Otis Collection pt. 9

I’m sorry to say this post doesn’t contain any particularly memorable unlisted bottles.  That said, hopefully something will pique your interest. 

 I would have thought that a shoulder embossed Caproni Bros. Providence, RI ABM quart would be fairly common, but it appears that is not the case!  Examples of the smaller 12oz. version are quite abundant.  Most of these shoulder embossed versions date to the late 1910s and into the 1920s.

Another new blob was from The Edward Smith Co. Bottlers Pawtucket, R.I.  While some blobs are listed, this example only had registered embossed outside the slugplate, on the shoulder as opposed to the heel on the listed version.  This was probably a beer bottle, as the company’s rectangular whiskeys are fairly common.

A J.J. Maguire Wickenden St. Providence, RI blob turned out to be an unlisted version as well.  The listed version with the HS monogram has punctuation errors, but this example does not.  I like to call this version the "money bottle", as the monogram is a dead ringer for the dollar sign.

My seventh different A.F. Cappelli Providence, RI blob was my fourth unlisted version.  The address line reads 255Atwells Ave (letters and numbers run together, and no period after Ave, which is unlisted).

A fairly common RI blob top soda is a John Prior & Co. Inc. Providence, RI.  When I saw a BIM crown top I thought something was off.  Sure enough, no crown tops are listed!

Otis Collection pt. 8

All of the bottles in this post are from the Otis collection with the exception of the first one, which I recently dug!

Another beverage company with an ever-expanding array of unlisted bottles is the Crystal Beverage Co. Providence, R.I.  This mainly heel embossed 7oz. bottle is simply marked “C” on the shoulder and base.

One of the most prolific manufacturers of druggist supplies in RI was that of Otis Clapp & Son.  Their square bottles can be found almost everywhere.  Despite their abundance, I have only seen one cork top example that was machine made.  This 3-3/8” bottle is relatively mundane, but one wonders why it is much less common than its handmade brothers.

Frank P. Casey was one of the most prolific “small town” bottlers of RI.  He was also creative, putting out a nice variety of bottles including amber blobs and police-badge shaped slugplates.  While not very fancy, a F.P. Casey North Smithfield, RI handmade crown top was a first.  It was my second crown top Casey, and no crown tops are listed!

Another company whose bottles frequently surface is that of the Royal Carbonating Company Providence, RI.  I thought I had this light aqua ABM quart, but turns out I did not! 

One of the most common seltzer bottles from RI is that of the Weinbaum Bros.  Barnet Weinbaum’s company later became the Glee Club, which made some nice ACL sodas and some seltzers as well.  Among Al’s seltzers was a nice Weinbaum Bros. NY Mineral Water Providence, RI seltzer bottle.  It is certainly nicer than the average Weinbaum seltzer!

Otis Collection pt. 7

Of the many Palmer & Madigan whiskey bottles listed, I have a preference for the aqua examples.  This Palmer & Madigan Importers Cor. Hay & Friendship Sts. Providence pint is unlisted with the AGS Co. trademark on the base.  While most listings don’t include trademarks on the bottom of the bottle, the Palmer & Madigan bottles are an exception.  Note that this might be RI-1740, but the lack of a picture and no trademark mentioned leave room for the unlisted argument.

Included in the Otis collection was an entire family of Chemical Industrial Co. R. DeAngelis Providence, RI cobalt blue medicine bottles.  These attractive bottles come in a number of varieties, but none are listed with a plain screw cap top.  Among the family I acquired three sizes; 5-1/2”, 7-1/4”, and 8-1/4”. (pictured are smallest and largest sizes)

Another commonly found RI medicine is marked D. & M. Co. Providence.  While I have a couple sizes of this bottle, an 8” example stuck out to me.  Sure enough, instead of being a plain square it had rounded sides on the back and a narrower body and top.  The patent date for the “special” shape on the bottom convinced me to declare this an unlisted version.

I found a pair of S.W. Himes medicine bottles from Phenix, RI in one of the first dumps I’ve dug.  Their neat shape (3 panels on the front with a rounded oval back) make them pretty attractive.  I was excited to see this large 7-1/2” example with fancy script embossing.  The front reads:  S.W. Himes & Co. Manufacturing Pharmacists Phenix, RI. 

Yet another large unlisted medicine was a Geo. L. Claflin & Co. Pharmacists Providence, RI.  This 8-1/2” bottle was an unlisted size.

Spring Finds #3

Welcome back!  I apologize for the delay since my last post.

 

I’ll pick up where I left off in my last post, the Stillwater Antique Center.  My second find of the day (also reasonably priced) was a J.A. Hebert Central Falls, RI handmade crown top soda.  While crown top examples of this bottle are listed with fancy script embossing, this one has a simple slug plate.

I will now return to more of the ever-impressive Otis collection!  Next up is yet another Standard Bottling Co. Pawtucket, RI.  This 7oz. ABM crown top is unlisted, and one of the newest Standard bottles I have come across.

Just when I couldn’t think of another Standard Bottling Co. bottle, surprise!  How about a seltzer?  While not as striking as the etched wine, it’s a great looking seltzer, and it happens to be my third etched bottle from the company.  What variety!

The Maine Bottling Co. of Providence, RI achieved moderate success in the sale of carbonated beverages.  This unlisted shoulder and heel embossed 16oz. bottle isn’t much to look at, but it does fit nicely between my 8oz. and quart sized examples.

Another slightly more interesting shoulder and heel embossed soda is a quart sized Yacht Club Bottling Works Centerdale, RI.  There are no quart-sized embossed bottles listed from the company, so this is an excellent addition to the family!