The Bust of Columbia Liberty Cap Eagle Historical Flask

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The Bust of Columbia Liberty Cap Eagle Historical Flask

22 February 2016 (R•022416) (R•031416)

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Apple-Touch-IconAJust when you wonder when the long drought and absence of killer bottles will end, up comes this off-the-chart great Bust of Columbia with Liberty Cap – American Eagle historical flask in a pint size in the Glass Works Auctions #110, aptly named “The Winter Blues” auction. The flask is pictured at the top of the post and once again within.

I don’t think that I have ever seen a cobalt blue pint before. There are four or five known examples, one in the Corning Museum of Glass (pictured further below), two in private collections and now one in this auction. I have seen and handled the half pint Columbia Eagle at the FOHBC 2012 National Antique Bottle Show in Reno, Nevada. The can see another example in the left position of the picture of a color run directly above. I will never forget how beautiful that small bottle felt in my hand as I admired and was astonished with the beauty of it’s every detail.

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169. BUST OF COLUMBIA WITH LIBERTY CAP – AMERICAN EAGLE, (GI-119), Kensington Glass Works, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ca. 1830 – 1840, cobalt blue pint, pontil scarred base, sheared and tooled lip. An in-making chip extending from the pontil was created when the pontil rod was removed. Perfect post production condition, very bold impression and almost no trace of wear. One of only three known examples, with the other two having minor lip damage. Considered by many to be one of the most sought after of American historical flasks! From 1829 to 1837 the Philadelphia mint produced silver coins with the likeness of the ‘Bust of Liberty’ on one side and an ‘American Eagle’ on the other. On these coins the ‘Bust of Liberty’ is almost identical to the embossing on the flask. Is it a coincidence that the coin and the flask were from the same time period, and both were produced in Philadelphia? A scarce 1837 ‘Bust of Liberty’ silver quarter in extra fine condition is included with the flask. – Glass Works Auctions

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Flask with Columbia and the American Eagle, Union Glass Works, Philadelphia – Corning Museum of Glass

Here is an incredible bottom fragment that was posted on the PRG Facebook yesterday showing a variant of the flask with “KENSINGTON” embossed on the bottom banner.

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Columbia Eagle historical flask bottom fragment with embossed KENSINGTON beneath the embossed Columbia side. Dug in Baltimore. – Dannyboy Morris

Here is a McKearin line drawing below of the various molds.

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So what is this all about? What or who is Columbia, why the cap and why the eagle? There is no better place to look for the answer than reading an article that Kevin A. Sives previously wrote that he has graciously approved being reproduced here. Thank you Kevin.

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Arms of the United States of America. An elaborate martial allegory of the United States. Liberty or Columbia, wearing a Phrygian cap and armed with sword, shield, and American flag, is enthroned in the clouds. The words “E Pluribus Unum” and an arc of thirteen stars appear above her. Below, an eagle perches atop a shield with the stars and strips. In his talons he holds arrows and an olive branch. At left stands an American Indian, with a bow in his hand. At right is a sailor with an anchor and four flags. Around the base of the shield are muskets, tomahawks, cannon, cannonballs, and a sword. Below, almost hidden in darkness, is a Union encampment (left) in sight of the U.S. Capitol and the Potomac River (right). 1 print on wove paper : lithograph printed in colors ; image 48 x 33.5 cm. Issued from Bufford’s Print Publishing House, 313 Washington St., Boston, c1864

Columbia the Gem of the Ocean

By Kevin A. Sives

We’ve all heard that song before. But who or what is Columbia? And what does any of this have to do with antique bottles or flasks?

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Let’s start first with the song “Columbia The Gem of the Ocean” by David T. Shaw and Thomas Beckett who wrote it in 1843. It is also sometimes known as “The Red, White, and Blue”. We hear the song played at political events, high school band concerts, and even sporting events, but why are they playing some song about a country in South America?

Columbia – or Liberty

But that “Columbia” that everyone is singing about – is it a woman? A man? A country? The answer is – a little bit of everything! During America’s colonial period (prior to their forming “a more perfect Union”), our future country consisted of 13 autonomous colonies. We weren’t the United States (as a matter-of-fact, we were far from united on just about any topic you could think of). We were just “the colonies”.

By the time that the French and Indian War rolled around in the 1750s, we hadn’t given much thought to combining ourselves into a united group of colonies. But the War changed all that. Great Britain looked upon us as one country – united to fight against a common enemy – the French. By Britain forcing us to fight for them, the effect was to bring the 13 colonies together and make them think of themselves as a unified group. This unification, of course, would come back to bite the British about 20 years later.

So there we are, the 13 colonies, fighting side by side, united against the French. But we needed a name, besides just referring to us as the 13 colonies. Poets and headline writes of the time came to the rescue, and began calling this loose affiliation “Columba” (the feminine form of Columbus). It wasn’t until about the time of the Revolutionary War, however, that the name became more widely used (and lengthened to it’s current spelling, Columbia). In 1777, Timothy Dwight from New Haven, circulated a poem he wrote, called “Columbia a Patriotic Song: Written and Set to Music By Timothy Dwight”.

