September 9, 2017 The Last Downieville Bottle Show

 

 

 

 

The Downieville Bottle Show was started in the early 1990's as the Mother Lode Bottle Show by Bill Ham and Warren Friedrich with help from Richard Siri and the late Jess Jones. If you were one of the early attendees or show dealers you remember the 1997 Western Whiskey Extravaganza that featured the top western whiskies and seminar by the late guru of western whiskies John Thomas. The 1998 show featured a display of the most desirable Slug Plate and Picture Whiskies displayed by collectors from all over the west.

 

The Downieville show has had its highlights over the years and also many hurdles to overcome to keep the show relevant and entertaining. Downieville is a small remote community and the required services and resources to keep an enjoyable bottle show up and running have dwindled over the years.

 

Although this is Downieville's last show you can count on the members of the Downieville Bottle Group to do all they can to support the ongoing western bottle shows.

 

Thank all of you for your support over the years and don't miss Downieville's final show on 

September 9 - rs -     

From Charles Festersen

Happy Fathers Day Guys:

Oh yea, the perfect Fathers Day: whiskey, cigars, and Flobert saloon pistols. And, if you think something is missing, assuredly there is a beautiful women behind the the camera lens!

 

 

My first Western Whiskey , acquired at the Reno, NV Show.

The Mother of all Criers?

As seen on ebay

 

This would be in my top 10 list of criers - rs -

Reno Bottle Show

Here is the duo of transposed London Jockey Club Huose Gin bottles together and in solo shots.

Hi Rick, I wanted to share pictures of my latest bottle, a transposed London Jockey Club Huose Gin bottle, this is not the one that I posted a while back but another that I acquired. That makes two that I definitely know of and I hear a third damaged example exists.

A Gaggle of Jakes

If you collect western Jamaica Gingers it's a good time to add to your collection.

 

 

For the last week or so there have been at least a dozen western Jamaica Gingers on ebay for sale

 

 

A few years back you could pick up a colored jake once in a while at your local bottle show

 



 

Not so now a days. I haven't seen a colored jake on a bottle show sales table in a blue moon

 

 

But thanks to the world wide web with online bottle auctions......

 

Your western Jamaica Ginger collection is just a click away

Oakland Glass Works 5th on ebay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Western-Applied-Top-6th-Oakland-Glass-Works-/122502056516?hash=item1c85b10a44:g:O~sAAOSwtGlZHQkp

Dr. Barlow J. Smith's Caloric Vita Oil



Here's an interesting western cure that I have never heard of.

 

 

Anyone ever run across this bottle or have one in their collection 

 

 

 

 - rs -

 

Bottle Collectors Take Fight to Federal Court

 

 

 SACRAMENTO (CN) — A dispute over antique “owl drug bottles” has blown up into a federal lawsuit in which a bottle historian claims he was defamed by a vindictive competitor.
     Jeffrey Wichmann founded American Bottle Auctions in 1993 and wrote “The Best of the West — Antique Western Bitters Bottles” (1999).
     According to the book description on Amazon: “Virtually every western bitters bottle is shown in full color, many in the different color variations they were blown in. For each listed bottle, a brief history is given along with the name, size, year made and type of top it has. It also includes a rundown on the current status of each bottle and points of interest. In addition, it includes the rarity and current value of each.”
     In his April 22 lawsuit, Wichmann claims rival collector David Levine falsely accused him of selling stolen owl drug bottles for $20,000 apiece.
     He claims Levine spewed a “continuing stream of false and misleading allegations” to induce Wichmann’s fans and customers to boycott an upcoming Sacramento antique bottle auction and trade show.
     “Levine went right to the throat, attacking Wichmann’s honesty and integrity,” the complaint states.
     Wichmann claims to have sold the world’s most expensive bottle at an auction in 1998 — for $68,750 — and his legend looms large among bottle collectors. He calls his website, americanbottle.com, “a vital, interactive center for the world of bottle collectors.” Wichmann also is “active” in the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors (FOHBC).
     He claims that Levine “fancies himself an expert on antique bottles,” and “has carried a grudge over Wichmann and the FOHBC principally over the practice of bottle cleaning.”
     Levine maintains his own website, the “Owl Drug Collectors Blog,” which he describes as “A page dedicated to those who have a passion for the history and collection of owl drug bottles,” according to the complaint.
     Wichmann says Levine began defaming him on the blog in December last year.
     “What followed was a series of blog entries over the course of the next three months that presented false and defamatory allegations against Wichmann that damaged Wichmann’s reputation in the community in general,” according to the 28-page complaint.
     The accusations center on three bottles Wichmann sold that allegedly were stolen from an opera house in Nevada in the late 1990s.
     Citing Levine’s blog posts, Wichmann says Levine told his readers that Wichmann knowingly bought the stolen bottles with cash to avoid a paper trail and then quickly sold the loot.
     Wichmann says he had no idea that the bottles allegedly had been stolen and that he bought them with checks, which he provided to Nevada investigators. He says he also featured photographs of the three bottles on his website and digital catalog.
     “The investigative report contains no evidence that Wichmann was anything other than an innocent and good faith purchaser of three bottles,” the complaint states.
     Levine also attacked the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors for inducting Wichmann into its Hall of Fame in April.
     “Obviously they support a lack of ethics, integrity, honest and condone illegal activities and behavior,” Levine blogged after Wichmann’s induction. “Their unanimous vote of 18 to 0 is indicative of that support,” according to one of the numerous blogs quoted in the lawsuit.
     Levine concluded his April 15 post, “Bad Behavior,” by suggesting that the federation inducted Wichmann to its Hall of Fame because he had donated $5,000 to the group.
     “Was it truly a donation or payback or pay forward for favors to come?” Levine blogged.
     Wichmann claims the blog posts were made with “personal animosity” and he fears he will be shunned and ridiculed by his fans and customers.
     The heat generated by the rival bottle barons becomes intense as the lawsuit’s allegations unwind. For instance, Wichmann accuses Levine of “demonstrating his utter ignorance about antique bottles” by claiming that four Cassam bitters bottles were sold for a total of $58,000, a Bryant bitters bottle for $17,000, and “a more rare Bryant variant sold for $30,000.” In fact, Wichmann says, “There is no such thing as a ‘Cassam’ bottle.” They are actually called Cassin bottles, he says. And the bottles don’t cost that much.
     Wichmann seeks $1 million in punitive damages for libel and invasion of privacy,
     He is represented by Peter Glick of Sacramento, who could not be reached for comment after business hours Monday.

