Willard’s Golden Seal Bitters – Taunton, Massachusetts

Posted on 2 February 2015 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Willard’s Golden Seal Bitters – Taunton, Massachusetts

01 February 2015 (R•110715)

I thought it might be a good idea to circle back and find out who A. L. Willard was from Taunton, Massachusetts. He was known best for his Willard’s Golden Seal Bitters. He used advertising cards to market his concoction and many of the them said that his bitters were a sure remedy for Dyspepsia, Indigestion, and Loss of Appetite. Many of his trade cards said, “A stitch in time saves nine” Everybody likes them and recommends them. Try them.”

“A stitch in time saves nine” Everybody likes them and recommends them. Try them.”

The Carlyn Ring and W.C. Ham listing in Bitters Bottles is as follows:

W 119 WILLARD’S GOLDEN SEAL BITTERS

WILLARD’S / GOLDEN SEAL / BITTERS // c //
A. L. Willard Druggist and Apothecary Weir Village, Taunton, Mass.
7 3/4 x 3 x 1 3/4 (5 1/2)
Oval, Aqua, NSC, Applied mouth and Tooled lip, Rare
Trade Cards available

A.L. Willard, Taunton, Mass. Jamaica Ginger bottle – eBay

Abel Lyman Willard

Abel Lyman Willard was born in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts on December 10, 1829 and was the Son of Samuel Willard and Charlotte Lincoln. He was married to Eliza Ann Lane and was the brother of Charles Willard.

Willard started his apothecary shop and drug store in Weir Village on West Water Street around 1855 in Taunton, Massachusetts. Taunton was settled in the 1600s along the Taunton River. Weir Village (also known as “The Weir”) is a village of the city of Taunton located about one mile south of the city center on the banks of the Taunton River, near the point where it becomes tidal. The village takes its name from fishing weirs which were placed across the Taunton River from pre-colonial times until the early 20th century, to catch herring (also known as “alewifes”). Taunton was an early manufacturing center for products made of iron. In the 1800’s, Taunton was an important railroad junction town with a number of industrial interests. The Mason Machine Works was established at Taunton by William Mason in the 1840’s. The company was a large employer of the community in the manufacture of textile mill machinery and railroad locomotives.

47 West Water Street was in Weir Village. A. L. Willard’s drug store would have been within the white rectangle on the opposite side of the street from the Taunton River.

Willard operated his drug store on West Water Street until he sold out to E. T. Borden & Co. in 1882. His primary seller was Willard’s Golden Seal Bitters. He sold the bitters for 38 cents a bottle or three bottles for a dollar. Later Willard would serve as a City Alderman in Taunton from 1877 to 1879 and again in 1882. He died in Taunton on April 26, 1892.

E. T. Borden & Co., Wholesale Druggists and Apothecaries, No. 47 West Water Street. A leading and representative Taunton house in its particular branch of commercial activity is that of Messrs. E. T. Borden & Co., druggists and apothecaries, at No. 47 West Water Street. The house was founded by A. L. Willard in the year 1859, and the present proprietors succeeded in 1882, and in the period elapsed, through the energy and executive ability devoted to its management, an extensive and prosperous business has been developed. The commodious salesroom is furnished in a style of appropriate elegance, and the stock of pure drugs, chemicals, surgical appliances, proprietary medicines, toilet and fancy articles stationery, etc, is large, comprehensive, and complete. Due care and attention are given to the compounding of physicians’ prescriptions and family remedies. The house has a large and lucrative city and suburban trade, and several clerks are kept busy in the transaction of the extensive general business. Messrs. E. T. Borden and A. H. Standish, composing the firm, are natives of Taunton and practical and skillful druggists, and in the able and popular conduct of their enterprise they have won the highest regard of both professional and business circles.

Leading Manufacturers and Merchants of Eastern Massachusetts, 1887

ADVERTISING TRADE CARDS

The “Spring”, “Summer”, “Fall”, and “Winter 4 card set is a subset of a 32 card group. The same 4 cards are repeated 8 times with different colored foregrounds and backgrounds. It has taken me 30 years to gather the entire group. It is a reminder to me of how these cards were collected by little children for their scrapbooks back in the 1880’s. Something like collecting your entire favorite baseball team cards for a particular year. – Joe Gourd

SPRING: Willard’s Golden Seal Bitters advertising trade card – Joe Gourd Collection

SUMMER: Willard’s Golden Seal Bitters advertising trade card – Joe Gourd Collection

FALL: Willard’s Golden Seal Bitters advertising trade card – Joe Gourd Collection

WINTER: Willard’s Golden Seal Bitters advertising trade card – Joe Gourd Collection

Willard’s Golden Seal Bitters advertising trade card – ebay

Willard’s Golden Seal Bitters advertising trade card – Joe Gourd Collection

Front Weir Junction: Willard’s Golden Seal Bitters advertising trade card – Joe Gourd Collection

Reverse Weir Junction: Willard’s Golden Seal Bitters advertising trade card – Joe Gourd Collection

Read about more Golden Bitters:

Golden Eagle Bitters – Augusta & New York

Golden Bitters on a Rainy Day

Dr. White’s Compound Golden Seal Bitters

The triangular Balsdons Golden Bitters – Early New York

Geo C Hubbel & Co – Unlisted Variant – Golden Bitters

Willard’s Golden Seal Bitters – American Bottle Auctions

Select Timeline

1829: A. L. Willard born in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts on December 10, 1829.

185o: A. L. Willard, Militia, Ashburnham, Massachusetts, 28 May 1850.

1855: A. L. Willard, age 26, druggist, wife Elisa A. Willard, Taunton, Mass. – Massachusetts, State Census, 1855

1855: A. L. Willard, apothecary, W. Water st., h First st. – Taunton, Massachusetts City Directory

1855: A. L. Willard marriage to Eliza Ann Lane on April 15, 1855

1857-1861: A. Lyman Willard, apothecary, 25 West Water also Samuel Willard, grocer, 37 West Willard – Taunton, Massachusetts City Directory

1859: A. L. Willard, Apothecary, 25 West Water – Taunton, Massachusetts City Directory

1866: A. L. Willard, apothecaries, Staples block, West Water – Taunton, Massachusetts City Directory

1877-1879, 1882: A. Lyman Willard, Alderman – History of Bristol County, Massachusetts

1878: Willard & Lane, Apothecary (A. Lyman Willard and A. F. Lane) 47 West Water – Taunton City Directory

1882: E. T. Borden & Co., Wholesale Druggists and Apothecaries, No. 47 West Water Street take over from A. L. Willard

1892: Death A. Lyman, Taunton, Massachusetts on April 26, 1892

Posted in Advertising, Apothecary, Bitters, Druggist & Drugstore, History, Medicines & Cures, Trade Cards | Tagged Abel, advertising, Apothecary, bitters, Bordon, cards, drug, Druggist & Drugstore, golden, Gourd, Lyman, Massachusetts, seal, Taunton, trade, Weir, Willard | Leave a comment

Is the Hunyadi Janos Saxlehner’s Bitterquelle a bitters bottle?

Posted on 1 February 2015 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Is the Hunyadi Janos Saxlehner’s Bitterquelle a bitters bottle?

01 February 2015 (R•020215)

No, the Hunyadi Janos Saxlehner’s Bitterquelle is not a bitters bottle so let’s get that out-of-the-way, right quick. Most new bitters collectors, including myself, remember seeing a Bitterquelle either at a bottle show or on eBay and wondering if this was a bitters bottle. Many of us were intrigued by the embossing on the bottom of the bottle but wondered why there were so many and why they rarely sold, and if so, for only a dollar to two.

I saw the top most images of the two young girls on a French advertising postal card on eBay and immediately liked it. Pretty cool art. This inspired this post. Let us look at the bottle first which is round and based embossed. By looking closely at the label you will see a Hunyadi Janos portrait and the words. “Natural Mineral Water”. So there you go, the Bitterquelle is a mineral or spring water and not a bitters.

Hunyadi Janos Bitterquelle

Andreas Saxlehner

The Hunyadi Janos Bitterquelle was made by the Andreas Saxlehner Mineral Spring Water Company of Budapest, Hungary. Notice how they cover both bases by saying “Mineral” and “Spring” water. Mr. Saxlehner made a fortune from his “bitterwater”, and built up a family palace on the Andrássy Avenue. He was born in Pest in 1815 and died in the unified city of Budapest in 1889. The Hunyadi Janos natural purgative water occupied a significant niche in the market of United States medicines and cures at the time of the Spanish-American War and was the inspiration of many copycats.

Read: On Beyond Holcombe: Andreas Saxlehner’s Hunyadi Janos Natural Mineral Water

The brand was named after Hunyadi Janos (John Hunyadi) (1407-1456), the 15th century Hungarian military hero renowned for driving the Turks out of the Balkans in his time, and lifting a Turkish siege of Belgrade shortly before his untimely death from plague. Buda had been known as a site for medicinal springs and baths even in Roman times, it was Saxlehner himself who bought the spring and the surrounding land in 1863 from the peasant who discovered the water’s healing properties.

