention show that he was a prominent and useful member of that body. Mr. Skiff was involved in some of the original patent entries for lands in Jasper County in 1854, with the land office in Des Moines, and because some of these properties were held by him for only a few months it appears he may have been involved in land speculation during this time. In fact, by the summer of 1857, he had branched into the banking business as “H.J. Skiff & Co.,” a bank in Newton. The Annals of Iowa continues: “(In) 1861, he enlisted in the army, becoming a member of Co. B, 13th Iowa Infantry. This was the regiment organized and commanded by Col. M.M. Crocker. Mr. Skiff was in the service three years, serving most of the time as captain of the company. After his return he engaged in mercantile pursuits, his hearing having failed so that it was impossible for him to practice his profession as a lawyer.” The book, “A History of Newton, Iowa” 192, compiled and edited by Larry Ray Hurto, notes: “His first wife, Sarah Burleigh Skiff, died July 26, 1861. On April 2, 1873, he married Lavinia Parmenter. To them a son was born November 18, 1875, Earle
The Newton Journal, July 12, 1881
The Newton Journal, January 19, 1882
The Newton Journal, July 26, 1882
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The Newton Journal, January 16, 1884
The Newton Journal, January 23, 1884
Harvey Skiff.” The Newton Journal of 1881 has two more different ads for H.J. Skiff’s Newton Drug Store, on April 14, 1881, and July 12, 1881. On August 18th 1881, an ad very similar to his first ad at the beginning of the year began running and was still running on January 19, 1882, and a different ad began running on July 26, 1882. Beginning on January 16, 1884, the Newton Journal began publishing a weekly column advertising H.J. Skiff’s Drug Store entitled “Our Drug Store, Edited By H.J. Skiff.” This weekly newspaper allowed Mr. Skiff to publish a short but different column every week in which he highlighted various products and
The Newton Journal, April 9, 1884
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commonly inserted a bit of humor. There is a gap in early 1885 until April and again in 1886, but they are running steadily in 1887. There are too many different columns over the next years to reprint them all here, but here are a few of my favorites. H.J. Skiff is listed in the Iowa State Gazetteers as a druggist in 1882-83 through 1896-97. The 1897-98 Iowa State Gazetteer lists the Skiff Drug Co., R.F. Parmenter, manager. The 1899-1900 Newton City Directory lists the Skiff Drug Co., at 102 N Spring Street. Harvey J. Skiff died at Newton, Iowa on November 12, 1904.
Two Different H.J Skiff embossed bottles, one is embossed Pharmacist and the other Druggist
The Newton Journal, July 16, 1884
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A Reminiscience of 53 Years of Bottle Collecting in South Carolina
27
by Harvey S. Teal
Part 3 of 4
Antique Bottle Collecting Histories One of a series...
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W
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ith all this interest here in South Carolina and elsewhere prompted by information on bottles and the experience gained over time in digging bottles, there were enough reasons to congregate and organize a bottle club.
On May 13. 1970, we organized the South Carolina Bottle Club in Columbia with a membership of about 50 people from across the state. Ours was the state’s first club. In 1972, the club began to publish a newsletter. After the first couple of issues, yours truly became the editor. A column called “The Grapevine” was soon developed by me to provide news to the membership about new discoveries. For the next 15 years, I continued as newsletter editor. In 1973, the club membership decided to hold a bottle show. With many now having collected for a decade or more, they had bottles they would like to exhibit. Most also had many duplicates they wished to sell or trade. It was my honor to chair our first bottle show. The show was a modest venture held in a middle school gym with nine dealers and about two dozen exhibits. It lasted for two days and was well attended. At the time, my age was 44. I certainly did not realize then that the show would be going full blast some 40 years later. Today, it is the largest show in the southeast below Baltimore, Maryland. Over the years, we have had dealers from Maine, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Missouri, Indiana and a few other states set up at our show. Collectors from those states and others also have come.
There are several reasons for our success. A year or so after our first show, my insurance agent, whose company carried insurance on my bottles and who was a member of a local Sertoma club, approached me with the idea of his club sponsoring our show. The matter was discussed by our club members and agreement was reached for the Sertomans to become the sponsor. They have done so since that time. Through their sponsorship, we are permitted the free use of a local public facility for our show. The chief local charity for that Sertoma Club is the local Boys and Girls clubs. It also became the bottle club charity. Two individuals are members of both organizations. By doing this, our club has enjoyed wide acceptance in local government and service club arenas. Since our members are also using their hobby to serve their community, they participate in, enjoy, take pride in and are motivated to have a first rate bottle show each year. Through our joint efforts, over a quarter of a million dollars have been contributed to local charities. Our club members are quite competitive when attempting to dig or acquire bottles, but we have not allowed this to cause division and non-cooperation. I believe involving a charity has helped keep dissension to a minimum. Two other factors have contributed to our success. Our
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show is one of the few in the region to have continued over the years. Members received a newsletter once a month for about 16 years. These two facts focused attention on our club and show. The show has evolved into an event where bottles are bought and sold or traded. It also is the annual event where members meet, renew old acquaintances and share bottle stories and information. Exhibiting bottles is minimal now since over a 40-year period local collectors have just about shown all the bottles in their collections. Other bottle clubs and shows soon developed in South Carolina. Richard Lizear, Tom Collier and J.L. Jones, who would write a book on the state’s soft drink bottles, in 1970 formed the Greer Bottle Club near Greenville. A show was held in 1973. The club continued to operate for a few years before folding. In 1970, under the leadership of Colie Leaphart, the Lexington Bottle Club was organized. The club had a newsletter and a show, but folded in 1976. As could be expected, Charleston had a club and show during the 1970s. Collectors there seemed to have had too much competition among themselves for digging sites and bottles and not enough spirit of cooperation to operate a club, show and newsletter for a long period of time. Paul Jeter and several others organized a club and show in Union, S.C., in the early 1970s. The club met and held a show intermittently for several years. In later years, Mike Sanders led the Union group. I believe its last show was in 2006. In 2005, a group of former members of the disbanded club (Georgia-Carolina Empty Bottle Club) in Augusta and several South Carolina collectors living near the states’ border organized the Horse Creek Bottle Club. This club has a newsletter and meets regularly. In 2008, its first show was held and is now an annual event. Several members of the South Carolina Bottle Club, including myself, are members of this club. Recently, a group of ladies visited our club and sought our advice in establishing a bottle show in Moncks Corner near Charleston as a means of raising money to support a local charity. After a couple of years, the show has evolved from a bottle show to a crafts show. Tom Collier, formerly of the Greer club, organized a bottle show in Anderson, S.C., which lasted from 1995-99. Bottle clubs and shows in Augusta and Savannah, Ga., and Lumberton, N.C., have been patronized by South Carolina collectors.
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about digging dumps in Columbia and Charleston. We will now complete a review of digging other dumps across South Carolina. Paul Jeter and I realized early on that finding privies and dumps in towns could be greatly facilitated with the use of maps. We ordered a set of Microfilm rolls from the Library of Congress containing copies of Sanborn Fire Insurance Co., maps from cities and towns in our state. The maps dated from 1884 to 1940. When planning to search for bottles in a town, we first studied maps of that town. The Charleston diggers had clued me in on this approach. Beaufort is one of South Carolina’s seaport towns and settlement that date to pre-Revolutionary times. Thousands of bottles have been dug there over the years, but most are not Beaufort bottles. They are bottles from other South Carolina towns or elsewhere. A number of collectors have dug there, but none as extensively as Mark Roseneau and Steve Patterson. Both have extensive collections of South Carolina Dispensary bottles. The small town of Chapin is located about 25 miles north of Columbia. In this town stands a building which served as a retail S.C. Dispensary store. The shelving inside this store 107 years ago (at this writing in 2012) held labeled dispensary bottles full of whiskey. We never found bottles inside the town, but we found and purchased lots of dispensary and other bottles in the
City Dumps Continued We stated these dumps led to the creation of bottle clubs and shows and previously reviewed information Harvey Teal holds a bunch of S.C. Bottle Club newsletters he edited during club’s early days.
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surrounding areas. Chester has a dump that was dug in the 1960s that produced many local bottles such as drugs, sodas, spring water, etc. I never personally dug there, but did acquire a number of Chester bottles from local diggers. A collection of Chester bottles is on display at the Chester County Museum. In the town of Clinton lived Dr. Fred Holcomb and family who dug locally in Columbia, Charleston and elsewhere for a number of years and amassed one of the largest collections of South Carolina bottles and pottery in the state. Holcomb, his wife and son Joe are all deceased, Unfortunately, the Holcombs never published much about their collection and it continues to lay largely unshared with the collecting community except for an exhibition of a portion of their pottery collection in the South Carolina State Museum. In Bishopville, members of the Tindall family dug there and collected bottles from a number of places including Savannah, Ga. I purchased their collection about 10 years ago. Camden, a town dating from the 1760s, had a large city dump, but it yielded very few bottles. My brothers, two of my nephews and I found many bottles in smaller dumps and sites in the area over the years. Camden is the home of Austin M. Sheheen Jr., an advanced collector of South Carolina Dispensary bottles. He is better known for being the most advanced collector of South Carolina bank notes in the world. Additional information on him will be provided later.
Cheraw Dump Sizeable Cheraw had a sizeable late dump with local sodas and drug bottles. I dug there and acquired several Cheraw bottles elsewhere. A brother acquired many more from home sites in the area. Darlington had several dumps that were dug by collectors for years. Two collectors in particular – David Cohen Sr. and Jr. – dug there extensively over the years. In the mid 1960s, I went to Darlington to see David Sr.’s collection. About six years ago, I handled the purchase of this collection for the
Georgia Sarsaparilla, like this one, was purchased by Teal in a group of S.C. Dispensary bottles.
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Cohen estate and acquired several bottles I first saw on my visit a half-century earlier. Edgefield was the home of Gov. Benjamin R. Tillman, the individual who developed the South Carolina Dispensary, and was discussed earlier. Although I have never dug there, others dug in the town and surrounding area. I have purchased a number of items that they dug, including a stacker-type South Carolina Dispensary jug, Florence had a large dump in which a number of collectors dug for a time. Two of my brothers and I dug many a dispensary, drink, drug and other bottles there. Georgetown is one of three fairly large sea or river ports in our state. Bob Frazier and Bob Glenn collected and dug hundreds and hundreds of bottles and amassed large collections over the years. Glenn sold his dispensary collection several years ago to Mark Roseneau, but continued to do some collecting. I have had the pleasure of digging with Bob and his son, Bob Jr., in Georgetown and Columbia several times over the years. He had planned to attend our club’s 2012 show, but passed away a month before the show. My son-in-law served as the plant manager of the Gregg Division of the Graniteville textile plants for a number of years. Through him, my brothers and I had free run in a number of sites in the town of Graniteville, including a canal dug before the Civil War. We were able to find local drug and drink bottles. I never dug in Greenville, but acquired many good bottles from Mary Mayes on Manly Street. This included dispensary, colored sodas, bitters, etc. A number of other collectors also did business with her. In late 1780 and early 1781, the town of Jacksonboro became the capital of South Carolina when the General Assembly met there. The British occupied Charleston and the Revolutionary War still raged in South Carolina at that time. On several trips there, black glass and a few other items were recovered by Danny Riddle and myself. We had been preceded by others, however. In the late 1960s, Don Secor and I searched for bottles in an area along the Keowee River in upstate
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South Carolina where a hydroelectric project was being completed. Don, a professor of geology at the University of South Carolina at that time, will be discussed later. Both sides of the river had been clear cut for several miles where a large impoundment of water would be situated. We began where the Colony of South Carolina had built Fort Prince George in 1756, a fort to protect the Indian trade. The day we were there, the water was within a couple of hundred yards of the fort site where archaeologist friends of mine were digging. The clear cut area had home sites and we envisioned finding lots of bottles, perhaps one or two from Revolutionary War days We came home empty handed, but had a wonderful experience seeing that valley for the last time before Lake Keowee waters covered it. Kingstree had several sites and small dumps which yielded bottles and I dug a few there with Bob Glenn and one of my brothers. In Lancaster, S.C., my brothers and I found over two dozen South Carolina Dispensary Bottles in an unusual place – beneath the insulation in the attic of a three-story antebellum home. Several of the bottles still retained their labels. In another spot in town, I dug about a dozen 1890s beer bottles from Columbia. In the town of
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Lexington, no large dump was located, but smaller ones and old home sites yielded many bottles and pottery. A Mrs. Lindler of the community amassed a large collection which was sold by a Columbia auctioneer a few years ago. I purchased several labeled S.C. Dispensary bottles at that sale. In Marion lived Tony and Marie Shank. The two of them amassed the largest collection of South Carolina pottery in existence at that time, over 100 decorated pieces including several vessels turned and inscribed by Dave the slave. They sold their collection several years ago. I had helped them to acquire several pieces. On three or four occasions, my brother and I ventured to Marion and dug some local bottles, the best of which were Marion Hutchinsons. Newberry had small dumps and sites in the nearby rural areas that yielded many bottles and I have a number I dug and purchased from there. Local collectors such as Bobby Dawkins and Wendell Frick also dug in Newberry and the surrounding towns of Prosperity and Little Mountain.
