# OVER TO THE DARK SIDE...



## bearswede (May 16, 2005)

Here are some recent acquisitions of "black glass"...


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## bearswede (May 16, 2005)

First up a rich, really dark root beer Dr. Soule's Hop Bitters (with a backward "S")...

 Does not pass much light; nice and crudely made; bubbly... Arrived from New Zealand last week... When I saw the box it came in at the P.O., I thought an elephant must have sat on it... after he and his herd had used it for a month of soccer practice!!! Still, not a nick on that bottle when I opened the package holding my breath...


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## bearswede (May 16, 2005)

Next, a sweet little dark green blacking bottle. Full of bubbles and with wavy glass, this beauty was much cheaper than the rest at the two bottle shows last month in NH... It was not until after I bought it, however, that I discovered why: There was a small nick off one of the base edges; really had to be felt before you noticed it... Anyway, a dab of casting resin made it pretty much disappear...


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## bearswede (May 16, 2005)

Finally, a nice very dark green geometric ink... Doesn't pass much light at all... It has a couple of small nibbles off the edge of the mouth disk... I'm in the process of filling those presently... This one came in under $100...

 Ron


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## Tony14 (May 16, 2005)

Very nice assortment of black glass bottles.


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## woody (May 16, 2005)

Do you collect Dr. Soule's Hop Bitters, Ron???


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## bearswede (May 16, 2005)

Hey, Woody...

 I've just recently started to amass semi-cabins... Mostly Doyle's but I have two Soule's in my possession... I had another but sold it a few years ago...

 I have in mind doing a display for the 2006 Saratoga show... It would be on semi-cabins, centered around the Doyle's/Soule's/German Hop Bitters story...

 When I get my next specimen (I have 9 right now), I'll post a rogue's gallery photo on the forum...

 Ron


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## BRIAN S. (May 16, 2005)

Hi Ron , 
  I love that Soule's  ! I had one I sold a few years back with the backwards " S " that was Black / Olive green ..... wish I'd kept that one !!!! Oh well , Had to free some cash up for Drake's . 
  Did you see the Soule's on ebay ? It has a very unusual hops motif and the bottle has a different shape at the shoulders . I have only seen one other in this mold variant . It is quite unusual and I would say rare mold variant for here in the U.S. . It appears the bidding has picked up on it a little. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=890&item=6178072425&rd=1
 Maybe the Aussie collectors might have some info on this mold variant ???? 
   Brian


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## bearswede (May 16, 2005)

Ah, Brian...

 Must you tempt me thusly when I am so broke (and bitter, as it were)...

 Some nice one, that is!!! ARRRRGHGHGH....


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## Gunsmoke47 (May 16, 2005)

Nice pieces Mr. Swede. Beautiful ink as well as the Dr. Soule's. I think black glass, with a million seed bubbles can be one of the most stunning colors you can find. [] Happy Diggin,  Kelley


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## bottlebank (May 20, 2005)

bottle one is from the 1800s


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## whosyerdaddy (Jun 6, 2005)

Ron,        do u know gary beatty from ohio ?        he collects semi cabins                              whosyer !!


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## bearswede (Jun 6, 2005)

No, Hoos, I don't know 'im... Think he'll sell me some of his xtras???

 And I never did hear about congress getting into bottle politics with wanting to legislate marking them with a scarlett letter (R)...

 Ron


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## bearswede (Sep 23, 2005)

*ATTN: KELLY...RE: OVER TO THE DARK SIDE...*

Hey, Kelly...

 Remember these?

 Ron


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## ronvae (Sep 23, 2005)

Beautiful!  Thanks for posting 'em...[]


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## Gunsmoke47 (Sep 24, 2005)

I do now!  Your killin me Swede![]


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## bearswede (Sep 24, 2005)

Hey Buddy, How's the archeology goin'?

 I've been only half-assed on line for awhile... A T-storm did in my old computer... Got a new one, but having some on-line access problems... Some pages just won't let me in!!!

 Ron


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## Gunsmoke47 (Sep 25, 2005)

Goin kinda slow Bear. We got that great site that I wrote about previously but not enough time, money and stewards to get it completely excavated.  Maybe next year. There is a lot of great artifacts at that site.  I go by from time to time to make sure it hasn't been pilfered as it's right in a county road. Haven't dug any bottles lately either. This is really killin me. May have to break down and buy some![] I'll take a black Dr. Soule's or utility![]  Happy Diggin, Kelley  
   Glad your back online.


