B&e marapr 2008r

Vol. 19 No. 2

www.FOHBC.com

March-April 2008

The official publication of the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors

Bottles and Extras

Bottles and Extras

March-April 2008

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The Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors

Bottles and Extras

Vol. 19 No. 2

March-April 2008

No. 176

Table of Contents Bottle Buzz................................................2 At Auction......................................................4 Recent Finds..............................................6 FOHBC Officer Listing 2006-2008............7 President’s Message...................................8 Regional Reports........................................9 The Dalbey Jar Jeff Wichmann.............................16 Charles Frank: In the Horn Saloon Garth Ziegenhagen.....................17 The Wade Insulator David Merck....................................18 Jimmy Carter & Billy Carter: Bottle Collector & Can Collector Cecil Munsey...................................20 Capstan’s Applied Color Tumblers Barry Bernas.......................................23

Crowned Heads of Germany Pauline Fitzsimmons & Joan Turco.....26 The People’s Favorite Bitters Jeff Wichmann............................28 Pottery of the Eastern U.S. Mark Zipp......................................29 The Dating Game: Wm. Frank & Sons The Bottle Research Group................32

The Atterbury “Frog on Rocks” Covered Dish David Schepps...........................46 “The Bad Boys of Balitmore” & Monticello Rye Jack Sullivan.........................49 Lorenzo Dow Eric McGuire...............................52 Fortune Chevalier and the Picture Castles Ben Kutzkey...................................57

A Look at the Capstan Glass Fluted Tumber Series Barry Bernas...................................37

Target Balls Mike O’Malley..............................60

Pisgah Forest Pottery: A Step Back In Time Lindsay Lancaster..........................40

Poisonland: Coffin Poison Bottles Mike Dickman..........................62

Save Those Boxes Charles Harris...................................41

Membership Directory Additions................64

“Inked” & “FRS” Cecil Munsey.......................................44

Membership Information.........................65 Classified Ads and Ad Rate Information...66 FOHBC Show-Biz Show Calendar Listings............68

Don’t miss an issue - Please check your labels for expiration information.

WHO DO I CONTACT ABOUT THE MAGAZINE? CHANGE OF ADDRESS, MISSING ISSUES, etc., contact the business manager: June Lowry, 401 Johnston Ct., Raymore, MO 64083; Ph: (816) 318-0160 or E-mail: osubuckeyes71@aol.com To ADVERTISE, SUBSCRIBE or RENEW a subscription, see PAGES 65-66 for DETAILS. To SUBMIT A STORY, send a LETTER TO THE EDITOR or have COMMENTS and concerns, Contact: Kathy Hopson-Sathe, Bottles and Extras Editor, 341 Yellowstone Drive, Fletcher, NC 28732 Phone: (423) 737-6710 or E-mail: kathy@thesodafizz.com BOTTLES AND EXTRAS © (ISSN 1050-5598) is published bi-monthly (6 Issues per year) by the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors, Inc. (a nonprofit IRS C3 educational organization) at 401 Johnston Court, Raymore, MO 64083; Ph: (816) 318-0160; Website: http://www.fohbc.com. Periodicals Postage Paid at Raymore, MO 64083 and additional mailing office, Pub. #005062.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Bottles and Extras, FOHBC, 401 Johnston Court, Raymore, MO 64083; Ph: (816) 318-0160. Annual subscription rate is: $30 or $45 for First Class, $50 Canada and other foreign, $65 in U.S. funds. The Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors, Inc. assumes no responsibility for products and services advertised in this publication.

The names: Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors, Inc., and Bottles and Extras ©, are registered ® names of the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors, Inc., and no use of either, other than as references, may be used without expressed written consent from the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors, Inc. Certain material contained in this publication is copyrighted by, and remains the sole property of, the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors, Inc., while others remain property of the submitting authors. Detailed information concerning a particular article may be obtained from the Editor. Printed by J-2 Printing, North Kansas City, MO 64116.

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March-April 2008

Bottle Buzz

News, Notes, Letters, etc.

Send Buzz Notes to: Kathy Hopson-Sathe at: kathy@thesodafizz.com or write: Buzz Notes, 341 Yellowstone Drive, Fletcher, NC 28732

NumisMaster: Worldwide Coin Collecting Destination In its first six months as a fully operational coin collecting portal, NumisMaster.com, had visitors from 169 different countries NumisMaster features three items of regular interest to coin collectors: -International coin information, including photos, pricing and other statistics, derived from the Standard Catalog of World Coins line of price guides. These guides cover world coin values from 1600 to date, as well as unusual world coins.

-News from the editors of World Coin News, which has featured coverage of market trends and coin issues from around the world for more than 30 years.

-Blogs from world coin experts such as David Harper, Tom Michael and Colin Bruce.

------------------------------------“ELIXIR OF DEATH” That was supposed to be the title of the article that appeared in the January-February 2008 issue of Bottles and Extras on page 32.

Lack of the intended title was a small error, however, compared to the article’s content that was not the most updated version. As the result of a mix-up that happened because the author, Cecil Munsey, had been working on the history of ethylene glycol in proprietary medicines for two years and we had both the 2006 version and the updated 2007 version article in the files. You guessed it. The earlier version (had been laid out months before publication and) was published when the newer version was intended.

In talking with Cecil about the misstep, he offered to send to anybody interested, the current version of “Elixir of Death.” To receive a copy, just write to Cecil at his email address cecilmunsey@cox.net and indicate you want the 2007 version of “Elixir of Death.”

Since the article was published, more incidents of the use of ethylene glycol (usually in cough medicines) have surfaced.

Below is one that amazes: Last year, a 24-year-old Italian tourist appeared at an Australian hospital emergency room, having consumed a large quantity of ethylene glycol, a common ingredient in antifreeze that can cause kidney failure.

Standard medical treatment often involves giving the patient pure 100 percent medicinal alcohol, which inhibits the effects of ethylene glycol. But the emergency room doctors quickly ran out of medicinal alcohol and switched to a more readily available alternative – a vodka drip.

The tourist recovered.

------------------------------------From Bill Lockhart and the BRG: The Bottle Research Group is going deeper into the study of Graham Glass Co. codes. Mike Elling (Sharon, Tenn.) provided an early interpretation of what the various letters and numbers meant, and it is still the basis for everything we are finding. Mike sent out our discovery (compliments of Bill Porter, the Coke bottle expert) that the P, Q, R, and S were date codes (NOT the “P” in “OP” at the beginning of the codes) for 19161919.

We are trying to expand on our list, so I am asking everyone I can to get more examples of Graham codes. Mike has sent the ones for Chero bottles. If any of you have any other bottles with Graham marks, we would appreciate your sharing the information.

Thanks, Bill Lockhart ------------------------------------Think your collection is covered by your homeowner’s policy? Think again!

CI Services announced a partnership with Metropolis Collectibles (www.metropoliscomics.com) to offer insurance specially designed for collectors to Metropolis’ customers.

The partnership idea was sparked when one of Metropolis’ customers suffered a loss and found their homeowners insurance did not adequately cover their collection. “Most

Bottles and Extras collectors think they are covered by their homeowners insurance,” says Annemarie, sales director, “however in most cases, homeowners’ is designed to cover personal property and is not nearly enough to protect your collection.”

As well as providing information about collectibles insurance to customers through their website and eNewsletter, Metropolis Collectibles will provide the valuable information after customers have purchased an item for their collection. “Very often our customers ask for advice on how and where they should insure they’re collections. Every collector should be asking that question, and I’m very happy to say that our website now points them in the right direction,” stated Ben Smith, VP. After clicking an ad or the “get an insurance quote” option in their shopping cart, customers go directly to get an instant estimate for their collection.

Additional information: Homeowners insurance usually limits three things: 1. Personal property coverage to a percentage of the residence value; 2. Personal property while it is away from your residence; and 3. The amount payable for theft of valuable items like silver, crystal, guns and stamps.

Even if your collection is covered, you may not be able to make a claim unless you have your collection listed on a schedule.

Claims settlement may be based on actual cash value rather than the replacement value of the collectible. Finally, losses caused by flood, hurricane and earthquake may not be covered under the terms of your homeowner’s policy.

If you are utilizing your homeowner’s policy to cover your collectibles, be sure to call your agent or insurance representative to discuss the coverage available under your policy. Put your understanding of the coverage in writing and request a written acknowledgement and comments.

What to look for in a policy: The best way to protect yourself is with a separate policy specifically designed to insure collectibles. Seven important areas to consider are: 1. Blanket coverage. Broader and more comprehensive than named peril insurance, blanket coverage provides for most causes of loss unless specifically excluded.

2. Thorough coverage. Some carriers break coverage for crime down into three

Bottles and Extras types: burglary, theft and robbery. Be sure your policy provides coverage for all three types of crime. If you live in an area prone to natural disasters like earthquake, hurricanes or floods, consider a policy that covers these types of losses. In general, look for a policy that provides coverage for natural catastrophes when available.

3. Travel coverage. Sooner or later you will need to travel with your collectibles.

Your collectible policy should allow you to travel with a portion of your collection.

4. Shipping and mailing coverage. Today more and more collectibles are being purchased on the Internet. Make sure your coverage is worldwide and allows use of shippers such as FedEx and UPS and the U.S. Postal Service registered or express mail.

5. Automatic increases. Some policies provide for additions to your collection or increases in value by offering an automatic coverage increase provision. This is especially important for active collectors or collectibles that appreciate rapidly.

6. Appraisal requirements. Your insurance carrier should not require an appraisal—which can be costly and burdensone—unless the collectibles are very unusual or valuable. You should estimate and record the value of your collectibles utilizing your original purchase records, and other services such as price guides and grading services.

7. Scheduling requirements. Look for a policy that only requires you to list individual items over a certain value.

Although a schedule may not be required at time of purchase, you should keep an inventory of your collection including purchase records and pictures/video. (See “Preparing for a claim.”)

How to determine the value of your collection: Make sure your collectibles are not valued at cost or depreciated value; in most cases collectibles appreciate rather than depreciate in value. Collectibles should be valued for insurance purposes at replacement value, or the cost of acquiring similar quantities and quality of collectibles.

Not sure what your collection is worth?

There are a number of free and for-fee online resources you can use as starting points, including Kovels.com, WhatsItWorthtoYou.com (also wiw2u.com), PriceMiner.com, and Prices4antiques.com.

Preparing for a claim: In the event that tragedy strikes, you

March-April 2008 can expedite matters and maximize your claim by taking a few simple steps: 1. Create and maintain an inventory of your collection. Having a current inventory helps you and the insurance carrier substantiate the value of the claim.

2. Take pictures or video of your collection and keep them with your inventory. When taking photos or video, be sure to capture any and all markings that will authenticate the piece.

3. Keep purchase records such as receipts and invoices. If possible, scan these records to a computer so you have electronic copies.

4. Keep a copy of your inventory, pictures/video and purchase records in a secure, secondary location from where your collection is housed, such as a safe deposit box, e-mail or save them to your work computer. Not sure how to get started inventorying your collection? Check out www.iTaggit.com or www.collectify.com for inventory services developed for collectors.

Understanding exclusions: Virtually all insurance policies feature common exclusions such as governmental seizure or destruction of property, war and nuclear. Other exclusions common to collectibles policies include gradual deterioration such as fading, creasing, denting; nesting, infestation or discharge or release of waste products or secretions by insects, rodents or other animals; dampness or dryness of atmosphere; changes in or extremes of temperature other than fire; fraudulent, dishonest or criminal acts; voluntary parting with covered property; loss or damage while being worked on by you or others working on your behalf.

Because exclusions vary by policy, it’s important to read your policy closely to understand what is covered and excluded.

You’ve spent years building your oneof-a-kind collection. Now take a few moments to protect it. Don’t take the chance of becoming a victim twice.

------------------------------------Art pottery dealers and collectors from around the world took part in the two day sale hosted by J.K. Galleries of Boca Raton on December 30 and January 1.

Auction owner Jay Kielstock said he had 300 bidders registered in house and 900 registered to bid by phone, absentee and live online through LiveAuctioneers.com for the

3 850 lot inventory forty percent of which sold online. J.K. Galleries relocated to Boca Raton in late 2006.

Nearly half the lots sold online including the opening lot of the sale, a Moorcroft silver overlay tea set (pictured) which also turned out to be the top lot of the sale. Each piece of the three piece set was signed “W. Moorcroft” and had incised script reading “W. Moorcroft ship to San Francisco” followed by the registration number 452777.

The set had a sage green ground with pewter colored highlights featuring a cartouche of swirling leaf circled by heavy sterling overlay with handles, spouts and finals all encased in sterling. The set closed after the top bid of $14,400 from an online bidder in England, well above the presale estimate of $3,000/5,000.

A Roseville Tourist jardiniere featuring a scene of a man in an open touring car passing a sign reading “Garage 10 miles” sold for $3,450. It was followed by a Newcomb College vase impressed with the initials of the artist, Sadie Irvin showing a swamp scene in various shades of blue with soft green at the sky and an ivory moon behind Spanish moss and closed at $4,025 followed by another Sadie Irvin Newcomb College vase at $3,795, both over estimate.

A non-pottery lot achieved impressive results. A seven piece sterling tea set that was made in 1935 in the Champlain pattern

by Ellmore Silver Co of Meridian, Conn. closed at $10,925.

But this was, after all, a pottery sale.

Roseville Futura maintained its charm with lots like a green balloon vase making $1,093, an ostrich egg vase in mottled pale green and tan, selling for $863 and a seldom seen beehive vase with blue and green raised leaves closing at $2,070. Others included a tan Artcraft jardiniere and pedestal base with green accents, $2,160 and a sunflower vase for $1,440.

Hand painted Rookwood: a Rookwood scenic vellum vase by Ed Diers, 1921, sold for $2,400 and a landscape vase by Diers, 1912, brought $1,840. A vellum daffodil vase

by Shiraymadani, 1944, brought $1,380.

Weller: a large Weller Louwelsa dog vase signed L. Blake featuring a St Bernard brought $1,380 and a seldom seen Coppertone piece by Weller with black ink mark, with a full bodied fish handle grip, sold for the same price.

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March-April 2008

Bottles and Extras

At Auction The seller described it this way: “Shoo Fly Stoneware Jug, attributed to Anna Pottery, Anna, Illinois, late 19th century, small jug with erotic decoration with an applied figure of a stylized black woman grasping the neck of the jug, and a fly, with inscriptions reading ‘Shoo Fly’ and ‘The Original Package,’ (loss of skirt), ht. 5 7/8 in.” ...The production dates the late 1860s to around 1891.”

Bill Baab has this comment regarding the jug to make: “I don’t know anything about Anna Pottery, other than its pig bottles are highly desirable (and expensive). It says ‘attributed to Anna Pottery.” Whether it is or not, it’s a wonderful jug. I have never seen one like it.”

Bill suggested AnnaPottery.com for another version of the jug and other pottery items. The version shown on this website was similar, but yet different.

Anna Pottery jug, or not? In the jug’s first auction, it reached $2,850, but did not meet the seller’s reserve. The seller relisted it, apparently reducing his reseve, and this time, the jug sold, after 22 bids, for $3,551.

Next, this description read: “We hope you’ll like this extemely rare mineral water bottle in perfect condition. It is one of the best mineral water bottles ever offered on eBay, perhaps one of the best ever on the open market. It is a quart, with an applied top and smooth base. The bottle is a rich emerald green which is loaded with whittle and also has scattered bubbles. The condition, color, bold embossing, and great rarity make this one of the best bottles I have offered for sale. The full embossing reads SUSQUEHANNA / MINERAL SPRING / PENNSYLVANIA.” The bottle ended for $2,552.

From the U.K., “Up for auction and offered with no reserve is this lovely old rare early black glass wide mouth onion bottle...” and continues with visual descriptions of the bottle, which could be easily seen by the photos provided. It ended for $1,426.

“Jar is clear glass with green tinge, MILDURA FRUIT JAR embossed on the front with MADE BY THE MELBOURNE GLASS COMPANY embossed around the bottom. The jar is in very good condition except it has a few chips around the opening.” The jar ended for $1,625.

Melissa Milner, jar collector from Johnson City, Tenn., stated she did not know anything about the Australian jar, but did have some jars to comment on: Recently on the North American Glass Auction an extremely rare yellow-green (see cover) quart VAN VLIET IMPROVED jar sold for $23,500. According to the description, it is one of only two known colored VAN VLIET jars.

Also in this auction was another extremely rare version of THE LADIES FAVORITE with the H & S style cast iron Closure for the Van cage-type closure. The reverse of this aqua Vliet Improved jar. quart is embossed in flourished, block

lettering “WM L HALLER CARLISLE, PA.” This jar sold for $13,010.

And finally a rare ROOT GLASS COMPANY zinc cap sold on eBay for $264.

There are very few of these lids known to exist and are highly sought after.

A cobalt skull and crossbones poison bottle with POISON embossed on the front, crossbones on the bottom with PAT JUNE 26TH 1894 and PAT APPL’D FOR on the bottom edge. Even though the seller admitted the bottle was damaged, and described the damage, the bottle attracted 40 bids to end for $1,575.

Next was a “Beautiful five bottle collection of Owl pharmacy bottles. All are

Bottles and Extras

three-sided and are a brilliant cobalt blue.

These bottles are ‘dug’ bottles...no chips, breaks or cracks.” They ended for $787.

Also, at the same time, another seller offered a set of five milk glass Owl bottles which included the 4”, 4 1/2”, 5”, 5 1/2” and the 6” sizes. This set ended for $510.

A “rare J&IEM figural turtle ink bottle. The color is an excellent rich cobalt blue...measures 1 3/4” high and 2 1/8” across.

Embossing reads J&IEM on panels near the base with an “8” on the base...no chips, cracks, flakes or stains...nice crude tooled top....has about 3/4 of the original label; you can make out ‘Violet Writing Ink’ and ‘Mass.’

One of the few examples with even a partial label...fine example with a bit of whittle to the glass...embossing is excellent.”

Ed Faulkner, ink collector from Virginia, had this to say about the bottle: “The J & IEM bottles are the turtle inks most often seen. They were produced in aqua and a wide variety of other colors as well. The colored ones are highly prized by collectors.

The cobalt is probably the hardest color to find and commands a good price because collectors who have one do not want to sell it. Most advanced ink collectors try to eventually get one. J & IEM was John Moore and Isaac E. Moore (son). The company was established in 1858 and located in Warren, Massachusetts. John Moore obtained a patent for this style ink bottle in 1865. The date is embossed on some of the bottles. This type bottle was used through the 1890s as ads are known during that period. This bottle was popular in schools not only because of the shape, but because it did not turn over and spill the ink. Eventually, many other companies

March-April 2008 used this type bottle.” Apparently at least 11 collectors agreed with the rarity and desirabilty of this ink to bring the ending price to $2,025.

A John W. Steele’s Niagara Star Bitters motif five-pointed star with motif eagle in flight to the left, 1864, S-183 in Ring & Ham’s Bitters Bottles book in what the seller referred to as “rootbeer amber” ended for $885.

A Columbia Eagle Liberty cap historical flask facing left with B&W embossed below the eagle, listed in McKearins book as GI121ended for $455.

A “jumbo-size Sarsaparilla bottle, 9 1/4” tall with iron pontil and applied top... shimmering glass, perfect-mint and a rich bluish aqua, the embossing reads JOHN EXTRACT OF SARSAPARILLA - LOUISVILLE, KY. went for $344.

A “Hostetter’s Stomach Bitters in olive-green with thousands of bubbles on this crude one! No cracks or chips.” It ended for $320.

“A nice rare light-amber union oval whiskey flask embossed AAA OLD VALLEY WHISKEY over the letters M M C F. went to a new home after achieving $405 in bids.

A half-gallon Mason’s CFJ Patent 1858 fruit jar in “rich yellow olive green, more green than yellow” with “H 49” on the base ended for $999. (Not pictured.)

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According to the seller, this bottle is embossed “BY - AA COOLEY - HARTFORD - CON, stands solid, no wobble. B.I.M., sheared lip. There is some debate as to the contents of these bottles, seems they held a medicated snuff. Circa 1830s to 1850s.” ten bidders made 30 bids to end this bottle for $995.

A blue ACL milk bottle from Maple Farm Dairy, A. VD. Sluis, Prop. from Mendon, Mass. It is hard to tell from the photo, but there’s a windmill illustrated between the wording. Three bidders took it from its opening bid of $9.99 to $431.

Three amber Globe fruit jars, a pint, quart and halfgallon, embossed Pat May 26, 1886, ended for $232.50.

A Greeley’s Bourbon Bitters, which the seller described as a “circa 1870s bottle embossed in the shape of a barrel with applied top and rich dark amber in color,” took 10 bidders through 17 bids to end at $395. (Not pictured.)

How often do you get the chance to own a bottle that looks back at you when you look at it? The seller described it as a “Bellarmine jug, circa 1650.” It ended for $778.60.

The seller described this next one as: “For those who have it all, here is an extremely rare rack that comes with one blue Harden Star fire extinguisher.”

Seven bidders and 21 bids later, it ended for $300.

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March-April 2008

Bottles and Extras

Recent FindS

Rare open-pontil medicine I thought I would share with your readers a rare open pontiled medicine I recently dug in St. Louis, Mo. EASTMAN’S - ELIXIR - OF HEALTH. It was dug from a privy in St. Louis and is extremely crude with a deep open pontiled bottom, oval shaped with six large vertically recessed panels. From Zanesville, it dates to the 1840s. Until now, there has never been a picture of one.

Tom Feltman O’Fallon, Illinois tombf@sbcglobal.net California Cylinder Flask found: New western whiskey found at garage sale in Modesto, Ca. that I have not found this bottle in any books. It was dug 30 years ago by construction workers in Oakland,Calif. RAMONA ANNEX / 307 / SOUTH SPRING ST. / J.K. McGINNIS / PROP. / LOS ANGELES, CAL.

Warren Wood 3516 balfour Lane Modesto, CA 95357 Ph: (209) 523-8631

Perhaps not “new” but definitely a great find!

I wanted to share the recent find of a rare color and mold flask that my wife, Wanda, found in Asheville, North Carolina recently. We went to Asheville to spent a night at the Grove Park Inn, which is a great place to stay at least once, and were in an antique shop looking for bottles and other items for our collection. As she went past a display case, she asked if I saw the flask in the back of the case.

I had been to the case but just overlooked it somehow. The flask was real dirty inside and out, but I thought it would clean up easily, which it did. The flask is a McKearin’s GVI-5, which is listed as a rare mold in a beautiful yellowish olive-green color with a ground pontil.

After that “find” that I missed, I do not pass by a case with out a GOOD look as to what might be there, so a few weeks later, I found a Congress & Empire Spring Co / Hotchkiss Sons / E / New York / Saratoga, N. Y. - Empire Water in emerald green in a shop in Roswell, Ga. John Joiner 130 Peninsula Circle Newnan, GA 30263

Bottles and Extras

March-April 2008

Federation of Historicial Bottle Collectors

Business & News The Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors is a non-profit organization for collectors of historical bottles and related collectible items. Our primary goal is educational as it relates to the history and manufacture of historical bottles and related artifacts.

FOHBC Officers 2006-2008 President : Carl Sturm, 88 Sweetbriar Branch, Longwood, FL 32750-2783; Phone: (407) 332-7689; E-mail: glassmancarl@sprintmail.com First Vice-President : Fred Capozzela, 1108 Ritger St., Utica, NY 13501; Phone: (315) 724-1026; E-mail: fcapozzella@hotmail.com Second Vice-President : Richard Siri, P.O. Box 3818, Santa Rosa, CA 95402; Phone: (707) 542-6438; E-mail: rtsiri@sbcglobal.net Secretary : Ed Provine, 401 Fawn Lake Dr., Millington, TN 38053; Phone: (901) 876-3296; E-mail: edprovine@bigriver.net Treasurer : Alan DeMaison, 1605 Clipper Cove, Painesville, OH 44077; Phone: (440) 358-1223; E-mail: a.demaison@sbcglobal.net Historian : Richard Watson, 10 S.Wendover Rd., Medford, NJ 08055; Phone: (856) 983-1364; E-mail: crwatsonnj@verizon.net Editor : Kathy Hopson-Sathe, 341 Yellowstone Dr., Fletcher, NC 28732; Phone: (423) 737-6710; E-mail: kathy@thesodafizz.com Merchandising Director : Kent Williams, 1835 Oak Terr., Newcastle, CA 95658; Phone: (916) 663-1265; E-mail: KentW@ppoa.org Membership Director : Gene Bradberry, P.O. Box 341062, Memphis, TN 38184; Phone: (901) 372-8428; E-mail: genebsa@comcast.net Convention Director : Wayne Lowry, 401 Johnston Ct., Raymore, MO 64083; Phone: (816) 318-0161; E-mail: JarDoctor@aol.com

Business Manager / Subscriptions: June Lowry, 401 Johnston Ct., Raymore, MO 64083; Phone: (816) 318-0160; E-mail: OSUBuckeyes71@aol.com Director-At-Large : John Pastor, 7288 Thorncrest Dr. SE, Ada, MI 49301; Phone: (616) 285-7604; E-mail: jpastor2000@sbcglobal.net Director-At-Large : Sheldon Baugh, 252 W. Valley Dr., Russelville, KY 42276; Phone: (270) 726-2712; Fax: (270) 726-7618; E-mail: shel6943@bellsouth.net Director-At-Large: Cecil Munsey, 13541 Willow Run Road, Poway, CA 92064-1733; Phone: (858) 487-7036; E-mail: cecilmunsey@cox.net Midwest Region Director : Ron Hands, 913 Parkside Dr., Wilson, NC 27896, Phone: (252) 265-6644; E-mail: rshands225@yahoo.com Northeast Region Director : Larry Fox, 5478 Route 21, Canandaigua, NY 14424; Phone: (585) 394-8958; E-mail: brerfox@frontiernet.net Southern Region Director : Edwin Herrold, 65 Laurel Loop, Maggie Valley, NC 28571; Phone: (828) 926-2513; E-mail: drbitters@mindspring.com Western Region Director : Bob Ferraro, 515 Northridge Dr., Boulder City, NV 89005; Phone: (702) 293-3114; E-mail: mayorferraro@aol.com Public Relations Director : James Berry, 200 Ft. Watershed Rd., St. Johnsville, NY 13452; Phone: (518) 568-5683, E-mail: max@klink.net

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March-April 2008

Bottles and Extras

Federation of Historic Bottle Collectors

President’s Message Everything seems to be going well for the Federation. We have increased our membership about 100 members from a year ago. I personally think that our magazine, Bottles and Extras, is probably the main reason. I carry copies of the magazine to every show that I attend and show it to as many people as will look at it. Most of them are surprised at the both the content and the look of the magazine. I have had several say “It’s the best hobby related magazine that I have seen”. This speaks well for the Federation in general, our Editor Kathy Hopson-Sathe and all of the writers that take the time to put their research to paper. I would like to thank all of them as well as our Business Manager June Lowry who found our printer and oversees the addresses and posting of the magazine in a timely manner.

I attended the St Petersburg, Florida annual bottle show a couple of weekends ago. As usual, the Armory was filled and a small room had to be opened to make space

March-April President’s Message for all the dealers. There was at least one dealer from west of the Mississippi river this year. This show is a Friday evening set up and a Saturday, Sunday show. Foot traffic is always much slower on Sunday but many people were seen carrying out packages to their cars. There were a lot of excellent good quality bottles to be found as well as bottles of lesser value for the newer collectors. All in all, it appeared to be a well run, well attended show. I have not missed one of their shows since moving to Florida in 1973.

I will be in attendance at the Expo in York, Pa., August 8-10, 2008. It looks as though this will be a very well attended show as the interest is very high at this early stage. If you need the paperwork for a table or information, contact Wayne or June Lowry.

Their telephone numbers and emails are listed on the Federation Officers page in this magazine. We are looking forward to a super EXPO this year. Come and take part in it.

If you come to the Mansfield, Ohio show

President : J. Carl Sturm 88 Sweetbriar Branch Longwood, FL 32750 (407) 332-7689 glassmancarl@sprintmail.com

in May, I will have a table in the center of the main hall. Stop by and say hello. There are many members that I have not met. If you want to complain or praise anything about the Federation, I am the man to see.

We never know if we are having problems unless those of you who are affected tell us about them. Many little irritations can be resolved quickly if they are brought to light.

We, your Board of Directors are dedicated to having a smooth running organization.

By the way, we will be having an election again in 2008. If you want to run for any office, please make sure that one of our board members knows of your desire.

Remember, dig hard or buy well and watch your collection grow. In a few short years you will be amazed at the size and value of these collected items. Winter is almost passed, have a safe, fun filled spring and I’ll look for you this summer at York, Pa.

Want to hear something really funny?

Ya know how we drove all night to get here for an early setup?

Well, the bottle show ain’t til NEXT weekend.

J. Carl Sturm

Bottles and Extras

March-April 2008

Northeast Regional News Larry Fox 5478 Route 21 Canandaigua, NY 14424 (585) 394-8958 brerfox@frontiernet.net

Many of the Northeast Clubs do not meet during the winter months.

Hopefully, Larry will have something to report in the next issue. In the meantime, send your newsletters to him as usual.

and promoted donations not only locally, but from across the country.

Almost $70,000 was raised to repair, sandblast and paint the 170 ft. tall bottle-shaped water tower. It seems nearly everyone in Collinsville has a connection to catsup. Many worked at the plant when it was open or was related to an employee.”

The FABC has a good website with pictures from their annual shows. You should check it out: http:// fabclub.freeyellow.com/home.html. Richard Elwood is the club President. To find out more about their monthly newsletter, Whittle Marks, send a note to: Findlay Antique Bottle Club, P.O. Box 1329, Findlay, OH 45839.

Midwest Regional News Joe Coulson 10515 Collingswood Lane Fishers, Indiana 46038 (317) 915-0665 jcoulson@leaderjar.com The Winter chill is upon us, and the ice and snow decorate the Midwestern landscape. The fire in the fireplace warms the fingers and toes. Hopefully Santa and his elves have been good to you this Holiday season. Let’s open up a few Midwestern club newsletters and see who’s been naughty and nice… (and don’t forget, we LOVE to hear from you) Findlay Antique Bottle Club Tom Brown (newsletter editor) of the FABC submitted their December and January newsletters (Whittle Marks). Tom typically reprints several Bottles and Extras articles for club members in their newsletter.

Tom told everyone that he made a great purchase recently, according to the December issue of Whittle Marks. He purchased a 6 ½” punkin seed flask embossed “McCauley & Hall / The Turf / 224 South Main St / Findlay Ohio”. This was in a slug plate, and it is the first one found (dates 1892 – 1902). Tom was able to acquire this scarce piece on eBay. Tom shared a couple of interesting pictures in the January newsletter. The pictures related to the Collinsville, Ill. National Show this past August. One picture was a restored 170-feet tall water tower, which was built by W.B. Caldwell in 1949. The unusual thing is that the water tower was made to look like a huge Brooks Catsup bottle! The other picture was reprinted from the August 1995 issue of Bottles and Extras, and it showed a girl in a Brooks catsup bottle costume next to a catsup bottle float. According to the text accompanying the picture, “Judy DeMoisy led a group that gave their lives to the catsup bottle. They sold nearly 6,000 shirts

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Huron Valley Bottle & Insulator Club Michele and Shaun Kotlarsky are newsletter editors for The Embossin”, the monthly newsletter of the Huron Valley Bottle & Insulator Club.

At the November club meeting, they had Bill Heatly (President of the Flint Bottle Club) as a guest speaker. “Bill did a great program on digging privies and dumps. The presentation was informative and interesting. Bill is an avid digger and it showed in his enthusiastic program. A lot of the club members wished they had Bill’s energy. The keys to a successful dig are research and preparation. He recently dug an 1880 – 1905 Michigan drug store bottle, which he was offered more than $10,000 for!”

You can find out more about the HVBIC online at their website: http://hvbic.org.

Their monthly newsletter can be viewed there also.

Iowa Antique Bottleers Mark Wiseman (newsletter editor) does a wonderful job each month reporting the IAB happenings.

The December newsletter contained interesting historical reminiscences by one of the early Dubuque, Iowa brewers from the vintage book “100 Years of Brewing.”

M. Tschirgi was one of the pioneer brewers

of the West, and the first to establish a business in Iowa.

The December newsletter also had a reprint of a June 2007 newspaper article titled “Old Outhouses are his Treasure-Trove.”

Here is a short excerpt from that article: “Plans for the Churdan [Iowa] quaquicentennial have been in progress for well over a year, but one attraction that is getting a good deal of attention has developed only in the past week.

“Reg Shoeman of Madrid, IA, a collector of bottles who describes himself as an electromagnetic prospector and an ‘outhouse archaeologist,’ will conduct a dig this week in Churdan near the site where the railroad depot was located. From old railroad maps, he was convinced that a community outhouse was located near the depot and that was confirmed when he later saw a picture of it at the Greene County Historical Museum.

“His equipment for examining sites seems complex but essentially consists of a laptop computer and three-foot and eightfoot bars which contain electromagnetic sensors. Shoeman insists that the idea is ‘not dissimilar from MRIs used in hospitals.’ “‘I like the chase,’ Shoeman said, and then added ‘old stuff keeps you young.’”

In the December and January newsletters, Mark Wiseman tells us about his digging adventures in Red Wing, Minnesota this past July. “I took a couple days off to go to Red Wing, Minnesota. This is the beginning of Convention week for the Red Wing Collectors Society, there are street sales, auctions and lots to do, but mostly I wanted to go dig in the Red Wing Pottery Dump. I had talked to Steve Showers and he was going to be set up at the street sales at Pottery Place, so early Tuesday morning Elsie [the pup] and I headed north in the blue truck. I parked over at the hillside down to the rail crossing to go to the pottery dump. The pottery dump is big – you have to see it to believe it. There are holes dug all over and it is hard to decide where to start.

Elsie and I roamed around a bit, trying to stay out of the poison ivy areas and it was

10 reasonably cool too. I decided to dig in the zinc glaze area near the lake, and started a hole which I dug down to the waterline. Elsie watched as I dug. As I was caving back in on the way up I found an 8 gallon lid fairly shallow in the roots. It was cracked and had one piece about 1 x 1 ½ inches missing as a hole, but it was mostly all there and I was happy with that.

“I continued digging in the same zinc glaze big crock seam from yesterday. I dug many more leaf shards with some numbers, then I found a huge shard from a 12 gallon elephant ear crock with all the stencils and ‘Union, Stoneware Co., Red Wing’ in the oval. I could not find any more pieces of it though. When it got close to noon we headed up the hill, I made a tour of the Red Wing Stoneware Museum, very worthwhile.

Then saying our good byes to Steve and Phyllis we headed home to Des Moines.”

The IAB is seriously pursuing rubbings (and photographs are helpful) of Iowa bottles that are unlisted in the book, The Antique Bottles of Iowa, 1846 – 1915.

