Robertson’s Tonic Bitters – Austin, Texas

Posted on 4 July 2013 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Robertson’s Tonic Bitters

Austin, Texas

The pontiled Robertson’s Tonic Bitters from Austin, Texas is another tough bitters with reportedly only two known examples in a private collection according to Texas bottle authority Brad Seigler. The rectangular aqua bottle is however listed in the Carlyn Ring and W.C. Ham Bitters Bottles as:

R 80 ROBERTSON’S TONIC BITTERS

ROBERTSON’S / TONIC BITTERS // f // f // f //
Dr. Joseph W. Robertson Austin, Texas
8 1/2 x 3 1/4 x 1 5/8 (6 1/2)
Rectangular, Aqua (and/or Amber), LTC, Metallic pontil mark, 1 sp, Extremely rare

Texas State Gazette: July 26, 1851: An invaluable remedy for all diseases arising from debilities. These bitters are prepared by the subscribers from a recipe kindly granted them by Dr. Joseph W. Robertson, of Austin, Texas. Dr. R’ has for many years used these bitters in his private practice; and their unparalleled success has so increased the demand for them that it is deemed necessary to extend their manufacture and distribute them all over the country. Certificates are necessary: Dr. R’s high standing is a sufficient guarantee.

These bitters are manufactured only by the subscribers, by whom they will be constantly kept for sale in quantities to suit purchasers. June 21, ’51. Gray & Duffau, Druggists, Austin.

“The old bitters list I was given had it listed as amber, and one of the examples I know of, was described to me as amber. Amber….aqua……I will take one of each please!”

Brad Siegler

Robertson’s Bitters advertisement – Texas State Gazette. (Austin, Tex.), Vol. 4, No. 13, Ed. 1, Saturday, November 13, 1852

As you can see above, there are a few advertising references that clearly state the brand, its merits and a Dr. Joseph R. Robertson who was quite well known in Austin. The house that he once lived in is the oldest extant frame structure in Austin. The building and its surroundings were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. More information is listed below.

Dr. Joseph William Robertson

Joseph William Robertson was born on 22 February 1809 in South Carolina and came to Texas in 1836 and settled in Bastrop County. His wife was Lydia Lee Robertson (1819-1902). They had one child, Lydia M. Robertson (1855 – 1939).

Joseph was a medical doctor, educated at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. He was a legislator from Bastrop County in the House of Representatives of the 4th Congress of the Republic of Texas. In Austin, he and his family purchased the 21 acres that had belonged to Alphonse Dubois de Saligny, French representative to the Republic of Texas. Here Dr. Robertson raised his family. Robertson was also Mayor of Austin in 1843-44. Dr. Robertson died on 08 August 1870.

The Robertson Family Home – French Legation Museum

The Robertson family home is now the French Legation Museum. The building and its surroundings were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.

The French Legation Museum began in 1841 as a private home built for the French chargé d’affaires, Alphonse Dubois to represent represent the French government in the new Republic of Texas. The property has had two other significant owners including Dr. Joseph Robertson, and the State of Texas who appointed the Daughters of the Republic of Texas the custodians of the property.

Father Odin held ownership of the property until 1847, when the house and surrounding land was sold to Moseley Baker. Baker in turn sold the property to South Carolina native Dr. Joseph W. Robertson in 1848, who hoped to run a girls’ school at the house. However, the plans for the academy did not succeed and the house became the Robertson family home. Dr. Robertson and his wife, Lydia Lee (or M) Robertson, their eleven children and nine enslaved workers lived at the site, which became known in Austin as Robertson Hill. The Robertson’s daughter, Lydia (Lillie) Robertson, lived in the home her entire life, nearly 84 years. Miss Robertson opened the house to the public, offering tours of what she called the “Old French Embassy.” Following the death of Miss Robertson, the house was sold to the state of Texas.

From History of Boggy Creek Farm – Mr. Smith met an untimely death at the hands of a “villainous overseer”: “We learn that a fatal difficulty took place between Mr. James Smith, near Austin, and a young Mr. Baker, in which the former received the contents of a pistol of which he died on Saturday night last.” (January 25, 1845). (Northern Standard, Clarksville). He was attended, in the 40 hours before death, by his doctor, Joseph Robertson, who bought the French Legation house and 21 acres formerly owned by the French Ambassador to the Republic of Texas, Alphonse Dubois de Saligny. Dr. Robertson also attended the birth of Elizabeth’s last child, Susan, who was born in August, 8 months after her father’s death (The charge for this delivery was $25.)

Francis T. Duffau, Druggist – Austin, Texas

Advertisement for Francis T. Duffau, Drugs and Medicines – Austin, Texas. The Robertson’s Tonic Bitters was sold here according to the advertisement further above. – The Texas State Times (Austin, Tex.) Saturday, January 26, 1856

Scan of bottle illustration courtesy of Bill Ham

Posted in Bitters, Druggist & Drugstore, History, Medicines & Cures, Tonics | Tagged Alphonse Dubois de Saligny, austin, Brad Seigler, Dr. Joseph R. Robertson, Francis T. Duffau, French Legation Museum, Joseph William Robertson, Robertson Hill, Robertson's Tonic Bitters, texas | Leave a comment

Texas Bitters List

Posted on 3 July 2013 by Ferdinand Meyer V

TEXAS BITTERS LIST

03 July 2013 (R•031416) (R•032719) (R•090219)

This list is a work in progress. The intent is to document, research and list the very few known Texas Bitters. Hopefully more information and examples will be forthcoming.

Stresau Bitters

Courtney, Texas

Front embossing F. Stresau and G. & F. Stresau – Courtney Texas – color run – Sparkman Collection

Reverse Embossing F. Stresau and G. & F. Stresau – Courtney Texas – color run – Sparkman Collection

Embossed F. STRESAU, COURTNEY, TEXAS, amber, 8-1/2″, Courtney, Texas

Embossed F. STRESAU, COURTNEY, TEXAS, aqua, 8-1/2″, Courtney, Texas

Embossed G & F. STRESAU, COURTNEY, TEXAS, amber, 8-1/2″, Courtney, Texas

Embossed G & F. STRESAU, COURTNEY, TEXAS, yellow amber, 8-1/2″, Courtney, Texas

These bottles are unlisted. Example supposedly found with a bitters label. Once this is confirmed, I will work with Bill Ham in assigningRing & Ham numbers to the bottles.

Heidelberg Bitters

Fort Worth, Texas

Front Label detail Heidelberg Phosphine Magenbitters, L. Eppstein & Son, Fort Worth, Texas

Heidelberg Bitters, Phosphine Magenbitter, L. Eppstein & Co., 9-1/2″ tall x 3″ square, paper label, amber, 9-1/2″, Fort Worth

Also Phosphine Magenbitter, L. Eppstein & Co., paper label, Same shape as Royal Pepsin Bitters, Fort Worth (no image or additional information)

H 76 L…Heidelberg Phosphine & Magen Bitters (Magenbitters)
L. Eppstein & Son Fort Worth, Texas
9 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 (6 3/4)
Rectangular, Amber, DCM

Label: For nerves, stomach and brain. Creates appetite, promotes digestion, stimulates the system. Mild and safe invigorant. Cures disorders of the stomach. Entirely free from all injurious ingredients.

Labeled bitters only

Heidenheimer Bitters

Galveston, Texas

Heidenheimer Bitters, paper label, Galveston, Texas. No bottle picture available at this time. Once a picture or further documentation is obtained, a Ring and Ham number will be assigned.

Youngblood’s Tonic Bitters

Galveston, Texas

Youngblood’s Tonic Bitters, embossed with paper label, Galveston, Texas (~~Bottle picture not available at this time~~)

Y 8 YOUNGBLOOD’S TONIC BITTERS

YOUNGBLOOD’S / TONIC / BITTERS // sp // f // sp //
9 3/4 x 3 3/8 x 2 1/8 (7 1/2) 3/8
Rectangular, Amber, NSC, Applied mouth, 3 sp, Extremely rare
From Galveston, Texas

Youngblood’s Tonic Bitters

Simmons’ American Hepattic Bitters

Navasota, Texas

Simmons American Hepattic Bitters

Embossed SIMMONS. AMERICAN HEPATTIC BITTERS // MANUFACTURED BY W.P. BOULWARE & Co, amber, 8″, Navasota, Texas

S 106.5 SIMMONS AMERICAN HEPATTIC BITTERS

SIMMONS. AMERICAN / HEPATTIC BITTERS // NAVASOTA, TEXAS. // f / MANUFACTURIED / BY. W. P. BOULWARE & CO //
8 1/2 x 2 1/2 (5 3/8) 3/8
Square, Amber, LTC, Applied mouth, Extremely rare
“POULWARE” should be “BOULWARE” misspelled
“HAVASOTA” should be “NAVASOTA” misspelled
Example was dug in Lynchburg, Texas, a town that settled so much it is under water.

