An Identity Crisis~

Although my primary focus in western bottle collecting has been western whiskies for the past couple of decades and change, such was not always the case. Starting in the early 1970's, I began to build a diverse collection of both western whiskies and bitters produced by the same company. Some of you old timers may recall the display of mine which used to appear at many western shows. It was titled, simply, "The Cause or the Cure?". 

The collection included Hibernia Bitters / Old Pioneer Whiskey (Fenkhausen & Braunschweiger), Cunderango / Jockey Club (G.W. Chesley), Damiana Bitters / Phoenix Bourbon (Naber, Alfs & Brune),  Ayala - Ayyalla  / Game Cock (M. Rothenberg), Alpine Herb / P. Vollmers (Thos Taylor), Hibernia / Bear Grass (Braunschweiger & Bumstead), Dr. Millers Ratafia Damiana / Rosedale (Siebe Bros. & Plagemann) etc. etc. etc.

Back then it was generally accepted as fact that if the bottle had those funny curved leg "R's", it was definitely a western blown bottle. Since then, a great deal of in depth research has been done which further cemented our belief about the curved leg (serif) "R's". 

The old saying about "old too soon - smart too late" held true in my case. I temporarily got side tracked and began collecting antique Winchesters in the early 80's. It soon became evident that I couldn't afford to collect whiskies, bitters and lever action rifles. On August 17, 1985, at the Reno Show, I liquidated the bitters end of my collection. I knew the moment that the last bottle went out the door, that I'd goofed. At least I kept "The Cause" even if I did cut loose of the "Cure"...

A couple of weeks ago, my "personal fortunes" made a reversal, and I now had a bit of disposable cash available (it's called social security)... Hmm, decisions, decisions; a slightly bigger bank account or start collecting bitters again. To me, the choice was obvious. And so, history repeats itself and I'm back on the prowl for good western bitters.

My first new addition to the ranks of western bitters was a Dr. Henley's. Not just your basic Wild Grape Root Bitters though; this example was one that I'd always wanted, but never had. A Dr. Henley's California IXL Bitters.   

This one has it all, crude, big sloppy swirl of tobacco juice embedded in the glass right in front, great strike, curved leg "R's" and that beautiful deep fire aqua that just screams S.F. glass!

The embossing is interesting in that the "IXL" logo is a dead ringer for the style on the label (which was trademarked in 1870). The letters resemble logs arranged to spell out "IXL". I got out my Wilson Bitters book but there's no listing for the cylinder California variant in aqua, although it does show Henley as operating out of Alameda, Cal., with offices in San Francisco, in 1870. The lack of mention of the California variant in Wilsons book comes as no surprise though, as it contains as many errors and omissions as not... Fortunately, I have a copy of Bill Hams "Bitters Bottles" and on page 274 is a reference to the California IXL. 

Henry Epstine is listed on the California trade mark paperwork of February 3, 1870, with offices in San Francisco. According to Ham / Ring, a footnote mentions that Henley is also listed in the 1870 Chicago business directory in a partnership dba Epstein (sic), Henley & Co. Prop's., and that the California IXL was an eastern product. 

This bottle has me confused; fire aqua & curved R's both indicate S.F. Glass Works production. And yet it's supposed to be eastern? Blown in the west for the east coast market (not)? Blown back east using west coast sand to produce the fire aqua coloration (not)?

The combination of both the color and serif "R's" sure leaves me scratching my head! 

Eastern? Western?

Looks like an identity crisis to me...

Downieville Bottle Show - End of a Era

By Eric McGuire | Western Region Director

11 September 2017

On Admissions Day, September 9, 2017, the State of California celebrated its anniversary of joining the United States of America as its 31st state some 167 years ago.
At the time of admission in 1850, California was known, first and foremost, for it incredible wealth in the form of gold. Many towns were instantly born during the gold rush, including Downieville, now a sleepy mountain village tucked away in a steep forested canyon on a branch of the Yuba River.
Still relatively isolated it has received a good influx of outsiders once a year for the past twenty years, for the annual Downieville Bottle Show. A hardy bunch of dedicated bottles collectors have made the trek to this isolated spot to enjoy comradery and possibly add a treasure to their collection. Perhaps just as important as the show were the consumate hosts of the “get – together” barbeque the evening before, at their residence. Rick and Cherry Simi, one of the sweetest couples on this earth, opened their charming mountain residence to many of the western region show attendees. It is always a night to remember for many reasons, but mostly for the food and company.
After an amazing run of all these years the Simi family has chosen to take a well deserved hiatus from their yearly commitment to this event, which likely will spell the end for the show itself. Rather than criticize I wholeheartedly commend Rick and Cherry for their selfless dedication to the bottle collecting community and wish them some rest and relaxation during the usually hectic preparation time that the first part of September has befell them for the past two decades. To be sure, they will be staying in the limelight as Rick still hosts his ever popular Western Bottle News blog

The crowd gathered from all parts of the West as the evening progressed, and the guests arrived. The main road, Highway 49, was in a state of intense repair. This effectively doubled the time it normally takes to get to Downieville from the nearest points of civilization – from one to about two hours.

