January – April | 2019

30 April 2019 | Tuesday

Working with some outstanding images from the great Ben Swanson collection of medical ephemera. In this case it is for unlisted bitters material. The new listings are as follows:

Advertising Card or Label
H 69.3 HATCH’S AROMATIC HERB BITTERS, Prepared by J. Hatch, Druggist & Apothecary, Jacksonville, Illinois, For the Cure of Dyspepsia, Liver Complaint, General Debility. A Splendid Appetizer and Strengthener of the System After Sickness. Directions. One wine-glass full 3 times a day before meals.
Johnson Hatch, Druggist, b New Hampshire, 1810, United States Federal Census, 1880

Trade Card
G 19.7 GERMAN BITTERS, Dr. Henry Shurmann, German Root and Herb Doctor, Manufacturer of German Bitters, and Patent Wine of Juniper, No. 216 South George Street, York, PA.

Listing in Bitters Bottles Supplement 2 for Polo Bitters:

P 118.8 // POLO / BITTERS ( au ) / T. P. GRIFFIN / & CO. / LONDON // f // f //f //
7 1/2 x 2 1/8 (5) 1/2
Square, Aqua, DLTC, Applied mouth, Extremely rare
English

29 April 2019 | Monday

Working with some outstanding images from the great Ben Swanson collection of medical ephemera. In this case it is numismatic material relating to bitters facsimile bank notes. These extremely rare images are being prepared for a special color plate section in the forthcoming Bitters Bottles Supplement 2. Here is another interesting example for Mitchell’s San Gento Bitters. The new listing is as follows:

Facsimile Bank Note
M 105 SAN GENTO BITTERS MANUFACTURED BY F. A. MITCHELL, M.D., New Albany, Indiana, 20 denomination, Engraver: Strobridge Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. Francis Asbury Mitchell was in business from 1867 to 1880. “One Dozen Bottles Properly Used are more valuable than Twenty Dollars in Gold to anyone who has Diseased, Stomach Bowels or Kidneys, or Diseases of the Nervous System of any kind. Reverse: The San Gento Bitters are Prepared in Pure Bourbon Whisky. Official Medicines Compounded on Scientific Principles and Recommended by the Leading Medicine Men of the Country. Counter-stamped on reverse: C. C. WARD & BRO. WHOLESALE DRUGGISTS 215 MAIN ST MEMPHIS, TENN.

The bottle is listed in Bitters Bottles as M 105 DR. F. A. MITCHELL’S SAN GENTO BITTERS (p387).

Dr. Francis Asbury Mitchell was born in Hamilton, Ohio in 1834. He practiced in New Albany, Indiana while attending classes at the University of Louisville in 1859 and 1860. He would graduate from the same school in 1865. He first worked with O. Sackett in the wholesale drug trade and practiced in Perry county for 15 years. It was during this period that his San Gento Bitters made an appearance. His advertising would say, “One Dozen Bottles Properly Used are more valuable than Twenty Dollars in Gold to anyone who has Diseased, Stomach Bowels or Kidneys, or Diseases of the Nervous System of any kind. The bitters were also “Prepared from pure Bourbon Whiskey.” The 1870 U.S. Federal Census, even listed his trade as a wholesale liquor dealer which is odd for a doctor. During this time, he took a post graduate course at the University of Louisville so he knew his destiny. In January 1892, Mitchell returned to New Albany were he continued his practice specializing in the treatment of nasal catarrh, throat and ear diseases until his death in 1915.

San Gento Bitters reference – The Louisville Daily Courier, Saturday, August 15, 1868

This unlisted and labeled Vegetable Stomach Bitters will be represented in Bitters Bottles Supplement 2. It sold on eBay in September 2018.

V 12.2 L … Vegetable Stomach Bitters, W. D. Burdett (William Draper Burdett), Apothecary, Established in 1850, 143 Main Street, Marlboro, Mass. Dose – From one table-spoonful to a wine glass full three times a day, before eating: to be taken in a little sweetened water.
Oval, Aqua, 8 ¼ tall, 221 embossed on bottom.