Simmons’ American Hepatic Bitters advertisement – Logan’s 1873 Railway Directory, St.Louis to Galveston

Texas Blood Purifier and Tonic Bitters

San Antonio, Texas

T 13.5 Texas Blood Purifier and Tonic Bitters / R. L. Smith Proprietors, San Antonio, Texas

Texas Blood Purifier and Tonic Bitters, R. L. Smith Proprietor, amber, 9″, San Antonio, Texas

T 13.5 TEXAS BLOOD PURIFIER AND TONIC BITTERS

TEXAS / BLOOD PURIFIER // AND // TONIC BITTERS // R. L. SMITH / PROPRIETOR / SAN ANTONIO / TEXAS. // f //
9 7/8 x 2 3/4 (7 5/8) 3/8
Square, Amber, LTC, Extremely rare

T 14 TEXAS BLOOD PURIFIER AND TONIC BITTERS

TEXAS / BLOOD PURIFIER // AND // TONIC BITTERS // area with lettering removed showing plate mark with two round marks / SAN ANTONIO / TEXAS // f //
10 x 2 3/4 (7 1/2) 3/8
Square, Amber, LTC, Extremely rare
The A in Texas in the panel with San Antonio lacks cross bar.
This bottle was found under an old house being razed in downtown San Antonio.

T 14.5 TEXAS BLOOD PURIFIER AND TONIC BITTERS

TEXAS / BLOOD PURIFIER // AND // TONIC BITTERS // area with lettering removed showing plate mark with two round marks // R. L. Smith /
10 1/2 x 2 3/4 (7 1/2) 3/8
Square, Amber, LTC, Extremely rare

Searching for more information and pictures.

T 14 Texas Blood Purifier and Tonic Bitters / San Antonio, Texas

Dansby’s Cotton-Patch Bitters

Terrell, Texas

Dansby’s Cotton Patch Bitters advertisement – The Standard, Vol. 8, No. 39, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 11, 1887. (Clarksville, Texas)

Dansby’s Cotton-Patch Bitters

Read: Where is that Dansby’s Cotton-Patch Bitters from Terrell, Texas?

Robertson’s Tonic Bitters

Austin, Texas

R 80 ROBERTSON’S TONIC BITTERS

ROBERTSON’S / TONIC BITTERS // f // f // f //
Dr. Joseph W. Robertson Austin, Texas
8 1/2 x 3 1/4 x 1 5/8 (6 1/2)
Rectangular, Aqua, LTC, Metallic pontil mark, 1 sp, Extremely rare

Old San Jacinto Bitters

Galveston, Texas

Old San Jacinto Bitters advertisement – The Galveston Daily News, Saturday, May 14, 1870

Samuel H. Gilman, Sole Patentee and Proprietor, Galveston, Texas (Unlisted)

The new listing by Bill Ham for the forthcoming Bitters Bottles Supplement 2:

Advertisement
O 49.5 OLD SAN JACINTO BITTERS, S. H. Gilman, Galveston, Texas
Samuel H. Gilman, Sole Patentee and Proprietor
The Galveston Daily News, Saturday, May 14, 1870

Shoe String Bitters

Ferris, Texas

We’ve never seen a Shoe String Bitters bottle as referenced in this trade card from Joe Gourd. Read: The Story of Ferris, Texas

Trade card
S 100.7 SHOE STRING BITTERS, Illustration of children and seesaw. Use S.S.B. Reverse: Ten reasons why Shoe String Bitters is the best medicine in the world. Prepared by A. J. Long, M.D., Ferris, Texas

Posted in Bitters, Medicines & Cures, Tonics | Tagged austin, Cotton Patch Bitters, Courtney, Dansby, F. Stresau, Fort Wort, G. & F. Stresau, Galveston, Heidelberg Bitters, Heidenheimer Bitters, L. Eppstein & Co., Magenbitter, Navasota, Old San Jacinto, Phosphine, R. L. Smith, Robertson's Tonic Bitters, S.H. Gilman, San Antonio, Simmons American Hepattic Bitters, Sparkman, Stresau Bitters, Terrell, texas, Texas Blood Purifier and Tonic Bitters, W.P. Boulware, W.P. Boulware & Co., Youngblood's Tonic Bitters | Leave a comment

The elusive Heidenheimer Bitters – Galveston, Texas

Posted on 3 July 2013 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Heidenheimer Bitters – Galveston, Texas

Sampson, Abraham and Isaac Heidenheimer

Heidenheimer Brothers Wholesale Grocers advertisement – Galveston Daily News September 1, 1876

Long-time Texas bottle collector Doyle Bailey recently sent me a very short list of Texas bitters (see Texas Bitters list) that noted a paper labeled, Heidenheimer Bitters from Galveston, Texas. I have never heard of this bitters or the name Heidenheimer and was surprised that the product came from Galveston. I also see no reference in any of the Ring and Ham listings.

Galveston is an incredible place if you have never been there before. Lots of history and very beautiful. The cover at the top of this post is emblematic of this island city that is so dwarfed by Houston.

I might as well tell you now, I can not find any pictures of the bottle or advertising that confirms the Heidenheimer Bitters product and I am working feverishly in that area. Stay tuned. Once we find confirmation, I will ask Bill Ham for a number.

GALVESTON ISLAND

Galveston island (see 1837 map above) was named after Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Count of Gálvez, Galveston’s first European settlements on the island were constructed around 1816. The Port of Galveston was established in 1825 by the Congress of Mexico following its successful independence from Spain. The city served as the main port for the Texas Navy during the Texas Revolution and later served as the capital of the Republic of Texas.

During the 19th century, Galveston became a major U.S. commercial center and one of the largest ports in the United States. Galveston is known for the hurricane that devastated the city in 1900. The natural disaster that followed still counts as the deadliest in American history. (source Wikipedia)

HEIDENHEIMER

The story starts with the Heidenheimer’s in Archshofen, Germany. The family house including the parents and sons Hermann, David, Loeb and Joseph Heidenheimer was located in the front of the Tauber bridge. Between 1859 and 1891, seven men from the family emigrated to North America. The first to arrive in 1859, is Samson, a 17 year old butcher and son of David Heidenheimer, who settles in Galveston, Texas with property valued at 200 gulden.

When three of his uncles, as well as his two older brothers, Moses and Isaac, moved to North America in 1879, 16 year old Hermann then followed. The Heidenheimers were young, single Jewish men leaving for the United States to raise a family and to build a business. Their parents provided them with a small amount of start-up capital.

HEIDENHEIMER BROTHERS | HEIDENHEIMER & CO.

The Heidenheimer Brothers operated one of the largest wholesale grocery companies in Texas at one time. According to local tradition, Sampson Heidenheimer (1834-1891) started the business in Galveston, prior to the Civil War, as a poor German youth working as a street vendor with only $2 in his pocket. When the Civil War broke out, he was the possessor of a few hundred dollars and managed to keep himself out of the army. He increased his wealth by judicious speculations and made one or two ventures in a small way in running the blockade with schooners loaded with cotton, which then brought fabulous prices.

Heidenheimer Brothers postal envelope – Not dated, but this type of postal cover was manufactured between 1874 and 1886 – ebay

According to Galveston records, the company was firmly established in 1867, when the other brothers moved to Galveston from Virginia City, Montana. The other brothers were named Abraham Heidenheimer and Isaac Heidenheimer. I am not sure about the Virginia City part as it seems like they would have come straight from Germany to Galveston. In 1883, the company name changed to Heidenheimer and Company, and by 1887, Isaac was senior partner. Isaac also ran the firm of Hawley & Heidenheimer, importers of coffee and salt; co-owned a grocery store in Austin called Nelson, Davis and Company; owned a flour mill in Kansas; and owned a sugar plantation in Louisiana.

Later Hawley and Heidenheimer clip – The port of Galveston and the State of Texas-1890 (see book cover at the top of this post)

SAMPSON HEIDENHEIMER BUILDING

Sampson Heidenheimer (Hunter) Building – 1877 – Galveston, Texas

In 1877, Sampson Heidenheimer built what is now called the Heidenheimer-Hunter Building (pictured above) in Galveston, which housed various wholesale groceries, until the building was purchased by Fred Hunter in 1920. Sampson also served as director of the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad. The town of Heidenheimer, Texas, grew up around railway station for the Santa Fe line and was thus named for the railroad’s director.

Sources: Jenkins, Mary. “Barker Center gets 19th Century grocery papers.” On Campus, Feb. 28-Mar. 6, 1983, p. 16., Heidenheimer Brothers Business Records, 1869-1881, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

The Heidenheimer Brothers Marine Building

The Heidenheimer Brothers Marine Building – Galveston, Texas

The Heidenheimer Brothers Marine Building addition – Galveston, Texas. You can see this addition in the early advertisement further above.

