# Dr. Baker`s Grape Cure



## Bixby Bill (Jan 1, 2011)

I just picked this up at an auction today, and I was hoping that some of you cure collectors could give me some info on the rarity of this thing. It is Dr. Baker`s Grape Cure by Paul Baker, M.D. of Meriden, Conn. The bottle is amber, BIM with a tooled lip, has a B embossed on the shoulder just above the label, the rear panel is recessed but no embossing there, and it came with the package for the bottle, wooden box, and 2 signs for the store owner to put in his window. I have never seen or heard of one of these, but since it is mostly unembossed, without the label I would have passed it by. Is this a rare cure?


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## Bixby Bill (Jan 1, 2011)

Here are the two posters.


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## Bixby Bill (Jan 1, 2011)

The bottle.


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## Bixby Bill (Jan 1, 2011)

The bottle wrapper, it only has writing on the front, the rest of it is covered with pictures of grapes.


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## markh (Jan 1, 2011)

That's a very nice looking labeled cure especially with  the signs and box. I've never seen or heard of an embossed Baker's Grape cure, so maybe it was a label-only cure. I would guess there are many more labeled cures than embossed ones, and that they're probably harder to find with a good label like yours,  but most of the cure collectors focus on the embossed cure bottles. But it's a very nice find and an interestingly shaped bottle.  Makes you wonder what was in these concoctions that could "cure" so many ailments.

 Mark


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## GuntherHess (Jan 1, 2011)

I have seen a few of them with the label and box. There must have been some old unsold stock people found somewhere.  I think I sold one for about $30-40 a while back. They dont seem to be all that desirable because they are late and there isnt a lot of embossing. The wood box really makes it a nice set though and I expect adds a lot of value.


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## Bixby Bill (Jan 1, 2011)

Thanks for the info, Mark and Gunther. I hate to say what I paid for it, I guess it`ll probably sit on my shelf for a while until they become rare again!


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## madman (Jan 1, 2011)

very cool


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## GuntherHess (Jan 1, 2011)

I have never seen one the the wooden crates , hard to say what that would go for.


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## morbious_fod (Jan 2, 2011)

That's pretty freakin' sweet!


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## cowseatmaize (Jan 2, 2011)

I had no idea that grapes has so many ailments.[]


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## edndlm (Jan 2, 2011)

I agree with Matt as to value of the bottle with label & contents & box (LCB) . If it was an "embossed cure" then it would be 5 to 10 times that amount ! I've probably seen 8 or 10 for sale in similar condition over the years but don't remember seeing the wood box before . A lot of times bottles with LCB go for huge $ at Terry McMurray's Auctions which specialize in drugstore items & LCB bottles .


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## GuntherHess (Jan 2, 2011)

Its funny I had one of those grape cures that had a ratty label. I tried to sell it for a while and couldnt get any interest.  I finally ended up removing the label. It was a really nice looking light amber and it sold quickly.  Not something I normally do[]
 Just shows a label is sometimes more of a detraction than an enhancement.


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## Bixby Bill (Jan 2, 2011)

I`m sure that I`ve had and probably dug one or two of the bottles, but never knew what the B was for. Seeing that it is from CT makes it a little bit nicer for me since I like CT bottles, now if it was only 30 years older it would probably be made here too[8|], I`ll have to look for that one next, if they were even in business back then. I`ll have to do some research on it, Meriden is only about a 45 minute drive for me. 
 I agree that I never knew grapes could come down with so many afflictions, there`s nothing worse than having a bunch of grapes and they start sneezing at you! []
 Gunther, I`ve had a couple bottles like that in the past where the label is so ratty that it takes away from the bottle, esp. if it has some nice color. It`s the same old discussion with wicker covered demijohns where the wicker isn`t quite as nice as it could be and you don`t know what could be underneath it. 
 I know I overpaid for it, but it is still a nice piece of history. It`s not a Bixby but it`s still nice!


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## GuntherHess (Jan 3, 2011)

I happened on a very good history of Kelsey and his Grape Cure.
 http://users.bestweb.net/~bpress/res/art/kelsey1.html

 It has some interewsting tidbits in it. 
 The bottle mold was done by Whittall Tatum, not surprising.
 When he retired there was apparently a huge stock of bottles. They used them up to 1960 for ink reducer.


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