HAPPY NEW YEAR

To all the readers of the Western Bottle News:

 

and don't forget the 40th Annual Superior California Bottle Club Show and Sale

Friday January 22,  2pm to 6pm

Saturday January 23,  9am to 4pm

at the Shasta District Fairgrounds Fusaro Hall Anderson California

Contact Phil McDonald 530 243-6903 or Mel Hammer 530 241-4878 for info and table reservations

 

See you there!

 

Thanks to Old West Bottles for the picture

 

 

 

Merry Christmas!

Here is wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy 2016!

                            Dale & Melissa

Its Show Time !

 

hERE IS A COLOR RUN OF EMPIRE SODAS   ANY ONE WANTING TO DISPLAY EXAMPLES CAN BRING THEM TO THE rOSEVILLE SHOW THIS WEEK   max

 

 

The Great American Cordial

Here is a western blown bottle I believe held a sample size of the Great American Cordial put up by H.A. Chalvin on San Francisco in 1877-78. This bottle was dug in Northern California in a late 1870s privy. A little bit of research has revealed that H.A. Chalvin produced a product called the Great American Cordial that was exhibited at the 1877 state agricultural fair where samples were present.

Has anyone ever seen one ?

1878 Directory:

1877 Agricultural Fair:

W.S. Wright - Misenheimer & Hall Alma Soda

Rick- I have attached 3 of my W.S. Wrights but have also added the Misenheimer & Hall Alma Soda with them.

The Misenheimer has the Pacific Glassworks embossed on the base and I have added some information on it. I personally feel that it is a very important bottle in that it was made during the same time frame as the Wrights and there is only 4 known examples, 2 of which are not damaged. This example is dead mint and never cleaned. All four were found in Eureka, Nevada. I am hoping Warren could give some information regarding the possible date(s) of this bottle. The Misenheimer & Hall sodas all appear to be in better glass condition than the Wright's, leading me to believe they came after the Wright's.

 

 

Description - Alma is a town located along Los Gatos Creek near the junction with Soda Creek and located in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Today the townsite is under the Lexington Reservoir just east of Highway 17 (880). The Alma Hotel was built in the late 1850's and Misenheimer homesteaded the springs site. The hotel catered to travelers on the stage line between San Jose and Santa Cruz, and at the height of quicksilver mining at New Almaden the Alma Hotel was probably doing brisk business. A rail line was finished in 1876 which most likely diminished the importance of the Alma stop and Hotel. The estimated date of this bottle falls between 1862 and 1865 based on all embossing. Some think it could be a little later.

 Mike Southworth  

W.S. Wright Virginia Nevada

More than likely the first embossed western blown soda from the Pacific Glass Works

Diggers Hall Of Fame

A friend and I were discussing what could be some of the most famous western digs of all time. It would be interesting to make a list of the top 10.

* Virginia City mine vent dig - 18 Wormser barrels, 14 Teakettles, 12 Millers flasks, 3 AAA flasks, 1 JF Cutter flask, 8 JF Cutter 5ths, 12 circle Cutters, 6 shoulder crown E Martin 5ths, 2 shoulder crown Hotaling 5ths, 6 mid crown E Martin 5ths,  5 Lacours, 2 Renzs, 5 Cundurangos.

* Comstock TK Whiskey Hole - 27 Teakettles (3 green), 8 Millers flasks (4 green) and a yellow John Van Bergen.

* Nevada City Lumber Yard owner whiskey pits - GO Blakes 5th, Pedro 5th, Nabobs, Choice Old Cabinet, Jesse Moore 5ths,Castle 5th, Old Judge 5th, 2 Kane O'Leary 5ths, two name bear, OPS 5th, Star & Shield flask, Millers flask.

* 18 Embossed 5ths from Oregon - Portland Hotaling 5th, Olive Circle Cutter, Olive OK Cutter, United We Stand 5th, various Cutters.

* Portland Area Hole - Olive Choice Old Cabinet, yellow O.P.S,, amber O.P.S., green circle Cutter, chocolate circle Cutter.

* San Jose J Moore Dig -  green J Moore, yellow J Moore, chocolate J Moore and several cathedral pickles.

* The Barber Dig - 24 embossed whiskies. Grass green JF, olive castle 5th, various full face, JF, and circle Cutters.

* Marysville Wideman & Chappaz dig - 6 whole examples in green and puce.

* Marysville AAA Hole - 14 AAA flasks and an amber Renz's.