Bob Ferraro Passes

It is with great sadness that I wanted to announce the passing of Bob Ferraro today.

Bob was a legend in the collecting hobby and a pioneer in western bottle collecting.

He will be missed.

Dale Mlasko

 

Bob & Connie Ferraro

WELCOME TO THE 2017 SANTA ROSA

ANTIQUE BOTTLE & COLLECTIBLES SHOW

Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building 
Across from the Sonoma County Fairgrounds

Saturday, May 6th. - 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission: $3.00
Dealer Set-up, early entry $10, Saturday 9-10 a.m.

Sunday, May 2nd. - 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Admisson: FREE

 

 

ADVERTISING - ANTIQUES - BOTTLES - COINS - DOLLS - TOKENS - BREWING - POST CARDS SONOMA COUNTY HISTORY - POTTERYVINTAGE MEMORABILIA - EPHEMERA - SALOON ITEMS - MARBLES - POTTERY - GLASSWARE -  TINS - ETC.

 

This years show will be held with two other big events at the same location.

"Farmers Market” Saturday
&
The HUGE 40/8 "Flea Market” Sunday!

For the first time ever we've combined our show with one of the biggest collector Flea Mkts. in Northern California, the 40/8. This mkt draws hundreds of people to the venue.

  

 FREE APPRAISALS - WE BUY - SELL - TRADE

 

********************************************************************

 

 

There seems to be some sort of communication breakdown and these two great shows wound up being held on the same weekend. 

Pretty hard to attend both shows as they are hundreds of miles apart

Without your support our western bottle shows will be a thing of the past...... - rs -

 

 

Just Dug

From Charles Festersen

For some time now I have recognized that certain master inks and the Lacuor's bitters share some design similarities. However, last week was the first time I placed some side by side for comparison. Clearly there are significant differences yet, they seem to share a design theme. For me the comparison begs two questions. Which came first? And, was Louis Lacour's lighthouse design as original and unusual as I thought? In any case, I feel the photo I have included is visually appealing, and I hope, of at least passing interest to collectors

Dr. Boerhaave's Stomach Bitters

The number of western made 1860's decade bitters bottles can almost be counted on both hands (aproximately 13 embossed on glass brands). Out of almost 100 brands manufactured for the western market, this is a pretty exclusive group. Most collectors would be pretty excited to have an example from this group.

Of those 13 brands of bitters bottles, approximately 4 are known in a square shaped container. This Boerhaave's example is in company with the Rosenbaums Bitters, Alex Von Humboldts Bitters and the G. A. Simon's Bitters as the only square shaped bitters made during the 1860's, (there are of course the Dr. Renz's Bitters and the E. G. Lyon's bottle but these continued into the 1870's decade).

Now that is an exclusive group! This particular example has some wonderful glass characteristics, the surface of the glass is whittled, which is not normally seen on these bottles, the old amber coloration varies in shades from the bottom half of the bottle being darker while the upper half is much lighter, with the neck and top being a darker shade again due to glass thickness. The embossing is quite bold, with the letters themselves being gloppy in appearance (my term used to describe the peaks and valleys of the letters due to the glass not forming evenly in the cavaties). There are currently 11 examples in western collections, 4 are a dark green coloration, 5 are various shades of amber, 1 is a light green color and 1 is a yellow olive coloration.

The firm of Siegfried Wertheimber and Louis Waterman were the manufacturers and proprietors of this bitters. It was first advertised on March 7th, 1868 with the principle depot being at 311 Commercial St, San Francisco, by June of 1868 the firm was advertising this product from their 219 Commercial St, S. F. address. Dr. Boerhaave's Bitters was also being advertised thru the Portland Morning Oregonian newspaper from May 15th, 1868 thru January 28th, 1869, Millard and Van Schuyver were the agents for Oregon. The Los Angeles Star newspaper ran an advertisement for the Boerhaave's Bitters placed by a local druggist for several mos. in 1868 as well.