Stirring Up Hornets Paul Jeter and I dug in Peak and the surrounding area on several occasions and found bottles. One time, while digging around a hedgerow on the outskirts of town, we dug beneath a small tree. When we accidentally bumped it, we learned of a very large hornet’s nest hung just a few feet above our heads when the hornets swarmed out and around us. We suffered only a couple of stings before we made a strategic withdrawal. In the old town of Pendleton dump, I found several bottles, including a broken S.C. Dispensary jug. Other diggers had preceded me, however. Near Pendleton, a group held a reception on the ground floor of an antebellum home under restoration. The upper two stories and the attic were yet to be restored, but we were invited to tour them. I climbed into the attic to look at architectural features it possessed and spotted a Haviland drug bottle from Charleston laying in the dust and debris. The homeowner permitted me to keep it When I related the story to my wife later that evening, she was not pleased. Disapprovingly she remarked: “It would have served you right if you had fallen through the ceiling into the punch bowl!” You have to collect bottles where you find them. Pomaria is located about 30 miles north of Columbia. In the late 1960s, my wife and I went to see the son of Dr. Berly, a pre-Civil War doctor. Dr. Berly’s antebellum home with his doctor’s office in the front yard still stood on a side street with most of its contents inside. The son allowed
Teal holds a flyer advertising S.C. Bottle Club’s second show and sale March 30-31, 1974.
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us to purchase several dozen pontiled labeled drug and medicine bottles, two dispensaries and three or four pieces of pottery, one of which was decorated. Later, I learned a man who had moved to Tennessee near the Virginia line had preceded me to the Berly home and had purchased several dozen dispensary bottles and the doctor’s Civil War letters. I contacted the man, drove up there and was able to purchase most of the bottles and the letters. In the deal was an Augusta, Georgia pontiled sarsaparilla bottle (Dr. J. Dennis’s Georgia Sarsaparilla). My brothers and I acquired many bottles from other locations in the Pomaria area. On one trip, we found three South Carolina bitters. On another trip, we were looking in a patch of woods behind an abandoned house in a pasture when a shower of rain overtook us. We sought shelter under a shed by a barn. Soon, a number of goats chose this same shed for refuge from the rain. Nothing stinks quite as bad as a wet goat. We soon abandoned the shed to the goats and departed in the rain. About 25 miles from Columbia is the town of Ridgeway. Paul Jeter and I dug there and found several bottles, including a broken S.C. Dispensary jug. On one occasion while digging there alone, I encountered a large rattlesnake. I saw him/her first and, contrary to what conservationists may recommend, I dispatched him/ her with my probe. If I were to dig in that area again, I reasoned I might not see him/her first the next time. Sumter had several dumps which yielded many local and other bottles for a number of years. I acquired several from local diggers and my son, a general contractor, while on a job actually dug a rare amber quart dispensary with his front-end-loader. The bottle occupies an honored position in my collection. Paul Jeter’s ancestral home was in Union. On several occasions, we dug bottles in a dump there and dug a number of broken Union County Dispensary bottles. We jointly acquired bottles and other items from that town. Danny Riddle and I dug a number of times in Walterboro where he lives and found good bottles. He had dug an early dump there before we became friends. Winnsboro had a late dump with a few collectible bottles. However, I was able to locate and purchase a number of good bottles in the town and in the immediate area.
Digging S.C. Civil War Sites Addressing this topic at this point will complete most of my reminisces about South Carolina bottle digging. South Carolina had many bottle clubs come and go over the years, with the S.C. club still in existence. Here are some club newsletters including a trio from Atlanta’s Southeastern Bottle Club.
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In November 1861, the Union Army and Navy captured Hilton Head Island and the surrounding area. The citizens of nearby Beaufort fled and Union forces occupied the town shortly thereafter. These areas would remain in Union hands until the end of the war in 1865. The purposes for capturing this island were to establish a naval base for the Union’s blockading fleet and establish an army base to support efforts to invade the interior and to cut the Charleston & Savannah Railroad. By late 1863-64, Hilton Head became a town of about 40,000 military forces and civilian personnel. Most amenities found in Charleston could be found on the island. A city of that size produced a mountain of trash, junk and garbage. For years, diggers like Bobby Hinely and Ed Gray dug there. The location is over 250 miles from my home and I dug only a couple of times there with my brothers. Local authorities became disagreeable about digging there, I believe there are some collectors other than I who can speak with much more authority on just how disagreeable they were. Most of the bottles found were from the northeast, but a couple of soda water entrepreneurs produced colored soda water bottles embossed Hilton Head, S.C. I never found one although I did own one at one time. While digging there on one trip, I found four pontiled inks, one of which was green. At the very tip of Beaufort County across the Savannah
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River from Georgia sits Daufuskie Island, a place made famous by author Pat Conroy and his book, The Water is Wide, and a later movie. Union troops occupied the island early in the Civil War. Two other collectors and I made two trips there in the 1980s, looking for bottles and Civil War relics. I found a Revolutionary-era cannon ball, some Connecticut Union buttons and a dose cup from Solomon’s Drug Store in Savannah, the store that sold Solomon’s Strengthening & Invigorating Bitters in cobalt blue bottles. Previously dug trash pits in camp sites provided ample evidence that we had been preceded by a number of others. Across from Hilton Head was a site called Land’s End. A former teacher of mine and his family owned the last three lots as you head out to sea. Over the years, he and his family had picked up many bottles. A Spanish-American War site, Fort Fremont, was located a quarter of a mile away. He invited me down to look for bottles and to metal detect in the area. I did so on two occasions, but had little luck. He and I did trade a few bottles over the years. In 1862, Union forces moved onto the sea islands of South Carolina from the Georgia line to near Charleston and remained there throughout the remainder of the war. The thousands of troops who congregated at different points along this line discarded many bottles. The challenge was to find them. On Edisto Island, at a number of places such as Civil War skirmish and camp sites and antebellum home
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sites, I recovered many bottles and Civil War artifacts. I gave the Edisto Island Museum its first artifact when the museum was created several years ago – a tall, round, quart amber pontiled amber whiskey bottle I had found at a Union site on the island. While hosting my family’s vacations on Edisto for over 30 years, I became familiar with the island and local property owners, became a charter member of the local historical society and helped set up the Civil War Room in the museum. From our vacation quarters on the beach, I ventured by boat to Otter Island, a mile or so away, in search of Civil War relics. Not many bottles turned up around the old fort there and elsewhere on the island, but many other artifacts such as cannon balls, buttons, minie balls, etc., were recovered. I contributed most of this material to the museum.
Surprising Discovery One of my most interesting discoveries on Otter Island was not the artifacts, but a previously unknown Civil War graveyard. This was surprising because the barrier island has never been inhabited except temporarily by soldiers, fishermen and a few explorers like us. A friend of mine and I were on the island metal detecting when we received one of the loudest signals through our headphones we had ever heard. When we dug down, we found it was an iron casket. Neither he nor I had never been interested in disturbing the dead or grave robbing. We covered it up. A fire had recently burned off all the underbrush on this portion of the island. As we stood there looking at the somewhat bare surface, we began to recognize sunken spots in two rows. These were the other graves and totaled 10 in number. By using our probes, we determined all the remaining graves contained wooden coffins and not iron ones. These likely were the graves of Union soldiers who had died of sickness while stationed at the Union fort located some 300 yards away, or elsewhere on the island. That day as I stood gazing over this ancient graveyard in its setting of Spanish moss-covered oaks and a few longleaf pine “sentinels,” I hearkened back to a time in my youth when I read Robert Louis Stevenson;’s “Treasure Island.” All those characters of long ago – Jim Hawkins, Long John Silver, Blind Pew and the black spot, Squire Trelawney, Capt. Smollett, Billy Bones, all flooded my memory. The pirate refrain, “Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest, Yo Ho, Yo Ho, and a bottle of rum!”rang in my ears. Before leaving the island that summer, I informed the local historical society about our discovery. We left the dead in peace that day and they remain so as far as I know to this day.
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A Dairy to EXCEL by Ken Morrill
HorseXLDrawn X.L.Dairy Dairy Bottle Milk CartCarriage Caption
Ewells X.L. Dairy Bottled Milk Co.,Bottle Depot, 21st & Folsom Streets XL Dairy Caption
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Wretched cows standing in mud and manure, without pasture
to wander and graze, offered only distillery slops and contaminated water, were conditions often found at dairies that supplied milk to the residents of San Francisco during the latter half of the nineteenth century. Nearly 200 dairies operated within San Francisco and in neighboring counties to fill the demand for milk by the cityÕs residents; however, the unsanitary conditions that prevailed at many of these dairies resulted in the contamination of much of the milk supply.
X. L. Dairy
Milkmen were poorly regarded by many San Franciscans; a common complaint was there would never be a shortage of milk as long as the spigots, pumps, and hydrants flowed freely. Some residents even believed a mythical creature, a cow with an iron tail (a pump handle), supplied their daily milk. Complaints of Òswill milk,Ó watered down milk, skim milk and impure milk prompted city officials to adopt ordinances and hire inspectors to crack down on unscrupulous milk dealers. San Franciscans demanded pure milk and one visionary, Luther Jerome Ewell, developed a system to accomplish this.
San Pedro andCaption X.L Dairy Image above XL Dairy Building Goes Here
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Becoming a dairyman was the furthest thing from Ewell’s mind when he decided to move to California. Four years after gold was discovered in California, at the age of 25, he left the east coast and headed to Panama with his young family. After completing the Isthmus crossing, the family boarded the steamship Nicaragua and headed north to San Francisco for the final leg of their journey, arriving on October 2, 1852. An enterprising businessman, Luther developed a wholesale produce and fruit business on Sansome Street. Profits from this business allowed him to invest in other businesses including the Daniel Webster Mining Company located in the Coso District of Tulare County. The mining venture failed so Luther invested in several boarding houses. Two boarding houses on Sansome Street were purchased, one he named the Coso House, the other the Branch House, and a third was the Rest for the Weary on Clay Street. The produce business was sold in 1867, but he retained the boarding houses and continued to invest in other ventures, including a loan made to a relative and friend engaged in the dairy business. In 1879, their failure forced Luther to take over the business to secure his loan. In addition to being a hotel keeper, Luther became a dairy owner and milk dealer. The X.L. Dairy, meaning to “excel,” was located along the Old San Bruno Road, just south of San Francisco, in San Mateo County. Extending from the shore in what is now known as Brisbane and up into the hills of the Guadaloupe Valley, the dairy encompassed 800 acres. Numerous barns and buildings had been constructed to house the cows, men and equipment at the dairy. An enormous warehouse was conveniently located at the shoreline, enabling schooners to offload and store the
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tons of feed needed for hundreds of cows. The milk was transported to, and distributed from, a depot in the city and orders could be left at either the Coso or Branch House. L.J. Ewell quickly discovered that much of the milk available in San Francisco was unwholesome and that he could build a large and profitable business by supplying pure, rich milk. To achieve this he demanded healthy cows, clean water, quality feed, and scrupulously clean conditions surrounding the highly perishable liquid. He experimented with different breeds of dairy cows and the types of feed. At a time when some of the city dairies were feeding their cows swill, the partially fermented grain that was a waste product of nearby distilleries or breweries, Ewell knew quality milk could only be achieved by using quality feed. After much experimentation Ewell came to the conclusion “that cooked food gave better results than dry,” and he insisted “that corn, wheat, Egyptian corn, bran, peas, beans, broomcorn seed, and middlings, in their seasons, in various combinations, cooked to the consistency of mush, with plenty of squash when in season, cut fine and fed green, giving a cow all she can eat twice a day, with plenty of good bur clover hay for a change is the best.” So Ewell devised a system where up to six tons of feed could be cooked utilizing steam. A mixture of feeds was placed in several large tanks and steam, under pressure, was passed through the feed until thoroughly cooked. The feed was allowed to cool before filling the feeding troughs at the milking stations. In addition to this diet, the cows had access to hundreds of acres of good pasture and several sources of clean water. To prove the soundness of his methods, samples of
Early Receipt from the X.L.Dairy
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milk were taken by two San Francisco chemists, Wm.T. Wenzell and Edwin W. Joy. The test results indicated a high level of fat and solids, convincing Ewell his product was superior to that of other dairies. Confident in these results Ewell adopted the motto “the purest and best in the world.” Once satisfied with his dairy’s milk, he began searching for a method to ensure his patrons received it pure. He believed the old system of dipping milk from metal cans and placing it in receptacles supplied by the customer was archaic and should have been condemned. This system allowed unscrupulous deliverymen to water down, adulterate or just simply contaminate the milk with dirt and bacteria every time milk was dipped from the cans. The cans themselves, if old or not thoroughly cleaned, would taint or contaminate the milk. Ewell’s goal to build his business would be achieved by providing the finest quality milk available. To do so he needed a better system for keeping it pure. During the 1880s, large dairies on the east coast began experimenting with the use of glass containers to bottle their milk. Glass, being impervious and easy to clean, made a superior vessel and once bottled, the milk would be safe from contamination and could not be easily be tampered with. At the dairy, a new and sanitary building would need to be constructed to house the bottling operation. Ewell’s vision was to take milk “warm from the cow,” seal it in glass bottles and immediately chill it to less than 40 degrees F. Bottling the warm milk ensured that each bottle contained its proportionate share of cream and the milk would not be exposed to further contamination. It was necessary to wash the bottles thoroughly before filling them and to do so he invented a bottle washing machine. The machine, powered by steam, consisted of a series of revolving pinions and very soft flexible rubber brushes. When inserted into the bottles the revolving brushes would remove all traces of old milk. Each bottle was also washed in a solution of boiling Sal soda and soap, rinsed with clean boiling water, then taken outside and inverted over wooden pegs to dry in the sun. The bottling process was carried out by eight men. After the milkers poured the warm milk into a large strainer it flowed to the bottling machine. This machine, invented by Ewell, allowed two men to fill 16 bottles simultaneously. Next the bottles were sealed by two more men placing manila papers under the caps and springing the lids closed with a flip of the wire bail. The bottles were placed in a bath of ice water to chill for 20 minutes, then transferred to boxes that held 12 bottles and carried to the ice house to await transport to the city. For the cooling process, Ewell purchased an ice machine capable of producing five tons of ice a day. This machine supplied the ice necessary to cool the milk and keep it cold until ready for transport to the city milk depot. Milk was transported twice daily
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Newspaper Ad for Ewells X.L.Dairy
Early Newspaper Ad for Ewells X.L.Dairy, Purest and Best Milk and Cream
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L.J. Ewell & Co. X.L. Dairy Depot 21 st & Folsom Sts.
