Help With Medicine Bottles

[Kevin_Bones]

Hey guys,

I've been buying a lot of bottles recently, as I like to stick to buying one thing until I learn some basic stuff about it (example: tobacco tins). Anyway, I bought a whole box full of old bottles off a lady for only $10. After looking on ebay I was seeing some old Pepsi and Coke bottles going for $100 or more! There were three in the box but I'm not sure if they are worth anything or not. I will have to look them up.

So I bought a few medicine bottles (there were a few in that box as well, also found a few at an estate sale the other day). I have researched them a bit but I'm not finding all the info I need. Here are some pics of the bottles:


Fellow's Syrup bottle. I thought this was maple syrup, but apparently it was a pharmaceutical...



"Burdock Blood Bitters"... Just what I needed  ...





Not sure if this is a medicine bottle, or some kind of juice bottle or something.



The one with the small hole on top confuses me. I think it must be some kind of chemist bottle for a pharmacist or something. The blue one I think is a poison bottle??? I know nothing about the other little clear bottle/vial/whatever...



Another shot of the "poison bottle ?"  I really like this one.



I've had this one for a while. Don't know what syrup squill is and don't even care, an antique dealer gave me this a while back and I really like it (nice advertising on the bottle). Maybe it's the same as the Fellow's syrup??


Here's one more bottle I almost forgot about... My step dad liked this one at the estate sale but had an empty pocket, so I bought it for him and told him to start his antique collection. I paid $8.00 for it (a little less as I bought a bundle of things). I would like to know what this bottle was used for , and if it has any value? It must be at least $20, maybe even $30.

[bigwull]

that burdock b bitters....bottle was selling in 2010 for between $10/20....i,d say you,ve done not too badly with this job lot.....the bbb,.....was sold as a cure all...during the 1880,s.....i found this advertising poster.......the smile says it all....




.

[Rauville]

I remember from doing some research years ago on those blue violin bottles, that the majority of them were made in Maryland into the 1950's. Same glass company that produced the Bromo Seltzer and Vicks bottles among others.
http://chataboutdg.com/gallery/img16339.search.htm

[frogpatch]

I will confirm what Rauville says. I had a couple violin bottles in amethyst and cobalt in the 70s that were produced in the 50s. However there are some originals out there and it is hard to tell them apart without ever owning both. It is like three blown mold glass. There are so many copies the real thing can slip past you without you being aware. The same with early blown glass. I once had an 18th century bowl. I could convince no one it was real.  That is why we need specialists. It is tough when it comes to glass. Mexico made incredibly good copies of early American glass. They produced it the same way it was made originally.

[mart]

If the bottles were upright and with a good background we might see them better !!The one you said might be juice is a Welches Grape Juice,, small cobalt is not poison I am pretty sure,,,poison bottles were usually either triangle shaped or plainly stated as poison,,few had skull and crossbones !!  Many people couldn`t read so had to put poisons in bottles that were easy for them to tell !! 

[mart]

http://www.google.com/search?output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=Fellows+syrup+bottle&btnK=

Bunch on Fellows Syrup,,,look at bottom of the page for excerpt from 1895 !!

[Kevin_Bones]

Cool advertisement BigWull!

I will remember that for next time Mart. I was watching a show on tv the other day (just after getting this little blue bottle) and the guys bought a bunch of poison bottles. From what I got from that buy, poison bottles were supposed to be any blue bottle with raised lettering actually blown into the glass. I only caught the last half of that one though.

[mart]

Whats the name on the cobalt blue and size ??

[Rauville]

...poison bottles were supposed to be any blue bottle with raised lettering actually blown into the glass. I only caught the last half of that one though.

That statement can't be applied to every "blue bottle"...
http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Vintage-Cobalt-Blue-Milk-of-Magnesia-Bottle-/00/s/MTAyNFg3OTE=/$(KGrHqZ,!poE+oSwPGWeBQK9)PN1Iw~~60_45.JPG

[greenacres]

The Milk of Mag. is a very common bottle. I have many. They are worth $2-$4.The Burdock bottle is worth $15.-$20. Still checking the others. The Mc Nally I haven't found yet.

[KC]

Not every blue was for poison...  Cobalt was a very popular color.  You will find it used for many items.

[Kevin_Bones]

The little blue one is about 3 inches tall and about an inch wide. It says:
"Bromo Seltzer
Emerson
Drug Co
Toronto
Ont."

[greenacres]

My bottles were made in Baltimore, Maryland. A lawyer I know sits on the zoning board and is privy to all privies. He is a major bottle collector. He told all about my bottles, which these are just a few of many. I also have many books with price guides.

[ghopper1924]

is privy to all privies.

Ha!

Great photo. It makes me wish I had just such a little grouping myself...

[greenacres]

Thanks ghopper. I would love to dig a privy. Unfortunately they are not so easy to get permission to dig if they are on someone else's property. This lawyer had a good connection. He has dug at the "Kimmel Center" site. I happen to know the same person. Maybe I should pull some strings., Kevin your violin bottle is $10-$20.