# Trade-card of Merchant's Gargling Oil



## Robby Raccoon (Sep 21, 2015)

I'm assuming it's early-mid 1880s. Here's what I know of the company and such: In 1833, Dr. Merchant, a Lockport druggist, started this liniment. 

Morris Tucker then joins in, and Morris turns out to be a wonderful advertiser. Apparently, he sent a satin-lined oak box of 12 bottles to the Sultan of Turkey who never thanked them. This let him get quite easily away with this trade-card I picked up for my own bottle of it that I had dug (my bottle being 1890s-1900s) from the club yesterday where I won $5 for Best Dug (1869 penny)  and earned $10 from selling an insulator and some small bottles.

What's odd is that Tucker's name does not appear on this. Instead, it has John Hodge on it-- secretary (as said on my card) until 1886. But Tucker is responsible for not only the card's design, but also the slogan "For Man & Beast." 
Hodge was an even better advertiser, helping the product go global and advertising in every place that he possibly could for the product that actually worked. 

My lithographed card was done by G. H. Dunston Lithography of Buffalo, New York. 

Later, yellow-wrapped meant "For Beast." "For Man" was the white-wrapped bottles. 

I was also asked if I'd sell my bottle. So I pointed out that it's common even in this color. As it turns out, in my town the green one is rarely dug. Still, it's the closest thing to a "true" blob that I've dug intact. 






Together. ^




"John Hodge Secy"




Right of (standing) man 2's leg looks like a bear-cub. So... it fits in with my bear-themed collection too. 








As dug. ^


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## ScottBSA (Sep 21, 2015)

Nice, very nice. Scott


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## bottlerocket (Sep 22, 2015)

I love finding documentation/advertisements on bottles I find. It puts a sort of facts behind a story.Nice job on the best dug coin. Local Bottle Club? Does your club get a good turn out?


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## Robby Raccoon (Sep 22, 2015)

Scott BSA, thanks. [] It's a very nice addition and "go-with." Bottle Rocket, I like having as much history as possible to share. I'm trying to get a local crate from a time when two bottler combined, but it's being very difficult to find out if I can or cannot obtain it. Saturday may give me an answer.Thanks for the congrats-- first time that I won there. I was kind of surprised that it won when compared to a few other bottles up there, but it comes with a strong story on how I came to get it. Albeit it's in Grandville, we call it the Grand Rapids Bottle Club. It has a good amount of people usually a dozen or so-- even children at times, such as one who bought an insulator off me Sunday. If you know of prominent collectors Elmer Ogg of Muskegon or Steve DeBoode of Grand Rapids (GRBottleGuy,) or if you know of Red Book's Doug Leybourne, then those are 3 members (I ride with 2 of them [8D]) who are part of the club. Steve lead me to the club back at the February(?) Grand Rapids bottle show, actually-- he made me aware that the club exists.


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## RED Matthews (Sep 22, 2015)

Hello again,  We are heading back to FL yomottoe.  qRRED M.


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## Robby Raccoon (Sep 22, 2015)

Howdy, Red, and good luck!


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