In from Marianne Dow with the Findlay Bottle Club. Thanks MD!
Fashion designer Valentino’s new virtual museum — wow! I’ll bet you will find some inspiration. With a big screen, it would be amazing.
http://www.valentino-garavani-archives.org/teaserweb.html
Yet another inspiration for the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors Virtual Museum of American Historical Bottles and Glass
Photo courtesy BottleNut.com
Jeff Burkhardt (Froggy) posted this comment in regards to the PRG Impressive Whiskey and Bourbon Bottle Photography at ABA Auction 54 post.
from Froggy: Here’s a link to BOTTLENUT.com:
http://bottlenut.com/products/13/CLICK-HERE-FOR-PHOTO-GALLERY.htm
You will see some of the most incredible bottle & glass photography EVER! Don’t you wonder the “who and how” and what could the photographer could do with BITTERS?
[PRG] Thanks Jeff! Wasn’t aware of this site. I agree. Wonderful photography. You find neat web sites as well as rare bottles! Thanks for sharing.
[BottleNut.com] This site is the product of my obsession. I, John Sprung, started collecting bottles in 1970. While looking for nickel deposit bottles, for food money, I found a 1936 Royal Crown soda bottle. Went to the library and found a book about old bottles. It said the RC bottle was worth 5 bucks. That was it. I was hooked. I have done most of my digging in Washington D.C., Alexandria Va, and Baltimore Md., or Bottlemore as we called it, with great success. I now live in rural Vermont. Hard to find much here. Thank you Ebay! Please enjoy this site.
Photo courtesy BottleNut.com
Photo courtesy BottleNut.com
This is my second post reviewing the American Bottle Auctions | Auction 54 which ends this Sunday evening, 18 December 2011.
Not to long ago, Jeff Wichmann sent me some jpegs of some new experimental photography and asked me what I thought. I honestly responded that I could not see any difference or improvement since I had always admired his photographic skills and felt that his photography was spectacular. I would say he is right up there with the best of the best in bottle photography. I have seen his photo studio and appreciate the length that Jeff will go to capture a bottles essence and character. Coupled with his colorful descriptions and videos of subject auction bottles, I would have to say that Jeff is the leader in Auction cataloguing in our bottle and glass community. That is pretty good when you consider how tough his competition is at the other auction houses.
Anyway, I thought I would repost seven (7) of the cylinders from this auction and focus on the wonderful photography. I have placed the detail picture next to the full bottle picture to show the clarity and detail of the close-up photography.
Lot #51 C.W. STUART’S EXTRA KENTUCKY WHISKY with K in circle on reverse shoulder. Applied top, Thomas-146 1875-83. According to Thomas the F & P.J. Cassin bottle mold was used to make the mold for this bottle. We have however discovered new evidence of it being a re-worked SHM. The indentation on the back of the SHM is more likely as the design fits better. Basically it was filled in with a slug plate. There is no definitive reason for the “K on back shoulder as to who it. Probably Kellogg as he was hardly a stranger to liquor wholesaling. Absolutely loaded with tiny bubbles, it almost has a puce look to it, as the amber is reddish. In addition, it is very heavily whittled and has a very strong strike. Once again, the best known specimen, quite possibly, as we have certainly never seen a better one. Grades a 9.8, there are believed to be less than ten known. Dug by Tony Gospaliditch in either Gold Hill or Virginia City, NV. 1977. Ex Eastley, Mlasko collections.
Lot #51 C.W. STUART’S EXTRA KENTUCKY WHISKY – ABA 54
Lot #52 OPS BOURBON WHISKEY FROM AP HOTALING’S OLD PRIVATE STOCK SAN FRANCISCO. Thomas-52, 1879-85. Fifth, applied top. Here is a bottle that is not only a popular one but is almost legendary in its place among western fifths. Anyone who has been remotely associated with collecting western whiskeys, is familiar with John and especially the bible of all western whiskey books, Whiskey Bottles of The Old West. John would talk for hours about various western whiskeys but it always seemed to come back to this particular one. The bottle itself is truly an amazing specimen with unsurpassed whittle, super strike, wonderful color, and perfect condition. In his book Thomas writes, “The best whiskey I ever owned was the O.P.S. that Dennis (Eastley) got from me. I really loved that bottle and wish I still had it.” Although John passed in 2000, his legacy will not be forgotten. This bottle is one that will forever hold special significance for the western fifth collector and collectors in general. Grades a 9.8. Ex-Thomas, Eastley.
