Vol. 20 No. 6
November - December 2009
Glass Passion and Color
Vol. 20 No. 6
November - December 2009
No.186
Table of Contents FOHBC Officer Listing 2008 - 2010 .... 2 President’s Message .............................. 3 Shards of Wisdom ................................. 4 Paper Trail ............................................. 8 Regional Reports ................................. 10 The Northwestern Bottle Collectors Association 43rd Annual Show Richard Siri ................................... 23 A Bottle Digger’s Dream Dig Warren Borton ................................ 24
Glass Passion and Color - Part II Ferdinand Meyer V ....................... 26
Richmond, Virginia Show Report Ed & Lucy Faulkner ...................... 49
Legends of the Jar Bruce Schank ................................ 32
Southern Glass Co. Michael R. Miller & David Whitten..50
South Dakota Collecting History Clemente D. Zambon III ................ 36
Classified Ads & Ad Rate Information ... 62
Peoria’s Clarke Brothers & the Whiskey Trust Jack Sullivan ................................. 42 High School Kids Restore 70-year-old Coke Sign Bill Baab ........................................ 48
Show Biz Show Calendar ............................... 66 Membership Additions and Changes... 69 Membership Application ..................... 71 Membership Benefits .......................... 72
Don’t miss an issue - Please check your label 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 the Business Manager June Lowry, 401 Johnston Ct., Raymore, MO 64083; Phone: (816) 318-0160 or email: OSUBuckeyes71@aol.com To ADVERTISE, SUBSCRIBE or RENEW a subscription, see pages 62 and 71 for details. To SUBMIT A STORY, send a LETTER TO THE EDITOR, or have COMMENTS and concerns, Contact: Jesse Sailer, 136 Jefferson Street, East Greenville, PA 18041 Phone: (215) 715-2611 or email: jsailerbotmags@verizon.net 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 401 Johnston Ct., Raymore, MO 64083; Phone: (816) 318-0160; Website: http://www. fohbc.com. Non-profit periodicals postage paid at Raymore, MO 64083 and additional mailing office, Pub. #005062. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Bottles and Extras, FOHBC, 401 Johnston Court, Raymore, MO 64083; ph: (816) 318-0160. Annual subscription rate is $30 or $45 for First Class, $50 Canada and $65 other foreign 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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Bottles and Extras
Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors Business & News 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 2008-2010 President: Richard Siri, PO Box 3818, Santa Rosa, CA 95402; phone: (707) 542-6438; e-mail: rtsiri@sbcglobal.net First Vice-President: Bob Ferraro, 515 Northridge Dr, Boulder City, NV 89005; phone: (701) 293-3114; e-mail: mayorferraro@aol.com Second Vice-President: John Pastor, PO Box 227, New Hudson, MI 48165; phone: (248) 486-0624; e-mail: jpastor@americanglassgallery.com Secretary: Ed Herrold, 65 Laurel Loop, Maggie Valley, NC 28751; phone: (828) 926-2513; e-mail: drbitters@mindspring.com Treasurer: Alan DeMaison, 1605 Clipper Cove, Painesville, OH 44077; phone: (440) 358-1223; e-mail: a.demaison@sbcglobal.net Historian: Richard Watson, 10 S Wendover Rd, Medford, NJ 08055; phone: (856) 983-1364; e-mail: crwatsonnj@verizon.net Merchandising Director: Kent Williams, 1835 Oak Ter, Newcastle, CA 95658; phone: (916) 663-1265; e-mail: KentW@ppoa.org Membership Director: Gene Bradberry, PO Box 341062, Memphis, TN 38184; phone: (901) 372-8428; e-mail: Genebsa@comcast.net Convention Director: R Wayne Lowry, 401 Johnston Ct, Raymore, MO 64083; phone: (816) 318-0161; e-mail: JarDoctor@aol.com
Business Manager: June Lowry, 401 Johnston Ct, Raymore, MO 64083; phone: (816) 318-0160; e-mail: OSUBuckeyes71@aol.com Director-at-Large: Carl Sturm, 88 Sweetbriar Branch, Longwood, FL 32750; phone: (407) 332-7689; e-mail: glassmancarl@sprintmail.com Director-at-Large: Sheldon Baugh, 252 W Valley Dr, Russellville, KY 42276; phone: (270) 726-2712; e-mail: shel6943@bellsouth.net Director-at-Large: Cecil Munsey, 13541 Willow Run Rd, Poway, CA 92064; phone: (858) 487-7036; e-mail: cecilmunsey@cox.net Midwest Region Director: Jamie Houdeshell, PO Box 57, Haskins, OH 43525; phone: (419) 722-3184; e-mail: JHBottle@hotmail.com Northeast Region Director: James Bender, PO Box 162, Sprakers, NY 12166; phone: (518) 673-8833; e-mail: Jim1@frontiernet.net Southern Region Director: Jack Hewitt, 1765 Potomac Ct. Lawrenceville, GA 30043; phone: (770) 856-6062 e-email: hewittja@bellsouth.net Western Region Director: Bill Ham, 4237 Hendricks Rd, Lakeport, CA 95433; phone: (707) 263-6563; e-mail: billham@sbcglobal.net Public Relations Director: James Berry, 200 Fort Plain Watershed Rd, St. Johnsville, NY 13452; phone: (518) 568-5683; e-mail: jhberry10@yahoo.com
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Bottles and Extras
Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors
President’s Message Fall is here and the weather turned cold in northern California the second week in October, bringing with it the bottle show season. The Downieville show was held in September, followed by the Santa Rosa show the second weekend in October and a week later the Canyonville, Oregon show. Well, Canyonville isn’t exactly Northern California, but a lot of the collectors in the northern part of the state take in the show at Seven Feathers Casino. I don’t know if there is a connection, but there may be. I get to at least one show a month until May, then summer and the Chevys take over and the only summer shows I do are Reno and the National. There wasn’t any Reno show in ‘09, but it is online for 2010 in July. The National show is in Ohio in 2010 the same week as Hot August Nights car show in Reno, Nevada which lasts a week. The only time I missed it was to go to a National show. The bummer part about that is you sign up a year and a half ahead of the show and if you don’t, you go onto a waiting list of thousand or more people. I lobbied Jamie and Wayne not to have the national show the first week in August, but it was the only time spot they could get so I’ll miss another car show. I guess that’s the price you pay when you sign on.
Support your local club!! Get involved in this great hobby. Attend meetings. Become a club officer. If you need assistance finding a local club, your local editor or FOHBC Regional Director can supply you with a list of clubs in your area. See page two for a list of officers including your regional director.
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The revised by laws are on the website now so take a look at them as they will be voted on at the March 2010 meeting. If you’re not on line, contact business manager June Lowry to get a hard copy snail-mailed to you. Talks are underway about the development of the Virtual Museum . This should prove to be the most exciting thing to happen in the hobby since the shovel was invented. Already many collectors and owners of bottle auction houses are willing to share their images of rare and exciting bottles . Being able to view these bottles in true color should keep a collector glued to his or her screen. The museum will start off small and grow and grow and grow. The possibilities are endless. Collectors will be able to view rare bottles seen by only a few now. The nominating committee is putting together a slate of people willing to run for a position on the board. View the bylaws and if you’re interested in running for a position on the board contact Western Region Director Bill Ham. His contact information is on the Federation page in the magazine. I wish you all an enjoyable Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Sincerely, Richard Siri - President FOHBC
Where there’s a will there’s a way to leave collections to 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. An example of a bequest would be:
(This is not legal advice, please consult an attorney)
I give and bequeath to the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors, 401 Johnston Ct, Raymore, MO 64083, 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. Richard Siri, President Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors
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Hey Ken N Dar, I got the program (2009 Pomona show program). Thank you. Thank you. I love it! Kitty too. Who did this? It’s not just excellent, I believe its the best program I ever saw. Wow, its wonderful. Beautiful! Yours and thanks again, Scott & Kitty (Grandstaff) Note: 2009 Pomona show program was put together by Martin VanZant with articles and ads solicited by Dar Furda.
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SEATON, LOUISVILLE, KY”. This particular bottle is uniquely identifiable by a small bird swing on one side at the base, and has other unique characteristics as well. Publishing this information in the Federation magazine will help spread it among collectors. A reward is offered for information leading to the return of the bottle and identification of the thief. Don Carroll 17117 Gulf Blvd #536 N. Redington Beach, FL 33708-1481 727-631-7744 dcarrol1@tampabay.rr.com
Hello Wayne and June, Just to let you know I really enjoyed the Sept/Oct issue of Bottles and Extras. The 2009 National West Coast Show looked like a good one. The colored pictures were very well done. GOOD JOB!! I wish we could have been there. Thanks for the hard work. Clyde J Jones Newton, IA Hi Jesse, I have to report the sad news that a rare bottle was stolen from my table at the Keene, N.H. show on October 11. It is a green umbrella ink embossed “J W
Jere S. Hambleton Jere S. Hambleton, 72, of Lancaster, died Friday, August 21, 2009 at his residence after battling cancer. He was
Bottles and Extras
born on November 2, 1936, in Lancaster to Mildred Wiggins Hambleton and the late Gerald W. Hambleton. Mr. Hambleton is survived by his wife of 54 years, Elizabeth J. Green Hambleton. Mr. Hambleton was of the Methodist faith. He served in the United State Air Force. During his time in the service he worked as a radio and television broadcaster for ten years. He was later employed by Harold’s Furniture, where he worked as a salesman for twentyfour years. Mr. Hambleton also owned B&J Video for ten years. He was a life member of the Lancaster Research and Recovery Club and their policy search team. Jere dealt and sold antique bottles and other antiques. Every July for the past eight years, Mr. Hambleton and Steve Guion organized the Shupps Grove Bottle Festival. His other interests and hobbies included: golf, bowling, fishing, working with stained glass, cleaning old bottles, and spending time with family and friends. Mr. Hambleton also enjoyed feeding and watching birds. In addition to his wife and mother, Mr. Hambleton is survived by his children, Debra, wife of Robert Coldren of Lancaster, Bruce, husband of Amy Schaeffer Hambleton of Lancaster, Brian, husband of Kristin Erdman Hambleton of Lancaster; four grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; three great-
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grandchildren; two sisters; Florienda, wife of Nelson Reynolds of Florida and Geraldine, wife of Robert Herr, of Lititz and one brother, Dennis, husband of Deloris Hambleton of Lancaster and several nieces and nephews. The family would like to express their thanks to Dr. E. Horenkamp for the medical help that allowed for time that Mr. Hambleton was able to enjoy with his friends, Rick and Shirley, Bob and Pat, Steve, Marilyn, John, Reggie; Kevin and Debbie for their chicken pot pie and yard work. A Service Celebrating the Life of Mr. Hambleton will take place on Sunday, September 20, 2009, from 1-4 pm at the Lancaster AMVETS Post 19 Banquet Hall, 715 Fairview Ave., Lancaster, PA. Please omit flowers. Memorial contributions may be made to the Lancaster City Police Foundation, PO Box 10171, Lancaster, Pa. 17605-0170. Please specify on the check whether donations should go to the mounted police or K-9 corps. Contributions can also be made to Hospice of Lancaster County, 685 Good Dr, Lancaster, PA 176044125. To send an online condolence, please visit snyderfuneralhome.com. Remembering Jere On most weekends Jere was a regular fixture at Shupps Grove Antiques Market at Adamstown, Pa. Jere always had a beautiful display of the cleanest bottles you’d ever want to see. He was the friendliest person you’d ever want to meet and always had a pleasant smile. No matter who you were, a beginning collector to an advanced collector, he was always willing to answer any questions you had about bottles. Jere always had a great sense of humor. One time at the bottle festival, I showed him a historical flask that I had just purchased. He held it up to the light and said, “That’s a nice flask, but its a shame it has a crack in it.” Then he looked at me and had a big smile on his face. Of course he was just kidding. Jere being one of the original organizers of the Shupps Grove Bottle Festival held in the middle of July was
Front of the new Shupps Grove pamphlet with a memorial to Jere.
concerned that the bottle festival would still continue without him. He has made arrangements with others to continue on for him. The collectors and dealers in southeastern Pennsylvania and surrounding areas have lost a great bottle person. Sincerely, David C. Hess Don Floyd Faas obituary 1934 – 2009 Don was the show chairman for the Iowa Antique Bottleers Show for many years and opened his home up to a BarBarbecue before many of them. He will be sorely missed by the collector/friends
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in Iowa and surrounding areas. Don was born to Floyd and Iren (Hinrichs) Fass, December 23, 1934 on a farm in pilot Township, Iowa. H was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Millersburg, Iowa on January 20, 1935 and confirmed at Trinity on May 16, 1948. Don attended Millersburg High School and served in the United State Army from 1945 – 1957, with service in Germany. Don married B. Elaine Parks of Bloomfield, Iowa on June 25, 1960. They lived together in Ames, Iowa for almost all of the 49 years together. He graduated from Iowa State University with a Master’s Degree in Industrial Education and Technology in 1968. Donald was a high school teacher for 33 years. For 32 years, he taught at Ames High School. He was passionate about making a difference in the lives of his students. He was also an active member of Memorial Lutheran Church for almost 50 years where he served as chairman of the congregation and in many other capacities. Don dedicated his life to the service of others, serving on many boards and involved in many community organizations. He was a long time supporter of the Boys and Girls Club of Ames. Donald was an avid collector and consummate showman. His treasures were vast and varied; World War II artifacts, Ames and Iowa State College memorabilia, toys, bottles, stoneware, fruit jars, and on and on and on. He loved to “show and tell” and showcased many of his treasures as the “Medicine Man” or through a lively presentation he called “Whatchamacallits and Thingamajigs”.
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His audiences were as vast and varied as his treasures and all became part of his enthusiastic love for his collections. An optimist and friend, Don faced each day as an adventure and never met a stranger. He belonged to everyone and was many things to many people – a farm kids, soldier, student, friend, husband, father, teacher and grandfather. He loved people and he loved life. He wanted his funeral to be a celebration of life with God and for others. Among other talents, Donald created beautiful art glass pieces as gifts. The processional cross at Memorial Lutheran Church is his creation and out of glass from the original church windows. We used it this morning in tribute to his
life well lived in service to others as a devoted Christian. Twice Donald battled life threatening disease and won. It was with joy that we celebrate his life with God and with us and commend him to our Savior’s waiting arms. Donald was a devoted and loving husband, father and grandfather and is survived by his wife, Elaine; children: Michelle (Jim) Shaw, Time (Beth) Faas and Nicole (Dan) Hart; and grandchildren: Logan, Levi, Taylor and Caleb. He is also survived by two brothers and three sisters; Robert (Pat) Faas, Richard (Doris) Faas, Marily Pruess, Ruth Ann (Charlie) Gorsh and Esther Dant. He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Phyllis Bauer.
Elma Watson - FOHBC Hall of Fame The 2009 Pomona National Show Committee would like to rectify a grievous oversight in the Souvenir Program given out at the show. Elma Watson, a very long and distinguished member of the FOHBC and previous board member, was inadvertently left out of the list of Hall of Fame members. Here is the tribute to her that should have been in the program and will be from this time forward. Our very sincere apologies for this oversight. 2002 – Elma Watson The perfect helpmate to husband and Hall of Famer Dick, she was an important leader in the Federation, serving as treasurer for many years. Co-chair of the 1994 National Show in Cherry Hill, N.J., she helped establish and arrange bottle exhibits at the Wheaton Museum and assisted with the establishment of the National Bottle Museum in Ballston Spa, N.Y. She was an important contributor to her husband’s books – Bitters Bottles (1965) and Supplement to Bitters Bottles (1968).
Bottles and Extras
Bottles and Extras regrets the following errors: September/October, 2009 issue: Page 18: in Southern Regional News: The assistant show chairman is Chris Cube in place of Chris Dill and George Dueben’s email is res08w341@ verizon.net Page 53: in the Louisville, Ky., History by Betty Blasi, T. William Samuels was inadvertently printed as T. Samuel Williams. May/June, 2009 issue: Page 28-29: in the Displays After the Loss of the FOHBC Museum article by J. Carl Sturm: The following should have appeared after the last column on page 28 and before the first column on page 29: practical until the early 1900s. By the end of World War II, more than 230 patents for nursing bottles were issued by the U.S. Patent Office. This display contained rare nursers and infant feeders from the extensive collection of Rosalind Bergman. The present exhibit for 2008 and 2009 is to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Mason Jar. While the earlier fruit jar display had other types of jars, everything in this display includes Mason jars in different sizes and embossings. There are many myths or common misconceptions about the Mason jar: John Mason invented the fruit jar. He did not, but patented a glass screw. Page 34: Weinhard was misspelled in the title as Wienard
Please send
letters, comments, questions, what-is-its, any type trivia, information, etc. for this column to: Jesse Sailer 136 Jefferson Street East Greenville, PA 18041 (215) 715-2611 jsailerbotmags@verizon.net
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August Flower and German Syrup Back in 1889, Dr. G. G. Green, purveyor of the patent medicines Green’s August Flower and Boschee’s German Syrup, produced what can only be called a “brag book.” The book not only touts the virtues of his medicines but also the opulence of his wealthy lifestyle. The book was distributed to druggists, and the cover of the cloth-bound volume states that it was “Presented to the trade for the entertainment of their patrons.” Inside are found 32 photos, one per page, each depicting some part of Dr. Green’s residence, the surrounding grounds, the company laboratory and the company glass house. There is even a photo of Dr. Green’s private railroad car, built by the Pullman Company. Reproduced here are several images from the book. The glass house photos are weak, and the book admits that
for some reason, “The Photographic views of these works are shown here very poorly.” The book goes on to explain that the glass works “occupy eleven acres with their buildings, and are said to be one of the finest plants in this country. Slate roofs and securely built, kept well-painted, the grounds clean and orderly. These works were built to secure first-class bottles for August Flower and German Syrup at Woodbury, New Jersey.” The pages opposite each photo are printed with the usual pumped-up prose promoting the great value of Dr. Green’s two patent medicines. We are told that 2 million sample bottles of Boschee’s German Syrup were given away by druggists in 1870 and 1871, and that “One bottle will cure.” The reader is further instructed that German Syrup is “based on the prescription of a famous old German physician and professor – Dr. Boschee.” We also learn of the medicine: “It is more recommended and prescribed by druggists and doctors than
Cover of green’s “brag book”
Cabinet mantel in residence (note the august flower advertising poster at upper left)
Front entrance to green’s residence
Dr. Green’s private railroad car, built by the pullman company
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The glass works owned by dr. Green for the production of august flower and german syrup bottles
any other medicine.” The pages dedicated to August Flower are no less modest. For example, “Dizziness and Headache, Numbness, Nervousness, Palpitation, Costiveness, or Diarrhea, Sick Headache, Dyspeptic Symptoms, Acid Fluids and food coming up especially at night, are cured at once. One dose, 2 to 4 teaspoonfuls of August Flower.” Given the grandeur of Dr. Green’s estate, it is no wonder that poet Oliver Wendell Hiolmes dubbed the many patent medicine proprietors like Dr. Green “The Toadstool Millionaires.” Submitted by Steve Ketcham
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A view of the green mansion from green avenue “Paper Trail” is a regular feature which showcases the wide world of bottle-related ephemera, from trade cards and post cards to letterheads and blotters. Readers are encouraged to submit items for publication. Simply scan or photograph your item (JPG please), add a short paragraph or two about the item, and include a photo of the bottle to which it relates. E-mail your contribution to: Steve Ketcham s.ketcham@unique-software.com or mail it to: Steve Ketcham, PO Box 24114, Edina, MN 55424 Ph: (952) 920-4205
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1940. When did the familiar plastic containers replace the amber bottles? 1962. This was a very good article. The club held its annual “Huge Club Bottle Sale” at the September meeting. This serves as a club fundraiser as well as “fun” raiser. The idea of promoting the club through the social network, facebook.com was mentioned. This has recently been done by Syracuse’s Empire State Bottle Club. This may indeed be a good opportunity to communicate with other collectors out there who might enjoy belonging to a bottle club. Information of great interest to researchers of New York state history through early newspapers (1830 - 1970s) were urged to check out the website www. fultonhistory.com. Over 10 million newspapers have been scanned! Thanks to ESBCA member Mark Yates for his recommendation. The MVABC even had some original articles from 19th century newspapers on two N.Y. state glass factories -- Cleveland and Clyde. Editor Jon Landers wrote about a “Rare Utica Hair Bottle.” It was an unlisted “D. Bachelor’s Antipassis,” circa 1847, which was aqua and pontilled. Jon provided some history on it. Half the fun of acquiring a new and unusual bottle is in researching it. The bottle was purchased at the Saratoga show. Each month, a question is asked “What Bottle??? This is Our History.” The question this month asked where the firm “Ingersoll & Elms” was located. The answer will appear next month, with a little background information.
Northeast Regional News Chris Davis 522 Woodhill Newark, NY 14513 (315) 331-4078 cdavis016@rochester.rr.com
Bottles Along the Mohawk Mohawk Valley Antique Bottle Club Utica, N.Y. In the “Club News” column, email addresses were requested from all members, for use in e-mailing newsletters. A member was also sought to help generate such a list. Two reasons are clear. The club would save money on printing and postage. Perhaps more importantly, the quality of the newsletter, with its color pictures, would be greatly increased. Speed of delivery is another. Other items in this column included a monthly refreshment schedule, mention of the FOHBC Magazine as being back on track and looking very good, and a list of club committees (including photographer, librarian, programs, sunshine committee, etc.) The club’s website is www. mohawkvalleybottleclub.com President Jim Berry thanked members Ron Weir and Howard Dean for speaking on figural Moses Bottles at July’s meeting. The club was really enlightened on the history of these figurals. August’s meeting sounded very interesting -- a Bottle Rubbing Workshop. Club members will be cataloging and making bottle rubbings of apothecary, medicine and drug store bottles from Utica and central New York. Supplies needed were regular pencils, carpenter pencils, or crayons, and scotch tape. Paper squares would be provided. What a wonderful way to document local area bottles. A similar project was done on area milk bottles. An outstanding article on “The Clorox Company and Its Bottles” provided a great accounting of this famous company, still in business today. It was founded in 1913 by five Oakland, Calif. businessmen. The bottles used were outlined and illustrated, pointing out the various changes over the years, since the first bottles about 1929. Stoneware jugs were used before bottles. Screw tops replaced rubber stoppers in
Jersey Shore Shards Jersey Shore Bottle Club Toms River, N.J. Club programs have included “Summer Acquisitions & Stories.” “Up and Coming Shows” were nicely detailed, with plenty of information should someone wish to attend any of them. Shows & Tells now require a slip of paper to be filled out to assist in newsletter reporting. Seems like a good idea. Photos of recent shows & tells included Joe DeLengyl with some nice items he brought in, along with other items of many descriptions. The club website is www.geocities. com/dtripet2000/jsbc/isbc.html .
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Newsletters are archived, along with articles. Applied Seals Genesee Valley Bottle Collectors Assoc. Rochester, N.Y. The cover of each newsletter, which has not changed since the club was formed in 1969, includes a more recent addition -- “We’re Not Just Bottles!” This is a statement that rings true with most bottle clubs, no doubt. The phrase is also used with effectiveness in show and sale publicity. It very likely increases attendance, and hopefully, attracts collectors of other items to the club. President Joe DiTucci reminded club members to attend and support the other clubs’ shows this fall, held in Buffalo, Dryden, Scriba, and Albany. The club recently donated $600 to the National Bottle Museum, drawn each year from the profits of the April Show & Sale. Individual members were asked to consider making a donation. The September newsletter traditionally includes the membership roster, complete with contact information and collecting interests. Editor and membership chair Jim Bartholomew again requested members’ e-mail addresses to provide all with a faster, cheaper and all-color newsletter. Several members contributed to an article, “Summer Finds 2009.” There were rare local milks, an unlisted pontilled hair bottle, a rare Avon, N.Y. seltzer bottle and more. Other members filled the display tables with finds at the September meeting. Aaron Weber’s popular monthly feature is a crossword puzzle, called “Crossed Collectibles.” This delights members each month, who have to wait until the next newsletter for the answers. A report on the FOHBC’s National Show in southern California told of the many great things it had to offer - many quality dealers from across the nation, wonderful displays, seminars, an awards banquet, not to mention beautiful scenery, weather and show facilities. The Los Angeles Historical Bottle Club was thanked for a job (very) well done! About 20 members of central and western N.Y. clubs again set up together at the largest outdoor antique show in New York state -- Madison-Bouckville. Held in mid-August each year, the show
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has thousands of dealers and many thousands of show visitors! Some dealers set up for about five to six days. All had a great time. Traveler’s Companion Greater Buffalo Bottle Collectors Association Buffalo, N.Y. July’s meeting was held at Buffalo’s oldest continuously operating tavern, Ulrich’s Tavern, complete with beer trays and signs on the walls, and much more. A complete and thorough history of the tavern/saloon, going back 140 years,
with great early photos, was included in the newsletter. Ulrich’s websire may prove interesting to breweriana collectors: www.ulrichstavern.net The story is really fascinating, including Prohibition times from 1920-33. A privy digging adventure was told through photos and a short story, with a bit of humor. “Bill is very poetic as he describes the shards as lots of Chardonnay.” Only four intact bottles were found. Sounds like a fun summer dig with friends. The club’s 11th annual show and sale was held in late September. It was
successful. Of particular note was the large number of show visitors who took advantage of the free bottle identification and appraisals. There was a constant line, many bringing multiple items. This increased the show’s attendance by many. Other clubs seem to have mixed results with this. The show was full, with good sales and buys reported. The club provided dealers with a wonderful complimentary lunch of pizza and Buffalo chicken wings. The nearly 60-table show has greatly improved since moving to the new site, the Polish Falcons Hall, in Depew, east of Buffalo.
was instrumental in bringing about the Revolutionary war. Because we had resources that were needed to produce glass in the colonies, the English wanted them. They made it extremely difficult for anyone in the colonies to manufacture and everything was taxed. Remember the original Tea Party. Raw materials were shipped to England, but being Americans, we started our own glass works. Glass houses sprang up in Salem (1639-42) and again 1645 to 1651. Factories were started in Manhattan in 1650 and Frankfort in 1684, but both closed. The English banned manufacturing in the colonies, but we defiantly opened houses. We said enough is enough and declared our independence. For information on joining the ABCNI, you may contact: Dorothy Furman, 26287 W. Marie Ave., Antioch, IL 60002.
A couple of bottles exchanged hands. I enjoy looking at the many different bottles at the meetings. There was a really nice looking, dark peacock blue, sided seltzer water from the Klee and Coleman Co. for show and tell. Bill Granger brought in some recent finds. I hope he has some more show and tell, because I haven’t found that much lately. Dave Berry is the Indiana State Fair bottle judge coordinator. The last meeting the club decided to award a $25 gift card to the “best Indiana bottle.” The award went to a “Hoosier milk bottle.” It also won second place for the fair. This was the first year for me to judge the bottles. I really enjoyed this a lot. I judged the whiskey and barber bottles. There were only two barber bottles. There was a really cool Keene Masonic flask. It was a beautiful bottle. The four judges and Dave are all club members – what a great team. Robert Hunt is director of the Hooks Pharmacy Museum located on the fairgrounds. He made mention that maybe one day in the near future we may be able to have a meeting at the museum. I think this is a wonderful idea and would love to. When I was a kid (in the 80s), we used to go there to get candy while our family was set up at the flea market. I never thought about the history involved there. I’m excited, and I hope the club members take Robert up on his offer. OK, I hope this finds you all in good health, good spirits and with good bottles. Enjoy, and I hope to see you at the next Indianapolis Bottle Club meeting. Martin Van Zant is drumming up support for this new bottle club in Indianapolis, Indiana. The club meets the last Wednesday of the month at Ben
Midwest Regional News Joe Coulson 10515 Collingswood Lane Fishers, IN 46038 (317) 915-0665 jcoulson@leaderjar.com
Hello, bottle collectors! Welcome to another installment of the Midwest region news report. This time around we will cover the summer-time newsletters that were sent in. We love to hear from the Midwest bottle clubs – keep sending in those news items… please, please, please and thank you! Antique Bottle Club of Northern Illinois (ABCNI) Dorothy Furman is the newsletter editor of the ABCNI’s Pick and Probe. Jeff Dahlberg is president of the club, which has been holding its meetings at the Antioch Senior Center, 817 Holbeck, Antioch, Ill. In the July newsletter, we heard the following from Dorothy: It wasn’t the Brothers Grimm, but the Brothers Puzzo who joined together to collaborate on this month’s program. Dan began by showing us some of his very OLD glassware from the late 1600s, 1700s and 1800s. He displayed a Dutch onion, medicine bottles from 1730, mallet wine or whiskey from 1730, snuff or spice 1700 to 1750, New Orleans druggist 1720, medicines from 1730 and 1800, and apothecary jar from late 1600 and Roman blown glass. Now it was John’s turn, and the history lesson began. John explained how glass
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Circle City Bottle Club Martin Van Zant is the newsletter editor. Here is a report from him in the club’s August newsletter: Hello, once again, to all my bottle collecting friends. Here we are once again, ready for the next meeting. The meetings are getting bigger each time, with each new person bringing something different to the club. We had nine members at the last meeting. We meet at 6:30 p.m. Three or four people brought in stuff to look at. There were milk bottles, fruit jars, medicine bottles and even an 1840s inaugural plate from the Harrison campaign. You just never know what you’re going to get.