28 April 2019 | Sunday

Facsimile Bank Note
F 46.5 HENRY FISH’S CELEBRATED & SUPERIOR STOMACH BITTERS, Denomination 5, H. Fish, Proprietor, Alton, Illinois. Henry Fish was a liquor merchant who was born in Bavaria in 1840. The bank note also says that the bitters “is the most pleasant and effective Tonic and Stimulant in the United States.”

27 April 2019 | Saturday

This labeled Brazilian Blood Bitters will be represented in Bitters Bottles Supplement 2.

B 207 L … Brazilian Blood Bitters, B. S. Lauderbach Co. Newark, N.J.
6 3/4 x 2 1/2 x 1 3/4, Clear, Price $1 a bottle, or six bottles for 5 dollars.
The Pharmaceutical Era, Volume 5, 1891
Trade card

Here are a few Brazilian Blood Bitters advertising trade cards and a postal cover from the Joe Gourd collection.

26 April 2019 | Friday

“The Chalmers Catawba Wine Bitters is, in my opinion, the zenith of western crossover bottles. Blown into a whiskey style mold, it pictures Sutter’s Mill “Fort”, which was ground zero for the California Gold Rush of 1849. This event, in turn, spawned the great westward migration which settled the “wild west”. I first encountered this particular example while a student at San Jose State in the early 1970s. The distinctive amber swirl through the mid section rendered it unique. After 45 years, I was finally able to add it to my bitters collection. Patience is indeed a virtue. ~ Bruce Silva

Making an appearance in the upcoming Bitters Bottles Supplement 2: unlisted BLACKSTONE BITTERS

25 April 2019 | Thursday

This labeled Billings’ Mandrake Tonic Bitters will be represented in Bitters Bottles Supplement 2.

B 96.5 L … Billings’ Mandrake Tonic Bitters, Billings & Co., New York,
7 1/8, aqua, four sunken panels, square collar.

24 April 2019 | Wednesday

This letterhead will be represented in Bitters Bottles Supplement 2.

Letterhead
J. 16.5 JAMAICA RUM SARSAPARILLA BITTERS, Principal Depot for Sale of the Scrofcuro Medicine, Consumpcuro or Pulmonic Wild Cherry Pectoral, and Jamaica Rum Sarsaparilla Bitters. From Dr. J. Ball & Co’s Drug and Medicine Warehouse, 91 Liberty Street, New York City, New York dated November 22, 1876.

These trade cards from the Joe Gourd collection will be represented in Bitters Bottles Supplement 2.

Trade Cards
B 29.5 (reverse copy stamped on) FOR SPRING MEDICINE USE MAX BARTEL’S STOMACH BITTERS, (front) Roman scenes of two youths; La Flute Pastorale (The Pastoral Flute), La Fuite des Oiseaux (The Flight of the Birds) and L’eau Claire Du Printemps (Clear Spring Water)

23 April 2019 | Tuesday

Below is an unlisted bitters reference for Beacon Bitters and Stomach Tonic. The paper advertising piece reads, “Made only by the Acme Chemical Mf’g Co., New Orleans, La., Price: 25 cts, 50 cts & $1.00 per bottle.” Acme Chemical started around 1890 as an 1890 New Orleans City Directory lists Patent Medicines: Acme Chemical Company, E. A. Hall, President; R. McWilliams, Secretary, Office, 16 St. Charles.

The new listing for the forthcoming Bitters Bottles Supplement 2:

Advertising Card
B 39.7 BEACON BITTERS AND STOMACH TONIC, Made only by the Acme Chemical Mf’g Co., New Orleans, La., Price – 25 cts, 50 cts & $1.00 per bottle.

This set me off to confirm the brand. In 1893, Acme Chemical Co. advertised in the Times Democrat looking for a girl to past labels and pack medicine. In 1914 – 1919, they were renamed Acme Chemical Manufacturing Company and were listed under Patent Medicines making special preparations and were located at 517 St. Louis Street in New Orleans. They are even listed in 1930 at that same address. Pretty cool tin sign below for H.G.C., a popular product of Acme Chemical.

Here below is a colorless glass druggist bottle that probably contained their Beacon Bitters and Stomach Tonic. It might have come in three sizes as noted in the subject advertisement. It would have been a labeled bitters.