Host, Rick Simi, front and center, makes sure the guests are treated to steak that is barbequed to perfection. Note the doorway in the center background, which is the opening to the Simi’s “gold mine”.

                                Richard Siri, Jr., took some time out to explore the mine

                                       Meanwhile, the party and food continued into the night.

The next morning the show opened its doors at 8:00 a.m. in the local school gym. Long time collector, George Wagoner is seen here selling some of his bottles

Richard Siri, Sr. is shown here showing off a beautiful little reverse glass sign for Bartlett Mineral Water, a once famous California product.

As is often the case Jeff Wichmann set up his sales table with considerable fanfare which stole the show for quite some time

I was especially taken by this newly dug fragmented bottle – perhaps the only known specimen of a beautiful blue large size PRATT’S NEW LIFE bottle, produced by the flamboyant medicine man, Perry Pratt, in the mid-1870s.

Dean Wright’s bottles were being scrutinized by two “next gen” collectors. Let’s hope they stick with it. Dean is a regular contributor to the 49’er Bottle Clubs newsletter. For the last couple of years he has been reading and transcribing articles from early California newspapers beginning with the first days of the gold rush and publishing them in the newsletter. The information is amazing including items not recorded in any history books.

Dealer Ken Gaeta was selling three bark covered saloon flasks. These rustic looking flasks were a West Coast fad during the turn of the century and difficult to find since the covering is somewhat fragile. Just like many of the trees in the West which are now suffering from the prolonged drought, it appears these bottles have also been visited by bark beetles.

Goodbye Downieville Bottle Show, and may you soon be resurrected!

A big thanks to all that have supported the Downieville Show over the years and to Eric for posting this bottle show report on the FOHBC site....

We will see y'all at the upcoming western shows - rs -

Downieville 2017

Western Food Bottles on ebay

I just noticed several nice western food bottles listed on ebay

 

C.P. Co.

 



 

Sunburst base pickle?

 

 

Nice deep aqua pickle

 

Its great to see some nice western food bottles available at auction - rs -
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Cutting Packing bottles come embossed and un-embossed with a paper label. I remember seeing a pickle style bottle many years ago with a C.P. Co full paper label. I have dug the smaller size pickle with a C.P. Co partial label at the Keystone Mine west of Sierra City.

A nice trademark and photo of both size CP Co. bottles from my Oregon buddy.

The Cutting Packing Co. bottles are both beautiful and one of the harder western foods to acquire for your collection.....photo & trademark courtesy of Bruce Silva  - rs -

From Charles Festersen

I would like to give a special thank you to the United States Postal Service for helping to protect our fragile heritage!

 

 



 

P.S. Have you ever seen a grown man cry?

Did the bottle survive? - rs -

 

Charles reply:

 



Well 2 out of 3 made it whole. Lost a a nice dark green Charle's I was excited to add to my collection. In the last year the U.S.P.S. has broken 1 bottle, lost another entirely, and sent me a crushed Indian basket in a wet box. Fed Ex might be a better bet for expensive bottles?



Look What Just Crawled Out of the Woodwork

 

Check it out at the link below!

http://www.westernwhiskeytooltopgazette.com/

NAME  THE  FAKE

Thanks to American Bottle Auctions for the photos - rs -

Auction House Lingo

I have been watching some of the bottles for auction on various auction sites and the infamous ebay.
What really catches my eye is the descriptions that are attached to the bottles.

We all know that the three C's, (color, condition and crudity) is what drives the final price of the item at auction. Some of the descriptions, on these auction sites, of the three C's is remarkable or maybe creative if not downright unbelievable. Here's some of the descriptions I have observed:

COLOR:
Sweet greasy yellow green- Yuck! like flem?
Pretty blue - Like a summer sky?
Golden Reddish Amber- sunset during fire season in the west
Medium amber- dirt brown
Medium warm amber- dirt brown baking in the summer sun
Yellow tobacco- the color of a chain smokers moustache
Blazing yellow- as in the movie Blazing Saddles?
Citrine with topaz ginger ale tone- too many colors for me to describe
Peach tone amber- a pastel amber?
Ginger ale topaz- topaz is colorless ..so colorless with a ginger ale tint
Amber with ox blood swirls- I have never seen any ox blood so...
Fire aqua- everyone's favorite western color

CONDITION:
Minor lip chatter- I am not sure what this means
Screaming clean - was this bottle over cleaned and that's why its screaming?
Mint condition- Condition of a bottle when it leaves the factory
Near mint plus- Almost factory condition but better than not quite
Attic mint- Condition of a bottle when it leaves the factory with cobwebs and dust?
Near mint with slight outer haze- almost factory condition but stained to beat the band
Mint shape all around- factory condition all over?
Mint never cleaned- Condition of a bottle when it leaves the factory - but not washed
Gem mint- virtually perfect - pretty unusual for a 100+ year old bottle
Hairline crack through the middle of the bottle, hardly noticeable grades a 9.8- ?????

