# BEGGS TROPICAL OIL



## donalddarneille (Jan 9, 2011)

Just dug this one today, can find plenty of info about bottles made for BEGGS products, but not for "TROPICAL OIL".  Any help with this one would be great.... Age, common or not ect.... Thanks.


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## donalddarneille (Jan 10, 2011)

A photo of Mark as he brings the bottle out of the hole....


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## donalddarneille (Jan 10, 2011)

It was one of thase perfect early 1880's holes..... layered with "Punkin" seeds, Coffin flasks, fruit jars and champagnes. We got one local "one of a kind", but that bottle will be for a later post.....


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## Poison_Us (Jan 10, 2011)

Oh sure, leave us hanging [8D]
 That's a nice bottle.  Know nothing of it tho...


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## BarbaraInCalif (Jan 10, 2011)

Found a newspaper online advertising Beggs tropical Oil  here.

 The ad is at the bottom of the 4th column, stating it will relieve "Salt Rheum or Eczema".

 Gotta say the lettering on that baby is beautiful!

 Barbara


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## donalddarneille (Jan 10, 2011)

Great add Barbara, maybe if they spent a little more on advertising back then we'ld know more about the bottle now! Do you know what year the paper is? That looks like a good resource, where do you find online newspaper archives at?


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## BarbaraInCalif (Jan 10, 2011)

Google finds the archives for me...I just typed in  Beggs "Tropical Oil".

 The other references I saw were dated 1902 and 1910, but that doesn't mean the product wasn't around long before then.

 Barbara


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## UncleJoe (Jan 10, 2011)

Hey there,

 Got some info for you.  The earliest known ad I could find on Begg's Tropical Oil was from an 1885 Newspaper.  And a 1916 book on patents lists Begg's Tropical Oil, 25 cent size.  Probably the size you have. It mentions (lists) the Styren Begg's & Co of Newark, Ohio, in 1890.  They made a Cough Syrup too in a similar bottle.  I've seen a few on eBay that went in the $30 range.  The eBay one is an old listing, viewing it will expire in 3 days, so I saved some images for you if you want them.  Or I can give you the viewing link.  Let me know. [sm=tongue.gif]


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## donalddarneille (Jan 10, 2011)

Thanks for the great info Joe! I would be interested in viewing the links if you can post them here. If you want to send me the photos you saved, the e-mail listed on this site will work just fine. 

 Welcome to ABN, and Thanks again!
 Don D


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## UncleJoe (Jan 10, 2011)

Sure thing....... here's a link to an old 1895 newsprint article.

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83025010/1895-11-21/ed-1/seq-3/;words=Tropical+Beggs+Oil

 And here is an interesting link to an 1886 article.  

http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/KSDOUGLA/2001-01/0979570062

 I sent the eBay link to your email since it (viewing) will be expiring in 3 days.  

 Yes .......... I'm an old treasure hunter too. []


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## donalddarneille (Jan 10, 2011)

Joe, 

 Great stuff you found, thanks again! 

 What are your treasure hunting interests?


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## donalddarneille (Jan 10, 2011)

Hey Uncle Joe!

  I emailed you the rest of the photos from Sundays dig...... Thought it was you, was not positive at first, but after getting your e-mail..... I don't hear Dad called "Ricky" to often! Hope you can join us on a dig soon.....


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## UncleJoe (Jan 10, 2011)

Alrighty then, sorry about the links not showing (clickable) in my last post.  Forgot to include that.  But, it's always nice having proof on age (versus guesswork), so here is an image showing the earliest date mentioned of the bottle I could find..

[align=center]
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 [align=left]And here is the link to the site showing the article.  It's in PDF format, that's why I attached the image above.  Some might have trouble with the link.  Here it is.

Earliest Article (PDF)

 Hope this helps. []


 [/align][/align]


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## donalddarneille (Jan 11, 2011)

Cool, more great adds! Has anyone dug one of these recently?


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## Wangan (Jan 11, 2011)

Way to go Uncle Joe! Welcome to the best bottle forum on the planet.I am itching to see some of your treasures!Sweet bottle Don! I really dig the serif on the letters.[]  ~Tim


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## cowseatmaize (Jan 11, 2011)

The big O little I, big L is interesting too. I wonder why the did that?


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## Wangan (Jan 11, 2011)

Maybe for it to stand out better?I would love to own a bottle like that.The lettering really grabs my attention!There may be others but that is the first one I have seen with fancy embossed letters like that.


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## donalddarneille (Jan 11, 2011)

Yeah, I still can't get over the lettering on this bottle, it really stands out. I checked out the ebay listings for Beggs, but it looks like all that has been on there recently are the cough meds, no Tropical Oils. So back to square one on establishing scarceness and value. Anyone else dig, buy, or sell a Tropical Oil recently?


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## donalddarneille (Jan 11, 2011)

Even in the bluriest of my photos you can still make out what the embossing reads from a distance!


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2011)

I've been looking around and this really seems to be a rare one.  The first info I found on Beggs I think was incorrect, I thought it was from Styron Beggs of Newark, Ohio.  Those were the more common Great Seal embossed bottles.  

 I think this is from *F.M. Beggs & C.E. De Witt*.  There is a patent on the Cherry Cough Syrup dated May 19th, 1884.  Couldn't find anything on the Tropical Oil though.  From the newsprint ad that I did find, we know it's _at least_  from 1885.  Beggs and De Witt were together from 1884 to 1886, then Beggs started a separate business in Chicago Ill.  I've been able to identify eight (8) different products he bottled, but no detailed info on this Tropical Oil, which would bring the total to 9. The only bottle with a label intact that I could find an image of does say it's from Chicago, Ill, so I'm pretty sure it's *F.M. Beggs *and not Styron Beggs.  I think that this is a very rare find. 

