# F. Brown's ess of jamaca ginger age/value



## catman (Mar 23, 2017)

Hi,
Does anyone know the age or value of this bottle?  i believe it is from the 1880's but i am unsure.



Thanks, Catman


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## whittled (Mar 23, 2017)

I'd lean more toward the early 20th century myself but it's a period that gets really hard to be certain of.


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## sandchip (Mar 24, 2017)

I believe, with a tooled top, that 1880s would be accurate, although they were also produced far earlier than that.  Here's an OP example that I found a few years ago in a well we uncovered on my property.


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## tropichahni (Mar 25, 2017)

Wow, nice find. Do you mind telling me how you clean your bottles?


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## sandchip (Mar 26, 2017)

Not sure who you're asking, but this one only needed rinsing off (and rinsing out, once I decided to pull the cork).


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## tropichahni (Mar 27, 2017)

It was you. wow. I have a hard time cleaning the inside of the bottles


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## sandchip (Mar 27, 2017)

A little coarse sand up about quarter of the way, then water up to about halfway, thumb over the top and shake ever which way usually helps a lot.


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## bilbet (Apr 3, 2017)

I also have one with the open pontil. Here is some interesting info I picked up off the internet but can't remember where. Take it with a grain of salt, but it sounds good to me:

Personally dug in San Francisco Victorian 1870'sAqua F. Brown's "Ess of Jamaica Ginger Philada" medicine bottle. Thefront body is strongly embossed vertically, "F. Brown's Ess of JamaicaGinger Philada", and measures 5 1/2" high. Essence of Jamaica Ginger,commonly known as "Jake," was sold as a medicine in the 19th centuryas a remedy for colds, menstrual cramps and digestive issues. Its high alcoholcontent made it popular drink As a result of Prohibition, producers of themedicine sought ways to mask the product’s high alcohol content by addingvarious substances, such as triorthocresyl phosphate. The compound didn’t alterthe medicine's taste, but it masked the amount of alcohol the beveragecontained. Around 1930, consumers of the drink began reporting muscle weakness,tingling and paralysis in their extremities, some sufferers forced to lifttheir leg high in the air when they walked so their paralyzed foot would clearthe ground. It was discovered that triorthocresyl phosphate was a powerfulneurotoxin that damaged the neurons that control movement, and Jamaica Gingerwas outlawed soon after. Those afflicted with permanent neurological damagecame to be known as “Jake Leg.” The social stigma associated with their conditionwas particularly harmful and often prevented them from reporting theircondition. It has been reported that sufferers were reduced to begging in thestreets.


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