Complimentary Spoons given out to customers
Ewells X.L. Dairy Bottled Milk Co. Depot 21 st & Folsom Sts.
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to San Francisco, following the twice daily milking of the cows. The evening milking needed to be completed by 9 p.m. in order to have the milk bottled, cooled and ready to transport to the city where delivery began at 1 a.m. and would be completed by 7 a.m. Cream and heavy cream were offered for sale at 40 and 60 cents per quart respectively. These products were produced using a cream separating machine and the remaining skim milk was fed back to the Front of 1890s Trade Card cows. Ewell would not sell skim milk and did not believe in the practice used by other dairies of selling it as such or keeping pigs to dispose of it. In 1887, Ewell ordered his first shipment of glass bottles. The bottles were produced by the San Francisco and Pacific Glass Works and blown from aqua colored glass. Quart, pint and half-pint size bottles were purchased. The earliest bottles were produced with an applied lip and later bottles were made with a tooled lip. Quart and pint bottles were used for milk, while cream was bottled in the half-pints or larger bottles. Because aqua colored glass would have imparted a very sickly appearance to the milk it is likely few of the aqua bottles were made. All subsequent bottles were made from clear, flint glass. Because the bottles were to be returned and reused, ownership was established by having the words “L.J. EWELL & CO. X.L. DAIRY DEPOT 21st & FOLSOM STS.”, and on the reverse, “THIS BOTTLE MUST BE RETURNED” blown into the glass. For many years, Ewell’s customers had received their milk, dipped from metal cans, in the same manner all other milk dealers offered. To set his business apart Ewell had several thousand silver spoons made to entice his customers to switch to the bottled milk. These ladle shaped spoons were used to extract the cream that, after rising to the top of the milk, filled the neck of the bottle. The first spoons made were inscribed “COMP’S. OF X.L. DAIRY.” The system of bottling milk was new to San Francisco and Ewell wanted to capitalize on the idea so he decided to rename and incorporate the business. A new name was adopted in 1888 and the business became know as Ewell’s X.L. Dairy Bottled Milk Co. Incorporation was achieved in July of that year with L.J. Ewell as president and director along with directors Edward A. Anthony, J.C. Moorman, Orrin F. Chamberlain and Florian Andrea. New bottles were made embossed; “EWELL’S X.L. DAIRY BOTTLED MILK CO. DEPOT 21st & FOLSOM STREETS.” and on the reverse “THIS BOTTLE MUST BE RETURNED”. New cream spoons were also manufactured with the inscription; “COMPTS E XLD B M Co.”
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The bottled milk idea quickly gained favor with San Francisco’s residents and on November 5th 1888, Ewell celebrated his first anniversary for the newly named company. A grand parade was held, including the Second Regiment Band accompanied by 16 delivery wagons with banners proclaiming; “First Anniversary of Ewell’s X.L.Dairy Bottled Milk” and “Ewell’s X.L.Dairy Bottled Milk, purest and best in the world; price 10 cents per quart.” However, the bottled milk idea was not popular with everyone in San Francisco. In February of 1889, several X.L. Dairy deliverymen were confronted by men believed to have been employees of competing milk dealers. Evidently the success of the bottled milk was cutting into the business of the other milkmen and they thought they could discourage Ewell’s drivers by harassing them. Ewell’s deliverymen were stopped on several occasions and one time the police were summoned after a driver was beaten over the head with a heavy cane and numerous boxes of bottled milk were stolen. The bottled milk business quickly grew to 5,000 bottles delivered each day. It was necessary for Ewell to have three or four times that many bottles on hand as no more than one third would be in use at one time. Because the bottles were reused they had to be strong enough to withstand repeated washing, drying, filling, deliveries and customer handling. Eventually, the bottles became unusable but some may have lasted many months or more before being retired and sold for scrap glass. One of the unintended consequences of this reuse was the glass of many of the bottles may have acquired a purple tint due to their repeated exposure to sunlight. Because manganese was added to the glass during their production, and manganese oxidizes upon exposure to ultraviolet light, the act of setting the bottles outside to dry would have caused them to eventually “sun color.” Ewell utilized many forms of advertising to promote his business. Ads were placed in the San Francisco City Directory and San Francisco newspapers, and trade cards and cookbooks were printed to be given to his patrons. In March and September of 1890, two editions of a cookbook, totaling 50,000 copies, were printed for Ewell. The books were given to San Francisco residents to promote X.L. Dairy Bottled Milk. Recipes using his bottled milk, information about the history of the business, methods used in his operation, advantages of his bottled milk as well as advertisements for other San Francisco merchants were all included in this free book. On the 24th of March 1891, Ewell filed for a trademark to protect the business name he had been using since 1888.
Nov. 6 1888 Newspaper Ad
Feb 25th 1889 Newspaper Ad
Back of 1890s Trade Card
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The name “Ewell’s X.L.” and the words “Dairy Bottled Milk Company” were to be his trademark, “to be used in conjunction with milk and cream, particularly that contained in bottles.” On the 4th of August 1892, his trademark was granted and the words “trade mark” would be embossed on all subsequent bottles. An act approved by the state legislature in 1891 also made it illegal for anyone but the owner of these embossed bottles to use them in their business. The bottled milk business continued to grow. By the fall of 1892, many of Ewell’s employees felt they owned enough stock in the company and did not want to receive any more stock in lieu of wages. When the business had been incorporated, in 1888, six thousand shares of stock were issued with a total capital of $150,000. Employees had been encouraged to invest in the company with the promise of receiving dividends of one percent per month. Shares were issued at a value of $25; therefore a dividend of 25 cents was to be paid each month for each outstanding share. Ewell held most of the stock and seemed to use it in peculiar ways, as many of the employees would discover. In early October of 1892, the majority of Ewell’s men went on strike. Tensions ran high prompting Ewell to summon an officer from the police station to help maintain the peace, however, other than a demand from the employees for an accounting of the books, no threats against Ewell were made. The men had suspected for some time that something was amiss about the way Ewell operated the business and they learned dividends were being paid through the sale of stock that he owned. When the men demanded reimbursement for shares they owned, Ewell claimed the stock was only worth half of what they had invested. Nine or ten of Ewell’s employees filed suit to recover monies totaling more than $5,000. Over the next year the state of affairs of Ewell’s dairy business began to emerge. In 1893, Ewell owned 5,514 shares of stock out of a total of 6,000 in the company where he had been president since its incorporation in 1888. Since incorporating he had used these shares as he pleased and upon a thorough accounting a number of alleged illegal acts were discovered. Stock was often used, as well as notes issued from Ewell’s private account, to settle bills owed by the company. Ewell maintained that his problems were due to “dummies” X.L. Dairy Co. Depot working for the company. He 21st & Folsom Sts. San Francisco Trade Mark
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pleaded ignorance about the account books, claiming “I am willing to confess that the books of the company were in a bad condition while I had charge of them, but the fact is due solely to my unfamiliarity with the work.” Ewell’s trouble at the dairy steadily increased and it is likely that he had to sell his boarding houses to help resolve the financial problems associated with the dairy business. In January of 1895, Ewell severed his interest with the company and the former vice president, Jean L. Vermeil, became the new president. Shortly thereafter, Mr.Vermeil filed to change the corporate name from “Ewell’s X.L. Dairy Bottled Milk Co.” to the “X.L. Dairy Co.” The change was approved on November 22, 1895. The change in business name meant that new milk bottles would have to be purchased and the old bottles destroyed. The bottles produced for Mr. Vermeil were embossed; “X.L. DAIRY CO. DEPOT 21st & FOLSOM STS. SAN FRANCISCO TRADE MARK” and on the reverse “THIS BOTTLE MUST BE RETURNED.” Ewell did not retire from the dairy business but instead purchased a half interest in another milk company. He and Frank E. Shafer, a former plaintiff in the lawsuit against Ewell, became partners and owners of the California Milk Company. The business was incorporated as “Ewell, Shafer and Co.” This dairy was also located in San Mateo County and the milk depot was at 331 23rd Avenue. Bottles produced for this company were embossed “CALIFORNIA MILK CO. L.J. EWELL’S BOTTLED MILK DEPOT 23d & FOLSOM STS. S.F.” and on the reverse “THIS BOTTLE TO BE WASHED AND RETURNED NOT TO
California Milk Co. L.J. Ewell’s Bottled Milk Depot 23d & Folsom Sts. S.F
San Pedro & X.L. Dairy Co. Depot 21st & Folsom Sts. San Francisco Trade Mark
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Several different, Ewells X.L. Dairy Bottled Milk Co. Depot, 21 St & Folsom Sts.
BE SOLD OR TRADED.” Ewell remained president of the California Milk Company until his death on August 11th 1898. The cows of the X.L. Dairy, the progeny of Ewell’s herd, carried on their lives in the Guadeloupe Valley and Mr. Vermeil, as president, continued to sell and deliver bottled milk from the 21st & Folsom street depot. During these years, competition made it difficult for dairy operations to compete in this rapidly evolving business. Stringent new regulations and their enforcement by city officials forced many dairies to purchase equipment and adopt sanitary practices that would protect their milk from contamination and ensure that it arrived at their customer’s doorstep pure and unadulterated. For these reasons many small dairies were absorbed by larger concerns or merged to generate the capital needed for these improvements. In 1899, the X.L. Dairy and the San Pedro Farm merged to form the San Pedro & X.L. Dairy Company. Milk from the new company was originally distributed from the depot at 21st & Folsom Sts. and the bottles used were embossed; “SAN PEDRO & X.L. DAIRY CO. DEPOT 21st & FOLSOM STS. SAN FRANCISCO TRADE MARK” and with or without “THIS BOTTLE MUST BE RETURNED” on the reverse. In 1901, the depot was moved to the former San Pedro Farm depot location, at 1515 California Street, and new bottles were produced embossed with this address. The great earthquake and fire that devastated much of San Francisco in 1906 created chaos for the city’s milk dealers. Even those not damaged by the earthquake or fire lost most of their customers. Some of the milk dealers decided to share equipment, supplies and
Two different, California Milk Co., L.J. Ewells Bottled Milk Depot, 23 St & Folsom Sts.
personnel to provide free milk to the thousands of now homeless residents. This cooperation was so successful that eight companies, including the San Pedro & X.L. Dairy Co., merged and formed the Dairy Delivery Company. With this merger came the abandonment of the tin top milk bottle in favor of the modern milk bottle that was sealed with a paper cap. Many generations of X.L. Dairy cows had grazed the slopes of the Guadaloupe Valley over three decades, happy but without knowledge of the important role Luther J. Ewell had played in leading the dairy industry into the 21st century. His use of bottles to keep milk pure was eventually adopted by every dairy. Today’s milk bottle collectors, who probably had a milkman deliver bottled milk to their doorstep, are thankful for the bottles that were never returned to those dairies.
Three different, San Pedro & X.L. Dairy Co. Depot, 23 St & Folsom Sts. San Francisco
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J. B. Healey & Co., Prescription Druggists, Westfield, Mass. resting on blueberries
BlueberriesÊonÊtheÊ BushesÊandÊ BottlesÊinÊtheÊAttic! ByÊTony Marostica Late in the summer of 1969, my
brother Marty and I were holed up in a vintage rural Massachusetts farmhouse where the seasonal berry picking laborers were assigned to stay. Outside, things were wet and getting wetter.
