
MEDICINAL TONICS
Listed prices do not include shipping & insurance. Please read the Information for Buyers section on the main "Bottles For Sale" page for complete buyer information.
ROHRER'S
- EXPECTORAL / WILD / CHERRY / TONIC - LANCASTER, PA. embossed on three
sides of this tall "pyramid" shaped bottle which is very familiar to most
collectors. Also has the two odd "pretzel" type motifs on the four
sides (round on the narrow sides and arched with a "V" in the middle on the
wider sides) as shown in the picture and, of course, the very pleasing "roped"
corners. 10 3/8" tall, a medium but "bright" golden amber, distinct big
gray iron pontil mark on the base (click iron
pontil for an image of the base), ca. 1860-1870. Also has some
bubbles scattered throughout the
glass. Bottle has the typical wear on the base from not having been
discarded - an attic find undoubtedly. It is in near mint condition except
for the base wear and a very, very small thin/flat "flea bite" on the outside edge of
the lip (finish) which is
hard to see. One of the classic bottles that every collection should
have and a beautiful example. $395
DR.
HOOFLAND'S - GERMAN - TONIC This is embossed on three non-indented
sides (4th side for label). Just over 9 1/2" tall with a tooled "brandy"
finish (or long tapered collar with a ring to some), blue aqua in color, smooth
base, ca. 1880-1885. This is one of the rarer and more desirable tonic
bottles and was almost certainly produced by the same company in Philadelphia as
the very common Dr. Hoofland's Bitters. Apparently this brand didn't do
too well or was much more limited in distribution as the tonics are hundreds of
times rarer than the bitters. Condition of this example is mint...period.
I can find nothing wrong with it and am only selling it because I recently
acquired a ever so slightly better one (a bit more crudeness). This bottle
does have a lot of nice bubbles in the glass and some stretch marks on the neck
so it has it's crudeness too. Nice bottle and hard to find. $100
HOP
TONIC - This is embossed vertically in one indented panel on the front
as well as in all four of the little panels on the shoulder. Semi-cabin
shape (like a Doyle's Hop Bitters), tooled "brandy" style lip or finish,
smooth base, ca. 1880-1890. Color is a nice medium honey amber...or at
least that is what I would call it (pictures are pretty accurate so you make the
call). Condition is near mint with only some faint wisps of haze in a
couple corners inside. Has nice bubbles scattered throughout the glass
which is glossy and clean on the outside (bottle has not been professionally
cleaned I don't believe...not that glossy). These bottles are from Grand
Rapids, Michigan a are fairly scarce items and one of the limited number of
"semi-figural" type medicinal tonic bottles. $100
ORANGE TONICA RISLEY & Co. N.Y.
embossed around the shoulder of this nicely shaped "quasi-tonic" - probably
a liqueur with medicinal qualities. Color is a beautiful golden yellow (see picture), round "drum" shaped body with a ridge at the base and shoulder, long "ladies leg" style neck, plain indented base, fairly crudely applied wide single band type collar, 10 1/4" tall, American ca. 1870-80.
Bottle has no stains or cracks and some nice long bubbles in the glass. It does, however, have an extremely shallow, flat side-of-the-lip flake that is 3/16" long and 1/8" wide with some accompanying "roughness" right at the edge of lip. Doesn't amount to much and by describing it I make it seem more than it is - but
it's better to have more information than less, eh?
There is also an small (1/8" diameter) impact mark on the side of the bottle that has
no depth or radiations but it's there - really no problem. This makes a beautiful window bottle
(that's were I have it now) with its "clear" yellowish color. Though not quite a figural, it does have some unique shape attributes that make it a handsome piece of 19th century glass.
$50
Dr.
JONES / RED / (cloverleaf) / CLOVER TONIC - This is embossed
horizontally on the front indented panel; the reverse is embossed vertically
with GRIGGS & CO. / OTTAWA,
ILLS. 8 3/4" tall, crudely applied "brandy" finish, smooth base,
ca. 1875-1885. The color of this fairly crude example is a brilliant
orange amber with maybe a touch of red to my eye. It is unusual for a
square "bitters type" bottle like this to have horizontal embossing on one side
and vertical on the other, though this feature is shared with the regionally
competitive and popular Primley's Iron & Wahoo Tonic (Indiana).
This particular example is in very good condition with some ample wear to the
base (maybe never buried and sitting somewhere?) and a few small wear spots on the sides. There is
also a small (1/8th square) abrasion mark on one back side corner that is very minor and non-detracting
(most wouldn't even describe it) and a tiny bit of content haze in a couple shoulder
corners. Otherwise this is a very nice example with bubbles, neck stretch
marks, body crudeness (wavy panels - see pictures) and great color.
