
Due to other priorities I am currently not offering any items via this website; I likely will resume activity later in 2010.
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OTHER MEDICINAL
BOTTLES
Listed prices do not
include shipping & insurance. Please read the
Important Information for Buyers section on the main "Bottles For Sale" page for
complete buyer information.
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OLD
/ DR. TOWNSEND's - SARSAPARILLA - NEW . YORK. - This is
embossed vertically on three sides of this familiar - and desired - bottle to
collectors. The "Old Doctor" bottles were used by the same-named poseur
and competitor of the more common Dr. Townsend's Sarsaparilla. This
bottle is a beautiful medium clear green or blue green depending on ones eye;
the images show the color well. It is 9.5" tall, has a crudely applied
"oil" finish or lip, a distinctly iron pontiled base (click on the image to see
a larger version), and dates from the 1850s most likely. This example is
essentially "attic" mint having no evidence whatsoever of being buried, i.e., no
staining, no chips, or cracks...just a little wear on the base from having sat
somewhere for 150 years. The bottle has some scattered bubbles in the very
clean glass including a large one on the shoulder which has a very fine
in-making (1/4" + or -) fracture on the inside surface of the bubble.
The bubble is not broken open at all on either side of the bottle but has that
small hairline which is visible (just above the arrow) in the close-up image at this link:
close-up of the shoulder, neck
and finish. An overall excellent example that is as made from the
factory, but priced considering the small "issue." Unavailable
at this time.
Wm.
PFUNDER'S / OREGON / No 7132 / (baby's face with TRADE MARK and OMNIS
PROSINT) / REGISTERED / MARCH 23rd, 1879 / BLOOD / PURIFIER / Wm. PFUNDER & CO /
PORTLAND, ORE - All this is embossed within an arched plate (aka "slug
plate") on a fine example of a popular medicine bottle from...Oregon, of course.
This example is probably the second or maybe third mold used to put up this
product, dating from the 1890s most likely. It is 7.5" tall, a medium
amber with a but of a reddish hue (see image), smooth base (embossed with
"320"), tooled "club sauce" type lip or finish. Condition of this offering
is near mint with no chips, cracks or significant staining...just a few very
very light wisps of the latter which is almost unnoticeable. Nice example of one
of the most distinctive Oregon bottles. Unavailable
at this time.

IMPROVED
/ DESTILLED / MICROBE KILLER - Yes, it is spelled "Destilled" -
with an "e" - not "Distilled" on this mystery bottle that is quite rare;
I've only seen one other. This unusually embossed bottle is about a quart
in size, colorless/clear glass, 9.5" tall, has a tooled "brandy" finish, smooth
base (although it is embossed with I.G.Co. for the Illinois
Glass Company), has a round circle on the back (sort of like a mold embossed
"blob seal" except with no embossing in the seal), and dates from the early
1900s. Click
reverse view to see the back side of this bottle. Condition is mint
with no chips, cracks, staining or other issues. My take on this weird
bottle, which is in a shape that the Illinois Glass Company in 1906
called their "squat seal brandy" style (see the page from that catalog on my
other website at this link:
http://www.sha.org/bottle/Typing/IGCo1906/IGCo1906page120.jpg ), is that it
is a period "spoof" liquor bottle. That is, it was used for some type of
liquor not medicine but was poking fun - sort of like the picnic flasks with
embossed drunk leaning against the lamp post with the dog at his feet...well,
you know the one. In this case, it may be spoofing Radam's Microbe
Killer and their claim to "Cure All Diseases" or it could be poking fun at
the rabid Prohibitionists of the period who believed all liquor to be evil
incarnate...or a mixture of both. In any event, this is an unusual and
unique item. I should note that when I was a kid, my father always called
stopping at the state liquor store a stop to get his "medicine" so maybe it did
contain "medicine" that at 80 proof would surely kill microbes! Unavailable
at this time.

JOYNER
/ UNITED DRUG CO. (in a shield) / TRADE MARK / SPOKANE / U.S.A. - This
is a scarce druggist bottle from Spokane, WA. that is quite rare with the
original label and string around the neck that probably had some tag attached at
some point. Click close-up of
the embossing to see such. This 7 3/8" tall (12 oz.) bottle from the
early 20th century has a tooled, unusual two-part lip or finish - what is called
the "reinforced extract" or "collared ring" depending on what reference is used.