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Davis High School, 1200 N. Girl School Rd. (Door 17, Room U102). You may contact Martin by email at mdvanzant@ yahoo.com or postal mail at 5997 Redcliff Lane North, Plainfield, IN 46168 or by telephone at 812-841-9495. Findlay Antique Bottle Club (FABC) Tom Brown (editor) of the FABC submitted their Whittle Marks newsletter. Tom typically reprints several articles for club members in their newsletter. In the July issue, reprinted was “Dr. Jayne’s Root Beer & Alterative,” by Donald Yates (Winter 2005, Bottles & Extras). In the August newsletter, “In the Medicine Chest: The Original Milk of Magnesia Bottle?”, by Dr. Richard Cannon; “Bromo Seltzer Bottles,” by Digger Odell Publications, 2007. Tom added the following comments: “This is one bottle [Milk of Magnesia] that any digger has dug more than his fair share of as they must have made them by the tens of thousands. My brothers Dave and Steve and I named them Orville and Wilburs as we usually turned them into flyers against the nearest rock trying to take them out of circulation. The other bottle in this category was the BromoSeltzer. At least these bottles were cobalt blue and could make a guy 50 cents, so most of these we took home. “As bottle diggers, we have always dug up a lot of bricks some times more than we wanted to find, and realized that some of these bricks broke the bottles that lay in pieces among them. I started collecting bricks years ago and have since joined the IBCA – International Brick Collectors Association. A very good friend of this club was Don Szuro, who was the main reason the series of Ohio bottle books ever came to be printed. Don also felt the bite of brick collecting and has started doing a lot of research on the history of brick production in Ohio. It was largest state in production of street pavers, soft red brick and fire bricks used in furnaces and chimneys. The main reason was the abundance of cheap gas and good clay. This combination created the many factories that grew on the east side of Ohio in the Canton, Zanesville, Massillon area. These factories were in business in the same time frame as a lot of the glass houses, so I guess the demand for gas and workers was pretty strong in those days. One thing for sure, these jobs were very tough on the workers. Just pick
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up a street paver and you will appreciate how hard they worked making and then laying the bricks that are beneath the streets covered in blacktop in most of Ohio’s cities. Thanks to Marianne Dow, the club is breaking new technology ground by participating in the world of internet social networking by maintaining a blog (http://finbotclub.blogspot. com/) and tweeting (http://twitter. com/FinBotClub). You can follow the happenings of the club on your computer at those places. The FABC has a good website with pictures from their annual shows. You should check it out: http:// fabclub.freeyellow.com/home.html. Richard Elwood is club president. Monthly meetings are held at the University of Findlay. The club usually has itsr annual show and sale in October. To find out more about their monthly newsletter, send a note to: Findlay Antique Bottle Club, P.O. Box 1329, Findlay, OH 45839. Huron Valley Bottle & Insulator Club (HVBIC) Michele and Shaun Kotlarsky are newsletter editors for The Embossing, newsletter of the Huron Valley Bottle & Insulator Club. Bob Powell is the club president. A new edition of the newsletter has not been available since December 2008. The HVBIC meetings are held the second Monday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the First National Bank, 8080 Challis Rd, Brighton, Mich. You can find out much more about the HVBIC online at its website: http://hvbic.org. Newsletters can be viewed there, too. Iowa Antique Bottleers (IAB) Mark Wiseman (newsletter editor) and Mike Magee (secretary) do a wonderful job each month reporting the IAB happenings. President is Clyde Jones. In the July newsletter, Tom relays the following about their recent club meeting: The June 27th meeting was at Chuck Erb’s new home, Amber Acres, and theme was fruit jars and containers. Chuck’s collection of jars was on display and the awesome color variations of the Globe and other jars were incredible. Club members owe Chuck Erb many, many thanks for his wonderful hospitality
Bottles and Extras
and unbelievable generosity. Chuck had a drawing for those in attendance in which he gave first 100 Indian Head pennies, then 25 Indian head pennies, 25 buffalo nickels, a large cent and a silver dollar, followed by the grand prize an amber pint Globe fruit jar. Chuck and his wife also served a wonderful lunch to those in attendance. The atmosphere was great. Chuck has restaurant booths in his kitchen area and many historical antiques and collectibles displayed. The meeting space worked and we had a really good turnout. Tom Southard was presented with the design of the 2009 club bottle, a Red Wing fancy mini jug commemorating Tom’s long service as treasurer. Charlie Musick won the prize drawing for the amber Globe fruit jar. In the August newsletter it was reported that long-time club member Don Faas had died. The theme for the October meeting was “Don Faas collectibles.” Don was a collector of Ames items, Iowa crown tops and Hutchinson soda bottles, toys of many kinds including those that have actions, and “Thing-AMa-Jigs.” Members were asked to bring items from their collections for Show and Tell in any of those categories as we remember Don and his contributions to the club. Don was the “star” of our show and sale for so many years, annually organizing the event in Ames, with Elaine’s hospitality on the Saturday night picnic at their house to which we looked forward each year. Don was also “Mr. Club Bottle, having organized and ordered our annual bottle. Don put on so many great displays of items at our show and sale, including displays of every club bottle. The September newsletter included an announcement for the new book, “The Antique Bottles of Iowa, Volume III”, by Mike Burggraaf: Well, here it is, fellow collectors and historians! After an 11-year wait, the much anticipated update to “The Antique Bottles of Iowa” is nearly complete. Thanks to the new discoveries by the many bottle collectors within and outside the state of Iowa, the new update will feature nearly 600 Iowa bottles that were not known when the first book was published in 1998. What will you find in the update? Just over 500 pages of unlisted Iowa bottles including over 350 from previously unknown Iowa merchants. Included among those completely new
Bottles and Extras
merchants are six new Iowa bitters, over 30 new medicines and cures, several pontiled medicines, an 1850s black glass ale from Dubuque, over 20 new sodas, including several blob tops, rare whiskeys and beers; plus numerous drug stores and other bottles. As with the first book, all bottles listed have been accurately and painstakenly drawn to give the reader a better idea of what they look like. When possible, a detailed history pertaining to that merchant has been presented in a readable format for the reader and historian. Also, a number of the more colorful and rare bottles will be pictured in full color photos. Layout for the Iowa book is already in progress, and pending any new discoveries from this digging season, the final layout will begin in November with an anticipated printing date in January of 2010. Prepublication price for the spiral-bound edition is predicted to be around $55. A limited printing of 250 copies is planned with an additional special printing of only 50 hardbound books. To ensure getting a copy of this great reference book on Iowa bottles, reserve your copy with a $20 deposit along with your contact information. Thank you! Mike Burggraaf, 305 E. Burlington Ave., Fairfield, Iowa 52556; phone 641-469-6018; email: QRSGLASS@IOWATELECOM.NET. The IAB newsletters always contain wonderful digging stories by Mark Wiseman. He has a regular column, “The Digger’s Scoop,” that tells of his local digging adventures with his dog, the old truck, and various digging friends that join him. You can find out more about IAB membership ($15/yr.) from Mark Wiseman, 3505 Sheridan Ave., Des Moines, IA 50310-4557. Jelly Jammers Margaret Shaw is the newsletter editor of the Jelly Jammers Journal. Pat VanDyke is president. Here is the president’s message from the Summer 2009 newsletter: Dear Friends: It was such a pleasure to be in Muncie at the Jelly Jammers, having missed the January meeting due to John’s health problems. I can report that he is much improved. Our special guest was Meredith Robinson, longtime member and past president. Many thanks to Phyllis Pahlmann for putting together a wonderful jelly glass display at the show. We visited the Greentown
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Museum and Margaret brought a collection of Greentown jellies to pique our interest. John and I attended the bottle auction, which we had never done, and I purchased two boxes of tiny jellies. These are far newer than the Greentown, but everything was new at one time. Of course, I am going to have to add onto the house! Minnetrista has the Ball collection on display, and I learned that the Hoosier Slide sand dune in Michigan City, Indiana was responsible for the blue color that the typifies the Ball blue jars. When the sand supply was depleted in 1936, Ball made only clear jars. Never again would the beautiful blue color be manufactured. In that display was the newest market piece, a clear one gallon Ball jar with a wide “silver” band lid. Of course, I purchased one. We learned the 2010 FOHBC National bottle show will be in Ohio. We enjoyed York so much that I am waiting to put the date on the calendar. Think I could complete my inventory of my jellies by then? Ha, ha! Happy Summer, Pat VanDyke. Next meeting of the Jelly Jammers is January 12, 2010 at 9 a.m., second floor conference room, The Signature Inn, 3400 N. Chadam Lane, Muncie, Ind., in conjunction with the Midwest Antique Fruit Jar & Bottle Club Show and Sale. You can find out more about the Jelly Jammers membership ($15/yr.) from Margaret Shaw, 6086 W. Boggstown Rd., Boggstown, Indiana 46110; email: meshaw@franklinisp.net. Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Club (KABC) Al Holden is the newsletter editor, but a new edition of the newsletter was not available at this time. The Kalamazoo club has started posting meeting minutes on their website: http://www. kalamazoobottleclub.org. Chuck Parker is president and you can contact him for more information about the club at 607 Crocket Ave., Portage, MI 49024 (ph: 616-329-0853). The club meets regularly at the Kalamazoo Public Library, located at 315 S. Rose Street. Midwest Antique Fruit Jar & Bottle Club (MAFJBC) The MAFJBC has members nationwide and is heavily fruit jarfocused. Meetings are generally held the first Sunday of the month at 1:30 p.m. in the Cantina at Minnetrista in
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Muncie, Indiana. Dave Rittenhouse is president. Joe Coulson (yes, that’s me!) is the newsletter editor. The club’s July Midwest Glass Chatter contained a personal trip report by yours truly about the recent July show and sale, last one for the summer. I hope this trip report on our Muncie show and sale will give others a look behind the scenes and help to explain why people make the effort to travel to shows – there is something for everyone! Day 1 – Thursday – arrived at the hotel around 11 p.m. Stayed up until 2 a.m. talking fruit jars with fellow collectors Bruce Schank and Jim Sears! Off to a good start. Day 2 – Friday – Did room hopping all day. People’s hotel room doors are open and you can go in and see what they have for sale. There are lots of jars available. Met up with Michael Rutledge early in the day. It was good to see him again. Dick Cole had arranged for a group tour at the Minnetrista Museum at 4 p.m. Karen Vincent (head of collections) was there to greet us. The “Can It!” exhibit is large and celebrates the 125th anniversary of the making of the first Ball jars. We got to see original fruit jar making machines from just before and after the turn of the century. We got to see rare Ball jars (amber quart BBGMCo, Ball Universal, debossed Ball Perfect Mason, etc.). There was a nice remake of Ball’s display at the 1933 Century of Progress World’s Fair – many of the museum jars were cleverly incorporated into this display. Bruce spotted a really cool Ball Ideal that many of us had passed over. The Lightning dimple on the jar had a ramped slot instead of the normal small round hole. Dick Cole had also arranged for an additional small display in the Minnetrista Library. This display was exclusive for the bottle show people (not part of the public exhibit). We got to see several early Ball stock certificates. This room is where people come to do research on the Ball brothers and other material in the museum (East Central Indiana history, which includes many glass factories). We were also able to go into the warehouse area of the museum and see a few more items. Karen is very knowledgeable and was able to tell us all the details about any item we pointed at! Bruce, Michael and myself went to Mike Keith’s house for dinner. I drove us from the hotel to Mike’s house. Oops,
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I drove us out on State Road 32 a ways before we decided we were headed in the wrong direction (we should have been on State Road 35). Mike and Crystal were great hosts, and we had fun seeing Mike’s collection and spending some time with his family. Got back to the hotel room after 11 p.m. and was out like a light. Long day. Day 3 – Saturday – Went to the Jelly Jammers meeting at 10 a.m. (for those who collect jelly glasses) in the hotel. I brought a small Ball serving tray (“go-with”) for show and tell. Then more room hopping. The Fruit Jar GetTogether event started at 1:30 p.m. in the hotel lobby. For show and tell, I read the excerpt from F.C. Ball’s memoirs (one of the original company founders) about how they started their first glass plant in Buffalo, New York and how they discovered what was causing the occasional amber glass batch (it is a humorous story). I then showed my amber half gallon BBGMCo (monogram) fruit jar. The Get-Together is such a great event. Everyone gets to introduce themselves and show something. The auction occurs right after show and tell. I won several items: a green Ball Ideal with a big glob of extra glass in it, several boxes of old bottle auction catalogs (for my library), a nice RedKey Glass Co. letterhead, and a really nice Ball Perfection pamphlet (ouch, the price kept climbing on this). Went with a group of folks to the Sirloin Stockage for a dinner buffet. Afterwards, Dick Cole volunteered to drive several of us in his mini-van around Muncie and he pointed out previous glass history sites. Muncie had several glass factories in the past (Hemingray, Charles Nelson Glass Co., Port, Boldt, etc.), but Ball was the big one. We also passed through the cemetery and saw the mausoleums of the Ball family. We stopped in the parking lot of the SaintGobain plant (they make glass containers) to peek in the front doors to see the food and beverage glass product bottles that they have in display cases in the lobby. We had a big surprise. Not only did the security guy come out to “greet” us, but so did the CEO of Saint-Gobain. He just happened to be there! We didn’t get into any trouble and the CEO turned out to be a very friendly guy and let us come in the lobby to see the bottles and an old Ball fruit jar making machine that was
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there, too! Then it was back in the minivan to see more of the Ball factory site buildings. This was the area where so much Ball jar history occurred. Dick also parked the van at the site where much of the glass cullet was stored (this is also where the tall glass batch tower is at – a landmark visible for some distance). He got out and grabbed a hand full of dirt, and you could see tiny bits of glass shards in it. We headed back to the hotel, and we all thanked Dick for taking the time to give us the guided tour. Did some more room hopping and then decided to pack up things in my hotel room about 9 p.m., so I could be ready to start early the next day. Spent the rest of the evening in Marianne Dow and Jeff Klingler’s hotel room with a group of jar people talking the evening away. Jeff and Marianne are fun to be around. Day 4 – Sunday – This was show day at the Horizon Convention Center. I arrived just before 7 a.m. I got my “Ball Buffalo Jars” exhibit set up right away. This is the same exhibit that I did at the last show, and I thought it would be a good idea to repeat it, since Minnetrista was celebrating the history of the Ball jar, too. I then set up my two sales tables with all the old bottle magazines and books that I brought (my piles of duplicates). I have accumulated so many of these extras while trying to build complete sets. I also brought a nice amber swirled Ball Mason jar which I sold later in the day. After setting up my stuff, I went nibbling around at Minnetrista’s sales table containing several boxes of newer stuff (duplicates, etc.) that had been “de-accessioned” from the museum. Some of the jars had belonged to wellknown researcher Dick Roller. I picked up a few items: Ball employee service pins (they had several of these), Ball commemorative metal beverage cans and some jars. At the end of the day I was able to go back and get their remaining “stuff” for one lump sum. They really didn’t want to take anything back to their office, and I don’t blame them. Most of the public came to the show in the morning. Not too many people came in the afternoon. The show lasted from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mike Keith ended up winning the “Dealer’s Choice” award for his display of Millville fruit jars. One of the benefits of going to the show is seeing the displays. There are always some really good ones. I got to meet Rob
Bottles and Extras
(one of our newer collectors) on show day. He was very enthusiastic, and I saw him two different times leaving with bags of jars to put in his car! It took me a long time to pack up all my stuff at the end of the day. Like I said, I had many boxes of magazines. I ended up being the very last person to leave at the last summer show. The August newsletter had another installment of the “Legends of the Jar” series. This time, the featured collector was Phil Smith. The MAFJBC has a website: http://www.fruitjar.org. Future meeting details as well as lots and lots of pictures from their semi-annual shows can be found there. Minnesota’s 1st Antique Bottle Club (MFABC) Barb Robertus is editor of the MFABC newsletter, The Bottle Digger’s Dope. Linda Sandell takes care of the printing and mailing. The September issue had an article by club member Dick McChesney titled “That Refreshing Call, Dykewater 1811!” “Yes, that was the first phone number of a new start-up business called Home Beverage Company, located in a tiny storefront on Lyndale Avenue South in Minneapolis. The year was 1928. “Thomas J. Moore founded the CocaCola Bottling Company of Minnesota in 1919. He had purchased the franchise rights for all of Minnesota and eastern North Dakota. While refranchising most of the territories, he retained the bottling rights for most of the major cities of Minnesota, and built his first bottling plant in Minneapolis at 94 North First Street. “In 1928, Mr. Moore approached his friend and fellow Irishman, William Davy, to open a home delivery business in South Minneapolis, simply to deliver Coca-Cola to homes. The idea was predicated on the theory that people were not drinking Coca-Cola in their home, but rather at the soda fountains. As a long-time collector of Coca-Cola memorabilia, I can attest to the reason for such an assumption. “First, the six-pack or actually the “six box,” as it was originally called, had not been invented. Secondly, the weight of a case of Coca-Cola in returnable bottles was 36 pounds, very unlikely to be lugged home by the grocery shopper. “William Davy began creating a delivery route, first in the nearby
Bottles and Extras
Kenwood and City Lakes areas and then reaching citywide, delivering cases of Coca-Cola, picking up the empties, and all for a bargain price of $1 per case. Think about it! You could enjoy a CocaCola in your home at anytime for less than the 5 cents a glass fountain price. (The delivery price was continued by Home Beverage Co., until 1953, I might add!) “Business slowly blossomed and in 1933 Mr. Davy purchased a building on West 28th Street in Minneapolis. This new home for the company provided living quarters on an upstairs level and, being zoned as commercial property, enabled him to eventually build a warehouse on the adjacent property. “About the time of the end of World War II, Mr. Davy died and the business passed on to his two adult sons. In February of 1947, they were looking for someone in the neighborhood to help with the workload, and since I lived next door to the company, they reluctantly hired me for some part-time work of sorting bottles, washing the trucks, helping on the delivery truck, and anything else a 13-year-old is allowed to do. The job provided me with spending money through high school and college and I was eventually their only employee. In 1958, I married Beth and we moved into a new house in Bloomington. Life was good… a new house, then three kids. “In the early 1960s, times changed! Home Beverage was in a slump together with other service companies, the milkman, the Bambi man, and the laundry man. It was obvious I had to think of a new career. Instead, Beth and I decided to make the Davy brothers an offer they couldn’t refuse. So we sold our new home in Bloomington and moved our family of five to 1015 West 28th Street. “I was back in my old neighborhood and living above a business that was struggling. For many reasons, including some sacrifices and a lot of hard work, the business rebounded, pretty much giving us a several year string of 10-12 hour days. “Well, that was then and this is now. One important outcome of spending a lifetime in the beverage business was the coincidental decision to collect the memorabilia of Coca-Cola. This 40year-old hobby has helped to sustain my interest in the industry as well as my company, but that’s another story for
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another time. We are still trying to keep a small business alive. We have watched a lot of changes, the end of the returnable bottle being the most significant. The creation of a beverage container being used only once cut our service in half and by definition leaves just half of a service! “But for me. it has been an incredible 62-year journey. My daughter, Stephanie, has recently shown an interest in continuing the service of this 81-year-old company. My gut tells me that the word service is not obsolete, so if the economy would cooperate and the phone company would stop changing our number… who knows?” Membership in the MFABC is $10/ yr. For more information, please contact Linda Sandell, 7735 Silver Lake Road #208, Moundsview, MN 55112. North Star Historical BottleAssociation (NSHBA) Doug Shilson is newsletter editor for the North Star Historical Bottle News. Doug does a great job each month reporting the club’s latest happenings. He puts a lot of effort into recording all the details that take place. Steve Ketcham is president. The August newsletter contained an article on the history of the Prussian Remedy Co. in “Boyd’s Bottle Bits,” by Boyd Beccue. “Casualty of War: Prussian Spavin Cure.” One of the rarest embossed Minnesota cures is the Prussian Spavin Cure, a product of the Prussian Remedy Company of St. Paul. The 5½-inch tall clear bottle is the only known embossed bottle from the Prussian Remedy Company, which specialized in veterinary products. There are several other Prussian products known in labeled bottles, all of which are scarce to rare. One of these is the Prussian Barbed Wire Liniment and Wound Healer. I acquired one of these bottles some time ago and noted that a small label reading “Lamprey Products Co.” had been glued over the name of the Prussian Remedy Company. The label reflected the “guarantee” under the Food and Drug Act of 1906 so it was clear the change had come some time after that date. Subsequent research has revealed when the change was made and why, but first we should know a little more about the early years. The Prussian Remedy Company
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was started by George Phipps, who opened a pharmacy in St. Paul in 1889. Around that time, he began to advertise a veterinary stock food. The Prussian Remedy Company appears in the St. Paul directories in 1893. Prussian was located at 49 East 4th Street, in downtown St. Paul near the intersection with Cedar Street North, where it stayed until 1905. Prussian then moved south across the Mississippi to 20 East Chicago Avenue, a location near the foot of the present Robert Street Bridge, where it remained for the rest of our story. At the same time, the directory listing expanded to say “manufacturers of stock and poultry tonics and remedies.” In 1907, Howard Sargent joined the company. The company changed hands in 1910 when Henry Menning, Herbert Porter and William Wells became owners. Then, in 1915, James Lamprey purchased the company. Of course, it was Lamprey who changed the name, dumping the Prussian brand which had graced a long list of products for over two decades. Why would anyone drop a well established brand name? The answer becomes clear in the following chronology. In 1917, the Prussian Remedy Company was still listed at 20 East Chicago, with John L. Lamprey named as “Secretary – Treasurer.” Whether John was a son of James or this was just another directory error is unresolved. The 1918 directory has no reference to the Prussian Remedy Company, but has Lamprey Products, Inc. at 20 East Chicago Avenue, listed as manufacturer of veterinary remedies. J.L. Lamprey is shown as “Treasurer – Manager” and F.J. Thul as Secretary. What happened? The obvious answer is that the First World War happened. The United States entered the “Great War” in 1917, and suddenly all things German, and especially anything Prussian, were suspect. The history of the time has many examples of anti-German backlash around the country and even here in Minnesota which, then as now, had more people of German descent than Scandanavians, Ole and Lena notwithstanding. There was even a backlash in that most German of Minnesota towns, New Ulm, where sauerkraut became victory cabbage. The new name stuck. In 1920, a new secretary of the company was listed, one Florence A. Martenson. In 1921,
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the listing noted that the company was a “manufacturer of bug powders.” That description remained through 1924, when a new secretary was listed, J.L. Plemling. How much longer Lamprey Products survived to manufacture bug powders isn’t known, since your author’s interest in any company wanes when the history runs into the era of F. Scott Fitzgerald, another product of St. Paul with an even wider reputation. Other known products of the Prussian / Lamprey line include Colic Killer, Heave Powders, Worm Powders, Horse Liniment, Cough and Distemper Cure and Pain Oil Liniment. An early Prussian sale bill, dated 1903, reveals that Mr. Phipps was also selling medicines for people through the Prussian Remedy Company, including Phipps’ Catarrh Cure and Phipps’ Headache Tablets. I have never seen an example of either product. Phipps is listed at page 172, Volume 2, Bottles, Breweriana and Advertising Jugs of Minnesota, in the St. Paul Patent Medicines section, as number 5078. The Prussian Remedy Company is separately listed on that page as number 5084. It now appears that the stated date range in the book for Phipps 1894-1901 does not reflect the true duration of his business. Indeed, the portion of a Prussian Remedy Company sale bill appearing on that page is dated 1906 and, in very small print, reveals Geo. Phipps as manager. The range given for Prussian is also incorrect, as we now know the company lasted until 1917 rather than 1912. Another small mystery appears on the Lamprey over-label I mentioned above. In addition to naming the Lamprey Products Company, it states “Successors to Prussian Remedy Company, Est. 1883, St. Paul, Minn.” Whether the 1883 date was a typographical error or Lamprey Products had an earlier beginning than the Prussian Remedy Company is uncertain at this point, but I suspect the former is true. Before we leave the story of the Prussian Remedy Company, I must gratefully acknowledge the advice and generosity of Dr. Michael Smith, DVM, of Lithonia, Georgia. A practicing veterinarian, avid collector and editor of “Dr. Smith’s Veterinary Collectibles Roundtable,” his great knowledge and research into the founding and early years of the Prussian Remedy Company was most generously shared and made
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my research much easier. For more information on joining the NSHBA, please contact Doug Shilson: 3308 32 Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55406-2015. Ohio Bottle Club (OBC) Phyllis Koch (editor) and Donna Gray (secretary) always do a very nice job with The Ohio Swirl, the OBC’s newsletter. John Fifer is president. In the July issue, club member Brian Gray reported on The Clevenger Auction: This story begins the evening of June 11, 2009. I was browsing the internet, looking at antique-bottles. net. Someone from New Jersey had posted a notice, “Auction of Clevenger Brothers glass house items.” I clicked on the link, uncertain what it would be. My jaw almost dropped when I saw the photo. There on the screen was an image of a room littered with cast iron molds, tools, blowpipes, bottles, and even the sign from the factory. I eagerly read and looked at everything posted and resolved that the auction would be a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence and I must go, somehow. Being both a glass collector and someone who has done glassblowing, I had to go. The Clevenger Brothers are familiar to most of us as the people who made reproduction and commemorative bottles and flasks. They started as a small operation in 1929 and for the first decade or so, primarily made reproduction freeblown glass, such as pitchers and vases. They employed retirement-age blowers who had actually worked in the old factories. Later, and throughout most of their existence, they produced more moldblown items, especially flasks where a club or organization could have their name and a picture embossed on the side. Towards the end, demand for these items decreased and their production shifted more towards silvered garden globes. The factory finally closed in 1999. I had always assumed the molds and everything from the factory were gone forever. Actually, the factory had sat pretty much undisturbed until now. Everything that remained had recently been brought to an auction house to sell. Meanwhile, my obsession with this auction had finally caused my fiancé to agree to make the seven-hour drive to New Jersey with me. We emptied
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her small car as much as possible, not knowing how much space we would need or how much weight it could handle if we bought anything. We arrived in New Jersey the day before the auction and had time to visit the Museum of American Glass in Millville. They have incredible things on display, including a large room with nothing but 19th century bottles. They also have all kinds of whimseys, paperweights, pressed glass, plus early and contemporary art glass. They particularly like to brag about the world’s largest bottle, which is 188 gallons and was blown there. After the museum, we went to the auction preview. It was overwhelming. There on the floor, randomly placed and randomly numbered, were around 120 molds. I had planned to make a list of them all and write down details, but quickly found that to be impossible. The auctioneer had made a vague list of them, some with good titles, and others with titles like “decanter,” “bottle,” and “pint bottle.” I hoped this list would be good enough, and quickly went around opening and closing each mold to see what was what. I probably spent an hour with them and still had only a foggy idea of what all was there. The auction also featured an unrelated collection of glass, including many bottles and rare New Jersey fruit jars, but I had no time to focus on that. I went back to the hotel, thinking about how the auction would go. The next morning, I arrived at the auction house around 7:30. There was a pretty large crowd around the Clevenger items. I overheard some people talking and most of them seemed to be glassblowers. For about the first hour, leftover flasks and bottles from the Clevenger warehouse were sold, and there was a pretty good interest in them. Next, the tools were being sold, and I realized I had completely ignored the tools during the preview. There were several blowpipes and pontil rods, plus bunches of lip-forming tools and shears. Without knowing any details, I bought two blowpipes, two pairs of shears, and two lip-forming tools. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized at least some of my tools were from the 19th century and were already antiques by the time the Clevengers got them. Then they sold the glassblowers’ benches and a massive glass press. Next came the molds. As I
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said, the arrangement and list of the molds was confusing, so it was hard to keep up with what was happening. Another confusing aspect was determining which molds were Clevenger molds and which had been brought from somewhere else and for some reason ended up in their possession. Bottle molds for Coke, Pepsi, Log Cabin syrup, pills, whiskey and others were there, as well as molds for pressed glass items, including hobnail bowls, an insulator, and goblets. The auction was fast-paced and prices were varied. The lowest I noticed was $15 for a small plain mold, to over $600 for one of the flask molds. The classic Clevenger molds were the best sellers, and included the Fislerville Jenny Lind calabash, a three-mold decanter, molds for whimsy turtles, hobnail and ribbed molds, and the following flasks: Success to the Railroad, Eagle/Flag, Scrolls, and Eagle/Grapes. Molds were sold to many people, but one man bought more than 60 of them. Someone commented to me that to make a mold from scratch costs around $10,000. All-in-all, I ended up buying 10 molds, without even knowing what some were until afterwards. It was really a struggle to get them into the car, and we got rusty, greasy and bruised doing so. People at the auction who saw us leaving asked what those big iron things were and why we wanted them. The molds really weighed down the car on
the way home. But it was worth it. Each mold has something special about it that I like. I plan to use some eventually, and others I plan to just enjoy as interesting objects. I’ll always remember my trip to the Clevenger auction, which I’m sure, will be the stuff of legend in years to come. The July newsletter had an article titled “Toledo’s Woolson: Father of the Trade Card,” by Jack Sullivan. The August newsletter had an article on “The Larkin Soap Company,” by Phyllis Koch, and another article, “Shots Around Ohio: Part One,” by Jack Sullivan. For more information on joining the OBC, please contact Berny Baldwin (treasurer), 1931 Thorpe Circle, Brunswick, OH 44212. The club also has a new website which can be found at: http://www.ohiobottleclub.com. Details about their milk bottle book can be found there also. Wabash Valley Antique Bottle & Pottery Club (WVABPC) Martin Van Zant is newsletter editor for The Wabash Cannonball, the WVABPC’s monthly newsletter. Peggy Zimmer is the club President. The July issue had this digging report from Martin: I went digging the other day with my friend “the Woolf”. He had secured permission in the town where we live. I had been ready to dig for a week. It In her August issue, she credits the website Historic Glass Bottle Identification and Information for an interesting article on mold-blown manufacturing, including dip molds, pattern molds, halfpost method, post base molds, cup base molds and threepiece molds. The article is too lengthy to reproduce here, but there’s no reason why readers can’t go to the website and check it out. In her September issue, she used a story on “Celery Ade” researched and written by Dennis Smith, of Buffalo, N.Y. Dennis is THE authority on Celery Cola and has amassed a large collection relates to that drink. The Celery Ade Company was incorporated in 1908 in St. Joseph, Mich., by N.C. Ward and J.L. Shannon.
Southern Regional News Bill Baab 2352 Devere Street Augusta, GA 30904 (706) 736-8097 riverswamper@comcast.net
The internet is loaded with all sorts of websites dealing with every imaginable subject. Most can be downloaded and used by the public, provided proper credit is given. Melissa Milner, editor of The Groundhog Gazette, newsletter of The State of Franklin (Tenn.) Antique Bottle & Collectible Association, is a frequent user of such material, most of which relates to the antique bottle collecting hobby.