Wertheimber & Waterman also marketed a cordial called The Splendid and another bitters called Boonekamp and Maag-Bitters, these two products continued to be advertised without the Boerhaave's bitters throughout 1869 in a Sacramento newspaper. At the 1868 San Francisco Mechanics Institute Fair, Wertheimber & Waterman displayed two kegs of their Boonekamp and Maag-Bitters along with a case of their Dr. Boerhaave's Stomach Bitters.

In a notice placed in the San Francisco Daily Examiner newspaper, the firm of Wertheimber & Waterman dissolved their partnership on September 25th, 1869. Siegfried Wertheimber having sold his entire interest in the business to Phillip Wertheimber and the firm continued as before under the name of Wertheimber & Waterman. [see post of September 21, 2009 for additional information on Dr. Boerhaave's Bitters.]

This is a re-post from a earlier article written by Warren Friedrich - rs -

Chico Bottle Show

March 10th & 11th   (Friday & Saturday) Chico, California –

51st Annual Antique Bottle, Jar, Insulator & Collectable Show & Sale, Silver Dollar Fairgrounds, Chico, California, Friday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, $5 for early lookers

Admission, Saturday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Free Admission,

Contact Randy Taylor, P.O. Box 1065, Chico, California 95927, 530.518.7369, rtjarguy@aol.com

Chico is one of my favorite shows, see you there - rs -

Eastern/Western Rosenbaums

Here is a nice looking large size Rosenbaums that should be eastern because of the dot on the base and the tapered top. I have a hard time believing that all dot based large size Rosenbaums are eastern blown. The color and character is spot on for early western glass and doesn't the top remind you of a Simons or Von Humodlts ?


.

St. Clair's Hair Lotion Again

Here is 2 Different St. Clair's Hair Lotions, the darker one is what I have seen as Typical, the Lighter color ones I have not seen a lot of, its also got a nice Benicia Effect to it, is Cruder, The lighter one is 1/8" taller, Embossing Looks the same on both, Kind of like the one Lou posted, His looks like an Applied Top, these both are Tool Tops.

St. Clair's Hair Lotion

1872 advertisement

Howard St. Clair Chemist Boston, Mass.

 

Western ? Blown in the east and distributed in the west? Well?...... - rs -

Hey Rick:

Hope all is well your way. The rain here has been unbelievable. Here’s a pic of the only Western version of this bottle that I’ve seen.

Lou

WOW! What an incredible example of the St. Clair's
Thanks Lou

Just wondering if anyone has heard about any dates for a Reno, NV Show ?

Update: The Santa Rosa Antique Bottle & Collectibles show will be held on May 6th & 7th,  2017. The first weekend in May will now continue to be our annual date. Our venue had a change in staff who inadvertently sold our original 2017 date we had booked a year in advance.  Unknown to us, we had flyers printed with the wrong dates and distributed at the Downieville show.  With much apology from the Hall director, we were asked what they could do to make up for their screw-up. Finally they granted us the show date we’ve always wanted and always denied due to the other huge event at the venue.

 The 40/8 Flea Market is attended by hundreds if not thousands of people and is also on this first weekend. It’s not to be confused with the regular weekly flea mkt. we’ve held our show with in the past. This is one of the biggest annual flea markets in Northern California with loads of antiques & collectibles. It’s draws a large amount of both collectors and dealers from all over. Then on Saturday it’s the “Farmers” Mkt.” which will also be just outside our show doors.  This is an unbelievable venue for a bottle show, we will have lots of visitors. 

It was with much discussion among club members and voted upon to select this date.  As we look around there’s fewer bottle collectors as the years go by. Attendance at shows is down and 2nd  days are often a little to quiet. It’s important to get the general public exposed to the hobby and generate new collectors. Holding shows with like events is a benefit for dealer sales and a great way to generate new collectors.

Dealer & Show info at: http://www.oldwestbottles.com/Santa_Rosa_Show.php

Follow the “Northwestern Bottle Collectors Association” at: https://www.facebook.com/NBCA1965/ on Facebook!

If You Didn't Know.....

American Bottle Auctions – Auction 63 is Now Open for Bidding!

Part One is Underway. The first of our two-part Madruga/O’Neill western auction is open for viewing and bidding starts today! Part one is open for bidding up until Sunday February 19th and part two will start on March 1 and end on March 19th. We’ve extended the bidding period for both parts of the auction so that everyone will have enough time to check it out. If you have any questions please let us know and we’ll be happy to answer them or simply email us and request extra photos or even a video and we can get them to you right away. Requested catalogs are being printed and will be in the mail tomorrow. Thank you for taking the time to check the auction out. We truly have the best customers in the world!

 

Auction 63 from American Bottle Auctions has some of the most incredible western bottles seen at auction in quite a while. There are offerings from most all category's of western blown bottles and it is well worth your time to take a look. - rs -

http://www.americanbottle.com/