Greetings from St Louis

[catbradford]

I joined here to learn about old bottle collecting and have really enjoyed reading. Somewhere, lost in my basement, I have a small collection of medicine bottles, canning jars with glass lids, and swing-top beer bottles that I’ve acquired through the years. A couple weeks ago someone posted a box full of old bottles on my Buy Nothing group and I got them, immediately rekindling my interest. They were dug from a dump that was being excavated in old north city and most seem to date turn of the century and prohibition. At some point I’d like to learn more about them from the experts here! For example, there is a beer/soda bottle from Missouri Carbonating Co, St Louis Mo — I can’t find mention of that anywhere! My favorites are the Osgood‘s India Cholagogue and Kopp’s Baby’s Friend, which sadly is in rotten condition. I’ll post some pics here but there are more that I haven’t photographed. All are really dirty and I wish I had a tumbler, as I’ve spent many an hour scrubbing and soaking in vinegar… anyway, thanks for reading and sharing your expertise, and I’ll be popping in and out as time permits.

 

[catbradford]

More photos of my freebies

 

[RoseOnTheRocks]

Beautiful collection & welcome, Cat!

 

[CanadianBottles]

Welcome to the forum! That Osgoode's looks like a good one, not one I'm familiar with but it looks older than the rest. Never heard of the Kopp's either, shame it's got a hole in it. I suspect it was one of those opiate products that killed a lot of babies back in that era (reading about the history of bottles is a continuous source of reminders that I'm glad I was born in the 20th century).

 

[catbradford]

Welcome to the forum! That Osgoode's looks like a good one, not one I'm familiar with but it looks older than the rest. Never heard of the Kopp's either, shame it's got a hole in it. I suspect it was one of those opiate products that killed a lot of babies back in that era (reading about the history of bottles is a continuous source of reminders that I'm glad I was born in the 20th century).

Yes, I read that Kopp’s Baby’s Friend had both 8% alcohol and a grain of morphine per dose. Poor kids! The Osgood‘s is really cool, in okay shape and from what I’ve researched is from 1841-1859, based on embossed Norwich Conn. Osgood moved his practice to New York in 1859 and later bottles are marked NY. I am just in love with old medicine bottles and need to stop looking on eBay LOL

 

[CanadianBottles]

Yes, I read that Kopp’s Baby’s Friend had both 8% alcohol and a grain of morphine per dose. Poor kids! The Osgood‘s is really cool, in okay shape and from what I’ve researched is from 1841-1859, based on embossed Norwich Conn. Osgood moved his practice to New York in 1859 and later bottles are marked NY. I am just in love with old medicine bottles and need to stop looking on eBay LOL

Wow that's earlier than I thought in that case, does it have a pontil on the base? I would expect it to if it's from that era. It's not easy to find embossed bottles from that long ago. They're nowhere near as common as bottles from a few decades later.

 

[catbradford]

Wow that's earlier than I thought in that case, does it have a pontil on the base? I would expect it to if it's from that era. It's not easy to find embossed bottles from that long ago. They're nowhere near as common as bottles from a few decades later.

Underminer has a post here 3-30-22 new to the collection, my bottle is identical but WAY dirtier! I’ll look but I don’t think it has a pontil — but several of the bottles do.

I feel really lucky to have them for free. Wish I had a digging buddy it would be so fun. I live in the oldest part of St Louis, Carondelet, about 4 blocks off the Mississippi River. Stone houses across my alley were built in 1840; my house is 1876. I wish I knew how to find privy pits and had someone to explore with!

 

[UnderMiner]

Underminer has a post here 3-30-22 new to the collection, my bottle is identical but WAY dirtier! I’ll look but I don’t think it has a pontil — but several of the bottles do.

I feel really lucky to have them for free. Wish I had a digging buddy it would be so fun. I live in the oldest part of St Louis, Carondelet, about 4 blocks off the Mississippi River. Stone houses across my alley were built in 1840; my house is 1876. I wish I knew how to find privy pits and had someone to explore with!

The bottle I found didn't have a pontil scar although the really old original ones would have had them. It seems the bottle design remained the same throughout the product's existence even as the technology used to make them changed. I originally thought that my Osgoode bottle was 19th century but I think it's actually early 20th century, and the company was just using primitive tooling methods still because they were behind the times. Love the collection you've acquired btw

 

[catbradford]

Wow that's earlier than I thought in that case, does it have a pontil on the base? I would expect it to if it's from that era. It's not easy to find embossed bottles from that long ago. They're nowhere near as common as bottles from a few decades later.

So try as I might, I cannot get a good picture but I think this is a pontil mark. What do you think?

 

[CanadianBottles]

So try as I might, I cannot get a good picture but I think this is a pontil mark. What do you think?

I'm afraid that's not a pontil mark, and it's nowhere near as old as the 1850s. Looks more like the base of an 1890s-ish bottle. I'm not sure what's going on with regard to the city name but they must have still been marking their bottles with Norwich long after 1859.