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The clock radio’s six a.m. wake-up had revealed a second straight morning of mist, gray clouds, and steady rain. Slapping the alarm I groaned at the prospect of another idle day, waiting for the drippy fruit-laden bushes to dry so that we could continue with our summer work assignment harvesting blueberries for a family farming operation in the hills west of Springfield. It was a “piece work” arrangement, so we’d discovered early on that we’d only receive pay for each “cleaned quart of berries” we provided. Not exactly slave labor, but not really too far from it. Our Dad had set up this agri-labor opportunity through a Church acquaintance whose family had owned this farming operation for generations. There were just a few weeks left before we’d be returning home to start a new year at our Connecticut high school and I think being hired onto this rag-tag berry picking crew, one state removed from home, was as much about our parents wanting to get us out from under foot as it was about the potential of us racking up some cash for school shopping. Besides having become proficient of late in the art of wielding a multi-slotted blueberry rake, Marty and I fancied ourselves as budding New England bottle collectors, adept at predicting where the former inhabitants of our region might have tossed their 19th century garbage. Flung over the stone wall along the back property line was generally a good bet, or perhaps tossed down an embankment along a hidden drainage or into some other pocket in the landscape – but mostly it just seemed like you could find a farm dump someplace out of sight of the main house. We’d heard that at one time a high percentage of the New England countryside had been cleared of trees and put into cultivation, so the job of dump-finding usually involved imagining the scene without the thick woods that now covered our rural stomping grounds. I have to admit that I’d been a little slow to catch the bottledigging vision. As a child in Wyoming, I had watched a sewer line being excavated in the yard of my great-aunt Gladys in a small town east of Cody. While standing by, watching Uncle Hy operate his backhoe, I was fascinated when along with a scoop of sewage-scented dirt, the bucket
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scooped up a curious glass bottle that rolled down the growing pile of earth and landed near my feet unbroken. Wiping off the grime, I could see that its surface had a sort of iridescent rainbow-hued stain, and inside the glass itself there seemed to be air bubbles trapped. Even more interesting was the fact that impressed into the bottle glass were words: “SYLMAR BRAND LOS ANGELES OLIVE GROWERS ASSN LOS ANGELES CAL.” I remember marveling at how that old bottle could have come all the way from California, ending up underground in Wyoming without being broken. Ultimately, however, I didn’t think much more about it. The old glass souvenir was packed away in my vacation travel bag along with a rattlesnake rattle, a small knife with “Yellowstone Park” printed on its plastic handle, and a couple of genuine Indian arrowheads that we’d picked up walking with Dad in the nearby sand hills. It was all proof of “what I did on my summer vacation” to be proudly displayed if called upon at Lincoln Elementary. Several years later our family relocated from Colorado to the suburbs of Hartford, Connecticut when Dad accepted a position in the state welfare department there. Soon, a second encounter with old glass sparked my interest. We’d been living in “The East” about a year when one of my new friends invited me over. Jeff and his family lived in a rambling white New England Colonial farmstead that contained generations of family heirlooms. He showed me an ancient sword that his great-great grandfather had wielded at Bull Run. We peeked through the round air hole on the side of an old military drum and could see that it was signed all around the interior by what we guessed were soldiers of some long-dead Connecticut regiment. In a corner behind the fireplace Jeff pointed out where an even earlier ancestor had carved the family surname and the year 1767 into a roughhewn beam. Later, while playing a sort of hide-and-seek involving Jeff and his giggly younger sister, I squeezed into an attic crawl space through an opening in the back of an upstairs closet. When my eyes adjusted to the not-quite-dark I could just see several glass items reflecting from far back between
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the beams under the slanted ceiling. While still in hiding, I stretched out and quietly retrieved two heavy greenishhued bottles which, I would learn in later years were called “Hutchinson Sodas.” To my surprise when brought out into the light, these two identical bottles had the name of our little Connecticut town embossed in the thick glass. After first being warned by Jeff’s little sister that I’d have to put them right back where I found them, their mom generously offered to let me keep one. The hide-and-seek discovery had not only renewed my fascination with antique bottles, but in response my brother and I began to roam the woods surrounding our home in hopes of finding more. When we began to occasionally hit pay dirt, scratching out old glass containers of various sizes, shapes and colors from mother earth, our very practical mom purchased a new book for us called “Bottle Collecting in New England; a Guide to Digging, Identification & Pricing,” by John P. Adams. It came complete with high resolution black and white photos of 463 old New England bottles that the author had excavated and photographed, along with a listing that provided height, color, suggested contents, and prices that ranged anywhere from 50 cents up to a whopping $30.00 for a really good one. This book became our holy grail and we spent countless hours studying its pages over bowls of breakfast cereal, dreaming of finding the bottles that matched those listed. For example, I still would be pleased to dig a heavily whittled amber 3-piece mold U.S.A. HOSP. DEPT. bottle like the 9 1/2” tall one Mr. Adams listed, claiming it would sell for a whopping ten to fifteen 1969 dollars. I remember that Marty and I were getting more and
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more restless on that dreary summer morning as the rain continued to drum on the ancient metal roof, thoroughly rinsing all those soon-to-be-picked blueberries out in the field. In retrospect, I have a clear memory of the Rolling Stones’ newest hit, Honky Tonk Woman, blaring out of our little radio when I was suddenly seized upon by a rather desperate notion. Situated in the high ceiling of our upstairs bedroom, we had noticed a rectangular framed opening, an obvious passageway into an attic space over our heads. With visions of the old bottles I’d discovered in Jeff’s crawl space, we situated a dresser just so, and I boosted my younger brother up. The panel blocking the opening lifted easily and Marty pulled himself up through the opening into the dusty darkness above. Seconds after his bare feet had disappeared into the gloom, I heard a muffled shout. His face reappeared at the opening and he hissed with excitement, “Tony, there are bottles everywhere up here!” Suddenly filled with a mixture of triumph, curiosity and a growing sense of too-good-to-be-true anxiety, I demanded that Marty come down so that I could go up and take a look myself. Since we shared the house with other members of an adolescent picking crew, I feared that someone might catch us in the act of what was now starting to feel like a keep-an-eye-out-over-your-shoulder trespass. Marty dropped down and, reversing roles, he boosted me up. I was surprised to discover that it was not as dark up there as I’d expected. Small diamond-shaped windows at either end of the attic allowed twin shafts of light to slant down through the dancing dust particles, dimly illuminating the space around me. As the raindrops drummed on the roof overhead, my eyes adjusted to the gloom revealing a scene
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that still seeps into my dreams. Marty was right, there were bottles everywhere. They were standing evenly in clumps, lined up roughly according to size and shape. There were fruit jars, food containers and milk bottles in one group. Standing directly in a shaft of faint window light, were a number of tall, obviously bitters-style bottles, some appearing to have intact labels. There was one section with blobtopped sodas and crudely shaped whisky bottles. Nearest to me was an assortment of drug and patent medicine bottles standing in silent attention against the backdrop of a massive central chimney. The far off sound of Marty’s voice broke the spell, and in a panic I grabbed the nearest bottle and stuffed it into my jean shorts. With my brother’s help, I scrambled back down into the room, repositioning the now fingerprint-spotted lid on my way down. I was panting from the excitement and rapid exertion. As we slid the heavy dresser back into place, Marty whispered,”Did you SEE all those bottles? What are we gonna do?” Still out of breath, I replied in predictable bigbrother fashion. “Shut up and just don’t tell anybody! We’ll figure something out. And wait,” I dropped my voice even lower, “I did bring one down, just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.” Reaching into my tightly-filled pocket, I wriggled out a crude aqua bottle. Our eyes bulged as I held it up to the light and we read the heavy embossing; “PHOENIX BITTERS JOHN MOFFAT NEW YORK $1.00.” For the second time in my short bottle collecting career, I was holding an embossed antique bottle that might well be considered “attic mint.” With the weather clearing, the following day found us back out in the blueberry patch. Mentally reliving our bottle adventure of the previous day, Marty and I were having trouble focusing on the agricultural task at hand, thrusting in our blueberry rakes and attempting to use the sort of proper wrist action to pull them back out brimming with berries. The trick, we’d been told, was to dislodge and shake out just the berries, with a minimum of leaves, twigs and other flora, before dumping the contents into waiting containers. The “cleaned quarts,” upon which our pay was
based, amounted to what came out the other end of a conveyor belted cleaning system back at the berry barn. A poorly picked bucket in the field might yield only a fraction of its bulk in berries, once badly harvested plant matter had been extracted. At the end of that long day of picking, and with the berry barn conveyor belt humming loudly, Marty confronted me. “You know you have to put it back.” He said. Playing dumb, I replied, “Put what back?” But I knew very well what he was talking about. It was many weeks later before Marty and I would see that little bitters again. After numerous rationalizations, recriminations and reversals, the last thing we did at the end of the picking season, just before carrying our bags down to the family station wagon waiting to whisk us back to the Farmington Valley was to reposition the dresser and replace that coveted bottle. Putting it back was, for us, an act of faith. Back at home, it wasn’t long before we shared a casual version of our attic bottle experience with the parents. We explained to Dad that the bottles we’d discovered were truly unique and valuable and that our dream was to somehow own them. He listened to our impassioned requests but was skeptical and noncommittal. Eventually, however, after various approaches, he relented, saying that he would see the farmer at an upcoming meeting, and would broach the subject. Marty and I carefully calculated our berry picking and newspaper delivery savings. When the appointed meeting date arrived, we soberly handed Dad $100 in small bills and change. Knowing that such a bold move would immediately take us from the amateur ranks up to professional bottle collector status, it amounted to our best offer. Neither Marty, nor I had ever tried to buy a bottle before. When Dad returned from his next Massachusetts Church gathering, he had a story to tell. He said that at the meeting, he’d been surprised to hear that the farmer and his family had decided to sell out and that they soon would be leaving the area. When Dad privately shared with him the story of our chance discovery of bottles in his attic, and our deep interest in them, the farmer had said that yes, he was aware of all those old bottles. As a matter of fact, he’d revealed, all the antique items from
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his barns and buildings were due to be appraised and sold in an upcoming farm auction. Dad then told him that his hopeful boys were prepared to offer $100 cash for that lot of old bottles. Dad said that the farmer’s reaction was one of surprise but said that he wanted to think about it. That’s where they’d left things and Dad returned, bringing back our cash. Marty and I were not sure if this was good, or bad news. We agonized over the next couple of weeks, pestering Dad for any updates. Then, one evening he returned from work with news. The farmer had called and said that if we wanted them, he’d sell us the bottles for the $100 we’d offered, but we’d have to come and get them before the auction a week from Saturday. Two days later we were back in the Impala wagon rolling north. As Dad drove, Marty and I rode in silence. Snug in my pocket was folded the first $100 bill I’d ever had in my possession. Dad had suggested that we go to the local bank and trade in our accumulated “chickenfeed” in an effort to make the transaction easier on the farmer. Upon arrival we were led back behind the berry barn to a jumble of cardboard boxes brimming with dusty bottles. Before shaking hands on the deal, the farmer said that the appraiser had cautioned him against selling the bottles to us, believing that they would produce more than $100 in an auction setting. He said, however, that we’d been honest, hard-working farmhands and that he’d rather we had them, even though he was pretty sure he’d told all the live-in pickers that attics were off limits. With a sidelong glance at my brother, I solemnly handed over the crisp Benjamin. Back at home we filled our mom’s kitchen with an
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assembly line of old glass and began to evaluate the specifics of our purchase. First, we counted the haul at over 150 bottles, including that fateful Phoenix Bitters. Some quick math on Marty’s part indicated that we’d paid an average of about 66 cents per bottle, which sounded a lot better than having spent our entire bundle on things that, to our parents anyway, seemed to have little intrinsic value. Next, we began a process of cleaning and carefully examining each dusty item. We kept the John Adams reference guide handy, hoping to find amidst our take a fair number of bottles that “matched.” We found that a number of the bottles sported labels that announced the vessel’s contents in stilted 19th century language. Some labels were torn or stained and our mother initially suggested that we soak the grimy labels off all the bottles “so that they’d look prettier in a window.” Marty and I consulted briefly over this suggestion but remembered that in the Adams book, two bottles on the very first page displayed labels. We took the notation “with paper label” as a sign of enhanced value and said no, we’d just wipe the dust off the labeled ones and set them aside. This decision was also applied to a few that were corked with original ingredients still inside, or with odd contents; including one which held lead buckshot and another that sported an assortment of metal strips that appeared to be meant for banding wild blackbirds. Everything else went through a soapy wash and rinse in our kitchen’s double sink and was laid out on the carpet to dry. We discretely disposed of a couple of mummified mice that appeared along the way without tipping off our generally squeamish mother. As our newly acquired collection sat drying, and with the Adams book in hand, we attempted to make an initial valuation of our
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haul. It was quickly clear to us that while there was some good news, it mostly seemed to be quite bad. Buyer’s remorse weighed heavy as we concluded that only half a dozen of our 152 purchased bottles matched up, even approximately, with the Adams reference. We hung our hat, however, on the one bright spot of very good news: the most valuable bottle in his published collection, according to Mr. Adams, was an 11 ½ inch free blown rough pontil push up “wine” bottle, color: light olive green, with an applied collar below a sheared lip. He valued this gem at $25 - $30. And to our relief, sparkling there on our carpet was an exact match! The other “matches” included a couple of Mason 1858 fruit jars, some slick blob sodas that seemed similar, and a couple of common food bottles that matched up. Most were valued at less than $3.00, except for Mr. Adam’s aqua half gallon Mason jar that he valued at $6 to $8 dollars – but even that one wasn’t a true match: ours was marred with an italicized number 2 below the word Mason that his lacked. Marty and I were puzzled. We honestly didn’t think that there could be many more than 463 types of old bottles in all of New England, yet we seemed to have proof on our living room floor that quite a few more might exist. It was actually years before we gained a true appreciation of what our act of faith had yielded, and the good fortune brought to us through the generosity of a crusty New England farmer. We built shelves in our basement where we proudly displayed the first bottles we ever bought, alongside the best ones we would dig. It’s been decades now since that 1969 blueberry summer, and many of those bottles still grace the collections Marty and I have continued to nurture. I’ve provided with this piece photos of just a few of those attic bottles that passed into our boyish hands there in rural Massachusetts. While we never created a true inventory of our instant collection, what follows is a mention of the most identifiable and memorable items it contained. For starters, there were 7 embossed amber RUSH’S BITTERS (most with full labels) and 1 amber DOYLE’S HOP BITTERS (with a partial label). Unlabeled, but in the bitters category was our cherished PHOENIX BITTERS, 3 aqua ATTWOOD’S JAUNDICE BITTERS, an orange-amber UDOLPHO WOLFE’S AROMATIC SCHNAPPS, and 1 RUSH’S BUCHU AND IRON in aqua. Besides the aforementioned free-blown and pontiled wine bottle, there were more than a dozen more open and graphite pontiled bottles (all unembossed) of various sizes and shapes, including a couple in a beautiful greenish-bluish color. In addition, there were the following that were both pontiled and embossed: a DOCt MARSHALL’S SNUFF, a DR. PORTER NEW YORK, and a very crude LOMBARD & CUNDALL EXCELSIOR HAIR TONIC SPRINGFIELD MASS with a sharp tubular pontil. Besides the various embossed bitters, there were quite a few patent medicines, including an astonishing two dozen unlabeled aqua RUSH’s SARSAPARILLA & IRON bottles. In addition to those there were each of the following: a crude hinge-mold aqua LYONS KATHAIRON FOR THE HAIR NEW-YORK, a heavy paneled HUNT’S REMEDY, WM. E. CLARKE PHARMACIST PROVIDENCE. R. I., a DR. MILES RESTORATIVE BLOOD PURIFIER, a RENNE’S PAIN KILLING MAGIC OIL “IT WORKS LIKE A CHARM” and a KICKAPOO COUGH CURE. There was
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just one embossed hutch soda, a CHARLES RYAN BOTTLER NORTH ADAMS MASS REGISTERED, but there were five short blob sodas, including two shades of BIGELOW & CO SPRINGFIELD MASS (aqua & emerald green), plus three slick ones with roughed slug plates and metal closures. There were a number of unembossed amber and aqua cylinder whiskeys, but three liquor bottles really stood out from the rest. They were made with heavy dark green glass and leaned crudely with bulging necks and globby applied tops. Each had a dainty string tied around its neck which we left in place, wondering what venerable New England glass house might have produced them. Representing the somewhat local flavor of our items were embossed drug store bottles as follows: J.T. WEBBER & CO SPRINNGFIELD, MASS., JOHN J. CRUSE PHARMACIST SUCCESSOR TO PABKE & CRUSE SPRINGFIELD, MASS. J.B.HEALEY & CO PRESCRIPTION DRUGGISTS WESTFIELD, MASS and from across the border, a WILLIAM M. MILLS OPERA HOUSE DRUG STORE WINSTED, CONN., as well as a COWLES & BROTHER DRUGGISTS FARMINGTON, CONN. Among the unembossed but labeled containers were three pint milk bottles with labels that announced their contents to be BLUE ROCK OYSTERS. Also sporting paper labels were bottles identified as containing, BLACK’S LINAMENT, HALL’S VEGETABLE SICILIAN HAIR RENEWER, along with various common labeled whiskies. In addition there were several threepiece mold bottles in olive amber who’s orange and black printed labels described their contents to be BRAUNSCHWEIGER MUMME MALT EXTRACT LONG ISLAND BOTTLING CO. F.M. DOYLE & CO. BOSTON MASS. In the fruit jar category, there was both a half gallon and a quart MASON’S 1858 with #2’s embossed under the arched MASON’S, along with several different cylinder 1858 pints, all of the ground-lip variety, a couple with lugged lids. There were a few aqua TRADE MARK LIGHTNING quarts and pints, plus one very pretty apple green quart. The most curious of the canning jars was a beautiful aqua/teal shaded quart LUDLOW JAR that still sits front & center in my jar collection today.