Description of the Engraving. The spring from which the Hunyadi Janos Water is obtained is situated in a valley which belongs in its entirety to Mrs. Saxlehner, (Firm of Andreas Saxlehner, forming a closed-in estate of some 125 acres. Seen from the Dobogé mountain the establishment with its numerous buildings offers a magnificent coup d’oeil. In the foreground is seen the principal block. comprising the bottling rooms, along with the reservoirs into which the water is brought from the wells through underground pipes. The wells, which are upwards of a hundred in number, are securely covered in by wooden structures and are thus perfectly protected against all external influences. The bottles are filled by means of a specially-devised patent apparatus. When corked and capsuled the bottles are dispatched on small railways to the capacious magazines in the vicinity of the filling rooms. Immediately adjacent to this block is the machinery shed which provides the motive force for the manufacture of the packing cases as well as the packing material, in addition to driving the dynamos which serve to light up the whole factory. Immense stables, extensive coach-houses for the vehicles and fire extinguishing installation, a canteen for the workmen, store houses for empty bottles &c complete the establishment. A special branch of the railway places the establishment in direct communication with the station Budapest-Kelenfold. The bottles containing the water are thus dispatched direct from the spring to all parts of the world. – Hunyadi János Natural Purgative Water Drawn from Saxlehner’s Bitter-water By Andreas Saxlehner, Budapest

Marketed as an “aperient,” aka laxative, the mineral water claimed medicinal qualities, including “organic diseases resulting from a fatty degeneration,” for the organs of “respiration and circulation,” for “the evil consequences of indiscretion in diet,” and the keystone – helpful in relieving hemmorhoids.

The 24 ounce, dark-olive-green glass bottle is representative of the many “Bitterquelle” mineral water bottles found across the United States at the turn of the 20th century. Often recovered at historic sites, the Hunyadi Janos brand was a popular European import, and spurred many domestic knock-off brands. Most commonly found in the U.S. between 1870 and 1920 or so.

THE HUNYADI JANOS

NATURAL APERIENT WATER.

INTRODUCTION.

HUNYADI JANOS water has been a household word wherever the sun of civilization shines, for more than a quarter of a century. This fact in itself is a proof of its superior quality. The law of evolution holds good of mineral waters not less than of organised beings; in the struggle for life only the fittest survive. A worthless thing may be puffed into momentary notoriety, but a lasting reputation is acquired only by genuine merit. On its first introduction Hunyadi Janos at once took rank as the best among the waters of its class, and this position it has maintained ever since. Doctors proverbially differ, but when they do agree their unanimity is wonderful, and in nothing is this rare unanimity more strikingly displayed than in the emphatic verdict of approval which has been returned by the medical profession of all countries in regard to Hunyadi Janos Water. No remedy of its kind can show such an array of scientific testimony of the highest order in its favour; the very leaders in the medical world have borne witness to its supreme excellence. When we find men of such undisputed eminence in their several lines as Professor Rudolph Virchorv (clarum et oenerabile nomen), Professor Jas. Moleschott, of Rome; Professor vorz Esmarch, of Kiel; Professor Lombroso, of Turin; Dr. Chas. Fauvel, of Paris; Professor Frederick T. Roberts; Dr. Lewis A. Sayre, of New York; Professor William A. Hammond, late Surgeon General of the United States Army; Professor von Bamberger, of Vienna; Professor Varzlair, of Liege referring to Hunyadi Janos in warm and even enthusiastic terms, nothing more is needed to show that in point of medicinal properties it must be something quite out of the common. And these are only a few chosen almost at random from among living celebrities; a complete list of those who have spoken in praise the water would include almost all the foremost representatives of medical science in the Old World and the New. A still more convincing proof of the high estimation in which the Hunyadi Janos water is held by doctors is that they not only prescribe it to their patients, but they take it themselves, showing a degree of faith in its virtues that they by no means have in all medicines which they use.

Hunyadi János Natural Purgative Water Drawn from Saxlehner’s Bitter-water

By Andreas Saxlehner, Budapest

Label notice Hunyadi Janos Mineral Water – Hunyadi János Natural Purgative Water Drawn from Saxlehner’s Bitter-Water by Andreas Saxlehner, Budapest

Here are a couple of nice collateral pieces below.

From Bitters ephemera authority Joe Gourd

Ferd,

But wait there’s more…. Read your post with interest. But note that in the Bitters lists that I sent you, I identified a Saxlehner Huyadi Janos Bittersalzquelle as an unlisted bitters. This information was taken from the LABEL in the post card featured in your post. (I have the same card in my collection, see below). I was, however, mistaken in my identification. You were correct in saying that Bitterquelle is not a bitters. Turns out that Bittersalzquelle translates to EPSOM SALTS. (I will correct the list in the next version).

HOWEVER, I do believe that Hunyadi Janos did, in fact, manufacturer a Bitters. Look closely at the back of the trade card attached. They made a product called Saxlehner Huyadi Janos Naturliches Bitterwasser. (Until now, an unlisted Bitters). Says it’s good for constipation, What do you think?

Have a great day…………Joe

Posted in Advertising, Bitters, Bottling Works, Ephemera, History, Medicines & Cures, Mineral Water, Postage, Trade Cards, Water | Tagged Andreas, Aperient, Bitterquelle, bitters, Bottle, Buda, Budapest, card, French, Hungary, Hunyadi, Janos, Laxative, Mineral, postal, Saxlehner, spring, water | Leave a comment

Daily Dose | February 2015

Posted on 1 February 2015 by Ferdinand Meyer V

FEBRUARY | 2 0 1 5

Saturday, 28 February 2015

Tilton’s Dandelion Bitters post updated with new information.

Friday, 27 February 2015

Sorry, swamped with work. Heard from Pittsburgh collector Chip Cable on the Boerhaves Holland Bitters post. See Update with some very interesting material.

Design for Houston Antique Bottle Show flyer. Rumor has it that two big time bitters collectors from Oregon and Wisconsin will be visiting Peachridge and the show. Wouldn’t that be cool!

Saturday, 21 February 2015

Pretty Cool Canteen. Added to Historical Canteens – Canteen Figural Bottles. Not sure but maybe it prompted me to watch GETTYSBURG from The History Channel last night. Three most intensive, destructive and deadly days in American History. Directed by Adrian Moat. Check it out. Awesome. Very interesting segment on Marylanders fighting Marylanders.

Friday, 20 February 2015

Working on this art for “The Battle of Chattanooga” Bottle Competition. (Colored, Sauces (peppersauce, ketchup, durkees, oyster, etc.) and the Best Bottle South of the Mason Dixon Line. Visit Show Page.

Wednesday, 18 February 2015

WOW WOW WOW: Hey Ferd, see if this Bitters smokes your socks? I recently acquired this bottle from Bitters collector Howard Crowe. It is a “Russ’ St. Domingo Bitters” New York. It is a vivid grass green. My pictures do not do this bottle justice to say the least. Howard says he has never seen another Domingos in this color either at a show or in an auction. He acquired the bottle through Jim Hagenbach’s Auction in early 1990s. This bottle has a 60 year pedigree. 1960s & 70s Tip Boyd, Leavittsville, Ohio. Elvin Moody,
Wellington, Ohio 70 & 80s. Chris Batdorf, Manastee, Michigan 80s. Howard Crowe 90s until 2015. Now proudly in the Beatty collection. – Gary (Beatty)

PS: I forgot to say Howard Crowe is from Gold Hill, NC. Would you please include that as I listed the whereabouts of this bottle over the years with the other collectors. Thanks, Gary

Read: Russ’ St. Domingo Bitters – New York

Tuesday, 17 February 2015

We have the “Our Own Southern Bitters” in house for the auction. Attached you will find our photos. Maybe an announcement on the site?? Thanks, Jim (Jim Daniel with Daniel Auctions, Official FOHBC Chattanooga National Auctioneer.

Read: Our Own Southern Bitters – Memphis

Read: More on C.H. Ebbert & Co’s OUR OWN SOUTHERN BITTERS

Monday, 16 February 2015

Price’s Aromatic Stomach and Tonic Bitters post updated with advertising from 1870 and 1871. Thanks to Corey Stock.

Hey Ferdinand, here’s a bottle that I’ve had laying around. Thought I’d send you a picture of it. I believe it to be a newer machine made bottle but still cool with original label and packaging – Martin Van Zant

PRG: This appears to be unlisted Martin.

Saturday, 14 February (Valentines Day) 2015

G’day Ferdinand, Thought you might like to see a couple photos of a rare bitters I bought at auction last week in Australia. Apparently it was dug at a bottle depot site near the docks in Melbourne here & would date from late 1880s-early 1890s?

It’s a strange looking thing and stands very tall !! I think they also come in green but I’ve never seen another white one before.

Cheers =)
Simon Cronk
Australia

Friday, 13 February 2015

Well today is Friday the 13th! Hope you do not have paraskevidekatriaphobia. Not sure how to pronounce it? NPR offers this handy audio guide.

Anybody happen to notice that McKelvy’s Stomach Bitters that appeared and was sold in a snap on Jeff Wichmann’s American Bottle Auctions Sale Page? His description: McKelvy’s Stomach Bitters, Applied top, with Wm McC & Co. 8 7/8”. (M 59). Here’s a rare bottle that also comes in a true blue. We are only aware of two selling at auction, the other example was aqua. This has the applied top and was made at McCully Glass Works in Pittsburgh. A super condition example, really no distractions to speak of, we happened on a grouping of very rare aqua bitters. Grades a 9.7.

