Drake’s Plantation Bitters Article Raises Serious Questions!
“COMPLIMENTARY TIDINGS” with regard to BOTTLES AND THEIR HISTORY
FROM Cecil Munsey, PhD
Website: http://www.CecilMunsey.com Email: CecilMunsey@cox.net
Cecil Munsey, PhD – Federation of Historical Bottle Clubs Life Member #145
About Ferdinand Meyer V
Ferdinand Meyer V is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and has a BFA in Fine Art and Graphic Design from the Kansas City Art Institute and School of Design. Ferdinand is the founding Principal of FMG Design, a nationally recognized design consultation firm. Ferdinand is a passionate collector of American historical glass specializing in bitters bottles, color runs and related classic figural bottles. He is married to Elizabeth Jane Meyer and lives in Houston, Texas with their daughter and three wonderful grandchildren. The Meyers are also very involved in Quarter Horses, antiques and early United States postage stamps. Ferdinand is the past 6-year President of the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors and is one of the founding members of the FOHBC Virtual Museum.
Munsey’s draft has obvious inaccuracies noted in a quick “skim”. The CATAWBA WINE BITTERS is not attributed to P.H. Drake, but a Cincinnati, Oh company, Longworth & Grew, Ca. 1860-66. The earliest Bitters attributed to Drake is the BROWN & DRAKES/ CATAWBA BITTERS / BINGHAMPTON, N.Y., an extremely rare (3-4 known) amber, iron pontiled ladies leg. Further, the cobalt OLD HOMESTEAD cabin pictured is clearly NOT a Drakes and does NOT reside in the Ed Grey collection. It would seem Mr. Munsey has passion for pumping out many articles under his banner, but the passion and knowledge for and of the particular subject under consideration is absent.
Munsey’s article on the Drakes Plantation Bitters bottle is amusing but sadly inaccurate in several ways. Besides the noted comments by Jeff Burkhardt, had Mr. Munsey taken the time to read about this bottle in the Ring/Ham Bitters Bottle book he could have given this article much more credibility.
The earliest articles found on the Drakes Plantation Bitters precede Mr. Munsey’s by a year; two articles appearing in the San Francisco Alta California newspaper and the Sacramento Daily Union newspaper both contain advertisements on this product in the September 1862 issues.