CRUDITY:
Hammer-Whittled like a glimmering diamond- A socal description
Shines like a diamond in the wind- norcal description Thanks ABA!
Tons of whittle- 2000 pounds + of whittle
Killer whittled- homicide hammered
Crude rude dude- a poets description of a thug
Fancy- The late Bob Barnett's description of a nice clean bottle
Loads of diamond-like faucets- hmm.. do you think the seller meant facets?

Anyone have any favorites they would like to share?

The Big Pickle

Another Gold Rush Bottle Surfaces

 

 

 

 

This summer has been hot..... temperature and digging wise! - rs - 





And Yet Another Gold Rush Bottle

Here's a soda I haven't seen before:

 

Hamilton Glass Works N.Y.

 

 

Red iron pontil

 

 

In original as found condition

 

Does anyone have any info on this bottle? - rs -

 

 

 

 

More Gold Rush Finds

From Nick Kane

 

De-bossed A.T. on shoulder

 

California Gold Rush dug pottery bottle . These were both dug in a very early mining camp that was settled in the Fall of 1848 and had its boom around 1856 .

These two vessels were recently acquired from a old collector who dug them back in the 70s -80s.

A fellow long time collector from Auburn and I both feel that this may be a marked water bottle for the famous San Francisco pioneer Asher Taylor .

 

 

Gold Rush Find

Hey Rick.

Hit an early hole last week and found this big quart size open pontiled med. I found out it's extremely rare and nobody has seen one like this. Super whittled and perfect except for some stain. Apparently this druggist was out of business by 1856.

Always fun to dig this early glass intact. Does not happen very often for me.

Dale

 

 

 

 

 

Nice Find! Anyone ever heard of this bottle?

More often then not bottles recovered from the high country gold rush camps come out of the ground with little or no ground staining - rs -

Western Bottles on ebay

Here's a sample of some of the fine western bottles now being offered on ebay.

 

 

 

 

 

Lots of western goodies for auction on ebay! - rs -

Super Rare Common Bottle ?

How rare can a common bottle get. Well, as we all know, color is king. No matter what kind of bottle it is. As for a colored pumpkin seed flask, they are very rare. This is a recent find and a first for me. I have seen over a dozen colored pumpkin seeds over the years, but far and few between. They just don't show up and collectors prize them, so they hardly ever come up for sale. I have seen ones in shades of amber and different shades of green, but never a yellow one. This one is an outrageous color. Has anyone else seen any wild colors in a pumpkin seed flask?

From Charles Festersen

Barbier Schnapps

Here is something interesting I just found. This advertisement establishes a date for the embossed Barbier Schnapps bottles being imported into California on August of 1857, as an empty, and that Barbier's Schnapps was "put up" here. It seems to imply that Barbier (like everyone else in the Schnapps business) was trying to copy Udolpho Wolf's packaging and that he may have been selling his schnapps or other products prior to Aug of 1857 as the add is intended to inform his patrons of the new bottles and packaging. Further,  Mr. Semi's publication on this site of July 12, 2012 references advertisements for Barbier products as early as 1856 however if the embossed bottles did not arrive until Aug. of 87 than his schnapps must have been sold in bulk or in other bottles prior to this date. This advertisement was printed in the Sacramento Daily Union, Volumne 13, Number 2006, 31st of August 1857 - page 3, Column 1. Hopefully others more informed on the Barbiers Schnapps than myself can comment with further information. 

 

 

Happy Fourth of July

From the Downieville Bottle Group

How Times Change in 40 Years

I have been looking for a Cassin's, anyone out there have one for $85 to $125? - rs -

Hi Rick, wanted to share the latest Pony to the line up, this London Jockey Club House Gin is the variant with the backward N's. It has really nice glass clarity. I have seen a few of these backward N types but the color on them has been rather dull, This emerald green example fits right into the stable  

From Gary Meyer

Hi Rick

 

I have never posted anything in my life, and I know it's not a western bottle, but it’s a rare color one and I thought some would like to see.

 

 

I recently attended the Reno Bottle Show and while I was sitting at a sales table with a friend of mine I overheard a person taking about a flask they had purchased from a thrift store for $3.25.

I asked what type of flask and he said a nice color scroll flask. Well it's kind of rare to find nice color scroll flask at a western show, so I asked if I could see it.

Well when he unwrapped it I fell in love instantly. It is now in my collection. I have been collecting bottles since 1959 and scrolls for around 10 years and haven't found another this color.

We'll call it yellow topaz with a touch of gasoline.

 

I have attached a photo, it's the one in the center

 

Gary Meyer

 

 

Gary

Fantastic color scroll flask. Glad you sent the picture and info along, we always appreciate beautiful glass! - rs -