PEORIA ILLINOIS CITRATE!!!!

[Bottleworm]

It has been a slow year for me bottle wise. Have bought some stuff but nothing killer. That changed today. I checked the local craigslist and found a killer! It was in a town about 45 minutes away and I decided to make the drive! It reads Solution citrate of magnesia use for adults one half to one full bottle children in proportion to age The Red cross Pharmacy with a cross on it. From Peoria Illinois. It still has the original bail and stopper and has a small label on the back that says old wine 1918. Must be a label for when it was repurposed. The condition is the day it was made. Not a scratch on it! The price is the best part! ONLY $15!!!!!!!!! I am so happy with this buy as it is my first citrate and a local one to boot! Plummy tell me how I did on this buy if you read this!![attachment=IMG_0577.JPG]

 

[Plumbata]

Oh nice, what a fantastic score! I dug one of those in a ~1910 dump, and haven't actually seen another though it was a "listed" bottle. From what I've seen and heard from the 'oletimers, it's by-far the most visually appealing Peoria citrate, and the standard bottles from the pharmacy (also embossed with the blocky pictorial cross, though not so prominent as on the citrate) are particularly hard to find. I've bought a few and dug 1 or 2 of them in a pre-1910 context. Here's a pic one one:

I'd have happily driven an hour both ways to grab it for a very affordable 15 bucks, and although i can only speculate on value, it being such an eye-catching pictorial example with gobs of embossing and a well-known name ("Red Cross") would make it highly desirable to collectors well outside the local area. Were I to be selling that fine perfect example, I wouldn't take less than 100 personally, though value is only what someone is willing to pay of course. Anyway, again I gotta say that you did great on that buy! Citrates are always hard(er) to find, and that one is top-of-the-line aesthetically. Well done man!

 

[Bottleworm]

Thank you for replying plummy! I am super happy to have acquired it! Do you know how many citrates there are from Peoria and central Illinois? Have you been digging in your killer dump lately? If so please post! Thanks again buddy and happy hunting!

 

[Plumbata]

No problem Dylan, I'm also quite happy for you and the excellent acquisition. Of the 4 different citrates I have, 3 were "unlisted" and in the books there are 5 others listed as far as I can tell, so that would make 8 from Peoria known to me, though there were definitely a good number more made. There was a green one from Pekin, and aside from that I don't know of any others, though there are certainly more lurking underground waiting to be discovered. I wouldn't be surprised if there were 1 or 2 from Eureka to be found too, so keep poking around the spots you've got. I haven't dug anything good lately (not for a lack of trying but I'm in Wyoming currently and pickins are extremely slim, though the rockhounding and artifact hunting is great). When I get back to Illinois in June I'll be slamming my 20s dump with a vengeance, maybe i'll find another rolling pin or unlisted milks, heh. Good luck and happy hunting too!

 

[Bottleworm]

Thanks for the info man! I wish there were some from eureka! I finally saw one of the druggists from eureka up at the historical society. Its pretty killer! I haven't been able to dig yet as all my spots are under water! Although I have some creeks that need exploring! Hope ya find something out there! Thanks again man!