By the time of the death of George Washington, Columbia was well-known across the growing country as another name for the new United States. It’s difficult to have a name, without a symbol, and soon the picture of Lady Liberty came to represent Columbia. The picture of Liberty herself emerged from various renderings, the most famous being an engraving from the painting by Edward Savage, entitled “Liberty in the form of the Goddess of Youth; giving support to the Bald Eagle”, which represented her in a long flowing robe, with an American flag, an eagle, and the Liberty Cap.

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The Liberty Cap? What in the world is that?

The Liberty Cap evolved from a snug fitting cap, which ended in a conical tail that was given to a slave when by the Romans when he was freed. In Rome, only free men were allowed to wear this cap. Thus, the French thought this was a fitting symbol, which they adopted during their Revolution, to represent freedom or Liberty.

On this side of the Atlantic, the Liberty Cap, or what we called the French Liberty Cap, became a well-known symbol. During and after the French Revolution, the Liberty Cap, represented as being held aloft on the end of a pole, symbolized not only freedom, but also the fight for that freedom. In the flask arena, GI-85, GI-86, and GI-87 have the Liberty Cap, on the end of a pole, on one side. The other side (and it should come as no surprise to anyone) contains a bust of a man, surmounted by the word “Lafayette”.

But to the common man, probably the representation of Columbia (or Liberty) that was encountered most often was that which appeared on our currency from 1793 until the 1830s.

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1837 capped Liberty bust dime

A bust view of Columbia (Liberty) can be seen on the following coin denominations:

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In many instances, the cap had a band across the front with the word “LIBERTY” inscribed in it.

The version of Liberty used on the half-dime (1829 – 1837), dime (1809 – 1837), quarter (1815 – 1838), half dollar (1807 – 1839), quarter eagle (1808 – 1834), and half eagle (1807 – 1834), is very similar to the representation of Liberty that is on a majority of the historical flasks. It’s certainly quite likely that the images from the coins served as a model for the mold makers. The mold makers, realizing the popularity of the Liberty image, capitalized on this by making flasks that copied this idea. It follows then, that these flasks were made after 1807, and probably before 1840, when Liberty was highly modified on the United States coinage.

The Flasks

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The GI-117 Columbia Eagle flask,another GI-117 Columbia Eagle flask and the GI-121 Flask – Historical American Glass

There are eight different flasks that represent Columbia. Seven of them, numbered GI-117 through GI-122, features a profile bust of Columbia on one side, and an eagle on the other. The eighth flask is the exception to the above, and is numbered GX-23. This flask features a seated Columbia, below the word “Liberty” in a semicircular ribbon, flanked by the initials “U S” on the front. The back contains a log cabin, tree, and water pump, above “LIBERTY!” This flask is extremely rare, and when catalogued in “American Bottles, Flasks, and Their Ancestry”, it was noted that there was only one known example, a pint, in pale bluish green. Which glasshouse made it, and when, is open to speculation. The example documented by McKearin and Wilson at one time belonged to Edwin Atlee Barber, and is now in the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio.

The remaining seven flasks, GI-117 through GI-122, plus GI-117a, are broken down as follows: one half-pint (GI-118), one slightly smaller than a half-pint at approximately 12 ounces (GI-117a), and five pints (GI-117, 119, 120, 121, and 122). On one side of each of these flasks is a profile bust view of Columbia, facing to the left, wearing a Liberty Cap on her head. Each of the renderings of Columbia is beautifully executed, with a lot of detail, and nearly identical to the busts represented on the coins described above.

On the opposite of each of these flasks is a wonderful depiction of the American eagle, and each one is slightly different from the others. All of the flasks depict an eagle with a shield, holding arrows and an olive branch. The eagle’s head faces to the right in all of the flasks, with the exception of GI-118, where the head faces left.

The first five flasks, GI-117 through GI-120, all have an oval shape, with an outward flare toward the bottom. This results in an oval flask that looks like its resting on a expanded foot. GI-121 and GI-122, on the other hand, have the more traditional oval shape associated with flasks.

GI-117, GI-117a, and GI-118 each are marked “KENSINGTON” (on the Liberty side) and “UNION Co” (on the eagle side). This quite likely refers to the Union Glass Company, which operated in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. This company was started in 1826 shut down in 1844, was reopened in 1847 and operated through 1880. These three flasks seem to date from prior to the glasswork’s first closing, as the Columbia motif disappeared from coinage in the late 1830s.

GI-119, which looks very similar to GI-117 and GI-117a, minus the glass house name, could have resulted from the mold for GI-117 being sold, and the new owner carving out the mold to eliminate the name of the original glass house.

GI-120, which has a somewhat similar form, has the words “ASHTON” (on the Liberty side) and “HOUGH” (on the eagle side). Research by the McKearins as well as Kenneth Wilson has not yielded any information as to whether “Hough-Ashton” (or Ashton-Hough) referred to a manufacturer or retailer.

GI-121 and GI-122, although containing similar motifs to the above flasks, have the more oval shape discussed above. GI-121 has the initials “B&W” in script below the eagle, whereas GI-122 has no such initials. As with “Hough-Ashton” listed above, the origin and meaning of “B&W” in currently unknown.

Summary

There is certainly no shortage of wonderful flasks available to collectors, whether they are beginners, intermediate, or advanced. In previous articles, I discussed some categories of flasks that appeal to all collectors, regardless of how long they’ve collected. And the Columbia series certainly fits into that category, as these flasks are not only beautifully detailed, but also represent a very historical period in our history.