Thursday, 12 February 2015

Stoudt’s Dandelion Bitters mentioned on matches. First for me. From the Joe Gourd Collection. This would be S 206.5 in Bitters Bottles and noted as a 7 3/4 inch tall rectangular, cobalt blue, screw top bottle.

Tuesday, 10 February 2015

Down in Greenville and Asheville SC today for business. A nice part of the country. Glad I am not in Boston with all their snow!

Received the following very interesting e-mail from Peter Schaf who allowed me to share. This guy really has it covered for Abbott’s Bitters.

Dear Mr. Meyer,

Thank you for your very informative site! I very much appreciate the work that you have done and the stories and photos often continue to fuel my life-long passion for antique bottles and glass.

My passion for bottles finally brought me to the spirits industry, where I partnered with an old friend (who is also a bottle collector), to create a company dedicated to finding or recreating lost liqueurs, bitters and vermouths for craft bartenders and enthusiasts, originally specializing in absinthe.

Over many years, we had amassed a collection of Abbott’s Bitters bottles and antiques and set upon a quest to recreate it, based on its tremendous popularity in cocktails up to the 1950’s.

You can find our story and some of our research at: abbottsbitters.com

As you are a native of Baltimore, where the Abbott’s company was located, I might imagine that this maker could have some personal interest for you as well.

Although we have considerable documented information and antiques concerning Abbott’s, we have had a difficult time finding the truth regarding the founding and closure of the company. We also have not found an original bitters recipe from C. W. Abbott or know of any existing, although there is one person claiming to have found a 1860’s recipe signed by a member of the Abbott family that he is claiming to be the original recipe. For several reasons, we have our doubts.

Through research of US census reports and Baltimore City directories, it would appear that some of the early history and founding dates of the company, and the original release of a product called ‘Abbott’s Angostura Bitters’, may have been partially fabricated or presented in a misleading fashion in Abbott’s marketing. Yes, imagine that from a 19th century bitters maker!

We also cannot find a definitive date of the closure, nor conclusive reason for the product’s demise (though many have concluded it was the FDA banning of one of the assumed ingredients Tonka Bean, that we aren’t convinced was ever even in the product). I have my own theories, based on the long-running legal feud between Abbott’s and Siegert’s Angostura Bitters’ original US representative, J. W. Wupperman on the use of the word ‘Angostura’ in the product’s name.

We have also never seen an original bottle or label of Abbott’s Angostura Bitters (without the post -1899 Pouring Man image on it) with the label similar to Siegert’s Angostura Bitters.

Read at PRG: Abbott’s Aromatic Bitters – A Later Bitters with Class

Read at PRG: The Wizard of Oz and Angostura Bitters

Read at PRG: Looking at the Morning Star Bitters – Baltimore

My question for you is, if I may ask, do you have any historical documentation on Abbott’s Bitters that you might like to share, outside what you have on your site, or have you ever come across early (pre-1890) bottles or labels from C. W. Abbott such as the one on the 1898 invoice or 1901 envelope on your site? Based on the Baltimore City business directory, we are fairly convinced that Abbott’s father, C. F., first started working at the existing Morning Star Bitters company, founded around 1865, in the 1870’s, eventually bought it and transferred it to his son, C. W. by the beginning of the 1880’s., where the named was changed to C. W.. Abbott & Co. This would contradict the dates often seen on Abbott’s invoices, labels and crates, etc., at least, in the sense that the C. W. Abbott Company and the product named C. W. Abbott’s Angostura Bitters had been created/founded in 1865, or 1872.

We also don’t know of any information that gives a definitive closure date for this company in Baltimore, sometime in the 1950’s.

In full disclosure, we have created what we think is a very close replica of Abbott’s Aromatic Bitters and are presently selling it. We did not take on this project lightly, nor purely for profit, as the research and attention to detail encompassed all our passion for history and antique bottles.

I should point out that the Abbott’s Bitters label on your site is actually one of our early label prototypes for the modern product. There was no recipe for the Manhattan Cocktail on the original label, and you will notice that it reads PETALUMA, CA and not BALTIMORE, MD on the left side. If you were not already aware, we are flattered that you might have confused our work for that of an original label or that you would include ours on your site. We had no intention to deceive anyone, (we now own the ‘Abbott’s Bitters’ trademark and could legally work under the d.b.a. of C. W. Abbott, but chose not to) we also changed the CW Abbott signature on the lower right side to TF Spirits. There is some consternation that we did trademark the name, but we were not the first to try to trademark it in modern times (in 2002, by the Sazerac Company, though they failed and produced no final product under any name), and eventually, if it could be done by another company, it would have been.

We are surrounded by many modern products that carry original names that are hardly a shadow of their original specs or intentions and are proud to protect the integrity of the original quality of the bitters and its artwork.

Excuse me for this lengthy e-mail, should it not be of interest to you, especially since in the world of bottle collecting, Abbott’s Bitters bottles are not at all ‘stars’. However, I felt that if someone could shed more light for our studies, and as I eventually would like to write a book on this history, I would look to a fellow bottle collector of your esteem, knowledge and connections, for your input.

Thank you very much for your time.

all the best,

Peter Schaf

www.tfspirits.com

www.granclassico.com

www.abbottsbitters.com

U.S. Importer: Anchor Distilling Co.

www.anchorsf.com

Facebook:

Troia Schaf – Tempus Fugit Spirits

Abbott’s Bitters

Twitter:

@TFSpirits

@AbbottsBitters

Monday, 09 February 2015

Working on some supplemental art for the FOHBC 2016 National Antique Bottle Convention in Sacramento, California as I need an image for the showing on the FOHBC Show Page.

Of the previous color work, this logo above seemed to get the most favorable votes from the bottle collecting populace. Need to run this all by the board and Show Chair. Let me know what you think.

Saturday, 07 February 2015

Ferdinand: I thought you might enjoy the enclosed photo which shows my great-grandfather Lieutenant John Joseph Jolly standing on a wooden aerial with the men under his command in front of Ladder 6 in 1913 next to the S. Rosenthal store. A friend of mine saw your post and knew of my photo, and sent your link to me. I have no doubt my great-grandfather and his men enjoyed some of the spirits sold therein.

Regards

John S. Jolly
Columbia, MD

Read: A pair of S. Rosenthal & Co. NYC bottles

Friday, 06 February 2015

Sad news. Just learning of bottle collector Steve Bird’s death. That is Jerry Forbes on the left and Steve on the right in Auburn in 2012.

Jeff Wichmann sales (Store Page)seems to have gone over well yesterday with the noon PST opening. Quite a few bottles were sold. The site was a little sluggish but no crash. Jeff adds, “We added some extra gigs to the RAM so it’s moving faster.”

Joe Gourd submits the following, “Good morning Ferd, Came across this photo of an early snake oil salesman in an eBay auction today. Not quite a “Bitters” item for my collection but a really cool card. Wonder who he was? Have a great day………” Joe

http://www.ebay.com/itm/c1868-OCCUPATIONAL-TRIUMPHANT-TINCTURE-QUACK-MEDICINE-BITTERS-SNAKE-OIL-SALESMAN-/221683106818?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item339d57c402

Thursday, 05 February 2015

From Jeff Wichmann: If You Aren’t Doing Anything Thursday… You might check out our “For Sale” page. We will add a new grouping of bottles at 12:00 noon, different shapes, and colors and in almost every category. We painstakingly searched the world looking for the finest and rarest gems for our favorite people on earth; our customers! We hope there are some bottles you like and please, if you have any questions, call or email us. Our aim is to please so set your alarm for 12:00 noon Pacific Standard Time. Thursday February 5th at 12:00 Noon PST. As I check the website now I get…..

Error establishing a database connection

Ok, 4 minutes until the new bottles go on. Site is working fine. I’m in-between meetings so I can actually try right at 2:00 CST. We’ll see what happens!

Wednesday, 04 February 2015

The Dandelion Bitters post from Utica, NY was updated. Apparently John H. Sheehan also was promoting a DeWolf’s Dandelion Bitters.

Abel Da Silva reports 3 nice bottles at Invaluable.com

http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/flora-temple-glass-1-quart-flask-double-stamped-17-c-4cb462cbec

http://www.invaluable.com/catalog/viewLot.cfm?lotRef=00f4dd0bde&scp=c&ri=43&wtchLt=true

http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/two-glass-flasks-one-in-olive-green-with-masonic-316-c-b1c415990c

Latest FOHBC Board meeting notes posted here. Notes of Record

Tuesday, o3 February 2015

Hunyadi Janos Saxlehner’s Bitterquelle post updated with some insigne from Joe Gourd. Maybe Saxlehner really did put out a bitters? Back to Post

Looks like the Bond’s Dandelion Bitters from Ft. Wayne, Indiana may be unlisted? Here is an 1868 advertisement. Post in development.

Monday, 02 February 2015

Wow, what a game last night. So easy to second guess. Nice family event for us. Had fun and good food.