[Update 5.3.19] Ferdinand, Saw your post about Beacon Bitters and thought you might like to see this crate for their primary product. We find the bottle you pictured from time to time in privies in Galveston, mostly in the areas that used to make up the red light district. Dug one last Sunday as a matter of fact. They may have bottled their bitters in them, but I’ve only ever found the one size and it fits perfectly in the crate for their Gonorrhea remedy. Best Regards,

Brandon DeWolfe, P.E.

20 April 2019 | Saturday

Is this Creole Bitters that was auctioned by Jim Hagenbuch at Glass Works Auctions related to the advertisement below? Time period seems to be correct.

189. “CREOLE BITTERS” – (indented label panel on the reverse), (Ring/Ham, 246.5), American, ca. 1860 – 1870, aqua, oval form, 10 3/8”h, smooth base, applied double collar mouth. Some light inside stain and a few light scratches, otherwise perfect. Very rare, the last one sold was in 1995!

Established 1861, The Celebrated ‘Virginia’ Creole Bitters, Sole Manufacturer, D. S Huffard, Iron Front Warehouse, Governor St., Richmond, Va. – Staunton Spectator, Tuesday, January 23, 1866

18 April 2019 | Thursday

Extraordinary miniature “Dr. Lovegood’s, XX, Family Medicene (spelling error) 1863” in aqua – Van Zant Collection.

Read: DR LOVEGOOD’S FAMILY BITTERS, Dr. Leonard Harriman, Anderson, Indiana

15 April 2019 | Monday

Mario Pisterzi sent me some pictures of an unlisted labeled Great Northern Bitters from Chicago, Illinois. Mario is vice president of the 1st Chicago Bottle Club. He noted that O. Sonnenschein & Co. is noted on the label and said he had run into a road block in obtaining information. This was a tough one until I found out we were talking about Otto for the “O”.

Otto Sonnenschein was born in July 1857 in Austria. He made his way to New York and then to Chicago. We see him first listed in 1876 as a bookkeeper. In 1887, he was listed as a partner with his brother Leopold, (L. Sonnenschein & Bro.) in the jewelry trade at 179 Madison. In 1889, his brother Leopold was selling liquor at 223 Randolph. The same year the brothers were partners in real estate with Sonnenschein & Solomon (Leopold Sonnenschein, Fred M. Solomon and Otto Sonnenschein) addressing at 301 Opera House Buiding. Otto would take over the liquor end of the business in 1892 as O. Sonnenschein & Co. and by 1900 was listed as a liquor dealer in the U.S. Federal Census. He would operate until 1902. We can date the bottle in that time frame.

The new listing by Bill Ham for the forthcoming Bitters Bottles Supplement 2:

G 99.5 L… Great Northern Bitters, O. Sonnenschein & Co., Chicago Illinois.
Amber, tooled lip. Label is black with yellow/gold typography.
Otto Sonnenschein, from Austria, was a liquor dealer in Chicago from 1892 to 1902

14 April 2019 | Sunday

Newspaper reference to an unlisted Dr. Jay’s Vegetable Bitters and Billious Corrective submitted by Bobby Hinely. This early bitters was prepared by Holden & Saunders, 52 Cornhill, Boston. “This invaluable medicine was invented by Dr. Jay, of England… Upwards of ten thousand bottles have been sold within a year.” Boston Post, Thursday, September 16, 1841.

The new listing by Bill Ham for the forthcoming Bitters Bottles Supplement 2:

Newspaper Advertisement
J 27.3 Dr. Jay’s Vegetable Bitters and Billious Corrective
Prepared by Holden & Saunders, 52 Cornhill, Boston. “This invaluable medicine was invented by Dr. Jay of England … Upwards of ten thousand bottles have been sold within a year.”
Boston Post, September 16, 1841

12 April 2019 | Friday

Post update: The XR Hartley’s Peruvian Bark Bitters from Muncie, Indiana. Unlisted labeled example and a new unlisted variant. “Ferdinand, here are my buddy Balsam Bills Peruvian Bark Bitters from Muncie, Indiana. One is a paper label only.” Martin Van Zant

Super unlisted sample-sized Hesperidina Bagley barrel once sold by Glass Works Auctions.