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had been raining for what seems weeks. Finally we got a break and the weather was beautiful and 70s. We went on a Wednesday about 3 in the afternoon and located a privy pretty quick. The owners had just cleaned off the lot. Off we go and lay out the tarps and get the equipment out. We went down through about three feet of sand and rocks, finally hitting the trash layer. All of a sudden a brick wall showed up; huh, we got us a bricky. Bottles were popping out here and there. A Dr. Kilmer’s Kidney Cure, a milkglass salt ‘n pepper shaker with flowers on it, a blobtop beer bottle in clear with an etching for Jacob Metzger. I had never seen one of these bottles before. Fifteen or 20 unembossed medicines were found. The use layer was about an inch thick. The privy had absolutely nothing in the bottom of it in this layer. The final size of the privy was about two feet wide, four feet long, and about 5½ feet deep. Weird size, if you ask me. I wondered if it was a two-seater. We filled it in and probed for another one. That’s another story, however; hopefully a better one, if you know what I mean. Well, I hope to see you at the next bottle meeting . . .Martin. The WVABPC holds their monthly meeting at Shadows Auction Barn, 1517 Maple Ave., Terre Haute, IN. Club dues are $10/yr. For more information, please contact Gary Zimmer (treasurer), 10655 Atherton Rd., Rosedale, IN 47874. The company changed hands a few times and the drink lasted until the late 1920s, early 1930s. Former club member Glen Gouge visited during the club’s July meeting and showed an embossed clear Eagle Drug Company bottle from Elizabethton, Tenn. Ever hear of a pink Pepsi-Cola bottle? Ever see one? Now you can. One is featured on the cover of the August issue of Bottle Talk, the Raleigh (N.C.) Bottle Club newsletter edited by Marshall Clements. Color photos of two others, all from the collection of club member Donnie Medlin, can be found inside. Here’s the story: The bottles were made by the Wheaton Glass Co., in New Jersey and presented to Pepsi for pre-production
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approval. Pepsi rejected them, saying the color of its drink conflicted with the pink color. Wheaton discarded the bottles, but a worker managed to salvage them and stored them away for several years. The worker later decided to sell them to (of all people!) a Coke collector. The latter attended the PepsiFest in Indianapolis, Ind., in search of a buyer. Had you been there, you could have purchased all 34 bottles for $7,500. Today, those bottles would bring 10 times that amount. Scott Kinzie, a fellow collector from Virginia, had first pick, but decided to pass them up. Raleigh club member Sterling Mann purchased two of the bottles and later a third. Today, Pepsi guru Donnie Medlin owns the three pictured in the newsletter. The July issue of Bottle Talk featured show and tell items from club meetings. The cover showed an Orange-Crush thermometer Clements bought for $70 during a local auction. Vernon Creech found an unusual White Crown Mason pint with an original concave milk glass lid, while Pem Woodlief showed a halfgallon amber The Leader jar with original top and closure. Creech also showed a pint Telephone Jar. Marshall would like to know why it is called that. The Kerr Mason Jar Co., issued red, white and blue pints during the nation’s 1976 Bicentennial and those pictured are from Creech’s collection. Member Dean Haley is a firm believer that early birds always get the worms. In this case, the “worm” turned out to be a rare Coca-Cola Chewing Gum jar. Haley was strolling through the Raleigh Flea Market when he came upon a box containing three counter top candy jars. He gave them a quick look and continued on his walk. A man behind him looked into the same box and pulled out the rare jar. Haley saw the embossing and saw that he had made an expensive mistake. The man bought all the jars for $5 each. Turns out he was a vendor. Haley followed him to his table and paid $35 for the Coke gum jar, which is listed in various price guides from $400 to $700. Marshall added: “It pays to be early. It pays to be alert. It pays to be persistent. It pays to be knowledgeable, but most of all, it pays to be lucky!” Readers can check out Marshall’s newsletters, including the pink Pepsis, at
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the club website, www.raleighbottleclub. org. Francis Wiltz, a member of the Oklahoma Territory Bottle & Relic Club, found a historical flask while excavating some vacant lots in Atchison, Kan. It was the first flask he’s found since starting bottle digging. He said his track hoe bucket missed smashing the bottle by mere inches. His photo was published on the August cover of Oklahoma Territory News edited by FOHBC Hall of Famer Johnnie Fletcher. The editor himself penned a story, “Great Digging with Great Guys,” which included Wiltz, Ed Stewart and Jim Rickette, on an Atchison, Kansas dig. During the course of digging a pit, Fletcher discovered the emerald green top of an ale bottle. “I knew instantly that this piece was from a Wm. Hekelnkaemper ale from the late 1870s or early 1880s. Ever since I had found several of the bottles broken some 15 years previously, I had wanted to find a whole bottle. The neck was green, but I knew the bottles also came in aqua and amber. I kept my fingers crossed as I dug. Maybe I could find the rest to glue together to make a whole bottle.” More broken crockery, including several whole saucers and a plate, were found before Fletcher unearthed a Gruenhut & Co. / Atchison, Kas., Hutchinson in good condition. Returning to digging, he hit the base and side of a green ale bottle. He figured this was the bottom that matched the top. The bottle was surrounded by broken crockery and Fletcher had to remove that material to get the bottle loose. Finally, he pulled it out and was stunned to see it was a whole bottle, top and all. “It was worthy of a loud WAHOO!” he declared. There was a lip nick and base chip, but otherwise it was whole. Other bottles found included three Geo. W. Simonds / Atchison, Kan., drug stores, a J.W. Allen & Co. / Druggists / Atchison, Kan., bottle and five marbles. At the end of the weekend, it was time to make a split of the finds. “I was hoping to win first pick so I could take the green bottle home,” Fletcher wrote, “but I needn’t have worried. The guys told me the green bottle was already stored in my pickup. All I could think of was, ‘What a great bunch of guys!’”
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Fletcher authored “The Luck Continues,” another feature story, in the September issue. Principal characters were Ed Stewart, Francis Wilz and Todd Stillings and the place was Atchison, Kan., again. Suffice to say that Fletcher pulled out yet another rare ale, this time in amber, and let out another triumphant WAHOO! When it came time to make the split of finds, Francis won the coin toss. Since he already had two ale bottles, he generously decided to give the bottle to a surprised Stewart. Another Fletcher digging story questioned why a certain bottle was found in Atchison so far from home. It was a Baker & Shelby, Hotel Lee Block, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Territory drug store bottle. Also unearthed were fragments of a Halleck’s Extracts / Cough Cure Pain King / Abilene, Kan., yet another variety to look for down the road. The July meeting of the Suncoast Antique Bottle Collectors Association featured Bill Buttstead and his collection of mini jugs. His wife, Linda, is club secretary, but on this occasion, she was president, vice president and treasurer – each of those officers being absent. The program called for club members to bring “minis” of anything, but only Bill brought little things to share. Those included red ware, yellow ware, Albany slip, scratch mini jugs and stenciled mini jugs. Examples: Albany slip-glazed mini jug scratched Columbus 1492-1892 (Columbia Exposition), a saltglazed mini jug, Sprinkle, Sweet Mash Corn, 3 Gals., $4.00 Ex. Paid, Order from Nearest Point (from the Jacksonville, Fla. area), a pair of Albany slip-glazed mini jugs scratched Compliments of Hirsch Bros. & Co., Manfrs. of Cider & Vinegar, Louisville, Ky. Next was an oddly shaped, semi-oval Albany slipglazed mini jug scratched I.W. Harper, Nelson, Ky. Whiskey. It had been made flat on front and back sides. Two other Albany slip-glazed mini jugs – Jones Bros., Mnfrs. of Cider & Vinegar, a two-toned (tan and cream) mini jug stenciled Compliments of Blem Bros., Rock Falls, Iowa, yellow ware pitcher and chamber pot and a creamcolored mini jug stenciled Jim McCarty, Sells the Best, 240 Main St., Chattanooga,
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Tenn., rounded out the presentation. At the September meeting, Linda presented a show of slides from 1972, 1973 and 1975 shows in Maitland and St. Petersburg, including shots of displays to stimulate interest in members thinking of designing their own displays. At least three displays will be featured at the club show in January. The club has allotted eight spaces for displays put up by members or dealers. Another innovation geared to stimulating interest in bottle collecting among youngsters is to give each child a box of early bottles as he and she come through the door. A special treat was in store for members of the Horse Creek Bottle Club on Labor Day evening. We met at Piedmont Technical College’s Center for Creative Economies Pottery School in Edgefield, S.C., and were given a tour of facilities by Gary Clontz. We also got a peek at the center’s groundhog kiln, which was due for its first firing in late September or early October, but was delayed indefinitely after a pocket of gasoline was found in the hillside kiln site. The property had
been occupied by a gas station. At our August meeting, Mike Newman gave us a summary of his adventures at the FOHBC National Show in Pomona, Calif., which included a post-show coin show in Los Angeles. His interest in numismatics is from collecting and investment standpoints. Coin and bottle collecting have several common denominators. Condition is everything and so is knowledge. There are reproductions and fantasy pieces to be found in the bottle world and counterfeits to be found in the coin world. The coin show was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center where Mike spent three days attending a coin grading and counterfeit detection class and three more days at the show. “I did get a close look at the cobalt Fish Bitters, which was sold by a friend of mine,” he said. “I also attended a nice dinner party at the home of Richard Tucker and was able to view his awesome historical flask collection. Then I had fun making a one-day trip to Sequoia National Park with Terry Gillis, Eric Schmetterling and his son, Kobe.” At the bottle show, Mike purchased a half-pint, pontiled Lafayette/Clinton
historical flask (GI-81) in olive green, an olive amber (with plenty of green) 6log Drake’s Plantation Bitters, a barrelshaped, pinkish-puce Bourbon Whiskey Bitters, an attic mint, cobalt Solomon’s Strengthening and Invigorating Bitters (Savannah, Ga.), a yellow-green John Ryan Ginger Ale / 1852/ Savannah, Ga., a black olive Superior Soda Water from Charleston, S.C., with iron pontil, and Smith & Co., Charleston, S.C., rich green, sided, iron-pontiled soda, also from Charleston. In addition, he purchased a bright yellow green concentric ring eagle historical flask GII-76(a) from Jeff Wichmann’s American Bottle Auctions. He believes the flask came from the collection of Judge Edmund Blaske, a pioneer collector now deceased. The flask is pictured in the Blaske auction catalog. Member Walter (Furniture Doctor) Smith called to say a rare iron-pontiled E.D. Meyer / Augusta, Ga., soda water had “walked into my store.” Of course, it was assisted by an unidentified digger, who provided the legs. There are less than two dozen of these 1840s cobalt sodas known.
presentation of his “Colorado Industries of the Past.” Bill has made numerous presentations before and that club members look forward to his return. Here is an incident that happened over the summer that is well worth mentioning. Rick reported that “over the summer a recently found Gold Hill token made its way into my possession. One of the out-of-state residents was putting in an outdoor patio and managed to dig up a merchant’s token. She wondered if I would like to have it for my collection. Well, what could I say?” A clear picture of it appeared in Rick’s message. It appears to be eight-sided. You can clearly read the “Good at Gold Hills” that appears first with the number 5 under that and the letters G.W.S. under the number. What a find and what a gift! Looks like Don Hunt is asking for reader assistance. “Mike Watral acquired a rare Brown & Wilson druggist bottle at a local auction this summer. A Denver digger unearthed a ‘one-of-a-kind’ mini jug in Denver this summer. If anybody
has any information on the mini jug or on C.A. Buchart please contact the Gazette Editor, Don Hunt, (red-lodge@comcast. net) so we can know a little more about this great item.” There is a picture of the rare druggist bottle and mini jug in the newsletter. Wording on the jug reads: Compliments of C.A. Buchart / 527-22nd St. / Denver, Colorado. We reported the good news first and now we have some sad news for you. Some of you may have known these folks: The ABCC has lost two longtime bottle collectors, Chuck Woehl and Jane Bass. “Chuck Woehl passed away on May 7, 2009. Chuck was a track star in school and excelled in golf and volleyball. It is through his participation in volleyball that he met his good friend, John Eatwell, who introduced him to bottle collecting. We will miss his stories. (Thank you Glen Preble for providing the information about Chuck). Jane Bass passed away on August 27, 2009. Jane was a founding member of the bottle club and was active with the club in the 1960s. She was a world traveler. We will miss her bottle hunting
Western Regional News Ken Lawler & “Dar” 6677 Oak Forest Drive Oak Park, CA 91377 (818) 889-5451 kenlawler@roadrunner.com
Antique Bottle Collectors of Colorado – Dump Digger’s Gazette The highlight of President Rick Sinner’s message was his report on this year’s Leadville bottle show. He was told that attendance was higher this year than in the past and that there was a sellout of dealer tables. In talking with several people who attended, Rick learned that people felt that this show was the best they had ever participated in. The raffle prize for this year was a cobalt blue Casper’s whiskey bottle. Rick expressed a debt of gratitude to show chairpersons Barb and Jim Sundquist for their continual excellence in arranging ABCC shows. Another thank you went to Bill Reich for a prior
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stories and her ‘tell it like it is’ mind set. Another longtime bottle collector gone. Rest in peace, Jane. (Thank you, Mike and Jodee Holzwarth, for providing information about Jane).” Forty-Niner Historical Bottle Association – Bottle Bug Briefs The first item of interest that we “picked” to write about is Mike McKillop’s program on early 49er picks and mining equipment. Mike got everyone’s attention after he got started laying out his early mining picks dating from 1848 to 1860. He further got their interest by explaining that the oldest and rarest pick most sought after was made by Sacramento blacksmiths Nelson and Baker. To save paying for new picks which could cost $15 to $20 in the 1800s, men had their picks repaired. “Mike showed picks that were fused together, picks that had new tips attached after they had broken off, and others that had metal patches fused to their sides for strength.” Actually, the larger mines had blacksmiths who repaired picks and stamped the name of the particular mine on the repaired picks. The name being stamped on the repaired picks became “a real plus to a collector” which was borne out in Mike’s program. Club members seemed to pretty much keep with the program theme by bringing in what they had collected. Dean Wright displayed some rare picks. “George Wagoner brought several picks. Two that caught Mike’s attention were a Chinese meat cleaver and a powder horn. Gregg Millar brought rare picks and several miniature picks about two inches long that could have been toys or salesmen’s samples. Max Bell showed iron tools, a mining pan, sluice rakes, axes, and a fuel can used to fill headlamps. Steve Abbott showed a pamphlet for the Golden Sheaf Mine plus two mine pictures. Tom Lehr brought several long crevice tools he thought were used to scrape gold from cracks.” Nine guys walked off with some pretty cool raffle winnings. Dean Wright took home an amber half-pint Chevalier whiskey and a purple Morton & Co., Gregg Millar won an amber half-pint whiskey, Winedale Co., Oakland, and an Aspden’s Royal Acid Phosphate. Mike Lake walked off with a quart beer from the Santa Clara Bottling Co., and an amber half-pint Roth & Co. S.F. Mike
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McKillop got rewarded for his program presentation by winning an E.L. Billings Sac City/Geiser Soda and a green quart Fredricksburg beer. George Wagoner took a pumpkin seed -- Mariazeller/ Krauter Liqueur screw top -- home. A purple Churchill’s Drug, Cleveland, Ohio, wound up in Steve Abbott’s hands. Chuck Erickson walked off with a green Allen’s Lung Balsam. Mike Henness took a crown top Big Chief soda and Dennis Spence ended up with a green Edwin W. Joy Co., S.F. That turned out to be a good haul for you guys. It seems that collectors can always find room to display another raffle prize or two. Los Angeles Historical Bottle Club – The Whittlemark As most of you know, our club hosted the 2009 FOHBC National Show. Show person Pam Selenak reported receiving positive inputs from show attendees. Some of our club volunteers were specifically listed in the show program. In one way or another, most of our club members participated in the show by either selling, buying, attending the banquet, seminars or displaying. We think everyone did a great job hosting the show. Members have since recovered from the show and settled down to attending to local affairs of our club. Our annual show was held a month after the national and it turned out to be a success. Though the attendance was down from last year, we still had a good turnout. We learned that 50 dealer tables had been sold. There were six displays and three winners. Sue Morse’s display of WWIIrelated items won Best Educational award. Sue’s display had a personal touch because she incorporated her father’s picture and a book written about the ship he served on. She also displayed hardto-find victory milk bottles. Ken Lawler won a ribbon for Best Historical with his 50-plus examples of Bixby shoe polish bottles in and around his backlit display case. He accompanied his display with a researched write-up of the history behind the Bixby shoe polish bottles and showed examples of advertising. I won the People’s Choice with my backlit display of teakettles, cones, umbrellas, turtles and cottage inks. There were Sanford and Carter master inks and related boxes sitting on either side of the display case. The three of us were
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surprised as there were some other very nice displays as well. Display chairman Bob Manthorne displayed his corking machines. Dave Maryo displayed five of his cut glass decanters and prepared a clever test handout to accompany his display. Dave Kyle had some of his finer bitters bottles. (Note: The column editors thank you shoppers and dealers who took the time out of your busy day to vote on the displays). President Dave Maryo, wife Cindy and four-legged “daughter” Morgan participated in the 150th birthday celebration of California’s Bodie Ghost Town. Dave took some great pictures that accompanied an article he wrote for the club newsletter. With people in costume, the celebration looked really authentic for the 1800s time period. Dave also captured a picture of Cecile and Roger Vargo playing “undertakers.” The name Vargo may sound familiar to some if you attended this year’s national show banquet and/or read about them in the show program. Dave mentioned that “Just recently, American Bottle Auctions sold a greenish aqua Pearson Bros. gravitating stopper soda for $3,600.” There is a picture of that beautiful Bodie bottle in his article. He further said that “Bodie will always have a place in the bottle collecting hobby, but it has much more to offer than old bottles.” Dave provided contact information at the end of his article if anyone is interested in helping preserve the town. Northwestern Bottle Collectors Association – The Glassblower President Eric McGuire wrote an article entitled, “The Pomona FOHBC National Show – July/August 2009,” which appeared in their August 2009 newsletter. He wrote that the LAHBC did an admirable job of hosting the show. In addition, he mentioned that Richard and Bev Siri as well as Frank and Laurel Ritz had sales tables. Richard contributed a native American protective wicker bottles display. Eric pointed out that “these bottles had all been ‘recycled’ by local native people, mostly showing weaving patterns indicative of tribal custom.” There was also an amazing picture of the N. Grange flask that was shown in the “broken bottles” display and the “only whole example known” Lowell & Pringle two-gallon jar in Bob Ferraro’s display. San Diego Club
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members Lance Westfall, Jon Larson and Tom Quinn were responsible for the unique shards display. He also highlighted Tim Blair’s sales table with the “depths of the sea” items with barnacles and calcium encrustations. Dave Maryo’s display of Midwestern glass caught Eric’s photographic eye. He commented that it was a fine and educational display. One last mention regarding the show was the picture of proud owner Ferdinand Meyer V with his “fabled blue fish.” Eric wrote that he rarely finds bottles at shows these days. He probably had found all that he had room for during his 49 years of digging he mentioned earlier. However, he did find a Sacramento Henry Winkle water made “only in 1853” and a labeled perfume that had the initials of the New York proprietor embossed on the shoulder. “His last year of operation was 1839.” It seems that Eric was able to stay within the 1800s with his two purchases. As pleased as he was at being able to find a couple of good examples of earlier bottles at the show, he seemed more excited over wandering away from the show to a thrift store not far from the bottle show. He was able to find an authentic old whale oil lamp that is pontiled. The best part, he said, was the price. The price tag in the picture shows $7.98! Oregon Bottle Collectors Association – The Stumptown Report Garth Ziegenhagen reported that “a crew from Oregon and Washington descended on Southern California for the National Show.” As a result, Pete Hendricks, Jim and Julie Dennis, Jess Mosso and Mike Ralston set up tables. “Early buyers included Wayne Herring, Tom Bostwick, Terry Talbot and Garth and Linda Ziegenhagen.” It sounds like some choice show and tell items were picked up at the show. Garth listed what he called the “three best Oregon buys.” There was an Eastern Oregon Liquor House cylinder that went home with Wayne. Ken Schwartz picked up a Marx & Jorgensen backbar and Garth purchased a Waterman and Schmitz Baker City beehive pottery jug. Garth also picked up a photopostcard from Jesse Mosso that showed the inside of the Gambinus Beer Hall in Oregon City. He went on to explain the background on it. He said that “Garl
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G. Hades was the proprietor at Fourth and Main Street.” Garth appreciates the setting of a bunch of guys bellying up to a bar and he likes to see the advertising pieces on the walls of such an establishment. Garth’s “last item was a round flask (label under glass) picture of Richmond P. Hobson from the Halen Bros. Wines & Liquors Sole Distributors at 330 Market St. Harrisburg, Pa. The back side of the flask has a large red incised U.S. on it. Richard P. Hobson was born in 1870 and was a rear admiral in the SpanishAmerican War. He was also awarded the Medal of Honor and was ostracized for his support of Prohibition long before it became a law. Yep! Bottles do contain a lot of history, much of which is still unknown.” Jim and Julie Dennis always seem to seek out a special find on the way to a show. They did it again on the way to the National. They found a colorful embossed saloon advertising item in pristine condition from the ghost town of Hamilton, Nevada. They must have kept it for their own collection as Garth said that it did not appear on their table. Bill Bogynska wrote about an experience he had back in May when he was digging an outhouse at a homestead up the Columbia River Gorge. “As my digging partner was yelling that he was being pounded by hailstones, I didn’t seem to notice, I was in the hole pulling out an assortment of metal barrel hoops and various other pieces of metal (technically know as crap). There was a pipe sticking up in the bottom of the hole, which I tried to pull out and said a few choice words when it didn’t budge. So I had to dig down around it and was finally able to pull it out.” He said that he was surprised because it turned out to be an old rifle. The “pipe” was a .22 single shot. “My guess is that a boy must have done or shot something he wasn’t supposed to with it, so dad plugged the barrel and threw it down the outhouse.” Phoenix Antique Bottles & Collectibles Club – The A-Z Collector President Brent VanDeman wrote that he had picked up a few good finds at the 2009 National Show that he would be sharing at an upcoming meeting. Bryan wrote of his and Pearl’s experience at the show. He said that it was well organized and that the venue was clean, well lit and
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convenient. He mentioned the general membership meeting and some of the ideas discussed therein and noted that the awards banquet was well attended. Apparently the displays were much appreciated by Bryan as he remembered them in great detail. A list of Phoenix club folks were mentioned as either selling or attending: Millers, Dankenbrings, Harnetts, Grapentines, Hopwoods, Mares, Curtises, VanDemans, Ramsdales, Georges, Carrs and Blakes. Bryan said “Our sales were very good. It was nice to visit with many old bottle collecting friends from the West and a few from the East.” Cole Lewellen wrote an article about his “Exciting Trip to the Antiques Roadshow!” He told his adventure with a display of patience, humor and hope. Patience was practiced in waiting in line to go through a categorization process to see what entry line he should stand in for three items he brought to have appraised. He excitedly wrote that “A peek inside revealed the Antiques Roadshow set! Lights, cameras and all familiar appraisers we see on TV in the flesh. Now things were getting exciting!” He made it to the final line where he was motioned over by the next available expert. “I proudly displayed my halfgallon whiskey jug from New Mexico. He didn’t know anything about it, so I followed him over to another table (on the way, one Keno brother asked if he could have a swig from my jug), but his associate was unable to help. My expert assured me it was a nice jug and worth $100. Next, please!” After waiting for 2-1/2 hours, Cole decided to forego one of the items he brought in and “cut to the chase and go for what I considered my best piece.” An expert from Bonhams & Butterfields watched Cole unwrap a book that had been in the family since his dad bought it in 1964. It is entitled “The Snakes of India.” It was printed in 1798. It is a big folio-sized edition measuring 18 inches by 24 inches. “There are full-plate handcolored prints of each and every snake in India.” It boiled down to Cole having his 15 minutes of fame with a wireless mike and cameras rolling. An expert explained the importance of the book and what the book might bring at auction. “After 41/2 hours and two appraisals, I was done and went home wondering if my spot
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would survive the cutting room floor when Antiques Roadshow Phoenix airs in early 2010. Cole proudly added, “By the way, the book appraised at $4,000 $5,000.” Reno Antique Bottle Club – digger’s dirt First to report is that “Marve Jacobson announced the good news that Governor Gibbons had signed Senate Bill No. 193, which pertains to Special Event Shows like ours. We will now be exempt from having to be fingerprinted, investigated and pay an exorbitant fee to sell antique bottles.” Second portion of the news is that “our club business license will increase and probably the $15 business license for dealers will also increase, but we won’t know for sure until we hear from the City of Reno Licensing Division.” As mentioned in a previous writeup on this club, Marty Hall was able to get a conversion made of his many pictures into slides. Not only did he get the conversion done but he built a metal frame to hold the big viewing screen. It was reported that he gave a “super slide program” at one of their meetings. Editor Helene wrote that “the slides featured pictures of early digs and some of the bottles that were recovered. One of the most interesting was the story and pictures of the house where the owner actually let him remove the floor boards in his living room, dump the dirt in the house and dig away. (Must be the art of friendly persuasion). Here is another piece of digging news: “We were informed that a green Dr. Wonser’s Indian Root Bitters was recently dug in our area by two local diggers. This is an extremely rare bottle, especially in any shade of green. Hard to believe there is still an occasional super bottle out there to be dug.” There is a “Displayers” section in the newsletter that reads like this: “Loren showed items he had purchased from a flea market while visiting his first grandbaby in Concord, California. One was a letter from the actress Heddy LaMar. Marty displayed a fantastic array of bottles he has dug over time. They ranged from a teakettle whiskey, flasks, bitters and a cathedral pepper sauce. Marve Jacobson showed a Roth and Cutter whiskey, a brandy and a black glass.” Helene wrote that she bought two
November - December, 2009
round-bottom sodas, one in lime green and the other was a Cassin’s from San Francisco. We learned that the Cassin’s was a little more valuable than your ordinary, everyday, round-bottom soda. Here are some examples of raffle donations from various folks. Jean Pouliot sent a Reno Coke and a Carson City Tahoe soda down from Montana. Marty’s contribution was a Dr. Harter’s Cherry bitters. It seems that there are some nice raffle bitters being offered these days. Loren came up with an old A&W root beer and a Pabst beer. A DVD celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Churchill County Museum was donated by Susan Pelt. Dottie Daugherty, the former editor of the Las Vegas Club newsletter, sent a packet of articles to the Reno club. The articles are ones she researched and are free to use any in our newsletter. Dottie’s donation of sharing some of the work that she has done is much appreciated. San Diego Antique Bottle and Collectibles Club – The Bottleneck President Mike Bryant said that the club’s show was smaller than last year, but he was still upbeat about the end result. Originally, members were concerned because of their show being held so close to the FOHBC National. Mike pointed out that Terry Monteith’s demijohn and carboys display won all of the awards at their show which were “Most Educational, Best of Show and People’s Choice.” There was discussion that the newsletter be sent by e-mail and those without e-mail would still receive a hard copy. Ken Gallo suggested Claire Cunningham send out a notice to the membership to get an opinion from members as to which method would work for them. There is an informative article written by Mike in his September 2009 newsletter. The article involves Emanuelle Daneri, who emigrated from Italy to the Old Town San Diego area in 1870. He and his wife bought 900 acres in the Otay Valley with hopes of starting a winery. He and his family opened a wine and produce store at 532 5th St. in Otay. There was a flood caused by heavy rains in 1916. The heavy rain resulted in a large section of the lower Otay Dam giving way and everything that the Daneris owned in the Otay Valley was destroyed. The couple
Bottles and Extras
was left broke and homeless. Not leaving any page of history unturned, Mike decided to satisfy his question as to whether anything remained of the Daneri Winery in the Otay Valley. Member Carol Serr helped Mike access maps and archaeological reports to find the location of the winery. A trip to the area was the way to check it out. His curiosity put him into a hiking mode to find the site. Watching for rattlesnakes, he found his way though heavily overgrown brush. “Using a photo from a 1990s survey, I was able to identify a tree that was located next to the wine cellar,” he said. Rock wall remnants were there, barely visible under dead grass. We think reader consensus will be that the fact that Mike has two of the three size jugs from Daneri’s winery inspired his quest for knowledge. There is a picture of the two jugs from his collection within his the article. Embossment on the bottom of his jugs reads: Macomb Potter Co., Macomb, Ill., Pat Jan 24, 1899. Washington Bottle & Collectors Association – Ghost Town Echo Editor Red stepped away from his computer for awhile this past summer and decided to get out there and give the rest of you some competition in picking up a few new bottles. To be specific, he said that his new bottles include “a mint ‘The Orient, P.M. Low, South Seattle’ halfpint Baltimore oval flask with matching porcelain stopper, an ‘Aberdeen Bottling siphon bottle and a pint ‘Carstens Dairy, Millwood, Wash.’ milk bottle with a fluted neck.” Ron Fowler showed some interesting pictures of Rader items in his article entitled, “Hutchinson Bottle of the Month.” He is especially proud of one of his go-with items. It is a metal embossed painted Rader’s Root Beer sign. He boasts that he has had that sign on the wall of his bottle room for more than 25 years. There were great illustrations in his copyrighted article in the club’s September, 2009 issue of their newsletter. Red reminded members in his “From the Editor” column that there is “Still lots of time to build a display for our W.B. & C.A. Show & Sale in November, s-o-oo-o-o, what are you waiting for? Besides, you can share some of your treasures with all of us to drool over! Now that’s a WIN, WIN situation.”
Bottles and Extras
November - December, 2009
The Northwestern Bottle Collectors Association 43rdAnnual Show
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SANTA ROSA, Calif. -- The Northwestern Bottle Collectors Association held its 43rd annual show last Oct. 9-10. There were 55 sales tables with quite a few good to better bottles offered Most, if not all, the bottle dealers said they had a good show, and a few said their best show is always Santa Rosa. A couple of the post card dealers said it was slow, although I gave up $250 for post cards myself. On the afternoon of Friday, the first day, dealers got a pizza snack and drinks, followed by Saturday morning coffee and by noon two do-it-yourself sandwich tables were
laid out with sodas and bottled water and cake for dessert. Beverley Siri was show chairperson, a position she’s occupied for the last several years. The county fair changed personnel this year, which made it a more difficult job. Building rent, chairs and tables charges keep going up so who knows what the club’s cost will be next year? Right now, it breaks even and we would like to keep it that way, maybe even show a small profit. All in all it was a good show where old friends meet and new ones are made. We will be back next year for sure. -- Richard Siri.
Randy Taylor, from Chico, California.
Rich Lucchessi, from Santa Rosa, California.