None of the Columbia flasks are considered common, and are rarely encountered at most bottle shows. Even the most common of the flasks, GI-117 and GI-121, in the most common aquamarine color, is difficult to locate, and expensive when encountered. And some of these flasks are nearly unique in certain colorations. Obviously, when you combine rarity with desirability, the result is a high price – so you require pretty deep pockets in order to build a large collection of Columbia flasks.

Bibliography

McKearin, George S. and Helen, “American Glass“, New York: Crown Publishers, 1948.
McKearin, Helen and Kenneth M. Wilson, “American Bottles and Flasks and Their Ancestry“, New York:Crown Publishers, Inc., 1978.
Van Rensselaer, Stephen, “Early American Bottles & Flasks, Revised Edition”, Peterborough: Transcript Printing Company. 1926.
Posted in Article Publications, Auction News, Currency, Early American Glass, Flasks, Historical Flasks, History, Questions, Revolutionary War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

J. H. Dudley’s Jockey Club House Bitters

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J.H. Dudley & Co’s Jockey Club House Bitters

Boston, Massachusetts

21 February 2016 (R•060319)

Apple-Touch-IconABack in early February, Steve Ketcham, FOHBC Director-At-Large, (Edina, MN) put this really cool J. H. Dudley & Co’s Jockey Club House Bitters package on ebay. I set the pictures aside for a later post though I did put it up on Daily Dose. Here are the rest of the pictures, Steve’s ebay listing text and a little information on Mr. Dudley.

[Steve Ketcham] This product box once held a bottle of Jockey Club House Bitters, a product of J. H. Dudley & Co. of 14 Broad Street, Boston. Ring and Ham list the bottle as J-42, though no illustration is available, and we can find no records listing this bottle as having ever been sold at auction. As shown, the box label depicts a jockey flirting with a young lass as she leans out a window. The label shows the yellowing and stain of age, and this one is early. The wrapper was printed and then wrapped around the box. At the bottom of the label we find, “Entered according to Act of Congress, 1858, by J. H. Dudley & Co. in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of Massachusetts.” The box is still quite solid, and a block of styrofoam was slipped into the box to keep it from being crushed or bent (this is how we found it). The lid, printed with a warning about cheap imitations, lifts off. About 9 1/2 inches tall by 3 inches square. Not many early bitters boxes out there!

The package sold for $462.

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James H. Dudley

A quick glance at the package might make it seem like you are looking at a related product for the well-known London Club House Gin. An example is pictured below. Many bitters collectors have examples of these bottles because the are so darn great with the embossed horse and jockey. Read: London Jockey Club House Gin

Jockey on Running Horse - LONDON CLUB HOUSE GIN - photo Ferdinand Meyer V

Jockey on Running Horse – LONDON CLUB HOUSE GIN

Well, this is not the same proprietor. In the case of the Jockey Club House Bitters, we are talking about J. H. Dudley & Co. who were the proprietors located at 14 Broad Street in Boston, Massachusetts. James H. Dudley was born in Pembroke, New Hampshire in 1801. His father was named Trueworthy Dudley. Now who can not trust a first name like that? In 1832, they are both listed as grocers at 82 Pond in Boston. A bit too early for this bitters though.

From about 1848 or so, we can place James H. Dudley & Co. at 14 Broad Street which is listed on the box. The 1850 United States Federal Census lists James H. Dudley as being 50 years old and a grocer. His wife was Elizabeth Dudley, 37, and his son, Thomas E Dudley, 20, had started an Apothecary. Dudley stays at the Broad Street address until about 1858 so we can place the brand in this window though the box has “Entered according to Act of Congress, 1858, by J. H. Dudley & Co. in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of Massachusetts” on the front bottom panel. We also see advertising in newspapers in 1858 for the bitters.

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Dudley’s graphics are wonderful on the box with this “Romeo” jockey sipping a glassful of Jockey Club Bitters that his Juliette hands him from her porch window. She has a larger container of bitters on the ledge. I guess her house was right next to the race track. J. H. Dudley also has his signature on the box which is pretty neat. He said that two or three wine glass fulls a day, placed in your wine or schnapps (I guess that you are already drinking) will cure your headache, stomach ache etc. I bet so, at least for a while. I also have never seen a bottle.

Here is an advertising trade card from the Joe Gourd collection. Note the same illustration 0f a courting jockey at the window of a damsel. Note that English Crown Bitters is mentioned. This was unlisted prior to Bitters Bottles Supplement 2. The box has also been listed.

