At the last Little Rhody Bottle Club meeting member Tom
Mendes brought in a handful of Calder’s
Dentine bottles. These are some of
the most common medical bottles from RI, but as one might expect, there are
uncommon versions. I bought two of the
uncommon large size examples (similar to listed bottle RI-123). The first was an early machine made example,
which is unlisted. The second was a
little more interesting. At almost the
same, it was unmistakably thinner than the ABM (and more common BIM)
versions. After looking at it closely I
concluded that it was an earlier version (probably early 1880s).
Another find from my first salt marsh excursion was a LaSalle Beverages Shiloh Bottling Wks. Providence, RI ABM
quart soda. I thought I already had this
example, but my old one made no mention of Shiloh, and had two locations
embossed (Providence and Springfield, Mass.). Curious!
Also present at the club meeting was an elusive The Five Sullivan Brothers Family Wines & Liquors Providence, RI whiskey bottle. A pint bottle is listed online, but this one was a half-pint! Now if they only came in five sizes...
A bottle of mystery I recently acquired is a Mattison’s New Cure for Headaches. I am almost certain it was a product of Edgar F. Mattison, a Providence druggist. He patented a "Quick Stop for Headaches", so all I need is an ad to prove the relation. If I'm right, this is yet another new RI cure!
Last year I came across a small broken medicine bottle at a Providence construction site. I didn't recognize it, so I brought home the shards and completed the bottle puzzle. It turned out to be a Callender, McAuslan, & Troup Perfumery Dept. This was a very large department store in Providence, RI (kind of like Macys circa 1900). I was very excited to make the discovery, but alas, finding a whole bottle would not be easy! Who would have guessed a local collector had one sitting on a table in his basement! I told him my story and how I discovered it was a RI bottle, and it now proudly resides in my collection!
