evolution of Phillips' Milk of Magnesia?

[capsoda]

Hey Matt, Cliff's bottle is the oldest. The 1873 date is the patent date for hydrate of magnesium 8% sollution with water, invented by Charles Henry Phillips.

The phrase milk of magnesia was patented by someone else and phillips didn't start usind it until 1880. That would be your bottle with the 1873 patent date peened out.

The familar and common 1906 bottle has the patent date for the trade mark shield. The link below it the patent date for the trade mark. http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=71016576

 

[Ye Olde Prospector]

Hi Warren,

Thanks for the info. I figured from the aqua glass and oval shape the one I had was probably an early "Milk of Magnesia". Didn't know when it was first marketed. Anyone seen other aqua Phillips bottles? It might actually be worth getting cleaned I suppose just to add to my collection. I haven't dug any others. Just kept it as an oddity.

 

[Bottleman]

It’s nice to see some of the older Phillips here. Last year I saved all the ones I dug and had about 15 different Phillips. Most were screw tops but they were all different. I ended up sell them because they were to new but I did save a few of the ones that said tablets on them.

~~Tom

 

[capsoda]

Hey Cliff, I'd clean it. The early ones like yours are not all that common and are worth more than the usual $10 asking price. Sold a large one for $30 and a small one for $20 at a local auction using a good explanition of why it is different.

The peened ones are fairly rare too.

 

[GuntherHess]

I've seen very few of the aqua Phillips. It would probably be pretty valuable if it wasnt associated with the other common versions... a case of guilt by association[]

 

[Ye Olde Prospector]

Hi Matt and Warren,

Thanks for the info. I'll sit it on my back shelf for now, with the rest of my hoard of needs cleaning bottles. Maybe by 2073 someone will be looking for one,[][]

Cliff

 

[mabel]

Here are my 3 oldest Phillips bottles. The one on the left has the same mold as Guntherhess' except his has the dates peened out. It is an ice blue. The middle aqua bottle and the faint purple one on the right both say NewYork, so I imagine they are earlier although they too carry the 1873 date.

 

[mabel]

Here is a better picture of the blue one.

 

[mabel]

This is probably my oldest, as it says New York and is clear. The bottles appear to have been clear initially, then over time were blue, then the familiar cobalt blue.

 

[Ye Olde Prospector]

Hi mabel,

This last one looks like same mold as the greenish aqua one I posted. Guess from info "Milk of Magnesia" wasn't embossed til 1880 or later. The neck on the one I have has lots of bubbles and stretch marks with a hand tooled lip. Guessing both of these were made between 1873 - 1880. Interesting info from this thread.

Cliff