RIBottleguy
Well-Known Member
Yesterday I went on a dig with a fellow local collector in a fairly unusual spot. It was a 1-1/2' wide gap between two buildings. One was a drugstore, and someone had pulled about 20-30 bottles from the alley about 20 years ago. He suspected the rather large guy who squeezed in there missed some stuff, so I had the honors of giving it a second go. I wasn't sure to expect, and the preservation of a lot of stuff was incredible. The building next to the drugstore was moved there in 1899, and the druggist used the now defunct windows to toss trash out of. The roofs of the two buildings were connected, and the front entrance boarded up, and a 3-foot hole was left in back. The first thing I pulled out was part of a magazine from 1908. I dug through a 1-2 foot layer of decaying paper, cans, and other misc. garbage. We did find a few bottles, including a rewarding mystery-solver. I found a damaged Dr. Wilcox's Best Cough Syrup, which is listed on the Little Rhody Bottle Club site, but I haven't been able to find anything on it. This one had a partial label which stated it was put out by the Standard Medical Co. of Wakefield, RI. Us local collectors have always wondered what the history of the Standard Medical Co. was, as their embossed bottles turn up semi-frequently. I now believe that this company (listed 1905-1910) was formed by Dr. Horace Wilcox and was the predecessor to the Wilcox Co., which was founded in 1911. Even though the bottle was damaged, the information was priceless! Here are some of the other finds. Many damaged items were kept for historical documentation. A.A. Vantine & Co. perfume, Sharpe & Dohme poison, and C. Damschinsky Liquid Hair Dye
Big crier, a Brady's Frozen Mint label under glass soda fountain bottle!
Nice label on a broken whiskey
Columbia fruit jar lid
Koehler's One Night Cough Cure tin
Nice Pratt's Poultry Regulator box
1898 book Saved by the Enemy, Spanish American War?
Stickney & Poor's Nutmegs
Souvenir tin showing the old Stone Mill in Newport, RI
Prince Albert tobacco
Yours Truly Chicken Soup from Providence, RI