Bill Ham reports, “Ferdinand: There is a rare variant of the OLD HICKORY BITTERS on ebay. I got images to make drawings from the listing. It is the O 33 which doesn’t have drawings in the books.” – Bill

Heard about this bottle at last years Houston Antique Bottle Show: Read: An unlisted Old Hickory Celebrated Stomach Bitters – New Orleans

Sunday, 01 February 2015 (aka Superbowl Sunday)

Pick-em’. Tough choice. Looking forward to game. Working in a couple areas today. Bottles and Extras first draft review. Post on Willard’s Golden Seal Bitters and Hunyadi Janos Saxlehners Bitterquelle. Isn’t that a great marketing image below for this mineral water product which is often confused for a bitters.

Posted in Advice, Daily Dose, News | Leave a comment

Golden Bitters on a Rainy Day

Posted on 31 January 2015 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Golden Bitters on a Rainy Day

31 January 2015

Just a simple post today as I look outside and prepare for the next front. It will rain for a day or so. I thought I would share some pictures of an aqua Golden Bitters by George C. Hubbel & Co. that looks at wet and rainy as could be. No, I just did not wash it, the storm is within the glass. Notice the extreme character of the glass which includes amber striations. I have included another of my Golden Bitters (clear day version) below for comparison.

Read: Geo C Hubbel & Co – Unlisted Variant – Golden Bitters

Golden Bitters (clear day) – Meyer Collection

RAINY DAY

Posted in Bitters, Photography | Tagged bitters, bubbles, character, day, golden, Meyer, rain, striation | Leave a comment

Golden Eagle Bitters – Augusta & New York

Posted on 29 January 2015 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Dr. Tutt’s Golden Eagle Bitters – Augusta & New York

William H. Tutt

29 January 2015

Back in August 2011, I had the opportunity to visit with Mike Newman and his extraordinary bottle collection outside of Augusta, Georgia. You can read three historical posts below where I tried to capture the depth and quality of his rooms of wonderful bottles:

Read: Mike Newman Bottles – Downstairs

Read: Mike Newman Bottles – Upstairs Sodas

Read: Mike Newman Bottles – Upstairs Flasks

Tutt’s Golden Eagle Bitters (left) and Old Carolina Bitters – Newman Collection

During this visit I had the chance to see two extraordinary bitters, that being the Dr. Tutt’s Golden Eagle Bitters and the Old Carolina Bitters. Both are pictured above, standing proudly together.

Read: 2 XR Augusta and Charleston Square Bitters Spotted

I followed up on the Old Carolina Bitters (read post). Today we are going to follow up on the Dr. Tutt’s Golden Eagle Bitters. All of the pictures in this post are from Mike Newman and they were recently provided to Bill Ham who is updating the Dr. Tutt’s Golden Eagle Bitters listing for the forthcoming Bitters Bottlers Supplement 2.

Tutt’s Golden Eagle Bitters in yellow and an amber bottle base – Newman Collection

Tutt’s Golden Eagle Bitters in amber bottom and yellow example – Newman Collection

Tutt’s Golden Eagle Bitters in amber bottom and yellow example – Newman Collection

Tutt’s Golden Eagle Bitters neck detail – Newman Collection

Tutt’s Golden Eagle Bitters bottom detail – Newman Collection

Tutt’s Golden Eagle Bitters neck and mouth detail – Newman Collection

Amber Tutt’s Golden Eagle Bitters shard detail – Newman Collection

Amber Tutt’s Golden Eagle Bitters shard detail – Newman Collection

Amber Tutt’s Golden Eagle Bitters shard detail – Newman Collection

Picture Comments from Mike Newman

“You noticed a broken example next to my good yellow one. I dug this bottle with Augusta, Georgia embossed on it many years ago. There is only one perfect example known, which was purchased for $4,000 over twenty-five years ago by Walter Smith. I had always assumed (incorrectly) that the only difference between the two was the city embossing on a third panel. After comparing them this morning, I see that the embossed panels are in an entirely different order. I am sending some photos, which should show the difference. It turns out that Augusta, GA is embossed on the panel opposite of Golden Eagle Bitters, where Dr. Tutt’s was embossed on my example. The Dr. Tutt’s embossing now shows up on the third panel between Golden Eagle Bitters and Augusta, GA. The variant without Augusta, GA embossed typically comes in a medium amber color, with my example being the only one known in a honey yellow color. I am guessing that there are maybe a half dozen undamaged examples known without the city name. My bottles measures 9 1/4 inches in height with a 2 1/2 inches by 2 1/2 inches square base. The neck is 2 inches long, meaning it measures 7 1/4 inches from base to where neck begins.”

The present Carlyn Ring and W.C. Ham listing in Bitters Bottles and Bitters Bottles Supplement is as follows:

T 71 f // DR. WM. H. TUTT’S // f // GOLDEN EAGLE / BITTERS //
9 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 (6 1/4) 3/8
Square, Amber, LTC, Applied mouth, 2 sp, Extremely rare.

T 71.7 DR. WM. H. TUTT’S // AUGUSTA, GA// GOLDEN EAGLE / BITTERS // f //
9 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 (6 1/4) 3/8
Square, Amber, LTC, Applied mouth, 3 sp, Extremely rare.
Same as T 71 except AUGUSTA, GA. appears on a third panel.

Bill Ham will be updating the listings when some additional measurements are obtained. The new entry for the forthcoming Bitters Bottles Supplement 2 will direct to the “T” section for “TUTT’S” as one might suspect that this might have originally be cataloged under “G” for “GOLDEN”.

GOLDEN EAGLE / BITTERS

See DR. WM. H. TUTT’S GOLDEN EAGLE BITTERS

Dr. William Henry Tutt

William H. Tutt was born in Augusta, Georgia on August 31, 1823 and was a wealthy druggist and prominent physician in the south. He would graduate from the Augusta Medical College and later amass a sizable fortune as he became a manufacturer of patent medicines in both Augusta and New York City.

W.H. Tutt & Land Druggist, Augusta, GA Bottles

W. H. Tutt & Land Druggists, Augusta, GA bottles – Bill Baab Collection

W. H. Tutt & Land Druggists advertisement, 1870 (Augusta)

He would sell his concoctions by using well-placed advertisements in national newspapers for Dr. Tutt’s Liver Pills, Dr. Tutt’s Expectorant, Dr. Tutt’s Sarsaparilla and Queens Delight (pictured above), Dr. Tutt’s Improved Hair Dye and of course Dr. Tutt’s Golden Eagle Bitters, the main topic of this post. A few of those advertisements from New York are represented below.

Tutts_Goldsboro_Messenger_Mon__Apr_21__1873_

Various Dr. Tutt’s products being sold from his New York address – Goldsboro Messenger, Monday, April 1, 1873

Tutts_The_Atlanta_Constitution_Thu__Jan_21__1875_

Dr. Tutt’s Vegetable Liver Pills and Dr. Tutt’s Expectorant advertisement – The Atlanta Constitution , Thursday, January 21, 1875

Wm. H. Tutt & Land Wholesale Druggists, 264 Broad Street, Augusta Georgia advertising envelope, circa 1870 – philbansner.com

Dr. Tutt first started in the drug business in Augusta in 1850 or so and soon moved to 264 Broad Street taking on Robert Henry Land as a partner with Wm. H. Tutt & Land – Druggists. Dr. Tutt remained in the drug business until he moved to New York City in 1873 and engaged in the manufacture of proprietary medicines on a larger and broader scale. While in New York he retained his Augusta drug business as W. H. Tutt & Remsen. This was probably his wife’s father or brother as Dr. Tutt married Miss Harriet Remsen Bell in 1847. Although most of Tutt’s concoctions appeared to be manufactured in his New York plant, many bear Augusta’s name, indicating strong personal ties with his place of birth. Dr. Tutt moved his family back to Augusta in 1888 but continued his business in New York until he sold it in the mid 1890s.

W. H. Tutt Wholesale Druggist, Augusta, Georgia – 500 cases of Golden Eagle Bitters – Southern Watchman (Athens, Georgia) December 28, 1870

The Dr. Tutt’s Golden Eagle Bitters with the Augusta embossing was most likely made first, probably in 1869 or 1870. It is extremely rare. The advertisement above shows 500 cases available of Dr. Tutt’s Golden Eagle Bitters, along with 100 cases each of Hostetters and Plantation Bitters.

The Bon Air Hotel that was opened by Dr. Tutt in Augusta on the “Hill” in 1892

On May 28, 1888 Tutt purchased the four acre Hillside estate of Mrs. Anna McKinne Winter in Augusta for $12,500. He would then build the Bon Air, as a summer retreat from New York for his family. This expansive four story Victorian inspired architecture would next become a winter resort for eastern millionaires and was named The Bon Air Hotel, opening on December 2, 1889, on the “Hill” overlooking Augusta. Tutt was also instrumental in the development of the Augusta Canal. Dr. Tutt would die on March 15, 1898 in Augusta but is remembered today.