OPS BOURBON WHISKEY FROM AP HOTALING’S OLD PRIVATE STOCK SAN FRANCISCO – ABA 54
Lot #53 JOCKEY CLUB WHISKEY GW CHESLEY & CO. SF. Thomas-19, 1873-78. These sixth-sized whiskeys are often quite early, as the first western containers were a little smaller than what we are used to today. Most of the Jockey Clubs are amber to orange amber, we’ve also seen the dark almost tobacco but rarely have we seen an example as pristine and beautiful as this. This was dug by Jeff Rosen and Ken Salazar, child actor and fluent in Portuguese, in Oakland, CA in 1975 and was obtained by Mlasko through Dennis Eastley. Once again we raise the question, top specimen? This has loads of bubbles and just a flurry of whittle that when combined with its olive amber hue, provides some real fireworks. Since Dale refused to own anything but the best, we can assure you that this is a bottle he prized quite highly. Never cleaned, there may be a spot or two of very light stain, however it is inconsequential to the overall presentation of this bottle. This is really one for the books. Grades a 9.7.
Lot #53 JOCKEY CLUB WHISKEY GW CHESLEY & CO. SF – ABA 54
Lot #56 WM. H SPEARS & CO OLD PIONEER WHISKEY FENKHAUSEN & BRAUNSCHWEIGER SOLE AGENTS. SF with embossed WALKING BEAR. Applied top. Thomas-4, 1878-81. Here is a terrific example of the two-name bear and in fact this would certainly qualify as at least one of the top specimens known. Once again we see the Braunschweiger name but the real excitement of this bottle is the overall patina and handsome demeanor of the bottle. Not only is the strike exceptionally strong, but there is whittle and a wonderful variance in hues. Perfectly played out with the central area being a light golden amber. There is a little stain on the back exterior, which we are frankly, happy to see as this bottle has never been cleaned. A classic container, they don’t get much better than this. Ex-M. Boone, Eastley and Mlasko. Grade 9.8.
Lot #56 WM. H SPEARS & CO OLD PIONEER WHISKEY FENKHAUSEN & BRAUNSCHWEIGER SOLE AGENTS. SF with embossed WALKING BEAR – ABA 54
Lot #57 JF CUTTER EXTRA TRADEMARK OLD BOURBON WITH STAR & SHIELD. Thomas-46, 1870-85, probably variant 2 or 4, 1871-75, as all the A’s have flat tops and there is a star on the base. Here is a wonderful example of the Star & Shield fifth, this would go very nicely with the flask in this sale. A beautiful yellow green, this has some nice whittle and good strong strike. We would lean more towards variant 4 with the star despite the flat A’s as the bottle is fairly thinner than some we’ve seen. A sparkling and very beautiful piece, this one will truly light up your life. Ex. Eastley and Mlasko. Grades 9.8.
Lot #57 JF CUTTER EXTRA TRADEMARK OLD BOURBON WITH STAR & SHIELD – ABA 54
Lot #59 J. MOORE OLD BOURBON E CHIELOVICH & CO SOLE AGENTS with embossed ANTLERS and TRADEMARK. Thomas-90, circa mid 1870’s. Here’s a bottle that remains very popular even though there are as many as three dozen known. Why so popular? There’s just something about the antlers and the name along with the overall design of the bottle that is very appealing. It’s an early fifth and they usually come with lots of crudity. In this case, that is an understatement. In the many years we have been selling western fifths, very rarely have we come across anything as whittled as this. This is not simply whittled, it is whittle on top of whittle and to top it off the embossing is as bold as any we’ve seen. There is even whittle on the antlers! If the OPS in this sale was prized by Thomas as the best, this J. Moore stands right beside it as being one of the most beautiful examples of western whiskey bottles we’ve ever seen. Pictures will tell the story but this is definitely one for the books. Another top specimen Grades a 9.7. Ex- Doc Ritz, Eastley, Mlasko.