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Entire Lot 2606 reunited from the Gardner collection that sold at Skinnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s auction in 1975
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July - August 2013 financial difficulties at both sites, their other glasshouse being just five miles down the Salisbury Plains Road in East Middlebury, caused the company to cease all glass production in 1817. Like many glass businesses in those long ago days, things seemed to start with such promise, only to end abruptly due to unforseen circumstances.
The old glassworks on the lake sat dormant until 1832, when it was purchased by the Lake Dunmore Glass Company. Run by local Vermont businessmen, it opened again for glass production in 1833 and stayed in business until 1842. After that it closed forever. In 1849, the Lake Dunmore Hotel Company acquired the property and Lake Dunmore was to be a glass industry no more, but a beautiful resort area, and it has been ever since.
Lake Dunmore piece, a beautiful grapefruit-sized artifact of deep aquamarine glass
souvenir they happened across back on an 1886 sunny day’s outing or Summer picnic at that beautiful lake?
I’ve never been to Lake Dunmore, Charles, but thanks to you and your collecting legacy, I have travelled into the past of that lovely historical lake and learned a lot more than if I simply just drove there and took in the scenery. It’s more than just holding a magnificent piece of historic glass or flask in my hands, it’s always been about the history. You knew that, too. You knew that every bottle, flask, or piece of historic glass is a beautiful solidified moment forever captured in time; the beauty of color and light, combined with history, all so pleasing to the eye and staggering to the imagination. Everytime I pick up and look at the piece of Lake Dunmore glass, my mind is inspired to know more.
How far did you delve into the history of that glasshouse? Finding that piece of yours certainly piqued my interest. The Vermont Glass Factory at Lake Dunmore was the first glasshouse in Vermont. It was a most perfect location, with the endless sand and the vast forests for burning fuel for the furnace fires of glassmaking. And speaking of wanting to know more, here’s quite a It was begun and built by Epaprus Jones in 1811 and how fantastic story, Charles. Did you know how Lake Dunmore interesting that he was assisted by none other than Henry got its name and the incident with the tree cutter? It’s Schoolcraft, son of Lawrence Schoolcraft, the manager of almost magical and just so interesting, one would be very Keene, New Hampshire’s Glass Works. (You were pretty hard pressed to make it up. keen on Keene glass, too, Charles.) Now, despite a fire or two early on, with Epaprus owning and Henry acting as Back in the 1700s, the Indian name for the lake was superintendent, they managed to produce window glass Moosalmoo and the state of Vermont had yet to come into from 1813 until a very existence. During the early 1770s, Rob, Daisy, Gus, Jennie, Floyd, Maud, Charles and Greinnev bad fire at the Lake what’s now know as the State scribed their name’s in History during a day in 1886? Dunmore facility in of Vermont was simply part of 1815. They rebuilt the Government of New York. It the glasshouse didn’t officially become part of the by 1816, but then Union until 1791. Around 1773, the former Colonial governor of
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New York, the Earl of Dunmore, whose real name was John Murray, was interested in seeing the area. Traveling with some companions and with the help of two local Indians, they canoed down a creek to the lake. Impressed with its beauty, the Earl of Dunmore, while drinking spirits from a pocket flask, waded into the lake and poured the rest of the flask’s contents into the water, proclaiming the lake to be forevermore named Lake Dunmore. After this auspicious little ceremony, he noticed a small tree with a forked top. He then had the Indians climb and bend it down so the fork in the tree could be split. The Earl of Dunmore then placed his bottle into the split, neck down, and secured it there. The tree was then released to stand upright again. Unbelievably, about 30 years later around 1813, when one of Epaprus Jones’ tree cutters was felling trees for his glasshouse furnace fires, he struck his axe on something other than wood while cutting a limb off a felled tree. Looking closer, he noticed he had smashed a glass bottle embedded within the tree which had grown over it.
Photograph of Charlie and Mrs. Gardner at the local bottle show held in the Lancaster barn in 1972.
Now that’s quite a historic journey from a single piece of glass, and you had some 4,500 items. There are over 4,500 stories there. Astounding. I am also thrilled to have acquired your two Henry William Stiegel glasshouse pieces as I live not far from the site of his glassworks. Did you dig those yourself? I
Two Henry William Stiegel glasshouse pieces
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know that aside from acquiring glasshouse pieces from others, you did go to many historic glasshouses and do your own digging and discovering. I also know you’ve visited my hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as I have a couple of old photographs of you here at the local bottle show. Those were taken back in 1972 when the show was held at the Lancaster Barn. Then the show moved to York, just across the Susquehanna River. Now it’s held every July in Shupp’s Grove in Adamstown just north of me. I wonder if you did any collecting at Shupp’s? It’s a great tradition that continues, Charles, as I go there frequently and I never miss the July bottle show. That’s a show I know you’d like. Aside from the annual bottle show, Shupp’s Grove is a beautiful place to pick. It’s an outdoor spacious grove of trees and is open from late April to October. It’s been a favorite of many a collector and has been a great weekend antique and collectors’ haunt since it opened in 1962. Wellknown collector Thomas McCandless used to go picking there. At the annual July bottle show there’s still some old time collectors set up at tables in the shade, including Dick Watson, to share bottle stories with. You’d also get to meet the newer, younger generation of collectors, too. That’s the great thing about our hobby, Charles, it’s as timeless as the bottles themselves and it never ceases to grow. And speaking of bottles, I also have a most unusual and quite beautiful fiery opalescent flask. It was commissioned from Pairpoint by the Somers Connecticut Antique Bottle Club in 1973. It’s definitely your bottle Charles. It has your signature embossed on it: Charlie Gardner, and, most unique of all, above that is your portrait forever in glass. The embossed banner above your head reads:
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“Connecticut’s Dean of Antique Bottles.” Looking back now, I think that might be an understatement, but still quite a title to be given at the time. You must have been very pleased and proud. I think nowadays collectors see you as a legacy. I know of many serious collectors with fantastic collections, yet I can’t think of anyone whose portrait has appeared on a commemorative flask. Charles, you were a very unique and special collector indeed. You continue to and will forever inspire the glass collecting hobby. At the rate I’m collecting, I’m sure I won’t make your Dean’s List, but I sure am having fun, and most importantly, the history lessons never end. Cordially yours, Eric Richter
Charlie Gardner in 1972 in the Lancaster barn.
P.S.: I’ll never really know if it was you urging me to go that day to the store where the Lake Dunmore piece sat waiting for me. But if it was, feel free to tug on my coat sleeve anytime.
Charlie Gardner flask was commissioned from Pairpoint by the Somers Connecticut Antique Bottle Club in 1973.
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Charlie Gardner's Collection Impresses Visitors by Its Size; Its Future Concerns Collectors By Noel Tomas in the Down East GLASSMAN, 1969 Like a ship's master, Charles B. Gardner sits like the king that he is amidst his special addition to his home which houses the world's most complete collection of ancient, mostly American mouthblown bottles. From his desk like a poop deck situated abaft of the midships he can survey his most prized specimens glittering with almost every color imaginable as the New London, Connecticut sun shifts from the east windows to the west. It is an awe-inspiring collection from the first floor, down the steel circular ladder to the basement and aback of that main room into his sale bottles (mostly bitters) and on to the bar.
Letter from Noel Tomas to Eric Richter who authored the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Letter to a Legacyâ&#x20AC;? companion article in this issue of Bottles of Extras.
Noel Tomas
Your attention pivots away from his small collection of sarsaparillas (with the remainders of his Warner's medicinal collection on the bottom shelf) to the commanding painting of a brazen, Renaissance-style nude blushing with a smile while Saint Peter looks without hope towards Heaven. Engraved upon a plate at the bottom of the painting is the comment, "God Help Me!" So it can be said of Charlie Gardner that he likes
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his liquor and his women. Of course his wife, Nina, is his favorite and he proudly claims that her knowledge of his collection is increasing vastly toward the day when she inherits all 4,500 of them. None are the same. And Charlie cannot claim to own every specimen known. The man with the most still wants others. His particular designs are upon his favorite specialty, the historical flasks. Just recently, as the results of an article that appeared in the Hartford Courant, he acquired two "Jared Spencer" pint historical flasks from "Manchester, Conn." These are listed in McKearin's "American Glass" as the second and third rarest bottles. He would also prize a Coventry, Conn., flask with the liberty cap without stars over it on the reverse and Lafayette on the front (McKearin GI-87.) Other historicals he would like to own are (McKearin identifications): GI-4, 5, 8, 63, 70, 74, 119, 120 and 122; GII-59 and 77; GIV-15, 21, and 33, and GVII-1 and 2 (Tippecanoe.) There are other pictorial flasks he wants and he will be glad to pull out his McKearin catalog and show you those not marked designating they are in his collection. Unfortunately, Charlie points out that his reputation makes his attempts to purchase bottles much more difficult because he is viewed with suspicion by a prospective seller. Not long ago, as time seems to the 79-year-old
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authority, George McKearin had inspected a woman's bottles when she asked if their origin had been Sandwich, Mass. He did not acknowledge their source and when he commented to Charlie outside, he exclaimed, "Those Sandwich bottles were beauts. Do you suppose you could find a way of getting her to sell them to me?" Charlie's library is a vast storehouse of information about the manufacture and marketing of early bottles. Almost every day that he is not out visiting a bottle show or auction or talking to a group of collectors, he spends time keeping up with his correspondence. He admits that he is tardy in writing. But, he has done a tremendous job providing material and photographs from his library and collection for many of the new crop of bottle writers throught the nation. One thing peeves him when he provides this service. All too often no credit or thanks are given him either by answering his letter or in the publication. A large number of discourteous filchers come from western states, Charlie reports. Still he views collectors as a whole as a most congenial group of people. And he can be most helpful in promoting new clubs and individuals to spread the fever of collecting. During the depression, when antique bottle collecting fell off from the 1920s, Charlie began his hobby. He used to be an antique weapons collector and the switch in hobbies happened when his old friend, Stephen Van Rensselaer, a noted expert and
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He carries insurance, but not for winds and the like. And his insurance does not cover the actual worth of the specimens. It probably does cover what he has tied up in the stock in money. What's his collection worth? "I wouldn't take a million dollars for it," he has commented. Yet he has told collectors he had an offer less than that amount which he thought quite reasonable. The fact remains that Charlie's collection is unequalled anywhere in the world and that makes it a cherished place to visit so long as it is open to all who wish to view it. There has been much speculation as to what will happen with Charlie's collection after he passes on. Many quarters of the bottle collecting New England states have spread the tale that the irreplaceable collection will be put up on the auction block and split up forever.
writer about bottles in the twenties, traded him a stock of ancient bottles for a station wagon loaded with his antique guns. Much of his collection was obtained through the Pennypackers brothers of Kenhorst, Pennsylvania, auctioneers. Of course, like McKearin, Charlie also kept a sharp eye on the lookout for bargains in antique stores' backrooms and the many other sources such specimens showed up when they were easy to come by. A visitor, especially one of many collectors who make it a point to stop at this mecca of bottles, might inspect the window displays with a tremulous hesitancy. What if a Nor'easter were to blow up from Long Island Sound and slap its force upon the windows? Charlie shrugs his shoulders and notes that the bottles "do rattle a lot," but none have fallen from their perch and broken.