Please contact Mike Burggraaf at 641-4696018 or QRSGLASS@iowatelecom.net.

The IAB newsletters always contain wonderful digging stories by Mark Wiseman. He has a regular column, “The Digger’s Scoop,” that tells of his local digging adventures with his dog, the old truck, and various digging friends that join him. You can find out more about IAB membership ($15/yr.) from Tom Southard, 2815 Druid Hill, Des Moines, IA 50315.

Midwest Antique Fruit Jar & Bottle Club The MAFJBC has members nationwide and is heavily fruit jar focused. They have monthly meetings all year round. Dave Rittenhouse is the club President.

At the club’s November meeting, Tom Sproat presented “The Paper Chase to Fruit Jars, Part II.” Tom brought folders full of correspondence between his Grandfather’s glass and china store (in Chillicothe, Ohio between 1910—1917) and various fruit jar manufacturers. Part 2 of his presentation covered letters specifically from Hazel-Atlas and Kerr (during Part 1, he covered the letters from Ball Bros.).

By the 1920s the only major fruit jar companies remaining were Ball, Hazel-Atlas and Kerr. Nearly all of the correspondence from Ball and Hazel-Atlas was black and white. On the other hand, Kerr used lots of color on their letterhead. Many of the Kerr letterheads had a colorful picture of a person’s hand reaching inside of a

March-April 2008 widemouth Economy jar. This demonstrated ease-of-use to the consumer and using color may have given them a competitive edge.

On the Hazel-Atlas letterhead, the company promoted their association with The Rice Leaders of the World Association. A quick history search shows that The Rice Leaders of the World Association was composed of about 40 manufacturing concerns, each representing one branch of industry.

Elwood E. Rice was President of the organization. Everyone at the meeting was glad that Tom took the time to share this wonderful fruit jar history. Tom hopes to eventually publish the letter collection so that researchers can study it.

The MAFJBC had lots of fun at their December meeting, which was their annual Christmas Party and pitch-in dinner. Club members brought wrapped presents for the “Dirty Santa” gift exchange that took place at the end of the meeting. Everyone had fun exchanging gifts. Anne Szopa tightly clutched a big chunk of glass (the present she received) in her hand throughout the entire meeting. Nobody was mean enough to pull a “Dirty Santa” exchange on her.

Mike Keith said the glass originally came from a Kennard, Indiana glass company site.

Many of the uncovered glass chunks had been used as fill for new driveways. The most stolen gift during the gift exchange was a decorated Ball jar lamp – painted to look like Santa Claus.

The MAFJBC has a website: http:// www.fruitjar.org. Meeting details as well as lots of pictures from their semi-annual shows can be found there. Their next Show and Sale will be July 13th in Muncie, Ind. Minnesota’s First Antique Bottle Club Gwen Seeley (newsletter editor) and Barbara Robertus (co-editor) do a super job each month with their newsletter, The Bottle Digger’s Dope.

Linda Sandell brought some beautiful bracelets for Show and Tell at the November club meeting. They were made out of sea glass. Shards are called sea glass, which has been washed up by waves and sand for many years. Larry Calhoun showed a hanging glass globe used in early drugstores. It sounded like everyone enjoyed themselves at the “Calhoun drugstore.” “Especially the old icebox refrigerator from the early 1900s. We all noticed it contained good stuff!! So we all had wine and go-withs… good meeting!”

The December newsletter had a festive Christmas theme. There were pictures of

Bottles and Extras Christmas candy containers of all kinds.

Another great treat was all of the photos of the last club meeting at the Calhouns’ home.

It was obvious that Larry Calhoun has put in a lot of time and effort in creating his displays of drugstore items and bottles.

What a display!

Membership in the MFABC is $10/yr. For more information, please contact Linda Sandell, 7735 Silver Lake Road #208, Moundsview, MN 55112.

North Star Historical Bottle Association Doug Shilson has been editor of the North Star Historical Bottle News for 38 years. Doug does a great job each month reporting the club’s latest happenings.

The November newsletter contained a trip report, “New England Narrative,” by Steve Ketcham. Here is an excerpt: “After Newport we headed for Connecticut and the Heckler residence. There we enjoyed the Saturday tailgating event which is held each fall in a field on Norm’s 300 acre farm. About 50 participants rolled in at nine that Saturday morning and set their goods out on tables and blankets. Many a friend from the Midwest was in attendance, including Jim and Jodi Hall, John Pastor, Jeff Burkhardt and Carey Alderman. An afternoon auction was also part of the day’s events with over 100 lots of nice old bottles up for bids.

Saturday afternoon, once the fun had ended at Heckler’s, many headed north to New Hampshire for Sunday’s Keene bottle show. We moved our goods in Saturday night and enjoyed dinner with a number of collecting friends from around the country.

Sunday morning brought nice weather and a show which held more tables of early New England glass than we might ever hope to see in the Midwest. Keene was the site of many glass houses during the 1800s, and it was the products of those and other nearby glass companies upon which collectors of this area were focused. We learned a lot as we shopped over 100 tables of such goods, and managed to buy a couple of pieces ourselves. Sales were decent, too. After the show we again had dinner with friends and began to think of home.”

The December newsletter reported on the “George Benz Day” theme at the club’s November meeting. Here are some of the details: “Yes, another great program came and went. It will be a long time for us to repeat this one. Three tables full of great advertising, bottles and stoneware. And all the items on the tables at one time were in his place of business in St. Paul, Minn., at

Bottles and Extras 6th and Main St. and Minneapolis at 218 Hennepin as well. Due to what was written in our Minnesota Bottle Book some changes need to be done. As in most books that have been in print, some new information has been found. The story in our book is credited to Barb Robertus, myself [Doug Shilson] and Jim Haase. Both wrote stories a long time ago, but it takes all of us to piece together and make sense of it all. And due to the two dozen bottles, it brought to light that Geo. Benz survived into the 1930s.

“Mark Youngblood brought many examples, complete with labels and metal caps and dates to prove this. So, from the earliest paper letterheads that were from Benz & Becht, first located at 297 Third St. in 1872 to the 1930s and perhaps into the 1940s. A complete history may be in a future newsletter.

“Steve Ketcham brought many of the enameled, acid etched decanters in red, white and two rare examples of what might have been used as salesman samples - oval ray in gray. Speaking of gray, it seems that Geo. Benz has other trays and a large grey/ black sign advertising their Appetine Bitters, leather covered flasks and colorful paper labels on whiskey bottles. Uncle Sam monogram whiskey with labels in red, white and blue.

“Another glass cylinder whiskey with a colorful label that said ‘Aurora Port’ with the picture of 10 beautiful women guiding two white horses following an angel, making one to believe this glass container contained the purist wine from the other side of the world. In reality, the wine came from the east coast. (So much for California wines.) More later on this subject in a future newsletter. This one bottle is so picturesque, we all brought one as a sample. Another extremely rare item was the original brass sign that said Geo. Benz & Sons / St. Paul Minn. That probably was attached to the outside of their building. And a one gallon stoneware handled jug saying Geo / Benz & Sons.

“Doug Shilson brought the Geo Benz embossed bitters in all four example sizes.

Yes, the rarest size was also to be seen at this one time program. Amber and black glass (when held to a strong light, the color is a beautiful purple).”

The club is starting to plan for their March 30 th Show & Sale. For more information on joining the NSHBA, please contact Doug Shilson: 3308 32 Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55406-2015.

March-April 2008 Ohio Bottle Club Phyllis Koch (editor) and Donna Gray (secretary) always do a very nice job with The Ohio Swirl, the OBC’s newsletter. Louis Fifer is the club president.

The program for the OBC’s October meeting was “Bottle Stories.” One story goes like this: “Alan DeMaison first became interested in jelly jars when he and his wife Elaine went to the national show in St. Louis; they found a ‘Jelly Jammer’ book when they went sightseeing. Recently, the collection of Shirley McDonald, ‘Queen of the Jelly Jars,’ was to be sold at auction, all in box lots. Alan went and bought half of the collection for his wife. All the jelly jars are from the 1800s and have tin tops. He showed the club some of his purchases, and these humble-sounding ‘jelly jars’ were actually fantastic, elegant pieces of glass: some with handles, some tall and ribbed and others with stems. All have a lip on top. Alan joked that he gave all these to his wife on ‘Sweetest Day,’ when her birthday was just a week away.”

Another story goes like this: “One time Bill Koster had made arrangements to do a club dig in South Barberton. Approximately 45 people were digging in the dump, but finding just screw tops and machine-made bottles. Don Dzuro, Bruce DeSantis and Adam Koch decided to drive up to Cleveland. They dug in an area where houses were being torn down – not a good neighborhood – and police stopped and asked them what they were doing. The cops then said ‘We wouldn’t blame you if you brought a gun.’ That day Adam brought home a rare beer bottle: Voekler, Cleveland, iron-pontiled.”

The December issue of The Ohio Swirl contained some interesting details about old newspapers that mentioned bottle information and also letters concerning the Findlay Bottle Co., Findlay, Ohio. “The letterhead of this company is quite interesting in that it gives us the names of the officers in the company and states, as well, the types of bottles it produces. The officers in the Findlay Bottle Co. were U.G. Baker, President; A.W. Marshall, Secretary; and E.J. Beebe, Manager. They say that they are manufacturers of green and amber bottles and fruit jars.

“In a letter of July 19, 1888 we find the Findlay Bottle Co. ordering quite a few moulds from Mr. Yockel. The order consists of the following: ‘1 – 28 oz. Beer Mould Champ. Shape with plate; 3 Qt. Export moulds; 3 Pt. Export moulds; 2 Pt. Beer,

11 Champ. Shape one with plate and one plain; 2 – 14 oz. Pat. Min. mould, 1 plate 1 plain; 2 – 16 oz. Pat. Min. Moulds, 1 plate 1 plain; 3 Qt. Standard Moulds; 1 ½ gallon Standard mould.’ Needless to say, this is a sizeable order. Findlay must have been a rather large company to order this many moulds at one time. Also, in regard to the quart and half gallon Standard Moulds, it would be interesting to know if these were for the Standard wax sealer fruit jar. There I, too, almost without a doubt believe that this jar would have been a product of the Findlay Bottle Co., judging from its prevalence in the Ohio area.

“In a letter dated October 21, 1888, Findlay is telling Mr. Yockel in reply to his letter of the 22nd that they have solved a problem they had with the ‘Apollian moulds’ they ordered from him by plugging up the push-ups. Findlay also tells the mould maker in the letter that they are sending samples to have some pickle moulds made.”

For more information on joining the OBC, please contact Berny Baldwin (treasurer), 1931 Thorpe Circle, Brunswick, OH 44212.

Wabash Valley Antique Bottle & Pottery Club Martin Van Zant is newsletter editor for The Wabash Cannonball, the WVABPC’s monthly newsletter. Peggy Zimmer is the club President.

In the December issue Martin tells us of his experience at WVABPC’s recent annual Show & Sale. “The Terre Haute [Indiana] bottle show was a huge success. There was a plethora of bottles to choose from. I was able to purchase a medicine bottle from Clay City, Indiana. This was a rather nice find for me as this is where I went to high school and have always wondered if there was an embossed bottle from there. Another find for me was a quart blob beer from the Evansville Brewing Co. with a big embossed eagle. This was a bottle that I have been wanting for a while. This is a nice bottle that is just about mint all around. I also picked up a Ries Hutch from Lafayette, Indiana, although this is a common bottle, the embossing was particulary good. My friend and yours, Bill Granger, bought some nice medicines from Indianapolis and a couple other nice little goodies. I thought the show turned out very nice. I enjoyed seeing all of my old friends as well as meeting some new ones. The club would like to thank John and Mary Newman for letting us host our club show in their

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March-April 2008

fabulous building. Isn’t it nice to be able to have a show where there are just as many goodies on the walls as there are on the tables.”

The WVABPC holds their monthly meeting at Shadows Auction Barn, 1517 Maple Ave., Terre Haute, IN. Club dues are $10/yr. For more information, please contact

Gary Zimmer (treasurer), 10655 Atherton Rd., Rosedale, IN 47874.

“name bricks” of Augusta. Bricks aren’t a bottle collector’s best friends. They’re usually found atop a crushed prized bottle in dumps where they were indiscriminately thrown to help settle the garbage.

But name bricks – those with names of the brickyard or having some sort of design – are valued by collectors, especially by those of us who collect local pottery. Some brickyards turned whiskey jugs as a profitable sideline – profitable, that is, until Prohibition.

As I pointed out as editor of Probe & Plunder, my club’s newsletter, the best known Augusta bricks are those stamped AUGUSTA or AUGUSTA BLOCK. They were made by the Georgia Vitrified Brick & Clay Co., near a tiny community called Campania in Columbia County just west of Augusta. The company was chartered in 1902 and is no longer in business.

Those bricks were used by the millions in paving streets in Augusta, Tampa and St. Petersburg, Fla., and many other cities in the Southeast from about 1910 through the 1930s.

I used to be a member of an organization whose members collected bricks and barbed wire. I have a typhoid epidemic-related brick from Kansas impressed DON’T SPIT ON THE SIDEWALK and one from Kansas City with an impressed sunflower. I traded several Augusta name bricks for those, sending them through the mails until postal rate increases put a stop to it.

Johnnie Fletcher, president of the Oklahoma Territory Bottle & Relic Club and editor of its newsletter, Oklahoma Territory News, keeps chalking up milestones. “It has been 20 years,” he writes in the January issue, “since we established the club and started the newsletter. This issue makes 241 newsletters printed and mailed. I’d like to thank all those who helped make my job easier by providing stories for the newsletters in 2007 and hope they continue their support through 2008. Many thanks to Kenny Burbrink, Ed Stewart, Ed Tardy and Mark Wiseman.”

Speaking of Wiseman, the Iowan reports he dug a Tama, Iowa pit that yielded 43 Dr. Hostetter’s Stomach Bitters and many other good bottles. Wow!

Ed Tardy contributed a photo feature on an Arkansas dig that netted a Saratoga Springs Star Spring mineral water, a halfgallon crock and a cathedral pepper sauce bottle, among others.

Kenny Burbrink’s “What I Did on My Summer Vacation” digging story filled out the rest of the 12-page newsletter. Thirtynine embossed Wichita, Kan., drug store bottles were among his rewards, including four previously unknowns: Wallace & Smith / Pharmacists / 800 N. Main St. / Wichita, Kan., in 1- and 8-ounce sizes; Hettinger Bro’s / Pharmacists / Wichita Kans.; F. Henrion Druggist / Cor. Main & Central / Wichita, Kan; J.P. Allen / Druggist / Estd. 1870 / Wichita, Kan. The last was an unusual Millville round bottle embossed with mortar and pestle.

Melissa Milner, editor of The Groundhog Gazette of The State of Franklin (Tenn.) Antique Bottle & Collectors Association, featured the December meeting’s show and tell session in her January issue. Among “goodies” shown were an H.P. King, Bristol, Va.-Tenn., billhead, a World War II ration book and an emergency sewing kit from Kingsport, Tenn., from member Richard Begley. Gerry Brown brought a letter opener from Dominion Iron Works of Johnson City, Tenn., and Harold Carlton displayed a huge green glass flytrap. A history of White’s Pottery of Utica, N.,Y., with photos of some jugs followed.

More show and tell stuff turned up during the January club meeting and was featured in the February issue. Carl Bailey brought an unusual Mountain Dew carton from Knoxville (circa 1949-51) in mint condition, while Gerry Brown brought an amber Ten Cola from Kingsport.

Mrs. Milner featured members Sam and Missi Crowder of Elizabethton, Tenn. A dozen years after the collecting bug “bit” them, the Crowders have an eclectic collection of rare bottles and signs, including a rare cardboard box containing four paperlabeled Dr. Enuf bottles. They also have a Dr. Enuf drink machine and a M&S (Missi & Sam?) Orange drink sign.

Southern Regional News Bill Baab 2352 Devere Street Augusta, GA 30904 (706) 736-8097 riverswamper@comcast.net Marshall Clements, newsletter editor of the Raleigh (N.C.) Bottle Club, continues to pump out bright, colorful, cheery and informative Bottle Talks.

He signed up as “temporary” editor for just a year, saying he had 12 months’ worth of ideas, but as he enters 2008, he needs help with more ideas.

The December issue feature his club’s Christmas party, with photos ranging from the dessert spread to members relaxing and being presented with awards. Best Go With Over $50 Award was presented to Vernon Creech for his beautiful Hancock pottery jug from Four Oaks, N.C. Best Go With Under $50 Award went to Sterling Mann for his Pepsi-Cola paper item signed by Caleb Bradham, inventor of Pepsi-Cola.

Best Bottle Under $50 Award went to Barton Weeks for his rare Barney and Ally Mountain Dew bottle, while Best Bottle Over $50 Award was earned by Ronald Hinsley for his rare Monroe, N.C. Dispensary bottle. The RBC Stretch Award was presented to the newsletter editor.

His November issue featured the outstanding Mountain Dew collection of member Barton Weeks and complemented it with no fewer than 26 color photos, including a neat one on the cover.

“Bart began collecting bottles in 1988 at the age of thirteen,” Clements wrote. “His first bottle was a single dot Pepsi (1954) that was in terrible condition. He found this lifechanging bottle behind the paneling of his granddaddy’s old barn.”

Bart later bought a Mountain Dew bottle and now has a growing collection of 12ounce “name” bottles. He also collects Mountain Dew Error bottles, White Lightnin’ bottles and applied color label double dot Pepsis.

The Horse Creek Antique Bottle Club held its first meeting since last November’s on Jan. 21 and this editor gave a talk on

Bottles and Extras

Bottles and Extras

March-April 2008 unlisted Nebraska token in a dealer’s junk box. Bill tells that it sold for big bucks on eBay. We don’t know if you guys are part Irish or not, but it sounds like you’ve got some of the “luck of the Irish.”

The theme for the meeting was Christmas collectibles. Bill’s wife, Sherrie, showed her collection of old brass Christmas bells. Pete brought in two flasks; one flask was labeled Merry Christmas and the other flask was a fancy embossed Merry Christmas/Happy New Year flask.

Mark brought a bunch of items. Among them were Merry Christmas mini jugs for years 1937 and 1942, a miniature pumpkinseed labeled Merry Christmas/ Happy New Year Dorris Hyde, Ohio and finished with four colorful glass Christmas candle lamps.

Paul shared some of his digging finds such as a Pride of America Time Indicating Lamp that he dug in Washington, a Ferdinand Westheimer Elevation Rye amber flask that he dug in Eastern Oregon and a teal Hall’s Hair Renewer that he dug in Woodland.

Dennis brought in some additional construction digging finds. Among them was a rare India Packing, Portland, Oregon Jamaica ginger bottle with an embossed moon face, a “hard to find” bent anchor variety of the Pioneer Hutch soda from Portland and an amethyst food bottle.

“Julie reported that Jim spent $20 on raffle tickets at the Auburn Show and showed the beautiful whittled copper color umbrella ink that he won for her.” Julie also showed a Merry Christmas postcard from The Dalles and calendar plates from Woodville and Butteville. We were up front near the auction table when Jim’s number was called at the Auburn Show. We turned and gave Julie our “thumbs up.”

Western Regional News Ken Lawler & “Dar” 6677 Oak Forest Drive Oak Park, CA 91377 (818) 889-5451 kenlawler@roadrunner.com The beginning of any year usually brings with it the end of celebrating the holidays and anticipation of what the coming year will bring. It is also the time of year to pay dues and for new and/or continuing club officers to take the reins for the upcoming year. Challenges are ever present in this hobby. It takes cooperation to hold an interesting and productive meeting, a good show, a good program, a good dig.

Whatever your challenges are, we wish you success in 2008. We thank all of you for keeping in touch with us by sending your newsletters to update us on your club happenings. Keep up the good work. Now let’s go see what we can all accomplish together in 2008.

Oregon Bottle Collectors Association – The Stumptown Report Club secretarial notes reflect that the Christmas Pot Luck seemed to be a winner in getting the folks out to the December 14 meeting. The notes further reveal that “After a pleasant feeding frenzy,” the subject of the February bottle show scheduled for Centralia was discussed. Bill Bogynska wrote as of their newsletter deadline “The Southwest Washington Fairgrounds have not been able to give us an answer as to whether the Community Events building will be ready and available for our scheduled February 8-9 bottle show. After the flooding, their main priority has been to get the main (blue) building cleaned up. Initial indications from them are not optimistic, so the show may have to be rescheduled, relocated or cancelled.”

We read that the club has a new member named Jeffrey Dennis. We’re sure that the club will be looking forward to checking out some finds that you will probably start bringing to the meetings.

Some rare finds were celebrated at the December meeting. Bill Bogynska recently won a rare Huntley, Oregon City citrate bottle in the Western Bottle Auction on eBay. Bill’s bottle is the third example known to him. Bill’s son, William, found a rare

Las Vegas Antique Bottles and Collectibles Club – The Punkin Seed The tentative bus trip to the Pasadena City College in California, mentioned in a previous newsletter, for December 1 and 2 did take place. Attendee, Rebecca Glantz typed a report on that bus trip. She entitled her piece, “Our Long Awaited Trip to Pasadena.” Here’s what she reported: “The weather outside was frightful, but the trip was so delightful.” She goes on to say that “On the morning of December 1, we left a bleak and rainy Las Vegas having no clue

13 as to the weather in Pasadena. For all we knew, it could have been pouring rain there, too. But in accordance with our high hopes, the weather was clear and crisp.

A special thank you goes to Jim Marsh for this kind allowance for our Club to park our cars on the southern part of the parking lot of his Skyline Casino. Our bus was packed at 6:30 and we left at 7 a.m. We stopped in Barstow for a rest and a snack and once again, we were on our way. This has been a long awaited trip, having gone to Pasadena for this swap meet only two times before. A big thanks goes to Louise Colucci for all the hard work she did to arrange this wonderful trip to our delight!

Our first destination was the antique district in Pasadena. Later that afternoon, our bus took us to the Saga Motel, which, true to everyone’s statements, is directly across the street from the Pasadena City College where their monthly antique swap meet is held.

In the morning, Sunday, Dec. 2, we simply walked across the street and there it was. The swap meet was gigantic. It took up four outdoor parking lots and three floors of a parking garage. We shopped there until 2 o’clock and then we boarded the bus for Las Vegas. On the way back, we stopped for refreshments in Barstow and made it back to Las Vegas early in the evening. This was a really great trip.”

She went on to list some of the people who were on the trip and what they purchased. There was a great variety of items purchased that covered a wide range of interests.

Phoenix Antique Bottles & Collectibles Club – The A to Z Collector Incoming club president Brent VanDeman thanked the outgoing officers for their efforts during 2007. He is encouraging every member to take an active role in the club during 2008.

Congratulations were in order for members with PERFECT ATTENDANCE for 2007. Those members are: Chuck & Julie Blake, Dave Carr & Lisa Helm, Anne & Earl Colton, Ron & Betty Hartnett, Bob & Verna Kilbarger, John & Steffany Knirsch and Lyn & Bob Ramsdale.

The January 2 meeting’s program was presented by guest speaker, Harris Lowenthal who talked about movie posters and lobby cards. He mentioned that some collectors like to hang their movie posters on their wall or put them in a protective glass

14 frame. He explained that movie posters originated in the late 1890s and that the posters were meant to be thrown away at the conclusion of a particular film being shown. Any of these early posters who survived the throw-away are recognized as being extremely rare and valuable.

We will watch for a future newsletter to catch the news on the outcome of the Quartzsite event that Steve Mares, club trip director, has planned for January 12.

Los Angeles Historical Bottle Club – The Whittlemark The annual Christmas Pot Luck was held to celebrate the last meeting of the year as well as to talk about the expectations of meeting in the new location for the January 17 meeting. Many fine folks showed up for the meeting and enjoyed the sumptuous meal.

The club’s 2008 elections have resulted in a mix of some continuing officers and some new ones. President Pam Selenak is taking another shot at writing the President’s Message for a second year. She and contender Bob Manthorne were involved in a close presidential race. Randy Selenak is our first vice president responsible for programs. He has also willingly been, and will continue to be, the club’s contributing editor. Blaine Greenman is still willing to continue his role being the club editor. The second vice president, who is willing to keep an eye open for new members, is Dave Hall.

Ken Lawler has agreed to stay on as secretary. Maxine Hanna has agreed to hold onto the club’s cash box. She has become the club’s fixture as treasurer. Tom Tyshko is another one of the club’s fixtures as continuing librarian.

Under the January announcements section, Randy Selenak wrote “Our first featured speaker of the new year will be Don Wippert, who will be bringing his ‘trunk from the dump’ to share with us. Although Don has done the program in the past, a lot of members have not seen it yet, so we will be looking forward to experiencing this treasure chest.”

Randy also mentioned that the birthday folks for January are Blaine Greenman and Janice Driskill. President Pam is the person who brings in a delicious birthday cake for the monthly celebrations.

Ken Lawler contributed his article on the recent Auburn show along with accompanying pictures. A second article was written by Ken ‘n Dar, which was entitled, “Recent Discoveries.” The second

March-April 2008 article was about an Elliot-Brant Rancho quart from Owensmouth, California that had been hibernating in an attic for some time.

We will await future news as to how club members adjusted to their new meeting place.

Montana Bottle Collectors Association President Bill Henness issued an email memo to club members on January 5. He reported that “At our fall meeting on December 8, 2007 it was decided the club would start a newsletter. Recently, I have asked Sherrie Bruch if she would like to be the newsletter editor, and she agreed. Wow, that’s great! I know she will do a super job, but she will need the help of all club members to make it work. I know there are many great digging stories floating around out here, as well as other bottle collecting bits of interest.

There will be six newsletters during the year, the first beginning in February.” He further stated that to keep costs down, the newsletter will be sent to as many as possible by email. In addition Bill mentioned that all supplies and mailing costs incurred will be paid for by the club.

Bill also added that he received a note from club member Marvin Michelotti that suggested a list be generated that includes member names, addresses, telephone numbers and what the member collects.

Sherrie will be contacting members to obtain permission to provide this information in the newsletter and to clarify what category of bottles and other collectibles that should be included in that list. Bill figures if six to eight members are added per newsletter, that most of the members should be covered in the six newsletters throughout the year.

Membership is always the concern of every club and Montana is no different. Bill put together a list of “membership perks” to increase the incentive for joining their club.

He listed at least six items and has stated that he welcomes input for other suggestions. The first perk listed is that the club will hold four meetings a year with different members giving talks which will be limited to a half- hour duration. Then there will be the upcoming newsletter, a bottle show and a couple of trade shows. The club will also work hard to come up with a yearly bottle dig, if they can.

Sherri, we wish you lots of luck in your new endeavor. We think that you will enjoy the challenge. We will watch for your email newsletters as they come hot off your computer.

Bottles and Extras San Diego Antique Bottle and Collectibles Club – The Bottleneck “Prez Sez” note written by Frank Pekarek reflected his wish for a Happy New Year and good health to his club members. He quickly called attention to the fact that there are only six months left before the club’s bottle show on June 14. He is urging members to volunteer to help with the show effort. He indicates that a successful show is vital to the survival of the club. A club show is probably considered the best shot at a fundraiser for most clubs.

Mike Bryant was librarian Terry Monteith’s first customer in trying out Terry’s new check-out system. Mike’s interest was in some copies of old bottle magazines. Terry is working on making a list of magazines available in the future.

Mike Bryant and several other committee members of the club were arranging to meet with the manager of the Al Bahr Shrine to talk over details for the upcoming show.

Meanwhile Frank was busy checking on signing up for continuing use of their regular meeting location, the “Joyce Beers Community Center.” Frank is dealing with a new manager and some important issues have to be ironed out to ensure that the club can still reserve the third Friday of each month as usual. Frank is hoping to be able to keep to the third Friday schedule and not have inconsistency in meeting nights throughout the year. He mentioned that the SDABCC has been a 10-year customer of the Center.

We will keep our focus on upcoming newsletters to check the progress of your June 14 show. Your full page advertising flyer mentions that there will be “Two Floors With 9,000 Ft. of Display Space.” Your flyer also calls attention to the fact that you are located close to Hotels, Beaches, Sea World and The Zoo. Hawaii Historical Bottle Collector’s Club – Diamondhead Liner Aloha to the HHBCC from the Mainland!

In the January-February 2008 issue of Bottles and Extras, there is a list on Page 63 entitled, “FOHBC Membership Directory Additions.” The HHBCC is one of the eight new club additions on that list. The club had a membership with the Federation, but their membership had expired. They are now back into current membership status. Retired Western Regional News editor, Scott Grandstaff, contacted the current Western Regional News Editor saying that he had received the May 2007 issue of the,

Bottles and Extras Diamondhead Liner. Scott forwarded the newsletter to us and we started corresponding with Mike Leong. Mike told us that their club was still active and that the members were fighting as hard as they could to keep it that way. When Mike said that the club has annual bottle shows, we explained that the biggest perk of all for club membership with the Federation is that the Federation insurance covers sanctioned club activities. His last correspondence to us was that the subject of rejoining the Federation would have to be brought up at a board meeting. We are so pleased to learn that the club has rejoined the Federation.

In reviewing the May 2007 newsletter, we read two articles by Bryan Yamamoto and enjoyed the accompanying pictures.

The first one, “Castle Junction” was about an adventure he and his friend, Robert, had in finding a site that produced chards of broken insulators. They became addicted to poking around in that site and had to return to it again (even though Bryan confided in his readers that he didn’t even collect insulators). No, Bryan, you “are not nuts.”

We diggers, here in Southern California, also get off on tangents other than what we collect and we, too, bring home fragments.

Once we lugged home pieces of a chamber pot. The pot received much needed TLC and is now glued together. The second article, “Christmas Past” was also fun to read. What an incredible collection of bottles in that article!

The first most important club action is that you are back into Federation membership status. Secondly, editor Mike Leong wrote in your May 2007 newsletter that he needs some help in getting content to hopefully meet a club goal of at least publishing a quarterly club newsletter.

In closing this report about your club, there is something we want to mention that

March-April 2008 was written in the club newsletter regarding the memory of Bryan’s friend Robert. The quote is: “Robert didn’t care too much about the monetary value of a bottle. The value of the bottle was in the interesting story he could tell about looking and finding – or not finding – them.” Perhaps this might inspire some club members to write something for the club newsletter. It doesn’t have to just be about bottles. Club members can submit an article to educate other club members by writing about some other kind of collectibles.

Hopefully future quarterly newsletters will be mailed to the Western Regional News Editor. If not readily available, it will be appreciated if your Club Secretary could either email or snail mail club minutes to us so that we may continue our bi-monthly reporting to keep our readers in step with your club’s happenings. You might even be able to entice some of the folks, from the Mainland, to fly on over to attend one of your annual shows.

Forty-Niner Historical Bottle Association – Bottle Bug Briefs The best show ever is how show chairman Steve Abbott entitled his write-up regarding the Auburn 2007 show. We are going to let Steve give you the story on this one. This is some of what he wrote: “The Thirtieth Annual Forty-Niner Historical Bottle Association Bottle and Antique Show was judged by many as the best show we’ve ever had. A lot of people deserve a lot of credit. The early planning was done by Mike Dolcini, Mike Henness and Max Bell, each of whom also had important roles in the setup, registration, and early lookers phases.

Janice Lake, our Treasurer, was important throughout all phases of the event, all the way from making a budget proposal, to paying the bills, to collecting the proceeds.

Tradecards courtesy of Carl Sturm.

15 Of course, Jim Lee deserves a big “hat’s off” for his Sacramento grocery collection, which provided a focal point for the Auburn Journal’s front page article before the show and follow up during the show. A nice article the following Monday contained interviews with many dealers and pictures of many buyers. And we must not forget our second vice president Mike Mckillop who made the set for Jim’s display and help set it up.

HerbYue kept the crowd at the front door under control during the registration and early looker buy-in. Doug Henriet made sure the dealers got their packages and Jan Patterson made sure the early lookers paid their fees. And then, Charles and Tina Holt in Gold Rush period dress conducted the raffle, all the way from buying the bottles, to selling the tickets, to conducting the raffle.

Many compliments for this couple. And also a big thank you to Jeff Wichmann for providing $500 for the raffle. We must also thank Fred Holabrid from Reno for making a $160 gift to the club in addition to his table fee. Often unsung is George Wagoner, who has been in charge of the lower building for years, making sure the tables are set up and assigned. Thanks to Greg Miller for providing the trophy for outstanding exhibit. We had many members who helped with set up and security, including Mike Lake, Ed Rickner, Troy Waddell, Tony Carlton, Tom Moniz, Jim Kuykendall, Greg Miller and a cast of thousands of nonmembers. And I apologize to any I left out. The Auburn Optimists provided the best dinner ever. So planning has already begun for next year’s show. We will look at all of the written comments from dealers and oral comments to various members and determine how we can improve the show and eliminate some areas of concern. I guess we can say if we have the best club in the West, ‘Nuff said.’ Steve”

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March-April 2008

Bottles and Extras

The Dalbey Jar

By Jeff Wichmann

So Old and So Perfect Once in a while people get lucky. So do auctioneers, once in a while. While American Bottle Auctions has had good fortune shine upon it this year, some other reasons to smile have come our way. The Dalbey Jar shown here is one of them. After receiving a couple emails from a woman in Ohio, I dismissed them as newer bottles with little value. I had not yet come to the end of the second email.

As I scrolled down and looked among the many screw top, clear bottles, I noticed a jar, a canning jar that looked pretty old. I emailed the woman back and asked her if she could identify the jar a little more. She said it said Dalbey and had the date 1858. I told her I would get back to her soon. As I scrolled through The Redbook and Jerry McCann’s Fruit Jar Annual, my jaw dropped. Surely I was reading this wrong.

Not being a jar collector, and as much as I appreciate these wonderful containers, I was astonished to read that the jar was valued at around $7,000, but more amazing was that no known original closures had been accounted for. Or had they?

I called the woman and asked her what the story was, in other words, where did you get the jar? She answered that the woman’s husband, age 69 inherited a farm that’s been in his family since 1842 and there was a cupboard in the house that contained a number of different items including some glassware. The house and its contents were pretty much the same as it was when her husband was a child. The Dalbey jar, as it turned out, was in the back of the cupboard behind some other lesser Mason jars and such. For all she knew, the jar had been sitting around for years, decades, but over a century and a half?

I called Doug Leybourne, the source of all sources on issues like this. His Redbook is the Bible of the jar-collecting world and if anyone knew more about this jar, it was

Doug. I told him the story and like many similar stories before, the jar was an amazing find, but the closure was most likely a reproduction. The odds were astronomical that it was an original top. I emailed some photos to Doug and he wrote me back in obvious excitement. The real McCoy was one term he used. It was apparently the real thing! I called the woman again, giving her the good news. The truth was, I had a good feeling from the start that it was right. Why would an elderly woman who lived in this house (which by the way was built in 1842) go to the trouble of having a reproduction lid made for a jar that was probably used by her and most likely her mother? The odds would seem that it was used, maybe once, maybe more, but soon replaced by the likes of a newer and much easier to use Mason or Lighting jar. This is how unique, priceless objects are found. People just had them, didn’t think much about them and they eventually came to light at a yard sale or antique store mercilessly before they were tossed away forever. Remember the copy of the Declaration of Independence that was found behind a drab painting, which was purchased, simply for the frame?

