Is it a Medicine or a Bitters?

[bottlediggingcop]

This is a dark aqua A Schriener N O (New Orleans) bottle I dug up in 7th Ward in New Orleans. It was featured on Peachridge Glass's website where Marianne Dow said it was listed in the Bitters Encyclopedia by Ring and Ham as being a bitters. However, there is some kerfuffle as it appears to be a medicine. Anyone know anything about this bottle? I've had a decent offer, but I want to know what I'm selling. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Here's a pic

 

[nhpharm]

I think a lot of druggists would have generic bottles like that made up for several medicines/bitters they might have sold...so this might have had his bitters in it but might have just as easily had a medicine he sold in it-he probably just had different labels printed. For bitters collectors, I think the rule of thumb is that they have to have Bitters embossed to bring the big bucks. It is a nice bottle and I know of a few that have been sold over the years, but I don't think anyone will be able to say definitively that this bottle contained bitters.

 

[bottlediggingcop]

Thank you. I have a friend three towns over who wants it and is offering a nice price, but I don't want to loose a friend over a bottle sale. I personally think it's a citrate of magnesium.

 

[sunrunner]

I believe it must have bitters embossed or printed on a label to be considered one.

 

[andy volkerts]

Sunrunner is correct the bottle in question must have either bitters embossed in the glass or known to have been labled a bitters, the same information for any cure bottle also.........Andy

 

[bottlediggingcop]

Thank you! It's a vague description in most of the books about New Orleans Bitters concerning A Schriener.

 

[botlguy]

Thank you! It's a vague description in most of the books about New Orleans Bitters concerning A Schriener.

The above answers are right on the money. As a former BITTERS specialist of many years it has to be proven by embossing or authentic label to have actually been sold as a BITTERS in order to be accepted by Hard Core BITTERS collectors. Even label only ("BITTERS" NOT EMBOSSED) are valued much lower. It is listed in Ring & Ham but with no real information. In my opinion it is worth what the seller and buyer agree on as it is seen, WITHOUT the Bitters attribution. Jim Snsley

 

[bottlediggingcop]

Thank you Jim. I emailed the photos and info to Bill Ham of Ring & Ham to see if he can ID the bottle for me. My friend has the same bottle, thinks it's a bitters, but his bottle is in very poor condition and the embossing is almost gone. Offered me $2,000 for it. I would hate to find out it is not worth but a couple hundred.

 

[nhpharm]

If he thinks it is worth that much and he is the one who made the offer to you, then really the ball is in his court. For this bottle I think that is an extremely healthy offer as I have seen a few of these over the years. I think the only reason that the bottle is listed in the bitters book is because this fellow is known to have sold bitters, but he was a druggist so probably sold plenty of other stuff in these bottles as well.

 

[saratogadriver]

Any bottle is worth what a collector will voluntarily pay for it. This guy has made it clear that your bottle is worth $2K.

Jim G

Thank you Jim. I emailed the photos and info to Bill Ham of Ring & Ham to see if he can ID the bottle for me. My friend has the same bottle, thinks it's a bitters, but his bottle is in very poor condition and the embossing is almost gone. Offered me $2,000 for it. I would hate to find out it is not worth but a couple hundred.