Friday, December 20, 2013

KING SOLOMON STOMACH BITTERS

 
SOL LEVINSON : KING SOLOMON’S BITTERS
Sol Levinson first appears in the Polk’s Seattle City Directory in 1904. His occupation listed as a travel agent. In 1911 he is listed as a manufacturer of King Solomon’s Bitters The business address is the same as his home address 7922 Wallingford Ave. Seattle, Washington. In 1924 he was listed as a " medicine manufacturer" again the business address and his home address are the same, this time at 7903 W. Green Lake Way. So it appears that King Solomon’s Bitters was a small company and operated out of his home.




Although the King Solomon Bitters is known to be a Seattle bottle I know of two examples of this bottle that were dug in the Tonopah and Bridgeport area. It is interesting that such a scarce bottle would be found in somewhere other than the Seattle area.

It is also interesting that a small business run out of the owner's home could afford to have a embossed bottle produced to hold his product. Some of the other scarce local bitters that have been found in other places than were they were manufactured, or bottled, include:

Jewel Bitters A. Fortlouis a San Diego bottle. One example found in Sierra City.

E.L. Bailey's Kidney and Liver Bitter's a Sacramento bottle found in Goodyears Bar.

 

1 comment:

  1. That labeled example is killer! Thanks for posting it. I also am amazed how some of these bottles "travelled" back in the day. I have dug Oregon bottles in Nevada, and Bay Area hutches in Oregon. I know of a Eureka, Nev. coffin flask dug in Portland. People must really have loved their special brand of brew, or used the bottles for other things after their initial contents were guzzled. I know of 4 Fortlouis Jewel's dug in Washington, and believe they are as much a Seattle bottle as San Diego. Dale M.

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