An old time seller parted with their
modest collection a few months ago and while I was able to get some
nice bottles it was a difficult process. The real problem was the
guy who bought them to list on ebay, a pothead who knew absolutely nothing about bottles. Half the words in his listings were misspelled, he used incorrect terms and blurry pictures, but I figured I'd take a chance. I knew
after I received a bottle that had significant damage he didn't
mention that every purchase was going to be a gamble. My first
bottle from this seller was a Dyer's Healing Embrocation
Providence, RI. It was a nice larger size with a funny top. I
have one just like it with a crude applied top. This one had a much
newer looking tooled lip. When it comes to dating the bottle I'm
stumped!
A young collector from CT came across a
Cotton Club Beverages Cranston, RI deco soda at a flea
market. I was blown away that there was more than one deco style
soda as the one I have is rare as it is. We made a deal and I'm now
the happy owner of both Cotton Club deco sodas.
Another nice surprise was a Frank
Heiss & Co. Cranston, RI blob. While not rare, I never saw
one with the embossing in a diamond. I had to pay up but hey, so far
it's unique!
Another beer I traded for was a Francis
Gavin Pawtucket, RI
with “hollow hands”. Most of the shaking hands are solid, but
there are also hollow versions that are a bit harder to find.
Here's a bottle I bought from the
“pothead” seller that I actually returned because it had several
significant cracks. It was an It Pays to Trade at Powells
Newport, RI. After getting
blocked from bidding because I was too “picky”, a friend of mine
offered to bid on my behalf and I ended up getting it for
significantly less. I have to imagine I was only one in a long list
of unhappy buyers from this unsavory seller.
