# Need bottles; will travel...



## SAbottles (Oct 3, 2012)

Have just been on a round trip of 1300 km to buy a collection of bottles from an old digger. This is what some R14000 (about $2000) looks like still in cardboard boxes et al. -


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## SAbottles (Oct 3, 2012)

There are a lot of very nice (saleable !) bottles in those boxes, Codds, Hybrid Codds, Ginger Beers, medicines and even some American bottles ! Will post some pictures as I unpack and list it all.
 When I said "This is a picture of R14000 of old rubbish ..." the wife said , "OK. I'm in it too !" Not sure quite how to take that !!


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## epackage (Oct 3, 2012)

I look forward to what you show us from inside those boxes Dale, I'm going to look at a milk bottle collection on Friday, I love the hunt...[]


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## SAbottles (Oct 3, 2012)

Indeed, Jim, indeed. It's that possibility of some rare treasure hiding amongst the dross! Mind you, for me it's the income that the dross represents as well ! I am battling to keep up with the demand, especially for good blue bottles ~ not that I am complaining, mind you !!


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## JOETHECROW (Oct 3, 2012)

Looking forward to seeing what's hiding in those boxes...[]


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## AntiqueMeds (Oct 3, 2012)

So you saying the wife was included in the price or was she purchased separately[]


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## cyberdigger (Oct 3, 2012)

Hey Dale...  I want one of those hybrid Codds, can we arrange a trade? Glad you're keeping busy, congrats on the acq's.. []


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## Dugout (Oct 3, 2012)

Well, I'd say if your wife wants in the picure with your bottles then She's Priceless!!


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## ktbi (Oct 4, 2012)

Way to go Dale!! What a treat to look through all those boxes for the one that takes your breath away.  Make sure to post it when you find it. Are you hoping to find anything in particular?...Ron


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## SAbottles (Oct 4, 2012)

Actually, to be honest Ron, I know most of what's in there, having had to pack it all in bubble plastic at the other end ! However there were a few bags and boxes that I haven't gone through, so who knows?! Several of the bottles have already sold, almost before they were out of the boxes !
 Specifically this :


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## SAbottles (Oct 4, 2012)

and this: -


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## SAbottles (Oct 4, 2012)

because it had this on : -


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## SAbottles (Oct 4, 2012)

and this : -


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## SAbottles (Oct 4, 2012)

These all to a collector who specifically wants bottles with "Pretoria" on them. For those (most) who don't know, Pretoria is the Executive capital of South Africa, but our new "esteemed" government intend changing its name to "Tshwane" Go figure ! This name change will, however, make things with "Pretoria" on worth more .
 Consider what would happen if your government simply changed Washington DC to "Bush" or "Obama" !!!Yes, well ...!


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## cowseatmaize (Oct 4, 2012)

> " the wife said , "OK. I'm in it too !" Not sure quite how to take that !!


She looks pretty dammed happy to to me!!!![]


> Need bottles; will travel...


I've got an ultra rare SA bottle waiting for ya. I won't say what cause it's reserved for you and I don't want a flood of emails. Anyway, what time should I expert you you you both?[][][][]


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## SAbottles (Oct 4, 2012)

That's great, cows, but I'll have to sell a bucket load of bottles to manage the airfare !!


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## cyberdigger (Oct 4, 2012)

Dale, you should auction them off here in the USA and offer free shipping, cause you happen to be headed this way, cause they paid for your ticket.. oh yeah but then there's the luggage surcharges.. it's always something isn't it..


