Summer Finds #5

A while ago I mentioned the discovery of a brand new RI Codd botte. The Ashworth & Jackson X.L.C.R. Mineral Water Co. Lonsdale, RI instantly took a place as one of the top RI bottles. I wasn't sure what would become of it, but when the digger who found it told me it was going on ebay, I figured it was all or none. It wasn't cheap, but was worth every penny!

I recently acquired my third The T.F. Donahue Co. Providence, RI liquor bottle in a trade. This well worn example has a crown top, which is unlisted.

Ebay is full of surprises, and I almost passed one by! I saw a neat C.E. Hornberger Rx for Malaria medicine, and thought it was neat because of the malaria reference. I was trying to think of why the name sounded familiar, and of course, it was a Providence druggist! After a nervous week of waiting, I put in a good bid and it made its way to my mailbox.

In a box of mostly common and unembossed medicines, I finally obtained my first S.J. Briggs & Co. Providence, RI medicine bottle. While Briggs bottles are not rare, they have eluded me for quite some time. This version is an unlisted size at 3-1/2”.

In the same box was a John Metzger Apothecary Providence, RI. This square version is unlisted!

Summer Finds #4

I contacted a construction worker on Craigslist, and was greeted with a few boxes full of highly mediocre bottles. I overpaid because there were a few RI sodas, including an Eagle Bottling Co. Providence, RI blob. It is not listed with “This bottle to be returned” embossed on the heel.

A Mass. digger gave me a completely unlisted H.A. Bishop PhG Providence, RI medicine. Despite the appalling condition, it is an exciting find!

Yes, another one! This Otis Clapp & Son Inc. has script embossing, which is not listed. The Clapp horde grows!

I was excited to obtain my second RI dose cup recently. It was a David J. Byrne Newport, RI conical style cup. While a later and less sought after style, I still like it!

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A quick after work stop at a salt marsh produced a sharp looking Quaker Club Co. Providence, RI soda. It looked exactly like one I had bought last year, only it was missing the period after Co. Both versions are unlisted.

Summer Finds #3

The club's triannual tailgate show in Richmond, RI had a bustling crowd this July. I was able to acquire yet another New England Bottling Co. Westerly, RI crown top soda. This example does not have a capacity embossed, and brings me up to 12 versions!

I spotted yet another Narragansett Brewing Co. Famous Export Lager Providence beer at the show, and with the damage it had, was able to get it for free! This example lacks any kind of punctuation, making it my 14^th Narragansett bottle.

A recent scouting expedition brought me to the rivers of Westerly. Pickings were scarce, but I found a riverbank dump that produced a nice J.H. Blackler Westerly, RI soda. These aren't rare, but of the 9 versions I now have, this is the only one with a round slugplate!

A ways upstream I spotted a green bottle sticking out of the mud. I almost wrote it off as a modern beer bottle, but I'm quite glad I did not! It was a beautiful Havens Bott. Wks. Westerly, RI soda. The green examples are fairly rare, and the abbreviated example is also scarce, making this a one of a kind example!

A fellow collector scooped up a box of blobs at a nearby antique shop, and was generous enough to let me have first pick. I was happy to acquire a Thos. B. McLaughlin Woonsocket, RI semi-squat blob. This example has Registered embossed on the heel, but no “this bottle not to be sold” on the rear heel like the listed example does.

Summer Finds #2

June's club meeting produced two nice RI medicines. One was an E.T. Luther Registered Pharmacist Onleyville, RI. There are no examples listed with “registered pharmacist” embossed.

I was happy to finally track down a true aqua Dr. White's Specialty for Diphtheria. This medicine hails from the small town of Adamsville (in Little Compton). While it is fairly common in clear, the early aqua examples are rather hard to find, and unlisted!

Well, as funny as this is, I am still adding Otis Clapp bottles! This time I was able to mix it up with something unusual. This Otis Clapp & Son Boston & Providence is a cobalt screw top jar! It didn't look spectacular on ebay, but in person it is pretty impressive!

