Just an introduction

[adshepard]

Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself. I live in Connecticut and spend a great deal of time in Massachusetts and Maine. My favorite hobby is scuba diving.

I'm quite new to bottle collecting having just begun this summer. The bottles I have were all found while scuba diving in New England. I dive many spots that were the sites of old ferry and steamship piers dating back hundreds of years. The sites have offered up plenty of bottles and additionally old clay pipes.

I have found two rather nice bottles in the last month. One is labeled "Mrs S. A. Allen's, World Hair Balsam, New York." The other, my favorite, is labeled "Dr. Manly Hardy's, Genuine, Jaundice Bitters, Bangor, ME." I have little clue to the value or age of the bottles and if anyone has some idea I'd appreciate it.

I have found a number of interesting sites on the Internet related to bottle collecting already. It's an entire new hobby that I think I'm going to enjoy.

Alan

 

[woody]

Hi Alan and welcome to the forum.
Is your Mrs. Allens bottle in the amber or amethyst color?
Amethyst botlles tend to command a higher price than the amber ones, which are fairly common.

 

[adshepard]

Woody -

The bottle is amethyst. Found it buried in the mud in about 40 feet of water off Eastport, Maine.

Alan

 

[Pontiled]

Hi Alan and welcome to the Forum. Your Allen's bottle in amethyst is much, much scarcer than any amber variety. You have started collecting with a bang! Keep pulling them out. You never know what will be next! Maybe a cobalt-blue gallon sized Harrison's Columbian Ink! By the way, I wrote a book on clay tobacco pipes; did you find any unusual ones?

 

[adshepard]

Mike -

Thanks for the welcome.

Most of the pipes I've found are really plain. The majority have a simple raised T and D on the bowl and Glasgow stamped on the stem. I believe they are made by Bannerman. One nice one I found has an elephant on one side of the bowl and a turtle/tortoise on the other along with palm trees and leaves. It looks quite nice. You can see the marks made by the smoker's teeth on the stem of that one.

I find lots of pipes while diving and now just take the nicer ones leaving the rest for others to find.

Alan

 

[BRIAN S.]

Hi Alan and welcome to the forum !
Your Bitter Bottle comes in several different mold variants .
You will have to supply us with some measurements to be sure what mold variant you have. Ring & Ham's Bitters Bottles lists a H 34 measuring 6 1/4" x 2 3/4" x 1 1/2 " rectangular , H 35 measuring 7" x 3 3/8" x 2 1/2" rectangular , and the H 35.5 measuring 6 1/4" x 2 3/4" . The H 34 and H 35 variants are listed with or without rough pontil marks on the base and the H 35.5 is listed as only with rough pontil mark.
Your Allen's is a good color ! It is very desirable and sought after in that coloration . Does your Mrs. Allen's say Hair Balsam or Hair Restorer ( I see in your post you said Balsam ) ? A Amythest Mrs. Allen's Hair Restorer usually will bring in the 150.00 - 250.00 range depending on condition and density of the color.
Could you post some pics of the two bottles ? Brian