The Heidenheimer Brothers Marine Building – Built in 1877 by German immigrant Samson Heidenheimer, housed a number of wholesale and retail businesses. According to local tradition, Heidenheimer began business in Galveston prior to the Civil War as a street vendor, and during the war built up a lucrative business by dealing in cotton and blockade running. With his brothers, he opened a wholesale grocery business which operated under various names at this location until 1904. Suderman & Dolson Stevedores, a division of the Morgan Steamship Line, moved here in 1904, and during their occupancy the building was known as the Marine Building. The structure was sold to a New Orleans businessman, who lost it to a Houston bank in 1933. A member of the Heidenheimer family bought the property in 1941, and it changed hands several times in the succeeding years. An important commercial and historic landmark, the building underwent restoration in 1984-85. The two-story structure is of Victorian-era styling, with Italianate Hood molds on the second level and ogee arches on the first story. Features include corbelled detail and exaggerated style elements incorporated into the stuccoed masonry. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark – 1986

HEIDENHEIMER CASTLE

Heidenheimer’s Castle historical plaque – Galveston, Texas

Heidenheimer’s Castle – In 1857, John S Sydnor (1812 – 1869), former Galveston Mayor, built the original two story, eight room structure at this site. Samson Heidenheimer (1834 – 1891) bought it in 1884. The German-born Heidenheimer began with a $100 loan and built a fortune as a Confederate blockade runner. He was associated with Sydnor and his son Seabrook in an auction business. Heidenheimer enlarged the house to four stories and 37 rooms and added castle-like tower and turrets (pictured to left and further below). It changed owners many times after his death. Burned in 1973, and was razed in 1975.

Heidenheimer Residence (Heidenheimer’s Castle) circa 1965, HABS/HAER photograph’

Posted in Advertising, Bitters, Civil War, History, Liquor Merchant | Tagged Abraham Heidenheimer, Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, David Heidenheimer, Doyle Bailey, Galveston, grocers, Heidenheimer and Company, Heidenheimer and Hawley, Heidenheimer Bitters, Heidenheimer Brothers, Heidenheimer's Castle, Herman Heidenheimer, Houston, Isaac Heidenheimer, Sampson Heidenheimer, texas | Leave a comment

The XR Celebrated Eagle Bitters – St. Louis

Posted on 2 July 2013 by Ferdinand Meyer V

CELEBRATED EAGLE BITTERS

LANGE & BERNECKER

ST LOUIS

(Julius Lange, Christian Knull and John L. Bernecker)

02 July 2013

A really nice square; the Celebrated Eagle Bitters, closed on American Bottle Auctions | Auction 58 (see video) this past Sunday evening. It sold for a song considering how extremely rare the bottle is. The Carlyn Ring and W.C. Ham listing in Bitters Bottles is as follows:

C 94 CELEBRATED EAGLE BITTERS, Circa 1860’s

CELEBRATED / EAGLE BITTERS // LANGE & BERNECKER // sp // ST LOUIS //
9 x 2 3/4 (6 3/4)
Square, Amber and Olive, LTC, 4 sp, Extremely rare

The sale reminded me of my example so I pulled up my pictures for comparison (both examples are below). This prompted a search for information on Lange & Bernecker.

Location ‘birds eye view’ Lange & Bernecker – “Pictorial St. Louis 1875”

1864 – 1875 – LANGE & BERNECKER, St. Louis, MO. 1865-1873, 193 North Main (1865), 202 North Main (1866), 713 North Main (1867), 615 North Second (1870-1873)

1867 & 1868 St. Louis City Directories – Lange & Bernecker (Julius Lange, Christian Knull and John L.Bernecker), manufacturer Eagle bitters, rectifiers and dealers in wines and liquors. 713 N. Main

1872 Advertisement Dubuque Herald – Mentions Celebrated Eagle Bourbon

1873 Houston Daily Mercury – “Around Austin, a day or two ago, who should we meet upon the Avenue but Capt. R. H. Toms of that sterling liquor house Lange & Bernecker, No. 615 North Second Street, St. Louis, Mo.” … (see below) Mentions Celebrated Eagle Bourbon and Eagle Bitters.

$EagleBitters_Houston Daily Mercury - Houston Tex - Nov 30 1873$

The Eagle Bitters advertisement – Houston Daily Mercury – Houston, Texas – November 30, 1873

1885 – The industries of Saint Louis: her advantages, resources, facilities, and commercial relations as a center of trade and manufacture; (1885)

THE EXCELSIOR DISTILLING CO.

J. L, Bernecker, President; H. Dahman, Vice-President; L. F. Engel, Secretary; Re-distillers, Rectifiers for the trade and Wholesale Liquor Dealers; 615 North Second Street.

This house was founded in 1864 by J. L. Bernecker, and became, by incorporation, the
successor to that gentleman’s firm in 1S76. The company has a capital stock of $50,000,
which sum gives a fair idea of what its business is.

The Excelsior Company does an exclusively city jobbing business, and sells almost
altogether for cash, asking for itself no credit whatever. Twenty-one years honorable and
liberal transactions have grounded it well in the confidence and esteem of the trade here-
abouts.

Lange & Bernecker Wines & Liquors advertisement – Dubuque Herald, October 26, 1872

Mention of Lange & Bernecker – Houston Daily Mercury (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 6, No. 42, Ed. 1 Saturday, October 25, 1873

CELEBRATED EAGLE BITTERS LANGE AND BERNECKER ST LOUIS. 9”. Ring/Ham C94. Applied top, smooth base. We know very little about these bottles although we did sell one before. This example was found in Nebraska and was held onto for a number of decades. We had it cleaned as it was a bit stained as a lot of the St. Louis bottles are. Could be the soil or the glass or both. At any rate, it came out beautifully and this one is loaded with whittle and loads of character. Open bubble as seen in the pictures and video. Here is one you are going to like. Grades a 9.6 and shines like a million dollars. – American Bottle Auctions | Auction 58

Celebrated Eagle Bitters – Meyer Collection

Celebrated Eagle Bitters – Meyer Collection

Posted in Auction News, Bitters, History, Liquor Merchant, Spirits, Whiskey | Tagged American Bottle Auctions, Celebrated Eagle Bitters, Celebrated Eagle Bourbon, Christian Knull, Excelsior Distilling Co., John L. Bernecker, Julius Lange, Lange & Bernecker, Missouri, St. Louis | Leave a comment

Mailbox Letters – July 2013

Posted on 1 July 2013 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Please feel free to send any antique bottle or glass questions to ferdinand@peachridgeglass.com. The information will be posted if relevant or of interest to the readers. I will try to answer or wait for another reader to respond. Quality images are very important. Thanks! If you want to see previous questions,go to “Mailbox Letters” in “Categories” on the right column of each page.

American Life Bitters – Omaha Variant Found?

Hello, would you know of anybody that might be interested in the P. E. ILER BITTERS BOTTLE in the pictures? Thanks!!

There are no chips, cracks or breaks in it, it is ‘in found condition’ and has not been professionally cleaned. I found it back in the sixty’s on an old coal mine property that my Dad had bought. Where are you located? What other than actual physical contact with it can I tell you or take pictures of to send you? What would you be willing to offer for it?

PRG: I have asked for more pictures and a shot with the bottle and a current newspaper first page.

Bottle Cap Container

Hello, Recently, my husband brought home a load of stuff from his mothers attic in Chicago. I have been tripping over it in my garage and wondered if there is any value or someone who might appreciate it more than I do. I found your sight and the photo with a cap like ours. Any info would be appreciated. Thank you, Stacey Korycki

Antique Bottles For Sale in New Hampshire

Could anyone in your organization direct me to someone in my area from who I could get an estimate of value of a small collection of antique bottles collected by my now deceased father? I would also be interested in the names of anyone who might be interested in buying the bottles as I am now 75 myself and can no longer keep them. I live in Nashua, New Hampshire. Thanks for any help you can give me.

Nancy Gervais

Nancy: What kind of bottles? Do you have any pictures? That will help with my answer. Thanks. Ferdinand

Unfortunately, being 75, I have no skill at taking photos and then sending them via email. They are roughly all small bottles like the size of the old fashioned glass coke bottles, and in some different colors. Could you give me any names of someone in the Nashua or Manchester, NH, area (where your convention just was — I couldn’t attend, unfortunately, to try and find someone)? Sorry about the picture problem.

Thanks….Nancy

Question from Australia

I’m an antique bottle collector in Australia. I recently came across your website by accident and was very impressed. It’s already one of my favourites. Browsing your photo gallery I noticed one photo attributed to Woody Douglas and titled “Gorgeous Swirled Flasks and Bottles”. One of the bottles pictured (the tall one on the left) is I think quite rare and of particular interest to me as a collector of 18th to early 19th century French bottles. Is there any way I could contact Mr Douglas for the dimensions, weight and volume of his bottle? Assuming he doesn’t want to sell it of course. I have a very similar, slightly earlier example but I’m very interested in the evolution of this specific bottle type.

Kind regards Tim Eldridge Fern Tree, Tasmania Australia

Crate of Perrier Bottles

Ferdinand and Elizabeth

I would like to sell a case of Perrier water bottles packed in straw in their original wooden case. I bought this case 35 years ago at an attic sale at MoRanch in Hunt, Texas. This was the ranch of Moran the founder of Continental Oil. In the early fifties the ranch was sold to the Presbyterian church after Mr. Moran’s death. These bottles date to the forties I believe. I have never disturbed the straw and the bottles are unopened and still about half full. I live in Houston, Texas. Can you help me find a buyer and give me some idea of value.

