My most interesting druggist bottles

[PrairieDeb]

These are three of my favorite drug store bottles I' ve found since I started collecting. Except for the Arnstein one which says Chicago, I have no idea where the other two are from, or what era. I believe they' re all pre 1900 but not too sure. And I get the biggest kick from the Bush bottle, especially since I' m a rabid Democrat! Would any of you good people have any idea of the origins of these bottles or their time of origin? The Bush one has W.T.C.O A. U.S.A on the bottom of it, and the Arnstein one has simply a C S on the bottom. The Faser one is blank. Regardless of when and where they' re from, I think they' re very cool.

 

[woody]

Most of your pharmacy bottles like yours would be in the 1880-1920 range.
W.T.& co. is Whitall Tatum company who produced many varieties of apothecary bottles.
A good reference for these is Cecil Munsey' s book.

Here' s a picture of some of my local pharmacy bottles of the same era.

 

[PrairieDeb]

Wow! What a beautiful collection....I' m jealous! I only have about 15 or so drug bottles right now...I found most of them at a flea market sale once where I bought them for about $5.00 for the whole box. I love finding old bargain boxes of bottles, since I' m not too much into digging. Of course if I ever knew of a definite site for some oldies, I wouldn' t mind picking up a shovel!!
One of the prettiest drug bottles I ever held was a early 1900' s Katz & Besthoff (or K & B) Drugs Cobalt blue liquid medicine bottle. I think it was some what rare, because later on in the century, K & B kinda trademarked the color purple for themselves, and everything in the store, including their bottles were purple colored if I recall correctly. It belonged to a friend of mine whose kid broke it by knocking into her china cabinet one day.

 

[Harry Pristis]

Drugstore bottles are very interesting. They give a glimpse of local history like few other bottles. I don' t collect these bottles actively, but I have a few on my shelf. Here is one I am very happy with. The embossed seal has the words RIKER-HEGEMAN DRUG STORES. I have been advised that this is a New York druggist.
------Harry Pristis

 

[David E Dearden]

Hi the only thing I find on the C S is CS & Co Cammington Shaw & Co. St Helens England circa 1872 to 1916
WT & Co Whitall Tatum Co 1857 to 1935
David Dearden

 

[David E Dearden]

Well just to confuse you some more in the name of our President.
`Mrs Bush//Specific Cure/
For Burns & Scalds
clear 5 1/16"x 1 13/16"x 1"
Winder GA

SARSAPARILLA

BUSHS/SMILAX/SARSAPARILLA
Posssiblt related to H. V BUSH. NY NY Pruducts include Magic Cream Liniment 1852 and possibly Bushs Specific. for gonorrhoea adv 1848
Aqua 9 2/3"x 3 3/4" x 2 1/2"