The jar was shipped to me and I immediately knew Doug was right. The jar, in mint condition, still had it’s leather guides, everything, perfectly intact. It appeared as if it had been used once, and set aside, forgotten for a century and a half. Sitting

through the Civil War, endless presidents and, finally, the 21st Century.

The Dalbey jar will be presented in our upcoming auction in March. It is so primitive, but like all things so old, yet so perfect. A jar that held preserves sat in front of me, preserved as well as the contents it likely once held. How someone long ago thought this jar would catch on was beyond me but history prevailed and now I think how luck found both a woman in Ohio and a bottle auctioneer in California.

Also coming in March’s auction.

Bottles and Extras

March-April 2008

In The Horn Saloon The Dalles, Oregon

By Garth Ziegenhagen Most western whiskey collectors will associate The Dalles with C.J. Stubling and the famous Umatilla House. Stubling was best known as a distributor and produced The United We Stand cylinder.

The famous Umatilla House was built at the boat landing in 1857.

The dining room seated 250 people. Meals and rooms were both 25 cents and there were 123 rooms that each had its own heating stove. Also stored in the basement were 2,500 gallons of whiskey. 1 Charlie Frank arrived at The Dalles before Stubling and opened the Farmer’s and Butcher’s Exchange Saloon across from the Umatilla House. He later opened the In The Horn Saloon in 1889.2 This saloon was frequented by a motley group of frontiersmen, miners, packers, Indians, gamblers, teamsters, cattlemen, sheep men, hunters and local merchants. Many of these local patrons were known for exchange items to add to Charles’ collection for steins of beer or shots of whiskey. More than likely, it was never known where some of the items orignated, but it was the beginning of a collection of over 700 items, including Indian relics, primitive antiques, firearms, steins and taxidermy. At the time of Charles Frank’s death in 1906, he had accumulated a collection that was sought by many, but his heirs refused offers, even up to $35,000 for his collection alone. 3 Apparently, they knew it was an attraction unequaled even in most museums.

Charles Jr. and his brother Rudolph took over the operation and ran the saloon until prohibition, when they changed it to a billiards and beverages operation. Hence the Frank Bros. on one of the mugs. Eventually the contents and business were sold to the McClaskey brothers, who continued to operate it until 1942, when fire destroyed the pioneer landmark and the collection without a peer in the Pacific northwest.4 Fortunately, some of the steins from the saloon were collected over the years by people of The Dalles and their decendants. Many of these are in the collections of Pete Dennis, Jim and Julie Dennis and the author of this article. Without these mementos, the history of the west would not be relived nearly as often. Cylinders, flasks,

Translation: A happy heart cures all pain.

17

shot glasses, corkscrews and other advertising, including mugs, are truly a part of the sentiments of this country and are obviously becoming more valuable each year.

If you want to know the history of an area, ask a serious bottle collector and they can probably tell you some interesting facts. If they can’t, it is probably because they haven’t completed their research yet.

References: Oregon’s Golden Years, Miles Potter (Caxton Printers, Ltd., Caldwell, Idaho), 1976.

2 The Dalles Chronicle, April 23, 1942.

3 “In The Horn” (pamphlet), Wm. H. McNeal, The Dalles, Oregon, 1933.

4 The Dalles Chronicle, April 23, 1942.

1

In The Horn Saloon, 215 East Second St., The Dalles, Ore.

Garth Ziegenhagen zigs@bendcable.com

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March-April 2008

Bottles and Extras

The Wade Insulator

By David Merck Growing up, I found that I had a natural tendency to collect things. This started to take a more focused direction when we moved back to be close to my mother’s family in Colorado.

My uncle and his friends were old time collectors. They had all been going out, finding and collecting all sorts of artifacts, since the 1920s. Whatever they collected would end up in their own collection or would be donated to a local area museum.

Their trips all over the West produced a wide variety of items.

My first encounter was on a rock hunting expedition when I was seven years old. On that trip at a historical marker, these men tried to explain to me about the Pony Express and the original telegraph lines. On these lines were glass insulators with wood covers. Upon asking, “Why the covers?” I was told they used them because if the Indians saw the glass, they would work to break them and make different tools (arrowheads) from them.

I got to see two of those Wade insulators, as they were called. A friend of my uncle had two of those wood-covered Wade’s down in his “junk room” in this basement. Also in that room was a wonderful assortment of all kinds of artifacts and collectibles. It was more than enough to fire up a young imagination.

Whether a person is hunting and collecting Wades or any other collectible, just realize the first step is always learning the history and doing some good research.

The Wades have a colorful history and have been found in quite a vast area.

Specimens have turned up from California to Pennsylvania, and as far south as Alabama and many places in between.

The common characteristic is that they were originally wood covered. The glass was usually cemented with pitch to hold the insulator to its pin and to its outside cover as well.

The outside wood was also treated with a preservative. The text from an early book showing its use at the time explains: “A glass insulator, somewhat similar in shape to that described, is covered with a wooden shield, to prevent fracture from stones and other causes, the wood being thoroughly saturated with hot coal tar, to prevent it from decay. The line wire is tied to the outside of the shield, in the same manner as when the glass insulator is used. The insulator is mounted on an oak bracket, as shown, secured by spikes to the sides of the pole or other support. The pin, or bracket, is saturated with hot coal tar in the same

The three pieces of the Wade insulator, the pin, insulator and wood cover, shown together and apart.

(The insulator and its wooden cover have been enlarged for this illustration.)

manner as the insulator shield.”

The “Wade” name is linked to Jeptha Wade, who was then the president of the Pacific Telegraph Company. The blusih hue to the glass has given rise to the theory that they were made by S.McKee & Co., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

There are three basic types: smoothside, dot-dash and the concave style. In theory, the smooth-side would have been the earliest. However, the “grip” of the insulator to its cover caused problems and one wold have seen some floaters in the wire within a short time.

The appearance of the dots and dashes was not just to enhance the romance of the Morse code. The purpose was to use the raised elements on the glass to give the insulator a better grip to its wood cover.

The concave style appears to have come about to solve the problem of breakage. If the telegraph line came to a spot where a long span between poles was necessary, or a more difficult terrain was suddenly encountered, breakage might become a problem. The added strength in the thickness of the glass of the concave style was instrumental in solving this problem.

Again, although the Wade’s have been found in such a widespread area, they are usually associated with the first telegraph line to cross state lines. This line figures prominently in the role of linking a young nation with its expanding territories at a critical time in our history.

Bottles and Extras

March-April 2008

The idea of a telegraph line across the continent was first proposed by Hiram Sibley, director of the newly-formed Western Union Telegraph Company in 1857.

It wasn’t until 1860 that Sibley and others inspired Congress to take action. The accepted contract between Sibley and the government called for complete construction within ten years. The government would also have preferential use of the telegraph line because of their $40,000 subsidy payment per year over that time.

Edward Creighton, a very prominent line contractor, surveyed a route before the spring of 1861. The route was adopted as: Omaha, Fort Kearney, Julesburg, Scotsburg, Fort Laramie, South Pass, Fort Bridger, Salt Lake City, Fort Churchill, Carson City, Sacramento and on to San Francisco.

The territory of Nebraska incorporated Jeptha Homer Wade (August 11, 1811the Pacific Telegraph Company with a August 9, 1890) was an American capital of $1,000,000. This company industrialist, philanthropist and founder represented Western Union and had the of Western Union Telegraph.

Sibley contract. Jeptha Wade was elected Born in Romulus, Seneca County, president, along with Sibley as viceNew York, the son of Jeptha and Sarah president.

(Allen) Wade. He operated a factory and To the west, the California Telegraph worked as a portrait painter before Company organized the Overland Telegraph becoming interested in the telegraph, and Company with a capital of $1,250,000 under in 1847, as a subcontractor for J.J. the direction of James Gamble. Construction Speedy, he began contruction of a proceeded from both the East and the West telegraph line from Detroit to Jackson, to join together in Salt Lake City.

Mich. Wade soon added lines from Construction began on July 4th, 1861.

Detroit to Milwaukee and to Buffalo by Mutiple crews were used, usually advancing way of Cleveland. In 1849-50, he built ten to twelve miles a day. The Eastern lines from Cleveland to Cincinnati and section of the line was completed to Salt St. Louis. In 1854, he consolidated his Lake City on October 24th, 1961. The Western lines with those of Royal E. House to section was completed just a few days later. create a network of lines across the Old The lines were connected and the first Northwest, and in April, 1856, their messages sent on November 15th. network was part of the 13-company The line was successful as well as consolidation of lines that created the profitable from the very beginning. The Western Union Telegraph Co. through a construction had taken less than four and a series of acquisitions and mergers. half months. The most hostile and desolate areas of our country had been successfully crossed.

Although this step was very significant, it was completely overshadowed by the completion of the first trancontinental railroad in May of 1869. Large portions of the line were moved to the railroad’s right of way, sections that provided communication between the forts and survived into the 1880s.

Now over 125 years later, you may hike in a few places and imagine what how it was and how things might have been.

References: Crown Jewels of the Wire.

Photos and illustrations courtesy of Ray Klingensmith.

Jeptha H. Wade information courtesy of Wikipedia.org and The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.

19 In 1861, Jeptha Wade joined forces with Benjamin Franklin Ficklin and Hiram Sibley to form the Pacific Telegraph Company. With it, the final link between the east and west coast of the United States of America was made by telegraph.

Wade became president of Western Union in 1866, but poor health forced him to resign the following year.

Wade used his vast wealth to benefit his community of Cleveland. In 1882, Wade donated 72 acres of land east of the city for purpose of creating a park, which was named Wade Park in his honor.

The park housed a small zoo. Today this is the Cleveland Zoo, one of the most renowned zoos in the world. Wade Park is still the center of the zoo.

Wade also was heavily involved with the formations and establishment of Hathaway Brown School, a private academy for young girls and women; he also co-founded the Case School of Applied Technology, now part of Case Western Reserve University. In addition, Wade served as the first president of the board of trustees for Lakeview Cemetery on Cleveland’s east side.

Wade married twice, first to Rebecca Louenza Facer in 1832, who died in 1836; then to Susan M. Fleming in 1837. He was the father of one son, Randall P. Wade, and four adopted children, Delia (Moore), Eusebra (Bates), Myra (Huggins) and Bessie (Reynolds). Many direct descendants of Jeptha Homer Wade still live in Cleveland today, including his great-great-great grandsons, Morris Everett Jr. and Chandler Homer Everett.

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March-April 2008

Bottles and Extras

Jimmy Carter & Billy Carter Bottle Collector & Can Collector

By Cecil Munsey Collecting bottles and cans became easily recognized hobbies during the second half of the twentieth century.

Collectors came from all walks of life and shared their common interests in democratic fellowship. Those were truly exhilarating times.

Some of those pioneer collectors were rich, powerful and famous and others were not rich, powerful or famous. Among the famous were Jimmy Carter who became President of the United States and his

Figure 1

Copyright © 2007 brother Billy who became a self-confessed alcoholic.

Part I – Jimmy Carter The knowledge and verification that Jimmy Carter is, indeed, a bottle collector came to us by way of a 1976 photograph from National Inquirer magazine. The photograph (Figure 1) was taken in Plains, Georgia at Jimmy Carter’s peanut farm. Old Bottle Magazine (Vol. 10, No. 11 – November 1976) was given permission to reprint the

photograph and that’s where most bottle collectors first saw it. The photo caption: “Presidential candidate, Jimmy Carter, examining an old violin flask and a fruit jar from his collection. Jimmy has been a collector of old bottles … since his childhood.”

Old Bottle Magazine served bottle collecting for almost 20 years (Feb. 1968 – Nov. 1987) and was purchased by James Hagenbuch who merged it with his publication, (AB&GC) Antique Bottle & Glass Collector Magazine. AB&GC has since become the largest of the leading publications in the organized hobby of collecting bottles.

Jimmy Carter was born in 1924 in Plains, Georgia a farming community of 600 people.

He was the Figure 2 oldest of four children. He served two terms in the Georgia Senate, and was the governor of Georgia (19711975). In 1976 he became the 39th president of the United States (1977-1981) – (Figure 2).

Following his presidency, he remained active in public life and gained new respect as an effective statesman and peacemaker, acting as a mediator in several international conflicts. He also used his influence as a former president to call attention to economic and social problems in developing countries and to promote human rights and democracy. He formed Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that helps needy people renovate and build homes for themselves. In 2002 Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his accomplishments in these areas.

Carter wrote numerous books, many of which are now in revised editions. His books include: Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President (1983); The Blood of Abraham: Insights into the Middle East (1985); Turning Point: A Candidate, a State, and a Nation Come of Age (1993); Talking Peace (1993); Always a Reckoning and Other

Bottles and Extras

March-April 2008

Poems (1995); The Virtues of Aging (1998); An Hour Before Daylight: Memoirs of a Rural Boyhood (2001); Christmas in Plains: Memories (2001); and Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid (2006).

Carter’s bottle collection is still around and is housed at the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains, Georgia that is administered by the National Park Service. As a famous person he was not only a collector but also the inspiration for a number of collectibles. For example, in 1977 he was the inspiration for a character bottle opener (Figure 3) and as might be expected, he is featured on at least one collector plate (Figure 4). A wide variety of “Jimmy Carter” items can easily be found for sale on e-Bay. While a number of American Presidents were known to be collectors, Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. president to collect antique bottles.

Another President Carter first: While the first reported sighting of an unidentified flying object (UFO) was near Mt. Ranier, Washington in 1947 by one Kenneth Arnold, in 1973, while Governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter filed a report with the International UFO Bureau in Oklahoma City of his 1969 UFO sighting:

Figure 3

Figure 4

For 10 minutes on January 6, 1969, Carter witnessed an unidentified flying object in the skies near Leary, in southwestern Georgia. On a starry night just after dusk, a single, self-luminous object about 30 degrees above the horizon that Carter estimated to be about 300-1000 yards away hovered, changed course and direction, and then disappeared.

Part II – Billy Carter Billy Carter was neither the first nor the last brother to embarrass a president, but he was surely the most colorful. From the time Jimmy Carter started running for president to the end of his term in office, his younger brother was never far from the spotlight. In 1976 he provided humor and a charming contrast to his straightlaced candidate sibling.

William Alton “Billy” Carter was born in 1937 in Plains, Georgia. He attended Emory University in Atlanta but did not complete a degree. He served four years in the Marines and returned home to work for his brother in the family business of growing peanuts.

Billy is perhaps best known for statements he made prior to the 1976 election. When the press gathered in Plains to get acquainted with Jimmy Carter, the surprising Democratic nominee for president, Billy became a star. “Yes, I’m a real southern boy,” Billy admitted over drinks with reporters at his gas

Figure 5

Figure 7 Figure 8

21 station across from campaign headquarters (Figure 5). “I got a red neck, white socks, and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.” When asked about his family, he got off one of the best quips of the entire campaign: “I got a mother who went into the Peace Corps at the age of 68. I got a sister who’s a Holy Roller preacher. I got another sister who rides motorcycles and wears helmets. I got a brother who thinks he’s going to be president of the United States. I’m the only sane one in the family.”

Billy Beer (Figure 6) was invented and first brewed in 1977. It was brewed by the Falls City Brewing Company (Figure 7) of Louisville, Kentucky. The brewery operated from 1905-1978.

Falls City Brewing convinced Billy Carter to launch his own brand of Figure 6 beer. He was selected as spokesperson because his brother was president and it was widely known that he enjoyed beer drinking. (However, it was also widely known that his brand of choice was Pabst Blue Ribbon.)

Falls City Brewing invested heavily into national marketing and distribution of Billy Beer.

The plan was to license the beer to other regional brewers and create a new national brand. The regional brewers involved were Cold Spring Brewing of Cold Spring, Minnesota; West End Brewing, Utica, New York; and Pearl Brewing of Ft. Worth and San Antonio, Texas.

Billy was quite proud of his small display of Billy Beer cans from each of the breweries that made his namesake beer. He kept the cans on a shelf in his service station in Plains.

A case of Billy Beer was featured on the cover of Newsweek for November 14, 1977. The cardboard case featured a picture of Billy Carter (Fig. 8) and the endorsement: “I had this beer brewed just for me. I think it’s the best I ever tasted. And I’ve tasted a lot. I think you’ll like it too.”

Sales were really hot when it first hit the market and it received enormous media coverage.

Most agreed that Billy Beer was nothing special and Billy ran into some serious personal criticism when he signed a representative agreement with dictator Omar Kadaffi of Libya.

It was a public relations disaster and the last gasp of Falls City Brewing. Shareholders closed the company in 1978.

Scoundrels tried to convince people that Billy Beer cans were worth hundreds of dollars as a collectible. In April of 1988, after seeing an advertisement in a Washington newspaper, a West Virginia couple paid $2,000 for a case.

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March-April 2008

Johnnie L. Parsons, a farsighted fellow West Virginian, had stored the beer. “I knew it would be worth some money some day,” said Mr. Parsons.

He is holding on to a second case, just in case.

The current value of a can of Billy Beer is $1.00 or less.

Reynolds Metal produced several million cans for Billy Beer. How many were filled has never been revealed. It is known that in October 1978, Reynolds Metals bought nearly 9 million empty Billy Beer cans and melted them, signaling the end for the brew.

In 1976, a year after his brother Jimmy gave the famous “…sinned in my heart….” interview to Playboy Magazine, Billy also agreed to an article in Playboy. The November 1977 article revealed a lot about the Billy Carter mystique.

At the height of his career as “First Brother” of the president, he was reportedly making $500,000 a year through appearances ($5,000 each) at events like the “Golden Ratchet” (auto mechanics) Awards, the “World Championship Belly Flop and Cannonball Contest and the annual “Swamp Buggy Races” in Naples, Florida.

Billy had a drinking problem that was well known. The problem grew worse as the spotlight on him intensified. “Billy ended up with a reputation and then he tried to live up to it,” according to his nephew Chip. “While his brother

Jimmy was busy running the country, Billy hit the talk-show circuit, cracking one-liners and hawking Billy Beer.”

After the failure of Billy Beer, Carter sold his house in Plains to settle back taxes with the IRS. In the midst of all his problems, Billy announced he was an alcoholic. He entered a treatment canter in California and gave up drinking completely. He went public with the facts of his addiction and treatment to “…help others.”

Billy Carter died of pancreatic cancer on September 1988 in Plains, Georgia. His mother and both sisters, Gloria (the motorcycle freak) and Jean (the Holy Roller evangelist), also died of pancreatic cancer. There has been some speculation in scientific circles that a possible link between all of the Carters’ cancer exists in the use of agricultural insecticide on their farm.

Like his famous brother, Billy Carter was an inspiration for a number of collectibles. For example, political buttons like the one featured as Figure 9. A beer mug was sold at Billy’s service station that was popular (Figure 10) and a T-Shirt (Figure 11). Just as in the case of Jimmy Carter memorabilia, a wide variety of “Billy Carter” items can easily be found for sale on e-Bay.

Bottles and Extras

Figure 9

Figure 10

Cecil Munsey 13541 Willow Run Road, Poway, CA 92064-1733 (858) 487-7036 cecilmunsey@cox.net

Figure 11

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Capstan’s Applied Color Tumbler

By Barry L. Bernas Lead In The Capstan Glass Company was known for clear tumblers which had either a smooth or fluted surface. In the latter category, the examples with exterior or interior flutes or models with this feature on both side walls served as the decorative pattern. 1 As labeling technology advanced and this South Connellsville, Pennsylvania glass food container maker incorporated it into their production process; another option for decorating their tumblers became available. In the mid-1930s, Company salesmen began to market packers’ glasses with applied color markings in a plethora of banded patterns and separate designs. This article will show you the styles that were advertised and those that I’ve been lucky enough to find.

The Foundation As the Great Depression raged on, officials from the Capstan Glass Company introduced a new line of tumblers in January 1934. The ad for this container read as follows.

“A PRACTICAL ANSWER TO THE Thin VOGUE – Now you can have a light weight effect in tumblers and still have strength and accuracy. The new Capstan 595 is a packaging masterpiece…as graceful as the bow of a ship and as sturdy, with an always-perfect finish for the cap. And every tumbler is electricannealed, which means extra strength and sturdiness. Its 12-3/8 ounce capacity and its long, straight insidefluted sides make it ideal for re-use as a high-ball or iced-tea glass. An added extra attraction is its low price…lower than ordinary thin-blown tumblers that have none of the strength or accuracy of Capstan 595...”

A representative example of the container which was included in this promotion can be seen in Figure 1.2 Thirteen months later, the Figure 1 container appeared for the third time in a Capstan sponsored sales pitch. Along with it was the first instance of an applied color banded, internally fluted model being marketed. See Figure 2.

The text of this ad indicated the seven specimens shown could be employed by packers to hold jelly. Here is how this

Figure 1

Figure 2

23 in distinctive color combinations. For tumblers of every description it will pay you to come to Capstan, the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial tumblers.”3 As you can see, the internally fluted tumbler styles carried in Figures 1 and 2 are slightly different in design. The former food container or number 595 is taller and has thinner panels (32) around the inner surface of the vessel. Conversely, the latter one, without a mold number identifier, is shorter in height with wider flutes (12) along its interior side wall. Despite the minor variations, these pieces with a smooth vice Anchor finish served as the foundation container for an almost limitless variety of applied color bands and designs that were made starting circa-1935.

promotion was phrased.

“CAPSTAN’S BIG PARADE OF Jelly Tumblers – The few tumblers pictured above give only the faintest indication of the completeness of Capstan’s selection offered the packers of jelly and allied products. We show only these few more popular types. All are distinctly suited and practical for jellies, for, being tumblers, they are easy to fill and seal, besides allowing the housewife to turn the jelly out in moulded form as she likes to do. Note the smooth banded tumbler in the upper tier (Figure 2); almost any smooth sided tumbler can be supplied similarly banded

Banded Tumblers Figure 3 was extracted from a September 1935 advertisement sponsored by the Capstan Glass Company. The accompanying text shows how the sales staff marketed these color banded containers.

“A Rainbow ’ROUND THESE TUMBLERS – Fluted and gaily decked out in multi-colored bands of vivid hues, these banded tumblers of Capstan’s fairly outdo the rainbow in the range and variety of their coloring. What’s more to the point, they make most attractive packages…packages difficult for shoppers and potential buyers to resist.

Their reuse utility, their ability

Figure 3

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March-April 2008

to beautify many a product, the lustrous sparkling quality of the glass itself…all recommend them to sales-minded packagers. Samples and suggestions on possible color schemes gladly supplied.”4 You’ll notice the two underlying styles of internally fluted tumblers were prominently displayed with multiple options for bands and their placement. Also, if the promotion was constructed from actual models, the two containers came in several sizes as well. When different color possibilities for the bands are added into the equation, the options for personalizing these containers for the consuming packer were seemingly endless.

Decorated Tumblers To remain competitive, Capstan Glass managers moved beyond the basic colored band to more elaborate decorations on their tumbler line. By October 1936, the food containers in Figure 4 or ones with designs chosen specifically by the customer were being offered for sale.

The full text of this sales pitch hones in on the rationale behind this new enticement.

“Decorated..FOR ACTION ON THE SELLING FRONT – GREAT SALES POSSIBILITIES exist in decorated tumblers…for dealer promotion, in achieving unusual design effects, in adding color and glamour to a packaged product, in interesting the buying public through the re-use value offered.

Capstan decorates tumblers to the queen’s taste. Most modern equipment and production facilities enable us to do a quality job of decorating efficiently Figure 4

and economically…and to give you the best of service into the bargain. The three tumblers illustrated above (Figure 4) are but typical of the almost unlimited range of attractive designs that can be worked out. May we submit samples and discuss your requirements with you?”5 The three advertisements I’ve presented are the only ones I’ve encountered for banded or decorated applied color tumblers from Capstan Glass. Let’s now take a look at some of the examples that have been found.

Known Banded Tumblers Only two color and band schemes have been reported to me. Figure 5 has a picture of each one.

On the left is a labeled version. This model is 5 5/8th inches tall. Its smooth mouth takes a 70 millimeter size metal sealer. At the opposite end is a circular base with an outer diameter of 2 9/16th inches. It has five 1/8th of an inch wide bands on its outer surface in a dark blue – white - dark blue – white - dark blue presentation. The Capstan Glass trademark is squarely centered on the underneath segment of its base. Below this insignia is the mold number 595. Above the nautical emblem is the mold series identifier.

So far, I’ve seen up to number 13 which is indicative of a long run for this motif.

Beside it to the right, we see another 595 model with five bands around its exterior.

Its measurements are the same as its counterpart. The difference between it and its mate to the left lies in the exterior pattern.

These highlighters are colored red-blackred-black-red. On this motif, the red lines are 1/8 inch in width and the black ones are twice that size or 1/4 inch wide.

Bottles and Extras Known Decorated Tumblers The first two specimens both carry the mold number 595 on their underneath sides.

Their physical design characteristics are also the same as the applied color banded containers with the same mold number.

On the left in Figure 6 is a tumbler with black colored birds depicted in flight. To its right, the same size of internally fluted container has red hearts applied in different spots around the vessel’s smooth outer surface.

The next two examples that I know of carry the mold number 518. These are pictured in Figure 7.

Each of the fluted 518 models has twenty-eight slanted panels adjoined around its inner side wall. These individual features have a rounded upward top and a curved downward bottom along with a convex shape throughout.

Besides the slanted vice straight panels and the number of each on the interior of these models, there are other features which distinguish these new specimens from the two basic fluted styles discussed earlier.

For one, the Figure 7 editions are a smaller size container. They are 4 1/4 inches tall and hold a little less than 8-ounces. For another, the finish has a typical tumbler flat sealing surface followed by knurling vice being simply smooth throughout. A third dissimilarity is the diameter of the pushdown metal cap required to close it. In this case, a sixty-three vice seventy millimeter cover is needed. The next difference centers on the base. On either sample in Figure 7, this part of the tumbler is 2 1/16 inches across.

Of note, I’ve only come across mold series numbers up to 4 so this type of applied color container may have had a more limited production run. And finally, the design on the exterior has a nursery rhyme theme. On the left in blue is the “Hey Diddle, Diddle” rhyme. To the right, the tumbler has a “Red Riding Hood” rendition.

The final applied colored decoration on a food tumbler can be seen in Figure 8.

This example has the outer appearance of a “C” or standard line of container. It is 5 7 /8 inches tall and comes with a typical Anchor style of finish to include the knurling trait. An industry approved and marketed push down style of metal closure would be used over its 70 millimeter wide lip.

Regardless of the side, the body on this sample is smooth and slants inward from the tip of the shoulder to the nadir of its 2 1/4 inches in diameter base. Around the exterior, there are eight unidentified flowers

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Figure 5

25

Figure 6

Figure 9

Figure 7 unidentified flowers (perhaps a pansy) applied in the solitary color red.

The underneath side has the Capstan Glass logo pressed into the center with the mold number 111 under it. On this specimen, the mold series above the trademark number is 1. See Figure 9.

Lead Out The fluted tumblers from the Capstan Glass Company with either applied color bands or decorations thereon were likely made for about three years or between January 1935 and February 1938.

This advertisement based fact makes this style of container quite difficult to find today. Nevertheless, there are examples still out there in hobbyland awaiting that special someone to give them a good home. If you are between collecting passions or just want something different to admire, why not start looking for this distinctive Capstan Glass food container. There is some work involved to find one but the pay off is worth the effort. Remember,

Figure 8 if you do come across one, keep me in mind. I’d like to record your find and report it to others.

BLB Endnotes: 1 A Look at the Capstan Glass Fluted Tumbler Series, Barry L. Bernas, Bottles and Extras, March-April, 2008, pgs. 37-39, 43. This article reports all of the known styles of fluted tumblers from the Capstan Glass Company. The internally paneled models within this report were purposefully excluded so that they could be discussed separately.

2 The Glass Packer, January 1934, pg. 55. One year later, the same tumbler appeared again in a Capstan Glass advertisement.

The Glass Packer, January 1935, pg. 53.

3 The Glass Packer, April 1935, pg. 253.

4 The Glass Packer, September 1935, pg. 581.

5 The Glass Packer, October 1936, pg. 623.

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March-April 2008

Bottles and Extras

The Crowned Heads of Germany

By Pauline Fitzsimmons and Joan Turco Photographs by Fitzsimmons and Turco Who are the Crowned Heads of Germany? Those fascinating porcelain perfume bottles wearing crown stoppers on their heads, of course! Produced in Germany from before the turn of the 20th Century to about 1939, these wonderful whimsies were the stars of a presentation that featured over 200 unique crown top perfume bottles in 127 slides.

The presentation began with a definition of terms relating to the four parts of a metal crown stopper - the crown, plate, tube or post, and cork sleeve. Different sizes and shapes of crowns were shown, including the unique barrel-shaped stopper from the Dutch perfumer, J.C. Boldoot.

After bottles were filled with perfume, they were sealed with a viscose plastic over the cork or crown. This cellulose product was similar to modern day shrink-wrap.

The production of porcelain was described as a lengthy process involving many artisans. The jobs of the sculptor, mold maker, caster, fettler, kiln loader, glazer and painter were briefly described with examples of good and poor workmanship. The first firing of a piece produced a bisque (matte) finish. A vitreous (glassy) finish was produced by dipping the piece into a glazing vat and firing it a second time after which it was painted and fired a third time. Gold or silver trim

German porcelain designers had a unique talent for creating whimsical crown tops that have continued to charm collectors over the decades.

Angels and cupids are appealing subjects for crown tops as illustrated by this Leonardo da Vinci angel.

was applied last and then it was fired again - the fourth, and final, firing. When noses, hands and other details of the design were lost, the molds were reworked or replaced, which resulted in only 20 to 100 copies of an item being made from a single mold.

There are three methods of identifying manufacturers of crown tops - an incised trademark, finding the bottle pictured in an old factory catalog or matching a model number to the series of model numbers attributed to a certain factory. The first two - an incised trademark and catalog identification - are the most reliable. The third method - matching model numbers is not always accurate because there was some overlapping of model numbers by different factories.

There were five major companies that produced porcelain crown top perfume bottles:

Mickey Mouse made his debut in November 1928.

Mickey on the left is stamped Made in England while the Mickey on the right is stamped Foreign (Germany).

A 1924 catalog page advertised the “Radio Kid� (on the right) as a figurine, salt and pepper shakers and as a perfume bottle. Adapting molds to produce different items was an effective cost-saving procedure.

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These members of the mysterious “Strange Family” were probably produced by the Schafer and Vater Company.

- The Sitzendorf factory’s trademake is a crown over the inital “S.” Sitzendorf bottles have 5-digit model numbers in the 20,000 series.

- The letter “G,” with two vertical lines through it, is the Schneider trademark.

Schneider used 5-digit model numbers in the 14,000 to 16,000 series.

- A crown over the initials “WG” is the well-known Goebel trademark. Their model numbers begin with the letters “XF.” - The Hertwig Company did not use a trademark on their bottles. They used model numbers in the 4,000 and 5,000 series.

However, other factories also used these series numbers. Finding these bottles on an old factory catalog page would be the only sure way of identification.

- The Schafer & Vater Company (S&V) did not use a trademark on their bottles and were not even consistent in putting model numbers on them. Also, their numbering system is too scattered to rely on for identification. The surest way to identify an S&V bottle is to find it illustrated in an old factory catalog.

The French characters, Pierrot and Pierrette, were derived from Pedrolino, a character of the Commedia dell’Arte, a classical form of improvisational theather (1500s to mid-1700s).

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For some collectors, the “Crowned Heads of Germany” are truly the royalty of their collections.

Not all bottles can be identified - ink stamps and paper labels wore or washed off the bottles over time, destroying valuable clues to their identification. Also, some companies kept poor records, or no records at all, of what they produced.

While Germany was by far the largest producer of porcelain perfume bottles, other countries may also have produced crown tops. Bottles depicting Dutch people show a distinct painting style (i.e., nostril dots, giving them a “Miss Piggy” appearance; and mouths painted with a straight line with dots for upper and lower lips) that differs from German manufacturers.

Some bottles with a Dutch theme are numbered in the 800 to 900 series and/ or have “Delft” printed on the bottom.

There is a possibility that the Wade porcelain company in England may have produced some bottles. The word “Wade” has been found incised on the end of stopper posts. During WWI (1915 to 1918), imports from Germany were suspended, bringing Japan into the production of perfume bottles.

Many crown tops were produced for the souvenir market and were sold to fair organizers, souvenir shops, dime stores and other retailers. Examples illustrated are marked: Mt. Tom, Holyoke, Mass.; Exposition Coloniale of 1931; Stratford-onAvon and a Florida orange. A British import law passed in 1926 required that the word “Foreign” appear on all imports into the United Kingdom. “Foreign” was stamped on the bottoms of German perfume bottles intended for export to Great Britain.

Categories for collecting, or organizing, a collection include: Art Deco, children, pairs, whimsies, Pierrots, Pierrettes and clowns, ladies, Orientals, Egyptians, mythological and religious, animals, objects and combos. Combos are combinations of a perfume bottle paired with another vanity item (i.e., powder box, trinket box, pincushion or figurine).

The last topic to discuss is reissues,

reproductions and crown top impostors. As with most other desirable antique items, reproductions and recasts from old molds are appearing on the market. Closely related to porcelain crown top bottles are porcelain flask heads with mercury glass stoppers. Most of the flask head bottles were made by the Heinz Company.

The German Doll Company has recast flask head bottles from original Heinz Company molds, but they are distinctively different from the old bottles. The new models are bisque while the old ones are glazed. The stoppers are blown glass without the mercury and the colors are subtle as opposed to the vibrant colors of the old ones. The new bottles also bear the German Doll Company’s Roly Poly stamp. Another German company is also producing new perfume bottles from original molds.

However, these new models have the old model numbers and the original old anchor trademark on the bottoms. Interestingly, in the 1980s, U.S. customs decided that foreign names were “decorations,” as long as the piece was marked with a paper label saying, “Made in...” Items can legally be stamped with an old name or mark as long as the country of origin is designated on a paper label.

Crown top impostors include: liquor bottles, vases, snuff bottles and naughty squirters. The presentation ended with a demonstration of the “drenching truth” about naughty squirters being identified as perfume bottles.

Inquiries for membership in the International Perfume Bottle Association should be addressed to: Joan Turco, 4708 Hilwin Circle, Austin, TX 78756-2806, or E-mail: ladybugs1995@sbcglobal.net.