$100
VIN
ZYMO WINE TONIC - This bottle is a very interesting early 20th century
"wine tonic" - common sub-species of medicinal tonics - bottle that was bottled
in a standard "Bordeaux" style wine bottle. The bottle was produced in a
turn-mold as it has no side-seams and the distinctive concentric horizontal
rings on the body typical of that manufacturing method. It also has a
tooled banded "champagne" style lip or finish, smooth base with a 1.25" kick-up
and bump ("mamelon") in the center, 11.6" tall, and is a nice medium olive green
color. The bottle is labeled Vin
Zymo Brand Elixir Wine Tonic which was produced by Purexo Products of
San Francisco, CA. It notes a 20 or 30% alcohol level (there is a
hole that obscures part of percentage) which is much higher than the usual
levels of wine (12-15%) so must have been fortified to give it extra "medicinal"
qualities. The label also notes that it "contains valuable medicaments
(whatever that means) in properly blended fully matured California wine"
and is "free from iron and laxatives." The bottle is in about mint
condition (a little scratching on reverse) and the original label is very
colorful and 95%+ intact and still solid. Bottle used for and pictured on
the
Historic Bottle Website.
Interesting California wine related item from the era when the government was
just beginning to really crack down on quackery.
$25
SOLD ITEMS
REED'S
/ GILT / 1878 / TONIC embossed vertically on one side panel; other sides
are not embossed but have variable portions of the original labels and
tax stamp. Bottle is a brilliant, relatively light golden amber with very
nice glass surface texture, some scattered bubbles, applied tapered collar,
smooth base, 9" tall, ca. 1880-1885. Click
here to see a picture that
emphasizes the embossing. This a nicer than average Reed's (never buried of course
and these bottles are prone to heavy staining) and includes
about 97-98% of the original front label with the Hostetter's "knock-off"
trademark of a St. George type guy on a horse, but without the spear and dragon
like on the Hostetter's.
The label is moderately age darkened but easily readable as shown in the picture. The black back label (another Hostetter's knock-off) is about 65% complete and
on partially readable. The third unembossed side also includes a
virtually unreadable
tax stamp. This bottle is essentially mint - no staining, cracks, or chips
but does have a small surface (no real depth) open bubble on one of the base corners.
Beautiful example even without the label.
SOLD!
WEB'S / A NO. 1 / CATHARTIC / TONIC
boldly embossed with some vegetation sprigs on the front of this Lash's Bitters shaped (same company) amber square. On the back it's also boldly embossed - THE BEST / LIVER , KIDNEY & / BLOOD / PURIFIER -
click
HERE for a close up of the back embossing. Medium amber, 9" tall, tooled long tapered collar, ca. 1890-1910. Also has
PCGW lightly embossed on the base - a product of the Pacific Coast Glass Works. The bottle is damage and stain free - only a light few scratches/scuffs,
i.e. about mint.
Shiny and clean and a relatively scarce bottle - and one of the few Western
embossed tonic bottles.
SOLD!
GOLD
/IRON (lion) TONIC / LION -
Dr. Thenard -
One of the great looking square "bitters" shaped tonic bottles that happens to
be one of my personal favorites in the tonic world. Bottle is beautiful golden amber (like all of them seem to be appropriately
enough), 8 3/4" tall, smooth indented base, applied long tapered collar.
Who Dr. Thenard was (click on
Dr. Thenard to see a picture of the
reverse) I have no idea, nor have I ever tracked down what city this came from.
These are found in the West, but also seem to come out of the East too so I
don't know what region of the country they hail from. Bottle is near mint with just a few very light spots of external haze.
There is a
very small potstone in the back under the "H" that has a three very,
very small
(less than 1/16" long) and hard dot see "legs"
connected to it. Not much of a big problem, but it's there.
A rare tonic bottle that is infrequently offered and one of the few
"picture" tonics. One recently sold on eBay for $375.
SOLD!
MARA NOVA / TONIC on indented front panel. Also
MARA NOVA TONIC CO on one side and BOSTON MASS. on other side - reverse is plain.
Pale greenish aqua, rectangular with tooled double collar, smooth indented base, 8 1/3" tall, American ca. 1890-1900. Bottle is near mint with no chips, dings, or cracks but does have some minor, streaky spots of haze on the inside. A rare tonic bottle from New England
with big bold distinctive embossing.
SOLD!
CLEMENS
/ INDIAN / TONIC / large Indian figure with herbs in hand / PREPARED BY
/ GEO. W. HOUSE - This may not be the pinnacle of tonic
bottles but it is definitely in the top tier - especially this one with a
virtually 100% intact label! Aqua with a outwardly rolled lip, OPEN PONTIL
base (click HERE to see a
picture of the base), 5 1/2" tall, American (Nashville, TN.) ca. 1850.
