Late Summer Finds #4

Also a package deal with the Powell bottle mentioned last week was a Blanding & Blanding Pharmacists Providence, R.I.  Coincidentally, this bottle is also 3-1/2” and unlisted.

The last bottle from the shopping spree was one of the fanciest.  A W.H. Hinds Registered Pharmacist Providence, RI was quick to catch my eye.  It had an embossed mortar & pestle, registered pharmacist in a circle, and a little sheaf of wheat to boot!  The 5-1/4” size was unlisted.

While not a bottle, I felt this special find was worth mentioning.  Back in the late 1800s, many liquor merchants handed out complimentary shot glasses to their most valued customers.  These glasses were usually etched with the company’s name, and occasionally had an image or gold-gilded lip to make them a little snazzier.  I have only seen about 10 from RI, all very hard to find.  So when I saw a Compliments of S.H. Zucker & Co. Pawtucket, RI shot glass, I almost jumped in excitement.  The best part was the under $2 price!  It will fit perfectly with my Zucker blob top liquor bottles.

After going nearly a month without buying a bottle on ebay, I finally saw one worth purchasing.  A James T. Wright Pharmacist Newport, RI medicine looked conspicuously small.  Sure enough, it is only listed at 5”, and this one was 3-1/2”.

After mixed success this year digging the marshes, I struck it big in one spot.  It yielded over 100 bottles, and about 50 were worth keeping.  I had most of the RI bottles I found already, but a crown top Roger Williams Bottling Co. Cranston, RI looked a little off.  I still can’t say for sure, but from the normal angle the alleged comma after Cranston looks like a period.  I’ll call it a new version until I break out the magnifying glass.

Late Summer Finds #3

This week (which was actually some time in August) was what I could only describe as a shopping blitz.  I made four day trips to all the nearby antiques malls and small shops along the way.  Some days the pickings were slim, and during others the bottles were crawling out of the woodwork!

A random yet welcome meeting with a quahogger in an antique store parking lot ended with him giving me a free box of bottles!  Most were commons, but there was one decent ACL soda, and an American Bottling Corp. Providence, R.I. ABM crown top soda.  This shoulder (and heel) embossed soda is only listed with Prov. abbreviated.

A local arts and antiques shop had a stiffly priced N. Cappelli Atwells Ave. Providence, RI crown top.  Since it was the nicest looking Cappelli I had come across, I picked it up.  There was no period after Fl (as in 11-1/2 Fl. Oz.), and a period after Providence, so it was a new version!

While browsing another antique shop, I spotted a New England Bottling Co. Westerly, RI.  While I initially thought these to be hard to find years ago, I now have 10 versions including this one.  The monogram, which is usually CH, was CDH, an unlisted variant.  It is interesting to note these are the initials of Charles D. Havens, who created Havens Bottling Works.  I believe the New England bottles predate the Havens bottles.

Another antique shop find was a nice A. Fenner Pharmacist Providence, R.I. medicine.  The only listed Fenner bottles read A.W. Fenner, and apothecary instead of pharmacist.

In the same shop I found a cute little Frank L. Powell Chemist Newport, RI medicine.  The 3-1/2” size is unlisted.

Late Summer Finds #2

Another bottle I got from fellow collector Zack was George A. Peckham Grocers Supplies Providence, RI.  This common bottle comes in a slew of variations, but I was still surprised to find my 10^th variant.  This example has no apostrophe in Grocers, and a period after Providence.

I recently met a local excavator who had a bunch of bottles that he was looking to sell.  Among them was a Wm. E. Clarke Providence, RI Hunt’s Remedy variant.  This uncommon medicine comes in a few versions, and I noticed this particularly crude version had slanted embossing.  While it’s a push to call it a variant, I think I can get away with it. 

My favorite medicine bottle of the lot was a nice large Wm. B. Blanding Pharmacist Providence, R.I.  At 8”, it is one of the largest (and coincidentally fanciest) Blanding bottles I have seen.  The monogram is only found on one other Blanding bottle, and no examples are known to have an address on them. 

While less impressive, my third variant of the Otis Clapp & Son Inc. screw cap bottle should be mentioned.  This is the smallest one I have yet, with 1oz. embossed on the bottom.

While the tides were not ideal, I got the itch to go marsh digging recently.  After three hours of digging with minimal success, I was very excited to find an E.E. Young Druggist Wickford Pharmacy Wickford, RI.  At 4-1/8”, it was an unlisted size, and my fourth size of this bottle.  

More new but not mine

Here are yet more unlisted RI bottles that I hope to some day acquire!

I was recently contacted by a RI antiques/collectibles dealer who had bought a lot that included a few bottles.  Three of them from RI were unlisted.  An A.O. Austin Pharmacist Providence, R.I. had a different address than the listed example as well as an embossed mortar and pestle.

Another unlisted variant was a Farnham & Cundall Pharmacists E. Greenwich, R.I.  The listed example is oval while this one is square.

Lastly was a brand new Dr. P.E. Gervais Social Corner Woonsocket, R.I.  Woonsocket had a large French population, and the last names on many Woonsocket bottles is a testament to this!

Recently fellow collector Tom M. came across a bunch of Sunlight Bleach Phillipsdale, RI bottles.  He had two unlisted colors, one in a lime green and another in an olive green.

While the authenticity of one of these bottles is debatable, I have seen citron colored Davis Vegetable Pain Killer bottles in person.  They are generally the older applied lip examples.  The example on the right is a small newer version, and it is possible the color was altered.

Late Summer Finds

I recently won a lot of blob top bottles on ebay.  I thought that three might be unlisted, but only one was.  It is hard enough to find the listed versions of the Crescent Bottling Co. East Providence, RI blob.  This was the first bottling company in East Providence to have an embossed bottle.

A recent trip to a large antique shop wasn’t too fruitful, but a nice James E. Nolan Providence, RI seltzer bottle made it worthwhile.  I believe Mr. Nolan was in a partnership with one of the many McKennas involved in the RI bottling industry, later he continued on his own.

I recently met a local collector (Zack), who had been collecting bottles for a number of years.  I’m continually surprised with how many collectors I continue to meet, and some are right down the road from me!  We did some trading, in which I acquired a nice E.A. Gavitt, Jr. Narragansett Pier, RI.  This example had the less common beer bottle shape, and was embossed Registered on the front heel and This Bottle to be Returned when Empty on the back heel.  I guess I’ll have to keep it full!

I also got a Fred L. Lothrop Pharmacist Providence, RI during our trading.  This moderately successful pharmacist has four different bottles, including his own cough elixir.  This example was 5-1/4”, which is an unlisted size.

I was finally able to make it to the fairly-distant Achusnet Antiques in New Bedford, Mass. recently.  Housed in an old mill, it has a great atmosphere.  I found a nice clear quart P. Faerber & Sons Co. Newport, RI soda.  I thought I already had it, but when I checked my listing, I saw that mine was aqua!  A clear version was unlisted.