# Antique or not?



## mary cay (Jul 24, 2016)

I have this Fish shaped bottle that my husband got when his Aunt passed away many years ago. He says he remembers seeing it in her cabinet in about 1955. He thinks she told him it was Cod liver oil. We can't find any with a name on it, but I don't think its the one sometimes marked with a 1970 on the bottom. His Aunt passed away many years before that. We lived in Indpls at the time, where Lilly is located. We think it is that bottle but not for sure. Thanks for any help you can give us.


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## Harry Pristis (Jul 24, 2016)

This bottle has been reproduced many times.  The original bottle is embossed DR. FISH'S BITTERS, etc.

Judging by the valve mark on the bottom, this is a 20th Century  imitation.


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## CanadianBottles (Jul 24, 2016)

No, that's not a reproduction, it's an Eli Lilly cod liver oil bottle from the 1920's.  I'm not sure if it's completely unrelated to the Dr. Fish's Bitters or was roughly inspired by the Fish's, but it's a genuine bottle, just not a genuine Dr. Fish's bottle.


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## Harry Pristis (Jul 24, 2016)

CanadianBottles said:


> No, that's not a reproduction, it's an Eli Lilly cod liver oil bottle from the 1920's.  I'm not sure if it's completely unrelated to the Dr. Fish's Bitters or was roughly inspired by the Fish's, but it's a genuine bottle, just not a genuine Dr. Fish's bottle.



Good to know!  Thanks.


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## andy volkerts (Jul 25, 2016)

Also if it were a dr Fish's bitters it would be embossed with the w h ware patented 1866 around one eye of the fish and the fish bitters around the other eye of the fish, and the bottom would be with a shallow concave surface free of any marks


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## mary cay (Jul 25, 2016)

Thanks for your help. My husband thought he was right about the bottle, but you know how family stories can get mixed up.


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## andy volkerts (Jul 25, 2016)

Your husbands family story seems to me to be right on. It is a cod liver oil bottle, and well could be an Eli Lily cod liver oil bottle and could have been made as late as the 1930s. without its label which would have been on the fish's belly, we will never know for sure about the Eli Lily part, but it is likely their product seeing as you are in the town where they were in business in. also it was not unusual for people in families to save figural shaped bottles for long times, wjich is why there are hundreds of the Brown's Indian queen figural bitters bottles........Andy


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## Harry Pristis (Jul 26, 2016)

This is an imitation of the original Fish's Bitters bottle.  That bottle was patented in 1866.  It may be that the patent was not renewed or that the rights were purchased from the patent owner.

According to one eBayer, *"The fish shaped bottle was first patented by W. H. Ware in 1866 and used for his Doctor Fischs[sic] Bitters.  The Doctor Fischs[sic] Bitters bottle was later used by Eli Lilly and Co. as a container for cod liver oil from 1922-1933.

 "These bottles were blown by the Fairmount Glass Company of Indiana in a two-part mold with very sharp detail to the surface.  *

*"The bottom of this bottle bears the embossed letter F of the Fairmount Glass Company.  This mark was used on their bottles from 1920-1933.  The number 609 is embossed above the F and the number 6 is embossed below the F."*
 
 
​


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## inbottleitrust (Aug 10, 2016)

It's machine made. it's obvious a replica.


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## Canadacan (Aug 11, 2016)

CanadianBottles said:


> No, that's not a reproduction, it's an Eli Lilly cod liver oil bottle from the 1920's.  I'm not sure if it's completely unrelated to the Dr. Fish's Bitters or was roughly inspired by the Fish's, but it's a genuine bottle, just not a genuine Dr. Fish's bottle.



Yes that makes sense....that is a diamond I mark on the base I'm seeing........That diamond I mark was used by Illinois Glass from​about 1915-29.


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