“Cures Liver Complaint, Sick Headache, Biliousness, Indigestion, Loss of Appetite, Colds, Fever and Ague, Coughs…

Cures Palpitation, Jaundice, Salt Rheum, Constipation, Dyspepsia, Humors, Diarrhea, Fever Sores, Colic…

 and all Diseases caused by an Impure State of the Blood.”

Dr. Copp’s White Mountain Bitters – Manchester, New Hampshire

29 March 2012 (R•030615) (R•032316)

Wow, I can just picture the concern and consternation felt by a housewife in Livermore, New Hampshire when trying to find some help for a toothache for her child, wondering if a bottle of Dr. Copp’s might be the cure?

White Mountains behind Main Street, Livermore, NH, circa 1900

Finally, a ‘Mountain’ embossed Bitters that we know where it came from, and have a little history to go with it.

Introducing Dr. Copp’s White Mountain Bitters. That hasn’t been the case with the previous posts on the Sharp’s Mountain Herb Bitters, Dr. Black’s Rocky Mountain Bitters and Ulmer’s Mountain Ash Bitters Remedy. All prompted by a request by Matthew Tigue Levant asking over on the facebooks Antique Bottles for Sale page, that he is “looking for any med, bitters, cure bottles with the word “Mountain” embossed in the glass”.

This has been surprisingly fun for me as I am a Bitters collator and I have many, many bitters that drive my bottle collecting passion. This gives me the opportunity to go back and look at the ‘Mountain’ embossed bottles that have not been talked about or looked at before in many cases. Some of these bottles, in my mind at least, are just as exciting as a fancy square or a proud figural which typically get so much more attention.

The Mt Washington and Presidential Range, White Mountain, NH

The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England.

Most of the area is public land, including the White Mountain National Forest as well as a number of state parks. Its most famous peak is Mount Washington, which at 6,288 feet, is the highest mountain in the Northeastern U.S. and home to the fastest surface wind gust (231 miles per hour), measured in the Northern Hemisphere. Mount Washington is one of a line of summits called the Presidential Range, many of which are named after U.S. presidents and other prominent Americans.

There are a couple of other important things I would like to mention regarding the Dr. Copp’s. First of all, and this is exciting, The Dr. Copp’s is embossed Manchester, New Hampshire which will be the location of the 2013 FOHBC National Antique Bottle Show.

Secondly, I would like to call your attention to the two (2) photographic styles that I used to try to capture the embossing on this light aqua bottle. This was a very difficult assignment as you can imagine. In images 1 & 2 below, I used natural sunlight behind the bottle. In images 3, 4 & 5, I used a light box configuration beneath, behind and on the sides of the bottle. I find this task highly challenging and immensely gratifying when I can adequately catch and celebrate the bottle with good photography.

The Carlyn Ring and W.C. Ham’s Bitters Bottle book listing is as follows:

C 232  DR. COPP’S WHITE MOUNTAIN BITTERS

DR. COPP’S ( au ) / motif fancy shield with WHITE / MOUNTAIN / BITTERS / motif diamond with monogram JHC / J COPP & CO / MANCHESTER ( au ) / N.H. // c // // b // W T & Co     L…Dr. Coop’s White Mountain Anti-Bilious Bitters (see trade cards below)
8 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 2 (6 1/4)
Oval (Philadelphia), Aqua, NSC, Tooled lip, Very Scarce,
Drug Catalog: 1880, 1885 and 1892 Goodwin

C 233  DR. COPP’S WHITE MOUNTAIN BITTERS

DR. COPP’S ( au ) / motif shield enclosing WHITE / MOUNTAIN / BITTERS / motif diamond with monogram JHC / RINGS AMBROSIA CO ( au ) / WILTON / N.H. // c //
L…Dr. Coop’s White Mountain Anti-Bilious Bitters
8 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 2 (6 1/4)
Oval (Philadelphia), Aqua, NSC, Tooled lip, Very Scarce,
Drug Catalog: 1880, 1885 and 1892 Goodwin

Pictured below you will see my example which is from the Dr. James Carter Collection. It was purchased in a Glass Works Auction in February 2008. The Trade Cards represented below are also part of my collection.

Read More: Dr. Copp’s White Mountain Bitters Advertising Trade Cards

(image 1) DR. COPP’S WHITE MOUNTAIN BITTERS – Meyer Collection

(image 2) DR. COPP’S WHITE MOUNTAIN BITTERS – Meyer Collection

Dr. Copp’s White Mountain Bitters advertising trade card (front)

Dr. Copp’s White Mountain Bitters advertising trade card (back)

(image 3) DR. COPP’S WHITE MOUNTAIN BITTERS – Meyer Collection

(image 4) DR. COPP’S WHITE MOUNTAIN BITTERS – Meyer Collection

(image 5) DR. COPP’S WHITE MOUNTAIN BITTERS – Meyer Collection

Dr. Copp’s White Mountain Bitters advertising trade card (front)

Dr. Copp’s White Mountain Bitters advertising trade card (back)

160. “DR. COPP’S / WHITE / MOUNTAIN (inside a shield) / “BITTERS / JHC (monogram) / J COPP & CO / MANCHESTER / N.H.”, (Ring/Ham, C-232), New Hampshire, ca. 1880 – 1890, pale aqua, 8 3/8”h, smooth base, applied mouth, 98% original label says, ‘Dr. Copp’s White Mountain Anti-Bilious Bitters’, etc. Paul Hadley Collection. – Glass Works Auctions

Dr. Copp’s White Mountain Bitters variant (C 233) that is identical except below the JC monogram it is embossed “Ring’s Ambrosia Co,/Wilton, N.H.” – Brandon DeWolfe Collection