# Dr. Bull's Herbs and Iron



## sorryrat (Jan 1, 2005)

I am sorting thru a bunch of old bottles that have lined the kitchen shelves for many years, and I have one that I can't find much on. It is an amber flat bottle with a tapered applied top, made with what appears to be a three piece mold. It has the words "Dr Bulls Herbs and Iron" embossed on the front. Embossed on the bottom is "Pat Oct. 13 85" I have found info on Dr. H.W. Bull and H. W. Bull. Apparently, the good Doctor dropped the DR from the name at some point, possibly from a suggestion from authorities at the time. There are even some bottles that show where the DR was removed from the mold. 
     The difference with this one is that the embossing looks like it was crudely carved into the mold by someone who had been sampling the doctors remedy during the process. The N in Iron is even backwards. There is no HW at all on this one. This might be one of his early bottles, but I have not been able to find anything that looks like it on the web.
     Can anyone help with this one?


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## TheDiggerBoy91 (Jan 2, 2005)

This must be your bottle. This is from a guy selling it on his site. It's from the 1890's. Yours being all crude and everything means either 2 things:

 1. Like you said, it might be an early one, OR

 2. It's just got the crudenes common to BIM bottles.

 I'm sure it's nice though. The cruder the better!!!![]


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## sorryrat (Jan 2, 2005)

Yes, I found that same picture earlier today, but is is listed as an H. W. Bull bottle, not Dr Bull, and is a different bottle. It seems to be round on the sides, and mine is octagon shaped, and the last one inch or so of the bottom is beveled in with the same octagon shape. That bottle appears square at the bottom. 
   I have some pictures I will try to post, they aren't very good, but here they are:






 Picture cropped and reduced in size - please see *Help - Using the Forum* ---> Uploading a Picture  - Admin


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## sorryrat (Jan 2, 2005)

Here's another. You can see the sloppy carving and if you look close, you can see the backward N on the left.  Really a stange bottle.






 Picture cropped and reduced in size - please see *Help - Using the Forum* ---> Uploading a Picture  - Admin


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## TheDiggerBoy91 (Jan 2, 2005)

Ohhh.... I think yours is older than the other one, since the other one doesn't have the patent date or "Dr." That probably brings it down to the 1880's (ca.1885-1890) I'm not good at determining values (doesn't matter to me[&:]) but I understand there are some people here quite good at it..they could help you out[]


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## sorryrat (Jan 2, 2005)

Thanks for the info. I am not worried about the value either. I just have been curious about these bottles for years and am finally taking the time to go thru them. Most are just medicine and perfume bottles. This is just one that stood out. I have another that is probably old.  It looks like a soda bottle, it is green and looks to be blown. It has the pushed in bottom (pentil?) and has a residue that might be the iron I read about:


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## sorryrat (Jan 2, 2005)

Heres the bottom:






 Picture cropped and reduced in size - please see *Help - Using the Forum* ---> Uploading a Picture  - Admin


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## TheDiggerBoy91 (Jan 2, 2005)

That's actually a wine bottle, ca .1880-1900 (If it doesn't have a pontil). The pushed-in bottom is called a kick-up. It may have a pontil, I'm not sure, I need a closer look. If it does, it's a little older, ca.1850-1870.[]


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## David E (Jan 3, 2005)

DR. W.H.BULLS MEDICINE CO
 RE: Dr. Bull's Herbs and Iron
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  DR. W.H.BULLS MEDICINE CO. 
 BOTTLE BASE PAT"d 
 OCT. 13th 85 (Pat in 1885) 
 Product of W.H. Bull & Co., St Louis 
 Advertised 1900 and 1916 
 Amber 10"x 4 3/8"x 1 7/8" 

 J.W. BULLS COUGH SYRUP 
 BALTIMORE The peoples Remedy 1852 

 Long story and change of owners 
 Aqua 5 3/4"x 1 3/4" x 1" 

 DR. J. W. BULLS COUGH SYRUP A.C. MEYER & CO. 
 BALTIMORE. MD. USA 
 Aqua 5 /3/4"x 1 3/4" x 7/8" 

 J.W. BULLS VEGETABLE 
 BABY SYRUP TRADE MARK 
 Bottle Manufactured 1886 
 Advertised 1878, 1879, 1921


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