Although there are a few of these around with the labels (where did they come
from?) this one has to be one of the best since it is entire with minimal
staining or discoloring. The label even has George W. House's genuine hand
written signature at the bottom though it is somewhat water distorted but
readable - click HERE for a
close-up picture of the label. George apparently hand signed all his
labels. The embossing is very sharp and distinct - click
HERE for a close-up of
the embossing. The body of the bottle has some very nice whittle markings
and eye appealing crudity. Condition of the bottle is mint and I don't
believe there is a better specimen of this bottle existing.
SOLD!
STEWART
D. HOWE'S - ARABIAN / TONIC / BLOOD PURIFIER - NEW YORK All that
is embossed in three indented panels with the fourth side plain for the label.
Like the Hoofland's above, this one is only being sold because I acquired a
slightly nicer one. These are big medicine bottles standing 9 1/2" tall.
This example has a smooth base, true applied "patent" finish, and dates from
around 1870-1880. The color is a nice shade of greenish aqua, which shows
well in the picture. Like most of these I've seen, it has a bit of spotty
content haze which is light and not detracting; otherwise the bottle is mint
with no chips, dings, or damage of any kind that I can see (and I look close).
SOLD!
DALTON'S / SARSAPARILLA / AND / NERVE TONIC BELFAST
embossed on one side; MAINE on the other. The reverse plain but it
does have the FULL LABEL and CONTENTS! Aqua, rectangular, all panels sunken, plain base, tooled double collar collar, 9" tall, American ca. 1890-1900.
Click
HERE for a close up of the embossing . Bottle is mint (ok a little dirt on the outside) and label is 100% complete and intact. Bottle is corked with about 95% of it's black (yuk!) contents.
A common but nice New England tonic bottle in pristine condition with the scarce label and contents.
SOLD!
WEB'S / A NO. 1 / CATHARTIC / TONIC
boldly embossed with some vegetation sprigs on the front of this Lash's Bitters shaped (same company) amber square. On the back it's also boldly embossed - THE BEST / LIVER , KIDNEY & / BLOOD / PURIFIER -
click
HERE for a close up of the back embossing.
Light amber with a bit of a yellowish tint and with good clarity, 9" tall, tooled long tapered collar, ca. 1900-1910.
As with all of this style of Web's bottles, it has
PCGW embossed on the base - a product of the Pacific Coast Glass Works. The bottle is damage and stain free - only a light few scratches/scuffs
and just a wisp of content stain in one line on one side,
i.e. about mint.
Shiny and clean and a relatively scarce bottle - and one of the few Western
embossed tonic bottles.
SOLD!
VIN
VITALIA / A TONIC WINE embossed in a "T" shape on the front panel of this
unusual triangular tonic bottle in an unusual color - emerald or "7-up"
green. This is a quite rare and unusual tonic from New York, I believe.
9 1/2" tall, tooled double ring lip or finish (click
HERE for a close-up picture of
the lip), 3 sided with side beveled corners, ca. 1890-1910. Great window
bottle in this color! Condition is very good with no chips, cracks, or
dings though it does have some very light scattered haze inside and out which
doesn't much detract from the beauty of the bottle.
SOLD!
WESTMORELAND'S
- CALISAYA TONIC
embossed on opposite sides in indented panels; one other side is indented and
the other flat and not indented. Click
HERE to see an image of
the side with "Westmoreland's" embossed. Light to medium golden amber, 9
1/2" tall, square, tooled LTC with a ring (i.e. "brandy" finish), smooth base
with round indent, American, ca. 1885-1890. This is a very rare tonic
bottle in this larger size - I've only seen or heard of maybe three others (and
I'm always looking for tonics). The smaller size is also rare, thought
there are a few more around than the larger size. This bottle is
about perfect with a couple of light scratches and a very light patch of inside
haze on the "Westmoreland's" side (so light it can't be seen in the picture).
Outside has a very pleasing glossy glass surface. One of the rarer of the square,
amber "wannabe bitters" tonic bottles.
SOLD!
BITTER APPLE TONIC / THE J. W. BRANT CO. / ALBION, MICH.
embossed
on the front; reverse is plain. Clear glass, round with double ridges around
shoulder and near base, smooth indented base, tooled long tapered collar, 6 1/8"
tall, American ca. 1885-1895. Bottle is essentially mint with no chips or cracks
and only the slightest wisps of water stain that can only be seen in strong
light (see picture). A fairly scarce and unusually shaped tonic bottle with a
great name, being the only tonic bottle I know off that includes "apple" in the name. (In fact there are few bottles with apples mentioned in their name. The only ones I can think of off hand are the Perrine's Apple Ginger cabins and
the ultra-rare Bininger with apple in the name.) Great
little late 19th century tonic bottle.
SOLD!
