Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Fall Finds #3



I would like to start this week’s blog off with quite a special find.  I was excited to return to the Merrimack Valley Bottle Club’s show for the third time in Lowell, Mass.  Sometimes I buy bottles simply because they strike my fancy (in an affordable way).  When I saw a near-pontil era Bailey & Eaton Paraffine Gun Oil bottle for $10, I was not leaving without it.  Upon googling the name, I was quite excited to see Providence, RI come up!  Sure enough, Bailey & Eaton had a shop on Water St. in Providence.  They were also located in Boston, so this isn’t a purebread RI bottle.  I figured Otis Clapp had offices in Boston and Providence and his bottles are listed, so this is close enough! 




Another finds at the Merrimack show was an Old Dr. Warren’s Quaker Bitters Prov. RI.  While listed, this example was pretty interesting, as the front panel had “Quaker Bitters” embossed in a narrow slugplate of sorts.  I believe this was the earliest version of the Warren’s Quaker Bitters, and that a bottle mold for an “Herb & Root Bitters” was used to make it.  The partial remnants of a label support this, as the patent date reads 1870, not the usual 1872.


Once again, ebay has proven rewarding.  Those brand new unlisted RI bottles have slowly been coming to the light.  The newest find was a Hilton’s Ozone C Disinfectant Deodorizer & Germicide Providence, R.I.  It is clearly a knock-off of the popular Dr. Hubbard’s Disinfectant Deodorizer & Germicide.  Dr. Daniels, a veterinary doctor in Boston also had a similarly named product.  This one is apparently very rare, and I was pretty sure the competitive bidding would leave me with no chance, but I got lucky!


The Little Rhody Bottle Club’s fall tailgate show went quite well for me business-wise.  New RI bottles were a little scarce, but I found a few.  One was a N. Cappelli 327 Atwells Ave. Providence. RI handmade crown top soda.  It was embossed 12 Fl. Oz. on the heel, which isn’t listed online.


My next find was a Gaddes Bros. Riverpoint, RI blob.  While not rare, they come in a number of varieties.  This one was a listed version, but the color (clear) was unlisted.  I’ll take it!


My last find of the day was a nice Albert H. Sydney Providence, RI handmade crown top soda.  The color was a nice grey aqua.  It had a nice monogram and 11 oz. (as opposed to the listed 11-1/2oz) embossed in the middle of the slugplate, making it an unlisted version.