recent local GuntherHess bottles

[Wilkie]

The top of that hutch looks odd. Is it just the angle you took the picture from or is is really an odd shape?

I had to edit my post, I guess I should have read the whole thread because this question has already been asked. Nice looking hutch!

 

[GuntherHess]

Yes the Warfields seems to be made of low grade glass.

Warren asked if the top was off center, I think I missunderstood the question. Looking at it the neck does seem to be off center.

It seems to be poorly made compared to the other local hutches I have.
I havent found any info on Warfield yet. No time to go downtown and research at the moment.

Phil, have you found any of those smaller Fahrney Health Restorers? Seems like they might of been going to a smaller bottle near the end of the product.

 

[phil44]

I recall seeing it somewhere but couldn't tell you where. I never dug one but would I'd love to have one. I bet it's older than the others. It probably holds as much as the rectangular does.

 

[GuntherHess]

There are three versions that I am aware of for the Health Restorer, the large tombstone one, the small tombstone one , and the tall rectangular one.
Of those three I believe the large tombstone one is the oldest. That one was made in a post mold and I have one that has an applied lip (most are tooled). I think they date to the 1880s.

I think the tall rectangular one is the second oldest. They are made in a cup mold it appears. They have tooled lips. The glass is not very uniform in the walls of these (making very nice color variation). Later bottles seem to have more uniform glass thickness. One i have is marked W.T.& CO (Whitall Tatum & Company, Millville, New Jersey (1857-1901)) on the bottom. I would guess its made in the 1890s.

The small tombstone one appears to be the latest one. It is made in a cup mold and the bottom is formed similar to bottles you see made at or after the turn of the century. I would guess its was made around 1900-1910.

Just my observations for what they are worth. Dating by manf styles is must always be taken with a grain of salt because different glass houses did not all use the same techniques during the same periods.

 

[GuntherHess]

You made me curious about the volume of the various sizes.
I did a quick measurement.
The appently biggest bottle, the 9' rectangular holds the least, about 20% less than the small tombstone. The large tombstone one holds more than double the small tombstone.
Some interesting marketing tricks were played there it seems.

 

[phil44]

I tend to think the Hagerstown rectangles precede the others. WTCo was making very fine looking tool top bottles before 1880. One of the reasons I believe this is beause of the Fahrney rectangles. The one I have has an 1870ish kick up on the center of the base and faint impression of what apears to be a case seam. No WTCo like the others I've seen. If you didn't look at the base you'd think it was an 1890s 1900 bottle. I'll post a picture If I can ever find my camera. I think the tombstones begin in the mid 80's.

 

[GuntherHess]

You could be right. The tall rectangular ones seem pretty crude. They also remind me of the Fahrney German liniment from Boonsboro a bit.

 

[Lordbud]

The slightly elongated lip on the hutch pictured in the first post also occurs on the Mokulumne Hill hutch from California amongst others. Check the lip on the bottle on the left, compared to the more common lip found on the bottle right side of the picture. Local hutches can be extremely rare.

 

[GuntherHess]

This is still my favorite local Hutch. A darker aqua Rhodes with Frederick spelled wrong.

 

[phil44]

That Rhodes is one of the nicest looking hutches anywhere in my opinion. I haven't been able to get one yet. I've dug alot of bad Warfields, Rhodes never, it's alot rarer.

I knew a guy who had 3 he sold his collection 10 or more years ago. He is the one who had the squat Shipley. He sold it at the fairgrounds without notifying many collectors. I don't think he made out too well unfourtunately, I wasn't able to attd. not sure I would have felt right about getting any of them from what I heard.

My camera has decided not focus sorry no base pics. I'll get one up soon.