* North Bay Whiskey Hole - over 30 embossed whiskeys. Millers flasks, JF flask, Nabobs, Lilienthals, Jesse Moores, Cutters, etc.

* Wine Country Judge pit - Horses, SHM, Cutters, etc.

* Santa Cruz loggers Cutter flask pit - 6 JFs, 6 Shoulder Crowns, a few colored Gaslights.

* Oakland whiskey pit - 30 Cutters and a Gold Dust (including a green Circle Cutter).

* Grass Valley Bitters hole - Rosenbaums, and 2 epic small letter Renz's.

* Sacramento Renz's hole - 6 Renz's bitters.

* Sacramento Picture Hole - 13 Picture Nabob's Sac Valley farmhouse pit.

* San Diego Millers Hole - 13 Millers flasks.

* Austin Nevada - 14 GO Blakes 5ths.

* Gold Country Saratoga Hole - 14 colored Pacific Congress Waters

* San Jose Clubhouse hole - amber Clubhouse 5th and aqua Wonsers square.

Any epic San Francisco privies ?

Anyone have any photos of these digs ?

Some More Cider

Have Some Cider

Here is a nice Eastern Cider, but unfortunately it has several 'checks' in the glass. Any theories why it is so hard to get a mint colored Eastern Cider ?

49er Historical Bottle Assn. Show & Sale

Roseville, California
49er Historic Bottle Assn. 38th Annual
 “Best of the West” Historic Bottle/Antique Show, December 4, 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm, December 5th, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. 
 Placer County Fair Grounds, 800 All America City Blvd, Roseville, California,
$10 Early Bird Friday, Free Saturday, “Featuring” Antique Railroad Show Next Door.

Info: Contact Mike 916 367-182

 

Oldest Bottle Club In the U.S. ?????????

EBSCA was only founded in 1965.

http://www.fohbc.org/2015/11/the-oldest-bottle-club-in-the-united-states/

How about the San Jose Club, founded 1958, Reno Club, founded 1963, Las Vegas club founded 1965, San Diego Club, founded 1965, Golden Gate Club, founded 1965 (or earlier) ?

It would be great if some of the forefathers could chime in and set the record straight. The rumor going around is that the San Jose Club was disqualified because it was deactivated for a number of years.

More Western Than A Bag of Cowboys

How about this great colored western blown medicine. How many are known, less than six ? How many mint examples ? Half green, half shades of puce ?

Advertised from 1864 through March of 1865.

Dr. Parker was a native of New York and moved to San Francisco in 1852 where he operated as an apothecary until 1866.

From Western Director Eric McGuire

Rick,

 

As you may know by now, the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors (FOHBC) is gearing up for what is expected to be the largest bottle show and exposition ever held in the Western Region. Unlike past FOHBC shows, this event will be four days long, with a variety of activities that are still being firmed up.

 

 For your information I have attached an advertising flier for the event and request that it be made available for members of your bottle club. Further information may be found on the Internet at  www.fohbc.org.  As the Western Region of the FOHBC is hosting this show, please keep in mind that it is produced by volunteers who love their hobby and would like to see it thrive. Any help, no matter how small, would be greatly appreciated - even just one hour of time during the show.

 

Thank You,

Eric McGuire, Western Region Director

 

 

How about it, anyone want to volunteer a small amount of effort to support this show - rs -

Early "Western" Squares....

Let’s talk about some early squares. While these may not be Western blown glass, many collectors have always stated that these products were almost exclusively distributed on the West Coast. Based on the dates of the ads below, most seem to be right around 1860, with some going up to 1865 and others back to 1858.

****UPDATE: Turns out Patten & Samson were proprietors of a Schiedam schnapps that was probably put up in their square bottles. They were from New York City.

Anyone have a photo of a Patten & Sampson or the Farquar's ?

Pure Holland Gin / M. Frisius & Co. / San Francisco (1855-1861)

Farquar’s Medicated California Wine & Brandy (1859-1860)

Wistar’s Clubhouse Gin (advertised 1863)

Catawba Wine Bitters 1860?

London Jockey Clubhouse Gin (1859-1867?)

W.S.C Gin ???

J.T. Daly Club House Gin ???

Voldner’s Schnapps 1857-1864???

Barbier Schnapps (1856-1857)

Russ’s Schnapps - 1856-1862 ?

Lediard's - 1860-1865 ?

Patten & Samson -  1860-1864 ? The mystery has been solved, this is not a western product !!! This is from the 1860 NYC directory. Still a great looking bottle.