It also has a large majority of the original label (see image) which notes that
it contained "Ideal Blood Mixture and Tonic" with an alcohol level of 20%; it
also notes all the maladies it would treat - from acne to "malarial poison."
The bottle is also embossed just above the label with "12 OZ.", has a smooth
base, clear or colorless glass and is in mint condition with no chips, cracks,
staining or other issues...reflecting it having never been buried. It does
have a bit of dirt inside which would certainly wash out easily, though I did
not since I didn't want to possibly disturb the label integrity. This
bottle was acquired for use in helping illustrate some concepts on the
Historic Bottle Website. Nice item with bold embossing and a
pretty nice original label. Unavailable
at this time.
LINDSEY'S
/ BLOOD / SEARCHER - R. E. SELLERS & Co. PROP'S - PITTSBURGH - This is
an example of what is almost certainly the last (6th mold) in the long run of
Lindsey's Blood Searcher bottles beginning in the 1850s. This one most
likely dates from the 1890s to possibly the early 1900s. This example is
about 8 3/4" tall, smooth base, tooled double ring finish or lip, and colorless
(clear) like all of the bottles from this mold in my experience. The
embossing on this example is probably better than average for a mold that was
lightly engraved it seems (maybe a weak mold engraver!). Condition is
about mint with no staining of note or chips, cracks, or other major issues
though there is a couple very small reflective spots within the edge of the
crudely tooled and folded upper part to the finish that appear to be in-making
related, i.e., one is from a bit of the folded glass and the other appears to be
a pin head size stone just on the sharp edge of the upper ring. No cracks
or issues related to these spots, but they are there. Overall a nice
example and well priced. Unavailable
at this time.
PARK
PHARMACY / E. G. COOK / DETROIT - This neat chunk of bottle making iron
is an original mold plate - aka "slug plate" - that was used for the production
of embossed druggist bottles during the 1910s. It is embossed as noted, as
a mirror image of course to the bottles produced by this plate. According
to the story I've heard, this - and a small "horde" of such plates - were found
many years ago in an old shed at the site of the Whitall Tatum & Co.
glass company (Millville, NJ). Whitall Tatum & Co. was one of the
biggest producers of proprietary (i.e., embossed specifically for a particular
customer) druggist/pharmacy bottles from the 1870s to 1930s, including embossed
mouth-blown ones until at least 1924. This plate is 3.5" long, just under
an inch deep, and 1.3" wide and weighs one full pound. The back of this
plate has the engraved glass company catalog or tracking number of P3465E and a
screw hole where the plate was secured to the mold. The condition is
excellent with just some scattered rust here and there. An interesting
feature of this item is that it has the mold air venting holes scattered
throughout the engraved lettering. These small pin holes connect with a
larger drilled hole that runs the length of the plate. These vent holes
allowed for the venting of the hot gases from the mold insides as the bottle was
expanding. This plate was procured and used to illustrate the
Historic Bottle Website. Great go-with for medicinal and/or
druggist collectors and just to those interested in the lore of mouth-blown
bottle manufacturing. Unavailable
at this time.

SANFORD'S
- RADICAL CURE - This is another of those great named cure bottles that
thrill bottle collectors. Not quite as dramatic as the Radam's Microbe
Killer claim to "Cure All Diseases" but darn close. However, the color is
dramatic - a deep cobalt blue - and the glass has some nice scattered bubbles
here and there. This example is 7 3/4" tall, has a crudely applied patent finish
or lip, and a smooth base (embossed number "1"). This example has no
chips, fleabites, cracks or other damage but does have an overall moderate -
though evenly distributed - haze that isn't too distracting (see images which
show the dullness). This bottle would respond well to a professional cleaning
since the dullness is light and there is no associated etching. This bottle was used to
illustrate the medicine bottles section of the
Historic Bottle Website. Here is the write-up from that website
which more fully describes this interesting bottle:
The deep cobalt blue bottle pictured to the right is another example of a "straight neck panel" bottle similar to the one described above in shape, though with a patent instead of an oil finish, three indented panels instead of four, and of course in a more brilliant color. It is embossed on the two narrow sides (both indented) with SANFORD'S - RADICAL CURE. The wider sides of the bottle, of which one is indented (shown in picture) and one not, are not embossed. This medicine was probably introduced about 1871 by Weeks & Potter (Boston, Mass.) which was later (1883) called Potter Drug & Chemical Co. (Wilson & Wilson 1971; Holcombe 1977). This particular bottle most likely pre-dates that renaming since bottles that are obviously later produced (i.e., have tooled finishes and mold air venting) are base embossed with POTTER DRUG & CHEMICAL COMPANY, BOSTON USA (Fike 1987). The pictured bottle has no base embossing (besides the mold number "1") though some other earlier examples do have WEEKS & POTTER / BOSTON USA embossed on the base. (Click Weeks & Potter base view to see an example with this base embossing [photo courtesy of Joel Williams].) Considering these facts together with the primary manufacturing related diagnostic features (applied finish, no evidence of mold air venting, post base mold), this bottle can quite reliably be estimated to have been made between 1871 and 1883. Click on the following links to see more images of this bottle: base view showing the post base mold conformation; close-up of the shoulder, neck, and finish; view of one narrow side with the embossing SANFORD'S; view of the other narrow side with RADICAL CURE.