Sample Size Bitters, “HESPERIDINA / BAGLEY / UN BARREL”, (Ring/Ham, B-5L), Argentina, ca. 1890 – 1910, amber barrel, 4 1/4”h, smooth base, tooled lip, 99% original labels, embossed red foil closure and contents. The bottle is perfect. Unlisted in this sample size.

The new listings by Bill Ham for the forthcoming Bitters Bottles Supplement 2:

B 4.8 L . . . Bagley’s Stomach Bitters, Hesperidina, Bagley Unparril, Industria,
Argentina.
HESPERIDINA BAGLEY UN BARRIL
4 1/4 x 1 5/8
Round – barrel shape, 7 rings above label band and 6 rings below, Amber , DC, Applied mouth
Graphic label: Hesperidina is a very interesting and rather tasty Argentinian aperitif flavoured with mint and oranges. It was created in 1864 by Melville Sewell Bagley, an American émigré in Buenos Aires. It was originally made as a digestive aid.
From Brazil.

B 4.9 L . . . Bagley’s Stomach Bitters, Hesperidina, Bagley Unparril, Industria,
Argentina.
HESPERIDINA / BAGLEY / UN BARRIL // c //
// b // RIO DE LAPLATA BRAZIL (in circle)
9 ½ x 3 1/4
Round – barrel shape, 7 rings above and 6 rings below label band, Amber and Copper, DC, Applied mouth and Tooled lip
Graphic label: Hesperidina is a very interesting and rather tasty Argentinian aperitif flavoured with mint and oranges. It was created in 1864 by Melville Sewell Bagley, an American émigré in Buenos Aires. It was originally made as a digestive aid.
From Brazil

B 5 L . . . Bagley’s Stomach Bitters, Hesperidina, Bagley Unparril, Industria, Argentina.
HESPERIDINA / BAGLEY / UN BARRIL / INDUSTRIA ARGENTENIA
// b // 2 (triangle) 2
10 ¼ x 3 ¾
Amber and Olive yellow , Round barrel shape 6 rings below and 7 rings above label band, DC, Tooled lip and ABM
From Brazil

11 April 2019 | Thursday

The Dr. Whitesel’s Calisaya Bitters appears to be unlisted. In 1883, R. K. Dyas of Crittenden, Kentucky obtained Label Patents for Dr. Whitesel’s German Cough Syrup, Dr. Whitesel’s Calisaya Bitters, Dr. Whitesel’s German Liniment and Dr. Whitesel’s Blood Specific as noted in the Annual Report of the Commissioner of Patents For the Year 1883.

The new listing by Bill Ham for the forthcoming Bitters Bottles Supplement 2:

Label Patent
W 102.7 Dr. Whitesel’s Calisaya Bitters, R. K. Dyas, Crittenden, Kentucky
Also obtained patents for Dr. Whitesel’s German Liniment and Dr. Whitesel’s Blood Specific as noted in the Annual Report of the Commissioner of Patents For the Year 1883

29 March 2019 | Friday

Post update: B. T. 1865 S. C. SMITH’S DRUID BITTERS

27 March 2019 | Wednesday

Old San Jacinto Bitters reference seems to be unlisted. Samuel H. Gilman, Sole Patentee and Proprietor, Galveston, Texas. The Galveston Daily News, Saturday, May 14, 1870

22 March 2019 | Friday

Ok, today is DISCHARGE day. My 10th day at Memorial Herman Hospital, Texas Medical Center, Jones Tower, Dr. Red Duke Trauma Institute. Two surgery’s so far. Final surgery scheduled for next Wednesday.

21 March 2019 | Thursday

Sad news to start the day. Liz Heckler passed away. Later in the day, I heard of the sudden death of Rick Simi, one of our western anchors. Rick and his beautiful wife Cherry hosted, at their house, one of the finest dinner parties associated with a bottle show. Additionally, Rick’s Western Bottle News was the inspiration for Peachridge Glass. More info on Cherry Simi Facebook page. This is terribly upsetting. Our deepest condolences. This follows of course, the death of Dr. Burton Spiller.