Reprinted from Volume XIV, Number 4 of the Perfume Bottle Quarterly, a publication of the International Perfume Bottle Association, with the permission of the International Perfume Bottle Association and the authors, Pauline Fitzsimmons and Joan Turco.

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Bottles and Extras

The People’s Favorite Bitters A Rare Bitters Turns Up in the Darnedest of Places

By Jeff Wichmann An email arrived a couple months ago and, like the dozens I get almost daily, I read it and said I would investigate their bottle. This bottle in particular was called the People’s Favorite Bitters and as there was no picture, I sat with my fist on my chin, trying to picture what the bottle looked like. I know! I know! I should know, but remembering literally thousands of different bottles made from coast to coast, not to mention remembering every McKearin number (which I don’t), is no simple task.

I grabbed The Bitters Bottles book originally written by Carolyn Ring and followed up by a new version written in tandem with Bill Ham, and went to the “P” section. There it was - P 41 - with a drawing of this most unusual, barrel-shaped bitters with an odd row of swirling lines enveloping the entire bottle leaving an area in the middle that left room for the embossing. It reads: PEOPLE’S FAVORITE BITTERS POWELL & STUTENROTH with a date on the shoulder area that read PATD JULY 28 1868. I then grabbed the updated version that Bill had written on his own with new photographs that I have to admit, although somewhat reluctantly, rivaled my own in quality, maybe better. There on page 155 was a picture of not one, but two Favorite Bitters, one without the embossed “People’s” and a little shorter in stature. Wow! I was thinking how beautiful the bottles looked, the People’s variant light-amber shining like a million rays of sunlight; well, maybe not a million.

What was interesting was that the other variant was not only shorter, it was a little stubbier and had larger ridges also swirling around the body of the bottle. Time to investigate a little more before I returned the email. As it turned out, the Favorite variant was the first one made and was then changed to the People’s Favorite Bitters on July 28, 1868, the date on the shoulder of the bottle. Now I was intrigued, as

the People’s variant seemed to be extremely rare while the other was rated as very rare.

This bottle was getting better by the minute.

I emailed the woman back and conveyed what I had learned and I asked her to send some pictures and I would find out its value. I also asked, “Where did you find this incredible bottle?”

The picture came the next day and it was the identical bottle, ridges, golden amber, nearly identical to the one in Bill’s book. I had meanwhile talked to a few people and asked what they thought it was worth.

“Lots,” was the general reply. “Three or four known,” was also mentioned. In U.S. dollars? “Oh, nearly $20,000, maybe more.”

Way better by the minute!

The person was excited as I was.

“Can you send it out?” I asked. The answer was yes and before long I was one foot away and staring at a masterpiece of mold making and a rare one at that. So where did it come from? The story goes like this: The woman, Kristi Saporito, who knew nothing about old bottles, has parents who owned a house next to their own.

The place? Kansas.

And where did it come from? The woman conveyed that her parents had decided to tear down the old house and, during the tear down, this bottle turned up. Oh, there were others but this one, this time, was special.

Turns out the partners, Powell & Stutenroth, were from Naperville, Illinois.

Since the house was preCivil War, the timing was perfect. An Illinois bitters in Kansas? Found while tearing down a house? In need of a little sprucing up, if you didn’t like a bottle like this, cookie jars

might be your thing.

Well, after a light cleaning, it sits waiting for our upcoming auction in March.

Will it sell for as much as $20,000? Who knows? All I know is when I asked these gracious people in Kansas if they wanted to risk cleaning it, the reply I got astounded me. “We didn’t pay anything for it, so if it breaks, that’s the way it goes,” she said.

When was the last time I heard anyone saying anything like that?

The woman on the end of the email turned out to be a lovely, caring person who knew that there was more to life than money, much more. As the family spokesperson, she and her family were happy with their decision and Lou Lambert cleaned it up like he’d just washed the evening dishes. “No sweat,” he answered when I asked him if he could try not to break it. He didn’t; it’s drop dead gorgeous and everyone so far is happy.

It will be one of the highlights of the March auction. And, as I told Kristi, we will get the word out on her amazing find.

How a wonderful bottle like this made in the 1860s ended up in a house so far away from California and will now go to auction, then to some lucky bidder, is just another amazing story in the collecting world.

Kristi sounded excited and as I hung up the phone, we both thought about the past and future and I said, “trust me, it’s going to do well; after all, it’s not in Kansas anymore.”

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29

Stoneware of the Eastern United States

By Mark Zipp Introduction Gaining popularity in the late eighteenth century and rapidly declining in production by 1900, salt-glazed stoneware was one of America’s great containers of common household goods.

Whether it be a pitcher for cream, a crock for lard, a jug for whiskey, or a chamberpot for the bedroom, a single household could require many pieces for daily life. Today, what was once respected for its utilitarian function has now become admired among collectors for its decorative appeal and historical significance.

Stoneware is a term used to describe pottery which has been fired in a kiln at a high temperature, approximately 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit, and which has hardened to a stone-like body. The resultant clay color can be anywhere from nearly white to dark brown or dark olive.

Stoneware, even when fired to a reddish hue, is not to be confused with “redware,” which has a porous, softer body, and which is fired at a lower temperature.

Most pieces of stoneware, after being thrown on a wheel, were stamped with a maker’s mark, as well as a capacity mark to indicate gallonage, such as 1, 1 1/2, 2 or 3. They were then allowed to air dry and harden as “greenware.” After drying, each piece would be decorated with cobalt oxide, a compound which, when fired with salt, produced a bright blue coloration. [Some potters, such as Henry Glazier of Huntingdon, Pa., and George N. Fulton of Allegheny County, Va., used manganese for their decorations, which, when fired, produced a rusty brown color. Most manganese-decorated stoneware is considered rare.] Brushes or occasionally slip cups, funnel-like instruments that poured the cobalt in fine, raised trails, were used to decorate the exterior of the vessels.

Decorating through the use of a slip cup is known as slip-trailing. The load of ware would then be stacked in a kiln to be fired, with each piece separated by crude or molded kiln furniture. When the kiln reached the desired temperature, a kilnman would shovel salt inside. The salt would vaporize and fuse to the surfaces of the vessels, resulting in an impenetrable, glasslike coating over a blue decoration.

Commonly produced stoneware forms of the nineteenth century include jars, crocks,

jugs, pitchers, butter and cake crocks (shallow, cylindrical forms), milk pans (shallow, tapering crocks with spouts), and spittoons. Salt-glazed stoneware potteries existed from Maine to Virginia, extending as far west as Ohio and Minnesota. Other potteries operating in North Carolina, Georgia and other Southern states, produced alkaline and some salt-glazed ware. Stoneware reached its maximum production among the Eastern potteries circa 1880.

The early years of American stoneware, circa 1750 to 1810, will not be discussed in this article. Though several pieces of this period, particularly by the Crolius and Remmey families of Manhattan, represent some of the most important examples of American folk art, this article will primarily focus on the years when stoneware potting was a successful enterprise throughout much of the East. The potteries referred to in this article roughly pertain to the time period 1850 to 1880.

Values Value in stoneware is based on three major criteria: the decoration, maker and form of the vessel. As with any collectible, condition also plays a major role, with cracks, chips and broken parts decreasing the value of a quality example by several hundred, perhaps several thousand, dollars.

Above all, decoration is the most defining factor in a piece of stoneware’s worth, with rare decorations, like people and animals, making a piece most desirable. The value of a piece also fluctuates based on whether or not it is signed. Signatures always increase the value of a piece. Even attributing an unsigned piece to a given maker based on its style can make it worth more. The form of the vessel also plays a role in value and desirability, with less commonly produced items, like banks, water coolers and inkwells being some of the most sought after.

Areas of Collecting Most stoneware enthusiasts collect by region, seeking pieces of a certain style made in a certain geographic region. The vast number of potteries of the Eastern U.S. can be divided into various subgroups based on their stylistic differences, such as clay color, and decoration used, and how the

vessel was thrown. Much like the different schools of painting and furniture-making in America, there were, in a sense, different schools of potting. Some of these schools of style, which will be discussed, are New York and New England, Central Pennsylvania, Western Pennsylvania, Baltimore, and Strasburg, Virginia.

New York and New England The Northern potteries of New York state and New England produced highly refined stoneware with a whitish clay, glossy salt glaze and bright cobalt blue.

Generally, Northern stoneware contains less imperfections and firing flaws than that produced in the South. The clean, light color of the clay and vibrant blue on many of these pieces makes them seem, at least to the untrained eye, nearly indistinguishable from modern reproductions. This resemblance is partly due to the industrialization of such businesses. Many of the Northern stoneware operations were quite large, with numerous workers and high quality clay and equipment, which translated into massive outputs. They should be viewed more as factories, which had become more standardized in their production than potteries in the South.

Most Northern pieces, besides being glazed on the exterior with cobalt and salt, were also glazed on the interior with a dark brown “Albany slip.” This thick coating kept food products from soaking into the body of the vessel. Most common among stoneware forms thrown by Northern potters are semi-ovoid cream jars, straightsided jugs with thick, round spouts and straight-sided crocks, of similarly proportioned heights and widths.

Northern potters, particularly those from Upstate New York, produced stoneware with perhaps the greatest variety of decorations among all makers operating in nineteenth century America. Besides standard flower and bird decorations, they also made pieces with hand-painted animals, such as dogs, cats, fish, and horses, as well as people, faces, houses, ships, flags, and numerous others.

Northern makers utilized slip-trailing techniques on many of their pieces, which allowed for greater detail, and an overall more artistic rendering.

30 Although nearly all New York potters from about 1850 to 1890 produced stoneware with similar cobalt motifs, many makers are known for certain unique decorations that they solely developed and which they are now known for among collectors. Potter Thompson Harrington of Lyons is admired for his “star face” decoration, which consists of a small, sliptrailed face surrounded by several jagged rays of cobalt. Havana potter A.O. Whittemore, perhaps more than any American maker, produced crocks decorated with slip-trailed houses, underlined with waves, and occasionally flanked by palm trees. John Burger of Rochester made pieces decorated with game birds, detailed on the breast, head and back, with numerous dots of cobalt. Noah White of Utica commonly decorated his pots with “paddle-tailed birds,” song birds with long, rounded tails heavily filled with cobalt.

In such cases, the decorations are so distinctive an expert can identify the maker of a piece without reading the maker’s mark. In other cases, decorations are more characteristic of the style of the region, rather than a specific maker. The similarities between stoneware pieces produced in various towns, extending from New York City to Portland, Maine, suggest that many potters traveled from company to company throughout the states of the Northeast.

There were several major potteries active in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont during the nineteenth century.

These include F.T. Wright of Taunton, Mass., F.B. Norton of Worcester, Mass., J.S. Taft of Keene, New Hampshire, and A.K. Ballard of Burlington, Vermont. Like examples from New York, New England stoneware is generally light-clayed, and features bright cobalt floral or bird decorations. Though nearly identical in quality to the work of many New York makers, most collectors are uninterested in New England stoneware. However, there is one exception. The Julius Norton pottery of Bennington, Vermont, which operated from 1839 until 1894, was one of the country’s major factories, producing, among florals and birds, pieces decorated with slip-trailed pheasants, dogs, lions and deer. Norton animals are often depicted in a landscape scene surrounded by pine trees, fences and a house; the lavish detail of such scenes has made them some of the most beloved and sought after of all stoneware decorations.

March-April 2008 Central Pennsylvania To the east, potteries in Central Pennsylvania, such as Cowden & Wilcox of Harrisburg, M & T Miller of Newport, Evan R. Jones of Pittston, and Sipe and Son of Williamsport, produced light-colored, brightly-decorated ware similar to that of potters in the North. Makers of this region most often produced jug and cream jar forms, usually in the one to three gallon size. In addition, Central Pennsylvania potters produced a form known as the batter pail, an ovoid vessel with a tubular spout in the front and a wire handle over the top.

This form is also found, on occasion, in the work of Northern potters with sparse cobalt decoration. Those from Central Pennsylvania are usually heavily decorated, attractive examples of stoneware and are very desirable.

Most common among Central Pennsylvania stoneware motifs are brushdecorated representations of flowers and leaves, though local potters occasionally decorated pieces with grapes, birds, animals and people. Central Pennsylvania potters rarely slip-trailed the cobalt onto their vessels. Pieces with such a treatment are considered rare and desirable. One motif prized by collectors is the so-called “manin-the-moon,” which depicts the profile of

Bottles and Extras a long-nosed face, flanked on the edge by leaves. Currently, among the Central Pennsylvania marks, pieces marked “COWDEN & WILCOX” remain the most collectible. This is probably due to the sheer variety and high quality of the decorations of this partnership’s ware. Some superior examples of Cowden and Wilcox stoneware include those decorated with a Union soldier’s bust, a cow, a horse head, as well as a variety of bird decorations.

Western Pennsylvania Potters in Western Pennsylvania typically made vessels in the form of small canning jars up to lug-handled, twentygallon crocks. The clay they used, when fired, was usually darker and denser than that of the Northern factories, ranging from a medium gray to a dark brown. Unlike makers in surrounding areas, Western Pennsylvania potters used metal stencils, punched with the name of their company and town of origin, to decorate the front of their ware. Their companies’ names would be accented with brush-decorated flourishes and other stenciled designs, from simple swags and geometric patterns to detailed fruit, eagles, and, in very rare cases, tavern scenes. Pottery names found on examples from this region include “HAMILTON &

Top row, from left: Bean pot, Georgia, alkaline glaze, early 20th century; churn, Albany slip, Georgia, early 20th century; whiskey jug, salt-glazed, Ottman Bros., Fort Edward, N.Y., late 19th century.

Bottom row, from left: milk or mixing bowl, alkaline glaze, Timmerman Pottery, Stockton, Ga., late 19th century; pitcher, alkaline glaze, Washington County, Ga., late 19th century; cream riser, alkaline glaze, Crawford County, Ga., late 19th century. (Bea Baab photo)

Bottles and Extras JONES/ GREENSBORO Pa.,” “A. CONRAD/ NEW GENEVA Pa.,” and “ISAAC HEWITT JR./ RICE’S LANDING,” all circa 1870. Potter Alexander P. Donaghho, who made freehand and stencil decorated stoneware in Fredericktown, Pa., circa 1870, later moved to Parkersburg, West Virginia, where he potted from 1874 to 1900. His Fredericktown products are considered rare and desirable, while his Parkersburg products are very common.

Western Pennsylvania potters gained much of their success selling pottery to various merchants from Ohio down to Virginia, with each piece emblazoned with the name of a business across the front.

Examples of these advertising pieces include “E.J. MILLER SON & CO./ DEALERS IN CHINA AND QUEENSWARE/ ALEXANDRIA Va.,” which were made by James Hamilton or T.F. Reppert of Greensboro, and “CHAS. TORSCH & CO./ BALTIMORE Md.,” which were made by A.P. Donaghho during his Parkersburg years.

Baltimore To most collectors, Baltimore stoneware is defined by its clover decoration and local potter, Peter Herrmann. The brush-applied clover decoration was undoubtedly the most popular motif used by Baltimore potters, particularly after 1850. Interestingly, clovers are rarely seen elsewhere in neighboring potting areas.

Herrmann, who potted in the third quarter of the nineteenth century, is one of the few Baltimore makers to have signed his work, incorporating his name, “P. HERRMANN,” into the capacity marks he stamped upon his ware. Herrmann produced a large amount of stoneware, some decorated with clovers, others with swags, vertical claw-shaped flowers or hanging flowers. His decorative motifs were some of the most varied among the Baltimore potters. Besides his standard production items, he made advertising crocks and jugs for merchants from Western Maryland to South Carolina. Many are stamped with the merchant’s name as well as Herrmann’s maker ’s mark. The abundance of his name found on cloverdecorated pieces has led many to assume that all clover-decorated pieces were made

by Herrmann. Some even go so far as to believe that he was the only major potter in Baltimore and that clovers were the only decoration. However, Herrmann was not

March-April 2008 the only significant potter in Baltimore and the clover not the only motif used.

Other stoneware producers, such as the Parr and Perine families, contributed much to Baltimore’s potting heritage, but a lack of signed examples of their work has made them virtually unknown to historians and collectors. The Parr family, beginning circa 1815 with David Parr Sr., operated in Baltimore into the 1850s. Stoneware produced by the Parrs represents some of the most lavishly decorated examples made in nineteenth century America. Their most popular motif was a horizontal garland of leafy stems and flowers, running the circumference of a vessel below its collar.

Many pieces are decorated with several rows of this design.

The Perine family, beginning in the late eighteenth century with Peter Perine, maintained a redware and stoneware operation in Baltimore into the 1940s. The family ended its production of cobaltdecorated ware around 1900. From 1840 to 1885, the Perine family decorated their pottery with fan-shaped flowers or hanging swags, applied by brush. Their early work was quite attractive, with garland-like decorations that spread from handle to handle, bright blue against light gray.

Perhaps most intriguing about this family was its ability to survive so long, and to evolve into a large-scale, industrialized operation, advancing far beyond its local competitors. By 1890, the Perines had patented the first stoneware drain pipe, and were producing pottery for a variety of chemical and household needs, all fired inside efficient, gas-powered kilns. In many ways, they had become much like the factories of the North.

Examples of Baltimore stoneware signed by the partnership of Morgan and Amoss from the 1820s reveal a past to the craft in this city, which differs quite strikingly from the simple, clover jars made

by Herrmann. Morgan and Amoss produced evenly-fired ware with light gray bodies and exacting, slip-trailed designs, unreminiscent of the later clover motifs.

The pair most often signed their pottery on the underside, in an elegant script, “Morgan & Amoss/ Makers/ Pitt Street/ Baltimore,” followed by a date.

In a sense, Baltimore served as a boundary line between styles in stoneware.

Its gray-fired clays, vessel forms and cobalt motifs are more like those to the South, in Virginia. Representations of fruit, animals and people are nearly non-existent south

31 of the state of Pennsylvania. Baltimore, and its neighboring pottery towns in Virginia, were more concerned with floral designs, whether elaborate, fine and elegant or naive.

Strasburg Major potting towns in Virginia included Alexandria, Richmond, Harrisonburg in the Upper Shenandoah Valley and Strasburg in the Middle Shenandoah Valley. For the sake of brevity, the most productive of Virginia’s pottery towns, Strasburg, nicknamed “Pot Town,” will be discussed. Potters in Strasburg used unrefined local clay to make their stoneware, resulting in dense, dark-colored pots. Much of the stoneware produced in Strasburg is flawed, with bloated or collapsed walls, heavily burnt areas and crazing, all related to poor clay or firing problems. After 1850, during the town’s glory years of pottery production, most potters preferred to make straight-sided vessels decorated with a simple swag motif.

This easily-applied decoration consisted of a series of comma-like dashes hanging from the rim of the vessel; in more elaborate examples, the swags are accompanied by flowers. In very rare cases, potters decorated with representations of people, birds or animals. Strasburg stoneware, though lacking in quality when compared to the factories of the North, is admired for its folksy charm and the Southern heritage that bore it. Of the many Strasburg maker’s marks found today, the most common include “W.H. LEHEW & CO.,” “J.M. HICKERSON,” and “S.H. SONNER.” Some rare, short-lived partnership marks exist, including “MILLER & FLEET” and “KENNER, DAVIDSON, & MILLER.” But perhaps most well-known among Strasburg potters are the Bells and Eberlys.

Brothers Samuel and Solomon Bell, along with Samuel’s sons, potted in the town for over half a century, producing stoneware as well as redware. A few redware lions, for which the Bell family has become famous, were produced in Strasburg.

Samuel and Solomon Bells marks include “S. BELL,” “SOLOMON BELL/ STRASBURG/ Va,” and “S. BELL & SON/ STRASBURG.” Brothers Jacob and Joseph Eberly, along with Jacob’s son, Daniel, also produced both redware and stoneware. The Eberlys, like the Bells, are admired for having created some of the most important redware pieces in American history, Continued on page 36.

32

March-April 2008

Bottles and Extras

The Dating Game: William Frank & Sons, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1866-1875)

By Bill Lockhart, Pete Schulz, Carol Serr, Jay Hawkins and Bill Lindsey History William Frank & Co., Pittsburgh (18461866 In a 1975 interview, James A. Frank told how his grandfather, William Frank began his first employment as a pedlar, then worked in a dry goods store in Ohio, where he married Pauline Wormser. The couple moved to Pittsburgh in 1845 (National Council of Jewish Women 2002:75). James also stated that Frank “began operating in 1846 as Wm. Frank & Company, in the general mercantile business” (Creswick 1987:63).

At this point, stories begin to conflict.

Citing an 1875 source,1 Innes (1976:218221) stated that Frank and his brother-inlaw, Ephraim Wormser joined in the glass business in 1854. Elsewhere, however, Innes (1976:221-222) cited William K. Frank (another grandson) who claimed that the initial company was the Pittsburgh Green Glass Co., operated by Wormser, Burgraff & Co. Frank entered the business in 1857, and the group renamed the plant the Franktown Glass Works in 1858. Other sources (McKearin & Wilson 1978:159; Toulouse 1971:193-195) noted that Wormser and Frank established the Franktown Glass Works in 1858.

William Frank & Sons, Pittsburgh (18661875) Wormser deeded his interest in the business to William Frank in 1866, and Frank renamed the company William Frank & Sons (Innes 1976:218-221, 221-222; McKearin & Wilson 1978:159; Toulouse 1971:193-195).2 Both grandsons told the story of how H. J. Heinz, as a young man, bought bottles from their grandfather to contain his earliest product, horseradish, obviously a family tradition (Innes 1976:221-222; National Council of Jewish Women 2002:75).

William’s son, Himan Frank, was the inventor of the family. On August 6, 1872, Himan received two patents: one for “Forming Bottle Mouths” (No. 130207), and one for a bottle stopper (No. 130208).

The forming tool patent (No. 130,207) related “to a tool for forming a screw-thread

on the inside of the necks of glass bottles and jars along with a suitably shaped seat for a gasket.” (Figure 1) The stopper (Figure 2) was made to fit into an internal, continuous-thread finish (Innes 1976:218222; U.S. Patent Office 1872a; 1872b).

Himan also patented a gas furnace, 3 which was put into operation in a new plant built by William Frank & Sons in 1873 (Jones 1968:27). The gas furnace may have been problematic; “the works was entirely destroyed by fire on June 11, 1874, and on the ruins rose a handsome new structure, which, in ten weeks from the time of the fire, was in full operation.” (Innes 1976:222; Jones 1968:27). The new factory had “1 furnace, 6 pots” in 1875 (Grier 1877:127).

For reasons currently unknown, William Frank & Sons left the business in 1875, and the plant remained idle for a short time. Thomas Wightman reopened the factory on May 30, 1876, but closed again on December 4 of that year (National Glass Budget 1909). The plant still operated using a single furnace with six pots during the final year (Crockery and Glass Journal 1876:15).4 As a post script, William Franks & Sons were listed in the dry good business from 1877 to 1879 (Hawkins 2006).

Bottles and Marks

Figure 1: Tools for Forming Mouths of Bottles, &c. (U.S. Patent Office 1872a)

Figure 2: Improvement in Bottle Stoppers (U.S. Patent Office 1872b)

WILLIAM FRANK PITTSBURG (1866-1875) This is one of the few marks where Frank’s first name is spelled out. The mark “WILLIAM FRANK / PITTSBURG” was embossed on what appears to be a Ricketts type mold, the earliest plate mold (Figure 3). This plate wrapped around the outer portion of the bottle base. This mark was found on a bar decanter. Although we have dated the mark to the full range of the Frank glass business, it was probably made during the early days of the business in the 1860s.

WILLIAM FRANK PITT (1866-1875) Ring (1980:237) noted that one bottle of Dr. Henley’s California Bitters was embossed on the base with “WILLIAM FRANK’S PATENT PITTSBURGH.” In

Figure 3: WILLIAM FRANK / PITTSBURG (Jay Hawkins) her later book with Bill Ham (Ring & Ham 1998:274), they corrected the entry to

Bottles and Extras

March-April 2008

“WILLIAM FRANKS PITT” – although the final “S” in “FRANKS” is probably still an error on their part. Wichmann (1999:65) noted the mark as “W. FRANK & SONS PITT.” None of the other typical bitters sources (e.g., Umberger & Umberger 1967; Watson 1968; Wilson & Wilson 1969; Wichmann 1999) mentioned the “PATENT” mark.

WM. FRANK & SONS, PITTS, and similar marks (1866-1875) These marks were used on flasks, bitters, and spirits bottles during the 18661874 period when the firm was in business (McKearin & Wilson 1978:160-162; Palmer 1993:383). One flask was embossed “WM FRANK & SONS / PITT.” in an oval (Figure 4). Jones (1968:27) provided an interesting variation to the mark. Hers showed WM. FRANK & (arch) / PITTS (horizontal, center) / SONS (inverted arch) on a round bottle base. Variations included: - WM. FRANK & SONS5 - WM. FRANK & SONS, PITTS (including one with PITTS in mirror image) - WM. FRANK & SONS (front); PITTSBURGH, PA. (back) as a body embossing6

Figure 5: WM. FRANK & SONS / PITTs on a fruit jar (Creswick 1987:63)

33 W. FRANK & SONS (1866-1875) Creswick (1987:184) illustrated a fruit jar marked W. FRANK & SON8 (arch) / PITT. (Inverted arch) on the base (Figure 7). The side was embossed THE/ RESERVOIR, and two lugs were embossed inside the throat to take an internal stopper.

Patent No. 136,240 was issued to Ella G. Haller for this type of jar/stopper combination on February 25, 1873. The jar was therefore made by Frank during the last two years of the company’s operation.

Roller (1983:305) also listed the RESERVOIR and noted that the name was also used by Cunninghams & Ihmsen. A similar jar (without RESERVOIR) was also listed by Roller (1983:128). He dated the jar ca. 1871-1876.

horizontal) / MANUFACTURED ONLY (arch) / BY / WM FRANK / PITTSBURGH PA (all horizontal – with a period under the “A” in “PA”). This is the only mark we have seen with only “WM FRANK” no “& SONS” (Figure 6).

Figure 7: W. FRANK & SON8 (arch) / PITT. (Creswick 1987:63)

Figure 4: WM FRANK & SONS / PITT. (Jay Hawkins) A similar mark, “WM. FRANK & SONS, PITTSBURGH”7 was embossed in a circle around a diamond on the base of a green fruit jar (Toulouse 1969:120).

Toulouse dated the mark from 1858 to 1866; however, the correct dates should be 1866 to 1875. Creswick (1987:63) illustrated a grooved-ring wax sealer fruit jar embossed on the base with WM. FRANK & SONS (arch) / PITTs (inverted arch) with an elongated diamond in the center (Figure 5). She dated the jar 18661876. Creswick (1987:23) also illustrated a jar with a complex front that was embossed: PATENTED BY / G. W. BUFFINGTON / MARCH 5TH 1867 (all

Figure 6: WM FRANK / PITTSBURGH PA on a fruit jar (Creswick 1987:63) Innes (1976:220-224) showed variations of this mark on flasks, bitters bottles, fruit jars and cylinder liquor containers. The mark on cylinder bottles was in a circular format on the base, and it was embossed on the sides of flasks. The Frank name was always accompanied by “PITT,” “PITTS, or PITTSBURGH, PA.” – although one cylinder bottle was embossed “WM. FRANK AND SONS PA.” and another had “WM. FRANK & SONS” with “PITTS” in mirror image.

Innes (1976:221) illustrated a flask embossed “W. FRANK & SONS.” A similar flask from the Hawkins collection was embossed “W. FRANK & SONS” horizontally across the heel (Figure 8). The flask had the internal threads patented by Himan Frank in 1872 (see H FRANK below). Palmer (1993:383) illustrated a Union flask with clasped hands on one face, below which the mark “W FRANK & SONS (arch) / PITT. (Inverted arch)” is arranged in a horizontal oval. The flask is noted as being pontil-scarred, an interesting late use of that technology.

Figure 8: W. FRANK & SONS flask (Jay Hawkins)

34

March-April 2008

W. F. (1866-1875) This mark was found on a “blobtop” soda bottle and was attributed to William Frank

by McKearin and Wilson (1978:160), who provided photos of both sides of the container (Figure 9). Innes (1976:222) also i l l u s t r a t e d the bottle (used by J. C. Buffum & Co., Pittsburgh) with the W.F. initials Figure 9: W. F. embossed on the on the reverse reverse near the heel of a blob-Top and noted that the soda bottle mark “probably” (McKearin & indicated William Wilson 1978:160) Frank.

F (1874?-1875) Toulouse (1971:193) claimed the “F” mark belonged to William Frank & Sons, although he did not supply any information about why he chose either the mark or the company. Thus far, we have not had reports that confirm the use of this mark by Frank.

A beer bottle from the Tucson Urban Renewal (TUR) collection is a possible contender for this claim (Ayres et al. 1980).

The bottle had a medium-sized “F” embossed in the lower right quadrant of the base (Figure 10). In our experience, this placement is unique among export beer bottles. The bottle was topped by an applied, two-part finish with a sharp lower ring. These sharp lower rings (in both downwardly flared and wedge shapes) were apparently used from the inception of the bottle style in 1873 to ca. 1882 (Lockhart 2007:54-55).

Figure 10: F Mark on export beer bottle base (Ayres et al. 1980)

The export beer bottle was invented in 1873 and first made by William McCully & Co. The use of manufacturer’s marks on export beers, however, cannot be verified earlier than ca. 1875 (Lockhart 2007:53).

Thus, an export beer bottle would have had to have been made by Frank prior to closing in 1875 and would have been one of the earliest marked export bottles.

The presence of a wedge-shaped lower part on the two-part finish, however, indicates that the bottle could have been made during the last two years that Frank was in business.

We question whether Frank used a single-letter mark. All of Frank’s other marks were much more complex, and we have never seen any advertisement from Frank that included beer bottles. It is thus unlikely that Frank made the beer bottles with the “F” mark on the base, but the possibility cannot be completely eliminated.

One final somewhat remote possibility is that the “F” mark was used by Thomas Wightman to represent the Frank works during the short time Wightman operated the factory in 1876.

W. F. & SONS (1866-1875) Knittle (1927:442) and Toulouse (1971:193) both attributed the W F & Sons mark (without MIL – which would indicate William Franzen & Son)9 to William Frank & Sons. Griffenhagen and Bogard (1999:129) listed the mark as being used on Henley’s Wild Grape Root Bitters.

Fike showed two slight variations of D r Henley’s Wild Grape Root Bitters but did not mention any manufacturer’s mark. The product was introduced in 1866 and was advertised as late as 1915.

Ring (1980:237), Ring and Ham (1998:275), and Watson (1968:55) all listed several variations of D r Henley’s Wild Grape Root Bitters, including one marked on the base with W. F. & SONS. The mark also appeared on flasks.

McKearin and Wilson (1978:653) discussed a flask with an ornamented shield design the was marked “W.F.& / SONS” below the shield. Unfortunately, they did not illustrate the flask. We have also seen this mark on medicine bottles in the Pittsburgh area. Bottles of these types could not have been made by Franzen, who only manufactured beer and soda bottles.

We have also observed the mark with “PITTS” on the base of a Citrus of Magnesia-type medicine bottle (Figure 11).

Bottles and Extras

Figure 11: W.F. & SONS / PITT (Jay Hawkins) It appears in a circle around the edge of a small post-bottom mold. All examples recorded have periods after both initials.

W F & S (1875) Peters (1996:9, 184) attributed this mark to William Frank & Sons, although the mark is usually reserved for William Franzen & Son. He based his claim on a single Wisconsin blob-top soda bottle used

by Mostert & Bischoff of Waukesha. Peters dated the bottlers from 1875 to 1877, a date much too early for Franzen, although it fits in the last year of the Frank operation. The bottle style is one that was abandoned long before Franzen joined the bottle-making crowd. The manufacture of this bottle by William Frank currently remains a possibility.

W F & Co. (ca. 1865-1869?)

Griffenhagen and Bogard (1999:129) showed this mark as being used by William Frank & Co., Pittsburgh, on Schwab McQuaid & Co. bottles in the 1890s.

Assuming that the attribution to William Frank & Sons is correct, the date is far too late. Watkins (1968:143) and Hunt (1997) both listed Red Jacket Bitters by Schwab McQuaid & Co. with the W F & Co mark on the base.

According to Cannon (2005), Edward McQuaid, Charles H. Schwab and John B. Smith engaged in a wholesale wine and liquor establishment from 1866 to 1869.

This is more in keeping with the dates for William Frank & Co. (see above). It is possible that the mold for this bottle (and mark) was made just at the transition between Wm. Frank & Co. and Wm. Frank & Sons in 1866. William Frank & Sons may have continued to make the same bottle in the same mold for the next few years.

Bottles and Extras H FRANK A great find is a flask base fragment embossed “PAT AUG. 1872 / H FRANK” (Figure 12). Wedel & Walker (1992:165166) noted, “The maker’s mark is for Wm. Frank & Sons, Pittsburgh 1866-76, with this particular mark being used between 1872-1876. The patent is by Hymen Frank (a son).” They also stated that Toulouse (1971:193-195) discussed “the bottle design.” This last statement is incorrect.

The cited section referred to the Frank company and discussed other bottles.

Figure 12: PAT AUG. 1872 / H FRANK (Wedel & Walker 1992:165-166) This is actually a new mark to us and almost certainly a correct identification.

The only patents we could find for Himan Frank (not Hymen as the report says), were both issued on August 6, 1872. The most likely patent indicated by the bottle was the one for “Improvement in Bottle Stoppers.”

As noted in the history section, the patent (No. 130,208) was for an internal-thread finish with a beveled gasket seat. Frank noted in the report that this was not the first patent for an internal-thread finish; his beveled gasket was what made the patent unique.

Discussion and Conclusion This research helps define the dates of use for these marks, but it also brings up more questions. The dates provided by Hawkins (2006) are more in keeping with the types of bottles we have seen than some ranges suggested by earlier researchers. A closing date of 1875 even brings the questioned beer bottle mark into the realm of possibility.

We can thus hypothesize that toward the end of his term in business, Frank and his sons not only made soda and beer bottles, they abbreviated their marks to initials, more in keeping with the growing trend.

More and more soda bottle makers were using initials above the heels of the bottles (e.g., C&Co, C&I, AGWL, etc.). Beer bottle manufacturers were just beginning to mark bottles at all – and always on the base during the earliest period. The timing may have been perfect for a change from

March-April 2008 full name to initials.

All marks used by William Frank & Sons (with exceptions noted above) should be dated 1866-1875, although this range is somewhat in dispute. The early sources along with family traditions placed the glass factory (Wm. Frank & Sons) in business beginning 1866. However, the city directories continue Wm. Frank & Co. to 1869, and do not begin Wm. Frank & Sons until 1870.

It has been demonstrated elsewhere (e.g.

