Unlisted (broken) Pontiled "BILLINGS RHEUMATIC LINIMENT"

[downeastdigger]

Kids will be back in school, and I'll actually get to do some digging and diving soon, hopefully. I miss it something serious.

Dug in a river bank last week where Quincy and I had found some great pontil shards. Didnt find any good whole bottles, but I did get this broken one. Would have been great.

 

[downeastdigger]

"Billings Rheumatic Liniment". About 5" tall ( would have been )

 

[downeastdigger]

I found one listed in Greers, but it was different than this one. I"m going to call this one, unlisted. Super Rare. One of a kind. Only specimin known. Rarest bottle I've ever dug. Rarest bottle anyone ever dug... etc etc

 

[downeastdigger]

Surrrrre woulda been nice if it weren't so busted...

 

[downeastdigger]

Anyone seen this one ( whole ? )

 

[botlguy]

Matt Knapp lists it, page 54, but doesn't say it's pontiled, and it's Greer #231. However, yours may be a different variant as there is no picture. I'd say very nice find anyway.

 

[epackage]

Matt does have it listed as OP...

 

[GuntherHess]

Great bottle.

That one seems different than ones I have seen but I need to check to be sure.
The one I have listed has BILLINGS embossed different.
At first thought I would guess this was Billings of Billings & Clapp but I need to check that too.

 

[GuntherHess]

This was made by John T Billings , a pharmacist in Lowell. I think he was the same guy that joined with Clapp in the large Boston wholesale company.
Your variant doesn't appear to be listed in any of the sources I checked.

 

[downeastdigger]

Thanks for the info. Matt and others. I think it is an unlisted variant indeed. And it makes sense that it is from Lowell, I dug it about a half hour north of there. Real strange spot. It was a pocket of broken aqua pontiled bottles, within an 1880s dump. Three of them, including this one, would have been really rare.
Makes me more determined to go find a whole one..