Quack Medicine with Paper Label

[clifton75]

G’day Everyone,

I am a new member and this is my first post.

I am an Australian bottle collector and I have this bottle. It has been sitting in a box in the garage for about 40 years. Finally got it out last month and cannot find it listed anywhere in Oz, and have not been able to find another one amongst the collectors over here. I have also tried the British Antique Bottle Forum and have not had anyone recognize it. It looks like I have the only known specimen in Australia and Britian.

Have done a search of this Forum and cannot find a reference.

Embossed: PHENALGIN around the back shoulder
The base has ETNA CHEM. CO. N.Y. U.S.A.

It is aprrox 3.5 inches tall and about 1.6 inches in diameter at its widest.

Found some info on the net that apparently dates it to pre 1910 (in the U.S.A. anyway) because the Etna Chemical Co. was obliged in 1910 to take the claim that Phenalgin is a Malaria Germicide off the label (they were apparently telling quite a few porkies about this product and ripping their customer off as well - things haven't change much have they?). This claim is still on the back of this bottle.

Does anyone know if my deduction about the date is correct?

And is this little bottle with the big claims, in this condition, with the label intact, rare, valuable and collectable or are there lots knocking about?

(Hopefully there is a picture with this post if not I will try again later.)

Thanks and regards,

Josh

 

[clifton75]

Hi everyone,

Worked out how to post pics from Photbucket. Here are some more of the bottle

Cheers,

Josh

 

[AntiqueMeds]

What's a porkie?

 

[cowseatmaize]

What's a porkie?

It's a lie Matt.
I'll have to look some myself but if the OP could tell us about the top? It looks plastic or metal? Ground? I can't really tell. Also is it a lug style thread? I thought so by looking but always thought they were more post 1910.
Anyway, Welcome, that's a cool little bugger.

 

[cowseatmaize]

OK, I see what your talking about. In 1906 or shortly after that statement and the addition of it's contents being 50%, shoot, I didn't write it down, should have been there.
Unless[8|][8|][8|] the foreign markets or overseas plants weren't subject to it at the time.[8|][8|][8|]

 

[clifton75]

G'day Everyone,

Thanks for the responses and the welcome - greatly appreceiated.

Sorry about the slang, but, mate, as the saying goes: you can take the boy out of Australia but you can't take Australia out of the boy. And thats definitely no porky!

Here are some more pics - I should have provided them before but I thought that in the USA this bottle would be as common as fleas on a drover's dog.

However, the back label says FOR DISPENSING PURPOSES ONLY, meaning that this bottle was a chemists bottle and not available to the public. That would make it considerably rarer I guess.

The top is made of tin - may have been nickel plated - some brightness inside. There is a cork seal and lugs, not a thread.

The lip is very coarsely ground and the glass although very clear has plenty of small bubbles.

Hope this helps.


Thanks again.

Regards,


Josh

 

[AntiqueMeds]

Does anyone know if my deduction about the date is correct?

with the ground lip it could certainly date earlier than 1910. Probably not too much earlier than the late 1890s though.
Its a fairly odd little hand blown bottle. The earliest ads I saw were about 1898.

 

[cowseatmaize]

That's and interesting lug cap and sort of looks like a Mason Shoulder Seal jar. I've never seen that in the USA or ever actually but that doesn't mean it wasn't. I almost suspect that maybe it was made in Australia for the company but don't ask why, I wouldn't have an answer.

 

[clifton75]

Hi Guys,

Thanks very much for the responses and ideas.

As far as the maker of the bottle goes I have just noticed that if you look above U. S . A. in the centre of the base there is a ditinct U and maybe G to its right and possibly an F (very fient maybe imaginary) to its left- could be a bottle makers mark (F?) U G - any such in the U S ?

Regards,

Josh

 

[clifton75]

Hi Everyone,

Here is another image of the base - see if it makes things clearer - Don't think there is an F or a G.

Regards,

Josh