Thank you.

My contact info is:
Monroe Luther
101 Westcott #1403
Houston, Texas 77007
713-882-8762
EagleTexas@aol.com

Urbana Wine Company Bottle Question

Hi, I am seeking information about the bottle to the left. I took it to the Bottle Museum in Ballston Spa, and they recommended that I try to “hunt around on the web for information.” I found your e-mail address connected to an ad for a bottle show near the Finger Lakes.

By coincidence, I was able to find a reference to the bottle, with photo, on the internet. Please go to the following website for that, http://www.sha.org/bottle/wine.htm where the following information, including photograph, is available. But note that this info is actually quite incomplete and rather speculative.

Spirits shapes used for wine: Occasionally, shapes closely identified with containing spirits were used for wine (and likely vice versa). One example is pictured to the left which is the shape of the “Tall, Square Long-necked Spirits bottle” covered in that section of the Liquor/Spirits bottle page.

This bottle is machine-made and body embossed with URBANA WINE CO. INC. and a city in New York which can not be read. (Apologies for the poor images which were off of eBay®.) The base (base view) is embossed with the makers mark of an “H” in a triangle indicating manufacture by J. T. & A. Hamilton (Pittsburgh, PA.) who were in business from 1884 to 1943 (Toulouse 1971). However, this bottle most likely dates from around 1915 to 1919 (Prohibition) though could also have been a “medicinal” wine product produced during Prohibition, i.e., the 1920s.

Regarding the winery itself, I found the following info elsewhere on the web:

Founded by John W. Davis, H.H. Cook, A.J. Startzer and others in 1865, the Urbana Wine Company was among the earliest and most successful wineries in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Organized in Hammondsport, N.Y., the center of the eastern wine industry, Urbana’s claim to fame was its widely popular Gold Seal Champagne and other sparkling wines and along with Walter Taylor, they dominated regional wine production during the Gilded Age. The winery survived passage of Prohibition in 1919 , both World Wars operating under the Gold Seal label, but was closed by its parent company, Seagrams, in 1984. The Urbana Records are concentrated in the period 1881-1885, as the company was growing rapidly. Among other materials, the collection includes a range of correspondence, receipts, some financial records, and tallies of grapes. Additional material on the company is located in Cornell University’s Eastern Wine and Grape Archive.

Please note that my bottle is in much better condition. On my bottle, the embossing is very clear and unworn, and reads: Urbana Wine Co. Inc. over Hammondsport NY, which is where the winery was. My bottle is in excellent condition, with the exception of a very, very small, tiny barely bigger than a flea bite chip on the top at the lip.

I would appreciate any information you could provide about the bottle regarding age, origin / manufacture, and value. Feel free to speculate. I believe I’ve got a rather rare bottle here, but am not sure as I am not a bottle expert. Please let me know aht you think.

THANK YOU.

Peter

Antique cobalt blue poison bottle

Dear Elizabeth & Ferdinand:

I came across your web page while investigating the iridescence of bottles. I have
listed a beautiful specimen (certainly in my eyes!) in my Etsy shop and thought I
would share it with you. If you would like a high quality photos I would be more
than happy to email you one.

Antique cobalt blue poison bottle, ribbed bottle, discoloured, oxidised, iridescence, opalescence, Benicia, patina

Cheers
Darren

Posted in Advice, Poison Bottles, Questions, Wine & Champagne | Tagged A.J. Startzer, H.H. Cook, Hammondsport, John W. Davis, Letters, mailbox, New York, Urbana Wine Company | Leave a comment

Daily Dose – July 2013

Posted on 1 July 2013 by Ferdinand Meyer V

J u l y 2 0 1 3

Some ramblings and thoughts.

Tuesday, 30 July 2013

Bakers Premium Bitters (Richmond, Virginia) post updated with new information from Elijiah Baker’s great, great granddaughter.

Let’s keep an eye out for Jim Benders pink Double Eagle with Wreath (GII-126). So far, there were NO thefts reported at Manchester.

The Spotted on the floor at the Manchester National post was updated with four new pictures at the bottom of the post.

Check out this great bottle*! “I thought I would send a photo of my second Alex Von Humboldt’s (Bitters). Intense crudity, and mint condition. It looks beautiful next to my green example. These early western squares date to the late 1860s, and are very rare. I believe there are about 10 or so in collections with very few being undamaged. These are true pieces of western history.” – Dale M.

*The bottle was dug in Hamilton, Nevada in the late 1960s and has been in one collection ever since until recently.

Sunday, 28 July 2013

Sorry, slammed with trying to get the designs ready for the September | October issue of Bottles and Extras. Been working non stop. Sandor sent me a pic of his new Keene widemouth Sunburst flask. Killer. He won this at the Manchester auction event.

Which cover design do you like for the next issue?

Thursday, 25 July 2013

Headed off to Atlanta. Had fun with the “People in the Crowd” post. Look for upcoming posts on the killer Walters bottle (pictured above) from Baltimore and the extremely rare Moxie Bitters which was spotted in Manchester.

I know some of you may want to know what killer bottles were spotted in Manchester. I will develop a post on that topic.

Wednesday, 24 July 2013

Added example of Stillman & Breen figural barrel to related post.

Working to get as many Manchester pictures out as I can.

IMPORTANT: If you were at the show, I am looking for comments and constructive critique (paragraph or two) for the Feature Article in the September | October issue of Bottles and Extras. I need by this Friday. E-mail to ferdinand@peachridgeglass.com. Thanks.

Tuesday, 23 July 2013

Working my way thru hundreds of really fine pictures by Scott Selenak, FOHBC Manchester Show Photographer. Scott would shoot all day (Friday thru Sunday) and download to my laptop periodically. Today I will be sending out emails to attendees for comments to potentially be included in the September | October issue of Bottles and Extras.

I aim today to start looking at pictures from Dealer set-up and early admission on Saturday. Look for a post.

Monday, 22 July 2013

Wow, what a weekend. The 2013 National Antique Bottle Show is over. We are already deep in planning for the 2014 show in Lexington, Kentucky. I have so much news, so many great pictures of glass and had so much fun. Going to catch this bird to Houston thru New York. Stay tuned. The first image galleries from Friday are posted.

Read: 2013 Bottle Battle Highlights

Read: 2013 Manchester Banquet Picture Gallery

Thursday, 18 July 2013

4:00 am and leaving Fort Wayne within the hour for a drive to Cleveland to meet Elizabeth who is coming up from Houston. Then on to Manchester for the national. Had a chance last night to visit Frank Wicker in Lisbon, Indiana. Saw some wonderful glass and cars. Look for a post later. Pony Bitters post also in the works. New pics just coming in from St. Louis. Nice to know that Jack Hewitt ended up with that Duffy’s Crescent Saloon cobalt blue figural pig from Louisville. Remember, that the pig that showed up on ebay recently with the LOW Buy-It-Now option.

Tuesday, 16 July 2013

Off to Fort Wayne, Cleveland than Manchester, NH for the show. Mark Warne tipped me off on this Berkshire Bitters on ebay. Mark is probably the best ebay user and scout I know. Mark adds, “The Berkshire Bitters on ebay should have a ground top. My computer isn’t the best but I see a replaced glued on top.” See Listing

Monday, 15 July 2013

A few of St. Louis’ best posted by Ellen Haas Faulkenberry. How many of you remember the Pony Bitters on ebay 8 or 9 years ago? Had a chance to see and hold that one-of-a-kind bottle at the Collinsville National.

Sunday, 14 July 2013

Need to pack bottles today for the Manchester, NH national, finalize FOHBC Board meeting agenda and do a Fed Newsletter for issuance Monday. Going to take a river run with the dogs here shortly. Oh, the picture above…just how I feel sometimes.

Talked to Michael Seeliger (Wisconsin) yesterday. He’s coming down next month to see the collection, do bottle color measurements, hit the Houston Bottle Show and visit Dan Cowman. Loking forward.

Friday, 12 July 2014

SUPERB IMAGERY ** High Definition photo restorations of vintage pictures from the Library of Congress. Pictures from various states from the late 1800’s, amazing shots of life back then.

Thursday, 11 July 2013

Manchester Show Program Sneak Peek Read: Kovels.com’s Top 10 Antiques and Collectibles Searches for June 2013

Tuesday, 09 July 2013

Thought some might find this of interest. This was in the Jefferson Spirit (Charles Town, WV), July 10, 1866. – Robert Moore

QUESTION Who was the Princeton Student who sold glass flasks at the time of Volstead Act to Delaware collector for $8,000 and started the mania for bottle collecting? Antiqueman’s Diary: The Memoirs of Fred Bishop Tuck edited by Dean A. Fales, pp. 138-140 Thank you for your help. Sincerely Mary Boehm

Sunday, 06 July 2013

It’s hard to believe that the FOHBC 2013 National Antique Bottle Show is only two weeks away! Incredible amount of excitement surrounding this event that has been in the works for so long. You can visit the FOHBC web site for all of the latest news and the schedule of events, Bottle Battle, auction, seminars, banquet, members meeting, hotel information, parking etc.

