What in the heck are these?

[photolith]

The first two bottles I need help with I found out near Dyer, NV while doing some surveying for the USGS way out in the mountains at an abandoned mine in the middle of absolute nowhere in the mountains. I'm guessing they are opium bottles, hence the 'Standard Chinese' embossing. The second bottle in this set is super narrow, Im guessing also an opium bottle of sorts, found dozens of them around some of the camps just on the surface. Also found a whole ton of super nice undamaged western bitters and medicines at these mining camps out in the mountains, also at the surface in collapsed wooden mining shelters; this was back in 2011. There is still bottle gold to be had in them Nevada mountains. If anyone lives near Dyer, NV; this was the coordinates, theres all kinds of bottles all up and down this mountain, just follow the coal mines.... I'll give the location as I prob won't ever make it back out there. 37°59'40.8"N 117°52'46.0"W

The third bottle is very odd, I've never seen anything like it an all my years of bottle digging/collecting. Found it recently at a bottle show near Pittsburgh. The dude didn't really know much about it. Figured I'd pick it up since it's something unusual. Doubt its worth much, since theres no embossing and theres no pontil, so it appears to date to around 1870 or so with that crude applied lip. Either way, its a really cool bottle with three pinched in sides and quite heavy glass.

The first bottle in question.

ACV_6542

ACV_6543

ACV_6545

Second bottle

ACV_6546

ACV_6548

Third bottle

ACV_6552

ACV_6553

[sandchip]

My guess would be the same as yours on the first two. The one with the Chinese embossing is a beauty with a heap of character. Something about the third one looks familiar, but I can't say where I may have seen one. It looks like it would've held some kind of alcoholic beverage to me, but once again, that's just a feeling. Intriguing finds that I hope someone may actually know something about.

[otto]

Third bottle Looks like a Haig & Haig Pinch Scotch or a J W Dant . Nice Finds

[Toxic_Waste]

The second bottle definitely is an opium. I have two in my collection. They came from camps along a railroad here in the Sierra Nevada, central California.

[CanadianBottles]

Nice bottles! As far as I know "opium bottles" didn't actually contain opium, they contained medicine. Opium was sold in cans, and is too sticky and thick to get out of a little bottle like that. http://hs.umt.edu/chineseinmontana/a...aphernalia.php I used to see a lot of Chinese bottles like that in BC, your first one is relatively uncommon but the little square ones were probably the most common type of small Chinese bottle found.

[Harry Pristis]

John Haig & Company Limited
Principle Brands
Dimple 12 year old
Dimple 15 year Old
Also Known as Pinch in The USA Market
Haig Gold Label


The Haig whisky distilling dynasty can rightfully lay claim to be the oldest Scotch whisky distillers having being active distillers for over 300 years.


The first recording of Haig distilling was in 1655 when Robert Haig was summoned to appear before the Kirk Session for working his still on the Sabbath.


He had established a farm at Throsk Stirlingshire in 1627 and this is taken to be the entry date of the Haig’s into distilling. . . .


. . . In 1856 John Haig &Co joined in with six other Lowland distillers to form a trade agreement to protect the individual and collective interests of the members. Eventually this trade agreement led to the formation of the Distillers Company Limited (DCL) in 1877 with John Haig and his son Hugh as directors


During 1882 John Haig & Co merged with David Smith & Co and became a limited company with Hugh Haig, John Haig’s Son, as chairman.


John Alicius Haig released the Dimple Deluxe blend (2-pinch bottle) in 1888. The distinctive 3-pinch bottle was introduced in 1893 by George Ogilvy Haig.


DCL acquired the entire ordinary share capital of John Haig & Co Ltd in March of 1919 the take over of the Haig dynasty was completed in 1923 with DCL taking control of Haig & Haig Ltd.

[photolith]

Awesome, thank you. Also upon further research I did, those little Chinese straight bottles I have for sure weren't for heroin. Personally, Ive seen black tar heroin, never did it though thank god, but its very sticky, like molasses so it would be very hard to get it out of a bottle like that. Those bottles most likely held oils and or hair dye and were found up until the 1930's. However, the ones I have up above were in a layer of bottles from around 1895-1900.

In order for a bottle to have contained black tar heroin, it would have had to have been a wide opening. Although, Im sure occasionally any kind of bottle could have been used for heroin, as you could get it out however anyone wanted depending on how desperate they were.

Also, in 1905 the U.S. government banned heroin/opiates and in 1909 they banned the importation of it as addiction to the drug probably was even worse in the late 1800's and early 1900's than it is today (especially out west where there were tons of Chinese migrants). However, back then they didn't have as potent of crap as people put into their veins today as they mainly smoked it back then.