Zirasoap

[Jim]

Here is a different poison bottle that's rather hard to come by. KC-137, Bristol-Myers Zirasoap. BIM, 4 3/4" in a nice medium amber. Embossed all over, and hobnailed around the top and bottom. Zirasoap was an antiseptic. I've been looking for one of these for a while; snagged this one for 20 bucks. It was dug, but it's decent and should look even better after I give it a good bath. They book for $100 and are listed as rare, so I was happy to be able to grab this one! Jim

 

[madman]

hey jim nice bottle ive found a similar bottle do you think this was a labled version its got those same embossed squares is that bottle abm? heres a pix happy hunting mike

 

[Jim]

That's cool, Mike! It looks identical except for being unembossed. My guess is either a later labeled Zirasoap or some other antiseptic. The Zirasoap that I have is mold-blown, and that is the only type listed in my book. The back of it is also embossed 5 FLUID OZS WET THE HANDS BEFORE USING. It is possible that if they made this stuff for a long time, they may have switched to labeled bottles with the hobnails. It may also have been from another company that made a "copycat" product in a similar bottle to compete with Zirasoap. Is there any embossing on the base of your bottle? Cool find. Jim

 

[madman]

hey jim my bottle is bim theres no embossment on base cept a number 2 thanks for the great info!! also love those bottles you just got!! those inks and meds are very nice mike

 

[Jim]

Hi, Mike. I tried to find out more about Zirasoap, but came up with nothing. I even tried a Google search, no matches at all. I was really happy to get that lot of bottles, hopefully my good luck will continue! I couldn't dig this weekend, the temp didn't get out of the 20's! It's 10 degrees out here right now. Man, winter SUCKS!

I checked out your Vasogen bottle. Definitely classified as a poison. It looks like it is Australian, but could also be British as the styles are similar. Cool bottle, and not something that is usually dug here in the US. I need to get the Kuhn workbooks to identify foreign-made poisons. My APBCA book is great, but it's strictly for American bottles. I have seen some really cool Australian poisons and would love to learn more about them. Jim

 

[madman]

thanks jim you rule! ya its weird to find that in toledo ohio! not to mention a 40tys dump mike

 

[atdadump]

Jim
What book did you find Zirasoap listed in, I found several last year but only kept one. The others are most likely laying there unless someone else picked them up. Is it listed under Poison or cosmetic? I posted a pic of the one i have, but the pics not the best.

 

[Jim]

Thanks Mike, glad I could help. I've heard of a few English poisons being dug here, there must have been some of their stuff imported to the USA. I guess the same could happen with an Australian product too.

Atdadump, if you're close by, I would go back and see if you can find those other Zirasoaps! Poison collectors will buy them up, as it is a relatively rare bottle. The bottle is identified by Rudy Kuhn as KC-137, and should be in one of his Poison Bottle Workbooks. It is also listed in the APBCA Workbook, which is the one I have. I've only seen two of these bottles in the past year, they don't come up very often.

Being that it was an antiseptic and the bottle has the warning hobnails around the top and bottom, it is classified as a poison. I have a few other bottle books, but none of them have a listing on it. Congratulations on finding a few of them, I hope they're still there waiting for you! Jim

 

[poisons4me]

Nice finds,the Zirasoaps are not quite as rare in New York but i think they are cool bottles,i added another that ive not seen one like in quite a while and also is a NY bottle. AVOS soap,same general idea but you got to love the shape. I would follow what Jim said about the ones you left behind,all of the sudden theses will be bringing good money and..........you wont have them. They are colored,bim and embossed with points so keepers for sure.Congrats on all the finds Jim,nice lot.I will find you some info on Zirasoap,i had a printed out history so to speak. I will find it and post it for all.

 

[Jim]

That is one cool green bottle, Rick! My Zirasoap bottle came from New York, too. If you could find the info that you have on Zirasoap, it would be greatly appreciated. Nice early insect destroyer, too! Jim