Lockhart 2000) that city directories are often slightly inaccurate, especially about beginning dates for establishments. It is entirely possible that either a lazy employee for the directory company failed to check on the listing or that Frank did not think about sending in a change – or both. A member of the Frank family may have checked the directory in 1969 and pointed out the discrepancy. In weighing the evidence, we have elected to follow the 1866 date.

As always, we welcome comments from our readers: Bill Lockhart 1313 14th St., Apt. 21 Alamogordo, NM 88310 (575) 439-8158 bottlebill@tularosa.net Sources Cited: Ayres, James E., William Liesenbien, Lee Fratt, and Linda Eure 1980 “Beer Bottles from the Tucson Urban Renewal Project, Tucson, AZ.” Unpublished manuscript, Arizona State Museum Archives, RG5, Sg3, Series 2, Subseries 1, Folder 220.

Cannon, Richard 2005 “The Medicine Chest: Two in One.” Antique Bottle & Glass Collector Webpage. http://glswrk-auction.com/ mc12.htm Creswick, Alice 1987 The Fruit Jar Works, Vol. I, Listing Jars Made Circa 1820 to 1920’s. Douglas M. Leybourne, N. Muskegon, Michigan.

Crockery and Glass Journal 1876 “Pittsburgh Glass Factories.”

Crockery and Glass Journal 4(7):15-16.

Grier, W. Hayes 1877b “Among the Industries of Central, Western and North-Western Pennsylvania.”

35 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Annual Report of the Secretary of Internal Affairs 4(3):90-227.

Griffinhagen, George and Mary Bogard 1999 History of Drug Containers and Their Labels. American Institute of the History of Pharmacy, Madison, Wisconsin.

Hawkins, Jay 2006 Glasshouses & Glass Manufacturers of the Pittsburgh Region 1795 - 1910.

Draft.

Hunt, William J. Jr. 1997 Embossed Medicine Bottle Labels: An Electronic Finding Aid for the Identification of Archeological Specimens.

National Park Service, Midwest Archeological Center, Lincoln, Nebraska.

Revision of the 1995 publication.

Innes, Lowell 1976 Pittsburgh Glass, 1797-1891: A History and Guide for Collectors.

Houghton Mifflin, Boston.

Jones, May 1968 The Bottle Trail, Volume 9. Nara Vista, New Mexico.

Knittle, Rhea Mansfield 1927 Early American Glass. AppletonCentury, New York.

Lockhart, Bill 2000 Bottles on the Border: The History and Bottles of the Soft Drink Industry in El Paso, Texas, 1881-2000. Townsend Library, New Mexico State University at Alamogordo. http://alamo.nmsu.edu/ ~lockhart/EPSodas/ 2007 “The Origins and Life of the Export Beer Bottle.” Bottles and Extras 18(2):4957, 59.

McKearin, Helen and Kenneth M. Wilson 1978 American Bottles & Flasks and Their Ancestry. Crown Publishers, New York.

National Council of Jewish Women 1993; 2002 Pittsburgh and Beyond: The Experience of the Jewish Community: A guide to the NCJW Pittsburgh Section Oral History Collection. National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. www.library.pitt.edu/guides/archives/ ncjw.pdf

36 National Glass Budget 1909d “In a Reminiscent Mood.” National Glass Budget 25(9):11. [7-10-09] Palmer, Arlene 1993 Glass in Early America. W. W. Norton, New York.

Peters, Roger 1996 Wisconsin Soda Water Bottles, 18451910. Wild Goose Press, Madison, Wisconsin.

Ring, Carlyn 1980 For Bitters Only. Nimrod Press, Boston.

Ring, Carlyn and W. C. Ham 1998 Bitters Bottles. Privately published, Downieville, California.

Roller, Dick 1983 Standard Fruit Jar Reference.

Privately published.

Toulouse, Julian Harrison 1969 Fruit Jars. Thomas Nelson & Sons, Camden, New Jersey.

1971 Bottle Makers and Their Marks.

Thomas Nelson, New York.

Umberger, Art and Jewel Umberger 1967. It’s A Bitters! Corker Bottle Company, Tyler, Texas.

U.S. Patent Office 1872a “Improvement in Tools for Forming Mouths of Bottles, &c.” No. 103,207. U.S. Patent Office.

1872b “Improvement in Bottle Stoppers.”

No. 103,207. U.S. Patent Office.

1872c “Improvement in Regenerative Furnace-Valves.” No. 134,370. U.S. Patent Office.

Watson, Richard 1968, Supplement to Bitters Bottles.

Thomas Nelson & Sons, Camden, New Jersey.

Wedel, Dale L. and Danny N. Walker 1992 “Artifacts and Faunal Remains.” In Archaeological Survey and Test Excavations at Fort Fred Steele State Historic Site, edited by Mark E. Miller and Dale L. Wedel. Project Number WY-1290. Office of the Wyoming State

March-April 2008 Archaeologist, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming.

Wilson, Bill and Betty Wilson 1969 Western Bitters. Old Time Bottle Publishing Co., Salem, Oregon. [Bit, Ds, H, Me,] Wichmann, Jeff 1999 Best of the West: Antique Western Bitters Bottles. Pacific Glass Books, Sacramento, California. [Bit,]

Footnotes: 1 John P. McMaster, Manufactures of Pennsylvania Galaxy Publishing, Philadelphia, 1875.

2 Although virtually all secondary sources, including both grandsons agree with the 1866 date, the Pittsburgh city directories place William Frank & Co. from 1866 to 1869, and William Frank & Sons from 1870 to 1876 (Hawkins 2006). We have not reached a satisfactory explanation for this discrepancy.

3 Actually, this 1872 patent (No. 134,370) was for an improvement in furnace valves (U.S. Patent Office 1872c).

4 The article in the Crockery and Glass Journal still listed the plant as William Frank & Sons, 92 First Ave. in August 1876.

5 Some of these marks had a smaller capital “M” in “WM”; some had an underlined, superscript “M” in “WM”; and one flask had two dots under the “M” in “WM.” 6 Currently, we do not know how many of these actually have the superscripted “WM” instead of “WM.” 7 Although Toulouse showed this mark with a lower-case “m” in “Wm,” the “M” was probably a smaller-sized capital.

8 This is the only use of “SON” (singular) that we have encountered. This may have been an error in the drawing or an error by the engraver.

9 Another indicator is the plural of “SONS.” All Franzen ads and discussions call the company “William Franzen & Son” (note singular).

Bill Lockhart 1313 14th St., Apt. 21 Alamogordo, NM 88310 (575) 439-8158 bottlebill@tularosa.net

Bottles and Extras Pottery of the Eastern U.S. by Mark Zipp Continued from page 31. including a log cabin commemorating the Civil War battle of Fisher’s Hill, which was fought near Strasburg. The Eberlys’ marks include, “J. EBERLY & BRO./ STRASBURG VA,” within a shield and “J. EBERLY & CO.” Both the Bells and Eberlys were unusual among nineteenth century potters in that they produced pottery both in the form of stoneware and redware. Though potters elsewhere sometimes produced ware in both mediums, no other families made redware to such an extent of ornamentation. When their fellow potters in Strasburg and elsewhere began to fade away, these two families made “fancy ware,” which is now termed among collectors “multi-glaze,” or “polychrome.”

When cheaper but less decorative types of containers emerged, these potteries began to produce redware much in the style that earlier makers produced utilitarian pottery: as something that was useful, but also attractive.

Thus, they glazed their vessels with lead, manganese and copper, creating colorful swirled surfaces of green, cream and brown.

Using these vibrant colors on utilitarian objects like pitchers and spittoons, as well as ornamental objects like vases and handsculpted dogs, kept these businesses alive into the twentieth century. Spurred by the success of their polychrome redware, these families continued to produce wood-fired stoneware, the way they had learned to make it, along with their more ornamental redware pieces, later than any other potteries in America. Ashby Bell, the last of the Bell potters, revived old styles, producing ovoid, lavishly decorated jars as late as 1915.

Conclusion The mass production of glass and various other, more efficient types of containers ultimately led to the end of salt-glazed stoneware and the potteries that created it.

In response to a waning demand, crocks became less and less decorative and more and more utilitarian. Cobalt was used sparingly or not at all, giving rise to white, Bristol slipglazed stoneware and then brown and white crocks and jugs. Today, cobalt-decorated stoneware has gone from the storehouse shelves to the shelves of collectors’ cupboards. And despite the humble purposes they were endowed with by the hands that formed them, they now sit quietly, behind glass, admired and unused.

Bottles and Extras

March-April 2008

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A Look at the Capstan Glass Fluted Tumbler Series

By Barry L. Bernas Brief Overview According to several reports, tumblers were the first glass containers shipped from the South Connellsville, Pennsylvania factory of the Capstan Glass Company. This event occurred on June 9, 1919.1 Over the next nearly two decade period, the product line for this Fayette County firm was expanded to include jars and bottles.

But even with this enhancement, tumblers remained a staple for this firm.

Invariably, I see descriptions or hear people talk about this style of food container in terms of it being a jelly, preserve or juice glass or more recently, even as a whiskey shot glass. For certain, the two spreads could have been one type of food packed therein; however, the later two uses resulted as a secondary benefit to the purchaser after the original contents were consumed.

The Capstan Glass Company didn’t manufacture or market table or whiskey shot glasses. Their hands turned out tumblers. This utilitarian item could be used by a vender to package jelly, preserves, peanut butter, mustard, olives, condensed milk, relishes, sandwich spreads, dried meats, pimientos, fruit peels or whatever food stuff the user wanted to put into it.2 Once devoid of its product, the vessel was available to be used for any other purpose deemed appropriate by the owner.

Two basic types of tumblers were produced by Capstan employees. The first was a plain version which came sans any outer or inner adornment. Its counterpart was the fluted model. It is this latter version that will be discussed throughout this article.

Of note, this write-up will center only on the paneled tumblers from Capstan which were otherwise undecorated. There are other fluted examples that have colorful bands or images or both that were pyroglazed onto the outer surface of the glass container. These visually attractive tumblers will be unveiled in a subsequent presentation.

General Description A fluted tumbler has a distinctive shape.

Its profile is formed by three separate but joined features. These parts are a finish, side wall and base.

The typical finish is shown in Figure

1. It consists of two parts.

Topmost is a straight sided circular region.

Since it is designed to Figure 1 receive a metal pushdown cap, this segment has no side seems along its outer diameter. Directly below this sealing trait is a series of vertically embossed lines separated by an empty space of equal width. Peculiar to a tumbler, this ribbed attribute is called knurling.

As far as I can determine, Capstan’s paneled tumblers were only produced out of clear glass. From top to bottom, the angled inward outer surface was either plain or fluted. The slanted inward inner surface has one of the same two attributes as well. Figure 2 carries a Figure 2 drawing of an outer surface fluted edition.

Regardless of their placement site, the panels can have a flat or convex outer shape and feel. In addition, the alignment of the panels on the exterior and interior parts of the vessel’s slanted side wall may be one over the other or be offset to either the left or right of one another. In any case, the overlay or nonalignment of flutes allows for many unique patterns for this style of container.

The last part of the fluted tumbler is the base. Figure 3 has a picture of a representative example.

Typically, the Figure 3 base is about a 1/4 of an inch in depth and can be either round or multisided. Irrespective of the outer design, the underside of the bottom is characteristically the same. Directly in from the outer surface of the side wall is a flat ledge on which the tumbler rests. This level part varies in width depending on the size of the vessel.

Inside of this facet is a depressed circular region. Centrally located on it is the embossed Capstan Glass Company trademark.3 Below this nautical emblem is a mold number or letter. Above it can be a mold series number.

Listing Methodology The vessels that follow with be entered under one of four main topical headings.

These are: fluted outer surface-plain inner surface; plain outer surface-fluted inner surface, fluted outer surface-fluted inner surface and other. Within the initial three general groupings, a particular example will be positioned lowest to highest according to the number of flutes on the outer or inner surface of the model in question.

The “other” category will include examples which don’t fit into the above three categories.

At the end of each entry, a mold letter, letter-number, number or number-letter will appear in ascending letter or number order.

In most cases, the individual mold identifier signifies a different size of tumbler.

Fluted Outer Surface-Plain Inner Surface Figure 4 has a picture of the first example under this grouping.

The tumbler depicted comes with eight flat surfaced panels on its outer surface. These exterior features are individually straight sided with a rounded upward top and a horizontal Figure 4 bottom. Four are taller and approximately double the width of their smaller counterparts. In a one long and wide and one short and narrow pattern, the panels adjoin around the circumference of the container below the finish. Besides the Capstan logo, the octagonal base has either a mold letter or number embossed on it. Those identified so far are: L, M, S, 313, 314 and 315.

Our next specimen also has eight flat surfaced flutes molded onto its exterior. Like the Figure 4 model, the Figure 5

38 panels on the one in Figure 5 are straight sided with a rounded upward top and a horizontal bottom. However, instead of being in a one long and wide and one short and narrow pattern, these are all of equal height, width and form. The flutes join together at their sides around the outer surface of the tumbler. The eight sided base on this edition comes with only mold numbers. The ones either advertised by Capstan Glass or reported to me are: 42, 62 ½, 122, 531, 540, 541 and 581.

The remainder of the tumblers under this category show ten, twelve, fourteen and eighteen flat surfaced panels adjoined side by side around their exterior, matching the shape of the ones described for the Figure 5 specimen. Each one has a base outline that conforms to the same number of panels on its exterior side wall.

The ten fluted version has been seen with mold numbers 500 and 527 on its base.

Two different finishes have been noted on the twelve paneled sample. Mold number 582 has a standard Anchor finish discussed and depicted under Figure 1 in the preceding General Description section.

Conversely, the example with 68 on its twelve sided base has neither a straight circular feature at the lip nor any knurling beneath it. Number 108 is found on the underneath side of the fourteen paneled model while 304 was embossed on the eighteen fluted specimen.

Plain Outer Surface-Fluted Inner Surface Only three types have been discovered for the second grouping.

On the interior side wall of the first example displayed in Figure 6 are nine panels that have a curved outward or convex outer surface. With straight sides and rounded upward tops and curved downward bottoms, each of these flutes is of the same height, width and design. Between each panel around the inner circumference of the tumbler is a narrow gap at the top. This design aspect separates an individual flute from its next Figure 6

March-April 2008 door mate at its upper side. As you proceed down the length of any flute, the space between it and its next door neighbor gradually diminishes to a point where the panels touch one another at the bottom end.

The base on the following examples is round. In the center of the underneath part is the Capstan Glass Company trademark.

Directly beneath this insignia are the reported mold letter-number and numbers O-8, O-15, 5 ½, 15, 506 and 523.

The second edition corresponds exactly to the description of its predecessor except it has eleven flutes around its inner surface.

On this model, its round bottom side has the number 4 embossed on it.

Figure 7 shows the final version under this category.

This entry has eighteen panels on its interior which curve outward in convex fashion. Each one of these inner features Figure 7 has straight sides with a rounded upward top and a curved downward bottom. Of equal height, width and form, the panels come up the interior side wall of the tumbler approximately two-thirds of the distance from the base. These flutes are joined together at their sides around the inner circumference of this food container. In addition to the Capstan logo, its round base has the mold number 40 on it.

Fluted Outer Surface-Fluted Inner Surface At this point, the penultimate group has a solitary member. It can be seen in Figure 8.

The mold numbers under this heading come with sixteen flat surfaced panels on the outer surface.

These exterior features are Figure 8 individually straight sided with a rounded upward top and horizontal bottom. Of equal height, width and form, the flutes adjoin around

Bottles and Extras the outer circumference of the vessel below its finish. In addition, there are sixteen panels on the inner surface as well. This set curves outward in convex fashion from the interior surface of the tumbler. The base on this model has sixteen sides. To this point, I’ve run across three different mold identifiers. These are: 517, 537 and 537Q. Other The last of the fluted examples have a trait or two that set them apart from the other paneled specimens documented in previous paragraphs. A separate sub-topical heading will be used to delineate one from the other. Included in this category are fluted editions that were advertised by Capstan Glass but haven’t yet been found and other paneled models that were granted either a patent or design patent.

Partial Panel The initial variety is pictured in Figure 9.

Directly under the knurling on its Anchor style of finish are six rounded upward tops.

Thereafter, the remaining portions of the corresponding Figure 9 exterior panels are absent. In their place, the outer side wall of the tumbler maintains a plain and decreasing circular surface down through the base. The round bottom section on this sample has the Capstan Glass Company’s nautical symbol in the center. Right under it is the mold number 575. Of note, the name AMERICAN STORES CO. is also embossed around the outside rim of the base.

Traditional Jelly Glass Shape This model appears in Figure 10.

You will notice its outer profile is different than the three tumblers under the Plain Outer Surface-Fluted Inner Surface heading. Instead of a slanted outer side wall, the smooth body of this glass container has a slightly inward slant to its top Figure 10

Bottles and Extras portion. About two-thirds of the way down the outer side wall, the gradual slant changes into a gently curved inward segment as it approaches the base.

Resembling a traditional jelly glass in shape, this Capstan product has twelve flutes on its inner surface. These traits are straight sided and rounded upward at the top and downward at the bottom. Each has a curved outward surface. As you can see in the Figure 10 picture, the interior flutes are of equal height, width and form and adjoin side to side around the inner circumference of the vessel. The round base on this model has been seen with mold numbers 509 and 510 on it.

Separated Panels Figure 11 contains a drawing of a container which fell within the group of vessels Capstan Glass marketers called their “7” line of deluxe tumblers.

Its core shell has a smooth and curved outer side wall. The finish is a modified Anchor style. Right above the knurling, the 5 Figure 11 / 16 of an inch top portion isn’t straight as seen in Figure 1.

Instead, the upper 1/8 inch segment is angled inward at approximately thirty degrees. The remaining 3/16 inch long piece of the closure remains straight up and down. Right below the finish, the smooth and slanted inward outer surface of the tumbler begins.

Approximately 1/4 inch below the knurling, a forty-five degree inward slant occurs.

From this point until the bottom of the base, a 1/8 inch deep section of the outer surface of this vessel is removed except for six, 3/16 inch wide semicircular lines. In effect, the outer pattern on this example has six convex surfaced panels of equal height, width and form. Each has a flat top, a flat bottom and straight sides. Between the rectangular flutes are the protruding demarcation lines mentioned above. The interior of this style of food container is smooth. Its base isn’t round or multisided as was the case with prior compatriots. This one is unique because it incorporates the convex contour of every panel along with the semicircular outline of the protruding line in between each flute. The resultant pattern is a curved segment followed by a half circle bump one after the other in a series. Mold numbers reported to date are

March-April 2008

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47, 57, 67, 97 and 126.

Advertised but not Found Within this group, only two examples from Capstan Glass Company advertisements haven’t been documented.

These are pictured in Figure 12.

Figure 12

Patented The drawing under Figure 13 has the same overall design as detailed for mold numbers 500 and 527 in the Fluted Outer SurfacePlain Inner Surface category.

Seven flat surfaced flutes are connected side to side around the outside of this tumbler variation.

Each of these has straight Figure 13 sides with a rounded upward top and a horizontal bottom.

The design change to this edition entails a space that would have been occupied by the other three panels. This segment is unadorned and curved. At its top are three rounded upward tops lining up with the same trait on the other seven panels. Below the convex shaped vacant space are three miniature flutes. Each attribute has straight sides with a rounded upward top and horizontal bottom. The ten sided base on this specimen has the mold number 502 on it.

Peter Kucera was granted a patent for this tumbler on September 4, 1923.

According to him, the curved empty space was provided to more easily apply a paper label to the vessel.4 Design Patented The final entries under the fourth grouping can be seen in Figure 14.

On the far left, the fluted model was conceived by Banks D. Brown, the Capstan Glass superintendent. He was granted a design patent for this food container on August 6, 1929. Unfortunately, Mr. Brown didn’t state whether the pointed panels were on the exterior, interior or on both surfaces of his tumbler.

The left middle edition in Figure 13 was the creation of the same gentleman. The United States Patent Office issued him a design patent for it on January 13, 1931.

Verbiage in the registration paperwork seems to indicate that the polygonal forms were on both the outer and inner surfaces of this vessel.

On the middle-right, a futuristic looking footed tumbler is depicted. Theodore J. Piazzoli received a design patent for it on October 25, 1932. From the sketch, it appears thirty-four flutes with angled inward sides, rounded upward tops and curved downward bottoms are lined up side by side around the inner surface of this food container.

The design for the right-hand edition was created by the same inventor as its mate to the left. Theodore J. Piazzoli’s idea was granted a design patent on June 6, 1933.

His inspiration may have been the foundation for the “7” line of deluxe tumblers.5 Regrettably, none of the four tumblers in the “other” group have yet to be found.

Figure 14

Continued on page 43.

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March-April 2008

Bottles and Extras

Pisgah Forest Pottery A step back in time

By Lindsay Lancaster A best-preserved historic pottery workshop in North Carolina is in jeopardy because of sky-high property taxes and no descendants to which to pass the family tradition.

Walking into Pisgah Forest Pottery is like stepping back in time. Coffee cans from the 1920s still line the walls of the original stone pottery building, which Walter B. Stephen (1876-1961) built in 1926 off N.C. 191 in Skyland. The 1917 clay filter press is still in use and the 1929 wood kiln is still functional, though it is not in use because there isn’t enough pottery being created at the pottery to use the kiln, which fires around 300 pieces at a time. A kick wheel can also be found at the pottery.

Stephen, originally from Iowa, had traveled West to Nebraska in a covered wagon as a young boy, and there he lived in a sod home near the Sioux Indians. He had seen the last buffalo hunts and had met “Buffalo Bill” Cody. ”He [Stephen] was a true pioneer,” said Rodney Leftwich, a self-employed potter who researches Southern pottery and worked as a potter at Pisgah Forest in the ‘90s.

Stephen and his mother started their first pottery establishment, Noncannah (an Indian word meaning long stream), around 1904 near Memphis, Tenn. There they created slip-decorated pottery, using white porcelain liquid clay to paint layer upon layer of decorations. The earliest of their pottery was matte green with Stephen’s mother’s slip floral designs. Stephen eventually started creating scenes on the pottery depicting his own memories.

After his parents passed away, Stephen came to Skyland in 1913 for the good clays and mineral deposits, establishing a second Nonconnah Pottery before founding his third, Pisgah Forest Pottery.

He passed down Pisgah Forest Pottery to grandson Tom Case in the early ’50s.

When he graduated high school, Case attended Asheville-Biltmore College and studied chemistry and ceramics. With the knowledge he gained from the chemistry classes, he formulated some different glaze formulas. ”A lot of the glazes were just

experimental” with different colors and years of researching and several years of different materials, he said. creating pottery at the location, Leftwich Now 77, Case is not producing a great published a book in 2006 called Pisgah deal of pottery anymore, and with some lots Forest and Nonconnah, The Potteries of in the Skyland area going for upwards of Walter B. Stephen. $2 million, Leftwich said Case could end In a way, Leftwich feels like Stephen is up being taxed out of the place where he responsible for getting him involved in grew up because of high property taxes in pottery. In the 1950s, Leftwich’s dad was a that area. furniture maker and would take him to the According to Leftwich, Case has Southern Highland Guild craft fairs. basically single-handedly preserved the Leftwich said that as a youngster, he would pottery site and the way his grandfather had nag his father to take him home. To get things. him to be quiet, his father would take him ”This place is the best-preserved pottery over so he could watch the potter at the site in North Carolina,” Leftwich said. potter’s wheel. Although Leftwich never Tools and equipment at the workshop directly met him, the person he watched from Stephen’s day have been left the same. was Walter Stephen. He remembers ”It is so different from Mr. Stephen’s day,” Stephen’s hands more than anything, and Leftwich said, explaining that Stephen built watched him closely. the original pottery building in 1925 out of ”I wish I had known him,” he said. fill rocks he carried to the site, and also Out behind the pottery workshop and built his own kiln and made his own tools. across the stream is what was once “If he didn’t have it, he made it.” Stephen Stephen’s library. After Stephen’s death in was one of the first members of the 1961, Case closed up the library.

Southern Highland Craft Guild. Leftwich In 1992, Case’s wife, Dot, opened the added that nowadays, people call old library for Leftwich. Due to a major themselves potters after taking a pottery flood in 1977, the floor had about a foot of Continued on page 43. class at a community college.

In its prime, the pottery had about five people working there.

Case, who now works alone at the pottery, usually makes around 75 pieces in a two-week period, which are similar pieces to those of his grandfather.

“What I make is about the same as what has been made here for years,” Case said. “The shapes and the pieces are just about the same style.”

Case has a great deal of memories at the pottery; he was born at the home on the property. ”I was raised here and it just has a lot of memories and a lot of value to me,” he said.

He remembers his grandfather telling stories about seeing Buffalo Rodney Leftwich talked about the details of some of the pottery that Walter Stephen, founder of Pisgah Bill and living in a sod house. ”He was an interesting person Forest Pottery, created. This particular piece allows to be around and talk to; he was the person looking at the pottery to see a glimpse of Stephen’s early life, traveling out West in a covered sort-of self-educated,” Case said.

After 30 years of collecting, 10 wagon and throwing biscuits off the back to a dog.

Bottles and Extras

March-April 2008

Save Those Boxes

By Charles Harris, Ooltewah, Tenn. relicnut@comcast.net Occasionally, when we luck upon a rarity such as an old bottle still in the original box, the temptation is to keep the bottle and discard that nasty old box that is falling apart. This is especially true if the sides or joints have begun to split and that old basement dampness incubated mold has begun to attack the surfaces, spreading little black dots all over the box.

But what we have here is quite often the only true connection with the origin of this little treasure of ours. Just a single printed mark on that box can tell us bunches about the contents, just like the raised marks on the bottom of the bottle itself.

A good example can be found in first illustration, the beautiful colored box lid for a turtle type baby bottle. The turtle bottle is a round-bottomed flask type bottle lying on its backside with the neck raised. In the lower left corner is a capital letter “M” inside of a diamond. Just that little symbol informs us that the box contained a turtle baby bottle made by the John M. Maris & Co., circa 1860-1880. The bottle came in either green or aqua. In the

The John A Maris & Co. box with its color lithograph. Note the small “M” in the diamond in the lower left corner. The father is cutting the hay with a scythe, the mother is raking it in her red Victorian dress with a huge wooden rake while the baby is under the overhang of a shock of hay sucking on the hose leading up from his turtle-type feeding bottle as the family dog sleeps nearby. (Courtesy of David Cox collection)

The “No. 2 / Pickaninny Nurser” box lid. Could it be any more explicitly marked than here? — “manufactured by / C.D. Smith Drug Co. / St. Joseph, Mo. U.S.A.” The rendition of the little Negro baby is very appealing and cultural, especially for the period when there was to be absolutely no social interaction between the two races. (Courtesy of the David Cox collection)

41

American Collectors of Infant Feeders (ACIF) club there are only five examples known and one of the club members, David Cox, has the only known box.

The graphics on the box are a work of art in themselves — boy what a collectible? It is a beautiful color lithograph. And what a statement on the conditions of 19th Century America. The scene is on a working farm. The father is using a scythe cutting the hay while the mother is in her red Victorian dress with about a 4-foot wide wooden rake raking the hay. The baby is sitting in the shadow side of shocked hay on a blanket sipping from his John Maris baby bottle with the family dog watching over (actually sleeping) the feeding baby. By the way, this type of baby bottle acquired the nickname, the “murder bottle,” because the hose from the bottle to the nipple was very difficult to thoroughly clean, leaving dangerous bacteria inside. Many a child was brought to death’s door or died because of these bottles.

Another beautiful box is for the “Madame Lang’s Perfected Nurser,” registered in the patent office in the year 1877. It is also

Madam Lang’s Perfected Nurser color lithograph label on the top of its box. Again the Victorian lady is beautifully dressed, this time in her comfortable parlor chair, while her little girl, crawling on her hands and knees, is sucking milk from the feeding bottle as the family cat looks on jealously. (Courtesy of the David Cox collection)

The Bo Peep Feeding Bottle in its blue and white box. This is the English version of the standing turtle feeding bottle — note the internal threads with the glass screw-in stopper that held the internal glass straw and the external hose. The English internal threads is a feature that was never adopted for manufacture in the United States. (Courtesy of the Teresa Harris collection)

42 [Drawing courtesy of the ACIF Baby Bottle Guide.]

a color lithograph showing a well dressed Victorian lady lounging in her ornate overstuffed chair watching her cute little crawling girl about to suck milk from the Madame Lang’s Perfected Nurser sitting on a table above her while she is being observed by the family cat. This turtle type bottle was advertised in the circa 1870 Wholesale Drug catalogue, circa 1878 Colburn, Birks & Co. catalogue and circa 1878 and 1879 Jeremiah Quinlan catalogues.

Another quite interesting bottle of which a very few exist even has a cultural historical linage attached to it. This is the Pickaninny Nurser. It has always been thought to be a bottle made in Great Britain for the American market, as is also “The Little Alabama Coon Feeder” which was definitely made in England in the 1870s.

Of course the common associated definition for Pickaninny and Coon has been a degrading term for a young black person and are now strongly associated with the “N” word. I believe that the derivation actually goes back to the children of the southern cotton pickers, kind of a contraction of “Picking Any?” As surmised by the label, this bottle was made especially

March-April 2008 for the Negro market when it was unpopular to even drink from the same water fountain as a black person at the train station.

Recently David Cox sent me a photo of his “No.2 Pickaninny Nurser” box (he doesn’t have the bottle) and there in large letters is “manufactured by / C.D. Smith Drug Co. / St. Joseph, Mo U.S.A.” How much more American can you get than that? And this bottle is not even in the ACIF Bottle Guide — at least not yet.

Another interesting box and bottle that we recently acquired came from Great Britain. Its only design and lettering are done in dark blue and white. It contained “The Bo Peep Feeding Bottle.” This bottle was what is referred to as a standing turtle.

Its base is flat and it can stand on its own.

Actually, I’ll have to admit that we don’t normally collect British bottles, but somebody sent me the eBay link and I opened it with only three minutes to go and no other bids. Impulse got me and I bid and won. It is a nice box and bottle with all the fittings (the glass straw, cleaning brushes and ivory disc that butts up to the base of the nipple at the end of the missing hose.) So overall it was a fair purchase, but the postage was more than the bid — Oh, well.

Another English bottle that we obtained a couple years ago in its original box was the “Boots ‘Perfect’ Feeding Bottle.” The illustration on the lid is strictly black and white, but nicely done. It even contains the directions for cleaning the inside of the

The “Boots Perfect Feeding Bottle” was sold by the Boots Cash Chemists during the 20th Century. This double-ended feeding bottle was strictly an English invention and never adopted in the United States, though many were imported for sale and use. The double open ends made for very easy cleaning and no bacteria trapping hose was needed, just a nipple on one end and a valve type nipple on the other end. (Courtesy of the Teresa Harris collection)

Bottles and Extras bottle within the illustration and is distributed by the Boots Cash Chemists.

The bottle that came with the box is the interesting double-ended, banana-shaped bottle. Many people, when they first see the bottle, think that it is for feeding twins, which is far from the truth. Because of the problems realized in the first part of the 20th Century with uncleaned bacteria, the British developed this style of bottle and used it up into the 20 th Century. The opening at each end allows easy cleaning of the inside. It also cures another problem attributed to the early bottle designs — it helped prevent colic, thought to be the result of the baby sucking too much air during the feeding. One end had the feeding nipple and the other end had a rubber valve that looks similar to a nipple. The valve let air into the bottle as the milk was sucked out.

Another interesting box that we obtained with that same collection is an English box that contained what is commonly referred to as a breast pump. It was made by S. Maw, Son & Sons which dates it to approximately 1900. The label shows a young mother using the breast pump by sucking on the hose with the glass reservoir surrounding the nipple on her bare breast. Truly a picture is worth a thousand words.

While I am deviating from actual baby bottle boxes and getting into the go-withs, I had to bring in another box that excited me when I first noticed it in the Rubin Clet collection. Its content is an old pacifier,

Though not a baby feeding bottle, the illustration on the top of this breast pump box is, in itself, worth a 1000 words, as any mother that ever used one can tell you. It was made about 1900 by S. Maw, Son & Sons in Great Britain. (Courtesy of the Teresa Harris collection)

Bottles and Extras

The small but very informative “Rigo / PrettyLip / Soother” or pacifier box with its original contents, a shaped pacifier sucking nipple with a “the shield is white sterilized bone… Beware of composition shields.” With recent environmental health warnings, it looks like Rigo was ahead of its time. The use of bone or ivory definitely predates the age of plastics.

(Courtesy of the Rubin Clet collection.)

nice in its own right, but it is just a nice old pacifier. The original box that it came in, however, opens up a new story. The label reads “Rigo / Pretty-Lip Soother / Made in England / for the / Richards Glass Co. / Limited / Toronto / and / Montreal.”

Produced around 1900, what really sets this box off is that one side of the box is in English and the other side is in French. It was made in England for the FrenchCanadian market in eastern Canada and ended up in a collection in California.

What I have realized by looking at these old boxes is that there is a lot of beauty in the period of their production along with a history lesson that could never adequately be put into words. The graphics are pleasing to the eye and significant as pieces of artwork. One of the greatest assets we have found in our ACIF organization is that among the 1500 or so American-made baby feeding bottles, there are at least six different bottles known to exist only because one of the ACIF members has only the box that it was sold in. Other than the box, these particular bottles would not be known to exist.

Both sides of the Rigo box, front in English and behind in French.

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A Look at the Capstan Glass Fluted Tumber Series by Barry Bernas.

Continued from page 39.

Pisgah Forest Pottery by Lindsay Lancaster Continued from page 40.

Summary The examples documented in this writeup were either advertised by Capstan or an actual example has been located and verified. I was limited to these two sources because a product catalog from the Capstan Glass Company hasn’t been found. Because of the latter limitation, I don’t know the full extent of the fluted tumbler line that was manufactured by factory hands for this South Connellsville firm. There may be many more paneled models still on the loose that need to be corralled and branded as authentic. If you can help me increase our knowledge base about this type of food tumbler or just want to discuss any aspect of this article, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly.

BLB

mud and there were spiders crawling everywhere. Leftwich said so much was lost to flood damage and to silver fish eating up a lot of the paper. Almost all of the books were destroyed along with all of the pottery.

In the library, he did find a couple of letters. Leftwich’s eyes welled up when he talked about finding Stephen’s description of his very first piece of pottery, and how he made and fired the pot, but the glaze had only half-way melted. Stephen wrote that he was so frustrated, and that “my little mother encouraged me.”

His mother’s kind words prompted him to turn the pot upside down and re-fire it.

It turned out okay and he ended up selling that first pot decorated with cotton blooms.

In just about every letter that Stephen wrote, he referred to his persistence and “doggedness to stay with things,” a trait which he believed he had gotten from his father, who was a Mason that came from Scotland, Leftwich said.