Trade card
E 44.5 ENGLISH CROWN BITTERS, printed one side, Dudley & Thornton, Sole Agents for Jockey Club and English Crown Bitters, No. 67 Kilby Street, Boston
(see also J 42 Jockey Club House Bitters)
Box
J 42 JOCKEY CLUB HOUSE BITTERS, J. H. Dudley & Co., 14 Broad Street, Boston, Entered According to Act of Congress, 1858, by J. H. Dudley & Co. in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of Massachusetts.
9 1/2
Trade card
J 42 JOCKEY CLUB HOUSE BITTERS, From J. H. Dudley & Co., Proptrs., Dudley & Thornton, Sole Agents for Jockey Club and English Crown Bitters, No. 67 Kilby Street, Boston
(see E 44.5 English Crown Bitters)

The Carlyn Ring and W.C. Ham listing in Bitters Bottles for the bottle is as follows:

J 42  JOCKEY CLUB HOUSE BITTERS
L…Jockey Club House Bitters
J. H. Dudley, 14 Broad Street, Boston, Massachusetts
9 1/2 x 3 1/4
Box for the bottle with picture of jockey on horse talking to women in stands.
Entered according to to the Act of Congress 1858
New England Directory 1860The Vermont Patriot and State Gazette, November 5, 1858

Select Listings

1801: James H. Dudley born in Pembroke, New Hampshire, father Trueworthy Dudley (1753–1846) – Dudley Genealogies
1832: Harvey and Trueworthy Dudley, Grocers, 82 Pond – Stimpson’s Boston Directory
1839: Birth of son Thomas E Dudley (1839–1848) in Ware, New Hampshire
1848: Birth of son Franklin H Dudley (1848–), 23 Feb 1848, Boston, Massachusetts
1848: James H. Dudley & Co. (John T. Brenan), W. I. goods, 14 Broad – Boston Directory
1850: James H Dudley, 50, Grocer, Birth Year: abt 1800, Birthplace: New Hampshire, Home in 1850: Boston Ward 10, Suffolk, Massachusetts, Household members: James H Dudley, 50, Elizabeth Dudley, 37, Thomas E Dudley, Apothecary, 20 – United States Federal Census
1854-1858: James H. Dudley & Co. (Thomas E. Dudley), W. I. goods, 14 Broad, house at Milton – Boston Directory
1858: Entered according to Act of Congress, 1858, by J. H. Dudley & Co. in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of Massachusetts.
1858: Newspaper advertisement (below) Jockey Club House Bitters. J. H. Dudley & Co., 14 Broad st., Boston, Proprietors – The Vermont Patriot and State Gazette, Friday, November 5, 1858

Posted in Advertising, Bitters, eBay, Ephemera, History, Medicines & Cures | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kaiser Wilhelm Stomach Bitters – Sandusky, Ohio

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Kaiser Wilhelm Stomach Bitters – Sandusky, Ohio

20 February 2016 (R•091919)

Apple-Touch-IconAMy good friend and fellow bitters collector Gary Beatty (North Port, Florida) sent me an email and pictures today of a fun little side step that we all do sometimes, in this case Gary bought an altered bottle just for pleasure. This gives us a chance to look a the brand a little more closely. Gary’s communication:

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Toneco Bitters – Meyer Collection

Hey Ferd, I was with you when you purchased your “Toneco Bitters” at the
Chattanooga National Show. I believe you thought it was nuked, but it is a pretty bottle. I just recently purchased this “Kaiser Wilhelm Bitters, Sandusky, Ohio” off of ebay. It had been nuked and was stained. I cleaned it on my machine and to me it’s beautiful. While I don’t ascribe to nuked bottles (the only one I have), it took a very un-attractive bitters and dressed it up. I like it because I am a born Buckeye. Maybe you can show it in your Daily Dose. Best Regards, Gary Beatty

Kaiser William Bitters

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Kaiser Wilhelm Bitters was first introduced as a “New Medicine” in Sandusky, Ohio by Hugo Ohly, Charles L. Blatz, C. T. Wight, Charles L. Wagner and T. B. Hoxsey in 1902. Quite a crew. The Kaiser Wilhelm Bitters Co. was organized at this time in West Virginia with $10,000 in capital stock. Hugo Ohly (born 17 April 1852 in Germany – died 12 February 1911 in Sandusky, Ohio) was the head of the group and these guys were focusing on marketing to the large German population in the region. Wilhelm II or William II was the last German Emperor (Kaiser) and King of Prussia, ruling the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia from 15 June 1888 to 09 November 1918.

Kaiser Wilhelm Bitters Co. was then incorporated on 24 June 1905 in Sandusky, Ohio. The brand sold well and came in clear and amber bottles, both pictured below. The killer tray above was sold on ebay some time ago.

The bitters had its demise in 1918 or so, as it was then taxed for its alcohol content and the Feds had caught on. Prohibition was right around the corner.

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Kaiser Wilhelm Bitters in amber – North American Glass

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Kaiser Wilhelm Bitters in clear glass – Frank Wicker Collection

The Carlyn Ring and W.C. Ham listing in Bitters Bottles is as follows:

K 5drawing

K 5 KAISER WILHELM ( au ) / BITTERS CO. / SANDUSKY.O. // c // // s // c // raised seal for label //
L…Kaiser Wilhelm Mägen Bitters
10 1/8 x 4 (5)
Round, Amber and Clear, LTCR, Tooled lip, Common

The next two trade cards are interesting in that they both promote Sanborn’s Laxative Bitters and Kaiser Wilhelm Magen (Stomach) Bitters. Both The Kaiser Wilhelm Bitters Co. Inc., Sandusky, Ohio

Trade card for The Kaiser Wilhelm Bitters Co. Inc. Sandusky, Ohio – Joe Gourd Collection

Trade card for The Kaiser Wilhelm Bitters Co. Inc. Sandusky, Ohio – Joe Gourd Collection

Hugo Ohly

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As noted above, Hugo Ohly was the ringleader of the Kaiser Wilhelm Bitters Co. He was a grocer first (see 1873 advertisement above) and a liquor and wine merchant active in Sandusky in the second half of the 1800s. Here is an interesting side article about his house being burglarized in 1901.