Friday, 05 July 2013

Hi Ferdinand,

This is Matt Lacy from Austinburg, Ohio. I just wanted to drop a quick note that I have a number of quality bottles for sale at www.antiquebottlesales.com. I just put on 5 quality flasks today and have many more to come. I will be listing more flasks, bitters, and pontil medicines over the coming weeks. I am trying to get the word out about my site, but there is no “easy” way to do that besides word of mouth and help from an established site ;).

Thanks, Matt

An Invite To Fellow Bottle Club Members: In an effort to continue a great idea originated by Tom Kanalley, we are putting together a one day outdoor mini summer bottle/antique show on Saturday, July 13th, 2013 (9am – ?) at the Peddler’s Antique Shop in Bloomfield, New York. This mini show will be held on the same day as the very popular “Bloomfield” St. Peter’s Annual Antique Show (9:00 am – 4:00 pm) held at Elton Park in the center of the village of Bloomfield, NY. Peddler’s Antique Shop is located about a mile east of the St. Peter’s Show at 6980 State Route 5 & 20 which is busy road and will be especially busy on that day with the St. Peter’s Antique show and other garage/yard sales that are held on that weekend. DETAILS: Set-up is FREE and will be outdoors. You will have to bring your own tables, tent, chairs, drinks, etc. We are planning on bringing a grill to barbecue some hotdogs and hamburgers at lunch time. Feel free but not obligated to bring a dish to pass or snacks. We would like to invite bottle club members from all area bottle clubs to come set-up with us. Please RSVP to Aaron Weber by Sunday, July 7th, 2013 so we can determine how many hotdogs and hamburgers to bring. RSVP to 585.226.6345 or awebby@frontiernet.net. Aaron and Pam Weber

Thursday, 04 July 2013

Happy Independence Day everyone. Grilling on the barbie; steaks, shrimp, fish, Polish sausage and more. Totally engrossed in Texas Bitters at the moment. Shifting gears later to a GREAT Chicago bottle with a handle that just joined my collection.

Cool newspaper advertising ART for Alligator Oil Blacking – J. W. Benedict – Galveston, Texas – The Texas State Times (Austin, Tex.) Saturday, January 26, 1856

Wednesday, 03 July 2013

Caught a 6:14 am bird out of Louisville this morning. I will be glad when the jets I fly are internet connected. Some airlines have started but it hasn’t caught up to my flights yet. I could get so much done. Been wracking my head over a lead on a Heidenheimer Bitters from Galveston, Texas. Need a bottle picture and an advertisement specifically saying Heidenheimer Bitters within the advertisement.

Found this cool illustration for Cherokee Brewing Company in St. Louis. Was in virtual Saint Louis for the Celebrated Eagle Bitters post.

Tuesday, 02 July 2013

Trying to confirm if this is a Brad Francis Kelly’s Old Cabin Bitters. (Update: Yes it is) Haven’t seen before but heard about. Not best to take a [picture of a green bottle in front of grass and trees, at least if you want to get a true sense of the color. Just love that ‘lava flow’ sloppy glass coming off the mouth, down the neck and onto the roof. Read More: Log Cabin Series – Kelly’s Old Cabin Bitters

Monday, 01 July 2013

Just getting into my hotel room in Louisville. Caught an early bird out of Bush this morning. Wanting to review the American Bottle Auction results. Working on my new laptop as I fried my old one with milk spilled from my cereal bowl this past Friday.

Sometimes I wish I collected Bininger bottles. I have a few but wow-o-wow do I love these squares. Three extraordinary A.M. BININGER & CO NEW YORK bottles in different colors showing up in American Bottle Auctions | Auction 58. Each example does not have an address. SEE MORE BININGER’S

From ABA… SCROLL FLASK. Probably GIX-2. 9. Quart with sheared lip and open pontil. Here is one of the finest scrolls we’ve handled in our twenty years of business. Open pontil, sheared lip, this is what collectors are looking for. A brilliant deep blue, the color becomes a little lighter on the opposite side and for sheer overall appearance, this one really lights up a room. Condition is perfect with only base wear to remind us of its historic past. This bottle was part of the California whiskey collection kept in boxes for the last 40 or so years. He told us that it was his wife’s favorite bottle. We kind of like it, too. Grade is 9.8. Winning Bid: $17,000 American Bottle Auctions Auction 58 Read More: Who doesn’t love Scroll Flasks?

ABA Drake’s Plantation Bitters example added to The “Blue-Green” Drakes Mystery post.

Posted in Bitters, Daily Dose, Historical Flasks | Tagged Alligator Oil Blacking, Cherokee Brewing, J. W. Benedict, Kelly's Old Cabin Bitters, Matt Lacy | 1 Comment

The Dog and Cat Hospital bottle – Houston, Texas

Posted on 28 June 2013 by Ferdinand Meyer V

DOG AND CAT HOSPITAL

HOUSTON, TEXAS

28 June 2013 (R•082013) (R•032219)

Wow, here is a bottle that just stopped me in my tracks when the images came in from long-time Texas bottle collector Doyle Bailey. I’m talking about the 5 1/4″ tall, cobalt blue, Dog and Cat Hospital bottle from Houston, Texas. With six family dogs and ten in the studio each day, you might say that we are insane dog lovers. We even have a small Calico cat at home that keeps to herself, usually in high places. The dogs love her.

Horning became one of Texas’ first specialists in the diseases and surgery of small animals, and throughout his career stressed the importance of small animals, and particularly dogs, as companions for people

I spent quite a bit of time trying to search out information on this bottle with no such luck as I was trying to figure out the doctors name embossed on the top front of the bottle. Try googling “Dog and Cat Hospital bottle”, and you get a billion, you guessed it, Dog and Cat Hospital listings, even in Houston. It wasn’t until I realized that Doyle had sent me a spread sheet titled “Texas Colored Drug Bottles” containing the hard to read names. There it was, “Drs. Horning and McKee.”

Embossed on one side DRS. HORNING AND McKEE’S DOG AND CAT HOSPITAL, Waugh Drive at Willia. St. AND Cleveland Park, Houston, Texas. Embossed on the second side The Largest And Best Equipped DOG &CAT HOSPITAL In The South, Houston, Texas. All this embossing really leaves no room for a label.

I believe this example is attic mint and held in a private collection according to Texas collector Brad Seigler.He knows of two cobalt blue examples and a few examples in clear glass.

DRS. HORNING AND McKEE’S

DOG AND CAT HOSPITAL

Waugh Drive at Willia. St. AND Cleveland Park

Houston, Texas

The Largest And Best Equipped DOG & CAT HOSPITAL In The South

Houston, Texas

Now when I do a search for Drs. Horning and McKee I get a Dr. J. G. Horning attending a dog show in Dallas and a Dr. A. J. McKee being busy in the absence of Dr. Horning (see below). Bingo!

A little more searching shows that Dr. Horning was a long time secretary of the Houston Kennel Club and was widely respected in the veterinary field. Horning became one of Texas’ first specialists in the diseases and surgery of small animals, and throughout his career stressed the importance of small animals, and particularly dogs, as companions for people. From A Special Kind of Doctor: A History of Veterinary Medicine in Texas (see further below).

Mention of a Dr. J. G. Horning attending a Dog Show and a Dr. A. J. McKee being busy in the absence of Dr. Horning. – Jen-Sal Journal – Jensen-Salsbery Laboratories, 1919

Reference to Dr. J. G. Horning’s Hospital from A Special Kind of Doctor: A History of Veterinary Medicine in Texas by Henry C. Dethloff, Donald H. Dyal

The dog & cat hospital bottle is embossed THE LARGEST / AND BEST EQUIPPED / DOG & CAT / HOSPITAL / IN THE SOUTH / HOUSTON, TEXAS, On the back side Burkey & Horning. – Cole Collection

2019: Another example – The Largest And Best Equipped DOG &CAT HOSPITAL In The South, Houston, Texas. Recently obtained by Brad Seigler.