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Charlie noted that the Corning Museum of Glass had inquired about purchasing certain items from his collection when they heard the rumor. A New Hampshire auctioneer said Charlie hinted that he might get the collection for his auction. The GLASSMAN editors feel apprehensive that a chance might exist that the collection would be dispersed. It would be a tragic blow to the present and future generations of collectors to have such a magnificent and unequalled accumulation of early American history split up. Some bottle collectors place greed of possession before the pleasure of many who cannot possess or share such a sight. No doubt they will advocate auctioning the collection. The editors feel that a foundation, museum, consortium of collectors, etc., will quickly realize what can be lost to the world and impress upon Mr. Gardner that a reasonable offer from such public-minded sources paid to his heirs should be seriously considered first. After all, when in the next 40 or 100 years will another such collection be amassed for all to enjoy?... Editors
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Classified Ads FOR SALE FOR SALE: Historic glass-making tools from Whitney Glass Factory and bottle slug plates from Whitall-Tatum Glass Factory. See me at the Manchester National Show in July: Tom Phillips (901) 277-4225 FOR SALE: 200 plus Ezra Brooks bottles, circa 1960’s -1970’s. Want to sell the entire collection. Contact Bernie Mulligan, 17725 Manzanita Dr., Morgan Hill, CA 95037; (408)464-4660; berniemulligan@charter.net
WANTED WANTED: COLORED HUTCHINSON’S FROM PENNSYLVANIA. AMBER, COBALT, CITRON, GREEN. I HAVE COLORED HUTCHS FROM MANY STATES TO TRADE. HIGHEST PRICES PAID FOR ANY PA. HUTCHS I NEED. R.J. Brown, 4114 W. Mullen Av., Tampa, Fl. 33609. Phone (813) 286 9686. email: rbrown4134@aol.com WANTED: Nesquehoning, Pa. various Hutchinson and Siphon Bottle embossed with Richard Brown, Nesquehoning, Pa. R.J. Brown 4114 W. Mullen Av., Tampa, Fl. 33609 Phone (813) 286 9686. email: rbrown4134@aol.com WANTED: Bottles from Saratoga and Los Gatos, California, these bottles would include, Pacific Congress Springs, Azule Seltzer Springs, and others I probably do not even know about. Also, other items from the area that would be of interest such as old posters, wooden cases, etc. Contact: Frank Dutro Cell: 408-533-3124 or frank@wildwoodmarket.com WANTED: Dr. Kilmer’s Cough Cure Consumption Oil Catarrh, specific 8 5/8 “ and Dr. Kilmer’s U & O Ointment Binghamton. Two sizes of Indian Cough Cures: 7 1/8” and 5 ¾” tall. John Whitney, 5709 E 22nd St., Tulsa, OK 74114, (918) 835-8823 (H) or (918) 232-1231 (m)
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Bottles And extrAs WANTED: Persons interested in joining our club, the San Luis Obispo Bottle Society located in San Luis Obispo County, CA. Contact Steve Mello at 805238-1447 or dirtydiver53@gmail.com WANTED: old bottles (particularly pontils, bitters, and whiskies), jugs, collectibles and go-withs from Mississippi and Memphis, TN. Contact Justin McClure, 3826 Redbud Rd., Jackson, MS 39211; (601)594-7391;jmcclure@ gscapitalvc.com WANTED: barrel bitters and pontiled medicines. Also looking for old Christmas lights, the ones called Cb when one light goes out they all go out. Also Cg size out door lites with waves or swirls in the bulbs or figural lites like bells, lanterns or Santa Claus. Also old glass ornaments. Contact Mark Legare, 144 Sanborn St., Franklin, NH 03235; (603)934-2526 WANTED: All I need is one embossed dose glass from any South Carolina druggist, and I’ll be happy!. Willing to pay a handsome price. Thanks, Tracy Gerken, 1131 Kings Cross, Brunswick, GA 31525, 912-269-2074 or “1gerken@ bellsouth.net” WANTED: Chicago blob beers & sodas. Chicago advertising, pottery jugs, and crocks. IL hinge mold medicines, bitters, & whiskeys (all colors). Pictorial blob beers & hutchie sodas from any US state. Ron Neumann, 1819 Elmwood Dr., Lindenhurst, IL 60048, (847)-356-5760 WANTED: Insulators, will buy one piece or entire collection. Free appraisals. I collect glass insulators & telegraph catalogs, books & maps, pre-1900. Dario Dimare, 29 Bartlett St., Marlborough, MA 01752 (617)306-2420 or dario@ dariodesigns.com WANTED: Western whisky clinders, flasks, shot glasses & advertising. Rich Lucchesi, Santa Rosa, CA. (707) 5391289 or richlu1947@att.net
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July - August 2013 WANTED: Bottles from Lancaster Ohio. Especially Beers I don’t have from E. Becker Brewing or C.W. Kline, or any other brewery from Lancaster.Also, Washington Brewery, with Washington’s profile from Washington D.C. Has anybody got a bottle with my last name? “Beatty.” E-mail tropicalbreezes@verizon. net or ph. (941)276-1546 Best Regards, Gary Beatty WANTED: Bludwine bottles from the following Georgia cities; Ashburn, Bainbridge, Columbus, Douglas, Eastman, Griffin, Hazlehurst, Jackson, Lawrenceville, Madison, Monroe, Thomson, and Washington. Please contact Jeff at (706) 247-6373 or oldhouse156@ yahoo.com WANTED: ELK BAR REDONDO, CAL. FLASK. Also other Redondo Beach, Cal. Bottles, souvineer-ware, tokens, ETC. Will pay your price for what I don’t have. Contact David Deto, P.O. Box 118, Yosemite, CA 95389 or (209) 626-9846 WANTED: FLORIDA WATERS, also Florida Water shaped perfumers and embossed Florida Water shaped with only a company name. Labeled only Florida Waters. Please no common Murray & Lanman. Jim Mayfield jimandmem@ Qnet.com or (760) 377-3245 WANTED: Wisconsin antique bottles and stoneware. I collect bitters, whiskey, soda, beer, druggist, medicine, jars, or any other category with emphasis on applied lip, colored or better quality items. Contact Peter Maas at pmaas@att.net or (414) 852-1500 WANTED: Washington State advertising stoneware, crocks, jugs, bowls, and rolling pins. Also, mini jugs from other states. Mike Parris, 27433 Lofall Ct. N.W., Poulsbo, WA 98370 or mnparris@ comcast.net
WANTED: ½ pint union flask with cannon on the back in colors other than aqua. Jim Bender (518) 673-8833 or jim1@frontiernet.net WANTED: Globe fruit jars with color swirls in the glass and anything with Southern California Packing Co., Los Angeles, CA. on it. Contact: John Swearingen at (805) 492-5036, leave message if no answer. WANTED: Modoc Indian Bottles, any bottles with Modoc on them. Bill Reeves, P.O. Box 252, Cedarville, CA 96104 at (530) 279-6304 WANTED: Kansas bottles & stoneware, Otto Kuehne bottles, stoneware & advertising. Also seeking Dr. J. Fogworth embossed bottles & stoneware. Contact Mark Law at (785) 224-4836 or mlaw4@ cox.net WANTED: Wisconsin postcards and Wisconsin beers. Contact Audrey Belter at (520) 868-5704 WANTED: Colorado embossed bottles from mining towns. Mining artifacts of all types wanted. Steve Rush at (970) 2492309 or nevsmith@ridgwayco.net WANTED: 1861 Hostetters Almanac with pictures of Hostetter on the front cover in very good to mint condition. Any Hostetter paper that I don’t have. Iron pontil Hostetter’s Bitters Bottle in very good to mint condition. Douglas Shilson, 3308 – 32 Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406-2015 or (612) 721-4165 or bittersdug@aol.com WANTED: Green River Whiskey jugs “The Whiskey Without a Headache”, any size from any state. Call (270) 542-4347, ask for Warren WANTED: College and Delaware milk bottles. Rowland Hearn, 10 Wordsworth Drive, Wilmington, DE 19808 or (302) 994-2036
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Fohbc MeMbership directory *39 members gained this period. The names below represent persons agreeing to be listed within Bottles and Extras and on the FOHBC Website in the Private Member Portal.
New Members Mark Cavallaro 18 Genetti St. Bedford, MA 01730 339-223-5583 bottleman1@verizon.net Early New England bottles and flasks, clasped hands flasks, Washington flasks Barry Haynes P.O. Box 900 Mexico, NY 13114 315-963-0922 St. Regis Mineral Waters Wendy Kelly 5 Flanders Knoll Stoneham, ME 04231 207-928-2793 blue_blazes2001@yahoo.com Pontils, Colognes, Sandwich, Biningers, Bitters, Flasks, Demijohns, some hair bottles, Inks, maybe everything Michael Lee 3829 E. Poinsettia Dr. Phoenix, AZ 85028 602-765-0104 maleect@aol.com Early New England glass, Dr. Kilmer items Justin McClure 1671 Lelia Jackson, MS 39216 601-594-7391 jmcclure@gscapitaluc.com Bottles, jugs, advertising, shot glasses, paper money, collectibles, etc. from Mississippi and Memphis, TN
Joe Miracle 2033 Newport Blvd Costa Mesa, CA 92627 949-631-1720 bayautoservice@yahoo.com Bernie Mulligan 17725 Manzanita Dr. Morgan Hill, CA 95037 408-464-4660 Berniemulligan@charter.net Ezra Brooks and Beam Bottles Arthur Pawlowski P.O. Box 314 Hope, RI 02831-0314 blobtops@cox.net Demi-johns, whiskeys, Rhode Island Bottles, Spring Waters, etrc. John Prier P.O. Box 216 Golden, MO 65658 417-271-3457 All glassware, Indian artifacts, Minerals & etc. Jay Shelley 1022 Cedar Creek Rd. Winnsboro, SC 29180 803-754-4384 Bottles, Pottery, Coins, Indian Artifacts David Treloar 8 Sorrento Pde Victor Harbor, South Australia 5211 Australia davidmarilyn@bigpond.com American Pot Lids Timothy van Leer 38 Goodfellow Road Hanover, NH 03755 603-643-3034 tvanleer@aol.com Beginner sponger
Dr. Leo Waldrop P.O. Box 6286 Branson, MO 65615 360-609-8454 leo.waldrop@yahoo.com Early European wine and gin bottles, ceramic bottles. Collection of 40 years-all bottl;es from Dutch Forts in Guyana and Surinam, South America William Weirs 414 Clearview Drive Columbia, SC 29212 wweirs@yahoo.com Collectibles Insurance Services, LLC Attn: Brandon King Three Bala Plaza East, Suite 300 Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 610-538-2465 bking@global-indemnity.com
New Clubs Alabama Bottle Collectors Attn: Tom Lines P.O. Box 382831 Birmingham, AL 35238 205-410-2191 bluecrab1949@hotmail. com;albottlecollectors@hotmail.com Milwaukee Antique Bottle & Advertising Club Attn: Barna Benes 9815 14th Place Kenosha, WI 53144 262-515-6290 kbencs6@yaqhoo.com
Welcome Back Ron Glasscock 3282 N. Co. Rd. 700E Poland, IN 47868 812-986-2342 ronsan8@gmail.com
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Fohbc MeMbership directory Howard McKinney Jr. 7125 McFall Dr. Auburn, CA 95603 530-885-7594 Howard@howardmckinneyjr.com Poisons and patent medicines
Changes Jan Christianson P.O. Box 549 Fruitland, ID 83619
Full Colour BBR Established 1979
The world’s first full color bottle magazine simply got Better and Bigger. Packed Full of the information you need on the UK & world wide bottle scene. Well-researched articles & all the latest finds. Upcoming sales and full show calendar. Personal check, Mastercard/Visa, even cash.