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Famished Burglars broke into Hugo Ohly’s Residence – The Sandusky Star Journal, Wednesday, November 6, 1901.

Select Timeline:

1902: Newspaper notice: New Medicine To be Manufactured and Marketed by Sandusky Company (see below)
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New Medicine – Kaiser Wilhelm BittersThe Sandusky Star Journal, Wednesday, August 13, 1902

1905: Newspaper notice: Company to Make Kaiser Wilhelm Bitters Incorporated Today (see below)
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Kaiser Wilhelm Bitters Co. Incorporated – The Sandusky Star Journal, Saturday, June 24, 1905

1912: Newspaper advertisement: The B. P. Sexton Co. in Sandusky, Ohio selling Kaiser Wilhelm Stomach Bitters (see below).
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Kaiser Wilhelm Stomach Bitters advertisement – The Sandusky Register, Saturday, August 31, 1912

1918: Newspaper clipping. Kaiser Wilhelm Bitters Bottles seized. Federal Prohibition. (see below).
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Kaiser Wilhelm Bitters seized – Detroit Free Press, Thursday, June 20, 1918.

Posted in Advertising, Bitters, eBay, History, Medicines & Cures | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Up and Going” Excelsior Ginger Ale

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“Up and Going” Excelsior Ginger Ale

20 February 2016    (R•022116)

Apple-Touch-IconAI received the following “Need Help” message from Troy Beck (Xenia, Ohio) over on PRG Facebook. I get a lot of these types of questions and I am usually clueless on some of the stuff. I’m all over it, if it’s up my alley or I try to move the question on to someone else if I can. This examples was a no-brainer as the bottle says Ginger Ale on the label. That would be our man Ken Previtali.

[From Ken Previtali – Ginger Ale Authority] John Klee Senior came to Dayton from Germany and began manufacturing mineral water and sodas in 1866. Eventually the company was operated by his sons. O. P. Klee continued operating the company until some time in the 1930s. Information courtesy of Steve Greene.

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There is an 1885 lithograph poster for Excelsior Ginger Ale (original size 24 x 30″) that has been reproduced thousands of times. (“Excelsior” in Latin means “ever upward”, hence the “up and going” slogan and the balloon imagery.) See above.

This must have been an expensive advertising poster in 1885. It probably was produced by the “Sole Agent” for Excelsior Ginger Ale: Peebels Peebles’ Sons, Cincinnati, OH.  Peebles’ Sons was a major grocer supplying all kinds of goods to the local area and beyond. On his great website, Cincinnati Views, (http://cincinnativiews.net/index.htm)   Dan Prout tell us that in Cincinnati “at one time or another Peebles had branches at 64 East Fourth street, northwest corner Seventh and Mound streets, northeast corner Seventh and Cutter streets, and in 1883 they opened the branch on the northeast corner of East McMillan Street and Gilbert Avenue in Walnut Hills which was known as Kay’s Corner, called that after a local developer. Within two months the corner became known as Peebles Corner. It was rumored that Peebles gave gifts of cigars and groceries to bribe streetcar motormen to call out “Peebles Corner” at this stop.” “While there is no documentation saying so, it certainly appears that Peebles’  could afford to produce the poster.

However, what is interesting is the bottle in the poster is the reader’s bottle! (See detail cut below)

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I have never seen an example of the bottle before, even in that condition. It is a safe bet that the label design on the reader’s bottle dates back to at least 1885. The age of the bottle is more difficult to determine.

Read more from Ken:

The Ginger Ale Page – Ken Previtali

Is there elegance and mystique in a milk glass soda bottle from Massachusetts?

From clear to purple or brown, that’s how irradiation runs

Don’t Bogart that Gin . . . ger Ale

The Diamond Ginger Ale Bottle House

Electric Bitters and Electrified Ginger Ale: Were they really “zapped” or was it just more quackery?

Could a mundane bottle of wine-flavored ginger ale be a descendent of a winery established in 1835?

Everything’s better with bitterquelle. . .

Posted in Advertising, Ginger Ale, Questions, Soda Water, Soft Drinks | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

An exquisite Lediard’s Morning Call square

 Lediards_MorningCall_Side_r2

An exquisite Lediard’s Morning Call square

05 February 2016

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Apple-Touch-IconACharles Lediard has again been on my mind recently for a number of reasons. First of all, I came across some new material and information and updated the Charles Lediard and his Liquor Products post from November 2012. This included more information on Charles Lediard, expanded newspaper advertising and an advertising trade card. Next I decided to clean-up the related OK Plantation Bitters – the “Big Boys post from November 2012. Then, I laid out an article that is planned for the May June 2016 issue of BOTTLES and EXTRAS. Here is the opening spread design.

TheBigBoysDesign

After all this, I received a set of drop-dead spectacular images of an emerald-green Lediard’s Morning Call square from an anonymous collector. I cropped and freshened up in Photoshop and repost here. What did I tell you! WOW.

