2019 FOHBC 50th Anniversary National Antique Bottle Convention | Augusta, Georgia | Souvenir Program

Hotel and held at the adjacent Lexington Center, a wonderful venue with lots of space, great lighting and enthusiastic staff.

Events got under way on Friday, August 1, with a series of six seminars: Jerry McCann’s Mid 1800s, The Evolution of Bottles Through Fruit Jars; The History of ACL Soda Bottles in Kentucky and Beyond, by Randee Kaiser; Here’s to Beers, by Gary Beatty; FOHBC Virtual Museum Progress, by Ferdinand Meyer V and Steve Libbey; The History and Evolution of the Shaker Herb and Medicine Industries by Sheldon Baugh, and Ohio River Privy Digging by Jeff Mihalik. All were entertaining and educational.

This show was notable for a number of “firsts.” A ribbon cutting with Randee and Sheldon utilizing the oversized scissors (enough ribbon was left over for next year’s Chattanooga show and 2016’s Sacramento show) opened the showroom doors. There was an appraisal table in charge of Martin Van Zant (who became a Kentucky Colonel) and friends who saw a cool master ink, a Japanese balsam from Cincinnati, lots of Coca-Cola bottles, an aqua double eagle historical flask “and a ton of common stuff,” he said.

California antique bottle auctioneer Jeff Wichmann donated a cool $5,000 to be raffled in smaller segments. Scott Selenak, who has become the Federation’s chief photographer, recorded everything on his trusty digital cameras. Friday night’s banquet featured Michael “Mr. Bourbon” Veach as the guest speaker. He later signed copies of his book, Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey. Veach’s friend and co-author, Chet Zoeller, signed copies of his book, Bourbon in Kentucky,” on the show’s final day.

Since Lexington is home to the Kentucky Derby, it was appropriate that the Federation hold its own Run for the Roses. Instead of Thoroughbreds, the contest featured wax sealer fruit jars, scroll flasks and Midwestern swirl decanters. FOHBC member Chip Cable videotaped the bottles and projected each onto a large screen. Sue Kaiser tracked down the finishers: WIN: Midwestern Swirl Decanter - John Pastor, New Hudson, Mich.; Historical Scroll Flask - Steve Schingler, Braselton, Ga.; Wax Sealer Fruit Jar - Jerry McCann, Chicago, Il., PLACE: Midwestern Swirl Decanter - Tom Lines, Birmingham, Ala.; Historical Scroll Flask - John Pastor, New Hudson, Mich.; Wax Sealer Fruit Jar - Ryne Henrich, Crystal Lake, Ill., SHOW: Midwestern Scroll Flask - Dave Maryo, Victorville, Calif.; Historical Scroll Flask - Mike Henrich, Crystal Lake, Ill.; Wax Sealer Fruit Jar - Perry Driver, Live Oak, Fla. There were 13 educational displays running the gamut of subjects, with Tom Sproat’s 19th century glass-making tools winning the Federation’s Most Educational Award. Jim Hubbard’s outstanding display of Kentucky pocket flasks won the FOHBC Best of Show Award. Worth mentioning was Federation historian Dick Watson’s display tracing the history of the organization that started in 1969. Unfortunately, Dick and David Olson, of Carver, Mass., were involved in an automobile accident just minutes away from Dick’s New Jersey home while heading to Lexington. Happily, both have since recovered. Another novel idea was the fancy hat contest, won with a bottle-and horse-themed example worn by Leanne Peace. Capping the night’s activities was the “Thoroughbred Auction” conducted by Jim Hagenbuch.

2015 National Antique Bottle Show - Chattanooga, Tennessee The Federation found itself on the right track after picking Chattanooga as the perfect site for its Southern Region national show July 31-Aug. 2. So “Choo-Choo to Chattanooga” was the theme engineered by great graphics on the show’s logo showing an old-time steam engine. Chattanooga itself was made famous by the Glenn Miller tune “Chattanooga Choo-Choo” sung or hummed during the 1940s-50s: “Pardon me boys, is that the Chattanooga Choo-Choo?” Federation President Ferdinand Meyer V expressed it well in the lead of his main story in the September-October issue of BOTTLES and EXTRAS: “The train arrived in all of its glory, met us at the station, and carried its passengers on a grand three-day excursion in the great southern city of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

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