After a lot of searching and making contacts with people who may have collected some of Stephen’s pottery, Leftwich was lucky to find some in the Memphis area.

He happened to be going to Memphis and had found a person with a pot that identically matched the description of Stephen’s very first pot, signed Stephen and son, before a name was chosen for the pottery. The piece dates back to around 1907. ”We found that [first] pot,” Leftwich said. “We’re pretty sure, as much as we can be.”

In the letter, Stephen also talked about the hardships he faced, and described his first kiln.

Case has a collection of Stephen’s pottery at Asheville Art Museum, some of which are his favorites. ”They’re really nice and they’re sort of special to me,” he said.

Leftwich hopes that someday, there will be a way to fund the creation of a video to have a record of what’s there.

A wide range of pottery made at Pisgah Forest Pottery and Leftwich’s book are available for sale. Pottery prices range from around $10 to $400.

For more information about the pottery, call Tom or Dot Case at 828-684-6663.

Endnotes: 1 Tumblers, Jars and Bottles; A Product Identification Guide for the Capstan Glass Company, South Connellsville, Pennsylvania, Barry L. Bernas, 239 Ridge Avenue, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 17325, pg. 11.

2 Ibid, pg. 55. Either Capstan Glass ads or actual labeled tumblers were used to compile this brief listing of possible foods that could be packaged into this type of glass container.

3 Ibid, pg. 10. This reference has a sketch of the Capstan logo extracted from the trademark paperwork and pictures of how this symbol was replicated on a machine pressed tumbler and a machine blown jar or bottle.

4 Ibid, pg. 63.

5 Ibid, pgs. 72-73 and 137. For more information on other design patents issued to Theodore J. Piazzoli, please look for my article titled Piazzoli Designs from Capstan Glass in a another issue of Bottles and Extras.

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“INKED” and “FRS” - new energy drinks and collectible cans

By Cecil Munsey Copyright © 2008 In the new millennium, one of the things we were promised was food in convenient pill form. But reality cheated our imaginations on every level. Instead of jet packs, we got Segway scooters.

Instead of food pills, we got energy drinks.

Packed with caffeine, taurine (a sulfurcontaining amino acid important in the metabolism of fats), and B vitamins, energy drinks are the current food of choice for the world’s economic machine and collectors of aluminum cans. More energy drinks could mean more hours of productivity and certainly more cans to collect. So as life quickens, the energy drink- and collector-market expands. And frankly, it’s getting a little out of hand.

With more than 2,000 different energy drinks and cans (and some bottles) on the market, many consumers and collectors believe “if you’ve tried or seen one, you’ve tried and seen ’em all.”

It all started in Japan, when Taisho Pharmaceuticals released a drink called Lipovitan-D in 1962. It contained a mix of B1, B2 and B6 vitamins, along with niacin and taurine, all of which are metabolic agents intended to boost energy and concentration. “Tonic drinks,” as they were called then, soon grew in popularity in Asia. In 1987, an Austrian named Dietrich Mateschitz took the concept, added caffeine and sugar, and formulated Red Bull, which quickly became popular in Europe and is currently the largest-selling energy drink in the world. Around the same time, Americans were accessorizing their all-night Atari marathons with Jolt Cola, which was advertised as having “all the sugar and twice the caffeine” of Coke. And when Red Bull started marketing their drink to American bars as a cocktail mixer, its popularity skyrocketed – and has stayed up there ever since. No serious collector would be without a Red Bull can in the collection.

[References: The history of collecting cans and bottles used for energy drinks began with “ENERGY DRINK CONTAINERS – Bottles & Cans” by Cecil Munsey, published starting on page 53 of the Summer 2006 issue of

Bottles and Extras and “More Energy Drink Containers & ‘Extreme Coffee’”

by Cecil Munsey, published starting on page 45 of the March-April issue of Bottles and Extras.]

INKED The 7-Eleven convenience store chain recently started selling an energy drink called “INKED” in very handsome and collectible aluminum cans (Figure 1), aimed at people who either have tattoos or those who want to think of themselves as the tattoo type. The company plans to market the drink at motorcycle rallies and tattoo conventions.

The convenience store chain claims it wanted to create a drink that appealed to men and women. In their mind, the tattoo culture has really become popular with both genders. And according to one executive, “The rite of tattoo passage isn’t only limited to the young, but also to those who think and act young.”

Ask yourself what does Angelina Jolie have in common with Joseph Stalin and Thomas Edison as well as two out of every five Americans between the ages of 26 and 40? That’s right, they all had or have tattoos.

Once seen as a silent cry of rebellion, tattoos now possess a status so firmly mainstream that advertisers are using them to market everything from tires and shoes to wine and, now for your collecting pleasure, the new energy drink in a collectible can, INKED. It comes in two flavors – Maori Citrus (Figure 1) and Chikara Tropical Grapefruit.

Maori Citrus flavor was named after natives of New Zealand who have a history of – you guessed it – tattooing. According to the folks running the 7-Eleven company, the tattoo culture was named and brought to Europe by British Navy Captain John Cook. The Chikara Tropical Grapefruit flavor, again, according to the folks running the 7-Eleven company, gets its name from the Chinese character meaning “power” or so they believe. (See sidebar for what could and has gone wrong with Chinese-word tattooing.)

Bottles and Extras Is it hard to believe that? On a seemingly never-ending quest to appeal to the young and young-minded, companies from Goodyear to Volvo are using tattoos in advertising and promotion. Even wine sellers have adopted the tattoo, with managers of the popular Yellow Tail brand sending 600,000 temporary tattoos out with the October 2007 issue of The New Yorker magazine and wine importer Billington Wines taking the name Big Tattoo Wines for its $10 a bottle brand. Still skeptical?

For three years, Goodyear’s Dunlop tire unit has offered a set of free tires to anyone who will get the company’s flying-D logo tattooed somewhere on their body. Over 100 people have earned a new set of tires – that, of course, won’t last as long as the tattoo they received to pay for the tires. At least one “long-distance driver” returned for his third flying-D logo tattoo within a year.

Sidebar: If you add a can of INKED to your energy-drink-can collection, to remove it you simply sell it, give it away or toss it. Removing a tattoo from your body is another thing all together. It is a definite “ouch” to your body as well as your wallet.

The tattoo-removal business is booming (as much as collecting energy drink cans), according to a recent Fox News report. The highlight of the report is dissatisfaction with formerly trendy Chinese-language tattoos that were often either mistranslated as nonsense (“blood and guts” translated as “blood and intestines”) or actual jokes pulled on people too “cool,” or drunk for their own good when they initially get a tattoo (such as Chinese words for “gullible white boy”).

FRS Energy drinks were recently linked to heart risk. Indeed, a small U.S. study has found a link between the consumption of “energy drinks” and high blood pressure or heart disease risk. The researchers found healthy adults who drank two cans of a popular energy drink a day had above normal blood pressure and heart rate. (The study was presented to the American Heart Association’s Scientific Session 2007; it was carried out by Dr. James Kalus, senior manager of Patient Care Services at HenryFord Hospital in Detroit.) To read more about the study go to – http:// www.medicalnewstoday.com.

Bottles and Extras Coincidentally, almost as if to offset the results of the above study that found energy drinks potentially harmful, new energy drinks INKED (see previous coverage) and FRS were released in the same month – November, 2007. The difference between the two is that the tattoo-inspired drink is a now-traditional energy drink with lots of caffeine, sugar and the like. FRS (which stands for Free Radical Scavenger) is claimed to be a healthy antioxidant-based energy. The come in five flavors (Figure 2) at $2.29 for a 11.5-ounce. can. INKED comes in a 12-ounce can and sell for $1.99.

FRS combines an antioxidant called quercetin with essential vitamins and metabolic enhancers to provide a natural and sustained energy boost, without the crash-and-burn syndrome associated with traditional energy drinks. The product, sweetened with either low-cal sucralose or cane sugar, has a legitimate medical history.

FRS was developed by a group of scientists as a means to combat fatigue in patients going through the chemotherapy process.

Just as no serious collector would be without a Red Bull can in a significant collection, it seems safe to assume the same goes for INKED and FRS energy drink cans.

Figure 1

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Figure 2 Cecil Munsey, 13541 Willow Run Road, Poway, CA 92064-1733 (858) 487-7036 cecilmunsey@cox.net

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March-April 2008

Bottles and Extras

The Atterbury “Frog on Rocks” Covered Dish

By David Schepps Atterbury & Company, Pittsburgh, Pa. 1859-1903 The White House Works, a new glass company, was established at Pittsburgh, Pa. in 1859 by Hale, Atterbury & Co. By 186567, the firm name was Atterbury & Company, owned by the brothers, James S. and Thomas B. Atterbury. In 1891, the firm became the Atterbury Glass Company with the sons of James and Thomas managing.

From the beginning, the firm was noted for tableware, lamps, kerosene globes, colored bar bottles and glass. Atterbury ceased operations about 1903.

Many patents issued to Atterbury for their designs and products, especially in covered animal dishes, were outstanding.

Most Atterbury animal dish covers are smooth on the underside surface that touchs the base.

Much of the firm’s glass was in opaque colors (including white milk glass). The

Style 1

“Frog on Rocks” covered dish’s base is 4 1/2 inches in diameter, 2 inches in depth and 5 3/4 inches high overall. Four styles (illustrated) known: opaque white (Style 1), opaque white with a spoon notch (Style 2), opaque white with the frog partially in green-cased glass (Style 3) and opaque white with a painted green frog (Style 4).

All are extremely rare.

According to Anne Madaraz, chief curator of the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, their records show the frog is circa 1888, and their frog is opaque white with a partially green body, with prvenance to the Atterbury family. Their frog is one of seven known to still exist. IT has a small noticeable chip on the frot of the dish on the rim where the white glass blends with the green. A crack, which is not as noticeable, extends from the chip and curves upward through the white glass, all the way up to the base of the frog’s body. It

also lacks the applied eyes.

As of June, 2007, seven Atterbury frog dishes have been located. The damaged partial green body dish is still at the Historical Society and two white dishes are in collections in New England. The other four known to exist are in a glass frog collection in Florida. There is one example of each of the four styles of Atterbury frog covered dished.

Cambridge Glass Company, Cambridge, Ohio, 1901-1958 In 1901, a group of investors that owned the National Glass Company located in Pennsylvania selected Arthur Bennett to build a new glass factory to help generate employment in Cambridge, Ohio. When the investors ran into trouble with National Glass in 1907, it also dragged Cambridge Glass towards bankruptcy. Bennett stepped in and purchased the Cambridge Glass

Style 2 Style 3 The four Atterbury “Frog on Rocks” covered dishes, one of each of the four styles.

Style 4

Above: One of each of the three types of vases.

Left: Atterbury glass from the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania.

Bottles and Extras

March-April 2008

Company and provided the needed financing.

Cambridge Glass Company prospered under his leadership and developed a reputation for the quality of its glass and colors. Tableware and stemware were the mainstay of the company, but giftware and novelty items were also produced.

In the mid-1920s through the early 1930s, a vase was made by Cambridge in three styles (Frog #1352, 8 1/2 inches tall and 4 1/2 inches wide). A frog vase with a handle and a smooth exterior surface was made in emerald green glass (also frosted) with a clear glass handle. A frog with a detailed back and no handle is known in black milk glass and chartreuse green. The third version is from the same detailed mould and has a matching color handle (not clear) as well as the sides of the frog’s mouth are cut a little deeper than the vase without the handle. This handle-detailed

vase is known in pink with a pink handle (also in a frosted version) and chartreuse green with a matching handle.

In the 1930s through the mid-1950s, Cambridge also made a small 1 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inch tall and 1 1/2 inch wide figural frog in several colors.

The 1930s were good eyars with strong sales for Cambridge. Looking to retire, Bennett sold the control of the company to his son-in-law, Wilbur L. Orme. The 1940s were also good sales years for Cambridge, but the 1950s, with heavy reliance on their etched tableware, caused Cambridge to struggle against foreign imports. The factory closed for a short time in 1954, but reopened. During the next few years, the company changed ownership several times before closing its doors a final time in 1958.

In 1960 the Imperial Glass Company bought the assets of Cambridge Glass, which included many of its molds. In 1981,

47 the vacant factory was refurbished and opened as an antique mall and museum and a small glass-making facility. It still serves those purposes today.

About the author: Judge David Schepps has been collecting glass frogs for over 38 years and has amassed what many call the largest frog collection in the world, over 5,400 pieces. He carries six college and graduate level degrees with glass articles appearing in The Toothpick Bulletin, a publication of the National Toothpick Holders Collectors Society, All About Glass, the publication for the West Virginia Museum of American Glass, The Opaque News publication for the National Milk Glass Collectors Society and The Antique Bottle & Glass Collectors Magazine. Judge Schepps can be reached at: 19195 Mystic Pointe Dr., Apt. 2206 - Tower 100, Aventura, Fla. 33180 or by phone, (305) 937-7437.

A group of Cambridge small frogs.

Illustrated above are seven Cambridge frog vases.

Three detailed frog vases with handles.

Two smooth frog vases with clear handles.

Above: Two handled frog vases attributed to Loetz Glass, Czechoslovakia (1836-1914), circa 1890-1910.

Left: Two detailed frog vases without handles.

Center: Two detailed frog vases, one with a handle, one without.

Right: An English frog vase without a handle, circa 1880-1910.

Manufacturer unknown.

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March-April 2008

Bottles and Extras

FOHBC EXPO 2008 AUGUST 8-10 YORK, PENNSYLVANIA 600-800 tables capacity for the largest EXPO ever!

Plan to be there - don’t miss it!

Contracts also available for download online at: www.fohbc.com

AUCTION CONSIGNMENTS are being accepted.

Also sign up for SEMINARS and specialty meetings.

Contact R. WAYNE LOWRY 401 Johnston Ct., Raymore, MO 64083 (816) 318-0161 JarDoctor@aol.com

Bottles and Extras

March-April 2008

49

“The Bad Boys of Baltimore” & Monticello Rye

By Jack Sullivan (Special to Bottles and Extras) Known as the “Bad Boy of Baltimore,” H.L. Mencken was the most influential American commentator of the first third of the 20th Century. He was a man of strong opinions, pro and con, about almost everything. (Figure 1) One of his strongly positive views was of Maryland rye whiskey. Of those, the brand that most often came first to his mind — it was his father’s all time favorite — was Monticello Rye. Crichton Originates the Brand This rye whiskey was the original product of Malcolm Crichton, who was born in Illinois about 1840, the son of a Scottish-born wholesale grocer. Grocers in the Midwest at that time almost always distilled and sold their own whiskey. Young Malcolm might well have learned the trade from his father. How he gravitated east is unclear but by 1865, at the age of 25, Crichton was engaged in whiskey making from a site near Holliday and Bath streets in Baltimore. About the same time he married Antoinette Kennedy of that city.

She was the daughter of John Kennedy of Hagerstown, Md., and through her mother was related to the influential McPherson clan of Baltimore. She would bear Crichton five sons.

Clearly an enterprising young man, Crichton took over a defunct distillery once run by Joseph White. He rebuilt the facility and began producing a whiskey he called “Monticello Rye” (Figure 2). Baltimore already had its Mount Vernon Rye — named after the home of George Washington. That may have inspired Crichton to appropriate the name of Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia home for his liquor. Crichton also claimed in his advertising, without proof, that the date of origin for his brand was 1789 — half a century before his own birth.

Calamity struck on July 24, 1868. That was the date of the Jones Falls Flood, Baltimore’s greatest natural disaster of the 19th Century. The water rose to 12 feet downtown. Among the casualties was Crichton’s distillery, washed away by the rushing waters. Once again he rebuilt, this time aided financially by Charles E. Dickey,

Figure 1: A caricature of H. L. Mencken

popular Maryland Club Rye. Upon purchasing the Crichton properties, the Brothers Cahn in 1892 renamed them The Monticello Distilling Co. Some early confusion seems to have existed regarding who owned the rights to the brand name. Another Baltimore firm, the Thomas G. Carroll & Sons Co., about the same time began to produce a Monticello Whiskey under its own label (Figure 3). It was a well-established whiskey merchandiser with popular local brands, Baltimore Club and Return Rye (Figure 4). In 1906, perhaps in selfdefense, the Cahns reregistered the Monticello Rye brand with the U.S. government.

If name competition bothered the Cahns, it was not evident in their vigorous merchandizing of Monticello Rye. The pair lost little time in supplanting Crichton’s logo (Figure 5) and issued a series of

Figure 2: Monticello ad, Crichton Distilling the owner of a nearby meter manufacturing company.

The location at 136 Holliday would be the home of the M. Crichton & Company distillery for the next 20 years. City directories indicate that in 1880 the firm moved its sales and management offices to 57 2nd St. in Baltimore, then in 1886 moved to the Fireman’s Building at the northeast corner of South and Second streets. Other Crichton facilities were located at Foundry & Holliday and 415 N. Holliday. In 1881 he registered the name “Monticello Rye” with the federal government.

Enter the Cahn Brothers When Malcolm Crichton died in 1890, it appears that none of his sons —William, James, Arthur, Malcolm or McPherson — were interested or equipped to take on the business. It was sold to two Baltimore brothers, Bernard and Jacob B. Cahn.

Bernard earlier had been in the liquor business as a partner in the Cahn, Belt Co., located on Lombard Street. It produced the

Figure 3: Monticello Whiskey, Thomas G. Carroll & Sons Distilling

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Bottles and Extras

Figure 6: Monticello Rye ink blotter ad < Figure 10: Monticello Rye token heads

Figure 4: Carroll & Sons Return Rye shot glass

Figure 11: Monticello Rye token tails >

Figure 5: Monticello Distilling Co. logo advertising items touting the brand with the slogan: “It’s All Whiskey!” (Figure 6) This also began a period of closely identifying the product with Thomas Jefferson and his home (Figure 7).

Perhaps the most colorful Monticello Rye item was a lithographed tip tray (Figure 8). It measures 6 1/8" x 4 1/2" and shows a hunting scene with horses, hounds, and servants serving hunters, riders and guests in front of Jefferson’s Virginia home.

Marked on the rim of the tray is “Monticello, Special Reserve, It’s All Whiskey” and on each side is “Thomas Jefferson, Pres. U. S. 1801-1809.” There is also a sign on a tree in the scene advertising the whiskey. The bottom of the tray (Figure 9) continues the sales pitch. It states: “It’s Pure. It’s Aged in Wood, Bottled at Distillery #1 Dist. of Md., Guaranteed Best on Earth.”

Mencken, like others of his time, was fond of standing at the bar to, as he said, “toss the bartender for the drinks.”

Monticello Distilling obliged the practice by issuing a token that could be flipped to decide who paid (Figures 10, 11). Jim

Figure 7: Monticello ad, with Jefferson Bready, the historian of Baltimore whiskey, says that the Monticello distillery was adjacent to City Hall in Baltimore (Figure 12) and in summer when the windows were open, there being no air conditioning in those days, aromas of the whiskey-making would waft through city offices — obviously fomenting thirst among the clerks.

Figure 8: Metal tip tray showing Jefferson’s home

Figure 9: Bottom of the tip tray

Figure 12: Postcard view of Baltimore City Hall

Bottles and Extras Health of the Menckens This was a period of rapid growth, as Monticello Rye became a popular regional and then national brand. Its ads also trumpeted the medicinal value of this rye whiskey. The value was clear to the Mencken family physician, Dr. Z. K. Wylie. According to Mencken, the good doctor “believed and taught that a shot of Maryland whiskey was the best preventive of pneumonia in the R months.” Another Mencken friend “always ate rye bread instead of wheat because rye was the bone and sinew of Maryland whiskey — the most healthful appetizer yet discovered by man.”

All this was firmly believed by Mencken’s father Augustus, a cigar manufacturer. When the senior Mencken sent out for whiskey, he wanted Monticello Rye. His famous son recounted: “His...bill file shows that on December 27, 1893, he paid Courtney, Fairall & Company, then the favorite fancy grocery fancy grocers of Baltimore, $4 dollars for a gallon of Monticello whiskey.... Before every meal, including breakfast, he ducked into the cupboard in the dining room and poured out a substantial hooker of rye, and when he emerged he was always sucking in a great whiff of air to cool off his tonsils.

He regarded this appetizer as necessary to his well-being. He said it was the best medicine he had ever found for toning up the stomach.”

Monticello Rye not only had a loyal customer base in Maryland but also reached consumers nationwide, with distributors such as Peter Welty in Wheeling, West Virginia (Figure 13) and Loeb-Lion-Felix in New Orleans (Figure 14). A 1910 directory shows the brand fourth in production among dozens of Maryland distilleries, figured in “capacity of bushels of mash daily.” It ranked just behind Mount Vernon Rye. Prohibition Comes Baltimore distilling stopped with the coming of Prohibition, which Mencken abhorred. Part of his opposition stemmed from the violation of individual liberties, part for his love of drinking. Never seen drunk, he still regarded liquor as one of the joys of life. “It is my belief that no man ever grows so old that he has got beyond learning something about the art of alcoholic stimulation,” he once said.

Mencken became one of America’s staunchest critics of Dry America and called constantly for Repeal. “The chief argument

March-April 2008

Figure 13: Welty Monticello Rye jug

51 (Figure 15).

The vault door bore a custompainted sign emblazoned with skull and crossbones. It said: “This vault is protected by a device releasing chorine gas Fig. 15: Mencken’s under 200 Baltimore home pound pressure.

Enter at your own risk.”

Although the Cahn Brothers Monticello Distilling disappeared from Baltimore business directories in 1919 with the coming of Prohibition, the brand, phoenixlike, continued. Shown here is a bottle of Monticello Rye that was distilled in 1917, before Prohibition, and bottled in 1926, after Prohibition (Figure 16). Although the Baltimore firm is credited as the merchandiser, the distiller is listed as Thompson Distilling Co. of Pittsburgh, Pa., whose flagship brand was Sam Thompson Rye (Figure 17). From the tax stamp on the bottle (Figure 18) and language on the rear label it can be inferred that Monticello was one of the few brands nationally that were allowed to be sold but only by a doctor’s prescription for medicinal use. The label warns, “Medicinal purpose only. Sale or use for other purposes will cause heavy penalties to be inflicted.”

Continued on page 56.

16

18 Figure 14: New Orleans ad for Monticello Rye against Prohibition is that it doesn’t prohibit,” he commented. “This is also the chief argument in favor of it.”

The journalist and author responded personally to the “Great Experiment” by selling his car and using the proceeds to purchase a large stock of “the best wines and liquors I could find.” We can guess Monticello Rye was among them, although Mencken also had a taste for Cutty Sark scotch. He stored his liquor in a basement vault in his home at 1524 Hollins St.

17 Figure 16: Monticello “Prohibition” pint. Figure 17: Thompson Distilling paperweight. Figure 18: Tax stamp on Prohibition pint.

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Bottles and Extras

Lorenzo Dow Son of Thunder and Patent Medicine Maker

By Eric McGuire The full story of the amazing Lorenzo Dow could not be told in a short article such as this. He was analogous to today’s superstars, who are always on tour, but the popular draw of his day was religion. The closest living parallel that could be drawn today may be evangelist Billy Graham in his prime years of the 1950s and 1960s.

But being a “not-for-profit” preacher, Lorenzo was obligated to raise money to fund his own activities. Not much was needed since he worked alone and personally lived in virtual poverty. Aside from subsistence provided from his farm in Connecticut, he chose to sell books to support his travels, and for a short period resorted to the sale of patent medicine.

Plagued by health and emotional issues as a child, it appears that Lorenzo Dow’s career path was chosen by his own wrestling with the devil. Whether by guilt over his own actions or tormenting dreams, he turned to the hope of salvation through God at a very early age. Born to Humphrey and Tabitha Dow on October 16, 1777, in Coventry, Tolland County, Connecticut, at the age of fourteen Lorenzo even considered suicide in order to put to rest the demon inside him. No doubt preaching soothed his own soul by redirecting his tormented thoughts and he did so with the conviction

and determination that transcended his own existence. His religious beliefs roughly followed the Methodist teachings of John Wesley, which had recently been introduced to New England. Lorenzo applied for the right to teach Methodism in 1796, but was declined by the Connecticut Conference. He was finally accepted in 1798 and began his circuit riding duties. He once said, “I am a Methodist chain and a Quaker filling,” when describing his religious philosophies.1 Against the church’s directive, in 1799 Lorenzo sailed for England, where he perfected his “fire and brimstone” style of preaching and traveled to Ireland as well in a specific attempt to save its Roman Catholics from taking the wrong road.

Even in his earliest days, Lorenzo was considered renegade in style and seemed to delight in shocking his audiences with his non-conforming deliveries. He quickly earned the name of “Crazy Lorenzo Dow,” but called himself “Son of Thunder.”

Usually not invited inside, Lorenzo would

One of the earlier tracts of Lorenzo Dow

Dow preaching his fire and brimstone.

seldom use a church as a venue and while in England developed the “camp method” of preaching – outdoor encampments that may last more than one day.

Witnessing the success and excitement surrounding the outdoor encampments, but without the direct involvement of Dow, some English Methodists broke from the main church, which did not approve of the gatherings. Thus sprang the Primitive Methodist Church in 1807.

That Lorenzo Dow was eccentric is indisputable. That he was crazy is questionable. The line between eccentricity and lunacy is often difficult to define; however, much of what Lorenzo did was steeped in what is now called marketing.

Eventful controversy was often used to his advantage. He recognized the importance of name recognition and was masterful in his showmanship as a method to spread his word. To be sure, he was an orator, and preferred a war of words to almost anything else. Too unique for the Methodists, that group disavowed his connection but he held a steady course. As a man without a church, he was the consummate circuit riding preacher. It has been stated that during the first eight months of his circuit riding absence from home, before leaving for his first European trip, he traveled over 4,000 miles, and over 200,000 miles during his career. Of his travels one writer attempted to sum it up in a paragraph: “Scarcely a neighborhood from Canada to Georgia, or from the Atlantic to the Mississippi, that has not some tradition still to relate, or some tale to tell of the visit and the preaching of Lorenzo Dow, and there is scarcely an individual in all New England that has not heard their fathers or mothers, or grandfathers and grandmothers, relate some one or more of the witty sayings, or speak of the humorous doings of this singular man.” 2 It is claimed that he was the first Protestant preacher to enter Alabama and Mississippi. He spread the word in all the then seventeen states. It was common for him to assemble crowds of two to three thousand people, and some have suggested assemblies as large as 10,000 – and without

Bottles and Extras a sound system!

Lorenzo married twice, to who had to be exceptional women. The first, Margaret “Peggy” Holcome, was born on January 5, 1780 in Granville, Massachusetts and married on September 4, 1804. They had one daughter, Letitia Johnson Dow, born September 16, 1806, in Dublin, Ireland, but who died young in Warrington, Ireland.

Peggy died on January 6, 1820, in Hebron, Connecticut. Lorenzo married second to Lucy Dolbeare in Hebron, April 1820.3 Lucy was born January 8, 1786, and died October 26, 1863, in Montville, Connecticut. Upon her death the Willimantic Journal published a glowing obituary for this well respected woman.

The paper also included this interesting note: “Mrs. Dow, widow of the famous Lorenzo Dow, whose death we noticed last week, left a will, giving the whole of her estate, (some $6,000), to the town of Montville, for the purpose of building four stone arch bridges in specified places in the town. The town in public meeting on Thursday refused to accept the gift, and the amount goes to her heirs at law.” 4 Though not constant traveling companions, each of his wives accompanied Lorenzo even on some of his longest tours into and through the wilds of North America. Wild animals and vengeful Indians were not uncommon. They wrote of the perils and difficulties that often included sleeping under the stars.5 Known for his quick wit and prophecies, stories of Lorenzo Dow constantly peppered the printed media of the day. Even after his death, his stories lingered in the press. This quote, printed in 1840, is typical of many: “Happening in his travels – for he was evermore on the move – to be at Delhi, N.Y., he stopped for the night at the hotel of a Mr. Bush, the chief Bonifice of the village; a round and oily man, with ruby nose and atheistical principles. In the course of the evening, the celebrated General Root, now of the New York legislature, dropped in, and being of the same mind with Mr. Bush, they began to quiz Dow, with might and main. Finally, Gen. Root determining to give him a puzzler, said: ‘You talk a good deal about Heaven: pray give Mr. Bush and myself a description of it. A man who sees it in his dreams and trances as often as you

March-April 2008 profess to do, ought to describe it perfectly.’ ‘Well, gentlemen,’ said Dow, ‘I can describe it, but I must do it briefly – Heaven embraces a vast extent of territory; the air is clear and wholesome; the country smooth and level; there isn’t a Root or Bush in it, and there never will be.” 6 Lorenzo Dow often harangued against lawyers and doctors, for he detested big business and profit takers. He was not above the development of a business venture for the support of his own activities, however. Since his preaching brought no monetary rewards, he was forced to finance his own activities. After a few years, Lorenzo was able to publish several books, mostly about his philosophies and his travels. In fact, it is said that at one time he had the second best selling book in America, directly behind the Bible. 7 In support of his shrewd understanding of business, Lorenzo took note of the success of the earliest patent medicine men of the period. Soon after he married his second wife, Lorenzo became the owner of a bona fide patent medicine, as he applied for, and received a United States patent for it on November 24, 1820.

The Patent Act of 1790 created a system of protection that was roughly patterned after the English system, thus allowing a period of 14 years protection against direct competition for an individual who developed a new and patented invention.

The 1793 Patent Act better defined a patentable item as: “. . . any new and useful art, machine, manufacture or composition of matter and any new and useful improvement on any art, machine, manufacture or composition of matter.”

Prior to the Patent Act of July 4, 1836, patents were issued only by name and date and did not include a sequential issue number. The Patent Office had already issued nearly 10,000 patents when a fire destroyed most of the original records in December of 1836. Using private files, the office was able to restore 2,845 patents. The restored records were issued a number beginning with an “X” and are called the “X-Patents.” Thus the first U.S. patent ever issued is now designated patent X1. The patents that could not be restored were cancelled. Only nine patents were resurrected for the year of 1820 and Dow’s is not among those. In reality, it was a moot point, since Dow had already died and there is no evidence that his medicine was still

53 in use by the time of the fire in 1836.

Medicine men such as Samuel Lee, Richard Lee, T.W. Dyott and Samuel Thompson were commonplace in newspaper advertisements of the day. With a traveling life, Lorenzo was able to read newspapers from all over the U.S. and quickly recognized the power this medium possessed. After his patent was registered, a few of his newspaper ads followed but never approached the advertising level of the more successful medicine vendors.

Newspaper ad from The Newport Mercury, Newport, Rhode Island, September 1, 1827.

Lorenzo also neglected to understand the difficulties encountered as an absentee business owner. He apparently mixed batches of his medicines by himself wherever he may have been touring and probably used, or reused, bottles wherever they could be found. He certainly was familiar with glass works in his travels and it is possible that he may have had small runs of bottles made for his special medicine, but such a thing cannot yet be documented. Contained within his writings is his personal observation of the frontier town of Pittsburgh, Ohio: “Pittsburg has become famous in the New World, and by nature combining with art promises to be one of the great manufacturing towns in America.

Seven or eight glass works in the neighborhood, and as many places of worship.” 8 Except for periodic newspaper advertisements, very little is known about his medicine man activities. The product mysteriously went unmentioned in his published diary, although that part may have been edited out by his widow when she published his memoirs.

Only one quote, which alludes to his support for the legitimacy of patent medicine, is found in his writings: “Dr. Rush, I think, admitted that many of the most valuable discoveries in Medicine were made by Quacks, or in some accidental way, though at first opposed, because they do not belong to common theory; but the force and

54 weight of truth cuts its way, and so finds admission.” 9 One important account is noted in the 1857 Richmond, Indiana, business directory: “In this connexion (sic), it may be proper to mention that in the year 1826 that eccentric preacher, Lorenzo Dow, visited Richmond, and delivered one or two sermons in the large brick meeting house of the Friends. Part of his discourse was on the reconcilability of Justice with Mercy, in the Divine Character. He put up at the house of our now aged friend, John Barnes, on Front street; this was a frame building on lot No. 15, and is now no more. Lorenzo’s traveling expenses were paid in part, by the sale of a “Family Medicine,” as he termed it. This consisted, as he told the writer, of Epsom salts dissolved in water, with the addition of nitric acid.

It was recommended as valuable in bilious derangements. The medicine was patented; the patent having expired, he applied for an extension of the time; “for,” said he, “the sale of the medicine thus far, has not enabled one hand to wash the other.” 10 Lorenzo’s will, which was executed on 5 April 1825, states: “I direct, in the first place, that all my just debts and personal charges be duly paid and discharged, and all the residue of my estate, both real and personal of every nature and kind, I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife, Lucy Dow, to be at her disposal as she may think fit, including my patent family medicine.”11 There appears to be no mention of Lucy Dow continuing with the manufacture of sale of his family medicine. By the time of Lorenzo’s death the patent had expired and the formula could be used by anyone. Of course, it wasn’t the formula that had value, but the name of the preacher himself.

Lorenzo Dow died in Georgetown,

Newspaper ad from the City Gazette and Daily Advertiser, Charleston, S.C., May 21, 1821.

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A woodcut print of Lorenzo Dow in his later years.

D.C., on February 2, 1834. The National Intelligencer of Georgetown noted: “He was one of the most remarkable men of the ages for his zeal and labors in the course of religion . . . his eccentric dress and style of preaching attracted great attention, while his shrewdness and quick discernment of character gave him no considerable influence on the multitudes that attended his ministry.

He had been a public preacher for more than 30 years. He was a Methodist, in principle, though not in connection with the society.” 12 He was interred at Holmead’s Cemetery in Washington, D.C., but reinterred in April 1874 at the Oak Hill Cemetery near Georgetown, where a simple sandstone marker with his name and self-generated epitaph engraved, marks the resting place of Lorenzo Dow’s earthly representation.

Some scholars have attempted to make a connection between Lorenzo Dow and the later writings of the Mormon Church. The Mormon’s have avoided any reference to a potential connection, and exhibit a noticeable absence of discourse on Dow. An unusual exception, albeit a negative one, was found in an early Sunday school lesson: “A notable preacher was Crazy Dow. Equipped with a bulging umbrella and riding a sway-backed nag, Dow offered salvation or damnation to the whole West and South. He was skinny, filthy, and unkempt, with shoulder-length red hair and a red beard that hid his chest; but he was a showman of stature and his harsh voice, portentous and coarsely comic by turns, could hypnotize an audience — and sell quantities of Dow’s Family Medicine. But he wasn’t just a charlatan; he made no fortune, and he drove his frail body with the zeal of a

Bottles and Extras fanatic. Though the circuit rider did his share of camp-meeting shouting and sometimes mistook hysteria for spiritual rapture, his dedication to his calling was complete and unassailable. He took no heed to the morrow and made his rounds in all weather, at all seasons, praying, visiting, exhorting, with no thought of reward this side of Jordan...” 13 No other reference has been located regarding Lorenzo selling his medicine at the gatherings he assembled for spreading his religious messages. This writer believes that he was highly disciplined and avoided debasing his prime mission in life with a sales pitch for a product, no matter how tempting the opportunity may have been.