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## SAbottles (Oct 18, 2012)

I said I would show some of the things from those boxes for anyone who might be interested to see; so here goes:
 First a batch of stoneware polish pots. From labels I have seen, these were metal or furniture polish:


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## SAbottles (Oct 18, 2012)

These are some of the general aqua bottles: 






     and some general clear bottles plus ceramics & ointment pots behind






 and then some embossed beer bottles






          some of which are dated underneath:


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## SAbottles (Oct 18, 2012)

The blue bottles were something I was particularly glad to come up with:






      and there were some useful green ones as well:


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## SAbottles (Oct 18, 2012)

The Bovrils and Marmites are always rather neat and the 16 oz versions are quite sought after :







    This was also a little meat paste of some sort - pretty little shape ~ lip is not damaged, just rather crudely finished !


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## SAbottles (Oct 18, 2012)

Here are a few of the more welcome individual bottles:  a Clarke's "World Famed Blood Mixture"






     an Otto Landsberg snuff bottle:







      another snuff bottle - from Herman Canard:


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## SAbottles (Oct 18, 2012)

A castor oil  bottle, but a rather fancy one :






 A clear medicine embossed SAR&H Sick Fund, which stands for South African Railways & Harbours  Sick Fund  - an early Medical Aid for workers of said bodies :






            Bird's lemonade  - a powdered cooldrink base :


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## SAbottles (Oct 18, 2012)

The good old Eno's Fruit Salts  - we dig hundreds of the stoppers for these bottles !






   A typical embossed pharmacy bottle :






 and a really grand sounding one : "Orsmond's Great African Remedy" -






     Hope you enjoyed seeing these !


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## epackage (Oct 18, 2012)

> ORIGINAL:  SAbottles
> 
> A castor oil  bottle, but a rather fancy one :


 Killer Dale!!


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## Dugout (Oct 18, 2012)

I didn't know birds drank lemonade.  []
 You just never know what you will learn on this bottle sight.
 Nice little brown bottles. And the blues are very pretty.


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## idigjars (Oct 19, 2012)

Congrats on your new bottles and thanks for sharing them with us.   Paul


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## hunting262 (Oct 19, 2012)

Wow nice finds[:-] but that must have cost a fortune!!


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## JOETHECROW (Oct 19, 2012)

> ORIGINAL:  SAbottles
> 
> because it had this on : -


 

 Really cool group of bottles you have there Dale! (I remember singing "Marching to Pretoria" as a youngster in school...)[]


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## SAbottles (Oct 20, 2012)

Hi Arek, yes they did cost a bit, but I did my homework on them & will - I hope - turn a reasonable profit on them. They were bought for re-sale, although there a few little treasures I might keep !


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## SAbottles (Oct 20, 2012)

Hey Joe ~ would love to have heard you singing that ! [][]
 Why on earth would you have sung it, though ? It was a British marching song from the Anglo-Boer War (and part of it was in Afrikaans !) Not exactly Metallica or Pink Floyd [] !!


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## SAbottles (Oct 20, 2012)

@ Renee ~ you have no idea of what our birds drink (& eat!)[] Have often been tempted to soak a bit of the bread our Weavers eat in some brandy & watch the chaos ![:-] (But my wife would kill me !)

_Bird's_ was, of course, a big firm in England (& still is), making custard amongst other things.


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## epackage (Oct 20, 2012)

Dale what does a castor oil like that sell for down your way?


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## SAbottles (Oct 20, 2012)

Jim, around Rands 100 to 120 ~ on straight conversion about $12 to $15. Should be more, but I don't have a large  "sophisticated" clientele here !  They just buy it "because it looks pretty" !


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## epackage (Oct 20, 2012)

Thanks, I wish I was in the area I would take it for that price....good luck with them all...[]


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## SAbottles (Oct 20, 2012)

Thanks Jim. Actually had a pretty good market today and things from that collection are selling well ~ in fact I am rationing out the blue glass very carefully !
 "Retro-weddings" are still my biggest sales - -  people (the brides anyway !) want a small group of nice aqua bottles on each table, with flowers in them. It breaks my purist heart - but it brings in the $$$ !


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## epackage (Oct 20, 2012)

Great to hear it...