That about tells the story of this bottle. Unavailable at this time.

C.
C. C. - CALIFORNIA CATARRH CURE
- This cool 100% intact labeled bottle with about 95% of the original
contents (some evaporation), original black print on red box (claims and
directions on all sides)
AND the original handbill or flyer framed comes as a package deal.
The bottle has four indented panels (panel on the reverse is oval in shape) with
a label on one side as shown in the image; the only embossing is W. T. & CO.
/ U. S. A. on the base. The label notes all the things that the
product would cure. Bottle is aqua in color, 8 1/3" tall, with a tooled
"patent" lip or finish, and dates from the mid-1890s given the testimonials on
the handbill; it is also in mint condition and wrapped with plastic wrap around
the cork to preserve the contents. The box is covered with directions for
use, what it cures, with the back a list of "some symptoms of catarrh" which
includes about everything from bad breath to dizziness to "a pain in the top of
your head." One narrow box side has "C. C. C. ALWAYS Cures" (click
to see this side) and the other has " C. C. C. NEVER Fails"...sounds like it
could beat many medicines available now! The box has some staining here
and there, from the contents leakage I suppose, though the wording is all easily
readable and the box entirely intact, though the top flap is pretty fragile.
The handbill is a large 9" wide by 24" tall and has testimonials and all kinds
of cool verbiage about catarrh. I framed the handbill myself (had the
precisely right size frame; no trimming) and it is included. Condition of
the handbill is very good with no rips or tears, just some wrinkling from being
in the box for 100+ years and one small staining spot at the top middle edge and
more lightly on the right side edge (from the bottle leaking I presume).
The product was produced by "The California Catarrh Company" of Woonsocket, R.
I., of all places. Nice item for a medicinal bottle collection (Ex-McMurry
Antiques & Auctions item.) Unavailable
at this time.
PAINE'S
/ CELERY COMPOUND embossed on two sides. Light to medium golden
amber (nice color - see pictures), tooled double collar (or "brandy finish" or
"long tapered collar with ring" depending on your preference), 9 1/2" tall,
smooth base, American ca. 1890-1905. Click
HERE to view a picture of the
other side or half of the bottle. This Paine's has about 85% of the front
label and virtually 100% of the back one. Needless to say the bottle is
attic mint. A common bottle without labels, though this is a way scarcer labeled example
with a nice brilliant color tone. Unavailable
at this time.
PROF.
DEAN'S / KING CACTUS OIL / THE GREAT / BARBED WIRE / REMEDY / OLNEY & McDAID
all embossed within a weird image that includes a bottle and lamp(?), wire
netting, other unknown symbols, and "Trade Mark" at the base. A fairly
scarce and unusually named remedy from Clinton, Iowa. Clear (colorless)
glass, tooled narrow collar ("patent" finish), 6" tall, smooth base, ca. early
1900s. These are neat bottles and also came in amber glass and
in two sizes, this being the smaller size. Like most of these
bottles the lettering is sharp but somewhat garbled; a function of a drunken
mold cutter or something - click
embossing close-up.
The bottle is mint with nice bubbles in the glass and no chips, cracks, or other
issues. One of the classic "rangeland" related bottles
(something of interest to me) that was good for "Man or
Beast." Unavailable
at this time.
