Winter Finds #3 2026

 A friend was doing some mudlarking and found a G.A. Wagner Berkeley, RI blob top. I was pretty excited because I was looking for the oval slugplate version. It turns out this was a second variant of the oval slug style! What are the odds?

Another friend of mine spotted a Dr. A.Z. Falcon Central Falls, RI medicine at a local show. I have heard of this pharmacist but never knew he had a bottle!

The same friend also picked up a trio of Alex McGunagle Central Falls, RI medicines. While listed, these three sizes were not!

I went to look at a diggers collection, and unfortunately it was nothing remarkable. I did notice one blob that is typically common was different! It was a Roger Williams Bottling Co. Park Place Cranston, RI. Only there is no Park Place, it is Park Ave! Research confirmed the name was never different. What a strange error!

A second spring marsh dig turned up a Colaluca Bottling Co. Providence, RI damaged crown top. This was a heartbreaker as I have never seen this variant before.

 

Winter Finds #2 2026

 I might have gotten a little cabin fever, and to be honest my friends did too. We trekked out to a milk bottle dump from the 1930s and spent over an hour punching a hole in the frost. As I neared the top of the hole most of the bottles were thrown in, I hit a pocket of blown bottles. I was surprised but also encouraged. I saw a whiskey pop out and my jaw dropped when I saw it was embossed Westside Wine Co. Frank Pfeffer & Co. Providence, RI! Frank Pfeffer was a professional baseball player, and I have a matching shot glass to go with this amazing whiskey.

A friend spotted an American Bottling Co. 27 Mathewson St. Providence, RI blob and picked it up for me. The Mathewson St. examples are the oldest and rather scarce compared to the other common variants. This one turned out to be unlisted!

While working on my upcoming book I compared to different S.H. Farnham Pharmacist Wickford, RI bottles. I noticed this older example had a period instead of a comma after Wickford. A nice little bonus variant!

I reached out to my mentor to get a height of his mega sized Enoch W. Vars Niantic, RI pharmacy bottle, and to my shock he ended up giving it to me as a gift! This is definitely the crown jewel of my Vars collection, and I'll always remember his generosity when I see it.

A random email asked me if I was interested in a Silas G. Wright Accuracy Wakefield, RI pharmacy bottle. My response was an empathetic yes! This was one of my most wanted local pharmacy bottles, and I was thrilled to add it to the collection.