My first official tidal river adventure of the season produced a Geneva Springs Bottling Co. No. Providence deco soda. I have this unlisted soda in aqua, but this one is clear.  You will have to forgive its appearance, I haven't finished the cleaning process!

A very common soda, I debated keeping a Star Bottling Co. Pawtucket, RI crown top. After I scrubbed off all the black river gunk, I saw it was an unlisted aqua example. Ok, it stays!

Summer Finds #1

In late June, the Little Rhody Bottle Club had a club dig at a large town dump. It was an epic experience, with two backhoes carving out nice holes to dig in. One of my favorite finds was a Narragansett Brewing Co. Famous Export Lager Providence beer. It has registered embossed on the shoulder and in the slugplate, which made it unlisted. It also turned out to be my 2000^th Rhode Island bottle! It feels more like 1000, because there are still so many that I don't have!

A Property of Levin Bros. Providence, RI was in pretty rough shape with no top, but it looked different. Sure enough, it had an oval slugplate as opposed to the normal round slug plate versions.

Fellow digger Mike from NY joined the LRBC club dig, and turned up a nice aqua Chemical Industrial Co. Pharmacy Providence, RI. This company, run by R. DeAngelis, is know for their vibrant cobalt bottles. The aqua and amber examples are fairly hard to find. A bottle very similar to this one is listed, so it is possible that it was just poorly described, but for now I'm calling it unlisted.

A rectangular Caswell Massey & Co. New York and Newport medicine on ebay looked different from listed examples. Sure enough, this rectangular version was unlisted in this 6-1/4" size. Most examples are square or round.

A nice Caproni Bros. & Co. Atwells Ave. Providence, RI blob gave my Caproni Bros. family a population of 16 variants. Well, there's nothing wrong with large Italian families!

Spring Finds #9

I have had my sights set on a McKenna & Conaly Cypress St. Providence, RI aqua blob for a while now. As luck had it, one came up on ebay, and I was the only bidder! The interesting part to this blob is that Conaty is misspelled Conaly. Whoops!

Well, it's that time again! My second visit to Brimfield was a successful one! Among a slew of RI bottles were two unlisted examples. My favorite was this Otis Clapp & Son Incorporated 8” amber example. This is a bit larger than your normal “Clapp Incorporated” bottle, and has a commanding presence!

Another impressive bottle was a L.H. Meyer Company Providence quart blob. This hard to find size was unlisted in clear.

Ah yes, yet another Otis Clapp & Son has been found! This small amber square is almost identical to one I bought a month back. However, is is a darker amber, and does not have the M.B.W. trademark on the bottom. Maybe I'm being over-observant, but I think it deserves mention!

One of the newest RI bottles listed on the website is a Saltesea Oysters Providence, RI oyster bucket. This “glass bucket” has a metal handle and heavily lettered screw top. It is only listed in an 8oz. size, but this one is 15oz!

Spring Finds #8

I know, I'm still stuck back in spring, but I'm almost caught up!

 

A house call in Warren, RI had me in unfamiliar territory. The owner had just moved, and after an hour of searching, I finally found the box of bottles he told me about. My favorite find was a T.M. Morris Bristol, RI crown top soda. These aren't very common to begin with, and this one has a superfluously fancy monogram on the front. Needless to say, that one made the trip worthwhile!

Another bottle from the big haul mentioned in the last post was a J.H. Branaghan Pawtucket, RI blob. Most Branaghans you come across are crown tops, and this blob version was unlisted!

I was about to part with a damaged United States Bottling Co. Providence, RI crown top when I noticed it was unlisted! These liquor bottles with an embossed eagle on the shoulder are pretty much impossible to dislike. Here's my 8^th version!

I picked up a nice yellow amber McManus & Meade Bottlers Nasonville, RI crown top at the last bottle club meeting. There are quite a few variants of these bottles, so I wanted to make sure it wasn't a new one. Sure enough, it was! It has a period after Re in registered, which is one of the more bizarre errors I have seen.

A recent trip to the big town dump produced a J.J. Maguire & Co. Providence, RI blob. This example with a round slugplate was unlisted, and became my 5^th variant.