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Tuesday, 31 December 2013 (New Years Eve)

Can you believe it? Another year. Father times goes too fast. I sit here nursing a cup of coffee with a fire in the fireplace, three grandchildren asleep around here somewhere and six dogs moving into sleeping positions near my feet as they know it is time to eat their morning meal soon. In a few minutes they will each take turns, in order, reminding me of the task at hand. Elizabeth is out of town for a week with her family. I’m good if you know what I mean. This will be my 14th day with this flu strain I picked up. One day was horrible two weeks ago, the other 13 days, lots of head and chest congestion. Like pulling a boulder around all day. Need some bitters.

Having a great time sorting through the white milk glass bitters and related bottles. I’ve learned so much just in the past days. Collecting bottles is just too much fun. Having Gary Katzen, Joe Gourd and other authorities helping out is a real plus and adds to my excitement. Look at that row of bottles from Gary’s collection!

Read More: History of Kantorowicz Family and their Factory

Read More: Germania Herb, Root and Fruit Tonic Bitters and the Germania Magen Stomach Bitters

Read More: Litthauer Stomach Bitters by Josef Lowenthal

Read More: Warren Mortimer Watson and his German Balsam Bitters

Sunday, 29 December 2013

You know, you have other options than taking bitters…

Saturday, 28 December 2013

From Gary Katzen regarding the 14 December Daily Dose (see further below):

As with many bottles there were numerous molds and most likely more that one house that made these Lion Colognes. The milk glass variant has very weak or perhaps a poorly slugged out Greek Key design on both sides of the bottle which at first glance is barely discernible.

Gary

Read: Why White? or How the %$#@! did you choose that Category?

Friday, 27 December 2013

Clairvoyant Medicine Bottles

Ferdinand,

Saw your post today about Madam Ross and thought you might like to see the attached two bottles…I always liked these. Best Regards,

Brandon DeWolfe, P.E.

Wednesday, 25 December 2013

Thank you for the warm Christmas wishes. Waiting for the grandchildren. A month of decorating and wrapping will disappear in organized chaos here shortly.

Sunday, 22 December 2013

I like this full page, single column advertisement in the 1863 Santa Cruz Sentinel for Dr. Roback’s Stomach Bitters.

Read: Barrel Series – Roback’s Stomach Bitters (the smaller ones)

Read: Barrel Series – Roback’s Stomach Bitters (the big boys)

Saturday, 21 December 2013

Seasons greeting F,

A few shots of a small show here earlier today that may interest members. Small half day event free to the public in the Botanical Gardens. 3 item displays only before a chicken and champagne lunch. See Pics

Greg Dean

Hi, Ferdinand

Just a thought; After reading the comments in the bottle and glass magazines for the past several years and some buzz on Facebook about trying to get the younger generation involved in bottle and glass collecting. I have been attending several bottle and jar shows yearly for a long time; I can remember when the hair color of the collectors wasn’t all gray unlike it is today.

My son grew up around antique bottle collecting and my wife and I encouraged him to start collecting at the age of ten. Now he just graduated from IPFW University and now is the age of 24. He is still a bottle collector and attends bottle shows with me when he can. But he does notice that his age group at these shows is like an old bottle that is very rare.

Here are his thoughts, from a 24 year old antique bottle collector. Have Bottle and Glass shows held at Colleges. Promote the shows to the students and professors. These young target adults are the future medical and nursing students, archeologists and Anthropologists students. Let’s not forget the partiers who may find old beers, whiskey and flasks interesting. These kids are the future of this hobby.

Being in the Auto Restoration business for over 35 years, I can remember when a Ford Model A car was the hottest thing to get restored. Now it’s just a thing of the past. Just my thoughts for what it’s worth.

Frank & Frank Jr.
Bottlepickers.com

Friday, 20 December 2013

Finishing up the day here at the studio in downtown Houston. Mild, cloudy and moist. Colder air in tomorrow night. Happy days are days when the fireplace is burning logs.

Enjoyed my trip up to Denver Wednesday to see Sandor Fuss’s collection again. Wow, what an experience. Even met his son Jackson (pictured above). No, his son does not collect glass…….yet.

What about that Pasquier’s French Bitters. Triangular to boot. Pictured above in the center flanked with two other Kentucky bitters.

Read: F. Pasquier’s French Hygienic Bitters – Louisville

Wednesday, 18 December 2013

Wow, time is flying by. Christmas is a week from today. Find myself having coffee at my hotel in Denver. Headed over to see Sandor Fuss and his great collection. My fourth trip up here since we met. Can’t wait to see his new custom shelves for his bottles.