TuttsGoldEag_The_Sumter_Watchman_Wed__May_25__1870_

Tutt’s Golden Eagle Bitters advertisement –The Sumter Watchman, Wednesday, May 25, 1870

Tutts_The_Daily_Phoenix_Tue__Mar_15__1870_

Tutt’s Golden Eagle Bitters advertisement – The Daily Phoenix, Tuesday, March 15, 1870

Tutts_Edgefield_Advertiser_Thu__Oct_31__1872_

Tutt’s Golden Eagle Bitters and some other popular bitters being sold – Edgefield Advertiser, Thursday, October 31, 1872

TuttsPills_The_Tarborough_Southerner_Thu__Apr_28__1898_

A very late Tutt’s Pills advertisement – The Tarborough Southerner, Thursday, April 28, 1898

Select Listings:

1823: William H. Tutt born in Augusta, Georgia, August 21, 1823.

1847: Dr. William H. Tutt marries Miss Harriet Remsen Bell of Lincoln County.

1854: Dr. W. H. Tutt, Druggist – The Southern Business Directory and General Commercial Advertiser

1859: William H. Tutt, member Augusta, Georgia City Council

1860: W. H. Tutt, Apothecary, age 37, Augusta Ward 1, Richmond, Georgia – United States Federal Census

1870: Tutt & Land, Druggists, Augusta, Georgia

1872-1874: William H. Tutt, Patent Medicines, 18 Platt – Goulding’s Business Directory of New York

1877: W. H. Tutt & Remsen (William H. Tutt and Rem Remsen), res. Elizebeth New Jersey, druggist, 264 Broad – Shoals’ Directory of the City of Augusta

1878: William H. Tutt, pills, 35 Murray – New York City Directory

1882: W. H. Tutt & Remsen (William H. Tutt and Rem Remsen), ret druggist, 812 Broad – Augusta, Georgia City Directory

1883: William H. Tutt, drugs, 35 Murray – New York City Directory

1898: Dr. William H. Tutt death (see below) March 15, 1898.

Posted in Apothecary, Bitters, Druggist & Drugstore, History, Medicines & Cures, Postage, Sarsaparilla, Tonics | Tagged Augusta, Baab, bitters, Bon Air, Druggist & Drugstore, drugs, Eagle, expectorant, golden, Ham, hill, Hotel, Land, Medicine, New York, Newman, Patent, pills, Remsen, Sarsaparilla, Tutt, William | Leave a comment

Tilley’s Summum Bonum Bitters – West Haverstraw, N.Y.

Posted on 26 January 2015 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Tilley’s Summum Bonum Bitters – West Haverstraw, N.Y.

26 January 2015 (R•031215)

New York Central train station in Haverstraw, New York

The first thing I wondered here was why “Summum bonum” would be embossed on the Tilley’s Sunnum Bonum Bitters bottle from West Haverstraw, New York. Actually this was not my first thought. My first thought was being amazed that this bottle even showed up on Jeff Wichmann’s American Bottle Auctions Sale Page page. It sold in the blink of an eye to some lucky purchaser as the ABA web site locked up and I could not secure the bottle. Boy-oh-boy is this bottle rare. Only one recorded shard exists and there is scant information in Bitters Bottles.

“Summum Bonum Quod Est Magia, Cabalae, Alchymae et Artis,” 2004 Lithograph, 31 x 24 3/4 inches Edition of 20 Collaboration with Robert Williams Courtesy Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York

Summum bonum is a Latin expression meaning “the highest good”, which was introduced by Cicero, to correspond to the Idea of the Good in Ancient Greek philosophy. The summum bonum is generally thought of as being an end in itself, and at the same time as containing all other goods.

West Haverstraw is a village incorporated in 1833 in the town of Haverstraw, Rockland County, New York. It is located northwest of Haverstraw village, east of Thiells, south of the hamlet of Stony Point, and west of the Hudson River.

A partial Carlyn Ring and W.C. Ham listing in Bitters Bottles is listed below as only a fragment exists of this extremely rare bitters (see above). We can now update this information.

T 29 TILLEY’S SUMMUM BONUM BITTERS

TILLEY’S / SUMMUM BONUM BITTERS / WEST HEVERSTRAW, N.Y. //
Known from aqua fragment, Extremely rare
7″ tall

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

T 29 TILLEY’S / SUMMUM BONUM BITTERS / WEST HAVERSTRAW. N.Y. // sp // f // sp //
7 x 2 3/16 x 1 1/4
Rectangular, Aqua, NSC, Tooled lip, 3 sp, Extremely rare

TILLEY’S SUMMUM BONUM BITTERS WEST HAVERSTRAW, N.Y. Tooled top, 7”. (T 29) Here’s a bitters that is listed in Ring/Ham as being so rare only pieces have survived. There could have been others to appear however, nonetheless it is still extremely rare. Not a purple or green however, just an aqua medicine looking tooled top bitters that would fit in with any rare bitters collection. Condition is terrific, both sides of the panels are pushed in and the bottle appears quite crude. Grades a 9.7. – American Bottle Auctions Sale Page

Tilley Candidates

I am really having a hard time tying this bottle to a specific person in New York. West Haverstraw is a tiny town and this bitters was only made for a short run as can be surmised from no surviving examples. Here below are a few Tilley candidates. I suspect I may get some help solving this one so stay tuned.

Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley, PC, KCMG (May 8, 1818 – June 25, 1896) was a Canadian politician and one of the Fathers of Confederation. Tilley was descended from United Empire Loyalists on both sides of his family. As a pharmacist, he went into business as a druggist. He was 13 in 1831 when he left to live in Portland with relatives and apprentice as a druggist in adjoining Saint John. In May 1838, a certified pharmacist, he went into partnership with a cousin, Thomas W. Peters, to open Peters and Tilley, “Cheap Drug Store!” When Peters retired in 1848 it became Tilley’s Drug Store, one of the more successful commercial operations in the city. By 1860 politics had taken over Tilley’s life, however, and he sold the business.

1889: Cedar Hill, The ice house for Tilley & Littlefield is well under way. – The Enterprise, Altamont, N.Y. October 12, 1889

1892: Allen’s “Commercial Organic Analysis,” vols, i-and ii. Tilley, 131 Albert Road, Middlesborough. – Oct. 15, 1892 THE CHEMIST AND DRUGGIST SUPPLEMENT

1898: C. E. Tilley, the druggist who assigned some six weeks since, and whose store on Reading Road was sold out, has obtained a position in the Board of City Affairs, Cincinnati – The Pharmaceutical Era, Volume 19

1900: Tilley and Littlefield noted as an ice house along the Hudson on the Albany County side. Producing 70,000 lbs of ice in 1900. – The Rockland County Times, Haverstraw, New York, December 29, 1900

Case Solved

Marianne Dow sent in the following Tilley Summum Borum (Bonum) Bitters Company advertisement that led to finding a second listing for Tilley’s Sonnum Borum Bitters. From these, we can see that J. B. Tilley organized the company in New Berlin, N.Y. and sold the bitters in 1900.

The Tilley Summum Borum (Bonum) Bitters Company at New Berlin, N.Y. – Paint, Oil and Drug Review, Chicago, Wednesday, July 18, 1900

Another listing for the company.

J. B. Tilley of New Berlin has organized a company announcement – De Ruyter Gleaner, Thursday, January 11, 1900

TILLY’S / SUMMUM BONUM BITTERS / WEST HAVERSTAW, N.Y.”, (Ring/Ham, T-29), New York, ca. 1880 – 1890, aqua, 7”h, smooth base, tooled lip. Two in manufacturing horizontal cooling stress fissures are located about midpoint in the neck, otherwise in perfect ‘attic’ found condition According to Bitters Bottles by Ring/Ham, this bottle is ‘known from an aqua fragment’, extremely rare. Here’s your chance to own the entire bottle! Summum Bonum is a Latin expression meaning ‘The Highest good’! – Glass Works Auctions | Auction 106

Posted in Bitters, History, Medicines & Cures, Questions | Tagged bitters, Bonum, Dow, Haverstraw, New Berlin, New York, Summum, Tilley, Wichmann | Leave a comment

Dr. B. L. Bull’s Vegetable Bitters – Racine, Wisconsin

Posted on 25 January 2015 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Dr. B. L. Bull’s Vegetable Bitters – Racine, Wisconsin

25 January 2015 (R•012615)

Here is another tough-to-find bitters that showed up and was snapped-up in moments on Jeff Wichmann’s American Bottle Auctions Sale Page. The Dr. B. L. Bull’s Vegetable Bitters is from Racine, Wisconsin and is embossed, “D.B.V.M.C.” which means, “Dr. Bull’s Vegetable Medicine Company”. Take a look at the typography as the gothic typestyle is very odd for a bitters. You will also see an extremely rare sample size in this post. The listing in Bitters Bottles from Carlyn Ring and W.C. Ham is as follows:

B 259 DR. B. L. BULL’S VEGETABLE BITTERS

DR. B. L. BULL’S / VEGETABLE BITTERS // f // D.B.V.M.C. / RACINE, WIS. // f // b // I.C.C.O. //
9 x 2 3/4 (6 3/4) 3/8
Square, Amber, LTC, Tooled lip, Rare

B 258.5 DR. B. L. BULL’S VEGETABLE BITTERS (sample size)

DR. B. L. BULL’S / VEGETABLE / BITTERS // f // D.B.V.M.C. / RACINE, WIS. // f //
4 1/8 x 1 3/8 (3) 1/4
Square, Amber, LTC, Tooled lip, Extremely Rare