Randy Salmans, from Ft. Bragg
Marble dealer Bill O’Connor (he does the marble column)
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November - December, 2009
A Bottle Digger’s Dream Dig
Bottles and Extras
By Warren Borton How do you describe a bottle digger’s dream? Digging that one great bottle that’s long eluded him; finding the super rare, high-dollar piece, or the essential bottle missing from the collection? It took me years to dig a Lash’s Bitters and then I got five from one hole. My digging partner, Darrell Meyer, wanted to dig a common Warner’s, but many years passed before he dug his first Safe Cure. I’d think being able to dig in a virgin dump would top every digger’s dream list, but what about an entirely untouched ghost town? More than a decade ago, Johnnie Fletcher of Mustang, Okla., joined me in a Sheridan, Wyo., dig. During our trip, we toured the area and located the site of the old coal town of Dietz. It had flourished as a mining town from its birth in the late 1890s to its demise in the early 1900s. We parked along the old highway and gazed longingly at the empty field across the river. We wondered out loud about how many old bottles were buried beneath the waving green grass. But our enthusiasm was stifled by numerous no trespassing signs which seemed to be everywhere. Boldly printed signs said No Hunting, No Fishing, Survivors Will Be Prosecuted! It seemed hopeless to even inquire about digging and maybe just a little dangerous. Rumors of gun-slinging Wyoming ranchers are no rumors. So we beat a hasty retreat and headed back to Sheridan to do a little door-knocking and permission-seeking, hoping to dig some rare Sheridan bottles. We did make some great finds over the next few years. More than a decade later, I met a soda pop bottle collector from Sheridan at a Nevada bottle show. He was a collector of ACL sodas and had never dug for bottles in dumps or old privies. Our conversation eventually turned to the ghost towns in his area and the Dietz mines. When he told me he knew the lady owner of the Dietz property, I hastily inquired as to whether or not she
Early 1900s vintage photo shows Dietz, Wyo., miners, lunch pails in hand, getting ready to go to work. (Courtesy of Warren Borton)
might allow me to dig there. He said that, to his knowledge, she had never allowed anyone on the site or any of her vast holdings. But he promised to contact and ask her at his first opportunity. I knew it was unlikely to happen, but I was hopeful. The phone rang on a cold February afternoon as I sat staring out a window at the winter snow. My friend had spoken to the landowner and she requested that I call her. After a brief conversation, she granted permission and asked when I could start. Just as soon as possible was my reply. For the next couple of months, I did some research on the old town and gathered many bits of information that I relayed to my Wyoming digging partner on a near nightly basis. It was enough to drive his wife crazy, not to mention mine! Finally, spring arrived, but as Darrell Meyer and I reached the summit of the Big Horn Mountains of northern Wyoming, we surveyed a vast glittering expanse of snow. It was deep, nearly up to my truck’s windows, But when we reached the Dietz townsite, we were
amazed to find it devoid of snow. Oh, the wind was blowing hard and the air temperature was bitterly cold, but we could still dig. After a 500-mile drive, that was good news. We compared a 1903 photo of the town to determine where rows of houses had stood. We donned our winter apparel, including warm stocking caps that covered our ears, grabbed our cold steel probes and gleefully scrambled over the fence. We worked the field in a zig-zag pattern, searching for the row of privy pits buried for more than a century. Within minutes, I was rewarded with the soft crunch of probe against glass. I hollered to my friend, but the wind blew my words away. I moved toward him, probing and finding additional pits. He saw how excited I’d become. We retrieved our shovels from the truck and started a test hole. Almost immediately we pulled out a Jo Jo whiskey flask. After putting the bottle into a box, I saw my friend yelling and waving a bottle in each hand. Once he quit dancing, I checked out his finds. One was a Fulmer & Suits / The Sheridan
Bottles and Extras
Darrell Meyer showing off the Fulmer & Suits / The Sheridan Druggist / Sheridan, Wyo., bottle. (Photo by Warren Borton)
November - December, 2009
Excitedly, we set up our screen and sifted the pit’s dirt, finding more than 550 trade tokens from our ghost town as well as nearby Sheridan. Many were mavericks without town or state, but there was an unknown Dietz pool hall token. Many were good for a drink or a cigar and many others were pool tokens. They ranged in value from 5, 10 and 12-1/2 cents and most were brass. A tiny pit contained a dozen crude Jo Jo flasks, a hair dye and an old glass car vase in perfect condition. Sleeper of the tip was an amber crown top beer embossed Silver Bow Brewing Co., with a bow and arrow logo in the slug plate’s center. There was no city or state name. Later, it brought $665 on eBay and turned out to be a rare bottle from Butte, Mont.
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Warren with the Pure Apple Juice Vinegar mini jug from Paducah, Ky. (Photo by Darrell Meyer)
of old whiskey bottles scattered around the hole. As we visited, I explained that Druggist / Sheridan, Wyo., bottle, only it would take me a long time to dig out the second known example. The other an entire town. “For as long as I own it, was a screw-top half-pint whiskey you can dig it,” she said with a smile. As flask, embossed in a bold slug plate, she drove off with her foreman, I happily A.H. Armstrong / Red Light / Saloon / danced a little jig. Alliance, Neb. We later learned We moved into where the it was the only known example town had stood and found three from that establishment. 10-footlong trenches. We felt The next pit yielded more glass in every one. As we had than 60 bottles, including an time for only one, we picked amber Quaker Maid whiskey, the hole where the bottles were a Kentucky mini jug, a 1900s closest to the surface. As we cut flask and two automatic bottle the sod and lifted the heavy stuff machine-made Foys pop bottles out, bottles jutted out. from Sheridan. The next pit had More than 130 bottles, little in bottles, but three perfect including 46 Jo Jos and 15 coffin half-gallon jugs and an Anchor flasks, were found. Best bottle Pain Expeller for a miner’s aches was an amber cone ink. and pains. As I drove the truck out of Hole No. 4 yielded surprises the field and waited for Darrell in the forms of a Geo. Small to close the gate, I wondered drug store bottle from Sheridan what was in those other saloon and a rare Fauwkes drug from trenches. We had dug 20 privies Newcastle, Wyo. Lucky pit No. in four days and found more than 9 was a shocker. 650 bottles and 550 trade tokens. I had pulled out a few bottles including a stained Atwood’s Dumps can be full of surprises, like the Paducah, Ky., mini We had several rare Sheridan jug, Alliance, Neb., whiskey flask and Sheridan, Wyo., Bitters, a miniature Riegers Fulmer & Suits drug store bottle, all from one hole. (Photo drugstore bottles and a rare Nebraska saloon flask. Our only whiskey, two Union Tea extracts by Warren Borton) disappointment as not finding when suddenly what appeared to The last day of our dig came much any Sheridan Hutchinson sodas or an be a green nickel rolled out from beneath my scratcher. I handed it to Darrell, too soon. Our first hole produced a unknown Sheridan whiskey or jug. However, we had several more trips scratched the earth again and out tumbled Fremont, Neb., drug bottle and a couple a handful of nickels. I carefully rubbed of slicks. A dozen coffin flasks emerged planned and an entire town to dig, and it the earth off the cleanest and discovered from the next one. I probed out another was only April! it wasn’t a nickel, but a trade token. I pit and got excited as I could feel bottles told Darrell to check the dirt pile and he, everywhere. Turned out, this miner was EDITOR’S NOTE: A Bottle Digger’s a major drinker with most of the 144 Dream Dig by Warren Borton, published too, found several tokens. in the May-June 2009 issue of Bottles I sunk my shovel into the dirt where bottles whiskeys. Our benefactor chose this time to and Extras, was incomplete. Here it is in the first one appeared and was rewarded with more, many in different sizes. drop by and was amazed at the heap its entirety.
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November - December, 2009
Glass Passion and Color
Bottles and Extras
by Ferdinand Meyer V
Part II: Exploration and Documentation In Part I in the September/October Bottles and Extras, I discussed my history and passion in pursuing early American historical antique bottles. This article is devoted to actions that occur once I obtain a targeted bottle. What color is it? Was the description correct? Are there any issues? How do I inspect the bottle? Where will it be placed? How will it be photographed? What history, provenance and added information can I get regarding the bottle? What collateral material is available, such as trade cards, advertising, bill heads and other go-withs and finally, how will the bottle be stored electronically for insurance, documentation and reference? All of these questions beg for answers. I’m not sure why I do all this, but one thing is for certain, this procedure keeps me grounded and intimate with my glass. This process allows a comprehensive 360-degree, high level of participation that keeps me focused and in a position to learn. It is much more than just a bottle.
[Figure 1] Glass Spectrum Run (Remember ROY G BIV)
The earliest glass workers had no control over color. The first bottles derived their color from impurities that were present when the glass was formed. “Black bottle glass” was dark brown or green, first produced in 17th century England. This glass was dark due to the effects of the iron impurities in the sand used to make the glass and the sulfur from the smoke of the burning coal used to melt the glass. Many of my favorite early figural bottles have this type of dark green coloration. [Fig 2] Then, through accident and experimentation, glass makers learned that adding certain substances to the glass melt would produce spectacular colors in the finished product.
[Figure 1] Not black glass but certainly early examples of beautiful dark olive green colors from the early glass houses. Bryant’s Stomach Bitters (ladies leg and cone) and Strang Murray & Co., New York (monument)..
Color is the most obvious property of a glass object. It can also be one of the most interesting and beautiful properties. Although color rarely defines the usefulness of a glass object, it almost always defines its desirability. [Fig 1]
[Figure 1] Metals used to impart color to glass.
Bottles and Extras
November - December, 2009
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Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet
The recipe for producing colored glass usually involves the addition of a metal to the glass. This is often accomplished by adding some powdered oxide, sulfide or other compound of that metal to the glass while it is molten. The table to the left lists some of the coloring agents of glass and the colors that they produce. [Fig 3]
www.sha.org/bottle/colors put together by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Society of Historical Archeology (SHA). Greg Spurgeon has also done a rather nice job and created an Antique Fruit Jar Color Guide on his North American Glass web site, www.hoosierjar.com.
[Figure 4] Aqua glass grouped together. Interesting ‘rainbows’ are sometimes projected within room during certain times of a sunny day. Cloudy days accentuate the coloration.
Manganese dioxide and sodium nitrate are also listed within the glass color chart. They are decoloring agents or materials that neutralize the coloring impact of impurities in the glass. Sometimes it is necessary to remove these unwanted colors caused by the impurities to make clear glass or to prepare it for coloring. The decolorizers are used to precipitate out iron and sulfur compounds. There is an abundance of information on the Internet regarding glass color and I recommend you visit the Website of Historic Glass Bottle Identification & Information,
Of course, color is my first interest, but as a bitters collector first, I possess many very rare clear and aqua bottles that I have decided to display in one room. Surprisingly, this room has a great feel and the aqua glass is stunning when natural light penetrates the room and highlights the bottles. We affectionately call this the Ice Room. [Fig 4] Bottle grading is a particular interest of mine. As noted in my previous article, I have other collecting interests and enjoy antiques, old toys, stamps and other collectibles. A number of these hobbies including coins, baseball cards and comic books,
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November - December, 2009
etc., have rather sophisticated grading systems. I suspect that this is going to generate much positive and negative discussion, but I think it is high time that we, collectively as a group, figure out a way to get away from, my pet peeve, the terms perfect, near perfect and about perfect as one leading auction house uses (I am guilty myself sometimes). Another respectable auction house uses fine, very fine and extremely fine to describe bottles. A third auction house has broken away and is using a point system where a rating of 100 is, I would assume, virtually perfect. Who is right or wrong? Hard to say. All the auction houses have been around a long time and seem to be doing well. Problem is, we are all using a fluid and highly subjective grading system that varies with the locale, economy and type of bottle. I realize beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but some type of uniform ground rules are needed. [Fig 5] “DR. BISHOP’S / WAHOO / BITTERS - WA-HOO BITTER CO - NEW HAVEN, CONN.”, (B-103), American, ca. 1865 - 1880, yellow amber semi-cabin, 10 1/8”h, smooth base, applied mouth, about perfect. A scarce bitters bottle with more yellow than normal. (Lot #8 excerpt from Glass Works 2009 ‘Colors of Fall’ Auction #87). Blown Three Mold Decantor, Mount Vernon Glass Works, Vernon, NY, 1820-1840. Cylindrical, brilliant light to medium topaz olive, tooled flared mouth - pontil scar, quart. GIII-2 type 1. Beautiful, brilliant, unusual color, fine condition. Warren C. Lane, Jr. collection. (Lot #2 excerpt from Norman C. Heckler & Company 2009 Fall Auction #88). COTTLE POST & CO 1877-87. Here’s an Oregon soda that collectors like for it’s beautiful teal coloration and embossed bird with wings spread. On closer look, it appears to be the Phoenix, rising from the ashes. At any rate, a solid example. Grade: Some typical wear and light scratches. Please remember soda water bottles generally grade much lower than other bottles. Grade 8.2. (Lot #1 excerpt from American Bottle Auctions August 2009 Auction #48). [Figure 5] Examples of recent bottle descriptions from the top three (3) antique bottle Auction houses. Interesting to note that American Glass Gallery seems to be shunning away from the three grading systems noted above and just uses very detailed descriptions. Pole Top Discoveries seems to use a lot of ‘Great Condition!’ and ‘Mint Condition’ descriptions for their insulators in recent auctions.
Bottles and Extras
I have to admit I like what Jeff Wichmann is doing at American Bottle Auctions with the streaming videos, voice-overs, studio photography, numerical ratings and very detailed descriptions for his auctions. This is headed in the right direction. To be fair, I have read and heard some negative comments about this grading system using numbers, but you are not going to please everybody. It seemed to get the point across when I was in school and was being graded. Keeping this in mind, a rating of 92 would make my parents happier over a grade of 89. That was a minor point spread, but sometimes it was the difference between getting a A- or a B+ grade. I am surprised some auction house out there is not using this type of scholastic grading system! I understand that ideally, nothing will beat visiting and looking at bottles prior to the auction but for myself, this is rarely possible, due to my work schedule and being located in Texas. I was able to visit ABA and look at the Bryan Grapentine collection for a few hours, but realistically, I could have spent a few days there if I wanted to be as thorough as I should have been. We live in this virtual world and can truly, for better or worse, be a collector and not leave our own house. I hope that when a new and updated FOHBC web site is operational, we can have an open forum on this topic and work through some of these issues. I am committed to seeing this happen as I know others are, too. There is a remarkable web site called Western Bitters News, www. westernbittersnews.com. These guys are really pushing ahead and posting a great deal of information and generating discussion on a daily basis on some tough topics. Change is good but rarely easy. We all need to work together to better the cause of our hobby. Another area of concern is bottle provenance and the genuineness of the bottle I see and contemplate adding to my collection. I mean, has the bottle been tampered with? Am I able to detect the alteration? I doubt it from what I hear is going on with bottle repairs. I know at bottle shows I have missed a few problems because I was caught up in the moment and not taking the right amount of time to inspect a bottle and check its color against my collection. Lately, too many duplicates in color and few nicks and polishes I should have picked up, have slipped by. Again, I’ve got this nervous feeling about bottle repairs and we all need to be real cautious. Bottle retouching and repairs must be noted in all transactions whether they are public or private. You know, it is not an issue when you buy it but it becomes an issue when you want to sell it.
Bottles and Extras
November - December, 2009
As you may be aware, I was fortunate enough to obtain the classic cobalt blue Fish Bitters recently in a private transaction. [Fig 6] This bottle came from the Don Keating collection thru an intermediary. This addition to my collection was very public and I believe created much positive publicity because I chose to be open and display the bottle on my table at the Pomona National FOHBC Show last August.
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pictures depicts the blue Fish Bitters with the Sazarac’s and Old Homestead blue bitters in the Shanks’ den window. Howard, as he notes, was a rookie collector in the early 80s and was invited, along with his good friend, Tom Lines, to see the Shank collection which included the three blue bitters. Howard further goes on to say “looking at all those beautiful bottles was a day I will never forget.” 5) Bill Ham adds in a recent e-mail that he believes that someone, possibly Chuck Moore, may have brokered the deal that passed the three blue bitters from Tony Shank to Don Keating.
[Figure 6] R/H F46 The Fish Bitters.
With the publicity generated, this opened the doors for gathering information about this bottle. Through discussions and e-mails I have been able to gather the following valuable information to digest: 1) During the recent FOHBC Show, a trusted collector shared the fact that this same bottle was discovered many years ago in Waupaca, Wisconsin on a farm. The bottle was being used to feed liniment to a horse. A bottle collector discovered this and purchased the bottle for $500 and flipped it for $1,000. During the open bitters forum at the show, other collectors shared stories of the next series of owners. 2) The elusive owner of the only other known blue Fish Bitters contacted me and confirmed that their bottle’s lip is offset; i.e., R/H F46. The owner looked at it again at my request and in good light and with a magnifying glass confirmed that there is no “The Fish Bitters” embossing on the gills. Their bottle has a sheared lip. They further stated that their bottle came from Elvin Moody (Ohio) many years ago and that he had purchased it at a Skinner’s auction in Bolton Mass. in the mid 80s, he believed. 3) From another e-mail, “That fish appeared at the 1976 EXPO in St. Louis. I recall that the rumor then was that it had been purchased for the princely sum of $5,000. The good old days.” 4) Howard Crowe sent me a nice handwritten letter and two photographs of Tony Shank’s collection. One of the
This is really great information that will be validated and added to my records. It would be fun to create a time line and coinciding map of the United States to tell this bottles story. I am now going back and tracking the provenance of all of my major bottles and am questioning the history of any new purchases. At the Pomona FOHBC National, during the bitters forum, I reminded the audience that many hobbies including coins and stamps have certification entities. This annoyed a few people because I believe we are so far behind and some folks like things just as they are. Someone in the audience and on a web forum wrote and said that they do not want their bottle encased in plastic like stamps or baseball cards. I don’t either. I also don’t like looking at the Mona Lisa behind glass. For the record, Professional Stamp Experts is the industry leader in postage stamp grading. Their standard authentication service allows you to receive a PSE Certificate of Authenticity, which includes the correct Scott catalogue number, year of issue, denomination, color, and description of the condition of the stamp. A full-color photographic representation of the stamp appears on the certificate. PSE’s opinions are guaranteed. You also can opt for a Graded Certificate of Authenticity which includes all of the information contained in the certificate of authenticity noted above, as well as a PSE Standardized Philatelic Grade. Please refer to their web site for a very detailed (downloadable) explanation of their grading system, www.psestamp.com. Well, the theatrics of getting a bottle certified may not happen anytime soon. We can all get better in inspecting our bottles using UV lighting and trusting our sources, questioning their provenance and crossing our fingers.
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Once a new bottle is in hand and has been inspected, I start the task of documentation. Besides gathering bottle provenance as discussed previously, I will now describe the steps for photographing the bottle and storing the images and information. The end result will be stored electronically and will be kept on my laptop for use at shows and ease of updating. I also print out the information and store the images in 3-ring binders. [Fig 7] These binders have gotten so big,
Bottles and Extras
for the two African Stomach Bitters I own. Information such as purchase source, date, color, description and purchase price is also noted. The following pages [Figs 9 & 10] can vary, depending on the type of bottle and what type of information needs to be displayed. These pages usually contain bottle photography and color run family shots.
[Figure 7] Latest printing of 3-ring binders includes two 5-inch binders for Bitters (A-M and N-Z) and a three-inch binder for everything else in glass.
heavy and cumbersome, that I probably will not be carrying them to the two major bottle shows I attend each year (Baltimore and FOHBC National). My laptop will suffice. For the information within my books, I have created a series of template pages using Adobe Illustrator CS4 software. Three sample pages are shown to the right for my bitters bottle collection binders. Pages for inks, lightning rod balls and other types of bottles vary slightly. The first page [Fig 8] always contains the Ring & Ham information at the top. By the way, if you do not know this by now, I recommend that any bitters collector get both of the bitters bottle books. The Supplement has great new and updated information. Bill Ham says he almost has enough information for another supplement. I usually harangue Bill to put it all on a disk as I get tired of lugging these great books around. He usually has a mixed look of fear and annoyance when I say this. It’s probably a lot of work. The initial page also has each purchase noted whether it is glass or a related major collateral piece. In this case, an African Stomach Bitters shipping crate was purchased as a go-with
[Figure 8] African Stomach Bitters initial page showing R/H number and description. Grid areas show each glass or object purchase and other pertinent information.
Once the page templates are modified in preparation for the subject bottle, I then need to prepare for photography. I am not a professional photographer, but enjoy this aspect. With a good camera, a tripod and a little basic understanding, you can take some really good pictures and have some fun. It amuses me now, but back in 2002 when I started recording my purchases, I started with a hand-drawn sketch of each bottle with notes. This quickly became laborious and did not accurately represent the bottles’ color and DNA characteristics.
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Paying careful attention to what the auction houses were doing with their photography and people like Bill Ham and Ed and Cathy Gray, I went through a few years of trial and error until I perfected a way to get my photography as close to perfect as possible. This included experimenting with “The White Box” method that Bill Ham uses, studio still life shots, using a light table and photographing the bottle outside in natural light.
a flash (critical), I set about to take numerous shots while bracketing my F-stops (apertures).
[Figure 9] Page A used to show both African Stomach Bitters bottles in comparison photograph.
[Figure 10] Rare Trade Cards for African Stomach Bitters on Page B add depth to the subject matter.
Now my simple secret. Once a year, and during the months of January and February, one magic window in my house becomes the stage backdrop for my bottle photography. Watching the weather report, I wait for a cloudless day after a weather front. This happens quite often during those months. A temporary large sheet of translucent white vellum is taped to the window to diffuse the light. Glass shelves are already in place. With planned choreography that would amaze some, I prepare the bottle lineup for the morning’s photography. Once the late winter sun starts coming up, the vellum starts to glow, I do my aqua bottle photography first. Using a Canon digital camera on a tripod (critical), and with
Photoshop CS4, I then transfer the images to my computer. I narrow down the shots and pick the best. I compare the color images to the original and set about storing and cropping the final images. Getting different angles and details really helps. With Adobe Illustrator, I place the images on my pages and store the rest. This procedure is immensely gratifying and really lets you get to know your bottle. Printing can be done at FedEx Kinko’s or in-house as I do. Fortunately, my company has some great printers. Well, this closes this article. I am available any time to help anyone interested in trying this all out. See you soon.
As the sun rises, I then move to the light yellows, greens and blues. Finally when the window glow is the brightest, I photograph my darker bottles. This process works great and can get you some amazing photographs that allow you to see the transparency and beauty of the glass. Using Adobe
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November - December, 2009
Bottles and Extras
By Bruce Schank [Editor’s Note: This article is a result of long time collector and author Bruce W. Schank reaching out to long time collector Phil Smith.] To say Phil Smith’s collection is fabulous is an understatement. What I love about his collection is that you can look on one shelf and find a Beech Nut jar with a super label and pristine lid, look to the right a shelf over and find an incredible deep amber 3L Balll Mason pint, only to look over to the right across the room onto a different shelf completely and there’s an absolutely phenomenal peacock blue HG Cross over Mason’s plus on the other side of the room a plain ordinary ball blue HG Sanitary Sure Seal. Phil is an eclectic collector with so many varying degrees of taste that he has jars almost anyone would love or appreciate from the beginner to the ultimate fruit jar collector. Phil has a complete set of Kerr Bells, a substantial range of Jumbo peanut jars, black memorabilia, phenomenal colored Lightnings, 1858s, pontiled wax sealers, corkers, superb and rare odd-closured jars and Hemingrays. Phil also has many modern jars and a nice shelf of reproductions which he uses for educational purposes. In addition,
Phil has a fantastic colored collection of miniature lamps, salt and peppers and kerosene cans, too. For all you gowith nuts, Phil has a fantastic perfect condition mold used for the Kerr Bells. Phil was born in 1947 in Indianapolis, Ind., grew up mostly in northern Kentucky and is a 1970 graduate of Morehead State
University. Hey, that’s Phil Simms’ alma mater, too. Phil has worked most of his life in the pharmaceutical industry in sales management. Phil started collecting approximately 22 years ago and according to him, his first show was probably in the late 80s. His first experience with fruit jars was with his brother, who collected Ball jars by the numbers on the base. But his brother wouldn’t spend real money on jars so Phil decided he would have to. Fellow by the name of Schroll in Findlay, Ohio died many years ago and Phil went to the auction of his collection. He ended up buying 76 jars that day, spending $1,200 in the process and, of course, at the time believed he was now big into the hobby. Then he went to his first Indy show at the East 21st Street location and to his chagrin discovered he didn’t really have anything of real consequence after seeing all of the great jars there. It was there that
he met Ken Dipold, Jerry McCann, the Lowrys and other notable collectors. Phil bought some halfway decent jars in the middle price range while there but it wasn’t until the following winter Indy show that he finally bought his first really good jar from Tom Caniff. The jar happened to be an HG Hoosier jar for $650 and it was at that point Phil believed he had finally arrived on the scene. Well, that buy was the true energizer or trigger that caused him to then “live to buy good
Bottles and Extras
fruit jars.� Phil remembers when he went to the Burlington Antique Market many years ago and met a guy who told him he had some Jumbo peanut butter jars for sale. Phil collects Jumbos and wanted to see what the guy had. When he went to his house, he noticed instead two really nice jars. One was a push-down cobalt and the other a ribbed Hemingray and Phil immediately decided his goal was to leave the house with those two jars which are still in his collection to this day. Phil said it was probably the best deal he ever made because he was able to buy both jars for $250 and didn’t give a hoot about the Jumbos at that point. Imagine that! Phil told me that he just happened to
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get into the hobby when things started to get really expensive. He was buying good jars but really had to pay for them. At the time, $100 jars were going for $200, $250 jars for $500 and $500 jars upwards of $1,000. Dick Landis was at an Indy show many years ago and due to poor health brought a lot of his good jars for sale. Phil managed to get a gallon 1858 and a Mason’s Union Shield for not too much money. Phil was still learning at this point and was still buying jars from Jim Chamberlain, John Hathaway and others and he was
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collecting just about everything. But as he got more experienced he went from buying just one or two good jars to three and four good jars. He told me “at that time my friends were building homes while I was buying fruit jars.” Phil said another advantage he had was he teamed up with pretty bright people early in his collecting career such as Jerry McCann, Ken Dipold, Margaret Shaw, Al Vigon, George McConnell and Alex Kerr and benefitted from their knowledge in a great way. Phil said he
had the kind of relationship with Al that if he (Al) wanted to sell something pretty good, he (Phil) got the call. Phil also remembers how Bob Christ once had a very dark green olive Trade Mark Lightning with matching lid that sat on his table at a very early York Show for $650 and it didn’t sell. Before Bob left the parking lot Phil managed to flag him down and told him he would call him about that jar. Phil called him within two days and both agreed on a price and subsequently Bob brought it to the next Indy show. Incredibly, according to Phil, there are only three or four known examples of this color jar and that jar is still in Phil’s collection to this day. I asked Phil why he had so many HGs in the collection and he said it was basically because more colors became available and were more reasonably priced than pints and quarts. Besides, Phil told me, “HGs look good and there’s more glass to love.” Yet if you look over Phil’s collection you can clearly see he loves all sizes of jars and in many cases has put together fantastic sets such as his
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Ladies’ Favorites in half gallon, quart and pint. P h i l ’ s philosophy on collecting actually seems pretty reasonable. He says “we need to encourage new collectors that they don’t have to fill their shelves with very expensive jars. There are still a lot of unusual jars out there that aren’t worth a lot of money that advanced collectors just don’t want. but still add a lot to a collection. Phil also says if you do have the funds, of course it’s most important to buy the good things; i.e., the good colors, the good sizes and invest your money there but also make sure they have good closures. Phil also says he looks at buying jars in relation to the five Cs of buying diamonds which are Cut, Color, Clarity, Carat and Cost. The five Factors of Jars are Character, Color, Whittle, Crudeness and Cleanness.
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Phil had one particularly sad jar story to tell me. Five years ago, he had just finished washing a 4½-gallon Whitney 1858 and for some reason the lid when he put it on didn’t catch the threads properly. So when he picked it up the jar fell out of the lid tumbled across his jar room and into a cabinet, ending its magnificent existence.
Bottles and Extras
I didn’t know who Phil Smith was until the January 2008 Indy show when I met him for the first time. It was then I found out from other collectors that Phil was a very serious collector indeed, so the rest is history in regards to this article. I must say, Phil and his wonderful wife, Joan, are great hosts and while there at their home (which in itself is fantastic) I just had a super time. Phil and I, as well as Bo Trimble, Dick Watson, Phil Alvarez and Dan Corker were all there
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together enjoying what we all have in common --- fruit jars. This was actually my first exposure to activities of this sort and I found it fascinating how people of varying financial and philosophical backgrounds could get along together so well. It’s because no matter what some people will tell you, the plain truth is the vast majority of those in this great hobby of ours is just downright good, decent people and that includes Phil Smith. Without a shadow of a doubt, Phil has a killer fruit jar collection that rivals the best of the best. Yet I came away from my short visit there with a sense of something much more important than fruit jars. What impressed me was the lifestyle he lived and how I didn’t have what he did in that respect. Phil’s daughter and two sons live only houses
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away and his grandkids are at his home with him a good amount of the time. I sensed a family unity, devotion to one another and love that transcends the nonsense and daily grind of life and for that reason I am envious of him. Lastly, at one point I jokingly asked Phil if I could be his permanent Jar Room security person, but we all know that’s akin to letting the fox guard the hen house.
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Bottles and Extras
South Dakota collecting history: Clemente Zambon: Pioneer By Clemente D. Zambon III Hot Springs, South Dakota It is a tale I wish to tell Of my Pa and I And a friend who’s my pal. For such is my passion for bottles unearthed It’s a crazy hobby And at times I feel cursed.