Lot #59 J. MOORE OLD BOURBON E CHIELOVICH & CO SOLE AGENTS with embossed ANTLERS and TRADEMARK – ABA 54
Lot #60 TRADEMARK BARKHOUSE BROS. & CO GOLD DUST KENTUCKY BOURBON N. VAN BERGEN & CO SOLE AGENTS. With embossed horse. Applied top. Few would disagree that the Gold Dust is right up there with the most popular of western fifths. With loads of embossing and an embossed horse, which happened to be a famous racehorse of its time, the Gold Dust remains a mainstay for those who can afford them. This example is a beautiful yellow olive with a ton of whittle and just about everything you’re looking for. We dare say this is one of the top specimens of this bottle known to exist. Ex-McClane, Virginia City, Nevada. Grades 9.7.
Lot #60 TRADEMARK BARKHOUSE BROS. & CO GOLD DUST KENTUCKY BOURBON N. VAN BERGEN & CO SOLE AGENTS – ABA 54
As written up on eBay this morning: STRIKINGLY DEEP COBALT BLUE Dr. WYNKOOP’S SARSAPARILLA. This is a much darker bottle than I have seen before. Rather nice. Make sure you look at the John Feldmann family run beneath the eBay pictures. You can really see the color difference.
From eBay: There are probably only a few of us who have actually had an opportunity to see one of these WYNKOOPS SARSAPARILLAS up close and personal.. Believe me, These are some beautiful bottles.. I am offering this one for sale this evening because i figure i’ve had it long enough, about 35 years.. It’s time to let it go…
This WYNKOOPS SARSAPARILLA is a good deep cobalt blue, unlike some you’ll see that are really a cornflower blue.. It measures a whopping 10 1/4″ high X 4″ wide X 2 3/8″ deep.. Embossing reads on the front, Dr. WYNKOOP’S / KATHARISMICHONDURAS / SARSAPARILLA, and NEW – YORK on the side.. The base has a deep recess and a spectacular deep open tubular pontil near the center.. The applied tapered collar was crudely fastened to the sheared neck.. There is a stable pressure crack in the applied collar that seems to be about a half inch long.. It’s really no harm as it’s been there since i’ve owned it and probably since it was blown.. It is only in the lip and does not go into the neck.. Despite this minor infraction, it is still a choice Wynkoops and one that is quite difficult to find, especially in this deep rich color.. There are no chips, other cracks or stain on this bottle, and is a lovely example…flint12, Nokesville, Virginia. Buy it Now: $7,500
Dr. Wynkoop’s Sarsaparilla – eBay
Dr. Wynkoop’s Sarsaparilla – eBay
Dr. Wynkoop’s Sarsaparilla – eBay
Dr. Wynkoop’s Sarsaparilla – eBay
Dr. Wynkoop’s Sarsaparilla Family – Feldmann Collection
Dr. Wynkoop’s Sarsaparilla Family – Feldmann Collection
I first came across Mike Holzwarth, from Fort Collins, Colorado when I did a post for a rare Bitters Bottle he found. Mike has been digging bottles in Colorado for over 25 years. Read: Jepson’s Dyspepsia Bitters – Colorado. Next he responds with some Stone Ginger Beer pictures in response to my post on Irish Ginger Beers and Stone Stouts. This got me thinking…motorcycles, Colorado, bitters and Ginger Beers. What else is Mike into. Well Mike has allowed me to post some of his bottle and digging pictures that are quite nice!
Randy Taylor (Chico, California) has this killer Trade Mark Lightning quart fruit jar that that I just have to have. He had it on his table again at the 49er Historical Bottle Club and Show this year in Auburn, California.