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Most of us think of the cylinder shaped Lediard’s Morning Call Bitters such as the one pictured below but this square is different.

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It is more like a Lediard’s Old Dominion Mint Julep square. Probably the same bottle with switched out or peened out graphics.

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All-in-all, pretty exciting. The Lediard’s Morning Call brand was sold in many places including Austin and Galveston, Texas in 1866, not to far from where I sit right now and also sold by our friend S. S. Smith Jr. in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1871. Mr. Smith put out the killer sapphire blue S.S. Smith semi-cabin (pictured below). Read: S.S. SMITH. JR & CO / CINCINNATI. O. – A Semi-Cabin in Sapphire

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Posted in Advertising, Bitters, Bottles and Extras, Liquor Merchant, Medicines & Cures, News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dexter Loveridge’s Wahoo Bitters – The Traveller’s Friend Flask

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Dexter Loveridge’s Wahoo Bitters – The Traveller’s Friend Flask

04 February 2016

Apple-Touch-IconAJust received some great pictures the other day while boarding a flight from Tampa to Houston. Knocked my socks off, I think, as I had boots on. Look at these spectacular images that I prepped in Photoshop. From a prominent anonymous collector who has the best of best eyes for obtaining great bottles. I have never seen this embossed Loveridge flask before from Buffalo, New York. Dig the pewter cap, tax stamp, label and form. Off-the-chart killer. The US revenue proprietary tax stamp is Scott rb12b – 2 cent Washington issue, and is surprinted with a “W” for Wahoo, I believe.

No one should travel without it.

Read More: The great indian beverage XXX E. Dexter Loveridge Wahoo Bitters

Read More: Loveridge’s Wahoo Bitters Jug – Buffalo N.Y.

Read More: E. Dexter Loveridge – In the House

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Posted in Bitters, Flasks, Liquor Merchant, Medicines & Cures, News, Tax Stamps | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Daily Dose | February 2016

February  |  2 0 1 6

Monday, 29 February 2016

From Ken Previtali” Speaking of Balto, found this for you in my travels: http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/eaa_A0427/

Read: Baltimore’s Iron Bitters – Brown Chemical Company

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Friday, 26 February 2016

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Headed back to Houston on an early bird from DC. Lots to do. Just so much beauty in these historically significant pieces that are not complete. I would much rather imagine than see a replica. (partial amber Liberty Eagle historical flask – Chris Rowell, sapphire blue reconstructed Leriemondies Southern Bitters, reconstructed early American glass picture and witch ball and of course, the Venus de Milo (Aphrodite of Milos) at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. Click Image to Enlarge.

Wednesday, 24 February 2016

Leaving for Washington D.C. later this morn for business. Thought I would post this pic of a Professor Byrne’s Stomach Bitters with a metal closure and porcelain stopper which reads “Amanda Miller / Germantown, PA.”. Extremely rare. Strong mold impression. Unlisted color. In Hecklers next Auction #133

ByrnesCappedSCA_HecklerTuesday, 23 February 2016

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Hey Guys, here is what I am told is an unlisted bitters. I saw it this week end at Rick’s house (Rick Carney, Brunswick Maine). It is a very dark amber. Hard to get a good photo of it. I will be writing a story on his taking broken bottles and saving them into art. I am inclosing a photo of his work as well.

Jim (Bender)

PRG: Carney’s Tonic Bitters is C 56 and pictured in Bitters Bottles Supplement.

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Saturday, 20 February 2016

David Jackson snags this killer XR Texas Blood Purifier and Tonic Bitters, San Antonio, Texas. Rare as hens teeth! Read: Texas Bitters List A different variant than I have seen before too. See David Cole example further below.

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Friday, 19 February 2016

Here is the Senour’s Calisaya Bitters cleaned. See Mondays post.

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Monday, 15 February 2016

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A great privy,…on a cold day. A lot of good stuff … and a bitters I’ve never seen … Senour’s Calisaya Bitters – Bill Yablonski

Dr J Ashbaugh's plant and root bitters Pittsburgh PA1

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Dr. J. Ashbaugh’s Plant and Root Bitters from Pittsburgh PA posted by Aaron Weyand on Antique Bitters Bottles Facebook page.

Sunday (Superbowl), 07 February 2016

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Bill Ham notes a rare variant that he has never seen and is not listed. eBay
222013193872. Just sold.

M 144.5  MOULTON’S (au) OLOROSO / BITTERS // TRADE MARK (au) motif pineapple
8 5/8
Round with fluted neck and at base, Aqua, LTCR, Applied mouth. Extremely rare
Dug from a construction site in Brooksville, Mississippi.

Saturday, 06 February 2016

Reference to a possibly unlisted bitters. The O. K. Bitters put out by The O. K. Bitters Company | Dr. Kennard & Company. A notice below to exempt the product from the whisky tax. From The Courier Journal (Frankfort, Kentucky), Tuesday, March 21, 1882.