WEB'S TONIC: I have another virtually mint example that is a clone of the ones described in the sold section below except that it is bit lighter in color than the pictured examples and with a slightly longer neck. Also has some nice bubbles scattered around the glass. It does have a three in making very shallow body checks coming off the edges of several of the letters in the word "Purifier" that are very hard to see and very shallow (i.e. just in the outside surface layer of the glass). When I acquired this bottle they were there and the seller did not note them as they are almost invisible. These three short checks resemble the "crackle" effect one sees on occasional bottles when looking at them in the right angle of bright light...except these are just three in number. Want to be as accurate as possible here and when describing them it makes them sound way more significant than they really are and you would likely never note them without my mentioning it. Nice example anyway for a good price. SOLD!
ROSS'S
AROMATIC TONIC - J. R. R. &
CO. embossed on opposing panels. Another very hard to find tonic
bottle from the Jas. R. Ross Company of Indianapolis, Indiana (I have a
trade card for the product.) Click
J. R. R. & CO. to see a picture
of the reverse. The embossing pattern on this bottle, like the Gold Lion
Tonic which follows, were apparently knock-off's of the much more popular
Reed's Gilt Edge Tonic. However, there are many dozens of Reed's for every example
of a
Ross's Tonic. Medium amber, 8 3/4" tall, smooth indented base,
applied long tapered collar (aka "oil finish"). This bottle has been professionally cleaned
but still retains some wavy etching lines on the outside and some light stain on
one panel on the inside. A very rare bottle in pretty good shape for
a pretty decent price.
SOLD!
MEXICAN - TONIC
boldly embossed on two separate sides (the narrow sides). Click
HERE for a picture of the other side.
Medium amber, rectangular with very wide beveled corners, almost 11" tall, tooled long tapered collar with ring, smooth
base, American ca. 1890-1900. This is a BIG and fairly rare tonic in a great shape for
which the place of origin is unknown...anyone know? The few Mexican tonics I've
heard of came from the Midwest or East, though some think it is Western.
Bottle is shaped like an eight-sided flask - 4 1/2" wide and 2 1/2" thick.
Condition of this specimen is about mint with just a few faint patches of
dullness on the outside. A rare and dramatic tonic that is hard to find.
SOLD!
THORN'S
/ HOP & BURDOCK / TONIC / BRATTLEBORO, VT. - The Thorn's bottles come in
two different sizes, this being the smaller size at approximately 6.3".
Most often these bottles come in a medium amber color but this one is a true
yellow and quite beautiful. It has a tooled "prescription" finish or lip
(click shoulder, neck and finish
image to see such), smooth base, and dates from the 1885 to 1895 era.
The bottle is near mint with no chips, cracks, flashes, dings, or other
issues...just a few wisps of content haze along the inside edges of the back
panel. A lovely bottle that would look just great in a window.
SOLD!

DR.
HENRY.S / WORLD'S. TONIC - & / BLOOD PURIFYER (sic) - Here is a big bold
mystery tonic bottle that is often attributed to the West the few times I've
seen one for sale. It is just over 9" tall, has a crudely applied double
ring lip or finish (click
close-up of the shoulder, neck and finish to see such), no evidence of air
venting, and appears to date from the 1875 to early 1880s range. The
embossing is very bold and distinct (and as noted above with vagrant punctuation
and misspelling) and there is a flare to the legs of the "R"s that is much like
the multitude of Western bottles that have that same attribute; all the products
of some mystery mold engraver in the Bay Area. The glass itself is wavy
and a bit whittled with some nice bubbles of various sizes scattered about.
The glass color - as the images show - is also a deep blue aqua that is typical
of many products of the SF&PGW...like the Henley's listed above. Condition
is about mint with no staining, chips or cracks. The only issue is a very
tiny pin prick sand grain (it is that small) that has just the hint of
iridescence around it and isn't hardly even visible (the grain or the
iridescence) and something most wouldn't even note. The price I've listed
it at splits the difference between the few examples of this bottle that I've
seen in recent years (eBay). Exceptional example.
SOLD!
DR.
H. C. LEMKE'S - BLOOD AND / SARSAPARILLA / NERVE TONIC - CHICAGO, ILL. -
All this embossing is on three sides in sunken panels; the reverse "label"
side is not indented or embossed. Bottle is a nice bluish aqua in color, 9
1/2" tall, smooth base (number 13), has a tooled double ring lip or finish, and
appears to date from the late 1880s to late 1890s most likely. This is a
large and fairly rare tonic - or sarsaparilla - bottle, depending on what you
collect. The condition is essentially mint with only the faintest wisps of
haze in the shoulders and back; no chips, cracks, flea-bites, or other condition issues.
Hard to find tonic bottle in a hard to beat condition.
SOLD!
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(Page last updated: 6/1/08)