It is documented; however, that Lorenzo carried a supply of medicine with him just in case interested followers were in need of medication. The New Bedford Mercury noted: “Lorenzo Dow arrived at Tuscumbie, Alabama, on the 20th ultimo, and lost no time in giving notice that he would preach the following day, that he had certain religious tracts for sale, and also, an extensive stock of Dow’s family medicine.” 14 Another account quoted a notice from Lorenzo. . . “after the services are concluded, a fresh supply of Dow’s Family Medicine will be exposed to sale.” 15 No advertisements or mention of his medicine were found after 1827 and it is likely that he ceased its manufacture at least by 1830.

It is interesting to note that the younger brother of Brigham Young, second president of the Mormon Church, was named Lorenzo Dow Young, born in 1807, and was just one of many thousands of children named after the famed evangelist, whose name was as well known to the American populace as was George Washington a generation earlier. It is known that Brigham Young attended Lorenzo’s orations and was generally unimpressed, but Brigham’s parents must have encountered The Son of Thunder as well, since they were moved enough to name a child in his honor. Estimates of children having the first and middle name of Lorenzo Dow during the nineteenth century have ranged from 10,000 to 20,000.

Can you believe that Wyatt Earp’s uncle was named Lorenzo Dow Earp? And the list goes on.

Published copies of his many books, mostly reminiscences and philosophical

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religious observations and teachings, are relatively plenty within the United States, but copies of his medicine bottles are, indeed, a rare commodity. It has not been possible to determine whether the bottle shown here is a production of Lorenzo Dow or made from his formula after the patent expired. It certainly exhibits all the traits of the period of the 1820s and could have been produced during that decade by him or during the 1830s, after Lorenzo’s death, by an imitator who surely did not want to confront excoriating damnation showered upon him during the life of the preacher himself. I prefer to believe this example was ordered by Lorenzo Dow for his medicinal concoction and handed to a suffering soul and blessed by the powerful evangelist, with the thought that his power and presence is represented by the bottle’s contents, akin to having God in a bottle – sure to heal.

After the contents were consumed the owner could not bear to discard such a treasured remembrance of Lorenzo Dow and it was eventually relegated to the dusty attic along with other memory-laden mementoes.

Another likely candidate for producing the pictured bottle is M. Quinn & Co., of Cincinnati, Ohio, who advertised LORENZO DOW’S FAMILY RESTORATIVE, from October 1848 to July 1849 in the Daily Ohio Statesman of Columbus. Well after Lorenzo’s death, his long arm of righteousness was, no doubt, snubbed from reprising this imitator who rode on Lorenzo’s fame. Although the bottle appears to be considerably older than the late 1840s, the name of this Ohio medicine most closely fits the embossing on the bottle, with only the word PATENT missing.

Newspaper ad that appeared in The Ohio Statesman (Columbus, Ohio) from October 1848 to July 1849 The pictured bottle is made of clear “flint” glass, rectangular, height 5.5", pontiled, embossed LORENZO / DOW’S - PATENT - FAMILY - RESTORATIVE,

circa 1820 – 1850. Whether Lorenzo Dow was the proprietor of the featured bottle remains to be proven. Perhaps as historical as a medicine bottle can be, it may not rival the aesthetics of many historical and pictorial flasks of the same period but the story behind the name of Lorenzo Dow is hard to beat.

Endnotes: 1 John H. B. Nowland, Sketches of Prominent Citizens of 1876, with a Few of the Pioneers of the City and County Who Have Passed Away. Indianapolis: Tilford & Carlon, Printers. 1877.

2 Henry A. Baker, History of Montville, Connecticut: Formerly the North Parish of New London, from 1640 to 1896. Hartford,

56 Connecticut: Press of the Case, Lockwood and Brainerd Co. 1896, pg. 113.

3 Connecticut Current (Hartford, CT) 18 April 1820.

4 Willimantic Journal (Windham, CT) Nov 20, 1863.

5 See Peggy Dow, Vicissitudes Exemplified, or The journey of Life, New York : Printed by J.C. Totten. 1814 6 Freeman and Messenger (Lodi, New York) May 14, 1840.

7 Among his publications are: Polemical Works (1814); The Stranger in Charleston, or the Trial and Confession of Lorenzo Dow (1822); A Short Account of a Long Travel; with Beauties of Wesley (1823); and the History of a Cosmopolite; or the Four Volumes of the Rev. Lorenzo Dow’s Journal, concentrated in One, containing his Experience and Travels from Childhood to 1814 (1814, and many later editions); this volume also contains “All the Polemical Works of Lorenzo.” The edition of 1854 was entitled The Dealings of God, Man, and the Devil as exemplified in the Life, Experience and Travels of Lorenzo Dow. 8 The New York Times (New York), May 9, 1886.

9 Lorenzo Dow, Peggy Dow and John Dowling, The Dealings of God, Man, and the Devil: as Eemplified in the Life, Experience and Travels of Lorenzo Dow, in a Period of Over Half a Century. Vol. 1, Middletown, Ohio: Published by Glasener and Marshall. 1849, pg. 310.

10 Dr. John Plummer, Reminisinces of the History of Richmond, Indiana (included with the first Richmond City Directory in 1857).

11 John H. Binford, History of Hancock County, Indiana, King & Binford, Publishers. Greenfield, Indiana: William Mitchell, Steam Book and Job Printer.

1882, pg. 140.

12 The National Intelligencer (Georgetown, D.C.) February 6, 1834.

13 Untitled, Reformed Latter Day Saints Junior Curriculum, c. 1970, p. 365, located at: http://www.solomonspalding.com/docs/ ldow1804.htm.

14 New Bedford Mercury (New Bedford, Massachusetts) May 18, 1827.

15 Middlesex Gazette (Middletown, Connecticut) June 13, 1827.

Eric McGuire 1732 Inverness Dr., Petaluma, CA 94954 (707) 778-2255 etmcguire@comcast.net

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Bottles and Extras

“The Bad Boys of Baltimore” & Monticello Rye by Jack Sullivan Continued from page 51.

Moreover, Maryland was the only state in the Union not to pass a local enforcement law during Prohibition, giving it the nickname — “The Wettest State in the Union.” Thus, Monticello Rye may have been a beneficiary of this more tolerant view of alcohol.

Figure 19: Mencken celebrating the end Prohibition Goes of Prohibition No one celebrated the end of Prohibition with more gusto than Mencken. A photograph on the front page of the Baltimore Sun showed him downing the first beer to be poured at Baltimore’s Rennert’s Hotel bar in 13 years (Figure 19). “Pretty good. Not bad at all,” the paper quoted him saying.

Mencken, however, came to see Repeal as a mixed blessing.

He complained about paying higher prices for liquor. Now, he raged, Monticello Rye cost $3 to $3.50 a quart — not the $4 a gallon his father had paid. Even as his health began to fail at the end of his life, Mencken continued to enjoy a drink. “I drink exactly as much as I want, and one drink more,” he bragged.

Once again, the Monticello Rye brand survived, at least into the 1940s, the vintage of the mini-bottle shown here (Figure 20). Mencken died in 1956. In 1967, after the death of his brother left their Hollins Street house empty, Baltimore citizens interested in turning the Mencken home into a museum found numerous full bottles of whiskey and wine in the cellar, as well as a few empties. There is no written record to reveal if Monticello Rye was among them, but we may be excused for believing so.

Notes: In addition to Mencken’s own writings, a source of material for this article was the 1990 article by Jim Bready in the Maryland Historical Magazine entitled, “Maryland Rye: A Whiskey the Nation Long Fancied— But Now Has Let Vanish.” The illustrations for Figures 4 and 20 are courtesy of Robin Preston and his website, www.pre-pro.com. A good new biography by Marion Elizabeth Rogers, “Mencken: The American Iconoclast,” provided information on the author and his views on Prohibition. Portions of this article have previously appeared in The Pontil, the newsletter of the Potomac Bottle Collectors.

Henry Louis Mencken (1880-1956)

Figure 20: Monticello mini-bottle

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Fortune Chevalier and the Picture Castles 1890-1919

By Ben Kutzkey A Short History Fortune Chevalier was born in 1815 in Belle Isle, France. His family was not in the wine business so he apprenticed as a stained glass craftsman. Together, with a group of similar craftsmen, he went all over France repairing the windows of various castles and churches damaged by the frequent wars of the time.

In 1850, he sailed for San Francisco with some helpers and a large stock of window panes with the idea to establish a business of window construction and repair.

He hoped that when his helpers were fully occupied with stained glass window work, he would be able to steal away and pan for gold in the Sierra foothills.

It turned out that his helpers had the same idea and they abandoned him once they arrived in California. Fortune ended up in Placerville and later in Sacramento, settling into the trade of wine and spirits.

There were tens of thousands of thirsty miners and Chevalier established F. Chevalier and Company with the intent of satisfying his own thirst for profit. The firm of F. Chevalier Company was founded in Placerville, California in 1857. Chevalier became the sole agent for Old Castle Bourbon Whiskey and imported Grappe dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Or Cognac. The business was shortly afterward moved to Sacramento and there

carried on until 1870, when the increasing importance of the house and its expanding operations caused its removal to San Francisco. In 1872, its celebrated Castle whiskies were protected by a trademark deposited in the U.S. Patent Office in Washington, D.C. In 1875, Fortune took on a partner, a man named Comte, who had experience in the wine business. In 1899, Fortune died at the age of 84; his son, George, then managed the business.

In 1905, the company was situated at Nos. 9, 11, 13 and 15 Beale Street, San Francisco, and had traveling representatives covering the entire Pacific coast, besides resident agents at various

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centers throughout the eastern states. The company also owned the Chateau Chevalier vineyards near St. Helens in the foothills of Napa County, California.

The Bottles One of the most interesting of all the picture whiskies are the San Francisco Castle whiskies of 1890-1919, a span of almost 20 years. Castle whiskies go back further to the 1870s, but they are typical of their time in not having a picture embossed in the glass.

Most collectors lump all the picture Castles together, not noting the many differences that they had throughout the many years of their production. The first bottle is completely different than those that followed; it is a long-necked, roundshouldered, cork-stoppered bottle embossed “Chevaliers Old Castle Whiskey” and is in the fifth size. But the company didn’t like the shape and changed it to the shorter neck, squared-shoulder bottle that remained its choice for the rest of the life of the bottle.

With one exception, however, there is a square Castle, label only, clear glass, threepiece mold, cork-type bottle with identical wording on the label. It does differ in one respect: the word proprietor has been added.

This bottle is also an 1890s-type, being single-air vented at the shoulder. Recently, quart and fifth variations of the embossing on the first bottle have come to light.

Although the embossing is the same, the bottles are of the latter type and are the first of the inside screw types.

1

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Next, we come to the bottle that is embossed “The F. Chevaliers Co.;” this is the first bottle that has “The F.” and the “Co.,” but does retain the “s” on Chevalier.

It is the last one with an “s” on the end.

This is also an inside screw-stoppered bottle, as are the rest until World War I, when the company changed to the cork and glass stopper. We can assume that the reason for the many variants that follow are changes in the glass companies, moldreplacement, company requirements and errors in the moulds. Some molds began to wear out and were repaired during production, such as the one with whiskey slugged out with rocks. Later, a new mold was made that didn’t have the word “whiskey” on the bottle at all. But apparently this wasn’t what the company wanted, so the word “whiskey” was added under the word “Castle” with the rest of the wording being the same.

Let us now take the bottles one by one and enumerate their differences.

The Picture Castles, 1890-1919 Since a previous article I’ve written on the picture Castles, there have been a couple of additions, the first being a barrel-filled bottle from the Bodega Saloon in New Whatcome, Washington, now known as Bellingham. This bar was owned by Chris Semon in 1898 and shows the label used at that time. Portions of the label removed by him probably showed other products.

Basically, the label is the same as used on the first picture Castles. The bottle is a

4

2 3

common medicine-type bottle with the “Old Castle” label. Semon probably used them because of their low cost.

The Bodega Saloon was located on 13th Street between C and D streets. The bottle dates to 1890-1891. Chris’s residence was on E Street.

1) The first picture Castle whiskey has been generally dated to 1898. The bottle’s shape is typical of the bottles of the 1880s with embossing that reads “Chevaliers Old Castle Whiskey, San Francisco, Cal.” It was stoppered with a cork and is a scarce bottle compared to the rest of the Castles.

2) The next bottle is one of the three or four known clear glass quarts. Why it was made in clear glass is not known, but it is obvious that the company did not approve of it as no more embossed bottles have ever been found. The embossing is basically the same as bottle No. 1, but the shape was changed to the short-necked, squareshouldered bottle the company stayed with until Prohibition. All of the clear bottles I have heard of are in the quart size. This bottle was found in the High Sierras near Indepence, Ore., in 1962. This bottle was stoppered with a cork and is very rare.

3) This label-only quart is one of two found in a barn in Oregon or Washington (I forget which). The label is almost the same as the embossing on Nos. 1 and 2, except it states “F. Chevalier and Co Proprietors” near the bottom of the label.

This would indicate that Chevalier owned the brand and, indeed, there was a east coast agent for Castle Whiskey. I have no information why this bottle was label only.

It is also a cork-stoppered bottle.

3.5) This is another new addition and a very scarce one!

This fifth-gallon bottle appears to be the first inside screwtype and is embossed like the first bottles. It has the 1898-type base and is amber in color, as are all the rest of the Castles to the end.

4) This amber quart is identical to

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7

8

9

the clear quart No. 2, except it has the inside screw closure and is the mate to No. 3. The inside screw closure may be an English invention since some have “Riley’s Patent” on them.

5) This is the first bottle to have a change in the embossing, having “The F.” in front of “Chevaliers” and is rather scarce. After this bottle, there is no longer an “s” after “Chevalier.” There is a bottle (Barnett No. 143) that just says “The Chevalier Co.” I have looked for this bottle for several years without success. If it exists, I think that those bottles are 1890s types as the following ones all come from 1890s locations.

6) This quart is typical of the early 1888 bottles and is a little scarcer in the quart than in the fifth. “San” is ahead of the “C” in Castle. This differentiates these early 1900 bottles from the late ones, which have the “San” in the back of the “C.”

13 12

Label for #12.

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10

11

7 and 8) These two bottles are from the same basic mold, but you will notice No. 7 has a faint castle and rocks. As the mold grew more worn, the rocks were re-touched and whiskey slugged out with rocks as in No. 8. Both were made by the Pacific Coast Glass Works. I would date these about 1910-1912. Why the castle wasn’t retouched is anyone’s guess.

9) This one I believe is a mold-maker’s goof. The bottle just says “Castle;” no whiskey. They must have used the bottle with whiskey slugged out as the model.

This one dates about 1912-1915.

10) Here we have the correction, same embossing as No. 9, but they slipped “Whiskey” in under “Castle.” This is, I believe, the last of the inside screw bottles and dates to about 1914-1916. Also, for unknown reasons, the “Old” was slugged out. I believe the inside screw stopper was made in England and importation was stopped because of World War I. 11) Same bottle as No. 10, but stopper is now cork and glass.

12) As far as I can tell, this is the last of the embossed picture Castles. There is no “Old” and it is not slugged out. Embossing has returned to a style similar to 1900 and retains the glass stopper. I have two of these and they both have “384” on the bottom; one in large numerals and the other small. Same glass company.

13) This last bottle appears to be the end of the line for this highly desirable series of whiskies. It is label-only and the bottle is an unembossed, circular slugplate Barnett No. 135.

Ben Kutzkey 163 Shepard Lane Bishop, CA 93514

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Target Balls

By Mike O’Malley Glass balls are found throughout the world. They have been used to ward off evil spirits, float fishing nets, predict the future, contain liquids and decorate homes.

The glass balls in my collection were not intended for any of these purposes. They were made that people might destroy them.

To help in this effort they were called “target balls.”

The glass target ball was introduced into the United States by Charles Portlock of Boston, Mass., about 1866. The significant role the target ball played in the history of shooting should not go unnoticed.

The target ball was undeniably a colorful and dramatic target. Colorful glass balls were filled with powder, feathers, soot and sawdust. Annie Oakley was said to have filled balls with little ribbon streamers to add a feminine touch to her performances. With the help of the glass target ball, exhibition shooting would reach its zenith. The glass target ball would also become the first successful inanimate target integrated into the sport of competitive trapshooting.

The sport of trapshooting began in England and the first reference we are able to find was in an English publication,

Doc Carver

A.H. Bogardus

Ligowsky & Co. advertisement.

“The Sporting Magazine or Monthly Calendar of the Transactions of the Turf, The Chace And every other Diversion Interefting to The Man of Pleasure and Enterpriz.” (sic) Volume The First, February, 1793.

All competitive trapshooting up to the time of the target ball was done with live birds. The birds were released from traps and had to be shot and killed within a prescribed boundary. Many types of birds

Bottles and Extras were used; the preferred bird was the pigeon. Popular among the shooters was the Blue Rock Pigeon, known for its wild and erratic flight. To this day you will hear the term blue rock and clay pigeon used to describe the composite target used in modern trapshooting.

Glass target balls were at first thrown by hand or from primitive launching devices. They offered little challenge to trap shooters accustomed to the erratic flight of live birds. Captain A. H. Bogardus invented the first practical glass ball trap in 1877.

With the advent of the “Bogardus Trap” and the many others that followed, the glass target ball became more accepted in trapshooting competition. It could be argued that Captain A. H. Bogardus was the founding father of modern trapshooting.

In the time of the target ball, Captain A.H. Bogardus, Ira Paine, Dr. Carver and Annie Oakley were household names. They toured the United States and Europe, appearing before thousands of enthusiastic spectators. With shotgun rifle and pistol they destroyed countless thousands of colorful target balls. Royalty sought their company. Kings, czars and princes rewarded them with medals and expensive gifts. It was truly the golden age of exhibition shooting and they were its super stars.

Using a glass ball as a target, however, presented some challenges. It could not be thrown the distance or speed to challenge a good shooter and left glass shards that could be dangerous to humans and livestock. The search for a replacement was both vigorous and productive.

The Ligowsky target, a terra cotta clay target invented in 1880

by George Ligowsky, was not the first target invented in an attempt to replace the glass target ball, but it was the most successful.

Ligowsky hired two of the bestknown shooters of the period to promote his target. In 1883,

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Ira Paine Captain A. H. Bogardus and W. F. (Doc) Carver met in a series of twenty-five shooting competitions using the Ligowsky target and held in major cities across the United States. Out of these twenty-five, Dr. Carver won nineteen. Captain Bogardus won only three, and the final three of the matches ended in a tie.

The colorful period of the target ball was coming to an end. The terra cotta clay and the composite targets that followed would mean its demise. That it was an esteemed era can be witnessed in target ball collections throughout the world.

Mike O’Malley at his table at the Collinsville National Show. Jim Scharnagle of Gainesville, Ga. is standing, on the left.

Mabel Hicks (Tom’s wife) of Eatonton, Ga., is seated on the left, her back to O’Malley.

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Bottles and Extras

In the last article (Spring, 2004), I discussed the use by glass makers of the skull-and-crossbones symbol (also called the Death’s Head) on poison bottles, as a nonverbal way to warn about lethal contents.

Now, I will examine the coffin. As everybody knows, “coffin” is defined as “a case or box to put a dead person into for burial.”

The reason for using the Death’s Head is obvious. By the time glasshouses began embossing it onto bottles, it was a wellknown symbol of danger. Underscoring its recognizability, the American Pharmaceutical Association had suggested in the mid-1850s that bottles for poisonous substances contain the word “poison” or a Death’s Head. But...a coffin? Although coffins are associated with death, isn’t the symbolism of a coffin-shaped bottle a bit obscure?

Apparently not, or at least some drug companies and glassblowers didn’t think so.

Exactly how coffin-shaped poison bottles were conceived is lost in the mists of time, but the first such bottle apparently was made in England. According to Roy Morgan’s research, the U.K. Patent Office issued a patent in 1871 to G.F. Langford for a bottle

“in the shape of a coffin.” Today, there are six known examples of that quintessential British coffin bottle, all of which are dark cobalt. The late Rudy Kuhn assigned it Number KU-36 in his classification system, and a photograph of it adorns the cover of Mr. Morgan’s book. The esteemed British auction firm BBR auctioned one example at the U.K. Summer National Show on July 8, 2001, which drew spirited bidding and ultimately brought a hammer price of £8,700 (approximately $14,000 including the buyer’s fee). Gee, wouldn’t you like to dig a couple of those babies!

By the way, it isn’t just a fantasy to dig a KU-36 coffin. BBR’s KU-36 auctioned in 2001 actually was dug some twenty or more years earlier. The story is interesting: when the digger grew up and got married, his new wife ordered him to “throw all those old bottles.” But he didn’t obey (good for him!) and instead secretly packed them into boxes and stored the boxes in his attic, eventually to be forgotten until his older brother called in early 2001. The older brother, who had seen a picture of the KU-36 coffin in a used price guide and recognized it as one of his brother’s long-discarded bottles, called the kid brother to taunt him over his lost fortune.

But, of course, little brother had the last laugh! And I suspect that wife forgave husband, too.

Another KU-36 (the sixth known) was dug in England in 2003.

Returning to the 19th century: we Americans were not too far behind our British cousins with respect to coffin-shaped poison bottles. Griffenhagen and Bogard state that, “In 1876, James W. Bowles of Louisville, Kentucky, obtained a patent for a poison bottle in the shape of a coffin.” I have reproduced a drawing of what may be Bowles’s design from the archives of the U.S. Patent Office, but unfortunately for collectors, this particular bottle was never manufactured (as far as we know...but might one be awaiting discovery?)

Eventually, American glass houses did manufacture coffins. In addition to the KU-36 (which Rudy Kuhn erroneously believed to be unique at the time he wrote his workbook), I am aware of six other types of coffin-shaped poison bottles, and all of them were made in the United States. All of them were classified by Rudy as “KU’s” which stands for “Unusual or Odd Shaped” and all are considered scarce to extremely rare. The known American coffin-shaped poison bottles are the so-far-unique bisque pottery KU-1 (which was dug many years ago in a Civil War site in North Carolina and also has a Death’s Head embossed on it); the amber “F.A. Thompson & Co. Detroit” (classified as KU-4) which has the word “poison” embossed on both of its two sides; the cobalt (and at least one known small amber) D.P. Company KU-8 in

This is the patent drawing for a bottle designed by James W. Bowles of Louisville, Kentucky, in 1876, just five years after G. F. Langford had patented a different type of coffinshaped bottle in England.

Although no examples of this striking earlyAmerican coffin-shaped bottle are known to exist, perhaps one may be waiting in a privy or attic somewhere!

This coffin-shaped bottle (KU-16) contains coffinshaped pills called “coffinoids.”

Evidently, the Crystal Chemical C o m p a n y considered the symbolism of a coffin to be effective in warning of danger and toxicity.

This D. P. Company’s bottle (KU-8) were made in several sizes and are extremely rare and desirable.

Even without warning labels, the KU-8 bottle clearly makes its point: do not drink!

by Mike Dickman Photographs by John Gregory

Bottles and Extras

March-April 2008

several sizes, which also has the word “poison” embossed on both sides as well as a fearsome-looking Death’s Head on its front; a striking lime green KU-9 coffin, about which little is known; the Norwich/ Crystal KU-18s sold by companies located in New York City, known in both cobalt and amber and in several sizes; and the cobalt and milk-glass Dr. Oreste Sinanide’s bottle (classified by Rudy as KU-22) also from New York City. According to the KU-22’s elaborate embossing, “A youthful appearance is a social necessity not a luxury,” and the good doctor’s product was supposed to “prolong or restore youthfulness,” which makes his choice of a coffin seem somewhat odd from a publicrelations point-of-view. This last bottle comes with a ground-glass stopper and is scarce but available from time to time. Glass Works Auctions, in fact, had a milk glass example of the KU-22 in its September 2004 auction, which auction had not yet taken place when I wrote this article (August 2004).

“Coffin Madness” reached its peak with the KU-18s. The same basic bottle, with different base embossing, was used by both the Norwich Pharmaceutical Company and the Crystal Chemical Company, both of New York City. Not only were the bottles coffinshaped, but the little pills (bichloride of mercury) were coffin-shaped as well.

Norwich’s label bragged, “25 Tablets/

COFFIN SHAPE/Pat. Applied For” with a drawing of the very realistic-looking coffinshaped pill, while Crystal’s label proudly named its product, “COFFINOIDS.” British collectors call the common irregular hexagon KI-10s (the so-called “Lewis and Towers Practical Poison Bottle” patented in England in 1899) “coffins” but I’m not sure why, since they really are not coffin-shaped. Some types of whiskey bottles, too, are called “coffins” by collectors but the bottles probably were not meant to be actual coffins, for obvious reasons.

As a general rule, true coffin-shaped poison bottles are not cheap and, as the BBR auction of KU-36 demonstrates, some are exceedingly expensive. The most available and reasonably priced are the smallest-sized (3½”) cobalt KU-18s, which seem to sell in the neighborhood of $100 to $125 in mint condition. I saw several nice ones for sale at the 2004 EXPO in Memphis, including one with complete label, full contents and its original, sealed cork.

I’ll end this article with author William Ketchum’s colorful description of the purpose for making poison bottles in the shape of a coffin: “its form [was] gloomily predictive of the fate awaiting one who fails to heed its warning.”

63 Poisonland column (Bottles and Extras, Vol. 14, No. 3). Volumes I and II of “Poison Bottle Workbook” are available from Rudy’s widow, Terry Kuhn, 3954 Perie Lane, San Jose, CA 95132; Ph: (408) 259-7564; cost is $20 per volume plus $5 shipping. The 60 or so pages from unpublished Volume III are available for the cost of copying plus postage from the Antique Poison Bottle Collectors Association, which publishes the informative quarterly Poison Bottle Newsletter. Contact Joan Cabaniss, Secretary/Editor, 312 Summer Lane, Huddleston, VA 24104.

Blakeman, Alan, “British Bottle Review” No. 88 (January-March 2001), p. 11, for the amusing story of the history of the British KU-36 auctioned by BBR. Griffenhagen, G. and Bogard, M., “History of Drug Containers and Their Labels” (American Institute of the History of Pharmacy, Madison, WI 1999), p. 9495.

Ketchum, William C., Jr., “A Treasury of American Bottles” (Bobb-Merrill Co. 1975) p. 185.

Morgan, Roy, “The Benign Blue Coffin” (Kollectarama, England 1978) pp. 7, 40.

Webster’s New World Dictionary, College Edition, p. 284

References: The late Rudy Kuhn’s numbering system of poison bottles was explained in an earlier

Mike Dickman, 120 Solana Dr., Sante Fe, MN 87501 - 770-657-1021

Another variation of the D.P. Company’s bottle.

The F. A. Thompson bottle (KU-4) was blown in honey amber glass and is popular among collectors for its color, embossed city name and pronounced coffin shape.

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March-April 2008

Bottles and Extras

FOHBC MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY CHANGES Antique Bottle Collectors of Colorado Attn: Mike Hofer P.O. Box 1895 Englewood, CO 80150-1895 303-290-9016 red-lodge@att.net Baltimore Antique Bottle Club Attn: Steve Charing P.O. Box 36061 Baltimore, MD 21286 410-531-9459 Bytown Bottle Seekers Attn: Scott Wallace, President 55 Riverbrook Rd. Nepean, Ontario K2H 7W7 Canada 613-829-5940 paul.marchand@rogers.com Delmarva Antique Bottle Club, Inc. Attn: Keith Fleming 36650 Syracuse St. Ocean View, DE 19970 302-945-7072 Findlay Antique Bottle Club Attn: Richard Elwood P.O. Box 1329 Findlay, OH 45840-1329 419-442-3183

Ohio Bottle Club Attn: Louis Fifer 6820 Wooster Pike Medina, OH 44256 330-722-7017 lindaangel57@aol.com Phoenix Antiques, Bottles & Collectibles Club Attn: Charles Blake 4702 W. Lavey Rd. Glendale, AZ 85306 602-938-7277

Tom Booth 11502 Burgoyne Dr. Houston, TX 77077 arbooth@sbcglobal.net Lawrence E. Fielding 1205 Landonia Cir. #B Charlottesville, VA 22901 Runman2007@earthlink.net Scott Gossman P.O. Box 1225 Laytonville, CA 95454 707-984-8794

Raleigh Bottle Club Attn: Robert Creech 1309 Hinnant Rd. Selma, NC 27576 919-731-6067

Norman & Elizabeth Heckler 79 Bradford Corner Rd. Woodstock Valley, CT 06282 info@hecklerauction.com

Richmond Area Bottle Collector’s Association 4718 Kyloe Ln. Moseley, VA 23120

Jim Louks P.O. Box 307 Spearfish, SD 57783 jlouks@mato.com

South Jersery Heritage Bottle & Glass Club Attn: Steve Moyer, President 25 High St E Glassboro, NJ 08028 856-881-7468

Joyce Rector 20374 County Road 129 Simla, CO 80835 j.rector@fairpoint.net

Southeast Bottle Club Attn: Reggie Lynch, President 4734 Pimlico Ln. Waxhaw, NC 8173-7227 Hawaii Historical Bottle Collector’s 704-221-6489 Club www.antiquebottles.com/ 2056 Puu Pl, Apt. F Southeast Wahiawa, HI 96785 808-622-3138 Southeast Kansas Bottle & Relic mbottles@hawaii.rr.com Club Attn: Verna Layton Merrimack Valley ABC 1219 S. Evergreen Attn: Jim George Chanute, KS 66720 8 Walmsley Cir. 620-431-0492 Milford, NH 03055 978-256-2738 Tri-State Bottle Collectors & Diggers Club, INC. Midwest Antique Fruit Jar & Bottle Attn: Dean Ferguson, President Club 3204 Powhatan Dr. Attn: Dave Rittenhouse Wilmington, DE 79808 1008 S 900 W 302-353-6429 Farmland, IN 47340 DBrown3942@comcast.net 765-468-809 1rittjman@aol.com West Michigan Antique Bottle Club Mississippi Antique Bottle Club Attn: Elmer Ogg Attn: Tom Rightmer 1591 Hendrick Rd. 3041 Highway 472 Muskegan, MI 49441-5703 Hazlehurst, MS 39083 Manny Ambrosia Mohawk Valley Antique Bottle Club 1318 Shafter Ave. Attn: Fred Capozzella, President Pacific Grove, CA 93950 1108 Rutger St. 831-375-7095 Utica, NY 13501 315-724-1026 James Berry 200 Fort Plain Watershed Rd St Johnsville, NY 13452-3201 jhberry10@yahoo.com

Jerry St. George 2000 Pleasant Hill Rd. Sebastopol, CA 95472 Sally Streeter 23 Herman St. Glen Ridge, NJ 07028 bottlebug@gmail.com

ADDITIONS Andy Bergman 82 West Dale Ave. Muskegon, MI 49441 aj_bergman@yahoo.com Dave Brown 6 Martine Ct. Neward, DE 19711 DBrown3942@comcast.net Ron Feldhaus 5117 W 92nd St. Bloomington, MN 55437 vrfeldhaus@aol.com Paul Gronquist P.O. Box 155 Alma, KS 66401 Tom Johnson 224 Cherry Creek Rd. Marquette, MI 49855 mwaytom@chartermi.net Brian Kelsey 7408 Rawson Rd. Cuba, NY 14727 bkelseycuba@aol.com

Mark Klarenbuch 15 Capri Rd. Leduc, Alberta T9E 4M6 Canada Richard Levey 2887 N Fayston Rd. Moretown, VT 05660 rickle22@madriver.com Dan Merriman 471 Randolph St. Meadville, PA 16335 danm16335@yahoo.com Rick Meyer 211 E York St. Savannah, GA 31401 Jacalyn Ortiz & Michael Anderson 282 Schoolhouse Rd. Albany, NY 12203 Figural1@aol.com Jay Thompson 13663 W. Bates Ave. Lakewood, CO 80228 oldlodge@comcast.net Dale L Wedel 2675 Monroe St. Laramie, WY 82070 dwedel@state.wy.us Ronald Weir P.O. Box 509 Oriskany, NY 13424 Tona Williams 603 N Lawton Rd. Wellsboro, PA 16901 tonaw@chilitech.net Marvin Young 4031 Larkin Ln. Midlothian, VA 23112 marvinlyoung@mindspring.com 49er Historical Bottle Association Attn: Janice Lake 918 Connell Ct. Roseville, CA 95747

Bottles and Extras

March-April 2008

65

Bottle and Extras Individual and Affiliated Club Membership Information Membership in the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors includes:

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Bottles & Extras FREE ADS Kathy Hopson-Sathe Bottles and Extras Editor 341 Yellowstone Drive Fletcher, NC 28732 or Email : kathy@thesodafizz.com Send to :

Category - “WANTED” Maximum - 60 words Limit - One free ad per current membership per year.

Category - “FOR SALE” Maximum - 100 words Limit - 100 per issue.

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Single Issues and Back Issues of the magazine alone: $5.00

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Membership information, forms and an online payment method are also available from the website @ www.fohbc.com

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Enclose the Appropriate Amount and Mail to: FOHBC, c/o June Lowry, 401 Johnston Court, Raymore, MO 64083 Make checks payable to: The Federation of Historicial Bottle Collectors (FOHBC) Please Note: Allow 6-8 weeks from the time you send in your payment until you receive your first issue of Bottles and Extras.

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Name of Club___________________________________________ Address_______________________________________________ City _________________________________________________ State ___________ Zip ________ Phone (_____)______________ Club President___________________________________________ Address________________________________________________ State ___________ Zip __________ Phone (_____)______________ E-mail Address___________________________________________ Meeting Location_______________________________________ Day of Week__________________ Time_____________________ Club Website___________________________________________ Newsletter Name_________________________________________ Editor_________________________________________________ Type membership offered: __ Individual __ Family __ Combination

Club’s Total Members _____________ Club Show Date: _________________________________________ Club Show Place: _________________________________________ Send payment in the amount of $75, made payable to: The Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors FOHBC c/o June Lowry, 401 Johnston Court, Raymore, MO 64083 Questions?

Phone: (816) 318-0160 E-mail: osubuckeyes71@aol.com

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66

March-April 2008

Bottles and Extras

Classified Ads FOR SALE FOR SALE: Cheeks ‘n’ Things Spring list of bottles, pottery, glass, toys, coins, premiums, paper, comics, etc. $1 for list.

Send to: MIKE CURTO, 2439 E. 63rd St., Brooklyn, NY 11234.

FOR SALE: GEORGIA CROWN TOP BOTTLE BOOK 260 pages with over 1400 bottles pictured. Includes Georgia bottling works, 263 different Script straight sided Coca-Cola bottles from Georgia. 236 different Georgia Chero-Cola bottles.