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Friday, 05 February 2016

Hey Ferd, here is a nice Old Dr.Townsend’s Sarsaparilla New York I found in my travels of late. It is beautiful. Numbers on bottle and base are my inventory numbers. I don’t know what variant it is as I don’t specialize in Townsends. Perhaps one of the Townsend collectors will let me know at tropicalbreezes@verizon.net. Best Regards Ferd, Gary Beatty

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PRG: Gary, I posted on PRG Facebook. Rick Ciralli will respond. Rick is the keeper of The Many Molds of Townsend’s Sarsaparilla Facebook page and is our go-to guy here.

Rick Ciralli: Ferd tell Gary this is the ODJT4 mold previously featured in a past issue of AB&GC magazine. Nice bottle.

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Thursday, 04 February 2016

Working on a series of Western bottle articles in BOTTLES and EXTRAS from prominent western collector Steve Abbott leading up to the FOHBC 2016 Sacramento National Antique Bottle Convention & Expo. Here are a couple of cool teaser pics.

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Wednesday, 03 February 2016

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Really cool Jockey Club House bitters package on ebay right now. Steve Ketcham posted this.

Tuesday, 02 February 2016ArcadeHoustonFlask_10[Received yesterday] Ferdinand, I hope all is well with you. Thought you might like to see this recent (dug yesterday) local find. There are records of an Arcade Saloon in Houston all the way back to the 1830’s…this bottle is probably from 1900-1910 or so. Best Regards, Brandon DeWolfe, P.E (Houston)

Monday, 01 February 2016

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Off to Tampa here shortly. Earlier today I updated the Charles Lediard and his Liquor Products in anticipation of an article I am writing for the May June issue of BOTTLES and EXTRAS.

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Pinkerton’s liquor store and Wahoo Bitters manufactory destroyed by fire – New York Daily Reformer (Watertown, N.Y.), Thursday Evening, October 5, 1865 (added by Corey Stock)

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Dr. Doty’s Celebrated Mandrake Bitters

This gallery contains 14 photos.

Dr. Doty’s Celebrated Mandrake Bitters 25 January 2016 Recently, two pictures of a very nice, labeled Dr. Doty’s Celebrated Mandrake Bitters was posted by Eric Gamache on the Antique Bitters Bottles Facebook page. This would be D 87 L in Bitters Bottles from C. C. … Continue reading

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Routt’s Emulsion Cod-Liver Oil With The Extracts Of Malt, Wild Cherry, And The Hypophosphites – L.P. Routt, Richmond, Va.

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Routt’s Emulsion Cod-Liver Oil With The Extracts Of Malt, Wild Cherry, And The Hypophosphites – L.P. Routt, Richmond, Va.

24 January 2016

Apple-Touch-IconANow that is a mouthful. It seems like Mr. L. P. Routt had a lot to say about his product and wanted it embossed in a back slanted italicized text on the bottle. He couldn’t use the reverse side which was blank. That is where the label would go. I wonder what that would look like?

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A week or so ago, I found a message on my office phone from Doug Miller from down southern Georgia way. He said he had found a possibly unique, Routt’s Emulsion Cod-Liver Oil bottle from Richmond, Virginia measuring 8″ tall, by 3 1/8″ wide at the base, with 2 1/16″ sides and beveled corners. He said the neck was 1 1/2″ tall and that the bottle was a beautiful teal green color. Apparently he had found the bottle at the bottom of an abandoned well. He was excited for many reasons including finding a Richmond bottle in Georgia. Actually there are many bottle connections between Georgia and Virginia. He wondered what I thought and if I knew anything about the bottle. I should add that Mr. Miller put a light removable white wash to assist with reading the bottle for this post.

We are talking about a rather well-known person here named Leroy Pope Routt who was a druggist at one time in Richmond, Virginia. You can see one of his advertisements below from a Richmond directory. Looks like he had a relative, Ansel W. Routt working for him as a salesman. Further back in the family we see a Leroy Pope (January 30, 1765 – June 17, 1844) who was an American planter, lawyer, and early settler of Madison County, Alabama. He purchased much of the land on which downtown Huntsville, Alabama now stands, and for his role in the establishment and early growth of that city, he has been called the “Father of Huntsville.” His father was Anselm Pope Routt (1822-1914), and was Virginia’s eldest inventor, and the oldest member of the Masonic Fraternity in his State.

Other ancestors on both sides were distinguished in American history, the inheritor of the family name on the Routt side next to him being LeRoy Pope Walker, who was Secretary of War under Jefferson Davis, and Richard Routt, also distinguished himself while an officer in the Revolutionary War.

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L. P. Routt advertisement – 1886 City of Richmond, Virginia Directory

L.P. Routt Bottles

Here are two L. P. Routt druggist bottles found online at chosi.org.

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Leroy Pope Routt

from: The Southern Planter, Volume 74T.W. Ormond, 1913

ROUTT—LeRoy Pope Routt, whose remains were brought from Chicago and interred in Hollywood, was the eldest son of our old friend Mr. Anselm Pope Routt, Virginia’s eldest inventor, and the oldest member of the Masonic Fraternity in his State.

Born in Orange County, Va., LeRoy Pope Routt left his home when quite a boy, and his business interests later in life took him to all the large cities of the United States, the last being Chicago, where he died. His ancestors on both sides were distinguished in American history, the inheritor of the family name on the Routt side next to him being LeRoy Pope Walker, who was Secretary of War under Jeff Davis, and Richard Routt, also distinguished himself while an officer in the war of the Revolution.