It’s Rapid City, South Dakota in the summer of 1965 and I’m only a boy, a small boy. It is time when the country is in inner turmoil with a war in Vietnam and racial tension is at its peak in certain parts of the country. (It’s) a time when my father is turned on, again, to the driving lust of old bottles. He, too, had started as a small boy in the 1930s by sneaking into old abandoned saloons in Deadwood and Lead (pronounced LEED), South Dakota. It’s what small boys do when parents are off earning a living. He and his friend back then took only back bar bottles and miniature whiskies, these being the only bottles that appealed to them. They had gathered up to 60 mint whiskies and a score of back bar bottles. The United States became engaged in the war to end all wars, and called upon my father’s allegiance to help. In 1943, he was off to help make the world peaceable at the young age of 17. Now tweak your memory Of adventures gone Tell of your good times And the ones that went wrong. Speak of the glory On hot summer days The heartbreak and heartache Of a digger’s ways. Boy, this was going to be a hard season for digging. You could read the near future by the hard concrete freshly laid. It wasn’t going to be easy pulling intact glass outa them thar hills! The year before it came easy for us, digging partner Steve Ellis and I. Homestake Mining Co., was working on its new venture for gold the previous year. The mass expansion of the “Open Cut” open pit mining, which took out a third of all Lead, opened a torrent of digging opportunities for us. We treated their zest for gold by our own aggressiveness
Clemente D. Zambon II with a part of his collection 1997. (photo courtesy of Clem Zambin III)
for glass. It paid off handsomely. But now a year later, fresh concrete and progress covered all our old digging prospects. Our trials would be rougher and our efforts painstaking, although we had only to try a little harder and be a lot more aggressive. My grandfather on my father’s side had cleaned out the root cellar by the time my father returned from the war. His meager bottle collection, which had been stored in the root cellar, had been taken to the town dump with nothing ever mentioned. Dad was becoming a family man now. He took a wonderful bride and together they have given life to five little ones. Suddenly their world was very busy and Dad took on the manly hobbies of hunting and fishing. Chasing crazy bottles never entered his mind ‘til one day back in 1958. He was squirrel hunting up in the Rochford and Mystic country, a rugged part of the Black Hills, when he came upon a gold miner’s cabin site. A root cellar behind the cabin was still intact. Dad walked in to find two Wild Cherry Pepsin Bitters, a Sanford’s Radical Cure and a score of other rare bottles. The bottle bug had bitten again and this time had bitten good. Those glistening vessels We pull from the earth We admire their defects, Their flaws and their curves. Whatever their course
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That brings them to us, We thank Heaven above They came to us first! We knew of a dance hall that had burned in the early 1890s. The next spring we set out to find the site midway between Sturgis and Deadwood. We searched the area for a good two hours and began to think it a waste of time when the “bottle gods” smiled. The ground was covered by pine duff and debris when we found an amber unembossed beer and a black glass ale along side. Both dated to the mid1880s and looked crude. Steve and I dropped our tools into what appeared to have been an old mining pit turned trash pit by the dance hall management. Some of what we found included a Sioux City, Iowa blobtop beer, a Milwaukee amber blobtop beer, 11 unembossed amber beers, seven black glass ales, one a miniature, a David Wise mini whiskey, a Wedding Bouquet Rye mini whiskey, uncommon drug store bottles from Deadwood and Sturgis, three Red Top Rye amber cylinder whiskeys, one being green, three coffin flasks and one picnic flask. Hear me, hear I This container of glass As I can hear Your footsteps pass You see, so long ago I once was trash But I’ve been here To find at last.
Clem Zambon III with a couple of pickles from the Dance Hall Dig in Deadwood, S.D. (photo courtesy of Clem Zambon III)
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Dad rambled from ghost town to ghost town, all untouched since no one had begun to dig in the Black Hills. People in those days looked at someone who was chasing bottles as having a few bricks short of a full load. When Dad was caught digging somewhere, no one objected, because it wasn’t hurting anything, as it still doesn’t. I was my father’s shadow, following him wherever he went. Those memories I will forever treasure. The moments of spending time with him, chasing relics of the past, will forever remain my most precious moments I carry through life. As a child, I believed those moments would never end. It was 29 years ago (1965 at the time of this writing) that Dad and I found the dump of dumps in these parts. That, too, I felt would never end. Dad decided one lazy summer Sunday afternoon that he and I would try our luck bottle hunting near historic Deadwood. We drove up the canyon road and parked about a half-mile out of Deadwood. We climbed down a steep embankment to Whitewood Creek and followed the east side of the creek for some time. Getting late, we decided to cross the creek and head up to our starting point. We’d found some bottles while hiking, nothing special, champagne and a couple of embossed BIMAL (blown in mold, applied lip) sodas. We were getting close to our starting point when we came upon some unusual embankment and mounds of dirt. Dad found some old coins dating from the 1890s to the early 1900s. I plucked some bottles out of the bank, one a cobalt octagonal Carter’s master ink. Dad took the bottle, studied the seam, said it’s too new and threw it back. Little did we know, but we had stumbled onto one of the greater old city dumps in the Black Hills, infamous Deadwood’s! JACKPOT! Summer had turned bleak for Steve and I. Oh sure, we were still scratching up bottles, but nothing in numbers and nothing to brag about. We needed a big ol’ dump or a good privy to boost our spirits. Our dance hall dig made us feel we were experts in finding unlimited places to dig. We learned it wasn’t that easy. With a bit of detective work, we pinpointed an old Victorian house in Lead. With tools and courage at the ready, we walked up and banged at the door. No answer, and peering through the picture window we saw there wasn’t a stick of furniture to be seen. We discovered a small sign in a side window that said the house was under renovation and unoccupied, so we took it as an open invitation to probe and dig. This was (and is) a huge NO-NO! To the backyard we went fired up to find something. This story really does get better. In time, we probed out and opened up a 4-foot by 4-foot hole. Down about three feet we started pulling out large quantities of rusted tin and various debris. Pretty soon, a few old black glass ales surfaced and we knew we had something, we just didn’t know how good. Alongside our small stack of bottles was a huge pile of dirt and privy trash.
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Bottles and Extras
We diggers are caretakers of the past And collectors of what once was. Our finds do speak a hardship Of an era behind us. Our bottles are a timepiece, A window to what had been. We seek the treasures long ago discarded To know how it was back then. The pioneers must have had it hard As told by what we find. To think their one true medicine Was a whiskey that made you blind. Clem Zambon III, Lead, S.D. Dump, S.D. 1991. (photo courtesy of Clemente Zambin III)
What should happen but a couple in a car pulls up into the driveway. “Oh-oh,” I thought, “we’re finished!” We thought of jumping into the hole and hiding out, we could lie and tell ‘em we’re with the gas company trying to locate the gas line. Oh, boy, what do you do in a situation like this? The man gets out of the car, walks up to us and says (maybe hollers), “what in the (expletive deleted) are you boys doing to my property?” With dirt on our faces and worry written on our expressions, the truth was all we could reply with. We told him that we thought the house had been abandoned and being torn down. It took a long time in talking to cool down the situation. He explained to us that the house was one of his rentals, this being the reason for no furniture and being unoccupied. In time, he turned out to be a nice man. To our amazement, he took us to other places in the yard where he says glass keeps turning up while he was doing some odd digging. He told us we’d have to contact him first before we started any more excavations of his property. He let us return to our hole, asking only that we leave the yard as we found it. We offered some of the bottles, but he didn’t want any of that “trash” in his house! WHEW! Back into the hole we went and what a hole it was. By day’s end, we had the following: two One-Minute Cough Cures, two Hood’s Sarsaparillas, two amber cone inks, two Ayers’ Sarsaparillas, one Sanford’s, one Carter’s (1898), four black glass ales, two Ferro China Bisleri bitters, one Bitterquelle, one Cuticura Cure for Constitutional Humors, one Piso’s Cure, one Paine’s Celery Compound, and the find of the year, one W.R. Dickinson / Homestake / Sarsaparilla. What a hole, what luck and wow, what nice people!
So when you’re diggin’ down Through pages of the past, Give some thought to those who left it, Take your time and make it last. It was the late 1960s and bottle fever was affecting many people in the country as well as the Black Hills area. Dad and I found a super dump and our days of searching were over. The city dump of Deadwood kept us busy for years to come. We dug the dump for seven years before the city finally had it filled and sold the property. I shall one day tell stories of our digging adventures and the bottles (we found) there. We had taken four or five other diggers with us over the years, each winding up with classy collections. One item I remember in particular was a $20 gold piece Dad had found and in the hustle to find more bottles it was later lost. Oh, well, there’s more where that came from. It’s well-remembered that we didn’t like a bottle unless it was a bitters, embossed whiskey, cure-all, fancy or colored. We dug many Deadwood drug store bottles we called “medicals,” but if we had one, there was no need to save more. I remember Dad holding up embossed Deadwood medicals, saying we had it so don’t save it. I remember lobbing ‘em to the other wide of the creeks to smash on the rocks.. You know boys – we love breaking glass! Dad would holler at me to stop making so much noise as it might attract unwanted attention. During the summer of 1976, Dad had lost his glasses and wallet while digging, so he sent me back to hunt for them. So here I am, shoveling dirt out of our hole, and on one shovel full I spotted something unusual glittering in the sun. It’s a woman’s diamond ring and engraved on the inside was 7-7-98. Turns out it’s my mother’s birthday – the day and the month, but, of course, not the year. Dad had dug the only known Deadwood Sarsaparilla
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as listed in John DeGrafft’s American Sarsaparilla Bottles. Another fondly remembered bottle was a quart cylinder Ben Franklin Rye I had dug as a boy. Now Dad had sold our Deadwood collection 25 years ago, but I was able to track down that bottle as belonging to Jim Bishop, one of Dad’s old digging buddies. The chat I had with Mr. Bishop was rich and gratifying. Then, during Christmas last year (1993), I received a package in the mail. Looking back now, I should have had a heart attack. As I unwrapped it, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Before me was the old Ben Franklin Rye I had dug as a boy of 8. A sticker said, “Merry Christmas from Jim Bishop.” Our dump blessed us with 40 different Hutchinson sodas and more than a dozen different Deadwood medicals. We had at least two dozen different Deadwood mini jugs and at least 30 different bitters – golden amber Hi-Hi Bitters, olive green and triangular Sanitation Bitters, World Atlas Bitters (a pair of hands holding up the globe), and a multitude of colored and ornate perfumes and barber bottles. Embossed whiskies too numerous to remember, case gins with applied seals on the shoulder, ribbon seal whiskies, many in colors, all long gone now, as is the Deadwood dump. I took a stroll down memory lane To recapture days I had taken in vain. I dwell on the blessings that have since passed along I took all for granted that now is all gone. But I shall hold dear these digging adventures Of my father and I digging for pleasure.
Steve and I were closing up the summer and entering the fall. Our season of digging had been OK, with a few good bottles and artifacts to add to our booty. We’d both taken on new jobs which were putting a pinch on our time off, but we still had Sundays open. We had spotted a house in Lead, but never got around to checking it out. So we went there and found an old couple sitting out front in the yard. We showed them our tools and asked if we could locate and dig the old outhouse we felt sure was on their property. They remembered the old “outdoor toilet” being torn down sometime in the 1930s, but couldn’t quite remember just where it had stood. They told us to just have fun and not to make too much of a mess. In no little time we punched a spot with the probe that made music to our ears. It was a good 25 feet from the house and if this was it, I have to admire what peoples of eras gone by had to endure. Soon a small dust cloud hit the sky and in no time we were pulling out lots of “outy” trash. But wait, what’s this screw top jars and modern bottles coming up! It was enough to make you sick to your stomach and what a good spot to be sick in. But wait, let’s try a little deeper and hold our breaths, literally. Steve was in the hole now and punched through a soft yellow-orangish clay layer to find a coffin flask. Oh, boy, now we’ve got age! The hole was packed with glass that shot down a good six feet. Though little of great rarity, here’s what came out: two Lead Hutchinsons (one mug base, one round), six different Lead medicals, five unembossed coffin flasks, one large amber Detroit medical, one olive-green ribbed case gin, one clear stretch purse perfume and a clear fluted neck perfume, both from Detroit, three Liquozones, three Mother’s Friends (Atlanta, Ga.), two Dr. Kilmer’s, two KL&B Cures, one Paine’s Celery Compound and an unusual violet-blue Bromo-Seltzer. Diggin’s more like Christmas As you’ve not a clue to what’s in store. You hope for something good Like a bitters or maybe more. You’re praying that your wishing Of a certain find just once comes true. You soon discover in the end That you’ve been blessed many times two. You have in your possession Many items from the past.
Clem Zambon III descending into ravine - Lead Dump, S.D. 1996. (photo courtesy of Clemente Zambin III)
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They speak or mortals gone And tell us time ticks way too fast
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As you cling to precious glass Thanking life for your good luck. Give some thought to those before you Who tossed it in the muck. And may you have a friend along Who relates with what you do. For truly that’s the best find, A friend to tell it to. Dad had sold two top Deadwood collections and now the dump was buried so we had nowhere else to go. We began searching again. I was now in my mid-teens and Dad was a more knowledgeable and advanced collector-digger. We’d been spoiled by the big dump so a small dump dig wasn’t going to quench our thirst. So one weekend, I joined Dad and one of his digging buddies. We’d found nothing so near the end of the day, we pulled into a hamburger joint midway between Lead and Deadwood to grab a bite to eat. Dad had a hunch about a rather large hill so up he went and his buddy and I remained in the car eating our burgers. We sat in the car a long time and dusk was soon turning into night. Soon I spotted Dad and he’s holding something. He gets into the car and his buddy and I gazed in awe at what he’s holding. There in Dad’s arms are four stenciled Lead jugs and his pockets are filled with bottles, old ones. Dad had just discovered the old Lead city dump. It was 1972 and once again it looked like our digging was going to last forever. The dump dates to late Victorian times (1890s), although we found many things pre-dating that era. Ash layers went down 25 to 30 feet in some areas. We dug many a Sunday from sunup to sundown. At times, our holes were so deep you could hide a freight car in ‘em. Our biggest mistake was never taking photographs. We played in this dump from 1972 to 1983 before its owners, the Homestake Mining Company, filled it and made it strictly off limits. Dad liked the dump because of its incredible number of stenciled jugs. He amassed 27 different. I liked the dump’s age and its classy bottles. Here is the preceding story’s cast of characters: Dad: Clemente D. Zambon II, 69 years old, can dig like a 20-year-old. Still owns one of South Dakota’s better bottle collections. Onto bigger and better collectibles now, including trade tokens, cowboy paraphernalia, but still likes to go digging. Digging partner: Steve Ellis, 37 years of age. Recently joined the digging and collecting fraternity. I feel his collection is second only two Dad’s and mine in this area. Not only is Steve my digging partner, he is also my brotherin-law and my good friend. Me: Clemente D. Zambon III, 37 years old. Started chasing
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glass with my father when I was 6. My love for glass really matured after being released from the Army in 1986 and digging my first Warner’s Safe Cure in a ghost town. I’m forever in debt to my father for his unlimited help and knowledge in helping build my interest and collection in this crazy hobby. For dragging me along when I was a kid to share your experiences, Dad, I genuinely THANK YOU! (EDITOR’S NOTE: A version of this story appeared more than 25 years ago in Antique Bottle & Glass Collector magazine. Clem D. Zambon credits his father, Clemente, for “getting me interested and turning me on to the wonderful world of glass. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss him. . .the world of collecting lost a one of a kind when my dad died.”
Two men played major role in early South Dakota collecting By Kim Johnke
Bottle collecting and digging started in the western part of South Dakota during the mid-1960s with two men – Clemente Zambom and Otto Einsphar. They dug for many years before anyone else showed interest. Examples and relics from old mining towns and ghost towns filled their shelves and were the basis for many a story. Jim Louks of Spearfish has carried on the tradition and has a fantastic collection. Mr. Zambom died at age 82 in 2006, while Mr. Einsphar, whose last known address was in Oral, could not be found. In the eastern part of the state, digging and collecting started during the 1970s and remains active. Among the early collectors are Dr. Tim Wolter, Ron Feldhaus, Robert Kolbe, John VanHeul and myself. Robert Kolbe and I have been a digging team since 1984. Out of the thousands of bottles, some of the more notable finds are Dakota Territory sodas, numerous drug store bottles and an 1878 $2-1/2 gold piece. The latter had been made into a love token with a monogram of the couple’s initials on the reverse. We have dug during thunderstorms, broiling heat and humidity and in snowy winter months. It’s not much fun, but makes you appreciate nice weather. Two of the more unusual experiences we have encountered over the years included the elderly lady who felt sorry for us during our laborious digging on a hot day. She brought us a pitcher of lemonade and ran an extension cord with electric fan to our hole. It stirred up too much dust so we had to decline her offer, but we enjoyed the lemonade. We were digging a fairly deep hole during the late fall when we encountered a very angry shrew whose slumber we had interrupted. As he scampered along the bottom and around the sides of the hole, we were more concerned that he didn’t mistake one of our pants’ legs for an escape route. He did find another way out and we continued digging, albeit with a wary eye. Digging exposes time capsules of the former households: crockery, dishes and bottles show their lifestyles, what their afflictions were and how they spent their money. It will always be a very unique way to look at our past.
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PEORIA’S CLARKE BROTHERS & THE WHISKEY TRUST By Jack Sullivan Special to Bottles and Extras In failing health and only three years from his death, Charles C. (for Corning) Clarke, seen here in his late 30s (Fig. 1), was summoned in 1899 from his Peoria, Illinois, home to testify to an elite Washington, D.C. investigating commission about one of America’s most notorious organizations, known popularly as “The Whiskey Trust,” That enterprise bore a reputation for ruthlessly shutting down distilleries throughout the Midwest and beyond, reputedly using dynamite when necessary.
Fig. 1: Portrait of Charles C. Clarke
The Whiskey Trust was headquartered in Peoria (Fig. 2) for good reason. When Almiron S. Cole built Peoria’s first distillery in 1843 no one could foresee the city would become a world leader in the distilling industry. . River access, good water, an abundance of corn and barley, and ample railroad transportation, however, all contributed to the unprecedented growth of Peoria’s alcohol industry. By the 1880’s the city boasted 22 distilleries and several breweries. It is claimed that during this era Peoria produced more whiskey than any city in history. So great was the revenue from the whiskey tax that Peoria’s share of taxes paid to the federal government
Fig. 2: Peoria, Ill., in the early 1900s
was larger than any other district in the entire United States. The great wealth enabled Peoria to begin a building boom of magnificent private homes, parks, churches, schools, and municipal buildings. The Clarkes Come to Peoria Charles C.’s’ father, Charles S. Clarke, was one of Peoria’s pioneer distillers. Born in 1821 in Northhampton, Massachusetts, the elder Clarke had a natural head for business but a restless nature. It took him first to Illinois in 1841 at the age of 20 and subsequently to Ohio, Mississippi, and Tennessee. In 1849 he showed up in Peoria with a load of dry goods and traded them for a farm at the edge of town. Already prosperous, he settled down, married a local girl named Melissa Randall, and began investing in railroads. After sustaining losses during the Panic of 1857, he sold the farm, moved to the city and started distilling whiskey about 1860 as The Charles S. Clarke Company. His enterprise was assisted by his friendship with Abraham Lincoln and other prominent Republican politicians. His eldest son, Charles C., was born in 1856 and educated in the Peoria, graduating from the local high school. Early on he began working at his father distillery but his health suffered. As part of his recuperation the young Charles went to Montana for a better climate and got in business raising cattle. Although ranching was physically and financially beneficial to him, his father’s retirement brought the young man back to Peoria in 1880. Taking up his father’s distilling
business, he formed a partnership with his youngest brother, Chauncey D. Clarke, and called the firm Clarke Bros. & Co. The distillery stood on Grove Street, at the foot of Persimmon in Peoria. It produced a number of brands, including Castle Rock, Checker Board, Elkhorn Gin, Kickapoo Bourbon, Pearl Spirits, and R.D.C. Bourbon. The flagship brand was Clarke’s Pure Rye. The Nefarious Whiskey Trust The Clarke Bros. began operating at a tumultuous time in American distilling history. In the 1880s, the average American adult consumed 2.4 gallons of spirits annually. By volume most alcohol was consumed as liquor. Distilleries were opening all over the landscape, increasing competition and generally keeping whiskey prices low. Anxious to insure high profits, a number of Midwest distillers in 1887 organized a monopoly under the name of the Distillers and Cattle Feeders’ Trust. It quickly became known as “The Whiskey Trust.” When a distillery joined the Trust its owners received stock but surrendered control of operations to a board of trustees. Of some 86 distilleries that eventually joined (or were forced into) the Trust, only about a dozen were kept operating. The rest were shut down. The idea was to corner an overwhelming market share and fix prices to insure ample profits. At the time such business practices were still barely legal. Criminal activity often was alleged in the strong arm tactics employed by the Trust against whiskey-makers who refused to join. In February 1888 H. H. Shufeldt, a large Chicago distillery,
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young man at the time and did not like to go into a combination and lose control of my business, but after some time I agreed to do it. I regretted it from the day I went in, although I secured very good profits for a long time.” The Trust shut Clarke Bros. down, gave them $100,000 in stock, and put each of the brothers on the payroll for $5,000 a year, a substantial salary in those days. Charles was sent to California as a “salesman,” principally to strong arm recalcitrant distilleries to come into the Trust. His method, he testified, consisted in weaning away the competition’s best customers by selling them Trust whiskey at greatly discounted prices. It took only three or four days of such tactics to bring balking distilleries on board, he said. When the $5,000 stipend ended as In and Out of the Trust the Trust fell into financial difficulties, No evidence exists that Charles Charles broke out of the monopoly Clarke was involved in this mayhem, in 1885 and began distilling again as but he knew a lot about the Whiskey independent operator. He continued to Trust. The organization headquarters be harassed by the monopoly interests was in Peoria. While not a founding but persisted. Amidst the tumult he member, early in the existence of the was married in 1892 to a young widow, Trust, Charles brought his distillery Alice (Chandler) Ewing. Charles and into its fold. Later on when asked Alice would have three children: Alice, why, he replied: “I went into the born in 1893 who died five years later, first Trust because I was glamoured Charles C., born 1895; and Margaret, with the pictures that were painted of born 1897. fancy profits, and also because of the Sometime in the late 1890s, brother intimations that, if I did not go in, the Chauncey Clarke decamped for Arizona, Trust would get after my customers and ostensibly for his health. With other make life a burden to me....I was quite a transplants from Illinois, he founded a new town in the desert and named it “Peoria” after his home town. Out West Chauncey apparently succumbed to “gold fever.” A curious letter, dated January 1898, exists on Clark Bros. stationery. In it Charles addresses his brother in Arizona very formally as “Dear Sir,” perhaps indicating strained relations between the two (Fig. 3). Charles inquires about whether the Fig. 3: The 1898 Letter from Charles to Chauncey “Thorn purchase” was reported that an agent for the Trust had been apprehended in its factory. He reportedly confessed in writing to spying. Subsequently, in September a valve on a vat in the same distillery was discovered to have been tampered with in a way that eventually might have caused an explosion. Three months later at the same site a dynamite explosion did extensive damage to the Shufeldt distillery and blew out windows in the surrounding neighborhood. Strong evidence pointed to the Trust as the perpetrator. Although Federal officials identified an officer of the organization as involved, he was never indicted. The owners of the Chicago distillery subsequently surrendered, joined the Trust, and were promptly shut down.
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at last paying off. The Thorne Mine was a huge hoax of the time in which newcomers to the Southwest were convinced they were buying the site of a massive gold deposit found and then lost by a military dentist named Thorne. Most observers believe the gold never existed. Had Chauncey been duped? The Geezer and the Giveaways Beginning about in 1889 the revived Clarke Bros. dropped the most of its other brands to concentrate on merchandising Clarke’s Pure Rye (Fig. 4). It was sold
Fig. 4: Clarke Bros. ad
Fig. 6: Clarke’s Pure Rye pint
Fig. 5: Clarke’s Pure Rye quart
in clear glass bottles with little embossing and paper labels in
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Fig. 9: “Old Codger” celluloid mirror
Fig. 7: Clarke’s Pure Rye mini
quart (Fig. 5), pint (Fig. 6) and mini (Fig. 7) sizes. About 1990 Clarke Bros. built a new facility at the foot of Pecan and South Peoria Streets, boasting that it was the “largest whiskey distillery in the world” (Fig. 8). It also incorporated as Clarke Brothers Distillery. Its letterhead and ads stressed its “independent” status -- by inference a jab at the Whiskey Trust. The most unusual merchandising strategy employed by Clarke Bros. was plastering the face and body of an elderly and sickly looking man on its advertising. This geezer shows up on items from hand mirrors (Fig. 9), to decorative plates (Fig. 10), to both canvas and wooden bar signs (Fig. 11,
Fig. 11: Old Codger canvas sign
Fig. 10: Old Codger plate
12). He even appears as the joker in a deck of playing cards the distillery issued (Fig. 13). It apparently was an image that sold whiskey because Clarke Bros. Rye soon became a top-selling regional and national brand.
Fig. 8: Clarke Bros. distillery
Fig. 12: Old Codger wooden sign
Fig. 13: Playing cards - Joker
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Fig. 14: Etched shot glass Fig 19: Clarke nip - ad side Fig. 17: Clarke back-of-the-bar bottle
Fig. 15: Two-color shot glass
As the company prospered it also became known for its giveaway items. For saloons it provided the traditional shot glasses (Fig. 14, 15), tip trays (Fig. 16) and back of the bar decanters (Fig. 17). For the drinking public it gave away redeemable tokens and watch fobs, seen in my previous articles, and attractive
Fig. 16: Clarke tip tray
“nips.” Shown here are two sides of a beautifully glazed and decorated ceramic flask (Fig. 18, 19), probably a product of Germany. Another nip is a hollow dog with a pottery and cork stopper at the rear and Clarke’s Pure Rye written across its back (Fig. 20). Members of Peoria’s Unit 20 of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks (B.P.O.E), went to their 1906 national convention in Denver wearing fancy pin devised by Clarke Bros. & Co. It depicted an elk with a barrel chained
to it to call attention to “The Revenue City” because Peoria paid $35 million in federal revenues, which in those long gone days could fund 10% of the entire expenses of the U.S. Government (Fig. 21). The Trust is Investigated While Clarke Bros. & Co. were prospering as an independent distillery, Federal authorities were increasingly
Fig. 20: Clark dog nip
Fig. 18: Clarke nip - eagle side
Fig. 21: 1906 Elks Badge
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Fig. 22: Photo of Andrew L. Harris
becoming concerned about the Whiskey Trust. President William McKinley in 1898 had appointed a special Industrial Commission to investigate monopolistic practices in a wide range of industries, It was chaired by a close friend of the President, Andrew L. Harris, a former Ohio governor and Civil War general (Fig. 22). Members were a hand-picked group of prominent and reform-minded Senators and Congressmen. Federal investigators saw Charles Clarke as a key witness who might, under oath, disclose the full inside story of this secretive organization. Being summoned to Washington by a highpowered investigative panel likely held no fears for Charles. His father had been a a well-known figure in the Republic Party both nationally and in Illinois. Clarke himself, running on the GOP ticket, had been elected twice as major of Peoria, the first time when he was only 36. In short, this witness was accustomed to the rough and tumble of politics. The New York Times of May 14, 1899, headlined his testimony before the Commission. Clarke was cautious. He revealed nothing very new, restating only the obvious. “We thought we could make better profits and create a more stable business by organizing into a trust,” he told the Commission. He
added that the Whiskey Trust had been patterned after the Standard Oil Trust. But unlike that monopoly on oil, as soon as the distillers group decided to raise prices, new distilling operations on the outside started up that drove prices down again. Apparently no amount of corporate muscle (or even dynamite) was able to reverse that dynamic. The Trust was, Clarke testified, “bound to fall of its own weight.” He argued against passing new antitrust laws. The Commission, however, did not agree and in concluding its work in 1902 recommended stronger legislation. Teddy Roosevelt, by then President, agreed, ushering in the “Trust Busting Era” in American history (Fig. 23).
Fig. 23: Teddy Roosevelt cartoon
By then the Whiskey Trust had disintegrated into several organizations and Charles Clarke was dead, only 46 years of age. He had never been in good health and perhaps the strain of the past several years had taken their toll. One obituary said of him: Mr. Clarke devoted himself to his business but never allowed it to overmaster him. He was clear-headed, broad-minded, keenly alive to every situation, and ready to adapt himself and his financial interests to constantly changing conditions. Few men in Peoria developed a better capacity for business, and no man had a better reputation for integrity and honor than Charles C. Clarke. The Distillery Survives a Death After Charles’ death, the company
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remained under guidance by the Clarke family. A 1904 letterhead lists Sumner Clarke as president. Sumner was an uncle of Chauncey and Charles C., who had joined his brother in Peoria some years earlier following a business career in Mississippi. Although listed as vice president, there is scant evidence that Chauncey was involved in the day to day operation of the distillery. He was being kept very busy out West. Chauncey actually had struck gold in Arizona. Whether or not this was at the elusive Thorne site is not clear. Moreover, one day while riding horseback on his mining property, Chauncey met a woman described as “high spirited” who is said to have been able to ride a horse and shoot as well as Annie Oakley. Her name was Marie Rankin, whose father was a well-known Phoenix mining engineer. They were married in 1894 and settled in Arizona’s Peoria, the town Chauncey had founded. Chauncey’s absence from company management appears to have made no difference. Robert D. Clarke, whose relationship to the brothers is unclear, was listed as distillery manager. He was an able businessman who In 1899 with a partner founded a cookie and cake business in Peoria under the name Thomas & Clarke. A Republican delegate to the 1908 and 1912 GOP National Committee, Robert also is remembered for hiring famed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright to design an addition to his stables. During the early 1900s, the distillery continued to thrive. Billboards and neon signs advertised its whiskey across America, as far west as Denver and Seattle. Company letterheads indicate that sometime between 1905 and 1909, Sumner Clarke, whether by retirement or death, was replaced as president. His successor was Chauncey who appears to have been only a figurehead while others tended to the business. By 1913, Chauncey had stepped down and Robert Clarke had become both distillery manager and a vice president. A non-family member was listed as president. By 1917 no Clarkes were among the officers of Clarke Bros.
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Clarke’s Pure Rye and Bourbon. Shown here is a mini-bottle from 1937 with the Arrow label (Fig. 24). It also cites a location in Dundalk, Maryland, a town near Baltimore. Similar designations appear on a Clarke match cover (Fig. 25). As a result of the brand name surviving, some distillery artifacts remain ambiguous in their dating, such as the foam scraper shown here (Fig. 26). Arrow Distilleries went out of business in 1943 and with it disappeared the honored Clarke Bros. brand. Clarke Brothers today chiefly are remembered for their collectible giveaways and containers. While these distillery artifacts may not command the same high prices as Green River items, they continue to draw buyers. A celluloid mirror with the “old man” image recently sold on eBay for $250 and a wooden sign for $74. The eagle nip went for $80 and the dog for $97. While the hardworking Charles C. Clarke is largely forgotten, brother Chauncey, who got rich on his gold and oil strikes, is celebrated as a founder of Peoria, Arizona. A suburb of Phoenix, today it boasts a larger population than Peoria, Illinois. The Whiskey Trust is chiefly remembered as part of the bad old days of the monopolistic robber barons, eclipsed in our times by the machinations of Wall Street moguls who use electronic manipulation, not dynamite, to get rich.
