# Ratin poison bottle



## beendiggin (Feb 1, 2009)

Anybody care to guess as to dollar value on this?  It's embossed "1000" on base. It's mint and has an applied top.   I saw that there was a Ratin Laboratory in New York at one time, but I know this product originated in Denmark as a rat poison around 1904.  Also, is the bottle American?


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## GuntherHess (Feb 1, 2009)

There was a thread about those bottles in the past. Try a search and see what you can find.


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## beendiggin (Feb 1, 2009)

Thanks, but I did that search already.  I am hoping someone who knows about poisons can guess on the value.  I'm curious because I've owned this bottle for over 20 years and have yet to find out what it's worth, and I don't know poisons very well.  I'd appreciate any input.


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## RICKJJ59W (Feb 1, 2009)

Big Jim Morrison can tell you.


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## beendiggin (Feb 1, 2009)

> Big Jim Morrison can tell you.


 
 The Lizard King?


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## appliedlips (Feb 2, 2009)

Paul,

      The bottle definately looks European.A 10 1/2" example offered by Pacific Glass auctions sold for $77 (buyer's premium included),in 2000.


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## beendiggin (Feb 2, 2009)

Thanks , Doug.   That gives me some idea ...as I said , I'm just curious because apparently this company was really successful with this product, but I can say I've never seen more than a couple in over two decades, and I only saw one on E-bay, which didn't sell.  I'm a little surprised there isn't more of them around, due to it's popularity and it's toc manufacturing.


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## GuntherHess (Feb 2, 2009)

If I remember right this wasnt a poison in the traditional chemical sense. It was a nasty salmonella strain biological poison which killed people pretty well too.
 There may have been some resistance to importing this type of product in to the USA. I would be careful with that container, its probably safe but that is some nasty stuff if it was what I think it was.


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## beendiggin (Feb 3, 2009)

> It was a nasty salmonella strain


 
 You are right about that, it was so bad that it is actually considered to be one of the reasons salmonella is so widespread throughout the world today.  This product sold 50 million units between 1904 until nearly 1960.  There were a known 122 cases of illness and 5 deaths attributed to Ratin, according to a report put out in 1950.   Realistically , the damage was far greater.   I haven't caught salmonella yet, and I've had this bottle over 20 years now.  Just to be safe , though, I've stopped drinking peanut butter milkshakes  from my Ratin bottle.


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