Besides his aged father, Mr. Routt leaves one brother, Mr. Anselm M. Routt, of the Associated Press, Atlanta, Ga., three sisters, Mrs. W, Crittendon Petty, of Culpeper, Va., and Mrs. W. Hugh Reynolds, and Mrs. Powell Thruston Manning, Washington, D. C. He married Mary, second daughter of the late Dr. Pulliam, Richmond, Va., and leaves his widow and six children, Emmet Gold, Sam Pope, Mary, Alice, Clara and Dorothy Routt, to mourn the loss of a devoted husband and father.

His genial nature and generous spirit won him friends wherever he sojourned, and he will be missed by his associates as only a brave and loyal man is missed. Always thoughtful of others; always kind – his family will cherish his memory, for he was mild and gentle as well as brave. The Reaper comes and gathers his own for the harvest – his tired children who have laborer – he bears them to the garner of God’s bounty, where they find the rest which naught under the Heaven can disturb. And there we lay our hopes and loved one “Till we meet again.”

I can not say, and I will not say, That he is dead – he is just away! With a cheery smile and wave of the hand. He has wandered into an unknown land, And left us dreaming how very fair It needs must be, since he lingers there. – N. R. R.

Bottle for Sale

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Rarely do I directly market a bottle on Peachridge Glass but I will make an exception here as Mr. Miller would like to sell the bottle. I can tell you though, the bottle is not unique as I came across a few other images like the Worthpoint image above from eBay. Probably extremely rare though. We need to hear from some of the Virginia collectors.

Select Listings:

1866: Leroy Pope Routt born on 04 January 1866 in Richmond, Virginia. Parents were Ansell Pope Routt and Emily Jones.
1869: Advertisement (see below) for Routt’s Southern Corn Planter (A.P. Routt) – The Native Virginian, Friday, June 25, 1869

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1889: Marriage to Mary Elizabeth Pulliam on 08 October 1889.
1889: Advertisement for L. P. Routt (below) – Virginia Chronicle, 21 April 1889

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1891: L.P Routt, Officer for the Newport News, Hampton and North Point Development Company
1893: L.P Routt, Officer for the Newport News Company (see below)

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1918: Leroy Pope Routt died in Chicago on 02 June 1918 and was buried in Hollywood, Richmond, Virginia. He was 52.

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Posted in Advertising, Cod Liver Oil, Digging and Finding, Druggist & Drugstore, History, Medicines & Cures, Questions, Revolutionary War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mayer’s Genuine Stomach Bitters

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Mayer’s Genuine Stomach Bitters

23 January 2016 (R•043019)

Apple-Touch-IconAHere is an unlisted and labeled Mayer’s Genuine Stomach Bitters that Frank Wicker recently added to his collection. Thank you Frank for sending in the pictures. A late bitters with a pretty cool label. It does not seem to be listed in Bitters Bottles and will need to be picked up in Bitters Bottles Supplement 2.

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Hi Ferdinand,

I was able to add this unlisted, label only bitters to the collection. It is not listed in the Ring & Ham Bitters Bottles or Bitters Bottles Supplement books. The label is a picture of a distillery. There is also a wicker covered demijohn in the picture. The label reads “Mayer’s Genuine Stomach Bitters.” This bottle is from the Joseph Mayer Distillery, 2619 Germantown Avenue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1890 to 1907 according to Prepro.com.

Frank Wicker

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Visit BottlePickers.com

The new listing for the forthcoming Bitters Bottles Supplement 2:

M 51.1 L … Mayer’s Genuine Stomach Bitters, Distilled By Jos Mayer (Joseph S. Mayer), 2619 Germantown Ave. Phila.
8 1/2
Rectangular, Amber, Tooled top

Joseph S. Mayer

As you can see, “Distilled by Jos Mayer” is noted on the label with an address “2619 Germantown Avenue” in “Philadelphia, Pennsylvania”. An obvious German name not unlike my last name “Meyer”. Living on Germantown Avenue is another clue he is German.

From here, by looking at a 1900 US Federal Census, we can confirm his full name as Joseph S. Mayer from Germany who was born in 1835. He immigrated to America in 1867 and married a Stephana somebody in 1870. Both his father and mother were from Germany. It looks like he set up shop in Philadelphia and making his Mayer’s Stomach Bitters was the crowning achievement of his career as his death certificate in 1920 states that he was a manufacturer of stomach bitters and a bottler. You have to admit, there are not too many bitters labels that have a photograph of the proprietor that show him making his bitters. I bet it was some yummy stuff.

Select Listings:

1835: Joseph Mayer born in Germany
1867: Joseph Mayer immigrated to United States
1900: Joseph S. Mayer, Age: 64, Birth Date: December 1835, Birthplace: Germany, Home in 1900: Philadelphia Ward 19, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Immigration Year: 1867, Marital Status: Married, Stephens (Stephana) Mayer (age 54), Marriage Year: 1870, Years Married: 30, Father’s Birthplace: Germany, Mother’s Birthplace: Germany, Occupation: Liquor, BottlingUnited States Federal Census
1920: Death of Joseph Mayer, Manufacturer Stomach Bitters, born 28 December 1835, Died 07 August 1920 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (see below)

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Posted in Bitters, History, Medicines & Cures | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment