A collector reached out to me when he
acquired a S.J. Esten squat sod with a double sloping collar
lip. This was one of the three very rare variants of the Esten sodas
that I haven't seen yet.
In my last visit to the salt marsh I
found a 3-1/2” Downing Bros. Druggists Newport, RI pharmacy
bottle. Sadly it was badly cracked, but at least it's an unlisted
size!
I was about to accept defeat during my
latest antiquing run when I spotted a pint whiskey on a shelf. It
was facing backward and appeared to be embossed. I was pretty much
shocked to see it was a Five Sullivan Bros. Family Liquor Store
Providence, RI. It was a
different version than the one listed and my second size of this rare
whiskey.
I get quite a few emails due to my blog
asking about RI bottles. A number of them are people looking to sell
a bottle that I reply to and never hear back from. Considering they
usually have scarce bottles this can be very frustrating. I was
pleasantly surprised when someone with an Albert O. Hull & Co.
Central Falls, RI medicine actually responded a few months later.
This bottle was completely unlisted so I made an offer and it showed
up in the mail a few days later!
The Keene show had slimmer pickings for
RI bottles this year but I did get another exciting addition. My
friend Carl accidentally nuked a completely unlisted Great Western
Wine Co. Providence, RI crown top. It looks just like a
Narragansett beer and I was unable to find any records of the
company.