Bill Ham revising the listing for the Rivaud’s Imperial Bitters.

??Revised listing ???
R 69 RIVAUD’S / IMPERIAL BITTERS // VICTOR RIVAUD’S // sp // LOUISVILLE, KY.
10 1/2 X 3 (8 1/2)
Square- semi cabin, Amber, LTC, Applied mouth, 4sp, Extremely rare
Example found in a basement in Lafayette, Indiana, and one dug New Orleans.

Monday, 16 December 2013

In Augusta, Georgia. Feel like I have the Zombie Flu. Zu-Lu drummers pounding on my head all day. Hope I feel better tomorrow afternoon as I need to get to Denver. Somebody also was charging stuff on one of my credit cards in the UK. Had to straighten that out and cancel the card. Always something not to mention a full day of meetings.

Working on some fun posts for Walker’s Tonic Bitters, Germania Root & Herb Bitters and Rivaud’s Imperial Bitters. Stay tuned.

Sunday, 15 December 2013

Off to Columbia, SC here shortly for business. Last trip of the year. I’ll find myself in Denver Wednesday meeting up with Sandor Fuss again to see his collection and to catch up on a few of his exciting additions.

Did you catch the Katzen Milk Glass post? I like to see peoples collections. I have to admit, I’m scratching my head on this one as a glass piece on his shelf looks familiar yet odd. An antique milk glass bug sprayer? You decide.

Saturday, 14 December 2013

I just rescued this gem from the earth today in West Newton, Pa. Out of an ancient hole that went down 12 feet !! This is the coveted early American lion cologne bottle attributed to the Glassboro, New Jersey, Solomon H. Stanger glass works. It is open pontiled and would date from around 1830. The embossing is unusually well defined and ornate. Very cool with the gladiator type of lion on the bottle … Eddie Kuskie

Major Post development on the C.C.C. Read: The little C.C.C. – Certain Chancre Cure from Palestine, Texas

Friday, 13 December 2013

Yes, Friday the 13th. Watch your step. I’m watching this C.R. Thomasson Certain Chancre Cure on ebay from Palestine, Texas. One rare bird. I can not find a thing about this bottle using the usual sources.

Wednesday, 11 December 2013

You’all, I’m puzzled here for a number of reasons. First, I can not find the Bottle of St. Jacob’s Bitters on this trade card from the Joe Gourd collection. I see two or three images that might be the bottle but oddly enough, they are not as visible as the other ‘hidden’ images that I could find. Second, and this is driving me bananas, are there two different manufacturers of St. Jacobs Bitters? One being the St. Jacob’s Bitters from St. Louis and the second being the Saint Jacob’s Bitters from Cincinnati. Two different patent dates, “St.” vs. “Saint”, basically same time period. Also, who has the labeled example that Ring & Ham reference?

Tuesday, 10 December, 2013

Monday, 09 December 2013

Hi Ferd, It was interesting to read the article about artificially colored glass on your site and I thought some viewers would like to see a couple of demijohns colored naturally by the sun. The large example has turned from clear to a smokey or steel or almost a black color actually. The demijohn on the right is perfectly clear and is shown for comparison. The bottle on the left was crystal clear last spring but after spending 6 or 7 months on the roof of my house getting a suntan it has now been transformed into a lavender or pink color. Never have I seen a bottle turn color so quickly by the sun, must be a lot of manganese in this one. (Demi)Gene A. (Ainsworth)

Sunday, 08 December 2013

Michael George – Is there a glass factory that offer a wider range of color diversity than the Boston & Sandwich factories?

Information update on J T Wiggins Gentian Bitters and James T. Wiggins. Wiggins lived in the cottage pictured above in Wilson, North Carolina.

Also J T Wiggins Gentian Bitters and Dr. Goddin’s Comp Gentian Bitters embossing comparison update by Jeff Burkhardt.

Saturday, 07 December 2013

More on Is there really a Swindle’s Texarkana Bitters?

Ferdinand, Hello again, my name is Wayne Loschen and I sent you the picture of the Malakoff Bitters from New Orleans a while back. I have a little info on the Texarkana Bitters you wrote the article on yesterday. I have an actual receipt or bill of sale from the store in Redland you referenced. At the moment it is on display at the Spring Street Museum in Shreveport, where my son is director. He is going to take a photo of the receipt and will try to get it to you.

