First up a rich, really dark root beer Dr. Soule's Hop Bitters (with a backward "S")...
Does not pass much light; nice and crudely made; bubbly... Arrived from New Zealand last week... When I saw the box it came in at the P.O., I thought an elephant must have sat on it... after he and his herd had used it for a month of soccer practice!!! Still, not a nick on that bottle when I opened the package holding my breath...
Next, a sweet little dark green blacking bottle. Full of bubbles and with wavy glass, this beauty was much cheaper than the rest at the two bottle shows last month in NH... It was not until after I bought it, however, that I discovered why: There was a small nick off one of the base edges; really had to be felt before you noticed it... Anyway, a dab of casting resin made it pretty much disappear...
Finally, a nice very dark green geometric ink... Doesn't pass much light at all... It has a couple of small nibbles off the edge of the mouth disk... I'm in the process of filling those presently... This one came in under $100...
I've just recently started to amass semi-cabins... Mostly Doyle's but I have two Soule's in my possession... I had another but sold it a few years ago...
I have in mind doing a display for the 2006 Saratoga show... It would be on semi-cabins, centered around the Doyle's/Soule's/German Hop Bitters story...
When I get my next specimen (I have 9 right now), I'll post a rogue's gallery photo on the forum...
Hi Ron ,
I love that Soule's ! I had one I sold a few years back with the backwards " S " that was Black / Olive green ..... wish I'd kept that one !!!! Oh well , Had to free some cash up for Drake's .
Did you see the Soule's on ebay ? It has a very unusual hops motif and the bottle has a different shape at the shoulders . I have only seen one other in this mold variant . It is quite unusual and I would say rare mold variant for here in the U.S. . It appears the bidding has picked up on it a little. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=890&item=6178072425&rd=1
Maybe the Aussie collectors might have some info on this mold variant ????
Brian
Nice pieces Mr. Swede. Beautiful ink as well as the Dr. Soule's. I think black glass, with a million seed bubbles can be one of the most stunning colors you can find. [] Happy Diggin, Kelley