Summer Finds #4 2015

A collector from northern RI told me about a dump near his house that was “too new” for his liking. By too new he meant 1910-20s, which was plenty old for me! It was a tough dump to dig, but soon the bottles started popping. A Joseph Brown Co. Woonsocket, RI medicine was the only embossed RI medicine to appear. Measuring 6-1/4”, it was an unlisted size.

Next up was quite a surprise. While the top was broken off, I was happy find it and reunite the two pieces. The bottle was a Jos. B. McLaughlin Woonsocket, RI soda. There are quite a few Thos. McLaughlin bottles, and the later bottles are embossed McLaughlin's Soda Works. Joseph succeeded Thomas in 1912, and by 1914 established the McLaughlin Soda Works. That explains why this bottle is unlisted! The same mold for the Thos. McLaughlin bottle was used, and the lettering was reworked (you can see Thos erased under Jos). The monogram was changed as well.

In my latest river walk, finds were getting scarce. I dig grab a Nectar Bottling Co. Providence quart crown top that decided to emerge from the muck. I thought I had it, but nope! My other example (also unlisted) has 28oz. on the front, while this one says 26oz.

I recently had the pleasure of viewing a local veteran collector's collection, which contained some very nice glass. He was willing to part with a few RI bottles, including a Star Bottling Co. Pawtucket, RI clear quart. Normally this bottle wouldn't make me bat an eye, but I noticed it was clear, as opposed to the listed aqua. That makes four variants!

Auctions are one of my smallest source for new bottles, but every now and then you find something. Recently I saw a crate full of sodas bottles coming up for auction. It said Morris Bros. Bristol, RI. I was hoping for some variety, but they were all the same. Hey, at least they were a new version! There is another listed example with the unusual rectangular shoulder slugplate, but it is a smaller size.

Summer Finds #3 2015

A Massachusetts digger recently unearthed an O. Sumner & Son Pharmacists Providence medicine. It got me pretty excited, because the ornate design on the front was unlike any other RI medicine I have seen. We agreed on a price, and soon I was the proud owner of the nicest Sumner bottle!

A friend tipped me off to a dam in West Warwick that was being worked on. The river had dropped a few feet, exposing all sorts of goods. The only blob I found was a typically common W.H. Arnold Riverpoint, RI. However, this one has sloping shoulders, which no listed variants have. Despite being damaged, it was a neat find.

A scarce Newport medicine popped up on ebay recently, and I was on it like a flea on a dog. I came away with an unlisted variant Geo. A. Wood Chemist Newport, RI. The listed version has the embossing in script, while this one is just plain block letters.

A few weeks ago I dug a Puritan Bottling Co. Providence, RI. I certainly had some déjà vu when I found one at a new dump I was digging. All of the sodas were broken besides this one, which had damage. Unlike my other example, this one has punctuation including a random period after Bottling.

A recent yard sale produced a Rosseau & Brown Druggists Woonsocket, RI medicine. It is one of my favorite prescription bottle shapes, round with a flat front panel. There is a Rosseau & Brown listed in this shape, but it is also embossed Rexall, which this one is not!

 

Summer Finds #2

The month of July proved to be an exceptional one for new finds! For starters, I finally won a Harvey Mineral Water Works Newport, RI Codd soda! This is one of the rarest RI bottles known, and what makes it really special is that it is a variant of the damaged example I already have! It has patent dates on the base and heel, while the listed example only has the dates on the base.  It appeared in a recent Glassworks Auction, and thankfully I had a little cash tucked away for something like this.

An exceedingly rare whiskey also made a special appearance. The Best World Rye On Earth R.L. Rose Co. Providence, RI is the only RI whiskey with a ground screw cap. It is also one of the most ornately embossed RI bottles, featuring a globe on the front. Listed in a half pint size, this example is an unlisted pint!

Just when I thought that I had the only two possible examples, I came across another E. Jenckes squat soda! This one is smooth based with a block letter period after the E. The other smooth base one I have has a plain period. That makes three!

Small town sodas are among my most wanted RI bottles, and this Ashton Bottling Co. Ashton, RI was near the top of that list! Listed as a blob, this is an unusual short crown top version! You have to love surprises.

At the summer Brimfield show I picked up an American Oyster Co. Providence, RI pint size jar. I noticed that the lip is squared, which is a variant of RI-1777.