DR. B. L. BULL’S / VEGETABLE BITTERS D.B.V.M.C. / RACINE, WIS. IC Co. on base. (B 259) Tooled top. A tidy bitters but nonetheless pretty hard to find. We are aware of only two selling in the past. You have to admit it’s a pretty brightly colored bottle and has the serif lettering, someone gave it a good try. Be the first one on your block to bring home the Bull’s. Has some minor roughness on panel edge, we’ll show you in video. Grades a 9.0. – American Bottle Auctions Sale Page

DR. B. L. BULL’S VEGETABLE BITTERS D.B.V.M.C. Spinner (Click Image or Here) – Steven Libbey Collection

Dr. B. L. Bull’s Vegetable Bitters Racine, Wis. (sample size) This is a rare sample size bitters bottle with heavy text embossing in an interesting font. It also comes in a grown up (quart) size. It is embossed D.B.V.M.C. RACINE (stands for Dr. Bulls Vegetable Medicine Co.) and “DR. BULL’S VEGETABLE BITTERS” on the opposite panel. It has a tooled lip. – MrBottles.com

Dr. B. L. Bull’s Vegetable Bitter advertising trade card – Bitters Bottles Supplement

MEYER v. DR. B. L. BULL VEGETABLE MEDICINE COMPANY – United States Courts of Appeals Reports: Cases Adjudged in the United States Circuit Court of Appeals, Volume 18, 1895 – By Samuel Appleton Blatchford (Read)

Adolph Carl Meyer v. Baxter L. Bull

The Dr. Bull’s brand is confusing here because there are other Dr. Bull medicines out there including Dr. Bull’s Cough Syrup from Baltimore, E. Bull’s Luxury Bitters from Louisville, Kentucky and Dr. Bull’s Compound Cedron Bitters, also from Louisville. As noted, this bottle is embossed Dr. B. L. Bull from Racine, Wisconsin. Read: Dr. John Bull and Louisville at that time

In 1855 or so, in Baltimore, Maryland, Dr. John W. Bull began the manufacture and sale of a cough remedy known as “Dr. Bull’s Cough Syrup,” which was put up in packages of a characteristic form and appearance. Dr. Bull was first listed as a druggist and was in business until the early 1870s when he sold the rights to his patent medicines to August Vogeler and Adolph C. Meyer eventually of A. C. Meyer & Co. (see pics below) Read: So who is A.C. Meyer?

DR. J. W. BULL’S COUGH SYRUP A.C. MEYER & CO. BALTO. MD U.S.A. – eBay

DR. J. W. BULL’S COUGH SYRUP A.C. MEYER & CO. BALTO. MD U.S.A. – eBay

Around 1888, the Dr. B. L. B. V. M. Co. prepared and sold a cough syrup in a wrapper of a different color from A.C. Meyer and marked and designated “Dr. B. L. Bull’s Celebrated Cough Syrup”. A.C. Meyer caught wind of this. A rather grand court case occurs when A.C. Meyer sues the Dr. B. L. Bull’s Vegetable Medicine Company.

This suit was brought by Adolph Carl Meyer against the Dr. B. L. Bull Vegetable Medicine Company, to restrain the defendant from using in connection with the manufacture and sale of an article or remedy the designations “Bull’s Cough Syrup,” “ Bull’s Celebrated Cough Syrup,” “Dr. B. L. Bull’s Celebrated Cough Syrup,” or “ Dr. B. L. Bull’s Cough Syrup,” and from using certain labels which the defendant was using. The complainant derived its title to the trade-marks “Dr. Bull’s Cough Syrup” and “Bull’s Cough Syrup,” which it claimed were infringed, by various mesne assignments from one Dr. John W. Bull, who in 1855 began the manufacture and sale at Baltimore of a certain remedy having the characteristics of a cough syrup, to which remedy he gave and applied the name and designation “ Dr. Bull’s Cough Syrup,” used it as a trade-mark, and printed it on a certain form of label. Further facts are stated in the opinion and in the statement made by the court.

Select Listings

1846: Baxter L. Bull, Birth Nov 1844 in New York

1880: Baxter L. Bull, Physician, age 34, Racine, Wisconsin – United States Federal Census

1885: B. L. Bull, Physician, 835 Park Avenue – Racine, Wisconsin City Directory

1890: Dr. B. L. Bull’s Vegetable Medicine Company (B.L. Bull), mnfrs. Dr. Bull’s Vegetable remedies, 1013 State – Racine, Wisconsin City Directory

1892: Baxter. L. Bull, Physician, 719 Villa – Racine, Wisconsin City Directory

Read about some other Wisconsin bitters:

Ritz’s Juniper & Wild Lemon Bitters – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Indian Blood Bitters – Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

Sunny Castle Stomach Bitters – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

With and without the words Monopole Bitters

McManman’s Celebrated Stomach Bitters – Milwaukee

Dr. Mampe’s Herb Stomach Bitters from Oshkosh

Unlisted Dr. Bourbon’s Aromatic Forest Bitters

Dr. Warren’s Universal Tonic Bitters – Fond du Lac

Young America or Young Frankenstein?

Posted in Bitters, History, Legal, Medicines & Cures, Miniatures | Tagged Baxter, bitters, Bull, case, Court, John, legal, Libbey, Meyer, Racine, Vegetable, Wichmann, Wisconsin | Leave a comment

This Chestnut Grove applied seal whiskey is a personal favorite

Posted on 25 January 2015 by Ferdinand Meyer V

This Chestnut Grove applied seal whiskey is a personal favorite

25 January 2015

You never know what is going to happen or what you might see in bottle collecting. Yesterday I was monitoring some Facebook posts and I received a communication from Rick Ciralli, pictured above, and his glass revelation.

Folks, I have been known to take some good pics of bottles and glass. Vicki got me a new Canon EOS Rebel T3 and I love it. Earlier today after the snow stopped, I started taking some pics in my office, no sun, no flash, natural light. This Chestnut Grove applied seal whiskey is a personal favorite. I took a shot of the seal….LOOK AT IT CAREFULLY, OMG ! It’s a glass revelation!! In the middle of the seal, I see an owl perched on a rocky ledge. Mountains in the background, to its left, looks like a couple of critters next to each other looking down, to its right and down, I see a demijohn! I swear I’m not under any influence and I didn’t slip and hit my head! Am I nuts? Please tell me what you see and think, put the creative cap on for a moment…….Peachridge Glass check this out – Rick Ciralli

LOOK AT IT CAREFULLY, OMG !

Throughout the day the numerous entertaining responses from the Early American Glass Facebook page collecting populace grew. I thought I would share a few of my favorites that were accompanied by images.

Michael George – Wait… I think I see it!

Rick Ciralli – OK Critters, see if you can see what I see?

John April – Look right above the “s” in whiskey on Ricks seal photo, see the pointed ears ? This is what i see.

Michael George – Go deeper into the seal… Deeper… You will see a heavily medicated Rick being pushed around by his nurse!

Eric Richter – I don’t know about y’all, but I see Cheng and Eng.

Brian Wolff – …and I see Janey and Tommy and Billy and Sue

Eric Richter – Ha!

Eric Richter – Couldn’t resist.

PRG – This thing has gone global. Just picking this up from one of the Middle East bottle clubs.

Paul Joseph Goodwin – This changes everything!

Posted in Art & Architecture, Early American Glass, Humor - Lighter Side, Photography, Questions, Whiskey | Tagged April, Canon, Chestnut, George, Goodwin, mountains, owl, photography, Richter, Rickm Ciralli, Whiskey, Wolff | Leave a comment

Frederick’s Great Remedy – The American Star Bitters

Posted on 24 January 2015 by Ferdinand Meyer V

Frederick’s Great Remedy – The American Star Bitters

24 January 2015

On February 23, 1866, George P. Frederick may have opened his morning newspaper with coffee and a biscuit only to read with interest the following lines titled “The American Star“. So moved, he may have decided to name his new great remedy, the American Star Bitters.

THE STAR OF AMERICA

We have the “Star of Hope” and the “Star of Destiny,” the North Star and the “Star the Evening,” the “Lone Star-ry Hour” many a “bright, particular star;” not to mention the “stars that sang together” and number less galaxies that hang in the heavens of Poesy. But a fair young friend, not less gifted than patriotic sends us the following original lines on:

THE AMERICAN STAR

The form may be manly and lofty the brow
On which the gold coronet securely rests now;
Brilliant the gildings surrounding the throne
Where millions abide ‘neath the sceptre of one.
But what gem in the West gleams so fair from afar?
Tis the beacon of FREEDOM – th’ American Star!

Its rays flash abroad o’re ocean’s grand waves –
At home it sheds light on thousands of braves,
Whose deeds and whose valor have won them a name
Recorded in honor on the tablets of fame:
Whose noble impulses, in peace or in war,
Will shield the proud splendor of th’ American Star.

Guard it, ye freemen! for bitter the woe
Attending the onset, if ye yield to the foe;
Protect it in glory, and ne’er let it fall
From its Zenith of splendor, the highest of all.
Then its lustre so shining no traitor can mar,
Nor dim the bright beauty of th’ American Star.