Do you think it is a color that might fit in with my group! Wow. Greg Spurgeon had a similar jar at Baltimore. I understand that there are no matching tops for this rare color variant. Hopefully it will still be around when I strike oil or something.
Quart Trade Mark Lightning Fruit Jar - Randy Taylor
Quart Trade Mark Lighting Fruit Jars - Meyer Collection
A quick review of Jeff Wichmann’s American Bottle Auctions | Auction 54 (now online for bidding) reveals two (2) nice Bitters squares. There are actually quite a few Bitters in the auction that are rather nice. I just love squares. The Auction runs thru Sunday, 18 December 2011.
Lot 28 NATIVE AMERICAN STOMACH BITTERS WESTHEIMER BROTHERS ST JOSEPH MO MANUFACTURERS & PROPRIETORS. 1871-77 Applied top, 9 ¼”. When we presented the last example of this bottle in our previous sale, we claimed that it was either possibly one known or maybe one of two. Of course, two months later, we find out about this bottle, it being sold on Ebay. What we did not know and most likely anyone else bidding on it, was that it is an earlier variant with the name “Westheimer Brothers” instead of “Samuel Westheimer.” This is indeed very important, as Ferdinand left the company in 1877, please click on our bottle link to view more information. So we have a definite six-year window of when this bottle could have been made. Once again we will say that this bottle may be unique, it is unlisted and provides us with a great deal of history. Found under a house in Bridgeton, CO by an elderly lady who provided the pictures of the bottle, exactly as it was pulled out from under her home. Grades a 9.8 simply cleaned up with soap and water.
Native American Stomach Bitters - American Bottle Auctions
Lot 37 CUNDURANGO1872-80. Applied top. 9 1/18”. 1872-80. These interesting bitters were a product of The G.W. Chesley Company and were distributed throughout the state and into Nevada. It seemed like there were plenty of these interesting bottles to go around but as times move on we see less and less of them. Chesley was also responsible for the Jockey Club whiskey in this sale, lot 53. This example is tobacco amber and is in super condition. A bath of muriatic acid and water was all that was needed to make this as presentable as it is. No nicks, dings, in fact we’re seeing only one light scratch on the left side. Generally a Grade 9.7 bottle, here’s one for the western bitters collector as well as the western bottle collector in general.
Cundurango - American Bottle Auctions
There has been a lot written about how to spot Pot Lid repairs over the years. Most now understand the advantages of Ultra Violet lamps and magnification. Personally my favourite is using the high magnification of a jeweller’s loop, or if my PC is handy, a USB microscope. Unfortunately this only works if the item you’re viewing is physically available. What can one do to assist reviewing pot lids off the Internet, or digital photos?
To my knowledge there’s no such thing as a perfect repair. The following is the process I use to help review items I own and are considering to purchase. Most photo editing programs have an option to “invert” an image. By this I mean converting a normal colour image to as if it was a negative. Most pot lids run a white background. White is very hard to pick up differences in colour with the human eye often playing tricks. Personally black is far easier. Let’s take a look at a few images and see reviewing in this manner unveils.
The first item is quite a hard shaving mug by HP and WC Taylor. I bought this on eBay just before returning to Australia. I was very happy with the item but unfortunately I couldn’t see it until I unpacked my container two and a half months after the auction had ended. Having shipped my items in summer from Florida, everything in that sealed metal box pretty hot. Unfortunately, or fortunately whichever way you look at it, the repair became very obvious after the journey. Take a look at the bottom of the inverted image for cloudy area in black is exactly where to the hairline cracks appear in clearly this item at one time was dropped.
The next is a HP and WC Taylor shaving lid owned by a friend. This item I know has been repaired and I think most folks would pick this up, however when you invert the image the outer rim lettering becomes more evident to have been redone, in addition to the area under the figures arm shaving.
