cobaltbot
Well-Known Member
Bromos are so common with diggers that they have become the Rodney
Dangerfield of bottles. Some pits have yielded hundreds and sooner or later most diggers will have dug their fill of these little cobalt bottles. This no respect feeling is also heightened by the fact that newbies and non-bottle people think they are something special, not knowing any better. For me, they are a local bottle and few Baltimore success stories are any better than this one:
They were invented in 1888 by Captain Isaac Edward Emerson a chemistry
instructor turned pharmacist. I have one of his “before bromo†Emerson’s Pharmacy bottles. In 1894 then "Lieutenant" Emerson formed the Maryland Naval Reserves and in 1898 during the Spanish American War provided the ship and the entire crew for the U.S.S. "Dixie". Of course when bromo seltzer took off, he became rich and erected in 1911 the Bromo Seltzer Tower Building, a famous Baltimore landmark still standing today. For a long, long time it was the tallest building in Baltimore having a 15th floor but only 14 actual floors since there was no 13th floor. At one time it sported a 51 foot high cast iron blue bromo bottle on its top that was illuminated with 596 blue lights and revolved; this guy knew how to advertise! Since other bottle suppliers couldn't supply them enough bottles, he had one of his employees start the Maryland Glass Corporation which he owned controlling stock in. Supposedly when he divorced his first wife and she got the house he had a large building erected directly across the street to block her view of the harbor! The company invented Fizzies who you oldsters will remember was a drink you made by adding flavor tablets to water, kind of like how alka-seltzer works. They were also in the soft drink business in the early 1900’s. More info can be found at these websites:
See article 137 & 139 at Cecil Munsey’s web site:
http://cecilmunsey.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=18&dir=ASC&order=name&Itemid=34&limit=20&limitstart=20
Another: http://www.scripophily.net/emdrugcomofb.html
And here: https://www.antique-bottles.net/forum/m-209979/mpage-1/key-Cecil/tm.htm#210107
This lack of respect for cobalt bromos has helped me put together a growing collection of off-color bromos. This is my latest pick up. I got this not only for the color but the size, off-color bromos get scarcer with size and mostly occur with the 2 ½†and 4†ones. This one is a 5†and almost looks black with no back light. According to the Baltimore bottle book there is a 3 ½†in yellow green (like the green of the Red Dragon Seltzer bottles) but I have never seen one. Chris has told me he has seen one and a much larger green one of similar color.
Dangerfield of bottles. Some pits have yielded hundreds and sooner or later most diggers will have dug their fill of these little cobalt bottles. This no respect feeling is also heightened by the fact that newbies and non-bottle people think they are something special, not knowing any better. For me, they are a local bottle and few Baltimore success stories are any better than this one:
They were invented in 1888 by Captain Isaac Edward Emerson a chemistry
instructor turned pharmacist. I have one of his “before bromo†Emerson’s Pharmacy bottles. In 1894 then "Lieutenant" Emerson formed the Maryland Naval Reserves and in 1898 during the Spanish American War provided the ship and the entire crew for the U.S.S. "Dixie". Of course when bromo seltzer took off, he became rich and erected in 1911 the Bromo Seltzer Tower Building, a famous Baltimore landmark still standing today. For a long, long time it was the tallest building in Baltimore having a 15th floor but only 14 actual floors since there was no 13th floor. At one time it sported a 51 foot high cast iron blue bromo bottle on its top that was illuminated with 596 blue lights and revolved; this guy knew how to advertise! Since other bottle suppliers couldn't supply them enough bottles, he had one of his employees start the Maryland Glass Corporation which he owned controlling stock in. Supposedly when he divorced his first wife and she got the house he had a large building erected directly across the street to block her view of the harbor! The company invented Fizzies who you oldsters will remember was a drink you made by adding flavor tablets to water, kind of like how alka-seltzer works. They were also in the soft drink business in the early 1900’s. More info can be found at these websites:
See article 137 & 139 at Cecil Munsey’s web site:
http://cecilmunsey.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=18&dir=ASC&order=name&Itemid=34&limit=20&limitstart=20
Another: http://www.scripophily.net/emdrugcomofb.html
And here: https://www.antique-bottles.net/forum/m-209979/mpage-1/key-Cecil/tm.htm#210107
This lack of respect for cobalt bromos has helped me put together a growing collection of off-color bromos. This is my latest pick up. I got this not only for the color but the size, off-color bromos get scarcer with size and mostly occur with the 2 ½†and 4†ones. This one is a 5†and almost looks black with no back light. According to the Baltimore bottle book there is a 3 ½†in yellow green (like the green of the Red Dragon Seltzer bottles) but I have never seen one. Chris has told me he has seen one and a much larger green one of similar color.
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