Ballville, Feb. 12th, 1868. LYDIA

Fremont Journal, February 23, 1866

The American Star, Ballville, Feb. 12th, 1866 – Lydia – Fremont Journal (Sandusky, Ohio), February 23, 1866

FredAmerStar_The Vinton record., August 01, 1867

Frederick’s American Star Bitters advertisement – The Vinton Record (Vinton, Ohio), Thursday, August 1, 1867

AmStarBit_The_Vinton_Record_Thu__Aug_1__1867_

Frederick’s American Star Bitters advertisement – The Vinton Record (Vinton, Ohio), Thursday, August 1, 1867

DearSir_Williamsport_Sun_Gazette_Thu__Apr_16__1868_

G.P. Frederich testimonial for Williamsport Commercial College – Williamsport Sun Gazette, Thursday, April 16, 1868

LightningReliefHarrisburg_Telegraph_Wed__Sep_2__1868_

Frederick’s Great Medical Wonder of the World – Lightning Relief – Harrisburg Telegraph, Wednesday, September 2, 1868

FredAmerStarBittersR_Harrisburg_Telegraph_Thu__Oct_29__1868_

Frederick’s American Star Bitters advertisement – Harrisburg Telegraph, Thursday, October 29, 1868

Top Flag Image: 30 Stars, 1848-1851. This well made and attractive parade flag of 30 stars pre-dates the Civil War and is very rare. This style of printed parade flag, which consists of a medallion pattern with a double wreath of stars, four corner stars, and a large haloed center star, was produced in several star counts, up to and including 42 stars, but the earliest of the type is the 30 star variation shown here. The coloration on this flag, despite being 160 years old, remains vibrant and bold. The flag commemorates Wisconsin’s statehood and is among the earliest of all printed parade flags. – RareFlags.com

Of course Frederick did not have a monopoly on using a star. Many businesses used a star in their logo such as Star Flooring and Planing Mill in Cincinnatti around the same time period. Lot’s of bitters products with stars too such as Maynard’s Star Bitters, Steele’s Niagara Star Bitters and Morning Star Bitters to name few. Remember, this is right after the Civil War that tore apart our nation. The star symbolized unity and was patriotic.

George P. Frederick

With scant information, we can place George P. Frederick as a druggist in Pomeroy, Ohio and 1867 and Northumberland, Pennsylvania in 1870. The census record for that year shows him to be 40 years old saying he was born in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania.

In 1867 and 1868, he advertised his “Great Remedy”, “American Star Bitters” in Pomeroy, OH and Harrisburg, PA. He said is was first discovered and used by Professor Love in 1852 in the East Indies curing thousands of sick souls in Calcutta, Bombay and the surrounding country. Mr. Frederick claimed to obtain Professor Love’s recipe in 1863 in Havana, Cuba where the professor was also saving thousands of lives during the rage of Cholera. He also claimed that Dr. Ferguson of the Medical University of Edinburg, Scotland said, “of all the unofficial preparations that I am acquainted with, I know of none equal to American Star Bitters”. Frederick also sold “Lighting Relief” and called it “Frederick’s Great Medical Wonder of the World”. Mr. Frederick died in Homer City, Indiana, Pennsylvania in 1913. This bitters seems to be unlisted in the Bitters Bottles books by Carlyn Ring and Bill Ham

Select Listings

1865: George P. Frederick, Frankfort, Pennsylvania, The Quaker City Business College

1867: Frederick’s American Star Bitters advertisement (see above), G.P. Frederick, Sole Proprietor, Principle Depot, Front street, between Court and Lin, Pomeroy, Ohio – The Vinton Record (Vinton, Ohio), Thursday, August 1, 1867

1870: G. P. Frederick, druggist, age 40, born 1830 in Pennsylvania, living Northumberland, Northumberland, Pennsylvania – United States Federal Census

Posted in Advertising, Bitters, Druggist & Drugstore, History, Medicines & Cures, Remedy | Tagged american, bitters, Cholera, Dr. Ferguson, Druggist & Drugstore, East Indies, edinburg, Frederick, George, Harrisburg, love, Northumberland, ohio, Pennsylvania, Pomeroy, Professor, Remedy, Star | Leave a comment

Belmont Tonic Herb Bitters – Philadelphia

23 January 2015 (R•053017)

If you are wondering why I have used cigar label art above when I am writing about the Belmont Tonic Herb Bitters, it is because Benjamin Labe was primarily a tobacco dealer in Philadelphia who took up a very brief moment in time to put out a bitters product. The Carlyn Ring and W.C. Ham listing in Bitters Bottles is as follows:

B 63 Belmont Tonic Herb Bitters

BELMONT / TONIC HERB BITTERS // ESTABLISHED / 1840 // BENJAMIN LABE & CO / PHILADELPHIA // f //
9 5/8 x 2 5/8 (7 1/4) 3/8
Square, Amber, LTC, Very rare

This is another extraordinary bitters that Jeff Wichmann had on his American Bottle Auctions For Sale page, also for just a very brief moment in time, like 5 minutes as that was how fast it sold. I might rate this bitters extremely rare. I have not seen an example before. Jeff’s wonderful pictures are below. Notice the Carlyn Ring sticker.

BELMONT TONIC HERB BITTERS ESTABLISHED 1840 BENJAMIN LABE & CO. PHILADELPHIA (B 63). 9 ½”. Applied top, smooth base. This bitters is listed as very rare and so far we haven’t come across one selling publicly. It’s an orange amber, light to medium pretty much. Pictures are right on and the top and bottle are fairly crude. Probably a mid-1880’s bottle. Condition is great with really no problems to report. Glass is pretty thick, base has the Carolyn Ring sticker. Grades a 9.7. – American Bottle Auctions | Sale Page

Mouth detail BELMONT TONIC HERB BITTERS – American Bottle Auctions | Sale Page

Base detail – BELMONT TONIC HERB BITTERS with Carlyn Ring Collection sale sticker – American Bottle Auctions | Sale Page

Second Example “BELMONT / TONIC HERB BITTERS – ESTABLISHED / 1840 – BENJAMIN LABE & Co / PHILADELPHIA”, America, probably 1873 – 1875. Bright, light golden amber, square with beveled corners, applied sloping collar – smooth base, ht. 9 ½”; (just a little spotty light interior residue or faint haze, otherwise very near mint). R/H #B63. Extremely rare. Only two recorded sales in the past 25 years. Benjamin Labe was a tobacco dealer in Philadelphia. – American Glass Gallery

There is scant information on Benjamin Labe other than that he was born in Bavaria Germany on 28 November 1839. Both his parents were German and his father was named Jacob. He probably came to America like many German’s fleeing the political climate and revolution and settles in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The earliest business listing I could find for Benjamin Labe was when he was selling liquor on Front Street in the City of Brotherly Love in 1870. The following year he is a partner at Newbold Labe & Co. at 219 S. Front and selling liquor on his own at 337 N. Front. In 1873, his directory listing says he is selling bitters. This would be our date for making and selling the brand though the bottle is embossed “Established 1840“. This is odd. Where did Belmont Bitters come from? It certainly wasn’t from Benjamin who was born a year earlier.

By 1876, Mr. Labe is selling tobacco. In 1879 and 1880, Jacob Loeb & Co. (Joseph Loeb & Benjamin Labe) are selling tobacco at 62 N. Front Street. He next brings on his son Jacob and the company is called Benjamin Labe and Son. Later his other son Sydney joins him and it is Benjamin Labe & Sons selling tobacco. Benjamin Labe dies in 1893 and his sons carry on the tobacco business deep into the second decade of the 1900s.

As a side note, I did find a reference to General Frank Cheatham’s Belmont Bitters in Nashville in 1870 in the advertisement below. This is a different, and possibly unlisted brand though bitters collectors are probably aware of the great and extremely rare General Frank Cheatham’s Bitters in a semi-cabin form (see above). These could be the same bitters. Possibly another story.

BelmontBitters_Nashville_Union_and_American_Thu__Oct_13__1870_

General Frank Cheatham’s Belmont Bitters listing – Nashville Union and American, Thursday, October 13, 1870

Select Listings

1839: Benjamin Labe born in Rhine Bavaria Germany on 28 November 1839. Father Jacob Labe.

1870: Benjamin Labe, liquors, 219 S. Front, 64 N. Front, – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania City Directory

1871-1872: Newbold Labe & Co., (prob J. Lowndes Newbold and Benjamin Labe), liquors, 219 S. Front, 337 N. Front Benjamin Labe, liquors- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania City Directory

1873: Benjamin Labe & Co. (Benjamin Labe), bitters, 127 N. Front – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania City Directory

1874: Benjamin Labe & Co. (Benjamin Labe), liquors, 127 N. Front – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania City Directory

1876: Benjamin Labe, tobacco, 56 N. 2nd – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania City Directory

1879-1880: Jacob Loeb & Co. (Joseph Loeb & Benjamin Labe), tobacco, 62 N. Front – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania City Directory

1892: Fire at Benjamin Labe & Son resulting in loss of stock notice (see below) – The Times, Monday, March 28, 1892

Fire at Benjamin Labe & Son resulting in loss of stock – The Times, Monday, March 28, 1892

1895: Benjamin Labe & Son have the Cincinnati Drug and Chemical Company on a bill exchange for $701.35 – The Pharmaceutical Era, Volume 13

1900: Benjamin Labe & Sons, tobacc0 (Benjamin, Jacob & Sidney Labe), 231 N. 3rd –Boyd’s Co-partnership and Residence Business Directory of Philadelphia City

1900: Benjamin Labe, merchant, age 61, born in Germany in 1839, wife Harriet, sons Sydnet and Darvin, Philadelphia Ward 20, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – United States Federal Census

1906: Death Benjamin Labe at 68 years old.