Dr. Jackson Gilbert Horning, Veterinarian

Dr. Andrew J. McKee, Veterinarian

Dr. Fred J. Burkey

Select Listings:

1892: Jacob Gilbert Horning, Birth Date: 8 Jun 1892, Baptism Date: 5 Feb 1893, Baptism Place: Reading, Berks, Pennsylvania, Denomination: Methodist, Organization Name: Central United Methodist, Father: Giblert Horning, Mother: Kate Horning – Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1669-2013

1908: Newspaper notice (below) Dr. Fred J. Burkee, President Houston Humane Society – The Houston Post, Thursday, June 4, 1908

1910: Jacob G Horning, Age in 1910: 17, Birth Year: abt 1893, Birthplace: Pennsylvania, Home in 1910: Good Spring, Walker, Alabama, Street: Jonesburgh Road, Relation to Head of House: Son, Father’s name: Gilbert C Horning, Father’s Birthplace: Pennsylvania, Mother’s name: Kathrine B Horning, Mother’s Birthplace: Pennsylvania, Attended School: Yes, Gilbert C Horning 58, Kathrine B Horning 50, Jacob G Horning 17 – 1910 United States Federal Census

1911: Burkey & Burkey (Fred J. and Fred H.Burkey) veterinary surgeons, 1711 Preston av., Houston, Texas – Houston, Texas, City Directory, 1911

1917: J. Gilbert Horning (Burkey & Horning), rms 1717 Preston, Houston, Texas – Houston, Texas, City Directory, 1917

1919: Notice (above in post) Dr. J. G. Horning, Houston, Tex. spent several days in Dallas attending the StateFair and Dog Show. – Jen-Sal Journal, Jensen-Salsbery Laboratories, 1919

1919: Notice (above in post) Dr. A. J. McKee, Houston, Tex. is a very busy man in the absence of Dr. Horning. Dr. McKee is associated with Drs. Turkey & Horning. – Jen-Sal Journal, Jensen-Salsbery Laboratories, 1919

1920: Burkey & Horning (Fred J. Burkey and J. Gilbert Horning), Veterinary Surgeons, 1711 Preston av, Tel Pr 3397, Houston, Texas – Houston, Texas, City Directory, 1920

1920: Dr. Fred J Burkey, Age: 48, Birth Year: abt 1872, Birthplace: Ohio, Home in 1920: Houston Ward 3, Harris, Texas, Residence Date: 1920, Relation to Head of House: Roomer, Marital status: Single, Father’s Birthplace: Illinois, Mother’s Birthplace: Illinois, Able to Speak English: Yes, Occupation: Veterinary, Industry: Surgeon – 1923 United States Federal Census

1922: Newspaper notice (below) Burkey-Horning marriage, daughter of Dr. Fred J. Burkee to Dr. Jackson Gilbert Horning – The Houston Post, Sunday, February 26, 1922

1922: Newspaper advertisement (below) A. Rubber Play. Baal (sic) For Dogs, Drs. Burkey and Horning’s Dog and Cat Hospital, Houston, Texas – El Paso Times, Sunday, April 9, 1922

1923: Newspaper notice (below) Southern Sports edited by Drs. Burkey E. Horning and Jackson G. Horning – The Houston Post, Saturday, July 22, 1922

1923: Newspaper advertisement (below) Drs. Burkey and Horning’s Dog and Cat Hospital, 1711 Preston Ave. – The Houston Post, Tuesday, December 25, 1923

1925: Reference (above in post) to Dr. J. G. Horning – A Special Kind of Doctor: A History of Veterinary Medicine in Texas by Henry C. Dethloff, Donald H. Dyal

1927: J G Horning, Veterinarians, 1711 Preston av, Houston, Texas – Houston, Texas, City Directory, 1927

1929: Horning & McKee (J G Horning and A J McKee), Veterinarians, 3611 Willia, Houston, Texas – Houston, Texas, City Directory, 1929

1930: Jackson G Horning, Practicing Veterinarian, Birth Year: abt 1892, Birthplace: Pennsylvania, Marital status: Single, Relation to Head of House: Roomer, Home in 1930: Houston, Harris, Texas, Street address: William, Attended School: No, Father’s Birthplace: Pennsylvania, Mother’s Birthplace: Pennsylvania, Occupation: Veterinarian, Household Members: Andrew Mckee 28, Jackson G Hering 38 – 1930 United States Federal Census

1940: J. Gilbert Horning, 47, born abt 1893, Veterinarian, Birthplace Pennsylvania, Home in 1940: 1216 California, Houston,Harris, Texas, Household Members, J Gilbert Horning 47, Wife: Ella Horning 45, Daughter: Elare Horning 6 – 1940 United States Federal Census

1981: Death: Jackson Gilbert Horning, Veterinarian, Age: 89, Birth Date: 8 Jun 1892, Birth Place: Pennsylvania, Residence: Houston, Harris, Texas, Death Date: 26 Sep 1981, Death Place: Houston, Harris, Texas, Father: Gilbert Cheney Horning, Mother: Catherine Shafer – Texas, Death Certificates, 1903-1982

Posted in Druggist & Drugstore, History, Medicines & Cures, Questions, Veterinary | Tagged Brad Seigler, Burkey & Horning, cat, Cleveland Park, Cole, dog, Doyle Bailey, Dr. A. J. McKee, Dr. J. G. Horning, Fred J. Burkey, Hospital, Houston, Houston Kennel Club, surgeon, texas, veterinary | Leave a comment

Colored Pontiled St. Louis Sodas – Feltman Collection

Posted on 28 June 2013 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Colored Pontiled St. Louis Sodas

Tom Feltman Collection

28 June 2013

My wife said I will probably die in a privy and I told her SO BE IT.

Hello Ferdinand,

I live near St. Louis, Mo. and have been digging colored pontiled St. Louis. Missouri sodas for about forty years. I have ninety different colored ones in yellow, green, cobalt blue and teal. Some are one of a kind. I guess you could say I have the largest colored pontiled St. Louis collection in all of the U.S.A. Have sent a few pictures of the collection should you want to put them on your web site.

Tom Feltman

Hello F,

As requested, I have enclosed some solo shots of my favorite St. Louis colored pontiled sodas. Actually the most favorite bottle I ever dug was not a soda. It was a figural Bitters and I dug it right hear in O’Fallon, Illinois. It was an amber – LANDSBERG’S – CENTURY BITTERS – 1776 & 1876 – ADLER CO. ST. LOUIS. The oddity of it all was that I dug it in 1976. Getting back to my colored St. Louis pontiled solo shots. Some of these colors are one of a kind known to exist. My digging career started in 1969 and I have dug in most of the larger cities in the East and all of of the larger cities in the south. I still dig every weekend in St. Louis with a younger friend. My wife said I will probably die in a privy and I told her SO BE IT.

Tom Feltman

Landsberg’s Century Bitters, St. Louis – Meyer Collection

Feltman St. Louis Soda Solo’s

Posted in Collectors & Collections, Color Runs, Digging and Finding, Display, Mineral Water, Soda Water | Tagged Brandon & Pease, C. Abel & Co., J. Cairns & Co., Landsberg's Century Bitters, M & W, Missouri, pontil, R & J Adams, Soda, St. Louis, Tom Feltman | 3 Comments

Heidelberg Bitters – L. Eppstein & Son – Fort Worth, Texas

Posted on 27 June 2013 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Heidelberg Phosphine Magenbitters

L. Eppstein & Son

Fort Worth, Texas

Here is another bitters that long time Texas bottle collector Doyle Bailey turned me on to.

Heidelberg Phosphine Magenbitters was put out by L. Eppstein & Son, Fort Worth, Texas. The amber bottle is 9 x 4 1/2″ with a paper label only. These are the only pictures that were provided and I could not find any others.

The patent for the bitters was filed on 24 June 1905. The product was used for ten years. The Carlyn Ring and W. C. Ham listing in Bitters Bottles is as follows:

H 76 L…Heidelberg Phosphine & Magen Bitters (Magenbitters)
L. Eppstein & Son Fort Worth, Texas
9 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 (6 3/4)
Rectangular, Amber, DCM

Label: For nerves, stomach and brain. Creates appetite, promotes digestion, stimulates the system. Mild and safe invigorant. Cures disorders of the stomach. Entirely free from all injurious ingredients.

The brand mark consists of the word “Heidelberg” associated with the representation of an oval panel with which appear the figures of a man and woman sitting on clouds with the rays of the sun forming a background. Est. 1873.

Rumored: Phosphine Magenbitters, L. Epstein & Co., paper label, Same shape as Royal Pepsin Bitters, Fort Worth

Heidelberg Bitters brand – Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office – 1907

Front Label detail Heidelberg Phosphine Magenbitters, L. Eppstein & Son, Fort Worth, Texas

Reverse Label detail Heidelberg Phosphine Magenbitters, L. Eppstein & Son, Fort Worth, Texas

Leopold & Milton L. Eppstein

Leopold Eppstein

Leopold was born in Augsberg, Bavaria, Germany, on April 14, 1828. He lived in Missouri in 1863. He married Henrietta Westheimer. Their children included Rosa (born 1864), Milton Leopold (see below), Fannie (born 1866), Louis B. (born 1869), and Yettche (born 1874).

M. L. Eppstein – Newspaper Artists’ Association, Forth Worth.. Makers of Fort Worth, Book, 1914

Milton L. Eppstein

Milton L. Eppstein, lawyer, banker and merchant, was born at St. Joseph, Missouri, November 30, 1866, son of Leopold Eppstein, and his mother, Henrietta Westheimer Eppstein. The family later moved to Texas, settling at Denison, where the elder Eppstein established the business which is now known in almost every part of the State — that of L. Eppstein & Sons.