Fig. 24: Arrow-Clarke mini
Distillery. Like hundreds of others, the operation was shut down in 1919 because of Prohibition and continued that way until Repeal in 1934. Meanwhile Chauncey Clarke and wife Marie had moved further West. Shortly after the Clarkes moved into a new home in Santa Fe Springs, California, oil was discovered on their land. Liking the revenue but not the smell, in 1922 the Clarkes began purchasing parcels in the Coachella Valley. About 1926 they reestablished themselves on a new ranch called “Point Happy Date Gardens”. They developed the property into one of the finest date plantations in the valley. In addition to farming, Chauncey Clarke raised purebred Arabian horses. . Because of failing health, he was unable to continue the development of Point Happy and sold his horses shortly before his death in 1926. After Repeal Ironically, the Whiskey Trust may have had the last laugh on the Clarke family. After Repeal one of its Peoria-
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Fig. 25: Arrow-Clarke matches
based remnants called U.S. Industrial Alcohol, Inc., whose beginnings traced back to 1902, bought their Peoria distillery. The company subsequently sold the Clarke Bros. brand name to another Peoria firm called Arrow Distilleries, Inc. This firm, founded in 1933, also had plants in Chicago, St. Louis and Claremont, California. It marketed many brands but featured
Fig. 26: Clarke foam scraper
Notes: Material for this article has come from a wide number of Internet and reference sources. Of particular help was the Google Book digital rendering of the annals of the U.S. Industrial Commission. It contains the full text of Clarke’s testimony about the Whiskey Trust on May 13, 1899. To Robin Preston of the www.pre-pro.com website goes my gratitude for illustrations of Clarke Bros. bottles and giveaways. Very special thanks is owed to Linda Aylward of the Peoria Public Library for the picture of Charles Clarke. Portions of this article previously have appeared in the Potomac Pontil, the monthly publication of the Potomac Bottle Club.
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November - December, 2009
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High school kids restore 70-year-old Coke sign By Bill Baab
LINCOLNTON, Ga. – The sign extolling the virtues of Cocaadvertisement. Cola had seen better days on the brick wall of the Hobby “The countless hours of research and hard labor would Corner at the intersection of Peachtree and School streets. have been too much for any single person,” the teacher When Lincoln County High School art teacher Katrina continued. “Due to teamwork, the students were able to Kelly saw its faded glory, she immediately saw its possibilities witness first-hand the ease of working with others to complete as an art class project. Why not, she asked herself, restore it to such a large undertaking. its original 1939 splendor? “The kids never grew bored with the project and offered Further research netted the discovery that not one, but two their services every step of the way. Some of them really got signs had been painted on the wall. The second had been done into it – they seized this unique opportunity and ran with it.” during the 1950s and the original 1930s sign was bleeding The students were Katie Remsen, Jourdan Cunningham, through. Jessica Tate, Raymond Lam, Tabitha Rayner, Brittany Doster, She enlisted the help of Kevin Beggs, the county’s deputy Breawana Gladmon, Roxanne Ware, Danielle Hutton, Will coroner and local history buff. He was able to decipher what Strickland, Miranda Banks, Courtney Davis, Hailie McQuigg the original sign would have looked like. His research also and Lee-Anne Boddie. revealed what the original logos would have looked like in color. Other members of the community supported the teacher and her students, Bobby Saggus, locally known as “the paint man” at Spratlin Hardware and Building Supply, matched the precise hue of red from a can of Coca-Cola. “He also mixed the other four colors that were distinguishable from the original mural,” the teacher added. “Likewise, Hawes Reed of Clark Hill Rentals supplied us with scaffolding at no charge, enabling the students to reach the top of the mural,” she added. As a gift to owners of the Hobby Corner, a popular after-school hangout, the students agreed to incorporate The Coca-Cola sign restoration crew consisted of (L-R) Kati Remsen, Jourdan Cunningham, Jessica Tate, the store’s name at Raymond Lam, Tabitha Rayner, Brittany Doster, Breawanna Gladmon, Roxanne Ware, Danielle Hutton, the top of the mural to teacher Katrina Kelly, Will Strickland, Miranda Banks, Courtney Davis and Lee Anne Boddie. Not present give them additional was Hailie McQuigg. (Bea Baab photo)
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Richmond, Virginia Show Report By Ed and Lucy Faulkner The 38th annual bottle show and sale in Richmond, Virginia was held last October 3 at a new crosstown location. Show co-chairmen Marvin Croker and Ed Faulkner were pleased at how well the show went. Some minor adjustments may have to be made, but we had more dealers and tables sold than last year. Many of these dealers were new. There were 75 tables sold. A table was also set up for kids and they seemed to enjoy this. Many first-time dealers to our show indicated they would definitely come back next year. Part of the success of this show move was due to early advertising starting at last year’s show. The active advertising started with flyers handed out at Baltimore in March and ads in Antique Bottle and Glass Collector, as well as listing it on our web. We thank everyone who took the time to list the show on their website. Tony Townsend drove all over the state putting out flyers and posters promoting the new show location. This helped recruit some of our first-time dealers. Other members also distributed flyers in VA and NC. Several ads were placed in local newspapers the week of the show. So we are very
Ten year old Jessica Copal with her first show display.
Chesterfield Display with Madelyn Cox
Tommy Goodrich (left) is an original founding member of the Richmond Club. Others pictured are: Bert Laine (right) and Tom Jennings (back)
Interesting bottle on table?
happy with the move, as was most everyone we talked with. Our goal for next year is more dealers and more local attendance from the public. While early admissions were up quite a bit, the general attendance was about the same as at the old location. The club provides pizza and soda to everyone who comes Friday evening to help set up. Breakfasts of coffee, juice, sausage biscuits and donuts are also provided the next morning. We were pleased this year to have our lunch catered by a local barbeque restaurant, Famous Dave’s. They did a good job and we hope to get them back next year. Because this was the first year in Chesterfield County, the club did a display on Chesterfield bottles with various members participating. Madelyn Cox was the coordinator of this very popular display. Other displays included Inks and Inkwells by Lucy Faulkner, Taka Kola by Dave Tyree, Buffalo Lithia Bottles by Bruce Wadford, and Cathedral Pickles and Peppersauce by Mary Wadford. One of our youngest members, ten-year-old Jessica Copal, did her first show display on her collection of miniature bottles. We had three dealer prizes and a 50/50 raffle which was won by a dealer from Massachusetts. We invite more of you to attend in 2010 at our same Chesterfield location. October is a great time to visit the many local attractions, before or after the show, including nearby Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown.
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The Dating Game - Southern Glass Co.
By Bill Lockhart, Pete Schulz, Carol Serr and Bill Lindsey with contributions by Michael R. Miller and David Whitten
During the last half of the 19th century, container glass production in California was concentrated in the San Francisco Bay Area, at that time the commercial center of the far west. The rapid growth of population, agriculture and industry in Southern California in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, however, fueled an increasing demand for local glass factories to provide bottles and jars for products. Several container glass factories were founded during the first two or three decades of the 20th century. Most were short-lived and served only Southern California markets. Probably the most successful factory of this era was the Southern Glass Co., which operated for more than a decade, marketing its bottles throughout California, the Pacific Northwest, and the Southwest, as well as shipping to customers on the west coast of Latin America and throughout the Pacific. Although not as large as its San Francisco rivals, it nonetheless preceded them in some aspects of technical development. It ultimately failed because credit problems brought on by the Great Depression coincided with patent disputes that affected many smaller companies as the glass industry entered the age of machine production. History Southern Glass Co., Vernon (Los Angeles), California (1919-1930)[1] The Rising Star The Southern Glass Co. was incorporated October 16, 1918 by three Los Angeles area businessmen, William J. Latchford, William McLaughlin and John McK. Marble, with an authorized capital stock of $10,000.[2] Of these men, Latchford was a citrus grower and entrepreneur with an interest in glass manufacture, while Marble was his stepson. McLaughlin was an experienced glassmaker who had spent many years in some of the country’s larger factories, but
was then operating a backyard factory producing jars for small-scale canning operations proliferating in Southern California (McGroarty 1933:413-414; Padgett 1996:34-35). The company set about building a factory, which it located in the Vernon district of Los Angeles: “We found an acre with a barn and an old three-room house on East TwentyFifth Street. We built a furnace and lehr in the barn, turned the house into an office and called it the Southern Glass Company. Because the property sat on an old dump site, the cement trucks that were delivering to us kept getting stuck. We finally got going. . .I wrote to several glass blowers I knew in San Francisco when we were ready to start up and they came to Los Angeles to work for us. The business was a success from the start” (McLaughlin, in Padgett 1996:35). Production began in February, 1919, the factory employing 40-45 men. Initial products were soda bottles and packers’ ware, and operations were by hand (Padgett 1996:35; Pacific Dairy Review 1921; Los Angeles Times 1920; 1927b; Clarke 1920:3). Differences between McLaughlin and Latchford soon emerged regarding factory operations. In late 1919, the former withdrew by mutual consent and started his own factory, leaving Latchford in effective control of Southern (Padgett 1996:35; Swain 1935:335).[3] The company quickly began expanding. At the end of 1919, it increased its capital stock authorization to $100,000.[4] In February 1920, the plant was visited by W. P. Clarke, president of the American Flint Glass Workers Union, who reported that “I found one small continuous tank with one shop only, and the one shop was producing near-beer bottles on a machine which was manned by members of the G.B.B.A.[5] This company has another tank in the course of construction and four ring holes will be added. Our direct interest at this plant is confined to three
mould makers” (Clarke 1920:3). A press release the preceding month had reported that the company was producing 12,000 to 15,000 bottles per month, and had introduced “many of the latest type of machines.” Judging from Clarke’s report, the “many machines” were not yet in place. The expansion reported in both sources was completed in March 1920, and was intended to quintuple the plant’s output (Los Angeles Times 1920). Early reports exhibit some confusion about both the company’s products and its market. A retrospective account of a few years later noted that Southern originally built up its business manufacturing “glass containers for the local makers of beverages and canners of fruits.” In 1920, however, they were noted as specializing in “beer and soda water bottles,” producing 12,000 to 15,000 per month, “distributed all along the Pacific Coast as well as South America, Mexico, Hawaii and Australia.” They were advertising milk bottles by 1921 (Los Angeles Times 1920; 1924; Pacific Dairy Review 1921). The nature of the original machines is unclear, as is whether hand production continued after they were introduced. In 1923, the factory had one 50-ton tank and was operating four Lynch and three Teeple machines (Gray 1923). These machines were presumably operated as semi-automatics (i.e., the molten glass gob for each bottle was fed manually). Production, noted as 72,000 bottles per day, was insufficient to meet the demand. Stock authorization was consequently increased to $500,000 to support a program of further expansion (Los Angeles Times 1923; 1925).[6] In April 1924, the company announced the imminent construction of “a half-million-dollar glass factory, with the most modern automatic equipment.” Although the new complex would not be completed until a year later, the work was to progress in stages. The first unit was to have “a battery of five
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of the latest automatic bottle machines in connection with the improved glass furnaces.” A second building was to have “another battery of five of the automatic machines . . . making a total of ten machines – the first automatic glass machines in Los Angeles.” (Los Angeles Times 1924). Since Southern was credited with eight Lynch machines in 1926 (see below), it is reasonable to assume that these were the machines installed during this upgrade. Southern, of course, had used machines since 1919 or 1920, as had other local bottle manufacturers. The reference surely indicates that the new machines were completely automatic, requiring no manual assistance to feed the glass, and possibly none to convey the completed bottles to the lehr. Lynch had been making semiautomatic machines since 1917 and, in 1923, introduced a fully automatic machine capable of making both narrow-neck and widemouth ware (Meigh 1960:41; Glass Worker 1923). These were probably the first fully automatic machines in the state of California.[7] Another development initiated by Southern at this time was in dating its bottles. In mid-1924, the dairy and glass industries standardized the pulp caps (disks) used to seal milk bottles to a single size. This standardization allowed glass factories to use the same ring molds to produce finishes regardless of the style or size of the bottle. Southern was evidently the first company to realize that this allowed them to emboss month and date codes on the rim or lip of the cap-seat finish, a process they initiated by October, 1924. Other California factories followed suit the following year (Schulz et al. 2009). Latchford left the company in August 1925, following disagreements with the other officers over his involvement with the Monarch Glass Co., which one of his stepsons managed. (A few months later, Latchford founded his own glass company.) Southern’s Secretary, Faye G. Bennison, became effectively the manager of the firm, assuming Latchford’s responsibilities (Wanderer 1926; Toulouse 1971:456-457).
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In 1926, the Southern California glass plants were the subject of a review published in an industry trade journal. Southern was credited with “two continuous tanks, one of 170 tons capacity and the other 290 tons, while equipment included eight Lynch machines. A full line of milks, beverages, in fact, containers ranging from two ounces to a gallon, are manufactured by this company and amber and green ware also is made. The plant is most up to date and modern in all respects” (Wanderer 1926). As noted above, these Lynch machines were presumably the fully automatic machines introduced in 1924, although the difference between the number of machines reported in the two years is not explained. Since the plant is listed in the 1927 glass directory as having two tanks with a total of eight rings, the 1926 account must be correct, at least for that time (American Glass Review 1927:144). While all the machines were from the same company, it should be noted that Southern was making wide-mouth ware on press-andblow, and narrow-mouth ware on blowand-blow machines, so different models must have been in use simultaneously. The company continued to expand, not only filling orders in the U.S., but in other countries as well. In September 1927, Southern was shipping “two orders, approximately three carloads each,” to El Salvador and Guatemala. By that time, the firm was selling bottles in “Panama, Mexico, New Zealand, Canada, Alaska, Hawaiian Islands and points in the Orient” (Los Angeles Times 1927b). Total production for the year amounted to 35,000,000 bottles and, in December, the company announced that it was upgrading to “the latest equipment in bottle-making machinery” and adding another new building (Van Nostrand 1928; Los Angeles Times 1927c). By early 1928, Southern was advertising its soda bottles as “Southern Star beverage bottles” – and had evidently begun embossing its products with a logo consisting of an S within a star. It also began touting the durability of its wares and noting that finishes (at least crown
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finishes) were fire-polished (Pacific Bottler 1928a; 1928c).[8] In pursuit of its durability claims, the company occasionally included endorsements from bottlers: “Southern Star bottles are still ‘bouncing like rubber balls.’ The other day one of our drivers dropped two cases of full goods off the tailgate of his truck. They landed on the concrete pavement -- and they all ‘bounced like rubber balls.’ No doubt you are anxious to know how the expression ‘bounced like rubber balls’ originated. We were feeding our soaker and the operator, not being accustomed to handling the new style Whistle bottles, let some slip through his fingers and they landed on the concrete. We expected that they would break like any ordinary bottle, but they didn’t – they merely bounced. That is one reason why we use Southern Star glass” (Pacific Bottler 1929a). At this time, sales were rapidly climbing (Los Angeles Times 1928a; 1928b). At mid-year, production was reported to be 108,000 bottles daily, and the factory – still using Lynch machines – was working 24 hours per day, seven days a week. Sales over the previous three years – that is, since the introduction of automatic machinery – had increased 400%. The company employed chemists to inspect the raw materials and had its own plant for making crates and shipping containers (Van Nostrand 1928). Other technical developments included experiments with new formulas to produce stronger, lighter-weight glass. Additionally, the plant developed new colors, including opaque black glass jars to protect orange juice from sunlight (American Glass Review 1928c; Ceramic Age 1929a:102; 1929d:70 Wall Street Journal 1929). Exports to foreign customers increased to an estimated seven million bottles in 1928. Included were 500,000 bottles shipped to Guatemala and El Salvador in a single week, as well as milk bottles to the Philippines and Panama, soda bottles to India, and beer and liquor bottles to Mexico. The following year, the plant exported soda bottles to Mexico, Columbia, Peru and
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Chile (Los Angeles Times 1928c; 1928d; 1929; American Glass Review 1929d). The liquor and beer bottle exports are of particular note given the popular impression that production of such bottles ceased during Prohibition. For the domestic market, Southern had established branches (warehouses or agencies) in San Francisco, Portland, Salt Lake City, Houston, New Orleans, Spokane, Seattle, Phoenix and Honolulu (Pacific Bottler 1928b). At this time, Southern – like other California companies -- used nothing but “Belgian silver sand, imported by the shipload” – 10,000 tons per year – reputedly because of it was “high in mineral content and guarantees a tougher, more uniform glass” (Van Nostrand 1928; Los Angeles Times 1927a). Although Southern was busily touting the durability and appearance of its glass, the most important advantage of Belgian sand was its relative freedom from iron contamination, which meant that it could be used for colorless as well as colored glass. Furthermore, it was economical because it could be imported duty-free as ballast at about a dollar per ton (Hard 1929). These factors made it both cheaper and better than sand from most domestic sources. In late 1928, however, a $4/ ton duty was imposed on foreign sand, effectively quintupling the cost. As a result of protests from Pacific Coast glass producers, the duty was lifted early the following year, but this was met with litigation from the sand industry. The temporary rise in costs, and uncertainty about the future situation, inspired local glass companies to investigate closer sources, and, in mid-1929, Southern changed to less expensive Nevada glass sand (American Glass Review 1928c; Ceramic Age 1929c; 1929d:70; 1930; Glass Industry 1929a; Hard 1929; Wall Street Journal 1929). Meanwhile, Southern’s success fueled plans for further expansion. By the spring of 1929, the company had acquired property in Oakland and was planning a second plant in that location (Ceramic Age 1929b; American Glass Review 1930:16). These plans were
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clearly intended to bring Southern into direct competition with the coast’s two biggest producers, Illinois-Pacific Glass and Pacific Coast Glass, both located in San Francisco. The Falling Star The year 1930 opened with ill omens in abundance. In January, Pacific Coast Glass purchased the West Coast Glass Company, a Los Angeles plant that specialized in milk bottles – Southern’s strongest local competitor in that arena. Pacific Coast’s plans included new machinery and expanded facilities intended to make the plant more productive (Los Angeles Times 1930a; Pacific Dairy Review 1930). Two months later, Southern’s factory was hit by a freak tornado that tore the roofs off two buildings, slightly injuring several workers and causing $10,000 in damage (Glass Industry 1930:97-98). Still more damaging was the collapse of the Hollywood Dry Company, a prominent ginger ale producer and evidently one of Southern’s larger customers. The company had begun in San Francisco in the mid-1920s, shipping its ginger ale to selected markets throughout the country and exporting as well to Latin America and the Orient. An advertising campaign throughout the western states touted a European lineage for the formula and featured endorsements from prominent Hollywood actors. In 1926, the company was acquired by a Fresno corporation capitalized at $1,000,000 (Fresno Bee 1926). The Fresno consortium established additional plants in Fresno and Los Angeles and expanded the advertising campaign for “the drink of the stars”: “Try our favorite beverage, Hollywood Dry,” say such famous screen celebrities as Norma Shearer, Claire Windor, Carmel Myers, John Gilbert, Lew Cody and Charles Ray, of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. And once you have tasted Hollywood Dry, we believe you will hardly be satisfied with any other ginger ale. The delicious tingle of purest Jamaica ginger will intrigue you . . . And being dry as old champagne, ‘triple sec,’ as the French
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put it, Hollywood Dry makes the perfect blend with other beverages” (Galveston News 1926). The company’s reticence about specifying the “other beverages” is understandable since the nation, like the ginger ale, was officially dry. Still, one suspects that the subtle appeal was hardly at odds with the public perception of the discerning palates of those arbiters of the good life, the “great screen personalities” whose pictures appeared on the label (Reno Gazette 1927).[9] With the dawn of 1930, things seemed to be going well for Hollywood Dry, when the company elected Faye Bennison of Southern Glass to its board of directors in April. Within a month, however, the company was hit with an involuntary petition in bankruptcy from three of its creditors. As the company’s stocks plummeted, allegations of illegal stock manipulations triggered two criminal investigations, and attempts to salvage the bankrupt corporation foundered on bitter conflicts between directors and stockholders (Los Angeles Times 1930b; 1930c; Fresno Bee 1930a). It is unclear where Bennison stood in these internecine battles – whether he was gulled into unwitting support for a failing corporation or placed on the board by wary stockholders who wanted keener eyes at the helm. In the end, it did not matter. Southern was left with a mostly unsalvageable claim for $83,000 against a bankrupt company and its bankrupt former president (Fresno Bee 1930b; 1931). This was the situation at Southern when it was hit with a killing blow. This came in the form of a letter from the Hartford-Empire Company threatening litigation over Southern’s use of machinery that Hartford alleged violated its patent rights (Los Angeles Times 1930d). While the specific machines were not identified in available sources, it is clear from other evidence that Hartford’s attempt to control gob feeders in the container glass industry was really at issue. These were the devices that made Southern’s Lynch machines fully automatic. Ironically, the pioneering investment largely responsible for
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Southern’s success now became the ultimate cause of its demise. To understand what was at issue, a brief digression is necessary. The commercial introduction of the Owens automatic bottle machine in 1905 had a profound effect on the industry. Although it demonstrated the possibility of completely automatic production, significant difficulties prevented it from being used by many factories. First, it was adapted to very large runs of identical bottles, which meant that it was ill-suited to the needs of smaller bottlers with distinctive designs. Second, the Owens company’s intent to provide exclusive licenses for particular types of ware meant that only a limited number of (large) glass companies could gain access to the machines (Miller and Sullivan 1984; Lockhart et al. 2009). The success of these licensees (and of Owens itself), however, inspired a demand for more flexible machines that could meet the needs of smaller factories and smaller bottlers. The machines that met this demand were initially semiautomatics – machines that formed the bottle automatically, but which required manual feeding of the initial gob and manual removal of the finished bottle. Their success, however, led to experimentation with automatic feeding devices. Since the Owens machine obtained the hot glass for each bottle by suction, interest naturally focused on alternative means, and this led to the “patent wars” of the 1920s, of which Southern ultimately became a victim. Inventors had been patenting feeding machines since the turn of the century, but early efforts focused on flow devices that attempted to cut off a natural stream of glass into segments of appropriate size for the molds. Difficulties with this approach eventually led to the realization that it was necessary to collect the molten glass into a more coherent gob prior to feeding it to the mold. The nearly simultaneous efforts directed to this end by many inventors in Britain and the United States produced “a perfect deluge” of patents for gob feeders beginning in 1914 (Dowse and
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Meigh 1921). Commercial priority for the introduction of gob feeders lay with the Hartford-Fairmont Company (subsequently, Hartford-Empire), established in 1912 to invent and license glass machinery. It introduced its first feeder model in 1915, a second one in 1917, and it began licensing the use of these machines. Hartford’s aspiration to control production and use of glass feeders was frustrated, however, by the flood of competing patent applications. By 1919, four other companies were marketing feeders developed independently (at least allegedly) of Hartford’s, and individual glass companies were also developing feeders for their own use (Bishop 1950). In this circumstance, Hartford determined on a tripartite approach to market control: purchase of competing rights, cross-licensing, and litigation. It began systematically purchasing the patent rights of inventors and other companies, and in 1922 acquired the Empire Machine Company for this purpose, reorganizing itself as the HartfordEmpire Company. More importantly, in 1924, it entered an agreement with the Owens Bottle Company. Owens built gob feeders for its own use, though it did not license them to others, and the previous year had begun a suit to defend its own patents against a Hartford licensee. Under the agreement, Owens and Hartford cross-licensed each other in such a manner that they could use each other’s gob feeders, but only Hartford could license them to outsiders. In return, Owens was to receive half of Hartford’s royalty income over $600,000, and the two companies were to share equally in the costs of patent acquisition and litigation and share equally as well in any damages awarded. Additionally, Owens was given the right to veto any Hartford license that it considered would be to its competitive disadvantage (Bishop 1950; Petro 1944). Having thus allied itself with the nation’s largest glass producer, Hartford began a series of suits (well-publicized in the glass industry) against glass companies using feeders that it argued
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infringed on its patents. In 1929 alone, Hartford was involved in litigation against the Lamb Glass Co., the KearnsGorsuch Bottle Co., the NivisonWeiskopf Co., the Obear-Nester Co., and even Hazel-Atlas, after Owens perhaps the nation’s second largest glass producer (American Glass Review 1929; Glass Industry 1929b; Parker 1931). It is hardly surprising that Hartford’s 1930 letter to Southern was taken seriously. A less obvious aspect of the situation, however, involves the history of Owens in the years following its 1924 agreement with Hartford. In 1929, Owens merged with the Illinois Glass Company to form Owens-Illinois, and Illinois-Pacific Glass was a subsidiary of Illinois Glass. In the fall of 1930, Illinois-Pacific and Pacific Coast Glass merged to become the Illinois-Pacific Coast Co. The new company, equipped with Hartford licenses, was by far the largest producer of glass containers in the west. And Southern was its most significant, and up to that time most aggressive, competitor. Meanwhile, Owens-Illinois, Hartford’s partner in litigation, controlled Illinois Pacific Coast and held veto authority over any licensing agreement that Southern might contemplate with Hartford.[10] In this circumstance, with its working capital decimated by the collapse of Hollywood Dry, credit generally constricted by the onset of the Great Depression, and faced with litigation from the country’s most powerful glass interests, in November 1930, Southern agreed to close. On November 15, Illinois-Pacific Coast took over the plant “for the purpose of assisting in its liquidation,” acquiring its machines, bottle stock and other assets. Southern received $110,000 and was released from damages by Hartford. The factory was dismantled the following month, and much of the machinery was transferred to Illinois-Pacific Coast factories as reserve equipment. Southern’s branch offices were to remain open until all stocks on hand were disposed of (Los Angeles Times 1930d; Oakland Tribune 1930; Pacific Bottler 1930; Wall Street Journal 1930).