 For Tim (Wangan) - Thanks for the welcome.  I only have one old bottle, found in the desert. Turning purple. I actually collect marbles and Chinese porcelain.  

 I'll probably go on my first dig the next time I visit Oregon.  Donalddarnielle and his dad are saving the best privy for me. []


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## sandchip (Jan 11, 2011)

Here's a hair bottle I found in a creek bank trash pile years ago.  I don't know if it's the same dude, but the lettering is similar, but not nearly as fancy as the killer tropical oil.


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## sandchip (Jan 11, 2011)

.


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## donalddarneille (Jan 11, 2011)

The script does look close to being the same, but the placement of the apostrophe would suggest my bottle was put out by a Mr. Begg, while yours is from a Mr. Beggs....... But I really couldn't say for sure. With how common speling errors are on 18th century bottles it could be the same guy..... Looking closer at the photo of my bottle, what I'm reading as an apostrophe could be a seed bubble, I'll have to take a closer look next time I have this bottle in my hands.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 12, 2011)

Hereâ€™s a list I've gathered of products known to be manufactured by Dr. F.M. Beggs.  I put Donâ€™s Tropical Oil *first* on the list cuz itâ€™s such a great find. [][ol][*]Tropical Oil[*]Cherry Cough Syrup[*]Diarrhoea Balsam[*]Dandelion Bitters[*]Blood Purifier and Blood Maker[*]Eye Water[*]IXL Bitters[*]Knoxit[*]Soothing Syrup[*]Hair Renewer                    (this is what I need [:-])
 [*]Nonpareil Hair Curler[*]Alocaster Balm and Velvetina _     (not sure)_
 [*]Alabaster Balm                         _(not sure)_
 [/ol]The last two might be a different Beggs, not sure.  

 There's probably a few more, maybe somebody can help add to the list. Now we know Sandchip's find is the same as Don's, same Beggs.


Hope this helps []_
_


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## donalddarneille (Jan 12, 2011)

Wow, that Mr. Beggs was a busy man! The BEGG'S spelling on the Tropical Oil is undoubtably a typical 19th century gramatic error......


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## UncleJoe (Jan 12, 2011)

Well I'll be darned, that might explain why Tropical Oil wasn't on any of the lists I found on Beggs' products.  

 I bet this was more than just a grammatical error, I bet this was an attempt to market a product that appeared to be made by Beggs, without breaking the law.  The placement of the apostrophe is pretty important.

 A little 19th century deception?  So........ does that make this bottle even rarer?


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## UncleJoe (Jan 12, 2011)

I was looking around and even the early pharmaceutical  journals (1902 & 1910) show Beggs making the Tropical Oil.  One lists the company as Beggs*'* and another as Begg*'*s, but the list is pretty much the same.  Then I found this image.

[align=center]
 [/align]
 Found it in eBay's _completed_ _auctions_.   On this one, the apostrophe is correctly placed at the end.  Maybe Don's was just an error in production. I like the lettering on Don's much better, got character.  Either way, here's the link to the auction which ended about 2 weeks ago.  You can see more images of it.

Beggs' Tropical Oil (on eBay) 

 Think I'll call it quits now.  [8|] (or is it quit*'*s....or quits*'*....)


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## sandchip (Jan 12, 2011)

> ORIGINAL:  donalddarneille
> 
> The script does look close to being the same, but the placement of the apostrophe would suggest my bottle was put out by a Mr. Begg, while yours is from a Mr. Beggs....


 
 I'm glad somebody's paying attention.  You guys oughta be detectives!  Thanks.


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## Wangan (Jan 12, 2011)

Begg`s would imply ownership of Mr. Begg whereas Beggs` would imply ownership of Mr. Beggs.Beg my pardon,([&o]),but could I have a bottle of Beggses formula?[]


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## donalddarneille (Jan 12, 2011)

The bottle on Fleebay went for under $20?  Maybe this one with the fancier script and gramatic error is worth a few more bucks then..... But digging it with My Dad and Freinds in a small Oregon town in the middle of winter, well, that makes it priceless to me! []

 It will be a few days before I have the bottle in hand again and can put the apostrophe/seed bubble question to rest........


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## donalddarneille (Jan 15, 2011)

I was able to get the Tropical Oil bottle in hand and do a closer inspection. It is indeed a misplaced apostrophe and not a seed bubble. Did anyone else notice the embossing on the Ebay bottle, besides being a slightly different script, reads from the bottom to the top, while the just dug bottle reads from the top down?


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## surfaceone (Jan 15, 2011)

Hey Donald,

 This is a sure beauty, and talk about yer calligraphic mould cutting...












 UncleJoe's auction example.

 Just supposin here, for a quick minute, but would you think that yours would be an original private mould, where the auction model came later?

 Hope you'll show us this beauty, again, after her bath.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 15, 2011)

Good catch, no..... didn't notice that.  The only thing I did notice that seemed a little strange was the wording for oil on both bottles.  Ebay's had Oi*l*, and your bottle has Oi*L*.  Cowseatmaize noticed the big 'L' on your bottle right away. I think the big 'L' looks better.  Odd how both bottles have a bit of a space after the 'T' in T ropical.

 I can sure see how you guys all enjoy these old bottles.  I know nuttin and am having so much fun just getting involved in the research (and learning).  I can't wait to go on my first dig.


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## donalddarneille (Jan 15, 2011)

Yeah, that's why some of us call this an addiction first, hobby second! 

 The bottle is cleaned up now..... Beautiful! Auqua, tooled lip and flat bottom, but failed to bring my camera with me to the OBCA meeting. Should be able to stop by and get a photo within the week..... May be a while before we get a chance to pick on this dig......


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