1 year Air Mail subscription $60
BBR, Elsecar Heritage Center, Barnsley 2, yorkshire, S74 8HJ, England Ph: 011-44-1226-745156 Fax: 011-44-1226-321561
David & Mirian Escoe 43 Mission Bell Irvine, CA 92620 949-786-9619 escoedm@cox.net Cobalt & green medicines
Peter & Amy Spinuzzi 111 South Oregon St. Yerington, NV 89447 775-316-2112 amyspinuzzi@aol.com Bitters, Western whiskeys
Alice Moulton 715 Hunter Creek Dr. Plant City, FL 33563 813-754-1396 amoul01954@aol.com Fruit jars - Tom decease 12/05
William Taylor 503-427-0703 wtaylor178@aol.com Figural bitters Betty Zumwalt 999 Limelight Ave. Salem, OR 97304 208-263-0969 Pickles
Where there’s a will there’s a way to leave Donations to the FOHBC Did you know the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors is a 501C(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) I give and bequeath to the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors, 1605 Clipper Cove, Painesville, OH 44077, the sum of $____________ to be used as its Board of Directors determines. 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 us in your donation plans. Ferdinand Meyer V, President Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors
Don’t forget to “like us” on Facebook
Check us out at FOHBC.org
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FOHBC Sho-Biz
Calendar of shows and related events FOHBC Sho-Biz is published in the interest of the hobby. Federation affiliated clubs are connotated with FOHBC logo. Insulator shows (courtesy of Crown Jewels) are indicated with an insulator. Information on up-coming 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 Alan DeMaison, 1605 Clipper Cove, Painesville, OH 44077 or e-mail: a.demaison@sbcglobal.net Show schedules are subject to change. Please call before traveling long distances. All listings published here will also be published on the website: www.FOHBC.org
July 6 & 7 Elsecar, S yorks, England 23rd UK SummerNational, Elsecar Heritage Centre, Elsecar, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, Saturday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Sunday 9:00 am to 3:00 pm England, Week-end pass £10 Sunday ticket £6, Set-up: Friday from 4:00 pm, Week-end pass £10. Sunday 1 day £6, BBR, www. onlinebbr.com, Contact: Alan Blakeman, Organiser, BBR, Elsecar Heritage Centre, Barnsley, S Yorks, England, Phone: +441226 745156, Sales@onlinebbr.com July 13 Richmond, Rhode Island The Little Rhody Bottle Club Tailgate Swap Meet at the Richmond Antique Center, three miles East of Route #95 on Route #138. Bring your own tables, 9:00 am – ???. Free set up for non-members. For more information contact William or Linda Rose at 508.880.4929. July 19 – 21 Nashville, Tennessee The National Insulator Association’s 44th Annual Show & Convention, at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs, 700 Cool Springs Blvd., Franklin, Tennessee 37067, Capacity for 135+ dealer tables, 25+ Display tables, Raffles & Walk-in appraisals, Incentives for early sales table registration. Visit NIA web site for more information. July 20 & 21 Manchester, New Hampshire Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors presents the 2013 National Antique Bottle Show, at the Radisson New Hampshire Expo Center, 700 Elm Street, Manchester, New Hampshire 03101, 1.800.967.9033. Banquet is on Friday evening, 19 July 2012. Quality collectors from across the USA will be gathered for the first National Show to be offered in New England. Visit FOHBC.org for more information or contact Michael George, 603.765.8079, earlyglass@gmail.com
July 27 Birmingham, Alabama 10th Annual Birmingham Antique Bottle & Folk Pottery Show, Bessemer Civic Center, 1130 9th Ave SW, Bessemer, Alabama 35022, Saturday, 27 July from 8:00 am thru 3:00 pm, Early Buyers on Friday, 26 July from 4:00 pm thru 8:00 pm, Dealer Set up Friday, 26 July from 4:00 pm thru 8:00 pm, Saturday FREE Public Admission; Friday Early Buyers $10, Alabama Bottle Collectors, www.alabamabottlecollectors.com, Tom Lines, Show Chairman, PO Box 382831, Birmingham, Alabama 35238, 205.410.2191, albottlecollectors@hotmail.com July 27 Leadville, Colorado Antique Bottle Collectors of Colorado Leadville Show at the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum Convention Center, 117 10th Street, Leadville, Colorado 80461, Open to the public 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, No early admission, Setup starts at 6:00 am. Public enters at 9:00 am. Show closes at 4:00 pm. Takedown 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, Admission: $3 all day 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Antique Bottle Collectors of Colorado Inc., Jim and Barb Sundquist, Show Co-Chairmen, 303.674.4658 July 27 & 28 Adamstown, Pennsylvania 12th Annual Shupp’s Grove Bottle Festival at the famous ‘Shupp’s Grove’, 1686 Dry Tavern Road, Denver, Pennsylvania 17517, 6:00 am to dusk, early buyers Friday, 3:00 pm, Contact Info: Steve Guion, 717.626.5557 affinityinsurance@dejazzd.com July 28 Altoona, Iowa Iowa Antique Bottleers 44th Annual Antique Bottle & Collectibles Show & Sale, Meadows Events Center, Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino (I-80 Exit 142), Altoona, Iowa, 9:00 am – 2:00 pm, Contact Info: Tom Southard, 2815 Druid
Hill Drive, Des Moines, Iowa 50315, 515.490.9590 August 10 Vicksburg, Mississippi 15th Annual Vicksburg Antique Bottle Collectors Annual Show & Sale, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Battlefield Inn, 4137 I-20 N. Frontage Road, Exit 4-B, Vicksburg, Mississippi, Admission: $2.00, Info: Russell Schaffer, russll2@bellsouth.net August 11–18 Bouckville, New york 42nd Annual Madison-Bouckville Antique Show, Outdoor antiques, collectibles including two huge bottle tents. Over 2,000 dealers and vendors. See AB&GC article, November 2011, Show Address: Scenic Route 20, Bouckville, New York, Contact Info: Larry Fox, 585.307.4608 or Jim Mitchell, 813.684.2834 August 17 Urbana, Ohio 4th Annual Urbana, Ohio Antique Bottle and Jar Show at the 4-H Building, Champaign County Fairgrounds, 384 Park Avenue, Urbana, Ohio 43078, Saturday, 9:30 am – 3:00 pm, No early admission. $1.00 Admission Benefits a Junior 4-H Council, Antique bottles, fruit jars, flasks, inks, stoneware, milks, insulators, bitters, advertising and more. Held in conjunction with the Urbana Paper and Advertising Show, Information: John Bartley, PO Box 53, North Hampton, Ohio 45349, 937.964.8080 or jbartley@woh.rr.com August 17 Houston, Texas Houston Antique Bottle, Advertising And Collectibles Show And Sale at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 12801 Northwest Freeway, Houston, Texas 77040, Saturday from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm, Set-up will be Friday, August 16th at 4:00 pm until 10:00 pm. Early buyers on Friday $10. Dealer check in at 3:00 pm. Friday. Info: Barbara J. Puckett, 907 W. Temple, Houston, Texas 77009, 713.409.9940 (C) 713.862.1690(H)
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(More) Sho-Biz August 18 Poughkeepsie, New york 26th Annual Mid Hudson Bottle Show, Poughkeepsie Elks Lodge 275, 29 Overocker Road, Poughkeepsie, New York 12603, 9:00 am to 2:30 pm, Early Admission: $15 Sunday 8:00 am, $2 General Admission, Hudson Valley Bottle Club, Contact: Art Church, 411 Hillside Lake Road, Wappingers Falls, New York 12590, 845.221.4259 September 8 Pekin, Illinois Pekin Bottle Collectors Assoc. 44th Annual Show & Sale, Knights of Columbus, 715 N. 11th Street in Pekin, 8:00 am – 3:00 pm, Contact: Jim Searle, 1003 Illinois Street, Pekin, Illinois 61554, 309.346.7804 September 14 Downieville, California Downieville Antique Bottles & Collectibles Show and Sale, Early Lookers: 8:00 am – 10:00 am, Admission: $10, Free Raffle Ticket included! Open 10:00 am – 3:00 pm, Free General Admission. Located in the Downieville School Gym on Hwy. 49 in the Historic Gold Rush Country, Featuring Bottles, Insulators, Gold Rush Items, Advertising, Saloon, Mining, Western Related Artifacts and Go Withs. For Show Information: Rick & Cherry Simi, 530.289.3659 email: ricksimi@att.net Online: www. oldwestbottles.com/downieville_show. php, Display Info: Warren Friedrich 530.265.5204 FOHBC Member Club September 20 & 21 Aurora, Oregon The Oregon Bottle Collectors Association will be having their 2013 Fall Show & Sale at the American Legion Hall at 3rd and Main Streets, Aurora, Oregon. Set-up and Early Birds begin on Friday, September 20th. Set-up and Early birds is 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm. Admission for Early Birds is $5.00. Regular public admission is on Saturday from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. Admission by donation. For info and table reservations please contact: Jim or Julie Dennis at 541.467.2760 or e-mail: jmdennis@hotmail.com
September 21 Santa Ana, California The Los Angeles Historical Bottle Clubs 47th Antique Bottle, Fruit Jar, Insulator Show & Sale will be held at the Santa Ana Elks Lodge, 212 Elk Lane, Santa Ana, California 92701, Dealer setup 6:00 am – 9:00 am; Early Buyers: $5, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm; General Admission: $3 – 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. Info Contact: Don Wippert, donwippert@yahoo.com, 818.346.9833 or Dick Homme 818.362.3368, Los Angeles Historical Bottle Club September 22 Indianapolis, Indiana The Indianapolis Circle City Antique Bottle Club will host their 1st Annual Show. Set-up 7:00 am to 9:00 am, Show hours: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. Indianapolis Marriott East, 7202 East 21st Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46219. Hotel rates call La Quinta (317-352-1231)and mention the Circle City Bottle club for a discount. For dealer/show information contact Martin Van Zant, 208 Urban Street, Danville, Indiana, 812.841.9495, mdvanzant@yahoo.com September 22 Buffalo, New york 15th Annual Greater Buffalo Bottle Collectors Association Annual Show and Sale at the Polish Falcons Hall, 445 Columbia Avenue, Depew, New York 14043, Show Time: Sunday, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, Set-up: from 7:00 am to 9:00 am, Admission: $2.00, children under 12 free, Greater Buffalo Bottle Collectors Association, gbbca.org, Info: Joe Guerra, Secretary, 29 Nina Terrace, West Seneca, New York 14224, 716.674.5750, jguerra3@roadrunner.com September 28 Memphis, Tennessee The Memphis Bottle Collectors Club presents their 28th Annual Antique Bottle & Advertising Show at Agricenter International, 7777 Walnut Grove Road, Memphis, Tennessee 38120, Collectors from 25 States, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, Early Admission Available, Admission $5.00, www.memphisbottleclub.com, Show Chairman: Gene Bradberry, 3706
Deerfield Cove, Bartlett, Tennessee 38135, Tele: 901.372.8428 or 901.359.8428 September 29 Greensboro, North Carolina 12 Annual Greensboro Antique Bottle Show at the Farmer’s Curb Market, 501 Yanceyville Street, Greensboro, North Carolina 27405, Sunday, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm, No early admission, Dealer setup Sunday 7:00 – 9:00 am, Admission: $1, Southeast Bottle Club, Contact: Reggie Lynch, President, PO Box 2286, Forest, Virginia 24551, 704.221.6489, rlynch@ antiquebottles.com September 29 Lowell, Massachusetts Merrimack Valley Antique Bottle Club’s 39th Annual Show and Sale, Elks Lodge, 40 Old Ferry Road, Lowell, Massachusetts 01854 (take exit 32 off US Rt. 3 and follow the signs), 9:00 am – 2:00 pm, Early buyers 8:00 am. Website: choyt48. home.comcast.net/mvbc.htm, Contact Info: Cliff Hoyt, 978.458.6575, choyt48@ comcast.net September 29 Richfield, Ohio 43rd Annual Ohio Bottle Club Show & Sale at the Days Inn and Suites (Formerly Holiday Inn), 4742 Brecksville Road, Richfield, Ohio (Ohio Turnpike Exit 173), 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, Set-up: 7:30 am to 9:00 am, Early Admission: 7:30 am to 9:00 am, Early Admission $20, Regular admission $3 (9:00 am to 2:00 pm), ohiobottleclub.org, John Fifer, 6820 Wooster Pike, Medina, Ohio 44256, 330.722.7017, lindaangel57@aol.com October 4 & 5 Canyonville, Oregon Jefferson State Antique Bottle, Insulator & Collectible Show & Sale at the Seven Feathers Casino Resort. Dealer setup October 5 from 12:00 noon to 7:00 pm and October 6 from 7:30 am to 9:00 am. (early lookers 12:00 noon to 7:00 pm Friday and 7:30 am – 9:00 am Saturday – $10). Free admission Saturday 9:00 am ’till closing. Info: Bruce Silva, Show Chairman, P.O. Box 1565, Jacksonville, Oregon 97530, 541.899.8411, jsglass@q.
