western bitters bottles

[westernbittersnut]

I'm still looking for early western bitters bottles. All conditions considered. Especially like Cassin's, Lacour's Simon's, Rosenbaums, Renz's (small lettered variant), Alex Von Humboldts, etc.

Thanks, Warren

 

[onekick1]

Ditto - minus the Cassin's & Simon's - they are a little out of my price range

 

[caldigs]

Hey Warren, do any pure green Von Humboldts exist ? We recently hit a hole that had a PURE green Alex Von Humboldts, amber Simons, green EG Lyons, and olive Rosenbaums. Of course they were all busted.

 

[westernbittersnut]

Andrew,

I had a light grass green Alex Von Humboldt's bottom half. Spectacular color. I don't know of any intact examples that are green, closest would be the Grapentine example, Roger Terrry's old bottle, definitely yellow olive.

Please tell me you kept those shards, I'm always interested in those type of pieces. An incredible hole you hit there with that mixture. I would be interested to know which variant of Rosenbaums bottle was found in the hole with a G. A. Simon's bottle.

 

[caldigs]

Hey Warren, here are some photos. I can't find the Rosenbaums piece, Ned might have thrown it back into the hole. I'm pretty sure it was the larger variant.

 

[caldigs]

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[caldigs]

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[westernbittersnut]

Andrew,

That shard of the Alex Von Humboldts look like the same color as I had. It makes sense with the G.A. Simon's and large variant Rosenbaums in the same hole. Simon's ads for his bitters are found in late 1864. Rosenbaums ads for their first embossed bottle are in late 1864, most likely those two bottles were made during the 1865 year and that is the first ad I find for E. G. Lyons products. Lyons was the successor to Crevolin & Co in 1865. Their ad states that they were making Cordials, Bitters then. It stands to reason that you would find Lyons, Rosenbaums (large size) & Simon's bottles together, but the Alex Von Humboldts bottle wouldn't normally appear until 1868. Charles V. Fleischman copyrighted the label for this product in March 1866. He is listed in the San Francisco Directory in 1867 and the great San Francisco Register of Voters in 1868, and then gone.

 

[caldigs]

Great info Warren. The base of the Von Humboldts does look noticeably newer than the other pieces. It just goes to show that bottles often hung around or were reused.

 

[CALDIGR2]

About 20 yrs ago I dug a beautiful green Alex from a pit across the river from Sac. At the time it brought $1500. Another pit on the same lot produced a fragged Dr Hausmann's flask. I left the pieces on a stump and someone took 'em. I got no time for frags. They hold zero interest to me, regardless of the rarity.