Melvin Badger

[onabininger]

Ok...I found value ..similiar but not exact..so here I am again....checking with the experts...Melvin & Badger Apothecaries Boston, Mass..3 1/4" cobalt..and my books list this bottle but say NO base embossing....Mine is embossed "CLCo Patent applied for".. ....I dont think its rare...just not in my limited books

 

[onabininger]

base

 

[Jim]

Hi Wendy, That's a good one! The Melvin and Badger poisons are fairly common in the 4- and 8-oz sizes, but the other sizes are VERY hard to find! My 2005 book lists the 1-oz as R4 (rare). The price range for this rarity level is listed at $350 to $800. I would estimate this particular bottle at the lower end of that range, $300-$400. A keeper for sure, and a size that many collectors do not have. Congratulations and thanks for sharing. Jim

P.S.-This type of bottle will always be embossed CLG Co. on the base for Carr-Lowrey Glass Co of Baltimore, MD (1889-1920 for this particular mark). The base embossing is often flat, disfigured and hard to read, but it will always be there along with a number denoting the ounce size above the CLG Co.

 

[capsoda]

Hey Wendy, Nice poison. Sure wish I could dig some nice lower range $300 to $400 bottles.LoL

 

[onabininger]

Thanks Jim...I knew you would know....and I would have been pleased if it was worth 1/2 of your quote....so I guess I am twice as pleased.!!..and your picture shows the base far clearer than mine...and mine does have a #1 on it....the "c"s or the "g"s were blurry but figured you would know anyway... And I guess its a keeper!
Looking at your base..your bottle appears to be green...do they come in cobalt & emerald?
thanks for you expertise once again!!! wendy
And Wayne ...you should have seen the dump where I got this one...boxes & boxes and sheds full of old bottles....LOL.....actually it was just dug a week or two ago..but not by me unfortunately ...I have better luck shopping than I have diggin....either way..its all fun!

 

[Jim]

These bottles came in varying shades of blue and green. There is also one very rare clear type. The Massachusetts ones are blue and most of the New York pharmacies had green ones. The base that I pictured is an emerald green 4-oz Hetherington bottle from New York. There are also examples from California, New Jersey, Tennessee and Missouri that I know of, and a handful of other embossed ones that I do not know the origins of! There are at least 28 different names that appear on these, in addition to plain ones. There are likely other names that have not yet been discovered or listed.

I love these irregular hexagon poisons. I'm glad I could help, and very happy to be able to give you good news about your bottle! Jim

 

[deepwoods]

Jim - Have you ever seen or heard of any in aqua or olive green? Just curious.

 

[Jim]

JD- There are some embossed POISON (KI-1) and also a few of the KI-2 Hetherington bottles that were made in olive green. There is also a plain ribbed one (KI-2) in turquoise blue, but none in aqua. The only difference between the KI-1 and KI-2 types is that the side panels on the KI-1s are embossed POISON, and the KI-2s are not. Most, but not all of the pharmacy-named bottles are of the KI-2 type. The one known clear glass type is a KI-2 embossed CHAWGO'S DRUGS. Jim

 

[onabininger]

just curious ..but what part of the country was Chawgo's from??( suspect it is Western)..every statement seems to invite a question

 

[Jim]

The Chawgo's Drugs KI-2 is a very rare bottle. As far as I know, its origin is not known, but I would guess that it is a western bottle. There are two of these types of bottles known to be from California, so it is very possible. I wish I knew for sure, but that would be my best guess [] Jim