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In spite of this, Southern continued to advertise milk bottles through October 1931 (Natural Milk 1931) – the ads undoubtedly intended to sell off the stock on hand at the time the factory closed. Soda bottles have been found with Southern marks and date codes of 1931, however, and these suggest that Southern’s molds were subsequently used by Illinois-Pacific Coast, perhaps to fill orders outstanding when the plant was dismantled. Containers and Marks Although a full list of bottle types offered by Southern is currently unknown, the firm clearly manufactured a wide range of products. In 1921, its offerings were listed as “Packers, Mineral Water, Narrow Neck & Wide Mouth Bottles & Jars, 8 oz. to 1 Gal.” Three years later Southern’s products were summarized as “Bottles – beer, soda and ginger ale; packers’ jars.” The 1927 Glass Factory Yearbook listed “Fruit jars, beers, sodas, minerals, soft drink ware, milk bottles, packers and preservers. Flint, amber and green” – an entry that remained unchanged for the next several years (Thomas Publishing 1920; California Development Association 1924:401; American Glass Review 1927). Thus, with the apparent exception of pharmaceutical bottles, Southern seems to have offered most of the container varieties then on the market. It is clear from the press accounts noted above, and from the company’s ads, that it stressed production of soda bottles and milk bottles. Fruit jars made by Southern Glass fall into a somewhat controversial category and are dealt with separately at the end of this section. A trait worth noting in “Southern Star Beverage Bottles” was that, at least for a short period, they were firepolished. Ads (e.g. Pacific Bottler 1928a) proclaimed that “‘Southern Star’ is the perfect bottle – made to your specifications, and with a FIRE POLISH which makes the top simply ‘slick.’” The technique consisted of reheating the rim of the bottle’s finish to make a more perfect surface for sealing. In examining Southern soda bottles used in
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El Paso, the tops are indeed polished. In one example, the mold seams are only apparent with careful inspection. S in a Circle (1919-ca. 1920) [Circle-S] Miller (2008:259) noted the CircleS as an early mark used by the Southern Glass Co. on mouth-blown soda bottles, and we believe it was the first one used by the company (Figure 1). We have seen only two examples, both soda bottles used in Arizona. One was illustrated
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S in an elongated diamond (ca. 1920-1925) [Diamond-S] The S-in-an-elongated-diamond mark was apparently the second mark used by Southern Glass Co., originally on mouth-blown bottles (Figure 2). Because the mark is found on both mouth-blown and machine-made soda
Figure 2: S-in-an-elongated-diamond mark [Mike Miller] Figure 1: Circle-S mark [Mike Miller]
in Miller (2008:120), a bottle he dated at 1919.[11] The other was a single soda bottle that we observed in the Tucson Urban Renewal collection. The “S” in the symbol is very similar to the “S” in the Diamond-S logo. Based on Arizona examples, the mark was probably used between 1919 and 1920. Both bottles with this mark were mouth blown. Typical sources (e.g., Toulouse 1971:452) attribute the Circle-S mark to the Swindell Brothers of Baltimore, Maryland, beginning ca. 1920. Although Swindell made soda bottles, they were a side line; the primary products manufactured by the company were various forms of prescription and druggists’ ware. Southern Glass Co. specialized in soda bottles. The similarity of the “S” in both the circle and diamond logos suggests the presence of the same mold engraver – an unlikely occurrence between a company in California and one in Maryland. Although the argument is complicated by the attribution of the Diamond-S logo also to the Swindells, there is no question that a Diamond-S mark was used by Southern Glass (see next section).
bottles used by the Purity Bottling Works, Tucson, Arizona, it spanned the period between pre-machine and machine use by Southern. Miller (1999:37, 42) illustrated the mark on two bottles that he dated 1916 and 1919. In his second edition, Miller (2008:128, 143) added other bottles with dates between 1918 and 1923.[12] Toulouse (1971:450) illustrated the mark on a Sierra Club bottle and dated it ca. 1930-1950. The mark also occurs on bases of machine-made milk bottles produced for Southern California dairies.[13] Some of these bottles feature a date code consisting of numerals for the month and year embossed equidistantly on the top of the rim of the finish. Rim codes observed with this mark range from 2 // 5 to 12 // 5 (February to December, 1925). It may be noted that one example features only a single numeral (“4”) and this is oriented – unlike the full codes – with the base parallel to the rim. It seems likely that this lone number is a code for 1924, used prior to the development of the full month-and-year code in the latter part of that year. (A second example of this unitary code features the TRAXTUF mark discussed below.) In addition, milk bottles with Southern’s S.G.Co. mark also contained
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the diagnostic elements (mold line encircling the finish, side seams fading at neck, valve mark on base) created by machine manufacture. We have not found mouth-blown milk bottles with any Southern mark. This suggests that Southern did not begin milk bottle production until the company had acquired machines. S [on Coca-Cola and milk bottle bases] (ca. 1924-ca. 1926) Porter (1996:5) noted that the letter “S” was used on early, machine-made, hobble-skirt Coca-Cola bottles (with “PAT’D NOV. 16, 1915” embossed on the side) (Figure 3). In a personal communication (1/18/2008), Porter noted that the “S” mark was embossed
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therefore attaches the “S” on the base to the firm. The “S” basemark is also found on milk bottles and seems to consistently accompany the TRAXTUF logo(see TRAXTUF section below). /S/G/Co/ (ca. 1923-1926) SGCo in a segmented parallelogram (represented by /S/G/Co/) is found on the bases of Tucson bottles from Purity Soda Works, Purity Bottling Works and Orange Crush (Figure 4). Miller has observed this mark on bottles from other
Figure 4: S in a segmented parallelogram [Mike Miller]
Figure 3: S on a Coca-Cola bottle base [Carol Serr]
at the center of Coke bottle bases with heelcodes of 64-8, 64-10, 64-11, or 6415, all with no city/state designations (the 64-15 heelmark was found at a dump on Maui, Hawaiian Islands). Similar bottles with “S” marks are also embossed on the bases with city codes from Bishop (64-12), Los Angeles (64-10), and Tracy (64-10), all in California. The heelcodes usually appear on the front or “Patent” side of the bottles. The “64” was almost certainly the Southern code for hobble-skirt Coke bottles. Miller (2008:91) and Lockhart and Miller (2008:41, 43) illustrated Coke bottles embossed with “64-10” and “64-8” heelcodes and the Star-S mark (see below) on the base. Another lacked the Star-S mark but had a heelcode of “64-18.” This evidence almost certainly ties the heelcode to Southern Glass and
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Western states as well. The continuity between the Diamond S and /S/G/Co/ is established because both marks are found on the same style of bottles from Purity Bottling Works, Tucson (Miller 2008:120). All examples we have found were machine made. Jones (1966:28) illustrated a soda bottle marked with /S/G/Co/ at the base along with 69-2 on the heel. Also on the heel was embossed BOTTLED BY HENRY BROWN along with an embossed H-B in a crest at the shoulder. The bottle was of the specialty or proprietary style. /S/G/Co/ was also embossed on early hobble-skirt CocaCola bottles (Bill Porter, personal communication). Miller (2008:120, 128) illustrated examples of the mark that he dated between 1924 and 1926. S.G.CO. [on heel] (by 1924-1925) The SGCO initials are occasionally found on the bases of machine-made, rectangular medicine bottles, strapsided flasks, older, grooved-ring, waxsealer fruit jars, and occasional other
Figure 5: SGCo Heelmark [California State Parks]
containers (Figure 5). These base marks are attributable to other glass companies, but the initials are also found on the heels of Southern California milk bottles. In this instance, the mark clearly indicates production by Southern. Giarde (1980:109) attributed this mark on milk bottles to Southern Glass, but he dated the mark to the full tenure of the company.[14] The continuity between the Diamond S and S.G.CO. heelmarks on milk bottles is established by the presence of both the Diamond-S and S.G.CO. logos on virtually identical bottles from the P.M. Dairy Co. of San Diego. Bottles with both marks bear the identical date code (2 // 5) on the rim of the finish. This code indicates that both containers were made in February 1925. An earlier bottle with the S.G.CO. heelmark indicates that the mark was used by at least October 1924. All examples we have observed featured a capital “O” in “CO” and included full punctuation. Since the S.G.CO. heelmark is present on the earliest dated milk bottles from Southern, and since the mark is present on milk bottles lacking any date code, it is possible that it was in use from the time the company began marketing such containers in 1921. It is impossible to be certain of this, however, since datecoding was evidently optional, and the company’s later marks also occur on undated bottles. TRAXTUF (ca. 1924-ca. 1926) Bases on some Southern Glass milk bottles were embossed “TRAXTUF” (extra tough). The mark is always accompanied by an “S” either immediately above or below it (Figure 6). Most examples we have seen were embossed with the S.G.CO. heelmark, although “TRAXTUF” sometimes
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Figure 6: Extra Tough “TRAXTUF” (note “S” below) [California State Parks]
occurs with no heelmark (or one too faint to detect). California seems to have led the pack in the development of stronger glass formulae. Although we have currently found no historical evidence, the Extra Tough process from Southern was apparently developed during the late 1920s. In early 1926, Illinois-Pacific developed an electric annealing process that the company called Electroneal. According to ads and articles, the process created a much stronger, spall-resistant bottle (Cole 1926:40). Owens-Illinois did not develop its competitive Duraglas process until 1940 (Toulouse 1971:403). S in Star [no obvious date code] (19261928) [Star-S] Jones (1965:[16]; 1966:18) first noted this mark as being from the Southern Glass Co. and dated it 19191929 (Figure 7). This is also the only mark identified by Toulouse (1971:457) as belonging to Southern Glass Co. He attributed the mark to his dates for the entire tenure of the company – 19171931. Giarde (1980:109) also placed the mark into the same date range. Our
Figure 7: The Southern Star Mark [Bill Lockhart]
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research disagrees with the previous studies and greatly abbreviates the time period for the mark to 1926-1931 (with two-digit date codes added during 1928). The mark is found on bottles from 12 bottling works in Arizona, all with operational time frames consistent with these dates as well as a similar time frame for a national sample. By this time, Southern’s production capacity (through machine manufacture) had increased sufficiently to allow a much wider range of marketing than in the company’s earlier years. In a May 1928 ad (Pacific Bottler 1928b), Southern called its bottle a “Southern Star” (although the star they showed was much more ornate than the one actually appearing on Southern bottles. It is pretty certain, however, that the ad referred to the S-in-a-Star logo. Although returnable soda and milk bottles were the main items produced by Southern, the plant made other bottle types. We have seen what appears to be a horseradish or sauce bottle with the Star S mark on its base. The mark is accompanied by a “7” that is sideways to the mark. This may be a date code for 1927 (see below). We also have observed catsup bottles with the Star S mark but no accompanying numbers. The lack of beer bottles from Southern is explained by the time period. Southern was in business from 1919 to 1930 – a period mostly within the boundaries of Prohibition (and many Western states entered Prohibition by 1918, two years before the national law began). While Southern was certainly making beer bottles for export, it is not surprising that few would make their way to the domestic market. An apparent date code was embossed on six-panel bottles used by the Southwestern Coca-Cola Bottling Co. The bottle had a Star S mark on the base and 6-1 embossed on the heel. A similar 6-1 heelmark was also found on a six-panel bottle, probably from the same bottling firm, with no Star S or any manufacturer’s mark. The same style of heelmarked date/mold code was used by the Illinois Pacific Glass Corp. around the same time. This may well have been
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an attempt to adapt the year-month codes used on milk bottles to soft drink bottles (see discussion of milk bottles above). In this case, the “6” would have equaled 1926, with the “1” indicating the month of January. If this was indeed the case, Southern quickly abandoned the system. S in Star [in conjunction with a two-digit date code] (1928-1930) There is no consistent pattern for the location of the two-digit date code in relation to the Star-S mark mark, although the star is frequently located on the base (Figure 8). The date code can be located to the left, right, above, below or at a separate location (heel or base) from the star. During this time period, a single-
Figure 8: Star-S with a tewo-digit date code
digit mold code often accompanied the Star-S mark in conjunction with the twodigit date code. These generally appear in two patterns: date code - Star-S mark - mold code or mold code - Star-S mark - date code. Sometimes, a second Star-S mark plus the date code was embossed on the heel. An El Paso example was marked with a Star-S mark on the base and a second Star logo plus 29 on the heel. We can verify date codes from 1928 to 1930. This mark is found on bottles from 14 different Arizona soft drink bottlers and numerous companies throughout the west and at least as far east as Texas. S in Star [with numbers before and after and a date code embossed on the crown finish] (1931) This configuration is uncommon and reflects bottles actually made after the
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Illinois-Pacific Coast Co. took charge of Southern’s liquidation on November 15, 1930. The embossing of a date code on the crown was a configuration used by Illinois-Pacific on its own bottles. It is highly likely that these bottles were actually made at the Illinois-Pacific plant, possibly to fill existing orders from Southern Glass or just to use the molds until they wore out. Miller (2008:139) illustrated an example that consisted of three identical bottles used by the Standard Bottling Co., Winslow, Arizona. Each bottle was the same shape and configuration, only differing in the manufacturer’s marks and numerical codes: 201 {Star-S} 30-1 (heel); 201 {StarS} 11 (heel); 31 (crown) 201 {IPC in a triangle} 31-1 (heel); 31 (crown) This progression probably indicates that Southern originally made the bottle in 1930. Illinois-Pacific then made the same bottle in early 1931, using Southern molds and possibly filling an existing order. Finally, Illinois-Pacific used its own mold and logo later during the year.
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products. This is especially true of the variation with a Star-S mark. The initial use of the star logo by Southern Glass began in 1926. If the wax-sealer jar with the Star-S mark actually exists, it
Figure 9: Wax-sealer fruit jar with “S” on the base [Creswick (1987a: 187)]
Fruit Jars Grooved-Ring Wax-Sealers According to Creswick (1987a:187), a grooved-ring wax-sealer fruit jar was embossed “S (within star, on base).[15] She noted that the finish had a “ground lip” – a term that almost certainly indicates a mouth-blown jar. Creswick tentatively identified the maker as the Southern Glass Co., even though her book mostly dealt with much earlier jars. Identical jars were embossed with a simple “S” on the front or on the base (Figure 9). Another similar jar was embossed “SG” (arch) / Co (inverted arch)” in a large circle on the base (Creswick 1987a:191) (Figure 10), although this jar has been attributed to the Southern Glass Co., Louisville, Kentucky (Whitten 2005:71). At this point, we can find no evidence to link these mouth-blown wax-sealer fruit jars to Southern Glass. These jars were completely antiquated long before Southern Glass opened, so there was no reason for the plant to produce outmoded
57
Figure 10: Wax-sealer fruit jar with “SGCo” on base [Creswick (1987a: 191)]
indicates that the mark was used by a currently-unknown glass house prior to the opening of the Southern Glass Co. Southern [upwardly slanted script] DOUBLE SEAL MASON Toulouse (1969:289) noted the following embossing on the side of a fruit jar: ‘Southern’ in slanting script, above ‘DOUBLE SEAL’ and ‘MASON’ (Figure 11). He stated that the jar was probably made by “the Southern Glass Co., Los Angeles, Cal., 1918-30.”
Figure 11: Southern double seal Mason [Creswick 1987b: 124)]
Roller (1983:333) agreed that the jars were “probably made” by Southern. Creswick (1987b:124) noted that the jar had a “smooth lip” – almost certainly an indication that the container was machine made – and also attributed it to Southern. Caniff (1998:947-948) questioned whether these jars were made by Southern Glass. He particularly noted that the name “Southern” was used by more than one glass house. At that time, he requested Western collectors to reply to him if they had found any of the jars. He received no replies. We add that the name was also used by a large number of other companies and could have referred to that vast area known as the American South, rather than a specific glass manufacturer or jobber. Other Jars Creswick (1987b:126) also showed two other jars that she attributed to Southern. One was embossed SUNBURST across the shoulder and had an MCCo monogram on the base (Figure 12). The Sunburst jar was machine-made and was embossed on the heel with a StarS mark. However, Creswick illustrated the logo as an “S” in a broken star (i.e., five tiny triangles surrounded the “S” to make the appearance of a star). Caniff (personal communication 12/29/2008) noted that these jars are “quite scarce;”
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Figure 12: Sunburst Jar [Creswick (1987b: 126)]
therefore, they were probably made in a single order for whomever used the MCCo monogram. The “S” in the broken star, of course, could also be a logo for Sunburst. The other jar had a continuousthread finish but was unmarked except for the Star logo on the base (Figure 13). Creswick noted that this jar had a “smooth lip” (i.e., machine-made).
Figure 13: Southern star on continuousthread jar [Creswick (1987b: 126)]
The Star logo, coupled with machine manufacture, pretty solidly identifies this jar as made by Southern Glass. Assuming that the jar with the “broken star” logo was made by Southern Glass, both of these jars were probably made during the machine production stage. Toulouse (1971:474) stated that the SGCo “initials were found on an Everlasting” fruit jar. Since the jar was the invention (in 1904, improved 1905) of the president of the IllinoisPacific Glass Co., of San Francisco,
Calif., it is doubtful that these are the initials of a glass company. However, in his earlier book, Toulouse (1969:113114), only noted the jars as being made by the Illinois-Pacific Glass Co. and made no mention of the SGCo mark. Neither Roller (1984:118-119; 165) nor Creswick (1987b:52) mentioned the SGCo mark on either the Everlasting Jar or the updated Improved Everlasting Jar. Both researchers noted that the jars were made by Illinois-Pacific. This was almost certainly a misunderstanding on the part of Toulouse, and it seems unlikely that such a mark ever existed on an Everlasting Jar. Discussion and Conclusions The Star logo is clearly defined and identified. Although poorly embossed marks could be confused with other “star” logos, in general, the identification is easy, and date codes are well defined. Some of the earlier marks, however, are not so clearly established. Since both Southern Glass and other companies used some of the same marks, there is great potential for confusion. The Chicago Glass Mfg. Co. (1883-ca. 1891) used a similar Diamond-S mark. The Swindell Brothers (Baltimore, 18791959) are credited with using the CircleS mark from ca. 1920 to 1959. The S.G.Co. mark was used by at least the Southern Glass Co., Louisville, Kentucky (1877-ca. 1879), the Seattle Glass Co., Renton, Washington (1905-1907), the Severn Glass Co., Annapolis, Maryland (1898-1902), and the Sydenham Glass Company, Wallaceburg, Ontario, although the latter company added the letter “W” – presumably for Wallaceburg. In addition, it is likely that two other, currently unidentified companies used the logo on packers’ ware (or medicinal bottles) and on flasks. Three tests will help alleviate the probability of misidentification. The first is context, both archaeological and in the bottle design. Southern Glass used the Circle-S mark only during ca. 1919-1920 and used the Diamond-S mark from ca. 1920 to ca. 1924 on both mouth-blown and machine-made bottles. Chicago Glass used the Diamond-S logo
Bottles and Extras
earlier, in late-19 century contexts that rule out Southern. Similarly, the Swindells continued to use the Circle-S mark until the 1950s, so contexts after ca. 1925 can only indicate Swindell usage. It is further likely that bottles found in eastern contexts were made by Swindell, while western bottles were manufactured by Southern Glass. Flasks marked “S.G.Co” were mostly made too early for Southern, but some of the packer/ medicinal bottles were made during the time Southern was in business. Second, the shape of the “S” may help in the determination. Miller concluded that a specific configuration of the letter was used in Circle-S, Diamond-S, and /S/ G/Co/ (parallelogram) logos on Arizona soda bottles. This “S” may or may not appear on all Southern bottles. A specific mold maker, for example, may have only created moulds for soda bottles. It is possible that other “S” configurations may be found on Southern bottles, but it is unlikely that the specific shape would be found on those from Swindell or Chicago Glass. Unfortunately, we do not have a good set of examples to test. Future research in this area should concentrate on locating a good sample of both Diamond-S logos and comparing the “S” in the center. Another avenue of research that is not presently available is a study of the shapes of the diamonds. Our limited sample suggests that Southern diamonds were horizontally elongated, and those used by Chicago Glass were either compact (i.e., a square revolved 45 degrees) or slightly elongated (Figure 14). Clint (e.g. 1976:169-170) illustrated Diamond-S marks, almost certainly used by Chicago Glass, that were not elongated. These were found only on mouth-blown, screw-top flasks. Finally, bottle type will help in identification. Bottles made for druggists were most likely manufactured by the Chicago Glass Mfg. Co., as were screwth
Figure 14: Three variations of the Diamond-S mark
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cap and other flasks (e.g., see Clint 1976:115, 169-170, 176, 190). Since Southern Glass specialized in soda bottles and milk bottles, those should most likely be attributed to the California company. We have not seen identifiable Southern marks on other bottle types (beside those listed above), although the possibility exists. These might be more difficult to classify. The S.G.CO./S.G.Co. mark presents a greater dilemma. A very faint SGCo mark on the base of beer bottles is associated with the Seattle Glass Co. Some strap-sided flasks are basemarked with SGCo superimposed on an anchor (also variations without the anchor). A few machine-made packers’ bottles and other medicinal bottles had SGCo basemarks, some with a single-digit number. Mold-blown beer bottles made for Baltimore breweries had SGCO heelmarks, and these were made by the Severn Glass Co. The only context for S.G.CO. marks we can substantiate for Southern Glass, however, is heelmarks on machine-made milk bottles. Jars present an additional problem. There is no reason to believe that grooved-ring wax-sealer fruit jars were made by the Southern Glass Co. at Vernon, although they were made by the Southern Glass Co. at Louisville, Kentucky. The “Southern Double Seal Mason” jars are also problematical. If Southern made the jars, they are an anomaly. They appear to be machinemade but lack the Star-S mark or any other known Southern mark. The script “Southern” was not used on any other product that we have found. Thus, the attribution of this jar to Southern Glass should be considered doubtful until some contextual references are discovered. Examples of the jar found in excavations in Southern California, for example, would support the Southern Glass identification, while the discovery of examples in Georgia would suggest an entirely different meaning for the term “Southern.” The Sunburst jar, with its “broken” Star-S mark, is also quite suspect. The mark may simply be a logo for “Sunburst.” The MCCo monogram
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likely reflects the company that made the Sunburst brand. There seems little likelihood that the jars were made by Southern. The Southern Glass Co., its updated history, and its marks provide a much richer field of study than was shown by previous researchers. The inclusion of marks used by the Chicago Glass Mfg. Co. also increases the richness of this study. Hopefully, future research with larger samples of bottles with the earlier Southern marks and from other companies and contexts will disclose still more methods to distinguish between the S.G.Co. marks that are sill unassigned. Sources American Glass Review 1927 “Glass Factory Yearbook and Directory.” American Glass Review, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 1928a “Contracts for Large Recuperative Tank Furnaces Awarded Amsler-Morton.” American Glass Review 47(17):14. 1928b “Los Angeles Container Plant Made Good Progress in Six Months.” American Glass Review 47(44):14. 1928c Glass Factory Operations.” American Glass Review 47(49):13-14. 1929 “Decision in Hartford-Empire Feeder Suit Against Nivison-Weiskopf Co.” American Glass Review 49(2):13. 1930 “Review of Glass Industry Activities in 1929.” American Glass Review 49(14):15-16, 27-30. 1932 Glass Factory Yearbook and Directory. American Glass Review, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Bishop, Robert L. 1950 The Glass Container Industry. In The Structure of American Industry, edited by Walter Adams, pp. 381-421. Macmillan, New York. California Development Association 1924 Directory of California Manufacturers. California Development Association, Sacramento. Caniff, Tom 1998 “SOUTHERN DOUBLE SEAL MASON jar.” Fruit Jar News. December: 947-8.
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Clint, David K 1976 Colorado Historical Bottles & Etc., 1859-1915. Antique Bottle Collectors of Colorado, Inc., Boulder. Ceramic Age 1929a “Activities in the Industry.” Ceramic Age 13(3):102-105. 1929b “Activities in the Industry.” Ceramic Age 13(4):147-149. 1929c “Expansion in the Glass Industry in Southern California.” Ceramic Age 13(6):238-239. 1929d “Activities in the Industry.” Ceramic Age 14(2):68-71. 1930 “Pacific Coast Glass Sands.” Ceramic Age 15(6):356. Clarke, William P. 1920 “Our Interest in California.” American Flint 11(6):1-5. Creswick, Alice 1987a The Fruit Jar Works, Vol. I, Listing Jars Made Circa 1820 to 1920’s. Privately printed, Grand Rapids, Michigan. 1987b The Fruit Jar Works, Volume II, Listing Jars Made Circa 1900 to Modern. Privately printed, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Dowse, G. and Edward Meigh 1921 “Automatic Glass Feeding Devices.” Journal of the Society of Glass Technology 1:134-155. Fresno Bee 1926 “Ale Company to Spend $30,000,000 on Plant in Fresno.” Fresno Bee, March 6, 1926:7. 1930a “Receiver Balks Hollywood Dry Stock Transfer.” Fresno Bee, May 15, 1930: A1, A9. 1930b “Dermer Debts Set at $216,000.” Fresno Bee, June 20, 1930: B1. 1931 “Claim of Glass Company Against Dermer Is Heard.” Fresno Bee, November 18, 1931:C1. Galveston News 1926 “Hollywood Dry: advertisement.” Galveston News, August 26, 1926:7. Giarde, Jeffery L. 1980 Glass Milk Bottles: Their Makers and Marks. Time Travelers Press, Bryn Mawr, California. Glass Industry 1924 “Stinnes Factory Buys American Equipment.” Glass Industry 5(2):35.
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1929a “Duty on Belgian Sand Removed.” Glass Industry 10(2):47.1929b “Findings of Special Master in Glass Feeder Patent Cases.” Glass Industry 10(7):175. 1930 “Trade Activities.” Glass Industry 11(4):97-98. Glass Worker 1923 “Lynch New Model F Automatic Machine.” Glass Worker 43(3):15. Gray, G. H. 1923 :California’s Glass Industry.” Glass Worker 43(3):14. Hard, William 1929 “National Men and Affairs.” Salt Lake Tribune, June 9, 1929:C1. Jones, May 1965 The Bottle Trail, Volume 5. Nara Vista, New Mexico. 1966 The Bottle Trail, Volume 6. Nara Vista, New Mexico. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry 1913 “The Present Status of the Glass Bottle and Hollow Ware Industries in the United States.” Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry 5(11):951954. Lockhart, Bill and Michael R. Miller 2008 The Bottles, Marks, and History of the Southwestern Coca-Cola Bottling Co., New Mexico and Arizona, 19171947. Privately Published, Alamogordo, New Mexico. Lockhart, Bill, Pete Schulz, Russell Hoenig, Phil Perry, Carol Serr, and Bill Lindsey 2009 “The Dating Game: The Owens Bottle Co.” Bottles and Extras 21(1): in press. Los Angeles Times 1920 “Southern Glass Company.” Los Angeles Times, January 1, 1920:IV24. 1923 H. Daum & Staff: advertisement. Los Angeles Times, October 30, 1923: II6. 1924 “Half a Million for New Plant.” Los Angeles Times April 6, 1924:E14. 1925 “Western Securities: Southern Glass Company.” Los Angeles Times, January 28, 1925:16. 1927a “Glass Industry Contributes to Harbor
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Gains.” Los Angeles Times, August 14, 1927:E7. 1927b “Shipment of Bottles Announced.” Los Angeles Times, September 18, 1927:E7. 1927c “Glass Concern Plans Addition.” Los Angeles Times December 18, 1927:E7. 1928 “Southern Glass Net Increases.” Los Angeles Times February 26, 1928:B8. 1928d “Milk Bottles Find Favor in Latin America.” Los Angeles Times, December 23, 1928:E3. 1929 “Glassware Made Here Sent South.” Los Angeles Times, April 7, 1929:E4. 1930a “Los Angeles Glass Deal Announced.” Los Angeles Times, January 9, 1930:A1. 1930b “New Chief Named by Hollywood Dry.” Los Angeles Times, April 23, 1930:18. 1930c “Bankrupt Suit Filed Against Hollywood Dry.” Los Angeles Times, May 13, 1930:13. 1930d “Glass Concern Sale Proposed.” Los Angeles Times November 9, 1930:14. 1931 “Southern Glass Stock Removed.” Los Angeles Times March 20, 1931:14. McGroarty, John S. 1933 “California of the South: A History.” Vol. 4. S.J. Clarke, Chicago. Meigh, Edward 1960 “The Development of the Automatic Glass Blowing Machine: A Story of Some Pioneers.” Glass Technology 1(1):25-50. Miller, George L. and Catherine Sullivan 1984 “Machine-Made Glass Containers and the End of Production for MouthBlown Bottles.” Historical Archaeology 18(2):83-96. Miller, Michael R. 1999 A Collector’s Guide to Arizona Bottles & Stoneware: A History of Merchant Containers in Arizona. Privately Printed, Peoria, Arizona. 2008 A Collector’s Guide to Arizona Bottles & Stoneware: A History of Merchant Containers in Arizona. 2nd ed. Privately Printed, Peoria, Arizona. [Note: this is a major revision on his 1999 book with numerous additions.] Natural Milk 1931 “Southern Glass Company: advertisement.” Natural Milk 2(3):22.
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Oakland Tribune 1930 “Illinois Pacific to Buy L.A. Glass Co.” Oakland Tribune, November 7, 1930:49. Pacific Bottler 1928a “Southern Glass Company: advertisement.” Pacific Bottler 46(1):37. 1928b “He Drug ‘er Down or “I Aint Guilty, Yer Honor.” Pacific Bottler 46(1):48. 1928c “Southern Glass Company: advertisement.” Pacific Bottler 46(2):37. 1929a “Southern Glass Company: advertisement.” Pacific Bottler 47(1):17. 1929b “Government Ban on Ginger Ale Sales Protested.” Pacific Bottler 47(5):43. 1930 “Southern Glass Company Liquidated, Plant Dismantled.” Pacific Bottler 48(11):24. Pacific Dairy Review 1921 Advertisement: Southern Glass Co. Pacific Dairy Review 25(46):13. 1930 “Pacific Coast Glass Company Expands.” Pacific Dairy Review 34(1):62. Padgett, Fred 1996 Dreams of Glass: The Story of William McLaughlin and His Glass Company. Privately published, Livermore, California. Parker, Leo T. 1931 “Hartford-Empire vs Obear-Nester.” Ceramic Industry 16(4):358-359. Petro, Sylvester 1944 “Patents: Judicial Developments and Legislative Proposals. I. The Hartford-Empire Case and Compulsory Licensing.” University of Chicago Law Review 12(1):80-103. Porter, Bill 1996 Coke Bottle Checklist. Privately printed, n. p. Reno Gazette 1927 “Hollywood Dry: advertisement.” Reno Gazette, June 24, 1927:12. Roller, Dick 1983 Standard Fruit Jar Reference. Privately published. 1997 “Southern Glass Co./Illinois-Pacific Glass Co.” Dick Roller files.
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Schulz, Peter D., Bill Lockhart, Carol Serr, and Bill Lindsey 2009 “Rim Codes: A Pacific Coast Dating System for Milk Bottles.” Historical Archaeology 43(2):31-40 [In press].
[2]
Swain, Roy E. 1935 “Glass Making in Southern California.” Glass Industry 16(11):333337.
[3]
Thomas Publishing 1920 Thomas’ Register of American Manufacturers. 12th ed. Thomas Publishing Co., New York. Toulouse, Julian Harrison 1969 Fruit Jars. Thomas Nelson & Sons, Camden, New Jersey. 1971 Bottle Makers and Their Marks. Thomas Nelson, New York. Van Nostrand 1928 “Southern Glass Co. Holds Glass Package Show.” Pacific Bottler 46(6):19. Wall Street Journal 1929 “Southern Glass Business Gains.” Wall Street Journal, July 15, 1929:7. 1930 “Glass Merger on Coast.” Wall Street Journal, November 11, 1930:4. Wanderer, The Weary 1926 “The Glass Industry in Los Angeles.” American Glass Review 45(46):15-16. Western Securities 1925 “Southern Glass Company.” Western Securities January 28, 1925:16. Whitten, David 2005 “Louisville Glass Factories of the 19th Century – Part 2.” Bottles and Extras 16(3):70-72. Footnotes: [1] Although the company was incorporated in 1918, it did not produce glass until the following year. The factory actually closed in 1930. Even though there are bottles with the Southern Logo and date codes for 1931, they were certainly made at the IllinoisPacific factory.
Although the capital stock was authorized at $10,000, only $150 was actually subscribed at the time of incorporation, $50 from each of the three directors (Articles of Incorporation, California State Archives). Swain (1935:335) stated – presumably on the basis of conversations with McLaughlin – that “In 1920, two years after starting the Southern Glass Co., McLaughlin withdrew and started the McLaughlin Glass Co.” McLaughlin himself noted that his new factory “started up the first week of January 1920” (Padgett 1996:36), suggesting that he had withdrawn at least a couple of months earlier. Conclusive evidence for a 1919 withdrawal is found in a “Certificate of Proceeding Authorizing an Increase of Capital Stock” (California State Archives), signed on December 30, 1919, by Southern’s three directors – consisting of Latchford, his wife, and Marble. The absence of McLaughlin indicates that he had already withdrawn. Certificate of Proceeding Authorizing an Increase of Capital Stock (California State Archives).
[4]
The Glass Bottle Blowers Association. In the 19th century, the GBBA represented blowers in the green glass factories, while the American Flint Glass Workers Association (AFGWA) represented those in flint (i.e., colorless) glass factories. The development of machine production in the bottle plants in the early 20th century led to conflict between the two unions over who would represent machine workers. The Flints, however, consistently represented mold makers.
[5]
Certificate of Increase of the Capital Stock of the Southern Glass Company, May 15, 1923, California State Archives. [6]
Since Lynch did not patent – and evidently never manufactured – feeders, it seems evident that the machines were intended to be used with feeders then being offered by other companies. The only specific reference we have found to such associated equipment is to Tucker-
[7]
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Reeves-Beatty feeders (Glass Industry 1924). While Southern may have been the first California company to adopt fire polishing, it had been heavily advertised since 1923 by the Graham Glass Co. of Indiana.
[8]
The common use of ginger ale as a mixer for highballs did not escape the attention of the Dry forces, and there were organized efforts to have it banned by hotels and restaurants (Pacific Bottler 1928b; 1929b).