The receipt dates from around 1871 and it states at the top of the letterhead that Swindle, Crawford Co. is the sole proprietor of the celebrated Texarkana Bitters, Louisiana Cough Balm, and Talbots Horse Liniment. I believe this was probably a backroom concoction and was put up with a plain bottle and paper label. So your question is answered, there was a Texarkana Bitters. I live around 10 miles from Redland and have always dreamed of finding that bottle, but there are no signs of the old store anywhere to be found.

Your fellow collector,

Wayne

Dear Sir,

Here is the sales receipt from Swindle’s store dated, April 17^th 1875  from Redland Louisiana. I have it on display at the Spring Street Historical Museum in Shreveport. I’m sure you know that Redland is an old ghost town just east of Plain Dealing. I hope this answers your question.

Regards,

Marty Loschen, Spring Street Director, Museum Division

Golden Bitters advertisement added to historical post.

Friday, 06 December 2013

Elijah Baker of Baker’s Premium Bitters lived above the shop at this corner house in Richmond, Virginia. Post Updated.

Aromatic Catawba Bitters post updated with new advertisement.

FM asking Joe Gourd if he has any Brady’s Family Bitters trade cards in his collection:

While I don’t have a trade card in my collection for this bitters, I do have an image of a trade card that I obtained from the collection of John Kemler in my “wanted” database. It’s interesting that the information on the card would lead one to think that the bitters were manufactured in Cincinnati, Ohio by J. A. Sangston & Co. Is this another mystery?

FM: Brady’s Family Bitters was made by D. C. Brady in Louisville, Kentucky. The brand was being shipped to many places and even sold big time in Houston. Some records I looked at earlier note crates of bottles being on manifests of trains and boats leaving St. Louis (Charles P. Higgins was selling). Yes ,the Cincinnati trade card for J.A. Sangston is interesting. Could be the formula was used by these agents to make Brady’s Family Bitters on premise or it all came out of Louisville. A very surprising twist for this popular bitters. Need to connect the dots and years.

Thursday, 05 December 2013

Looks like it will drop 50 or 60 degrees today with this monster cold from. I am on the east coast so I will fly into it tomorrow. Thought is was interesting to find out that both Dr. D. B. Wiggins (Wiggins’ Tonic Bitters) and John and Francis Root (John Roots Bitters) were both located on Seneca Street in Buffalo, NY during the same time period.

Wednesday, 04 December 2013

Headed east later today. Ever heard of a Swindle’s Texarkana Bitters? Dewey, Cheatem & Howe were sole agents and represented the brand.

In developing the J T Wiggins Gentian Bitters post, Joe Gourd has provided a Dr. D. B. Wiggins trade card to assist in a post. Looks like he put out a tonic bitters. Looks to be unlisted. Working on digging up some info.

Tuesday, 03 December 2013

Well the Glass Works auction closed last night. Lots of us were watching various lots. Of course the blue Duffy Crescent Saloon pig was getting a lot of attention. As of 6:32 am CST the bottle is in call-backs at $16k.

125. “DUFFY” / (rooster) / “CRESCENT / SALOON / 204 / JEFFERSON – STREET / LOUISVILLE”, (Denzin, DUF-22), Kentucky, ca. 1870 – 1880, deep cobalt blue figural pig, 7 1/2” long, smooth base, rough sheared and unfinished lip. A very faint 3/16” in manufacturing stress fissure is located on the tip of the pig’s snout. Extremely rare, one of only two known examples in this deep vibrant blue color! An important bottle that appeals to collectors of not only whiskey bottles but also figural bottles, pig bottles, and cobalt blue bottles. A ‘WINDOW VIEW’ HAS BEEN ADDED TO THIS LOT.
Current Bid: $ 16,000 (8 Bids)

Monday, 02 December 2013

Back in the grind of things. Liking this odd little Almanac I snagged on ebay relating to Snyder’s Celebrated Bitter Cordial.

Look for a post later today relating to Part 2: Medicines from the Gary Katzen milk glass collection. Got some great pics in that Jesse Sailer took.

Added 6″ X 9″ handbill advertising Snyder’s Celebrated Bitter Cordial from the 1876 International Exhibition from the Joe Gourd Collection.

Sunday, 01 December 2013

Ferdinand, I Thought you might like to post this bottle on your site. The bottle is a green, open pontiled, teepee, from the same mold as the Harvey sodas from Rhode Island. I got the bottle from a fellow digger. As far as I can tell it is probably unique in this color. – Chris Raezer

I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time….? The Philadelphia Medical Journal, 1900

Just wanted to send a couple of pictures that Scott took of our hair bottles in our new display cabinet. When the sun comes up in the morning, the colors just light up the living room… – Pam Selenak