Found this poison bottle

[PaddyV]

So, I started ripping out the cabinets in the basement and came across this bottle that was tucked in the corner. Not sure how I missed in when the cabinets got cleaned out 6 years ago when I moved in, but that's another story. I wanted to see if anyone could to me a little about what I have. I'm trying to sell it on ebay, and just wanted to get some kind of idea as to what it's worth. From what I can tell in the bit of research I did, this shape and color seem to be relatively common....

Sorry if I didn't do the picture right, somewhat new to the forum thing. In any event I should also add that the bottle is about 3 1/4 inches tall if that helps at all.

Thanks in advance for anything you all can let me know about this!

 

[PaddyV]

Pic 2

 

[PaddyV]

pic 3

 

[PaddyV]

pic 4
Added this one just because I thought it was cool that it still had pills in it, its a bit hard to see, but on one side is a skull and cross bones and the other side of the pills read poison

 

[luckiest]

Very nice to find that with the labels in such good shape!

 

[Dabeel]

some of us bottle diggers here on the forum have dug three sided poisons(no labels or pills) which is a great thing in our book, but what you have is a nice little gem with the full label and contents.
I'm sure it will do well on eBay...hopefully you started the price at a decent number. I would hate to see someone steal it from you for cheap.

Good Luck,
Doug

 

[PaddyV]

Thanks guys, any ideas about the company? I was trying to find out an age on the bottle, and from what I can see the company was a Pharm comapny from 1886, to like 1955, so it's a pretty big range.

 

[epackage]

Right around the TOC is when Warner was selling Triloids, normally a common poison but this is a great piece because of the labels and contents...Jim

This is from Digger O'Dells site...


Poison bottles are identified by having some type of raised design on the surface so it could be determined, even in the dark, that the contents of these bottles should not be taken In addition the bottles were often of unusal shape. These have had good appeal to collectors for many years because the bottles are frequently found in cobalt and amber. American poisons in any other color are rare. English poisons common in cobalt and green, but rare in amber, have been imported in large quantities over the last dozen years.

Childhood poisonings were wide-spread in the 19th century and often the subject newspaper articles and debates. The drug industry responded by making the bottles highly colored, ribbed, knobbed, or odd shaped. Many poison bottles contained antiseptic tablets such as Mercury Bichloride. The pills, often stamped with a skull and crossbones or in a coffin shape were to be dissolved in water to make an antiseptic solution. "Triloids" which is a very common low priced poison bottle contained bichloride tablets comprised of corrosive sublimate and Ammonium Chloride. The brand was manufactured shortly before and after the turn of the century by the Wm. R. Warner Company of New York and St. Louis.

Other poison bottles contained chloroform, formaldehyde, arsenic trioxide, strychnine, arsenate of lead, cocaine hydrochloride, belladonna, insect poisons, tincture of iodine, carbolic acid and even emblaming fluid. All of these substances could be purchased at the local drugstore. most collectible poison bottles were manufactured primarily during the late 19th and early 20th century. Government regulation of the sale of dangerous substances eventually ended the poison bottle era.

 

[PaddyV]

Is it ok to link to the ebay listing? I saw a guy did it in the past, but that bottle looks to have been a bigger deal. Just don't want to tick anyone off if that is a no, no.

 

[PaddyV]

So it doesn't seem like it, if anyone is interested here it is.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Colbalt-Blue-Poison-Bottle-/251214393507?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a7d8b70a3