13 March 2019 | Saturday

Post update: A labeled Dr. Stephen Jewett’s Tonic Bitters

Post update: Dr. Wynkoop’s Sarsaparilla – New York

11 March 2019 | Monday

Stereograph of possible unlisted bitters reference (top left banner display sign) at the Fourteenth Industrial Exhibition, Mechanics’ Institute, 1879, Naber, Alfs and Brune, 413 Front St. S.F., Sole Proprieters of the Celebrated Pacific Stomach Bitters, Sole Agents of Kentucky’s Old Phoenix Bourbon, Photographer: Carleton E Watkins.

09 March 2019 | Saturday

A nice Dewey’s Manilla Bitters pitcher spotted by Alan DeMaison in an antique shop on his way to the Baltimore Antique Bottle Show on Sunday, 10 March.

24 February 2019 | Sunday

As a designer and artist, I really admire the wonderful advertising art for Bininger products such as the fully labeled A.M. Bininger & Co. figural cannon, held by the Corning Museum of Glass. Other Bininger products include: La Sylphide Bourbon, Old Kentucky Bourbon, Great Gun Bourbon, Traveler’s Guide Bourbon, Essence of Old Virginia Wheat Whiskey, Bouquet Bourbon, Zouave Bourbon, Pioneer Bourbon and Favorita Gin.

Read: Bininger Advertising Art & Labels

23 February 2019 | Saturday

Post updated for Dr. John Bull and Louisville at that time

22 February 2019 | Friday

Post updated for Barnett & Lion’s Southern Grey Jacket Stomach Bitters

21 February 2019 | Thursday

Just amazes me how much Hostetter & Smith dominated the bitters market. Look how many places were selling Hostetter’s Stomach Bitters in New Orleans in 1859.

18 February 2019 | Monday

Working on a post for Dr. De Andries Sarsaparilla Bitters from New Orleans. This required an update to the Dr. E. C. Hyde’s Southern Stomach Bitters post. Both these guys knew each other and set up shop around the corner from each other.

14 February 2019 | Thursday (Valentine’s Day)

I posted earlier today on Continental Bitters advertised by Mayer, Strouse & Baum in Philadelphia from 1861 to 1863. During my research, I came across these other Continental Bitters and Old Continental Bitters ads.

The first is an 1864 advertisement for McCullough’s Continental Bitters advertised in Richmond, Virginia in 1864. (Richmond Weekly Palladium, Wednesday, March 16, 1864) This appears to be unlisted. The new listing for the forthcoming Bitters Bottles Supplement 2:

Newspaper Advertisement
M 53.5 McCullough’S Continental Bitters
Richmond Weekly Palladium, Wednesday, March 16, 1864

Here is an 1868 advertisement below for an Old Continental Bitters “now manufactured by Dr. H.S. GeEENO of Topeka, Kansas.” This appears to be unlisted. The Osage County Chronicle (Burlingame, Kansas), Saturday, July 25, 1868.

The new listing for the forthcoming Bitters Bottles Supplement 2:

Newspaper Advertisement
O 25.5 Old Continental Bitters, Manufactured by Dr. H.S. GeEENO of Topeka, Kansas
The Osage County Chronicle (Burlingame, Kansas), Saturday, July 25, 1868

Here below is an advertisement for Thurston’t Old Continental Bitters sold in Lynn, Massachusetts 1887. The bitters is listed in Bitters Bottles as T 26, Thurston’s Old Continental Bitters. It was prepared by George B. Thurston of Lynn, Mass. There are rectangular, aqua bottles out there.

This last article from Iowa in 1918 is titled “Bitter Scrap in District Court, Continental Bitters and Bitter Wrangle – Bitter Appeal to the Court.” The Continental Bitters that Theodore Keutchman, a local druggist, contained about 25% alcohol. He was arrested some years earlier. I’m really not sure what Continental Bitters is being referenced here.

12 February 2019 | Tuesday

Hoofland’s German Bitters advertisement for the patent medicine showing a medieval scene. – Library Company of Philadelphia Print Department. According to Hoofland’s Almanacs, this eponymous bitters was “the happy result of intelligent research, coupled with the extensive practice of Dr. Christoph Wilhelm Hueflin (Hoofland) of Gena, Germany.” Dr. Hoofland’s Celebrated German Medicines were first being sold in Philadelphia at 278 Race Street in 1847.

