Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Santa Cruz Medicine

Anyone have any info on this Santa Cruz bottle
 
 
The date of the bottle, number known, rarity, western blown - Got anything?

10 comments:

  1. Looks like competitor of Wakelee's Cameline, and Mrs. Nettie Harrison. I've seen a fair number of Santa Cruz bottles over the last new decades but don't believe I've ever seen this one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Geez, I meant "last few decades". Lordbud

      Delete
    2. I believe you are right about being a competitor to the Wakelees etc. Doesn't appear to be a western looking color.
      rs

      Delete
  2. I actually dug one of these at my Great, Great, Grandparents house in Santa Cruz. The privy it came from was early 90s to about 1905. To date this is the 4th one I've seen, they're pretty darn rare.

    ReplyDelete
  3. According to The Druggist Circular of March 1903 "the Firm of Gillen & Trezona of Santa Cruz, has been dissolved. Mr. Trezona retiring and dispensing of his interest to A.E. Dupres, formerly in business in Napa. The business is now known as Gillen & Dupres."

    librarian

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for the info. So it was sold before 1903
    rs

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gillen appears to be Charles J. Gillen - based on a 1901 newspaper article announcing his wedding that mentions he's with Gillen & Trevona. There are weirdly quite a few Charles Gillens in California about the right time, so hard to tell which is the "correct"

      Delete
  5. Thanks for the information! This appears to be a pretty rare bottle overall with maybe 4 or 5 known to collectors? The date seems to match up with the bottle as well. Love those deep "Palmer green" druggist bottles and I had not seen one of these before. This posted example was found in Northern Cal. on the surface recently. Hard to believe there were so many "Gillen's" back then...kind of like "Taylor". Dale M.

    ReplyDelete
  6. A pair of these in two different colors just sold on ebay by strange coincidence...
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-TWO-Extremely-Rare-Western-Medicines-Skin-Creme-/121400626995
    Lordbud/Jason

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ok - genetically unable to leave a question unanswered ;o) - So the Charles J. Gillen in question was born in San Francisco CA in 1873 - The earliest can find him in Santa Cruz is 1894 on the election rolls and his occupation listed as "druggist" The 1902 Santa Cruz directory has the firm of Gillen & Trezona listed as operating at 92 Pacific Avenue.
    librarian

    ReplyDelete