Many others also pictured. All color.

Current Price List. $39.95 + $3.95 shipping.

Send to: Georgia Soda Bottle Book, 1211 St. Andrews Dr., Douglas, GA 31533.

FOR SALE: Now Available: A Collector’s Guide to Arizona Bottles & Stoneware, Sodas, Whiskies, Pharmacies, Beers, Food Bottles, Stoneware Jugs & Advertising Glasses. Rarity and price guides, historical information on businesses, photgraphs & advertisements. Hundreds of bottles listed.

274 pages, including drawings of all known embossed bottles from 1880 to 1940. $40 Postpaid. Send payment to: MICHAEL MILLER, 9214 W. Gary Rd., Peoria, AZ 85345. Additional info: E-mail: helgramike@cox.net.

FOR SALE: Antique mining artifacts includes miners’ candlesticks, blasting cap tins, mining company letterheads and mining advertisements. Also, ore cars to ore buckets. E-mail: STEVE RUSH at: nevsmith@ridgwayco.net. Check out sanjuanslim on eBay. FOR SALE: E-mail GARY FLYNN: Gary@brewerygems.com or go to: www.brewerygems.com/bottles.htm.

FOR SALE: Quality Western bottles in mint condition. Have many more. Call for details. 1) Rarest of all California Hutch sodas, Schneer & Co / Nevada City Soda Works. Has 2 companies on same bottle.

See Markota p. 88 and p. 124. $2,500. 2) Teakettle whiskey, beautiful lighter than normal amber. $1,900. 3) C&R Eagle Works / Sac City blob soda. Extremely rare (made for only 6 months in 1860). See Markota p.

18. $1,600. 4) Halls California Pepsin Wine Bitters. $675. Sodas - Taylor & Co./ Valpariso & Chili, green (IP) $450. F.M. / Modesto, aqua. $425. W.H. Burt / San Francisco, green (IP) $400. Contact: MIKE SOUTHWORTH, 1309 Upland Hills Dr. N., Upland, CA 91874, PH: (909) 982-1205 before 10 pm PST.

The Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors

Bottles and Extras Advertising Rates Ads: Kathy Hopson-Sathe 341 Yellowstone Dr., Fletcher, NC 28732 Phone: (423) 737-6710 E-mail: kathy@thesodafizz.com Makes checks payable to: The Federation of Historic Bottle Collectors CLASSIFIED ADS 10-cents a word 15-cents a bold word. $2 MINIMUM

ALLADS MUST BE PAID INADVANCE 50% Discount for FOHBC Club Show Ads

DISPLAY ADVERTISING RATES B/W

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COVER

1 TIME 2 TIMES 3 TIMES 4 TIMES 5 TIMES 6 TIMES

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$50 $90 $130 $170 $210 $250

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$30 $55 $80 $105 $130 $150

3” COL $25 $45 $65 $85 $105 $125

Next Stop Deadlines: March 20th for May-June, 2008 issue May 20th for July-Aug. 2008 issue

WANTED Wanted: J. Esposito “flag” and J. Esposito “Koca Nola” Philadelphia, Pa. Hutchinson sodas in any color. Contact: RJ BROWN, 4114 W. Mulden Ave., Tampa, FL 33609.

Wanted: Embossed South Carolina bottles, especially crown top slug plate soda bottles.

Contact: ERIC WARREN, 238 Farmdale Dr., Lexington, SC 29073; Ph: (803) 9518860; E-mail: scbottles@aol.com. Any South Carolina bottle questions, drop me a line.

Wanted: Tampa alligator Hutch. Highest price paid for FLA BREWING CO, TAMPA, FLA with embossed alligator. Must be Hutch finish, not Baltimore loop. Contact: R.J. BROWN, 4119 Crosswater Dr., Tampa, FL 33615, Ph: (813) 888-7007 or E-mail: RBrown4134@aol.com.

Wanted: Post-auction priced catalog of the Fred Salisbury scroll flask sale. Contact: Merleslay@aol.com or 253-858-2267 or 6425 149th St Ct NW, Gig Harbor, WA 98332.

Wanted: Parkesburg, PA items - bottles, historic item, memorabilia, advertising, photos, paper. Contact: GERALD

TREADWAY, 410 Strasburg Ave, Parkesburg, PA 19365 (610)-857-3677 or tread410@comcast.net.

Wanted: Figural bitters and odd colors bottles or unusual glass. Contact: PAUL B. JENSEN, 4350 Paradise Ln, Placerville, CA 95667, Ph: (530) 644-6152.

Wanted: Small oil lamp with chimney embossed “Night Light” or “Nite Lite.”

Drug store glass dose cups embossed from Colorado, Wyoming or Vermont must have name and address (city and state). Call “Ed” at (802) 254-9796.

Wanted: Anything relating to San Francisco milk dealers prior to 1910, including information, bottles, advertising, etc., Contact: KEN MORRILL, Ph: (831) 722-4740 or E-mail: Arrowheadfarms@juno.com.

Wanted: Mining artifacts and Colorado jugs and Colorado bottles.

Contact: STEVE RUSH, E-mail: nevsmith@ridgwayco.net.

Wanted: Embossed beers. Also,

Bottles and Extras Washington breweriana from ‘50s and earlier.

Contact: GARY E. FLYNN, 118 Sea Pines Rd., Bellingham, WA 98229, E-mail: Gary@brewerygems.com.

Wanted: California blob sodas, looking for common to rare, but including: R&H / Columbia; H. Brader / San Francisco; M.R./ Sacramento (cobalt); Golden Gate (blue); Mt. Tamalpais, Golden West Napa County, Jackson’s Napa Soda Springs (green), C. Moise / San Francisco; New Almaden Vichy Water, New Liberty; S.W. Co. / San Francisco; Vernon Mineral Water, American flag. Contact: MIKE SOUTHWORTH, Ph: (909) 982-1205 before 10 pm PST.

March-April 2008 WANTED Levitan and Bagan, Chicago, Ill. bottles of any/all kind(s).

Seltzer and soda bottles are known.

Company operated by my great-grandfather during the early 1900s.

Known to have been delivered at some time

by Seipp’s Brewery wagons

Tony Hofeld 8724 Ferris Avenue Morton Grove, IL 60053 Ph: (847) 966-0909 E-mail: ahofeld@aol.com

Wanted: Anything Koca Nola, ads, bottles, labels, etc. Contact: BILL BAAB, 2352 Devere St., Augusta, GA 30904; Ph: (706) 736-8097, E-mail: riverswamper@comcast.net.

Wanted: Bottles and any collectibles dealing with Washington Territory (W.T.). Contact: MARK NELSON, 6249 111th Ave. NE, Kirkland, WA 98033, Ph: (425) 822-9804 or E-mail: collnw@yahoo.com.

Wanted: Hutchinsons wanted: New Mexico, Wyoming, Australia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Dorado Bottling Co., Dawson, Y.T., Greece, Guatamala, Old Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Spain and any other foreign country. Contact: ZANG WOOD, 1612 Camino Rio, Farmington, NM 87401, Ph: (505) 327-1316.

Wanted: Foust Distillery, Glen Rock, Pa. items, bar bottles, label under glass, flasks, calendars, etc. Also, blue decorated stoneware from Pfaltzgraff, York, Pa. and Baltimore, Md. blue decorated stoneware.

Contact: JERRY LEE BLEVINS, 1120 Bentley Rd., Freeland, MD 21053, Ph: (410) 357-4285.

Wanted: Indian bottles! Looking for the Indian Bitters, Sarsaparillas, cures and rare medicines, but will settle for a good Sagwa every now and then! E-mail pic and price to mike@WeLoveOldBottles.com. MIKE SMITH, P.O. Box 2347, Yucca Valley, CA 92286-2347, Ph: (760) 228-9640. Website: www.WeLoveOldBottles.com.

KETCHUP, PICKLES, SAUCES 19th Century Food in Glass 498 pages of pictures & research of glass containers the early food industry utilized.

Smyth Bound - $25.00 to:

MARK WEST PUBLISHERS PO BOX 1914 SANDPOINT, ID 83864

est. 1979

Full Colour

BBR 1 year Air Mail subscription $60 The world’s first full color bottle magazine simply got BETTER and BIGGER PACKED FULL of all the information you need on the UK & worldwide scene Well-researched articles & All the latest finds Upcoming sales & Full show calendar Personal Check, MasterCard/Visa, even $ bills!

BBR, Elsecar Heritage Centre, Barnsley, 2, Yorkshire, S74 8HJ, England Tel: 011-44-1226-745156; Fax: 011-44-1226-361561

Wanted: Mini jugs and advertising stoneware from Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Contact: MIKE PARRIS, 27433 Lofall

67 Ct. NW, Poulsbo, WA 98370, Ph: (360) 6972231, E-mail: mnparris@comcast.net.

Wanted: Delaware and college milk bottles.

Contact: ROWLAND HEARN, 10 Wordsworth Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808.

Wanted: Smile and Buster soda items, bottles, caps, signs, etc. Contact: JIM BAKER, Ph: (314) 504-8514 or E-mail pictures and information to jim_baker@hotmail.com.

Wanted: Seeking Dr. H. James Cannabis, Indica. I need a pristine, prefect example with bold, crisp embossing being a must!

Also seeking other bottles, ads and ephemera pertaining to cannabis or hemp. I am also looking for quality Indian bottles, ads and ephemera. Contact: TERRY BACH, P.O. Box 1096, Ukiah, CA 95482, PH: (707) 272-1890.

For Sale and Wanted Ads are a benefit of membership!

Send yours today to: Bottles and Extras Classified Ads 341 Yellowstone Drive Fletcher, NC 28732

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JAR DOCTOR

FAX: (816) 318-0162

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FOHBC SHO-BIZ FOHBC Sho-Biz is published in the interest of the hobby. Federation affiliated clubs are noted. Information on up-coming collecting events is welcome, but space is limited.

Please send at least four months in advance, including telephone number, to: FOHBC Sho-Biz, c/o Kathy Hopson-Sathe, 341 Yellowstone Dr., Fletcher, NC 28732, or E-mail: kathy@thesodafizz.com. Show schedules are subject to change. Please call ahead before traveling long distances.

All listings published here will also be published on the web site at http://www.fohbc.com.

MARCH 2 - BALTIMORE, MARYLAND The Baltimore Antique Bottle Club's 28th Annual Show & Sale (8 AM - 3 PM) at the Physical Education Center, CCBS-Essex, 7201 Rossvile Blvd, Essex, Maryland. INFO: BOB FORD, PH: (410) 5319459, E-mail: bottles@comcast.net.

MARCH 7-8 - CHICO, CALIFORNIA The Bidwell Bottle Club's 42nd Annual Show & Sale (Sat. 9 AM 4 PM, Adm. Free; Early Adm./Set-Up Fri. 10 AM - 7 PM, Adm. $5) at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds, Chico, California. Over 80 tables; food available. INFO: RANDY TAYLOR, Show Chairman, P.O. Box 1065, Chico, CA 95927, PH: (530) 345-0519 (eve), (530) 518-7369 (days); E-mail: rtjarguy@aol.com.

MARCH 8 - ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI Missouri Valley Insulator Club 6th Annual Insulator & Bottle Show & Sale at the American Legion Hall, St. Joseph, Missouri. INFO: DENNIS WEBER, 3609 Jackson St., St. Joseph, MO 64507, PH: (816) 364-1312, E-mail: stjoeshow2008@aol.com.

MARCH 8 - BADIN, NORTH CAROLINA The Uwharrie Bottle Club's 1st Annual Antique Bottle & Collectibles Show & Sale (Sat. 8 AM - 3 PM, Adm. Free; Set-up, 6 - 8 AM) at the Badin Fire Department, Badin, North Carolina. Tables (8 ft.) $20. INFO: TODD MCSWAIN, PH: (704) 474-0552, E-mail: mcswain8649@alltel.net.

MARCH 9 - TYLERSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA The 14th Annual Bucks-Mont Bottle Show (9 AM - 2 PM, Early Buyers 8 AM) at the Tylersport Fire Company, 125 Ridge Rd, Tylersport, Pennsylvania. INFO: DAVID BUCK, PH: (215) 723-4048 or GREG GIFFORD, PH: (215) 699-5216.

MARCH 14-15 - MORRISTOWN, TENNESSEE The Tennessee Valley Traders & Collectors Club's 5th Annual Bottle & Glass Show (Fri. 12 - 6 PM; Sat. 8 AM - 3 PM, Free Adm.) at the Talley-Ward Center, 324 South James St., Morristown, Tennessee. INFO: BILL HENDERSON, Show Chairman, 346 Fuller Estate Circle, Morristown, TN, PH: (423) 581-8386, E-mail: billhenderson@musfiber.com or RANDALL KNIGHT, Club Pres., 6282 Golden Dr., Morristown, TN, PH: (423) 587-9885.

MARCH 14-15 - MORRO BAY, CALIFORNIA The San Luis Obispo Bottle Society's 40th Annual Show & Sale (Fri. 3 PM - 7 PM; Sat. 9 AM - 3 PM) at the Morro Bay Veterans Hall, 209 Surf St., Morro Bay, California. INFO: RICHARD TARTAGLIA, PH: (805) 543-7484.

MARCH 15 - DELAND, FLORIDA The Deland M-T Bottle Collectors Association's 38th Annual Show & Sale (9 AM - 3 PM) at the Volusia County Fairgrounds (1/4 mile east of I-4 on S.R. 44, Exit 118), Deland, Florida. INFO: M. PALLASCH, 7 Monroe Ave., DeBary, FL 32713, PH: (386) 668-4538.

MARCH 16 - ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI St. Louis Antique Bottle Collectors Assoc. 38th. Annual Bottle & Jar Show & Sale (9 AM - 2 PM) at the Two Hearts Banquet Center, 4532 South Lindergh at Gravois, St. Louis, Missouri. INFO: RON

STERZIK, 2080 Sterzik Dr., Arnold, MO 63028, PH: (636) 296-3112, or GEORGE CASNAR, 4455 Helterbarnd Rd, Festus, MO 63028, PH: (636) 337-2326.

MARCH 16 - FLINT, MICHIGAN The Flint Antique Bottle & Collectibles Club's 38th Annual Show & Sale (Sun. 10 AM - 3 PM) at the Don Polski Hall, 3415 N. Linden Rd., Flint, Michigan. INFO: TIM BUDA, 11353 Cook R., Gaines, MI 42436, PH: (989) 271-9131 or E-mail: tbuda@shianet.org.

MARCH 29 - DAPHNE, ALABAMA The Mobile, Alabama Bottle Club's 35th Annual Show & Sale (9 AM - 3 PM) at the Alabama Civic Center, Whispering Pines Rd. and U.S. Hwy. 98, Daphne, Alabama. INFO: JIM SIMMONS, 8851 Four Mile Rd., Irvington, AL 36522, PH: (251) 824-2697 or ROD VINING, 8844 Lee Circle, Irvington, AL 36544, PH: (251) 957-6725, E-mail: vinewood@mchsi.com.

MARCH 29 - CHANUTE, KANSAS The Southeast Kansas Antique Show & Sale (Sat. 8 AM - 4 PM) at the V.F.W. Building, 1654 W. Main, Chanute, Kansas. Adm. Free.

INFO: DICK SEWART, 1016 S. Rutter, Chanute, KS 66720, PH: (620) 431-7509.

MARCH 30 - BLOOMINGTON, MINNESOTA The North Star Historical Bottle Association & Minnesota's First Antique Bottle Club's 37th Annual Show & Sale (Sun. 9:30 AM 2:30 PM, Adm. $3; Set-Up, 6:30 - 9:30 AM) at the Days Inn, 1901 Killebrew Dr., Bloomington, Minnesota. Free parking. Days Inn is directly across from the Mall of America. INFO: DOUG SHILSON, Show Chairman, 3308 32nd Ave., S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, PH: (612) 721-4165, E-mail: bittersdug@aol.com or STEVE KETCHAM, Club Pres., Box 24114, Edina, MN 55424, PH: (952) 920-4205, E-mail: s.ketcham@unique-software.com.

MARCH 30 - BREWERTON, NEW YORK The Empire State Bottle Collectors Association's 38th Annual Spring Show & Sale (Sun. 9 AM - 3 PM, $2 donation, under 12 are free) at the Brewerton Fire Hall, 9625 Rt. 11, Brewerton, New York.

50 Show & Sale Tables, Antique bottles, go-withs, tabletop collectibles & educational exhibits. Free parking, appraisal table limit 3 items. No early adm. INFO: JOHN or CAROL SPELLMAN, P.O. Box 61, Savannah, NY 13146, PH: (315) 365-3156 or E-mail: spellmanjc@tds.net.

MARCH 30 - ENFIELD, CONNECTICUT The Yankee Pole Cat Insulator Club's Annual Insulator, Bottle & Collectibles Show & Sale (Sun. 8 AM - 2 PM) at the American Legion Hall, 556 Enfield St. (Rt. 5), Enfield, Connecticut. INFO: JOHN RAJPOLT, 17 Pheasant Lane, Monroe, CT 06468, PH: (203) 261-1190, E-mail: rajpolt@earthlink.net.

APRIL 6 - HUTCHINSON, KANSAS The Kansas Antique Bottle & Postcard Show (9 AM - 3 PM) at the Sunflower South Building on the Kansas State Fairgrounds, Hutchinson, Kansas. INFO: MIKE McJUNKIN, 42 Sunflower, Hutchinson, KS 67502, PH: (620) 728-8304, E-mail: scarleits@cox.net.

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APRIL 6 - SOMERSWORTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE The New England Antique Bottle Club's 42nd Annual Show & Sale (9 AM - 2 PM, Early Buyers 8 AM) at the Great Bay Gallery, 25 Willard Drive, Somersworth, New Hampshire. INFO: GERRY SIROIS, PH: (207) 773-0148 or JACK PELLETIER, PH: (207) 8394389.

MAY 10 - MANSFIELD, OHIO The Ohio Bottle Club's 30th Annual Mansfield Antique Bottle & Advertising Show & Sale (8 AM - 2 PM; Early Buyers Fri. 2 - 6 PM) at the Richland County Fairgrounds, Trimble Rd. Exit, U.S. Rt. 30, Mansfield, Ohio. INFO: BILL KOSTER, PO Box 585, Barberton, OH 44203, PH: (330) 690-2794.

APRIL12 - KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN The Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Club's 29th Annual Antique Bottle & Glass Show (Sat. 10 AM - 3 PM, $3 Adm.; Earlybird, Sat. 8 - 10 AM, $30) at the Kalamazoo County Fairgrounds, 2900 Lake St., Kalamazoo, Michigan. Michigan's largest antique bottle & glass show. Free appraisals! INFO: JOHN PASTOR, Show Chairman, 5716 Versailles Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48103, PH: (616) 581-7005, E-mail: jpastor@professionalsdirect.com or MARK McNEE, PH: (269) 343-8393.

MAY 17 - LINCOLNTON, NORTH CAROLINA The Piedmont Bottle & Pottery Club's 2nd Annual Antique Bottles & Pottery Show & Sale (Sat. 9 AM - 3 PM, Adm. $1 donation; Set-up 8 - 8:50 AM) at the James Warren Citizen's Center, 115 West Main St., Lincolnton, North Carolina. Free appraisals. INFO: JOHNNY MCAULAY, Club Pres., 16412 Amber Field Dr., Huntersville, NC 28078, PH: (704) 719-7108, E-mail: mcaulaytime@aol.com or CHUCK RASH, Treasurer., 1553 Redbud Rd., Lincolnton, NC 28095, PH: (704) 732-0373, E-mail: bottlebrother@hotmail.com or JOHN PATTERSON, PH: (704) 636-9510; Website: www.antiquebottles.com/ piedmont/

APRIL19 - VALLEJO, CALIFORNIA The Golden Gate Historical Bottle Society's Antique Bottle & Collectible Show & Sale (Fr. 11 AM - 6 PM, Early Adm. $10; Sat. 9 AM - 3 PM, Free Adm.) at the Solano County Fairgrounds (McCormack Hall), Vallejo, California. Free walk-in appraisals.

Bottles, plus a wide variety of collectibles and "go-withs." INFO: GARY or DARLA ANTONE, PH: (925) 373-6758 or E-mail: packrat49er@netscape.net.

APRIL 20 - ROCHESTER, NEW YORK The Genesee Valley Bottle Collectors Association's 39th Annual Show & Sale, including Table Top Antiques, Postcards and Collectibles (Sun. 9 AM - 3 PM) at the Monroe County Fairgrounds (newly renovated Minett Hall), Route 15 & Calkins Road, Henrietta, New York. INFO: LARRY FOX, PH: (585) 394-8958, E-mail: brerfox@frontiernet.net or AARON & PAM WEBER, PH: (585) 2266345, E-mail: dealerchair@gvbca.org or visit the website at: www.gvbca.org.

APRIL 27 - HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA The Historical Bottle-Diggers of Virginia 37th Annual Antique Bottle and Collectible Show & Sale Sun. (9 AM - 3 PM) at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds, (US Rt. 11 South, Exit 243 off I-81), Harrisonburg, Virginia. INFO: SONNY SMILEY, PH: (540) 434-1129 or E-mail: lithiaman1@yahoo.com.

MAY 2-3 - GRAY, TENNESSEE The State of Franklin Antique Bottle & Collectibles Association's 10th Annual Show & Sale (Sat. 8 AM - 2 PM, Free Adm.; Early Buyers & Setup, Fri. 12 PM - 5 PM, Adm. $10) at the Appalachian Fairgrounds (Johnson City, Tenn.-Bristol, Tenn. area), Gray, Tennessee. 150 tables available. INFO: MELISSA MILNER, PH: (423) 928-4445 or E-mail: mmilner12@charter.net; Website: www.sfabca.com.

MAY 4 - WHITESBORO, NEW YORK The Mohawk Valley Antique Bottle Club's 14th Annual Show & Sale (9 AM - 2:30 PM) at the Utica Curling Club, 8300 Clark Mills Road, Whitesboro, New York. INFO: PETER BLEIBERG, 7 White Pine Road, New Hartford, NY 13413, PH: (315) 735-5430, E-mail: pmbleiberg@aol.com.

MAY 9-10 - CHEHALIS, WASHINGTON The Washington Bottle Collector's Association Spring Show (Sat. 9 AM - 4 PM; Fri. Early Buyers 1 - 7 PM) at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds, Chehalis, Washington. INFO: WARREN, PH: (206) 329-8412, E-mail: wlbottleguy@yahoo.com or ROBIN, PH: (206) 522-2135 or robin3250@comcast.net.

MAY 17 - TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA The 2nd Annual Tallahassee Antique Bottle Show & Sale (9 AM 3 PM) at the Tallahassee Elk's Lodge, 276 N. Magnolia Dr., Tallahassee, Florida. INFO: BRITT KEEN, 1144 Azalea Dr., Tallahassee, FL 32301, PH: (850) 877-4490, E-mail: britt_keen@hotmail.com, Website: www.floridabottles.com.

MAY 18 - WASHINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA The Washington County Antique Bottle Club's 34th Annual Antique Bottle Show & Sale (9 AM - 2 PM, Donation $3) at the Alpine Star Lounge, 735 Jefferson Ave. (From I70, Exit 17), Washington, Pennsylvania. INFO: RUSS CRUPE, 52 Cherry Road, Avella, PA 15312, PH: (724) 345-3653 or (412) 298-7831, E-mail: heidirus@gmail.com.

MAY 18 - BRICK, NEW JERSEY The Jersey Shore Bottle Club's 36th Antique Bottle, Post Card & Local Memorabilia Show & Sale (Sun. 8:30 AM - 2 PM) at the Brick Elks, 2491 Hooper Ave (Old Hooper Ave) Brick, New Jersey. INFO: RICH PEAL 732-267-2528 or E-mail manodirt@msn.com.

MAY 31 - COVENTRY, CONNECTICUT The Museum of Connecticut Glass" 3rd Annual Bottle & Glass Show & Sale, (8 AM - 1 PM) at the the Historic Coventry Museum grounds, Route 44 & North River Road, Coventry Connecticut.

INFO: JAN A. RATUSHNY, PO Box 242, Eastford, CT 06242, PH: (860) 428-4585, E-mail: janratushny@aol.com.

JUNE 6-7 - KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE The East Tenn. Antique Bottle & Collectibles Society Show (Fri. 10 AM - $ PM, Sat. 9 AM - 4 PM) at the Kerbela Shrine Temple, Knoxville, Tennessee. Tables $35, $25 additional. INFO: BILLIE MCNAMARA, PH: (865) 933-6137, E-mail: info@etabcs.org, Website: www.etabcs.org.

JUNE 6-7 - LUMBERTON, NORTH CAROLINA The Robeson Antique Bottle Club's Annual Bottle, Coin & Collectible Show & Sale (Fri.. 3 - 9 PM; Sat. 9 AM - 1 PM) at the Expo and Farmer's Market, 1027 US 74 East, Lumberton North Carolina.

INFO: PAUL VALENTI, PH: (910) 738-3074, 456 Boone Rd., Lumberton, NC 28360 or MITCHELL McCORMICK, PH: (910) 6286245 or BRET LEE, Email: dex@intrstar.net.

JUNE 13-14 - AURORA, OREGON Oregon Bottle Collectors Association's Summer Show & Sale (Free Admission, donations accepted, Fri. 1 - 6 PM; Sat. 9 AM - 3 PM) at

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March-April 2008

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the American Legion Hall, 3rd & Main St., Aurora, Oregon. INFO: SCOTT SLOWTER, PH (503) 645-0560 or MARK JUNKER, PH: (503) 231-1235 or BILL BOGYNSKA, PH (503 )657-1726 or E-mail: billb@easystreet.net JULY 12-13 - BUTTE, MONTANA The Montana Bottle Collectors Association's 6th Annual Show & Sale (Sat. 10 AM - 3 PM, Sun. 10 AM - 3 PM; Dealer Sset up and Early Bird, Sat. 8 AM - !0 AM, Adm. $5) at Montana College of Technology Gym, in the old historic mining town of Butte, Montana, which is hosting the National Folk Festival. Estimated festival attendance 50,000 +. A fun filled week-end. INFO: BILL HENNESS, 5430 Wagon Wheel Dr., Helena, MT 59602: PH. (406) 458-6548, Email: bhenness@bresnan.net, or TOM BRACKMAN, 2575 Winchester Dr., East Helena, MT 59635: PH. (406) 227-5301, E-mail: brackman@bresnan.net.

JUNE 14 - SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA The Antique Bottle Club of San Diego's Antique Bottle & Collectibles Show & Sale (Sat. 9 AM - 4 PM, Adm. $2, Set-up 6:39 AM, Early Adm. 8 AM, $5) at the Al Bahr Shrine Temple, 5440 Kearny Mesa Rd., San Diego, California. Two floors, 9,000 sq. ft., 100+ tables, free parking, displays, discounts to area attractions.

INFO: JIM WALKER, PH: (585) 490-9019, E-mail: jfw@internetter.com. Website: www.sdbottleclub.org.

AUGUST 8-10 - YORK, PENNSYLVANIA EXPO The 2008 FOHBC EXPO (Fri. Seminars and Specialty Meetings in AM; Set-up, Early Adm. 1 - 5 PM, Banquet 6:30 PM; Sat. 9 AM - 5 PM, Early Adm. 7 - 9 AM; Sun. 9 AM - 3 PM) at the York Fairgrounds, York, Pennsylvania. 600-800 tables capacity for the largest EXPO ever! For consignments, contracts and INFO: R. WAYNE LOWRY, 401 Johnston Ct., Raymore, MO 64083, PH: (816) 318-0161, E-mail: JarDoctor@aol.com.

SEPTEMBER 13 - DOWNIEVILLE, CALIFORNIA The Historic Downieville Antique Bottles & Collectibles Show (Sat. 8 AM - 3 PM; Early Bird, 8 AM - 10 AM, Adm. $10) at the Downieville School Gym, 130 School St., Downieville, California. Show is featuring a Western Bitters bonanza, a fabulous display of Western Bitters. There will be two raffles: one for a beautiful gold specimen mined from The Original 16 to 1 mine in Sierra County and the other for an awesome underground mine tour for 4 in the same mine.

INFO: LOU or LEISA LAMBERT, PH: (707) 823-8845, E-mail: maxbitters@comcast.net or RICK or CHERRY SIMI, PH: (530) 2893659, E-mail: seeme@sccn.net.

SEPTEMBER 20 - SMYRNA, GEORGIA The Atlanta Antique Bottle Show and Sale 38th annual show (9 AM - 4 PM, Early Buyers, 6 AM - 9 AM) at the Smyrna Community Center, 200 Village Green Circle, Smyrna, Georgia. INFO: JACK HEWITT, 1765 Potomac CT., Lawrenceville, GA., 30043, PH: (770)963-0220 or JOHN JOINER, PH: (770)-502-9565, E-mail propjj@bellsouth.net.

To make sure your show appears here and on our website, send your show information to: Show Biz, 341 Yellowstone Dr., Fletcher, NC 28732 kathy@thesodafizz.com or use the online form at: www.fohbc.com

Save the date San Diego 2008 Antique Bottle & Collectible Show & Sale

Sat., June 14, 2008 Al Bahr Shrine Temple 5441 Kearny Mesa Rd. San Diego, California 92111

DISPLAYS RAFFLES

Two Floors, 9,000 Sq. Ft. 100+ Tables Come for the day, spend the weekend Close to hotels, beaches, Sea World & the Zoo Dealer Set-up “Early Bird” General Admission

6:30 AM 8:00 AM $5 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM $2

Kids under 12 - Free with Adult Mike Bryant, Chairman INFO: JIM WALKER (858) 490-9019 jfw@internetter.com www.sdbottleclub.org DISCOUNTS TO AREA ATTRACTIONS

FREE PARKING

AWARDS FOR DISPLAYS

Augusta On Glass $40 postpaid, including shipping charges.

Send check or money order payable to: Bill Baab 2352 Devere Street Augusta, GA 30904 Checks must clear bank before book is mailed.

Drops of history from glass and pottery containers used by soda water manufacturers, whiskey distillers, beer brewers, mineral water sellers and patent medicine men in and around Augusta, Georgia.

Bill Baab

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Presents 42nd Annual ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES * Free Admission * SHOW * Saturday, April 19th 2008 * *Free Walk-In Appraisals* DEALER SETUP Solano County Fairgrounds FRI. the 18 11 AM - 6 PM McCormack Hall “Early Bird” Fri. 11 - 6 PM $10 Adm. VALLEJO, CALIFORNIA (Accross from Six Flags Marine World) For Show Information, Contact GARY or DARLA ANTONE (925) 373-6758 th

THE STATE OF FRANKLIN ANTIQUE BOTTLE & COLLECTIBLES ASSOCIATION PRESENTS ITS 10TH ANNUAL SHOW & SALE

39th Annual

Bottle Table Top Antiques & Postcard

Show & Sale Adm. $4

Sunday, April 20, 2008 9 am - 3 pm

Monroe Co. Fairgrounds Minett Hall Rt. 15A & Calkins Rd.

FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT: Show Chair Larry Fox (585) 394-8958 Dealer Chairs Aaron/Pam Weber (585) 225-6345 Exhibit Chair Chris Davis (315) 331-4078

brerfox@frontiernet.net dealerchair@gvbca.com exhibits@gvbca.com

www.gvbca.org

MAY 3rd, 2008 APPALACHIAN FAIRGROUNDS GRAY, TENNESSEE (Northeast Tennessee Area) Friday, May 2nd 12 PM - 6 PM Setup for Dealers

Saturday, May 3rd 8 AM - 2 PM Free Admission

Fellow Collectors and Dealers: Our show will be in the Farm & Home Buliding at the Appalachian Fairgrounds in Gray, TN. We have 150 tables available, plus unlimited room at the fairgrounds to grow.

We are centrally located, close to I-81 and I-26, with reasonably priced accomodations within a few minutes.

When you purchase your first table at $25, you get a meal and all the fun you can stand! This is the perfect place for northern & southern dealers to get together to sell, trade or buy; but we need YOU - the dealers & collectors, to make this show great! On eBay, you can buy and sell, but you can’t see old friends, meet new people and get a wealth of information. Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of this show.

For more information, contact: Melissa Milner Phone: (423) 928-4445 or E-mail: mmilner12@chartertn.net www.sfabca.com

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March-April 2008 SODAS I N S U L A T O R

FRUIT JARS

Bottles and Extras MEDICINES A D V E R T I S I N G

THE OHIO BOTTLE CLUB’S 30TH

MANSFIELD ANTIQUE BOTTLE & ADVERTISING SHOW & SALE

M A R B L E S

S M A L L

TRIMBLE ROAD EXIT U.S. RT. 30

C O C A

A N T I Q U E S

SATURDAY, MAY 10th, 2008

C O L A

RICHLAND COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS MANSFIELD, OHIO HOURS 8 A.M. to 2 P.M. DONATION $3.00 Dealer set-up Friday, May 9th, 2-6 P.M.

M I L K

EARLY ADMISSION $25.00 I N K S

CONTACT: Bill Koster - (330) 690-2794 INFO: O.B.C., P.O. Box 585, Barberton, OH 44203 FLASKS

DECORATED STONEWARE

BITTERS

B O T T L E S

WANTED Costa Rica and Republic of Panama Hutchinsons

BUY or TRADE Highest Prices Paid < H.A. Ralu, Colon, R.P. Guillermo Jegel, Cartago, Costa Rico >

R.J. Brown 4119 Crosswater Drive Tampa, FL 33615 RBrown4134@aol.com Auction consignments are being accepted.

Contact Wayne Lowry.

813-888-7007

EXPO 2008 AUGUST 8-10, 2008 YORK, PENNSYLVANIA York Fairgrounds York, Pennsylvania SHOW TIMES: Saturday 9 AM - 5 PM Sunday 9 AM - 3 PM 600-800 tables capacity for the largest EXPO ever!

Plan to be there - donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss it!

INFORMATION: R. Wayne Lowry 401 Johnston Ct., Raymore, MO 64083 (816) 318-0161 - JarDoctor@aol.com

Schedule of Events: Thurs., Aug. 7: FOHBC Meetings Fri., Aug. 8: Seminars & Specialty Meetings in AM Dealers put items under table Set-up & Early Adm. 1 - 5 PM Banquet 6:30 PM Sat., Aug. 9: Set-Up & Early Adm. 7 - 9 AM Gen. Adm. 9 AM - 5 PM Auction 7 PM Sun., Aug. 10: Gen. Adm. 9 AM - 3 PM

Prple

FOHBC c/o June Lowry 401 Johnston Court Raymore, MO 64083

Bottles andExtras

Fortune Chevalier and the Picture Castle Whiskies Page 57

Periodicals

US POSTAGE PAID Kansas City, MO 64108