At the spring tailgate show someone
brought a citrate magnesia style B.F. Downing Jr. Druggist
Newport, RI. I knew it was
very rare but it appeared that a bulldozer dug it up and gave it a
few dings. After hearing the asking price I politely declined and
told them what I would be willing to pay. They came back a little
while later and said yes to my offer, and while I still overpaid it's
a great early bottle.
As fate would have it I got another
Clapp bottle. This was a machine made Otis Clapp & Son Cod
Liver Oil. I certainly wasn't surprised that it existed, I was
just surprised I haven't seen one sooner!
The summer Brimfield show was another
winner as one dealer had a box full of pharmacy bottles including a
bunch from RI. My favorite was a Rob't F. Linton Monument Sq.
Woonsocket, RI. This is
another one that has eluded me for years and this one is an unlisted
variant!
Also in that lot was an E.C.
Thornton & Co. Providence, RI in an unlisted 4-3/4” size.
There is a huge dump I dig at
occasionally, and while it has plenty of good bottles it has even
more poison ivy. That has kept me away from it for years but I
finally managed to find a path through the cursed stuff. My first
dig was ok, and I found a very boring but historically relevant
Gorham Silver Polish jar.
Gorham silver is internationally famous, so it's no surprise they
made their own polish.
