Dr. Baker`s Grape Cure

[Bixby Bill]

I just picked this up at an auction today, and I was hoping that some of you cure collectors could give me some info on the rarity of this thing. It is Dr. Baker`s Grape Cure by Paul Baker, M.D. of Meriden, Conn. The bottle is amber, BIM with a tooled lip, has a B embossed on the shoulder just above the label, the rear panel is recessed but no embossing there, and it came with the package for the bottle, wooden box, and 2 signs for the store owner to put in his window. I have never seen or heard of one of these, but since it is mostly unembossed, without the label I would have passed it by. Is this a rare cure?

 

[Bixby Bill]

Here are the two posters.

 

[Bixby Bill]

The bottle.

 

[Bixby Bill]

The bottle wrapper, it only has writing on the front, the rest of it is covered with pictures of grapes.

 

[markh]

That's a very nice looking labeled cure especially with the signs and box. I've never seen or heard of an embossed Baker's Grape cure, so maybe it was a label-only cure. I would guess there are many more labeled cures than embossed ones, and that they're probably harder to find with a good label like yours, but most of the cure collectors focus on the embossed cure bottles. But it's a very nice find and an interestingly shaped bottle. Makes you wonder what was in these concoctions that could "cure" so many ailments.

Mark

 

[GuntherHess]

I have seen a few of them with the label and box. There must have been some old unsold stock people found somewhere. I think I sold one for about $30-40 a while back. They dont seem to be all that desirable because they are late and there isnt a lot of embossing. The wood box really makes it a nice set though and I expect adds a lot of value.

 

[Bixby Bill]

Thanks for the info, Mark and Gunther. I hate to say what I paid for it, I guess it`ll probably sit on my shelf for a while until they become rare again!

 

[madman]

very cool

 

[GuntherHess]

I have never seen one the the wooden crates , hard to say what that would go for.

 

[morbious_fod]

That's pretty freakin' sweet!