Oldridges Balm of Columbia

[deepbluedigger]

A pic of a couple of British-made examples. Both embossed "Oldridge's / Balm of / Columbia // For Restoring / Hair / Philadelphia". The larger one also embossed around the base "Enlarg'd 1826".

Quite a few British collectors think all Oldridge's bottles are American. But Mr Oldridge was only in the US for a couple of years after starting up his business before he moved to the UK and started to sell his product here, in bottles almost identical to the American examples. British examples turn up here, and a mixture of British and American turn up in the US.

Both of these are pontilled, and rare. The aqua or pale olive version is earlier (probably 1840s) and the pale blue version - in this case with an unusual stumpy neck - dates to around 1850-60. The aqua version also occurs in the large size. Smooth base pale blue bottles were used here through to about 1900, but they're quite scarce.

 

[AntiqueMeds]

why do they think they are American? They look British to me.

 

[deepbluedigger]

.. because they say "Philadelphia". Most UK collectors still don't really know how to identify British vs American bottles, just because very few American bottles are dug here and so there's never been much motivation to learn how to tell the two apart. Ebay is changing that though, especially for pontils.

 

[deepbluedigger]

BTW, the blue one is mine and the aqua one belongs to a friend. If anyone here has a green or aqua British example I'd be very interested in purchasing it.

 

[botlguy]

Thank you for being on this forum. It is an education.

 

[JOETHECROW]

Those bottles have a great look, be they American, or English...

 

[deepbluedigger]

That's a kind comment botlguy. Thanks. I learn a load from this forum : US collectors seem to be more interested in pontil era stuff than most collectors here in the UK. Here the majority of the most popular collecting categories seem to be from the 1870s - 1910s period. In the US you also have a much longer tradition of doing detailed research into bottles. Apart from early wines it's difficult to find any good information about the slightly earlier British stuff - which I guess is why I have to do so much research myself.