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## bearswede (Sep 26, 2005)

Kelly...

 I've got another dark amber Soule's (backward "S"), not quite as dark as the one I posted... It has zillions of swirled bubbles, plenty crude with a little cloudiness around the neck and shoulders...

 If you're interested in buyin', I'll post some pics...

 Ron


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## Gunsmoke47 (Sep 26, 2005)

Hey Bear, as much as I would love one, I doubt if I could afford it right now. Why don't you shoot me an email with a pic and a price. Even if I can't afford it , I can at least see what I'm missin.[&o]  Kelley


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## whiskeyman (Oct 2, 2005)

Just thinkin' I'd throw a little "light" on the subject...marvelous subject that it is.

 I just bought this Gippsland Hop Bitters in aqua...Will look good sittin' with my growing collection of semi-cabins...


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## bearswede (Oct 2, 2005)

Nice one, Charlie... You mean I gotta compete with you now to complete my collection of every semi ever produced? (ROR)...

 Care to divulge what you paid?

 Ron


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## whiskeyman (Oct 4, 2005)

LOL RON...looks like we have been competing a bit. You beat me out on a Soule's just a couple weeks ago. I bought the Gippsland on Ebay for .99 cents...plus S&H.
 Didn't get a deal, but still under fair market value and in excellent condition. Just wish it'd get here !!!


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## whiskeyman (Oct 4, 2005)

It got here today !
 Box was crushed...ut oh.[]
 BUT, the seller had it well packed in a styrofoam tube...so it was safe.[]
 X-cellent bottle and pristine clear. It has a place on the back side corner that shows where the iron mold had to be patched at one time...a long thin strip that wraps the side for about 4 inches and has 2 rivetmarks...Just adds to its appeal.[8D]


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## BRIAN S. (Oct 4, 2005)

Hi Charlie , 
 That patched mold marks ..... what a cool extra ! Love that crudity !
  Brian


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## whiskeyman (Oct 4, 2005)

BRIAN...yep...crude. Took some pics...


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## whiskeyman (Oct 4, 2005)

shoulder...


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## whiskeyman (Oct 4, 2005)

Mold repair marks...


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## whiskeyman (Oct 4, 2005)

hmmm...mebbe thisun's better...







 (got booted off site for about the 3rd time today....what's up with that?)

 anyways, there's two rivetheads' marks and the  mold repair  wraps the back and side  about 3/8ths of an inch on each .


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## bearswede (Oct 5, 2005)

*RE: OVER TO THE DARK SIDE.../Delmarva?*

Charlie...

 A gentleman at the Albany show was remarking on my semi-cabin display and mentioned he had just seen a similar large grouping at a show in Delmarva somewhere... Was that you??!!!???


 Ron


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## whiskeyman (Oct 6, 2005)

RON...nope...wish it was. Especially if it was a real nice grouping...[]

 I only just started mine a couple months ago...(after selling off all I had before).

 "what goes around, comes around" ,has more than one application, looks like...heh.


 BTW...ya sell that black Soule's ?


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## bearswede (Oct 6, 2005)

Not the real dark one, but Kelly has dibs on a similar one that's really crude but not as dark...

 What's your inventory so far?


 Ron


 This is Kelly's:


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## whiskeyman (Oct 6, 2005)

RON...if he changes his mind I may be interested: depending upon $$ tho...

 I just have 5 presently...4 Doyles in varying shades of amber, one with labels...and the Gippsland.


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## bearswede (Oct 15, 2005)

Charlie...

 Don't tell me... YOU'RE "darckpoet"!???!!!


 Charlie................!!!!!


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## whiskeyman (Oct 15, 2005)

RON...who me???[sm=rolleyes.gif][sm=lol.gif]


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## bearswede (Oct 15, 2005)

Dear darckpoet...

 Here's the "light" of my bottle-collecting life...

 I won't make you guess what I paid for it... I already skunked you out of "The Dark Prince"...


 Ron


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## whiskeyman (Oct 15, 2005)

RON...why should I haveta guess? I told you what I paid for mine dinna I ?

 As for skunkin' me outta the Dark Prince...ya don't haveta rub it in, ya know...[]

 I'll get me one yet...[]


 oh, BTW...nice Gippsland. Embossing seems stronger than on mine...[]
 and yers is a bit darker...


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## bearswede (Oct 15, 2005)

It's probably just the photography, Charlie... I'd say the two are pretty much on a par...