JOHN
H. PHELPS PHARMACIST / PHELP'S RHEUMATIC ELIXIR / SCRANTON, PA. - This is
all pretty boldly embossed vertically on this interesting (great name!) - and
likely rare - Pennsylvania patent medicine bottle from the early 1900s. (I
must admit to having a weakness for American-made bottles that say "elixir.")
This neat bottle is bluish aqua in color, has a tooled patent lip or finish,
smooth indented base (base is embossed with S. G. CO.), and is 5.5" tall,
2.3" wide, and 1.5" deep. The condition of this example is near mint with
just a few wisps of faint haze on the inside along with a little bit of dirt
that would easily wash out; no chips, cracks, or other post-production damage.
I purchased this item primarily to get an image of the base makers mark for my Historic Bottle Website
- a mark that almost certainly indicates production by the Scranton Glass Co. Unavailable
at this time.
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BRANT'S
INDIAN - PULMONARY BALSAM - M. T. WALLACE / PROPRIETOR - This is boldly
embossed on three consecutive sides of this early eight-sided balsam bottle.
The bottle is just shy of 7" tall, has a blow-pipe pontil scarred base (click on
base image), an applied "oil" or long tapered type collar or finish, and is ca.
late 1840s to 1850s. Mathew T. Wallace was a New York partner in the
Wallace & Co. wholesale druggist firm that produced most of its embossed wares
in the 1840s and 1850s it appears, given that most are pontiled. This
product was invented by a "true medicine man" - Dr. Uncas Brant - and advertised
primarily in the 1840s according to Odell's excellent book on pontiled medicines
and Betty Blasi's balsam book. This example is very "whittled" and lacking
in any staining or chips; it just has that "look" of an early, pontiled medicine
bottle. It does, however, have one very narrow and very hard to see
hairline (~1 cm in length) at the heel on one unembossed panel. (The total
extent of this shows in the base image above as a very narrow reflection to the
left of the pontil scar at the heel/base junction; click on the image to view a
larger version with the hairline pointed out....it is very, very narrow in
width.) Otherwise this is a
great example but priced accordingly.
No longer available.
LINDSEY'S
/ BLOOD / SEARCHER - R. E. SELLERS & Co. PROP'S - PITTSBURGH This
is embossed boldly on three indented panels of this big (9") Pennsylvania
medicine that was made for at least 60 years, but must have never sold so well
that the bottles are common as they aren't. The Lindsey's bottles are one
of my favorites for several reasons - they are big, come in different mold
versions, and of course, have my last name on them. This is probably the 4th of the
6 mold variations (chronologically) I'm aware of and is actually probably the
second rarest mold after the early one that comes in wild (read: expensive)
colors. Ca. 1875-1885. Aqua in color (all of the bottles from this mold are aqua in my experience) with
a smooth base and a crudely applied double ring finish or lip. Condition
is about mint with a small (4 mm) open bubble on one of the back panel edges and
maybe (?) the faintest of some content haze, though I'm not even sure as it is
so light. Excellent example of a Lindsey's variation that does not show up
much and the only duplicate of this mold I've ever had.
No longer available.
WARNER'S
/ SAFE / NERVINE / (embossed safe) / ROCHESTER, N. Y. - The Warner's
Safe bottles are quite popular with collectors for several reasons - one can
collect a "run" of different products put up in essentially the same shape
bottle, the bottles are big and boldly embossed, come generally in nice shades
of amber color (some green and aqua ones also to spice up the mix), and have
that big safe embossed on them. Click
close-up of the embossing to see such. This is an earlier pint (large
- 9.5" tall) size "Nervine" bottle that has an applied double ring lip or
finish (I don't think the Nervine ever came in a plate mold [slug plate]
version), is in a deep chocolate amber color with a glossy glass surface, has a
backwards "N" embossed on the post mold base, and is not visibly air vented
implying an early to mid-1880s date. This example is near mint with
a few minor scuff marks on the outside, the faintest of haze wisps inside
in a couple spots (only visible under a bright light), and a small (2-3 mm)
impact mark at the heel just below the O and C in Rochester that has some
iridescence to it...very hard to see (barely shows in the close-up image), but
it is there & priced accordingly. A nice early example.
No longer available.
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Page Last Updated: 2/10/10