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## RICKJJ59W (Oct 20, 2012)

> ORIGINAL:  SAbottles
> 
> Here are a few of the more welcome individual bottles:  a Clarke's "World Famed Blood Mixture"
> 
> ...


 
 I love these 3 the snuff is bad ass !


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## SAbottles (Oct 20, 2012)

They are nice, Rick; and these are quite early ones with glass stopper & cork binding. the later ones had screw tops. And the snuff is pretty strong. I have had bottles with small amounts of snuff still in ; tried some and boy !! Do you only sneeze !! Sure clears the old sinuses out ![:'(]


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## bostaurus (Oct 20, 2012)

> ORIGINAL:  SAbottles
> 
> Thanks Jim. Actually had a pretty good market today and things from that collection are selling well ~ in fact I am rationing out the blue glass very carefully !
> "Retro-weddings" are still my biggest sales - -  people (the brides anyway !) want a small group of nice aqua bottles on each table, with flowers in them. It breaks my purist heart - but it brings in the $$$ !


 I wonder what they do with the bottles after the wedding?  Maybe you could start a business 'renting' bottles for weddings.


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## JOETHECROW (Oct 20, 2012)

> ORIGINAL: SAbottles
> 
> Hey Joe ~ would love to have heard you singing that ! [][]
> Why on earth would you have sung it, though ? It was a British marching song from the Anglo-Boer War (and part of it was in Afrikaans !) Not exactly Metallica or Pink Floyd [] !!


 
 Here's a good rendition Dale...  []           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsdcD161T7M&feature=related 

 P.S. No Pink Floyd till High school in the 70's...[]


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## SAbottles (Oct 21, 2012)

Hi Melinda; actually I do ! I always offer to buy back the bottles at half price if they aren't going to use or keep them ! So far have "re-sold" quite a few bottles.


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## SAbottles (Oct 21, 2012)

Wow, fascinating, Joe!  Only problem is that, when you start listening to things on you-tube, you can spend hours wandering from one artist to another !! Out here, many of the verses to that were in Afrikaans and a lot less repetitive.


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## bostaurus (Oct 21, 2012)

> ORIGINAL:  SAbottles
> 
> Hi Melinda; actually I do ! I always offer to buy back the bottles at half price if they aren't going to use or keep them ! So far have "re-sold" quite a few bottles.


 That is great!  Wonderful way to "recycle" those old bottles! Still waiting for you to find a South African veterinary bottle!  There has to have been one made at some point.
 I looked at that youtube video..that song sounds familiar so we must have had it in school at some point too.  I was just telling my kids the other day that we used to sing a lot of old folk songs and patriotic songs in elementary school.  I don't know that they do that any more....it has gone the way of recess.  Remember those old playground games?  
 I am sure nowadays some thin skinned ninny would find something objectionable in each one of those old songs in the same way the education powers-that-be have decided dodge ball and Red Rover are bad for children.  
 I have started collecting the chords and words for the old folk songs, etc and will be teaching the songs to my future grand kids.....along with those inappropriate kids' games (and bb guns and pocket knives).


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## SAbottles (Oct 21, 2012)

Yes indeed, Melinda ~ you are quite right that some fuddy duddy would find something to object about ! [8D]

    Here are some more things from that collection : this little pot was amongst a whole batch of normal, plain pharmacy pots. I'm sure he hadn't even noticed it was transfer printed ! Sorry the photo is a bit blurry; the top reads "Imperial Pharmacy" and the bottom "J. Sachs Pretoria" -


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## SAbottles (Oct 21, 2012)

A rather nice little skittle Codd :


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## SAbottles (Oct 21, 2012)

This is the detail of the logo  - as you may notice, these are all "Pretoria" items and will probably go to the lady who collects things with "Pretoria" on.


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## SAbottles (Oct 21, 2012)

And a nice, clean crown top soda for "A A Bones & Co  Chemists  Pretoria" . A fitting name for a chemist !


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## SAbottles (Oct 21, 2012)

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