[9]
As it turned out – and contrary to widespread impressions in the industry – Hartford’s litigation over its early patents was generally unsuccessful. Its reputation for effective litigation involved defense of its 1926 and 1928 patents, and, if Southern had installed its feeders in 1924, they presumably would have antedated any enforceable claims by Hartford. Additionally, the veto clause of the Hartford-Owens agreement was voided by mutual consent in 1931. The Supreme Court in 1945 struck down Hartford’s selective licensing of feeders (Bishop 1950). All of this, of course, came too late for Southern. [10]
Miller also sent photos of three color variants of the same bottle, each with the Circle-S mark. [11]
We know now that the 1916 and 1918 dates are too early; Southern did not begin production until 1919. [12]
We have seen only five examples, embossed with labels for dairies in Corona, Los Angeles, Porterville, San Diego, and Sierra Madre. [13]
Giarde used the company date range (1917-1931) provided by Toulouse (1971:457-458). As noted above, the only solid evidence for milk bottle production is from 1921 to 1930. While the company could have used the S.G.CO. heelmark from 1921 onward, our only certain dates are from 1924 and 1925. [14]
Unfortunately, Creswick failed to illustrate this jar. [15]
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Classified Ads FOR SALE For Sale: The Bottles, Marks, and History of the Southwestern CocaCola Bottling Co., New Mexico and Arizona 1917 – 1947. Bill Lockhart and Mike Miller have researched the history and bottles of this fascinating company. Mike has prepared detailed drawings that show the details of the bottles. We have included sections on the history of the company, the bottles it used, the manufacturer’s marks used by the glass houses that made the bottles and a dating guide for Coca-Cola hobble-skirt bottles. The book costs $25 plus shipping and is available through amazon. com. For more information, contact: Bill Lockhart, 1313 14th St, Apt 21, Alamagordo. NM 88310, email: bottlebill@tularosa.net. For Sale: West Tennessee soda bottles – embossed and ACL. Contact: Rick Hooper, email: ezymnyl@hotmail. com. For Sale: Suffolk Bitters / Philbrook & Tucker, Boston – super light golden amber, lots of yellow. Rare ground lip variant. Very clean, no haze or cracks. Some base wear. Some small (minor) chips typical to a ground lip. A super rare example – about perfect pig $600. Contact: Don Kelly, ph: (518) 365-3783, email: DMEBottles@aol. com For Sale: 25 year collection of everything Royal Crown Cola. Bottles, cans, clocks, signs and much, much more. Some very Rare items. Over $25,000 invested. Make offer. Contact: Mike Bryant, 4214 Tacoma St, San Diego, CA 92117, ph: (858) 581-2787, email: sdmike@san.rr.com For Sale: Rare western seltzer bottles from various western towns in California, Nevada, etc. $50 and
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Wanted: Ten pin soda J. Lake/ Schenectady, N.Y. cobalt, iron pontil – can have small flaws – no haze, cracks or big chips. Contact: Don Kelly, ph: (518) 365-3783, email: DMEBottles@ aol.com. Wanted: Oregon flasks. I will pay top price for any Oregon flask that I do not have. Adolphus Merchanges Exchange, J. Cutter (Newman), Stubling, Umatilla House, Eastern Oregon Liquor House, A.P. Hotaling (picnic). Contact: Garth Ziegenhagen, ph: (541) 548-4776, email: zigs@bendcable.com
up. All in very good condition and some are one of a kind! Also CocaCola seltzers from different states and areas. Contact: Ed Kuskie, 352 Pineview Dr., Elizabeth, PA 15037, ph: (412) 405-9061, email: bottlewizard@ comcast.net.
WANTED Wanted: Bottles from Modesto, CA – bottles embossed Frazier Owl Drug. Contact: Mervin Frazier, 1216 Trombetta Ave, Modesto, CA 95350, ph: (209) 522-1209. Wanted: Green strapside flask with anchor on face, any size. SSP Green. Also need information on crown top flask in the shape of a WWI-WWII canteen embossed with “My Buddy” made by Canteen services. Contact: David Berry, 11747 Whisperwood Way, Fishers, IN 46037, ph: (317) 7703758, email: PADRBerry@ameritech. net. Wanted: Pre-1930 embossed sodas, cures, and medicine bottles, western and Memphis area. Contact: Rick Hooper, ges_@hotmail.com. Wanted: Udolpho Wolfes Aromatic Schnapps bottles. All offers answered. Also looking for unembossed colored blob sodas. Contact: Tom Doligale, ph:
(502) 727-6118, email: pooch3fan@ gmail.com. Wanted: Pre-prohibition brewery items from Missouri breweries. Also, any items from Capitol Brewery of Jefferson City, Missouri. Top prices paid for Anheuser, Lemp, Griesedieck, ABC, Columbia, National, Moerschel, Cherokee, Weiss,etc. Contact: Sam Marcum, ph: (573) 690-4992, email: brewshop2000@yahoo.com. Wanted: Fruit jars – collector of better fruit jars with original closures. Need Willoughby stopple – 2” and 2 5/8”. Need pints including: Bloeser Jar, JJ Squire, Scranton Jar, Western Pride, Colored Masons, etc. Also Frank, Tea, and Spice items with correct closures. Contact: Phil Smith, 2281 Clarkston Ln, Union, KY 41091, email: Phil. smith@insightbb.com. Wanted: Oregon bottles and gowiths for breweries, liquor merchants, soda bottlers. Special interest in items from Medford, Ashland, and Jacksonville, Oregon. Contact: Dave Scafani, ph: (541) 773-6503, email: scafanind@ charter.net. Wanted: Western Whiskey San Francisco fifths, pumpkinseed flasks, and shot glasses. Contact: Rich Lucchesi, Santa Rosa, CA, ph: (707) 539-1289, email: richlu1949@att.net.
Wanted: San Diego bottles and cans. All types – beer, whiskey, soda, etc. If it has San Diego embossed or on a label, I am interested! Will pay top dollar. Contact: Mike Bryant, 4214 Tacoma St, San Diego, CA 92117, ph: (858) 581-2787, email: sdmike@san. rr.com Wanted: Stoneware bottles debossed: J. Dinet, A.J. Miller, Koch, W. Kirk, J. Kirkpatrick, G. Ebey & Co., J. Evans, Kelleher & Co., A. Lohr, P. Conrad, C. Durand, Ely& Bro. Contact: Scott Garrow, email: whitebarnantiques@ comcast.net. Wanted: Hutchinson sodas from Joliet, Illinois. – Schiek & Enders, Schiek & Schiek, George Schiek, Paige, and others that I may not have. Contact (evenings): Cy Smith, ph: (815) 7446678. Wanted: Western whiskeys and other old bottles, shot glasses, and mini jugs from Southern California. Also Palmer’s perfumes and other scents and colognes in the Palmer green color as well as nice quart Saratoga mineral waters with good color and crudity. Contact: Ed Kuskie, 352 Pineview Dr., Elizabeth, PA 15037, ph: (412) 405-9061, email: bottlewizard@ comcast.net. Wanted: Florida waters. Also Florida water shaped perfumes, colognes, and toilet waters – embossed or labeled.
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Please no common Murray & Lanman. Call or email for my 20 page list of all Florida waters known to me. Contact: Jim Mayfield, 1329 N. Clifford St., Ridgecrest, CA 93555, ph: (760) 3773245, email: jimandmem@qnet.com. Want to Trade these for Oregon mini jugs that I need: Compliments of McCormick Drosky & Co., Eagle Bend, Minn; Compliments of W. E. Hillman Arapahoe, Neb.; Compliments of O.B. Townsden Randall Kan.; Compliments of The Keystone Grocery Colorado Spings (this one looks like a repaired handle – very good job). Contact: James O. Dennis, 1625 E 9th, The Dalles, OR 97058, ph: (541) 298-1979.
Wanted: Hemingray Glass Co. products of all kinds – bottles, fruit jars, flasks, oil lamps, oil cans, tableware, paperwork, and, of course, insulators. Contact: Bob Stahr, 515 Main St #403, West Chicago, IL 60185, ph: (630) 231-4171, email: Bob@Hemingray. com.
Encourage New Members
Bottles and Extras
Notice to Members
Take advantage of your membership benefits Use your free for sale and wanted ads Send to June Lowry
401 Johnston Ct., Raymore, MO 64083 816-318-0160 OSUBuckeyes71@aol.com
Wanted: Baltimore, Maryland colored or pontiled sodas and beers, squats, tenpins, torpedos, and stoneware. Also wanting Baltimore blob beer bottles, Please call or email for offers or appraisals. Contact: Chris Vaught, ph: (410) 490-8071, email: redbeardrelics@aol.com. Wanted: Bitters bottles – rare to scarce squares, cabins, barrels & figurals. Bitters from the state of Michigan. Also looking for Michigan mineral and well water bottles. Mississippi marked crock jugs. Mississippi whiskey bottles. Contact: Bruce Schad, 1108 W. Jefferson Ave, Greenwood, MS 38930, ph: (662) 455-9343, email: brschad@aol.com.
They are the future of our hobby!!!
Notice for any persons interested in a show in Louisville, Kentucky
This letter is to inform everyone that I’m in the process of putting together a new show for the Louisville area. This process is starting with a gathering of names of dealers wanting to set up at this new show. So far, we have a list of about 70 dealers from 7 states on the list. A date has not been set as of yet. We are waiting to get at least one hundred names on this list and then we, the dealers, will select a date that doesn’t coincide with any popular shows that time of year. Then after a date is set, I will get a hall and all the necessary things to get this show on the road. Any dealers who would like to participate in this new Louisville show can visit a new website for getting added to the list. Check out www.midwestbottleshow.com. This list so far has some very premier dealer/collector names confirmed already. I’m looking at having a Saturday show with dealers and displays and possibly an auction. Thanks to all who are on the list already and soon Louisville will be back in action. Sincerely, Tom Doligale Crestwood,KY. 502-727-6118
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Bottles and Extras
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 Jesse Sailer, 136 Jefferson St., East Greenville, PA 18041 or E-mail: jsailerbotmags@verizon.net. Show schedules are subject to change. Please call before traveling long distances.
November 1 Elkton, Maryland Tri-State Bottle Collectors and Diggers Club’s 37th Annual Show & Sale (9 am - 2 pm) at the Singerly Fire Hall, Routes 279-213, Elkton, Md. Info: Dave Brown, ph: (302) 738-9960. November 6 – 8 Springfield, Ohio 39th Mid-Ohio (aka “Springfield”) Insulator Show at Clark County Fairgrounds, Springfield, Ohio. Info: Steve or Lois Blair, ph: (740) 852-3148 or Glenn Drummond, ph: (334) 257-3100, email: glenn@patent-1871.com November 8 Albany, New York The Capital Region Antique Bottle & Insulator Club’s 13th Annual Capital District Antique Bottle & Table-top Collectibles Show & Sale (9 am - 2:30 pm), at the Polish Community Center, 225 Washington Ave. Ext., Albany, NY. Info: Fran Hughes, ph: (518) 377-7134 or email: fhughes3@nycap.rr.com November 8 Oakland, New Jersey North Jersey Antique Bottle Collectors Association’s 40th Annual Show & Sale (9 am - 2 pm), at the Oakland Elks Club, 33 Ramapo Valley Rd, Oakland, NJ. Info: Joe, ph: (973) 907-7351 or Jim, ph: (516) 454-8993 November 8 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania The Pittsburgh Antique Bottle Club’s Annual Show & Sale (9 am - 2 pm, early buyers 7 am), at the Ice Garden, Rostraver Twp, Exit 46B off I-70 to Rt. 51 North. Info: Bob DeCroo, 694 Fayette City Rd, Fayette City, PA 15438, ph: (724) 326-8741 or Jay Hawkins, 1280 Mt. Pleasant Rd, West Newton,
PA 15089, ph: (724) 872-6013. November 13 - 14 Tulare, California Tulare Collectible Show and Sale - Friday & Saturday November 13th & 14th 2009 - Friday 9 am - 6 pm - Sat 9 am - 2 pm - Tulare Veteran’s Memorial Building - 1771 East Tulare Ave, Tulare, Ca 93274 - Tables $40, (2) $70, (3) $95 and (4) $115 - Contacts: Dave Brown 559 936-7790 1skychair@msn.com - Bob Merzoian 559 781-6319 bobmerzoian@mac.com November 13 - 14 Chehalis, Washington The Washington Bottle & Collectors Association’s Autumn Antique Bottle Insulator & Collectibles Show & Sale (early buyers Friday $5 1pm - 7pm, general admission Saturday 9 am - 3 pm), at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds, I-5 Exit 70, Chehalis, WA. Info: Warren ph: (206) 329-8412, email: wlbottleguy@yahoo.com or Pete: ph: (253) 335-1732 November 14 Belleville, Illinois Eastside Antique Bottle, Jar, & Breweriana Show & Sale (9 am - 3 pm, early admission 7 am) at the Belleclair Fairgrounds, Belleville, Ill. Info: Curt Faulkenberry, ph: (636) 797-5220, email stlbottlebabe@yahoo.com, Bill Cress, ph: (618) 466-3513, or Kevin Kious, ph: (618) 346-2634. November 21 Alto, Georgia DJIC Fall Swap Meet at Jaemore Farms, Alto, GA, Info: Mike Herron, ph: (706) 297-0191 or (706) 599-4705, email: hern@windstream.net. www. jamsjellies.com/index.asp for more information on Jaemore Farms
November 22 Greensboro, North Carolina The Southeast Bottle Club’s 8th Annual Antique Bottle, Pottery & Collectibles Show & Sale (9 am - 3 pm, admission $1, setup 7 am - 9 am, No early admission) at the Farmer’s Curb Market, 501 Yanceyville St, Greensboro, N.C. Info: Reggie Lynch, 4734 Pimlico Ln, Waxhaw, NC 28173, ph: (704) 221-6489, email: rlynch@antiquebottles.com, website: www.antiquebottles.com/greensboro. November 29 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Forks of the Delaware Bottle Collectors Association’s 36th Annual Show & Sale (9 am - 3 pm, early buyers 7:30 am), at the Bethlehem Catholic High School, Madison & Dewberry Avenues, Bethlehem, Pa. Info: Bill Hegedus, 20 Combridge Place, Catasauqua, PA 18032, ph: (610) 264-5945. December 5 Auburn, California The 49er Historical Bottle Association’s 32nd Annual Show & Sale (9 am - 3 pm, early buyer Friday, 4th 12noon - 7pm), at the Gold County Fairgrounds, Auburn, CA. Info: Steve Abbott, ph:(916) 6318019, email: foabbot@comcast.net. January 8-9, 2010 Palmetto, Florida Suncoast Antique Bottle Collectors Association’s 41st annual Show & Sale, Manatee Civic & Convention Center, corner of U.S. Highway 41 and Haben Blvd., Palmetto, Fla. Dealer setup on Friday from1 to 8 pm, with early buyers allowed in from 4 to 7:45 pm for $15. Show opens to the public on Saturday from 9 am, to 5 pm, admission $4. Info: George Dueben, show chairman, (727) 804-5957 or res08w341@verizon. net, or Linda Buttstead, secretary,
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(More) Sho-Biz January 10, 2010 Muncie, Indiana Midwest Antique Fruit Jar & Bottle Club’s Annual Show & Sale (9 am - 2 pm), at the Horizon Convention Center, 401 S High St, Muncie, IN. Info: Dave Rittenhouse, 1008 S 900 W, Farmland, IN 47340, ph: (765) 468-8091, email: rittjman@aol.com.
February 6, 2010 Rome, Georgia Rome Antique Bottle & Collectibles Club’s Annual Show & Sale (8:30 am - 3:30 pm), at the Rome Civic Center, Turner McCall Blvd, Rome, GA. Info: Jerry Mitchell, PO Box 475, Beemen, GA 30110, ph: (770) 537- 3725, email: mitjt@aol.com or Bob Jenkins, 285 Oak Grove Rd, Carrallton, GA 30117, ph: (770) 834-0736.
Bottle & Collectible Show & Sale will be held at the American Legion Hall, 3rd & Main St. in the historic antique shop town of Aurora, Oregon. Set-up & Early Birds begin Friday, February 19th, Dealer drop-off at 12 Noon Set-up & Early birds 1 pm - 6 pm Regular Public Abmission on Saturday, February 20th, 9 am - 3 pm. Info: Jim Dennis, PH: (541) 467-2760 or e-mail: jmdennis@ hotmail.com
January 10, 2010 South Attleboro, Massachusetts The Little Rhody Bottle Club Annual Show & Sale (10 am - 2 pm, early buyers 9 am), at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 304 Highland Ave, South Attleboro, MA. Info: Bill or Linda Rose, ph: (508) 880-4929.
February 6, 2010 Yuma, Arizona Grand Canyon State Insulator Club’s 11th Annual Insulator Show/Tailgater (9 am - late afternoon) at the Riverside Park next to the Yuma Territorial Prison. Info: Roger Na- gel, ph: (623) 5660121, email: mr.162@cox.net.
January 16, 2010 Jackson, Mississippi Mississippi Antique Bottle Show & Sale (9 am - 4 pm), at the Mississippi Fairgrounds, Jackson, MS. Info: John Sharp, PO Box 601, Carthage, MS 39051, ph: (601) 507-0105, email: johnsharp49@aol.com.
February 7, 2010 South River, New Jersey New Jersey Antique Bottle Club (NJABC) 15th annual show and sale, from 9 am till 2 pm at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 88 Jackson St., South River, NJ 08882 For Info. NJABC, 24 Charles Street, South River, NJ 088821603 or call Joe Butewicz (732)-2369945 botlman@msn.com
February 20, 2010 Columbus, Ohio The Columbus Ohio Antique Bottle Show & Sale (9 am - 2 pm, early buyers 7 am), at the Ohio State Fairgrounds, 17th Avenue & I-71, Columbus, Ohio. Info: Joe Hardin, 594 Laymon Rd, New Vienna, OH 45159, ph: (937) 371-0264, email: jkcollectables@gmail.com. March 7, 2010 Baltimore, Maryland The Baltimore Antique Bottle Club’s 30th Annual Show & Sale (8 am - 3 pm), at the Physical Education Center, CCBCEssex, 7201 Rossville Blvd, (I-695, Exit 34). Info: Eric Ewen, ph: (410) 2655745, email: teresaanderi c@comcast. net, www.Baltimorebottleclub.org
February 12 -13 Las Vegas, Nevada LV Antique Bottles and Collectibles Club 45th Annual 2010 Antique & Collectibles Show and Sale. February 12th, 11am - 5pm, February 13th, 9 am - 4 pm. Located at the Palace Station Casino, 2411 West Sahara Ave., Las Vegas, NV. Early Bird Friday: $15, good for both days. Saturday: General Admission: $5. INFO: Stan Pullen (702) 452-7218. For Hotel Reservations call (800) 634-3101 and Identify yourself as a Bottle show attendee.
March 19-20 Deland, Florida The Deland M-T Bottle Collectors Club 40th Anniversary Antique Bottle & Insulator Show, Dealer set up Friday 24PM. Fee for early buyers Friday 3-7 pm and 7:30 - 9 am on Saturday is $20. Regular show admission and parking for all buyers on Saturday 9 am - 3 pm is free. There are 150 sale tables available for this show. Info: Brian Hoblick (386) 804-9635 hoblick@aol.com or Louis O’Quinn (386) 943-2766 louisoquinn@hotmail.com
February 19 - 20 Aurora, Oregon The 2010 Winter O.B.C.A. Antique
March 26 - 27 Morro Bay, California The San Luis Obispo Bottle Society’s
ORIGINALSABCA@aol.com
January 16, 2010 Maitland, Florida The Central Florida Insulator Collectors and Antique Telephone Collectors Association’s Annual Show & Sale (8 am - 4 pm with setup at 7 am), at the Maitland Civic Center, 641 South Maitland Ave, Maitland, FL. Info: Paul Mikula, 650 E Champman Ct., Oviedo, FL 32765, ph: (407) 365-4686, email: wecoman@bellsouth.net. January 23 Anderson, California The Superior California Antique Bottle Club’s 34th Annual Show & Sale (9 am - 4 pm), at the Shasta County Fairgrounds, Anderson, CA. Info: Mel Hammer, ph: (530) 241-4578 or Phil McDonald, ph: (530) 243-6903.
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(More) Sho-Biz 42nd Annual Show & Sale, (Friday, 3pm - 7pm, Saturday, 9 am - 3 pm), at the Morro Bay Veterans Hall, 209 Surf St, Morro Bay, CA. Info: Richard Tartaglia, ph: (805) 543-7484. March 28 Brewerton, New York The Empire State Bottle Club’s 40th Annual Show & Sale (9 am - 3 pm) at the Brewerton Fire Hall, 9625 Rt. 11, Brewerton, NY. Info: John or Carol Spellman, PO Box 61, Savannah, NY 13146, ph: (315) 365-3156, email: spellmanjc@ tds.net. March 28, 2010 Bloomington, Minnesota North Star Historical Bottle Association and Minnesota’s First Antique Bottle Club’s 39th Annual Show & Sale (9:30 am - 2:30 pm), at the Holiday Inn and Suites, 3 Appletree Square (I-494 & 34th Avenue South), Bloomington, MN. Info: Steve Ketcham, ph:(952) 920-4205, email: steve@antiquebottledepot.com
April 16 - 17, 2010 Antioch, California Golden Gate Historical Bottle Society’s 44th Annual Antiques & Collectibles Show & Sale (9 am - 3 pm), at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds, Sunset Hall, Antioch, CA. Info: Gary or Darla Antone, ph: (925) 373-6758 April 17, 2010 Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania Western Reserve Insulator Club’s 10th Annual Allegheny Valley Insulator Show & Sale (9 am - 3 pm), at the VFW Post #894. Info: Ron Barth, ph: (724) 8458439, email: rktbarth@windstream.net.
June 4 - 5, 2010 Butte, Montana The Montana Bottle Collectors Association’s 9th Annual Antique Bottle, Insulator, Collectable and Advertising Show & Sale at the centrally located Butte Civic Center Annex, 1340 Harrison Ave, Butte, MT. Friday, June 4, dealers in at 3 pm with early birds 4 pm to 8 pm. Saturday, June 5, doors open from 9 am to 4 pm. Info: Bill Henness, PO Box 5301, Helena, MT 59601, ph: (406) 459-3038, email: bhenness@bresnan.net or Ray Thompson, ph: (406) 273-7780, cell: (406) 529-2255, email: KCthomp@aol. com.
May 2, 2010 Brick, New Jersey Jersey Shore Bottle Club’s 38th Annual Postcards & Local Memorabilia Show & Sale (8:30 am - 2 pm), Brick Elks Lodge, 2491 Hooper Ave, Brick, NJ 08723. Info: Richard Peal, 720 Eastern Ln, Brick, NJ 08723, ph: (732) 2672528, email: manodirt@msn.com or www.bottleclub.org
July 3 - 4, 2010 Urbana, Ohio First Annual Urbana Ohio Bottle Swap (Both days 8 am - 4 pm) in conjunction with the Urbana Antique Show & Flea Market. Info: Steve Goddard, 5890 Valley Pike, Urbana, OH 43078, ph: (937) 788-2058, email: stevegoddard@ woh.rr.com or John Bartley, ph: (937) 964-8080, email: jbartley@woh.rr.com.
Support this great hobby! Attend a show this weekend! Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation, as required by 39 U.S.C. 3685. Publication title: Bottles and Extras. Publication Number: 0052-62. Filing date: October 1, 2009. Published quarterly, 6 times per year. Annual Subscription Price: $30. Office of Publication: 401 Johnston Ct, Cass County, Raymore, MO 64083. Contact person: June Lowry, (816) 318-0160. Address of General Business Office of Publisher: June Lowry 401 Johnston Court, Raymore, MO 64083-9246. Publisher: June Lowry, 401 Johnston Ct, Raymore, MO 64083. Owner: Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors, 3706 Deerfield Cove, Shelby County, Memphis TN 38135. Stock holders holding 1% or more of total amount of stock: none. The known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding 1% or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages, or other securities: none. The purpose, function and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes has not changed during preceding 12 months. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: October, 2009. The average number of copies each issue during the preceding 12 months: a) Total number of copies - Net Press Run..... 1250; b) Paid and/or requested circulation- 1) Paid/Requested Outside-County Mail Subscriptions... 974; 2) Paid In-County Subscriptions... 2; 3) Sales through Dealers and Carriers, Street Venders and Counter sales, and other non-USPS Paid Distribution...0. Other Classes Mailed Through the USPS...119. c) Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation... 1095; d) Free distribution by mail, samples, complimentary and other free copies... 1) Outside County... 0; 2) In-County... 0; 3) Other Classes... 0; e) Free Distribution Outside the Mail... 155; f) Total Free Distribution... 155; g) Total distribution... 1250; h) Copies Not Distributed... 0; i) Total...1217. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 87.6%. Number Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: a) Total number of copies - Net Press Run... 1300; b) Paid and/or requested circulation- 1) Paid/Requested OutsideCounty Mail Subscriptions... 901; 2) Paid In-County Subscriptions... 2; 3) Sales through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, and Counter sales, and Other non-USPS Paid Distribution... 0; 4) Other Classes Mailed Through the USPS... 128, c) Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation... 1031; d) Free distribution by mail, samples, complimentary and other free copies... 1) Outside County...0; 2) In-County... 0; 3) Other Classes... 0; e) Free Distribution Outside the Mail... 269; f) Total Free Distribution... 269; g) Total Distribution... 1300; h) Copies Not Distributed... 0; i) Total... 1200. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation... 79.31%. I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete. June Lowry, Publisher, 10/01/09.
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FOHBC MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY ADDITIONS & CHANGES New Members Deetes Andersen 5825 Manzanita Ave, #4 Carmichael, CA 95608 916-334-7000 Tony & Sandy Bilich 3704 N Turnbull Dr Metairie, LA 70002 504-780-7882 outpost@goldenpelican.com Pontiled inks, colored pontiled medicines, pontiled perfumes Jim Buchanan 3235 Bass Rd Ft. Wayne, IN 46808 Tom Clifford 6671 Sherwood Trail North Royalton, OH 44133 440-477-2300 1880-1950 years Keith Curtis PO Box 91 Mariana, AZ 85653 520-744-6307 delmarc@comcast.net Arizona bottles, root beer, and western sodas Josh Dover 579 Alldredge Rd Blountsville, AL 35031 205-429-4171 joshuaMD1981@hotmail.com Poison bottles Gordon Frazier 9010 French Flat Rd Jamestown, CA 95327 209-984-4612 5flash2@sbcglobal.net Western glass David Grove 263 S Washington St Millersburg, OH 44654 330-674-2855 sportinglife@embarqmail.com Pontiled labeled medicines, early Ohio bottles, and flasks Thomas E Jackson Sr 841 Ottawa St Apt 1 Leavenworth, KS 66048 913-680-1578 Leavenworth, Kansas bottles, inks and cures
Mike Malanowski 228 W State St Albion, NY 14411 585-283-4323 Eric Martinez 3116 Redwood Forest Way Bakersfield, CA 93314 661-588-5242 ericm14836@yahoo.com Poisons Katie Schultz & Brian Maryo 3301 Colerain Ave #405 Cincinnati, OH 45225 513-680-0656 Brian.maryo@me.com Doug McCoy 2851 Milford View Marietta, GA 30008 770-435-9138 gnomy@prodigy.net Soda bottles, signs, bottle caps and bottle crates Jeane Meyer 16 Cove View Long Neck, DE 19966 302-945-7072 Historical Baltimore bottles and figurals Brian Miska 3030 E Midland Rd Bay City, MI 48706 989-891-3415 jem8726@netzero.com Michigan stoneward bottles and crocks Bob Morgan 5812 Sunset Chase Ln Charlotte, NC 28212 704-277-8109 bmorgan@charlotteobserver.com Local area and general Bruce Schank 463 Newark Pompton Tnpk. Pompton Plains, NJ 07444 973-214-5082 fruitjars@optonline.net Fruit jars Rick Simi PO Box 115 Downieville, CA 95936 530-289-3659 rcs@digitalpath.net Western fifths and bitters
William R Spain 18834 Stranger Rd Leavenworth, KS 66048 913-351-3202 Leavenworth Kansas bottles, flasks, pipes Sue Stranger 1948 Foothill LaCanada, CA 91011 818-957-3447 adobedesign852@gmail.com A Lee Unger 335 W Washington St Blandinsville, IL 61420 309-652-3165 Catherine Vieceli 3199 Eastbrooke Ct Newburgh, IN 47630 812-490-2905 Matthew Wacker 24440 Nobottom Rd Olmsted Falls, OH 44138 440-234-9336 Eddie Weber 9245 E Indio Pl Tucson, AZ 85749 520-780-3647 pepsieddie@comcast.net Pepsi and Arizona bottles Larry Williams 409 E Forrest Hill Ave Peoria, IL 61603 309-682-3329 Illinois beer and whiskey bottles Steve Wysocki 9154 Golden St Alta Loma, CA 91737 909-980-7858 melani@peoplepc.com Advertising Changes Ralph Howell 5669 Harmony Church Rd Edgemoor, SC 29712 803-324-4828 gtink@comporium.net Civil war bottles and Southern pottery Gary & Sharon Meyer 4203 Indian Creek Dr. Loomis, CA 95650
916-652-4028 liketodig@sbcglobal.net Hisorical flasks and pickles Russell Mills 52 Stayman Way Littlestown, PA 17340 717-359-8275 revrlmills@comcast.net California Perfume Co and Goetting products and memorabilia Dale & Barbara Santos 1514 Richmond St El Cerrito, CA 94530 916-878-0373 dabarlej@aol.com New Hampshire glsss (Stoddard and Keene) Jeff Scharnowske 1101 N Shiawassee Owossa, MI 48867 989-725-3880 scharno@live.com Michigan bottles Flint Antique Bottle and Collectors Club Attn: Tim Buda 11353 Cook Rd. Gaines, MI 48436 989-271-9193 Tbuda@shianet.org New Mexico Historical Bottle Society Attn: Greg Hoglin 209 N 5th St Belen, NM 87002 505-864-6634 lostcity5th@aol.com St. Louis Antique Bottle Collector’s Assn. Attn: George Casnar 4455 Helterbrand Rd Festus, MO 63028 636-337-2326 vcasnar@aol.com Suncoast Antique Bottle Collectors Inc. Attn: George Dueben PO Box 4141 Seminole, FL 33775 727-393-8189 res08w341@verizon.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 60 words for use for “wanted” items, trade offers, etc. • Eligibility for a discount at FOHBC sponsored shows (National or EXPOs) towards “early admission” or • 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...
dealer table rent
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: June Lowry FOHBC Business Manager 401 Johnston Ct. Raymore, MO 64083 816-318-0160 OSUBuckeyes71@aol.com
or visit our home page on the web at www.FOHBC.com
Legends of the Jar!
Peoria’s Clarke Brothers & The Whiskey Trust
Happy Holidays!