Next image is a rare Lid and lid from Montréal Canada. Believe there is only one or two of these out there. This one had been split in two and re-joined. Again most advanced collectors will pick this up but for those with a less trained eye, inverting the image shows a cloudiness through the transfer from one o’clock to seven o’clock.
The next is a Royce and Easterly lid and jar. This was in an auction house in Pennsylvania towards the end of last year. The first thing of concerns is the colour of the face doesn’t match the base. This can sometimes happen with a substitute base, when you look at the link inverted though, the colour is very cloudy and this particular lids face has been resealed. Sometime these are known to flake (like blue Touches) and I guess that’s what happened with this one. If you take a look at the unevenness of the black on the face, (cloudy areas) what you should see is a consistent colour all over. Unfortunately when you add a coating to lids, it’s very hard to get it even.
The following is how to navigate to “invert” in Photoshop.
I am pleased to announce that I was able to win the extremely rare Stonewall Jackson Stomach Bitters (pictured below) in the Glass Works Auctions “Christmas Comes Early” auction which ended earlier this week. For some reason or another I missed out on this bottle in 2008. I will proudly display it with my great example of a Jackson’s Stonewall Bitters (pictured below). Read: Jackson’s Stonewall Bitters – St. Louis
Lot 107. “STONEWALL JACKSON – STOMACH BITTERS – DR. M. PERL & CO.“, (J-7), Louisiana, ca. 1865 – 1875, deep yellowish olive amber, 8 5/8″h, smooth base, applied tapered collar mouth. Some minor scratches exist, mostly on one panel, otherwise perfect Extremely rare! We auctioned this bottle in 2008, and have not seen or heard of one since!
Of particular interest to me on this New Orleans, Louisiana bottle is the Dr. M. Perl & Co. embossing. This new addition will also be a mate for my elusive R/H P 70.5 Peruvian Bark Bitters which is also embossed with the Dr. M. Perl & Co. name. The New Orleans City Directories for 1867 and 1868 list: Perl, Dr. M. & Co., Drug Store and Laboratory, 124 Chartes, New Orleans.
This is somewhat of a coincidence as I did a NOLA posting earlier in the week. Read: Some Big Easy Window Bottles.
Stonewall Jackson Stomach Bitters – Meyer Collection
Jackson’s Stonewall Bitters – Meyer Collection
Peruvian Bark Bitters – Meyer Collection
Glass International LLC was founded in 2000 by John De Caro. Prior to starting the company, John spent over a decade cataloging early American bottles and glass for a variety of absentee auction companies. On June 28, 2001, Glass International ended its first auction, part 1 of the Francis J. Mikalonis collection, featuring superb examples of quality American blown glass, including over 20 early sugar bowls. In the second sale, a unique New York state lily pad decanter was sold for $24,000.00, having excellent provenance, attributed to the little known Harrisburg NY glass works, it is now residing in the Houston Museum of Art.
In 2006 Glass International sold the collection of Phil & Shirley Gordon of Plattsburg NY, which included many specimens of Redford NY glass that had been on loan to the Clinton County Historical Society. Latter that year came the collection of Mr. & Mrs. Richard Bourcier of Malone NY, featuring a small but select group of blown lily pad and gadrooned tableware from the Redford Glass Works unequaled in rarity and beauty; the Bourcier lily pad sugar bowl sold for record $55,000.00 while a pair of gadrooned vases sold for $41,000.00.
In 2007 many wonderful pieces were consigned to auction by consummate collector Malcolm L Polis, and in 2008-09 part 1 and 2 of the Dr. John Schott collection was sold. Many record prices have been established and have been published in the Maine Antiques Digest. Glass International owes a debt of gratitude to friends & collectors who have repeatedly consigned some of the best examples of American glass to be found anywhere. A pair of South Jersey candle sticks in aquamarine bottle glass offered in auction 18 was just such a consignment bringing $42,000.00, and lastly, auction 20 saw the sale of an original Wistarburgh threaded mug, a single consignment, selling for a record $55,000.00.
Matt Johnson Lilly Pad Pitcher made at the Stoddard Glass Works - HistoricalGlass.com