Milton Eppstein is a trained lawyer as well as a successful merchant and banker. However, he follows the legal profession no longer, devoting his time entirely to his Fort Worth business interests and to his noted hobby – Jersey cows. Speaking of the latter, he owns one of the finest stock farms in the Southwest, where he spends most of his time after business hours.

Milton Eppstein came to Fort Worth in January, 1904, moving here from Denison. Besides being president of the big wholesale liquor business on Throckmorton Street, he is also the Kentucky distiller of the famous brand of Jersey Cream Whiskey. He is a member of the Elks and other clubs and lodges. He is a high school and law graduate. He is unmarried.

Left: A clear miniature flask with full paper labels and seals showing that it once contained “Jersey Cream 1873” Whiskey, from L Eppstein & Son of Ft. Worth, TX. It stands 3-3/4″ tall and has a capacity of 1/10th pint. The neck seal suggests that the whiskey was made in the Spring of 1909 and bottled in Fall 1915. Right: A clear miniature bottle with a full paper labels and seals showing that it once contained “Jersey Cream 1873” Whiskey, from L Eppstein & Son of Ft. Worth, TX. It stands 4-5/8″ tall and has a capacity of 1/10th pint. The neck seal suggests that the whiskey was made in the Fall of 1913 and bottled in Fall 1918. – Pre-pro.com

Besides the raising of fine Jersey cows, the Eppstein farm is noted for its blooded hogs. In addition to the flesh and blood Jersey cows, for which his stock farm is noted, Mr. Eppstein is the owner of the famous Jersey Cream herd of iron cows which furnished the sacred bovines that accompanied the member of the Forth Worth Ad Club to Toronto upon the occasion of the national convention of advertising men held in that city in 1914. He is known everywhere as a genial companion and good fellow and has a large host of friends.

Timeline

April 24, 1874: Denison Daily News, Los Angeles Wine. A superior article of Los Angeles (California) wine, warranted the pure juice of the grape, for sale in any quantity by Eppstein Bro.’s, Main street.

The Great Liquor House: Eppstein Bros., at the Kentucky Whiskey Depot, keep a large stock of their celebrated whisky’s always on hand for the trade. Their Paris Bourbon is very choice. Prices to suit the times. Store on Main street.

September 23, 1876: “The Old Reliable. At the old reliable wholesale liquor house of Eppstein Bros. is a complete stock of choice wines of all kinds, brandies, and whiskies. This house still makes a specialty of the old and popular Kentucky whisky, which has had a steadily increasing sale since the opening of the house in the spring of 1873. They also keep a full line of Key West and Havana cigars, as well as the best native brands.” [Source: Denison Daily News, September 23, 1876]

November 19, 1896: “L. Eppstein & Son. Wholesale Liquors and Cigars.” [Source: Program, Denison Opera House, November 19, 1896]

1899-1900: L. Eppstein & Son Wholesale Liquors, wines, and cigars. Owned by Leopold Eppstein and his son Milton. [Source: Denison City Directory]

September 1904: Reportedly moved to Fort Worth, Texas.

April 20, 1925: Milton L. Eppstein died in Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas.

Jersey Cream was distilled in Midway, KY. by the Glenarme Distillery (RD #7, 9th District) and also by R E Wathen (RD #19 of the 5th District of KY?).

The company used the brand names: “Honeysuckle”, “Jersey Cream”, “Myrtle Springs”, “Old Royalty”, “Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam”, and “Tarpon Club.”

Address timeline: 1404 Main (1904), 1010-1012 Houston (1905), 812-814 Throckmorton (1907-1916)

Reference Pre-pro.com and other historical documents and directories.

Source: “Makers of Fort Worth” (Fort Worth Newspaper Artists Association, 1914).

Read: Milton Eppstein’s Texas Cocktail Was Whiskey and Cream

JERSEY CREAM / 1873 / WHISKEY (text is tsp and etched on a picture of a cow) / PURE AND (slanted) RICH (tsp text etched on a frosted calf standing at the side of the cow). / L EPPSTEIN & SON-FT.WORTHTEX / KENTUCKY DISTILLERS (final lines are enclosed within a rectangular frame outline) – Pre-pro.com

Milton Eppstein patent dates for three Whiskies and one Bitters. – Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office – 1906. Note a New Orleans patent date.

Milton Eppstein patent dates for sixWhiskies and one Bitters. – Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office – 1908. Includes New Orleans listing.

Milton L. Eppsten & Son Address

A print from a cigar box advertising “Jersey Cream” Cigars from L Eppstein & Son of Ft. Worth, TX. It features a cow and calf. The text below the cow reads “L. EPPSTEIN & SON. FORT WORTH, TEXAS / OWNERS & DISTRIBUTORS.” – Pre-pro.com

Posted in Bitters, Druggist & Drugstore, History, Liquor Merchant, Medicines & Cures, Spirits, Whiskey | Tagged Augsberg, Bavaria, Denison, Doyle Bailey, Fort Worth, Germany, Heidelberg, Heidelberg Phosphine Magenbitters, Jersey Cows, Jersey Cream, L. Eppstein & Son, Leopold Eppstein, Milton L. Eppstein, texas | Leave a comment

Crow’s Alligator Oil – Jefferson, Texas

Posted on 26 June 2013 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Crow’s Alligator Oil – Seigler Collection

CROW’S ALLIGATOR OIL

JEFFERSON, TEX.

Although Attakapans were adept at use of the bow and arrow, they were unerringly proficient at hurling the fish spear, so much so that the warriors could stab small fish but ten inches long at a distance of twenty paces.”They used a shorter dart and torchlight to spear flounders at night, and a rake made from two poles to loosen oysters from the reefs. Still another Attakapan delicacy was alligator meat, which was procured by spearing the reptiles through the eyes. The carcasses were then cooked upon beds of charcoal and heated oyster shells, and incising entrenchments in the flesh around the backbone collected the alligator oil. The oil was used as fuel for lanps made from conch shells and dried moss. The Attakapans also used alligator oil on their bodies to repel mosquitoes, a practice which caused the tribesmen to emit a particularly offensive odor.

from Chapter 8 – A HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY (Texas) – The Aboriginal Inhabitants – by W. T. Block

Now here is a bottle that I didn’t know was out there. It was referenced once on Peachridge Glass but I had never seen a picture. Doyle Bailey, an old time Texas bottle collector sent me these pictures (above & below) and the advertisement for Crow’s Alligaror Oil from Jefferson, Texas. Reminds me of the River Swamp Chill and Fever Cure bottle from Augusta, Georgia. Read: River Swamp Chill & Fever Cure with embossed Alligator. Amazing that two sizes of this bottle are referenced in advertising yet only a few example of the size pictured above have been found.

Looking at some comments from prominent and dominant Texas medicine bottle collector Brad Seigler…

“It was dug in Jefferson, Texas by an old digger, who has since passed away. Story was, he had dug 4 but 2 are gone forever, broken and discarded but he still has one and I have the other.”

“Four of these were dug by the same man in Jefferson, Texas, one was in very bad condition and pieces missing and the other was dropped and broke into a million pieces, he has the only good one, and I have the broken one that came out of the hole like this. So there are only 2 left, his and mine.”

“There is also a “Crow’s Alligator Oil Jefferson Texas” that has an alligator that is even more appealing to my eye. The story goes two were found one was broken, and the resides in a museum. It is for sell, but the price is just not in line with what must of us call reality!”

Crow’s Alligator Oil – Seigler Collection

Advertisement for Crow’s Alligator Oil – The J. F. Crow Drug Company

Alligator Oil patent listing by J. F. Crow – Annual Report of the Commissioner of Patents – 1890

Jefferson, Texas

According to Wikipedia, Jefferson is a historic city in Marion County in northeastern Texas, Early records indicate that Jefferson was founded around 1841 on land ceded from the Caddo Indians.

Bird’s Eye View of Jefferson, Texas, 1872. Lithograph (hand-colored), 20 x 27.5 in. Lithographer unknown. Marion County Historical Society, Jefferson.

At that time, a log jam more than 100 miles long existed on the Red River north of present Natchitoches, Louisiana. The Indians said that this log jam, known as the Great Red River Raft, had always existed. The Red River Raft (or Great Raft) acted as a dam on the river and raised the level of Caddo Lake and the Red River several feet. This rise of Caddo Lake and the corresponding rise in the Big Cypress Bayou at Jefferson permitted commercial riverboat travel to Jefferson from ports such as St. Louis and New Orleans via the Mississippi and Red Rivers.

Jefferson was one of the most important ports in Texas between 1845 and 1872. The town reached its peak population just a few years after the Civil War and is reported to have exceeded 30,000. During this time, Jefferson was the sixth largest town in Texas.

There were attempts over the years to remove the raft and permit the normal flow of the Red River, but these attempts were unsuccessful until the discovery of nitroglycerin. In 1873, using nitroglycerin, the Army Corps of Engineers was finally able to clear the raft from the Red River. This lowered the level of Caddo Lake and Big Cypress to the extent that riverboat traffic to Jefferson was no longer commercially feasible.

At the peak of river traffic Jefferson had a population of over 7,000. A few years later, it had dropped to a little over 3,000.

One of the legends surrounding Jefferson involved Jay Gould, the railroad magnate. The legend goes that Gould wanted to bring his railroad through Jefferson but the town leaders refused because they had the river traffic. Gould responded by saying that grass would grow in the streets without the railroad. Gould is even given credit for supporting the removal of the Red River Raft and the subsequent decline of Jefferson as a river port. Much of this tale is fiction, but it makes a good tale. Townspeople even obtained Gould’s railcar and it is presently displayed as a tourist attraction in downtown Jefferson.

Read: ‘Outlaw’ Preservation in Jefferson, Texas

The J. F. Crow Drug Company

According to The Druggists’ Circular and Chemical Gazette in June 1897, “The J. F. Crow Drug Co., of Jefferson, Texas has been incorporated with the capital stock of $5,000. The incorporators are J. F. Crow, Allen Urquhart and B. F. Rogers.

A photograph in 1919 of the interior of Crow Drug Store, which was located in downtown Jefferson, Texas. Owner J.T. Crow is pictured on the left. – Jefferson Carnegie Library

Embossed Dose Glass – THE J. F. CROW DRUG CO. / pic of crow on mortar & pestle / JEFFERSON, TEX

Crow Drug Store advertisement for BI-THO-MOL – Jefferson Jimplecute (Jefferson, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 2, Ed. 1, Friday, July 5, 1907

Posted in Digging and Finding, Druggist & Drugstore, History, Medicines & Cures | Tagged Attakapans, Brad Seigler, Caddo Lake, Crow's Alligator Oil, J. F. Crow Drug Company, Jay Gould, jefferson, Red River, texas | Leave a comment

Robertson’s Tonic Bitters

Austin, Texas

“The old bitters list I was given had it listed as amber, and one of the examples I know of, was described to me as amber. Amber….aqua……I will take one of each please!”

Brad Siegler

Dr. Joseph William Robertson

The Robertson Family Home – French Legation Museum

Francis T. Duffau, Druggist – Austin, Texas

Scan of bottle illustration courtesy of Bill Ham

TEXAS BITTERS LIST

03 July 2013 (R•031416) (R•032719) (R•090219)

Stresau Bitters

Courtney, Texas

Embossed F. STRESAU, COURTNEY, TEXAS, amber, 8-1/2″, Courtney, Texas

Embossed F. STRESAU, COURTNEY, TEXAS, aqua, 8-1/2″, Courtney, Texas

Embossed G & F. STRESAU, COURTNEY, TEXAS, amber, 8-1/2″, Courtney, Texas

Embossed G & F. STRESAU, COURTNEY, TEXAS, yellow amber, 8-1/2″, Courtney, Texas

Heidelberg Bitters

Fort Worth, Texas

H 76 L…Heidelberg Phosphine & Magen Bitters (Magenbitters) L. Eppstein & Son Fort Worth, Texas 9 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 (6 3/4) Rectangular, Amber, DCM

Label: For nerves, stomach and brain. Creates appetite, promotes digestion, stimulates the system. Mild and safe invigorant. Cures disorders of the stomach. Entirely free from all injurious ingredients.

Heidenheimer Bitters

Galveston, Texas

Youngblood’s Tonic Bitters

Galveston, Texas

Y 8 YOUNGBLOOD’S TONIC BITTERS

YOUNGBLOOD’S / TONIC / BITTERS // sp // f // sp // 9 3/4 x 3 3/8 x 2 1/8 (7 1/2) 3/8 Rectangular, Amber, NSC, Applied mouth, 3 sp, Extremely rare From Galveston, Texas

Simmons’ American Hepattic Bitters

Navasota, Texas

S 106.5 SIMMONS AMERICAN HEPATTIC BITTERS

Texas Blood Purifier and Tonic Bitters

San Antonio, Texas

T 13.5 TEXAS BLOOD PURIFIER AND TONIC BITTERS

TEXAS / BLOOD PURIFIER // AND // TONIC BITTERS // R. L. SMITH / PROPRIETOR / SAN ANTONIO / TEXAS. // f // 9 7/8 x 2 3/4 (7 5/8) 3/8 Square, Amber, LTC, Extremely rare

T 14 TEXAS BLOOD PURIFIER AND TONIC BITTERS

T 14.5 TEXAS BLOOD PURIFIER AND TONIC BITTERS

TEXAS / BLOOD PURIFIER // AND // TONIC BITTERS // area with lettering removed showing plate mark with two round marks // R. L. Smith / 10 1/2 x 2 3/4 (7 1/2) 3/8 Square, Amber, LTC, Extremely rare

Dansby’s Cotton-Patch Bitters

Terrell, Texas

Robertson’s Tonic Bitters

Austin, Texas

R 80 ROBERTSON’S TONIC BITTERS

ROBERTSON’S / TONIC BITTERS // f // f // f // Dr. Joseph W. Robertson Austin, Texas 8 1/2 x 3 1/4 x 1 5/8 (6 1/2) Rectangular, Aqua, LTC, Metallic pontil mark, 1 sp, Extremely rare

Old San Jacinto Bitters

Galveston, Texas

Advertisement O 49.5 OLD SAN JACINTO BITTERS, S. H. Gilman, Galveston, Texas Samuel H. Gilman, Sole Patentee and Proprietor The Galveston Daily News, Saturday, May 14, 1870

Shoe String Bitters

Ferris, Texas

Trade card S 100.7 SHOE STRING BITTERS, Illustration of children and seesaw. Use S.S.B. Reverse: Ten reasons why Shoe String Bitters is the best medicine in the world. Prepared by A. J. Long, M.D., Ferris, Texas

Heidenheimer Bitters – Galveston, Texas

Sampson, Abraham and Isaac Heidenheimer

GALVESTON ISLAND

HEIDENHEIMER

HEIDENHEIMER BROTHERS | HEIDENHEIMER & CO.

SAMPSON HEIDENHEIMER BUILDING

The Heidenheimer Brothers Marine Building

HEIDENHEIMER CASTLE

CELEBRATED EAGLE BITTERS

LANGE & BERNECKER

ST LOUIS

(Julius Lange, Christian Knull and John L. Bernecker)

02 July 2013

C 94 CELEBRATED EAGLE BITTERS, Circa 1860’s

CELEBRATED / EAGLE BITTERS // LANGE & BERNECKER // sp // ST LOUIS // 9 x 2 3/4 (6 3/4) Square, Amber and Olive, LTC, 4 sp, Extremely rare

American Life Bitters – Omaha Variant Found?

Bottle Cap Container

Antique Bottles For Sale in New Hampshire

Question from Australia

Crate of Perrier Bottles

Urbana Wine Company Bottle Question

Antique cobalt blue poison bottle

J u l y 2 0 1 3

Some ramblings and thoughts.

Tuesday, 30 July 2013

Sunday, 28 July 2013

Thursday, 25 July 2013

Wednesday, 24 July 2013

Tuesday, 23 July 2013

Monday, 22 July 2013

Thursday, 18 July 2013

Tuesday, 16 July 2013

H 76 L…Heidelberg Phosphine & Magen Bitters (Magenbitters)
L. Eppstein & Son Fort Worth, Texas
9 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 (6 3/4)
Rectangular, Amber, DCM

YOUNGBLOOD’S / TONIC / BITTERS // sp // f // sp //
9 3/4 x 3 3/8 x 2 1/8 (7 1/2) 3/8
Rectangular, Amber, NSC, Applied mouth, 3 sp, Extremely rare
From Galveston, Texas

TEXAS / BLOOD PURIFIER // AND // TONIC BITTERS // R. L. SMITH / PROPRIETOR / SAN ANTONIO / TEXAS. // f //
9 7/8 x 2 3/4 (7 5/8) 3/8
Square, Amber, LTC, Extremely rare

TEXAS / BLOOD PURIFIER // AND // TONIC BITTERS // area with lettering removed showing plate mark with two round marks // R. L. Smith /
10 1/2 x 2 3/4 (7 1/2) 3/8
Square, Amber, LTC, Extremely rare

ROBERTSON’S / TONIC BITTERS // f // f // f //
Dr. Joseph W. Robertson Austin, Texas
8 1/2 x 3 1/4 x 1 5/8 (6 1/2)
Rectangular, Aqua, LTC, Metallic pontil mark, 1 sp, Extremely rare

Advertisement
O 49.5 OLD SAN JACINTO BITTERS, S. H. Gilman, Galveston, Texas
Samuel H. Gilman, Sole Patentee and Proprietor
The Galveston Daily News, Saturday, May 14, 1870

Trade card
S 100.7 SHOE STRING BITTERS, Illustration of children and seesaw. Use S.S.B. Reverse: Ten reasons why Shoe String Bitters is the best medicine in the world. Prepared by A. J. Long, M.D., Ferris, Texas

CELEBRATED / EAGLE BITTERS // LANGE & BERNECKER // sp // ST LOUIS //
9 x 2 3/4 (6 3/4)
Square, Amber and Olive, LTC, 4 sp, Extremely rare