 Ron

 PS... Speakin' o' skunkin', you joined the forum 6 months after I did, and you have over 300 more posts than I do... Not fair, Charlie... But who's counting...?


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## whiskeyman (Oct 15, 2005)

LOL@ who's countin'....methinks Admin is keeping up...
 I guess I tend ta chatter a lot more...[sm=lol.gif]
 Besides...yer pC was down fer a while,RON.

 And yer bein gracious, by saying it's the photography...just tryin' ta spare my feelins...[]

 What'd ya do to LOBEY? He ain't been in but maybe once since his birthday...He doin' okay?


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## bearswede (Oct 16, 2005)

Hi Charlie...

 I've emailed him a few times, but no response... I'll try again...


 Ron


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## bearswede (Oct 18, 2005)

Hey, Charlie...

 Speakin' of patches... I just picked up this nice little Lockport... The photo doesn't show it too well, but it has a patch where the "LO" in Lockport occurs...

 Got it for well under the $200+ most folks were asking for these at the Albany show... It's a dug bottle and has some ground wear/scratches on the label side, but otherwise, it's pretty clean and no damage!!!

 Ron


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## bearswede (Oct 18, 2005)

Lockport side...


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## bearswede (Oct 18, 2005)

The "Lab" side...


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## bearswede (Oct 20, 2005)

Here's the base... I'm still looking for an O.P. Lockport, but this will do till then...


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## Miles (Oct 21, 2005)

Here's an auction that's going on right now.

 On Ebay lately, fine examples of merchants are coming up, keep your eyes open.


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## bearswede (Oct 21, 2005)

Thanks for the tip, Miles... That one looks possibly like an attic mint example... Mine was dug and has some scratching on the label side, but is nice and clean for having been in the ground... And it cost considerably less than most others of it's ilk...

 Right now I'm looking at a Middletown saratoga... Had one but sold it... Would like to own another...


 Ron


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## whiskeyman (Oct 22, 2005)

RON...nice lookin' Lockport...Ya done good. 
 Why is it we buy a bottle...later sell it...then even later wish we still had it,and  so , off we go searching for another one? LOL.


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## bearswede (Oct 22, 2005)

It's what I LOVE about this game!!!

 I know a lot of guys have their "collections" and they only sell duplicates or stuff they aren't interested in themselves... I have a different philosophy... I have what I call a fluid inventory... If I like a bottle I'll put a high price on it... If I sell it, I've made a little extra to go out and buy that next one on the "Holy Grail" list... If I don't, I get to keep looking at it glow in my bay window at sunset (for a little while longer, anyway...)


 Ron


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## whiskeyman (Oct 23, 2005)

RON....yep, but I've found that quite often it costs ya more to replace the one ya  had sold previously....that ain't no fun...[&:]

 And diggin' one is often not gonna happen either.

 BUT, we still, buy, sell, and buy again.


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## bearswede (Oct 23, 2005)

Speaking of wanting to replace a lost loved one, have you ever come across an early Wolfie with a small "WZ" embossed at the end of the "U. Wolfe"???

 It's pint-sized, black bubbly glass, sand-chip pontil...Purportedly blown in New Orleans, alth this has been disputed... The one I sold was found in a N.O. attic I was told... It also looked as tho it had just popped out of the mold, it was so bright and flawless... I really considered that it might have been a modern product from an old mold someone had found, till I found a tiny scratch or two... Beautiful bottle!!

 If you hear of one, let me know...

 Ron


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## whiskeyman (Oct 23, 2005)

RON...hadn't heard of that one....sounds like an odd one for sure. Maybe one of a kind. 
 I did have some Wolfe's I bought while in N.O. some years ago, but none were like you described.


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## bearswede (Oct 25, 2005)

Wasn't one of a kind, Charlie... Originally, one was put up on ebay... I bid the highest, but didn't make the reserve. I emailed the seller asking how close I was... I wasn't... But then a guy emailed me, saying he had one and would sell it for my bid... Well, being a cautious fellow, I grilled the guy asking for a zillion photos, etc. Finally, I agreed... The bottle, as I said, was gorgeous... I sold it really quickly to a buddy; then I saw another on ebay, bid on it, but it was way out of my pocket-range... Then, googlin' around, I found another in a cyber bottle shop... Couldn't get the woman to meet my price, tho...

 Now, it almost seems like a dream... No one's heard of these bottles!!!


 Ron


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