1910: Heavy Tobacco Deals notice (see below), 600 cases of tobacco sold to Benjamin Labe & Bro.. – The Citizen, Honesdale, Wayne Co., PA., Wednesday, November 2, 1910

Heavy Tobacco Deals notice, 600 cases of tobacco sold to Benjamin Labe & Bro.. – The Citizen, Honesdale, Wayne Co., PA., Wednesday, November 2, 1910

1914: Benjamin Labe & Sons, Wholesale Tobacc0 (Jacob & Sidney Labe), 236 N. 3rd –Philadelphia, Pennsylvania City Directory

Read about some more great Philadelphia Bitters

National Bitters – Schlichter & Zug – Philadelphia

The XR Dr. Kreitzer’s German Stomach Bitters – Philadelphia

Dr. J.R.B. McClintock’s Dandelion Bitters – Philadelphia

The beautiful and triangular S (star) C Brown’s Herb Bitters

Posted on 23 January 2015 by Ferdinand Meyer V | Leave a comment

Willard’s Golden Seal Bitters – Taunton, Massachusetts

01 February 2015 (R•110715)

“A stitch in time saves nine” Everybody likes them and recommends them. Try them.”

W 119 WILLARD’S GOLDEN SEAL BITTERS

WILLARD’S / GOLDEN SEAL / BITTERS // c // A. L. Willard Druggist and Apothecary Weir Village, Taunton, Mass. 7 3/4 x 3 x 1 3/4 (5 1/2) Oval, Aqua, NSC, Applied mouth and Tooled lip, Rare Trade Cards available

Abel Lyman Willard

Leading Manufacturers and Merchants of Eastern Massachusetts, 1887

ADVERTISING TRADE CARDS

Select Timeline

1829: A. L. Willard born in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts on December 10, 1829.

185o: A. L. Willard, Militia, Ashburnham, Massachusetts, 28 May 1850.

1855: A. L. Willard, age 26, druggist, wife Elisa A. Willard, Taunton, Mass. – Massachusetts, State Census, 1855

1855: A. L. Willard, apothecary, W. Water st., h First st. – Taunton, Massachusetts City Directory

1855: A. L. Willard marriage to Eliza Ann Lane on April 15, 1855

1857-1861: A. Lyman Willard, apothecary, 25 West Water also Samuel Willard, grocer, 37 West Willard – Taunton, Massachusetts City Directory

1859: A. L. Willard, Apothecary, 25 West Water – Taunton, Massachusetts City Directory

1866: A. L. Willard, apothecaries, Staples block, West Water – Taunton, Massachusetts City Directory

1877-1879, 1882: A. Lyman Willard, Alderman – History of Bristol County, Massachusetts

1878: Willard & Lane, Apothecary (A. Lyman Willard and A. F. Lane) 47 West Water – Taunton City Directory

1882: E. T. Borden & Co., Wholesale Druggists and Apothecaries, No. 47 West Water Street take over from A. L. Willard

1892: Death A. Lyman, Taunton, Massachusetts on April 26, 1892

Is the Hunyadi Janos Saxlehner’s Bitterquelle a bitters bottle?

01 February 2015 (R•020215)

Hunyadi Janos Bitterquelle

THE HUNYADI JANOS

NATURAL APERIENT WATER.

INTRODUCTION.

Hunyadi János Natural Purgative Water Drawn from Saxlehner’s Bitter-water

By Andreas Saxlehner, Budapest

From Bitters ephemera authority Joe Gourd

FEBRUARY | 2 0 1 5

Saturday, 28 February 2015

Friday, 27 February 2015

Saturday, 21 February 2015

Friday, 20 February 2015

Wednesday, 18 February 2015

Tuesday, 17 February 2015

Monday, 16 February 2015

Saturday, 14 February (Valentines Day) 2015

Friday, 13 February 2015

Thursday, 12 February 2015

Tuesday, 10 February 2015

Monday, 09 February 2015

Saturday, 07 February 2015

Friday, 06 February 2015

Thursday, 05 February 2015

Error establishing a database connection

Wednesday, 04 February 2015

Tuesday, o3 February 2015

Monday, 02 February 2015

Sunday, 01 February 2015 (aka Superbowl Sunday)

Golden Bitters on a Rainy Day

31 January 2015

RAINY DAY

Dr. Tutt’s Golden Eagle Bitters – Augusta & New York

William H. Tutt

29 January 2015

Picture Comments from Mike Newman

T 71 f // DR. WM. H. TUTT’S // f // GOLDEN EAGLE / BITTERS // 9 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 (6 1/4) 3/8 Square, Amber, LTC, Applied mouth, 2 sp, Extremely rare.

T 71.7 DR. WM. H. TUTT’S // AUGUSTA, GA// GOLDEN EAGLE / BITTERS // f // 9 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 (6 1/4) 3/8 Square, Amber, LTC, Applied mouth, 3 sp, Extremely rare. Same as T 71 except AUGUSTA, GA. appears on a third panel.

GOLDEN EAGLE / BITTERS

See DR. WM. H. TUTT’S GOLDEN EAGLE BITTERS

Dr. William Henry Tutt

Select Listings:

Tilley’s Summum Bonum Bitters – West Haverstraw, N.Y.

26 January 2015 (R•031215)

T 29 TILLEY’S SUMMUM BONUM BITTERS

TILLEY’S / SUMMUM BONUM BITTERS / WEST HEVERSTRAW, N.Y. // Known from aqua fragment, Extremely rare 7″ tall

T 29 TILLEY’S / SUMMUM BONUM BITTERS / WEST HAVERSTRAW. N.Y. // sp // f // sp // 7 x 2 3/16 x 1 1/4 Rectangular, Aqua, NSC, Tooled lip, 3 sp, Extremely rare

Tilley Candidates

Case Solved

Dr. B. L. Bull’s Vegetable Bitters – Racine, Wisconsin

25 January 2015 (R•012615)

B 259 DR. B. L. BULL’S VEGETABLE BITTERS

DR. B. L. BULL’S / VEGETABLE BITTERS // f // D.B.V.M.C. / RACINE, WIS. // f // b // I.C.C.O. // 9 x 2 3/4 (6 3/4) 3/8 Square, Amber, LTC, Tooled lip, Rare

B 258.5 DR. B. L. BULL’S VEGETABLE BITTERS (sample size)

DR. B. L. BULL’S / VEGETABLE / BITTERS // f // D.B.V.M.C. / RACINE, WIS. // f // 4 1/8 x 1 3/8 (3) 1/4 Square, Amber, LTC, Tooled lip, Extremely Rare

Adolph Carl Meyer v. Baxter L. Bull

Select Listings

Read about some other Wisconsin bitters:

WILLARD’S / GOLDEN SEAL / BITTERS // c //
A. L. Willard Druggist and Apothecary Weir Village, Taunton, Mass.
7 3/4 x 3 x 1 3/4 (5 1/2)
Oval, Aqua, NSC, Applied mouth and Tooled lip, Rare
Trade Cards available

T 71 f // DR. WM. H. TUTT’S // f // GOLDEN EAGLE / BITTERS //
9 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 (6 1/4) 3/8
Square, Amber, LTC, Applied mouth, 2 sp, Extremely rare.

T 71.7 DR. WM. H. TUTT’S // AUGUSTA, GA// GOLDEN EAGLE / BITTERS // f //
9 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 (6 1/4) 3/8
Square, Amber, LTC, Applied mouth, 3 sp, Extremely rare.
Same as T 71 except AUGUSTA, GA. appears on a third panel.

TILLEY’S / SUMMUM BONUM BITTERS / WEST HEVERSTRAW, N.Y. //
Known from aqua fragment, Extremely rare
7″ tall

T 29 TILLEY’S / SUMMUM BONUM BITTERS / WEST HAVERSTRAW. N.Y. // sp // f // sp //
7 x 2 3/16 x 1 1/4
Rectangular, Aqua, NSC, Tooled lip, 3 sp, Extremely rare

DR. B. L. BULL’S / VEGETABLE BITTERS // f // D.B.V.M.C. / RACINE, WIS. // f // b // I.C.C.O. //
9 x 2 3/4 (6 3/4) 3/8
Square, Amber, LTC, Tooled lip, Rare

DR. B. L. BULL’S / VEGETABLE / BITTERS // f // D.B.V.M.C. / RACINE, WIS. // f //
4 1/8 x 1 3/8 (3) 1/4
Square, Amber, LTC, Tooled lip, Extremely Rare

BELMONT / TONIC HERB BITTERS // ESTABLISHED / 1840 // BENJAMIN LABE & CO / PHILADELPHIA // f //
9 5/8 x 2 5/8 (7 1/4) 3/8
Square, Amber, LTC, Very rare