The unembossed Drake’s Style Bottle

Posted on 25 June 2013 by Ferdinand Meyer V

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The unembossed Drake’s Style Bottle

25 June 2013

Hi Ferdinand,

I recently discovered your website and find it to be very informative. I have a question about a Drakes type bottle I recently acquired that I haven’t been able to find any information about. Any help you could give me will be greatly appreciated. It is pretty much exactly the same as a Drakes but there is no embossing and it has 2 unusual corners. It also has a double collar top which I don’t recall ever seeing and only one label panel. It appears to be the same bottle that is in the U.S patent picture on your website. I have included some pictures and can send more if you would like.

Thanks,

Jeff Piche

Apple-Touch-IconANice to meet you and thanks. What a nice example! I run in to these unembossed Drake’s (most of us call them that) once or twice a year at shows and still can not give you a definite answer about this bottle. They all seem to be from the same mold. The color and character on your example is outstanding. Let’s see if Brian Shultis can add anything. I added some graphics to two of your pictures and re-posted the patent for comparison.

Read More: Log Cabin Series – Drake’s Plantation Bitters

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Unembossed Drake’s – Double collar mouth and no “Drake’s” embossing on thatched roof. – Piche Collection

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Vertical chamfered corner illustrated on un-embossed Drake’s style bottle. – Piche Collection

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United States Patent Office – P. H. Drake of Binghamton, New York. Design for a Bottle – Specification forming part of a design No. 1538 dated February 18, 1862

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Unembossed Drake’s – Label panel with tool marks – Piche Collection

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Unembossed Drake’s sits with three embossed Drake’s Plantation Bitters figural log cabins – Piche Collection

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.
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One Response to The unembossed Drake’s Style Bottle

  1. BittersCollector says:
    1 July 2013 at 7:00 pm

    Hi Jeff , I have seen several of these in the past .
    I had an Amber example with an iron pontil .
    I have to say it is very similar to the patent drawing.
    Is it a prototype , or first production run for the ever popular Drake’s Plantation
    bottles ? Why are pontiled examples found if the patent
    Is dated 1862 ?
    I felt these were copy cats of P.H. Drake’s product at first.
    I have seen other molds close to a Drake’s in the past
    but different than yours. That is what had me leaning
    towards copy cat.
    I have found no evidence to link your mold to P.H.Drake’s
    famous Plantation Bitters. Does that mean that it isn’t related ?
    Not at all ! We never know the answer to the mystery for sure
    until a labeled example surfaces.
    Oh by the way , great bottle Jeff ! I presume this is the eBay bottle
    From a few weeks back ?
    Sorry , I couldn’t help ! Brian Shultis

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