Interesting stereo card for the New Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane. Looks like the architect and contractor working in field. The Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital, also known as Kirkbride’s Hospital or the Pennsylvania Hospital for Mental and Nervous Diseases, was a psychiatric hospital located at 48th and Haverford Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It operated from its founding in 1841 until 1997.

11 February 2019 | Monday

Post update: Tobias Barto and his Great Gun Bitters – Reading, PA

09 February 2019 | Saturday

Advertisement for an O 82, Original Aromatic German Bitters put out by Charles Schneyer, Rectifier and Wholesale Liquor Dealer, Not. 154 and 156 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia – Philadelphia City Directory

03 February 2019 | Sunday

It made my day when I pulled this bad boy out of the ground. I dug it from a small 1860s to a early 1870s dump in downtown Savannah. This bitters is the rarest from Savannah and also one of the rarest from the state of Georgia The bottle is about 9 1/2 inches tall and is a dark puce amber color. A hard bottle to photograph due to the intense rainbow color patina on the bottle. – Robert Biro

Read: Deutenhoff’s Swiss Bitters –Savannah

01 February 2019 | Friday

Unlisted bitters listing for Southern Stomach Bitters prepared by Buck, Bailey & Co., Wholesale and Retail Druggists, Jackson, Mississippi. These guys also put out Buck’s Aromatic Bitters. Ad from The Daily Clarion, Saturday, December 16, 1865. The new listing for the forthcoming Bitters Bottles Supplement 2:

Newspaper Advertisement
S 150.3 Southern Stomach Bitters, Prepared by Buck, Bailey & Co., Wholesale and Retail Druggists, Jackson, Mississippi. Also proprietor of Buck’s Aromatic Bitters.
The Daily Clarion (Jackson, Mississippi), Saturday, December 16, 1865

31 January 2019 | Thursday

Post update: Arabian Bitters – One Thousand and One Nights

26 January 2019 | Saturday

Recently I wrote about a rare Spring Bitters bottle by John W. Service, druggist in Hartford, Connecticut. Here is a much earlier 1859 reference of an unlisted Dr. Day’s Spring Bitters in the The Democrat, Tuesday, May 24, 1859. J.H. Leonard was druggist and apothecary from St. Albans, Vermont. This could be related to the D 31 listing in Bitters Bottles.

17 January 2019 | Thursday

New image of extremely rare, Tincture of Centaury Bitters from Louisville, Kentucky. Added to Kentucky’s Top 25 Rarest Bitters Bottles, compiled by Paul Van Vactor, Sheldon Baugh and Steve Keith.

Read: Tincture of Centaury Bitters – Bernheim Brothers & Uri, Louisville, Kentucky

6. Round amber seal bottle embossed on seal BERNHEIM BROS. / & URI / LOUISVILLE / KY. Embossed horizontally below seal ULBRIGHT / RELIABLE / IMPORT CO. / TINCTURE / OF / CENTAURY / BITTERS. Also, embossed vertically on sides: BLOOD PURIFIER / STOMACH TONIC.

Kentucky’s Top 25 Rarest Bitters Bottles, compiled by Paul Van Vactor, Sheldon Baugh and Steve Keith

15 January 2019 | Tuesday

Neat advertising trade card for Drs. Starkey & Palen’s Compound Oxygen, 1529 Arch Street, Philadelphia, circa 1887.

13 January 2019 | Sunday

Post update: Who is I. & L. M. Hellman of St. Louis, Missouri?

12 January 2019 | Saturday

Post update: The great William Allen’s Congress Bitters

03 January 2019 | Thursday

HECKLER has a clear U.S. Gold Bitters in their next auction. Read: U.S. GOLD BITTERS – Augusta, Maine

02 January 2019 | Wednesday

Here is an advertisement below for an unlisted Excelsior Stomach Bitters that I came across during production of the Excelsior Stomach Bitters post from St. John, Iowa. This bitters is late, came in three sizes and could be purchased at Rose’s Drug Store in Westminster, Maryland. Found in the The Democratic Advocate, Saturday, March 5, 1904. I found the token online for sale on eBay.

Read: Excelsior Stomach Bitters – Rose’s Drug Store, Westminster, Maryland

Daily Dose | 2019