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(More) Sho-Biz com Website: http://www.ecandm.com/ canyonville/ October 05 Richmond, Virginia Richmond, VA 42nd Antique Bottle Show and Sale, Chesterfield County Fairgrounds, 10300 Courthouse Road, Chesterfield, Virginia 23832, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm, Admission: $3, Early Admission at 7:30 am for $10, Info: RichBottleClub@comcast.net, Marvin Croker 804.275.1101 or Ed Faulkner 804.739.2951 October 5 & 6 Elsecar, S yorks, England Autumn Extravaganza, 500+ lot Auction (Milton Hall – opposite the Heritage Centre). Doors 9:00 am, Auction 11:00 am. Sunday: Show & Auction – E.E. £5. 8.30 am, Auction 11:00 am. Ord adm’n £2 at 10:00 am. Show at at Elsecar Heritage Centre, South Yorks, England, S74 8HJ. 1 hour from Manchester International Airport. Info: Alan Blakeman, c/o BBR, Elsecar Heritage Centre, Nr Barnsley, S. Yorks., S74 8HJ, England. Tel +441226 745156. Email: sales@onlinebbr.com October 6 Chelsea, Michigan The Huron Valley Bottle and Insulator Club 38th Annual Show & Sale, Comfort Inn Conference Center, Commerce Park Drive next to the Comfort Inn, Chelsea (Exit 159 off I-94), 9:00 am – 2:00 pm, Contact Info: Mike Bruner, 248.425.3223 or Rod Krupka, 248.627.6351 October 11 & 12 Santa Rosa, California Northwestern Bottle Collectors Association Show at the Santa Rosa Veterans Building (across from the Fairgrounds), 351 Maple Avenue, Santa Rosa, California 95404, Friday, 11 October, noon to 6:00 pm, Saturday, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, Early admission: Friday, 11 October, noon to 6:00 pm, Set-up: Friday, noon to 6:00 pm, Contact: Bev Siri 707.542.6438, rtsiri@sbcglobal. net or John C. Burton 707.523.1611, johncburton@msn.com
October 12 Woodstock, Connecticut Heckler Columbus Day Weekend Event Cancelled October 13 Keene, New Hampshire The Yankee Bottle Club’s 46th Annual Show & Sale, Keene High School, Arch Street, Keene, New Hampshire, 9:00 am – 2:30 pm, early buyers at 8:00 am, Contact: John F. Bemis, 28 Cross Street, Keene, New Hampshire 03431, 603352.5246 or Alan RumRillpo, Box 803, Keene, New Hampshire 03431, 603.352.1895, director@hsccnh.org October 20 Findlay, Ohio 37th Annual Findlay Antique Bottle Show at the Old Barn Auction House, 10040 St. Rt. 224 West, Findlay, Ohio 45840, Show time: Sunday 9:00 am – 2:00 pm, Early admission: 7:00 am – 9:00 am Sunday only, Set-up: Saturday 1:00 pm – 9:00 pm (dealers only), General Admission: $2 and $10 for Early Bird, Findlay Antique Bottle Club, Contact: Fred Curtis, Show Chairman, PO Box 1329, Findlay, Ohio 45839-1329, 419.424.0486, finbotclub@ gmail.com October 27 Glendale Heights, Illinois 1st Chicago Bottle Club’s 44th Annual Show & Sale at the Ramada Inn, 780 E. North Avenue (1/2 mile west of I-355), Glendale Heights, Illinois 60139, Sunday 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, No Early admission, Set-up: Sunday 7:00 am to 9:00 am, Cost of admission: $3, 1st Chicago Bottle Club, Contact: John & Claudia Panek, Show Chairpersons, P. O. Box 287, Deerfield, Illinois 6001, 847.945.5493, paperbottle1@aol.com November 3 Elkton, Maryland The Tri-State Bottle Collectors and Diggers Club, Inc., 41st Annual Antique Bottle and Collectibles Show and Sale will be held on from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Singerly Fire Hall, Routes 279 & 213, (I-95, exit 109A), Elkton, Maryland 21922. Admission – $3.00 – Children
under 12 Free. Contact: Dave Brown, 302.738.9960 or Email – dbrown3942@ comcast.net November 9 Jacksonville, Florida Antique Bottle Collectors of North Florida 46th Annual Show & Sale at the Fraternal Order of Police Building, 5530 Beach Blvd, Jacksonville, Florida 32207, Saturday 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, Early Admission: Friday 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, $15 Early Bird admission. Free admission Saturday, Info: Mike Skie, 3047 Julington Creek Road, Jacksonville, Florida 32223, 904.710.-0422 or Jackie McRae 904.879.3696. November 9 Royal, Oak Michigan Metropolitan Detroit Antique Bottle Club’s 31st Antique Bottle Show & Sale at the Royal Oak Elks Lodge #1523, 2401 E. Fourth Street, Royal Oak, Michigan, Saturday, 9:30 am – 3:00 pm, No Early admission, Set up days (Only applicable to dealers) 8:00 am to 9:30 am, Cost of admission: $2, Metropolitan Detroit Antique Bottle Club, Contact: Michael Brodzik, President, 26251 Koontz, Roseville, Michigan 48066, 586.219.9980, bottlemike@wowway.com November 10 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania The Pittsburgh Antique Bottle Clubs Annual Antique Bottle Show at The Ice Garden, Gallitin Road and Route 51 North, Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania 15012. Bottles, stoneware, tins, pottery, advertising, ephemera, small collectibles and table-top antiques, Appraisals and Club Displays, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, $3 General Admission and $25 Early Admission – 7:00 am, 100+ Tables available (First table $30, additional tables $25 – 3 table limit), Dealer set-up at 7:00 am Sunday (doors open at 6:00 am), Dealer Hospitality Room 6:00 – 8:00 pm Saturday night, For more information and reduced room rates contact: Bob DeCroo, 694 Fayette City Road, Fayette City, Pennsylvania 15438, 724.326.8741 or Jay Hawkins 1280 Mt. Pleasant Road, West Newton, Pennsylvania 15089, 724.872.6013
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(More) Sho-Biz November 23 Milford, Ohio The St. Andrew Antique Bottle Show, St. Andrew Parish Center, 553 Main St, Milford, Ohio, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, Admission $4. Early admission 7:00 am, $15. Contact: Steve Singer, 1684 Autumn Oak Drive, Batavia, Ohio 45103, 513.732.2793, singersams@yahoo.com February 2 Manville, New Jersey 18th New Jersey Antique Bottle Club Show and Sale at the V.F.W. of Manville, 600 Washington Avenue, Manville, New Jersey 08835, Sunday, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, No Early Admission, Set up at 7:00 am on Sunday, Admission $3, New Jersey Antique Bottle Club, www. newjerseyantiquebottleclub.com, Contact: Bob Strickhart, Show Chairman, 3 Harvest Drive, Pennington, New Jersey 08534, 609.818.1981, strickhartbob@aol.com
August 1 – 3 2014 Lexington, Kentucky Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors presents the 2014 National Antique Bottle Show, at the Lexington Convention Center, 430 West Vine Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40507, 859.233.4567. Lexington is a historic city (founded 1775) located at the cross-section of Interstate 64 and 75. Louisville, KY and Cincinnati,OH are just an hour away. Lexington has many area attractions including: Ashland (Henry Clay’s Home), Mary Todd Lincoln’s House, Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill, and thoroughbred horse farms. Visit FOHBC. org. Sheldon Baugh and Randee Kaiser will be serving as co-show chairpersons.
July 31- August 2 2015 Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga has been selected for the 2015 FOHBC Southern Region National Antique Bottle Show. The show will be held at the Chattanooga Convention Center, Sunday August 2, with dealer set-up and early buyers on Saturday. The Chattanooga Marriott Downtown will be the host hotel and is connected to the convention center. The banquet/ bottle competition, seminars, auction, and membership meetings will be held at the Marriott. Jack Hewitt and John Joiner will be serving as show co-chairpersons. FOHBC National Show
All ads must be paid for in advance. Make checks payable to FOHBC (Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors) Send payment to: Alan DeMasion, 1605 Clipper Cove, Painesville, OH 44077 Notice to Members Please check your mailing label for correctness and your membership expiration date. This will insure you continue to receive Bottles and Extras without interruption. If moving, please send in a change of address, Contact: FOHBC Business Manager: Alan DeMaison, 1605 Clipper Cove, Painesville, OH 44077; phone: (H) 440-358-1223, (C) 440-796-7539; e-mail: a.demaison@sbcglobal.net
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Membership Benefits The Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors cordially invites you to join a dedicated group of individuals and clubs who collect, study and display the treasured glass and ceramic gems of yesteryear. The Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors (FOHBC) is a non-profit organization supporting collectors of historical bottles, flasks, jars, and related items. 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 Federation publication, Bottles and Extras, is well known throughout the hobby world as the leading publication for those interested in bottles and “go-withs”. The magazine includes articles of historical interest, stories chronicling the hobby and the history of bottle collecting, digging stories, regional news, show reports, advertisements, show listings, and an auction directory. Bottles and Extras is truly the place to go when information is needed about this popular and growing hobby. In addition to providing strength to a national/international organization devoted to the welfare of the hobby, your FOHBC membership benefits include: • A full year subscription the Federation’s official bi-monthly publication, Bottles and Extras • One free ad per yearly membership of 100 words for use for “wanted” items, trade of offers, etc. • Eligibility for a discount at FOHBC sponsored shows (National or EXPOs) towards “early admission” or dealer table rent • Access to a knowledge of the world of antique bottle collecting unavailable elsewhere • Contact information for clubs devoted to the study of historical bottles • A forum for your writings, articles, and editorials regarding the hobby • Participation in the nomination and selection of Federation members for the Honor Roll and Hall of Fame • Federation-sponsored writing, show poster, and newsletter-design contests • Free publication assistance for your book or manuscript • And more... We encourage Affiliated Bottle Club memberships by offering these additional benefits to your group: • Display advertising in Bottles and Extras at an increased 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, as well as assistance with the creation of your website • Free Federation ribbon for Most Educational Display at your show • Slide programs for use at your club meetings • Participation in Federation sponsored insurance program for your club show and any other club sponsored activities Finally… We need your support! Our continued existence is dependent upon your participation as well as expanding our membership. The Federation is the only national organization devoted to the enjoyment, study, preservation, collection, and display of historical bottles. The FOHBC welcomes individuals who would like to contribute by running for Board positions or by sharing their expertise and volunteering their talents in other areas of interest such as contributions to our publications, assistance with the Federation’s National and EXPO shows, or through membership promotion. 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 Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors, please contact:
Alan DeMaison 1605 Clipper Cove, Painesville, OH 44077 phone: (H) (440)-358-1223, (C) (440)-796-7539 e-mail: a.demaison@sbcglobal.net or visit our home page on the web at FOHBC.org
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Bottles and Extras Individual and Affiliated Club Information
FOHBC Individual Membership Application For Membership, complete the following application or sign up at www.fohbc.org (Please Print) Do you wish to be listed in the printed membership directory? (name, address, phone number, email address and what you collect) { } Yes { } No
Name ____________________________ Address ____________________________ City _____________ State __________ Zip _____________ Country _______ Do you wish to be listed in the Telephone ___________________________ online membership directory? Email Address ________________________ (name, address, phone number,
Bottles and Extras 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.)
email address and what you collect)
Collecting Interests ____________________ { } Yes { } No ____________________________ ____________________________ Would you be interested in ____________________________ serving as an officer? {
} Yes
{
} No
Addtional Comments __________________ Would you be interested ____________________________ in contributing your bottle
knowledge by writing articles for the Bottles and Extras? { } Yes { } No
Membership/Subscription rates for one year (6 issues) (Circle One)
United States - second class $30.00 - second class for three years $75.00 - first class $45.00
Canada - first class $50.00 Other countries - first class $65.00
(all first class sent in appropriate mailer) Add an Associate Membership* to any of the above at $5.00 for each associate for each year
Name(s) of Associate(s) _________________________ *Associate Membership is available to members of the immediate family of any adult holding an Individual Membership. Children of ages 21 or older must have their own individual membership. Associate(s) Members enjoy all of the right and privledges of an Individual Membership
Signature _________________________Date_______ Please make checks or money orders payable to FOHBC and mail to: FOHBC Membership, 1605 Clipper Cove, Painesville OH 44077 Effective 9/2011
Affiliated Club Membership for only $75.00 with liability insurance for all club sponsored events, 50% discount on advertising in the Bottles and Extras, plus much more, Contact: Alan DeMaison, FOHBC Business Manager 1605 Clipper Cove, Painesville OH 44077 (440)-358-1223 or a.demaison@sbcglobal.net
Clearly Print or Type your Ad Send to: Alan DeMaison FOHBC Business Manager 1605 Clipper Cove Painesville, OH 44077 or better yet, email Alan at: a.demaison@sbcglobal.net
Article Submission Requirements: All Bottles and Extras articles or material need to be submitted on CD (preferable) or an email using a compressed (zipped) file. The file must be created by Microsoft Word, Publisher or Adobe N-Design so the editor does not have to retype the work. High-resolution digital images are our preferred format. Please submit digital images on a CD according to the instructions below. We will accept e-mail submissions only if the image resolution is acceptable. The e-mail or CDs must have only ONE subject per transmission to minimize confusion. Each image must be accompanied by a caption list or other identifying information. Professional-grade equipment is a must to achieve the size and quality image we require. The highest setting on the camera should be used for maximum resolution and file size. Only high quality images will be considered. Please do not send photographic prints or scans of images—the color and quality are generally not up to par compared with digital images or slides scanned by our imaging department. We will consider exceptions for photos that can’t be easily found, such as older historical images. We rarely use slides anymore and prefer not to receive submissions of slides due to the time and liability involved in handling them.
American Glass Gallery TM
We are currently seeking quality consignments for our 2013 auction schedule!
As a consignor, please consider the following benefits to help ensure your valued items reach their highest potential: Z Competitive consignor rates Z Broad based and extensive advertising for your valued items Z Highly detailed, thorough descriptions of all lots Z Experience, knowledge, honesty and integrity Z Attention to detail and customer service
Items pictured to be included in our Fall, 2013 Auction.
For more information, give us a call at 248.486.0530 or visit our website at www.americanglassgallery.com
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FOHBC C/O Alan DeMaison, 1605 Clipper Cove, Painesville, OH 44077
Please CheCk your information and notify us of errors.
FOHBC.org
With over forty years of auction experience, you can’t go wrong with Hecklers Now accepting consignments for our 2013 auction schedule
Pictured Left: Washington - Classical Bust And “Baltimore X Glass. Works.” Portrait Flask in screaming yellow from Baltimore Glass Works, Baltimore, Maryland, 1840-1860. Price Realized: $60,840
Norman C. Heckler & Company
Auctioneers of Antique Bottles and Glass, Period Decorative Arts, Singular Art Objects & Estates
(860) 974-1634
| www.hecklerauction.com | info@hecklerauction.com