# Chico Bottle Show



## CALDIGR2 (Feb 3, 2010)

The next CA show will be held by the Bidwell Bottle Club on 12-14 March at the Silver Dollar fairground in Chico. It has always been a fun show to attend and this year should be no different. We go up on Friday morning to attend dealer set-up and march around the room searching for goodies. The early admission is 5 bucks, a very small price to pay for the opportunity afforded the collector by being there as the stuff is being placed on the tables. Like at Auburn, the "feeding frenzies" are fun and interesting to participate in, or merely observe. The weather is usually nice at that time of year, with little chance of rain and temps in the 70s. See y'all there, if you can make it.


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## ktbi (Feb 3, 2010)

Hi Mike...I've been to the Chico show twice - last year I went on Friday.  I'm not an insulator collector, but they usually have a lot of them up there.  They are impressive though....Hope to see you there....Ron


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## BarbaraInCalif (Mar 5, 2010)

One week away!


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## CALDIGR2 (Mar 5, 2010)

Friday it is. Our group has lunch at Sierra Nevada Brewery, a many year tradition. March around the aisles for a coupl'a hours, then go eat and return for more marching.

 Mike


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## CanYaDigIt (Mar 13, 2010)

Great show today.  We had the kids with us so we only stayed about 4 1/2 hours.  Here's our take from the show.

 The group shot.






 Here's the four new blacks.  All dip molded and pontiled.  These pics don't do them any justice.  I'll get some sunlight shots tomorrow.




 Pontils









 Here's the amber demi and yellowish seam side flask Jen got.





 My son is 10 and recently became interested in bottles.  He really scored at this show.  He didn't spend a single dollar today.  Several of the guys at the show were just happy to see a young guy interested so they gave him bottles.  He has 10-12 descent bottles that were given to him at shows.  I think it's awesome because that generosity is really what is getting fueling his eagerness to learn.  He couldn't care less about bottles until someone gave him his first blob soda.  That first one's still his favorite too.  Thanks guys!!!  Here's his take.





 S.F. Whiskeys





 Sodas





 Spice





 Finally, here's what I got for the Sacramento collection.  Both are nice bottles.  The Bowman on the left is earlier BIMAL and comes in several sizes.  I was wanting a bigger one, but the feeding frenzy at the table devoured them before I even saw them.  Happy to get this one though.  The Gogings on the right is a pretty scarce bottle.  I passed up one in Auburn and regretted it after, so I was glad to find this one too.  These were the two exact bottle I was hoping to find today, and I did.  Didn't even see any colored ones there.  Maybe in Antioch.


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## CALDIGR2 (Mar 13, 2010)

We were there for 4 hours today, and I must say that the show was quite surprising, to say the least. Quite a number of both new to the market and freshly dug QUALITY Western bottles were offered. I bought nothing, but did steer friends to VERY nice things to acquire. As always, I was seriously looking for anything to add to my little grouping, but, for me anyway, there wasn't anything that I "needed". Sure, I could have purchased great bottles for resale, but that wasn't my mission. I would feel like crap if I bought a nice bottle for $XXX and turned it to a friend for $XXXX. Sorry, folks, but that's the way it is.

 Cold temps and steady rain dampened the day, and the attendance was light, but we had a good trip. My buds drove to my house from SF, which is out of the way for them, and, after a hearty breakfast, we hit it from here. Tomorrow is expected to be clear and cool, at only the low 60s, but we are gonna dig. Two "permishes" might pan out. We'll see whether, or not, a report is earned.


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## CanYaDigIt (Mar 13, 2010)

Good luck!!!


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## CALDIGR2 (Mar 14, 2010)

Here's another Chico show "find". Nice, very scarce whiskey. One of the "top ten", it's a J.Moore/Old Bourbon/E.Chielovich/Sole agents fifth. Super heavy embossing and whittled to death. Sorry about the poor pic, I took it in a hurry yesterday morning.


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## CanYaDigIt (Mar 14, 2010)

That's a killer whiskey Mike.  Is it yours?  Do you have any Moore or Cutter flasks?  I like the Moore's, but the flasks gonna take me a while.


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## BarbaraInCalif (Mar 14, 2010)

We attended the Chico show on Friday afternoon.  The plan had been to go on Saturday, but between the rain not allowing us to work and our power being out, Friday was a better day to leave the farm. It was not a good time to be at the show though.  We arrived at 2:30, but by 4:15 the vendors started covering up their bottles and by 6 just about everyone was gone.  The show was advertised to run from 10 to 7.  There was a lot I did not get to see.  Our round trip was 257 miles!
 I orginally posted this in a different thread (just in case my complaint seems redundant).  Granted, there were very few buyers by that time, but is this early closing a common occurrence?  What is the best time to attend a show?


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## CALDIGR2 (Mar 14, 2010)

Barbara, the sad fact was that the bad weather and serious cold in the room put people into the "let's get out of here" mode. We arrived at 0945 and departed by 1430. Blowing rain and miserable driving conditions both ways. I'm sorry that you missed the action, but it was all weather related. had it been a warm sunny day things would have been good.

 The whiskey was shown to me, but rather than buy it and have to double my money to someone, I just grabbed Mike Lake and let him have it. I knew that he had been looking for that bottles for years, so, to me, it was the right way to deal with the situation.


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## Lordbud (Mar 14, 2010)

For me as a longtime low-end collector I've had both good and bad luck attending "early lookers/set-up" shows , whether or not the weather was "cooperating"...but I can say as far as shows go, I've bought 95% of my "show bottles" at the regular Saturday sale day most shows open on for the public...


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## Indianabottledigger (Mar 15, 2010)

Hello all western collectors I have a question for ya. My digging buddy has a nice blob amber quart california PoP Beer bottle that says chicago Ill on the back side of it?  Just looking for any info you might be able to give me about it im trying to get it off of him and not sure what a fair trade or money exchange may be. Sorry about posting this here but since it says california thought someone might know.?? Thanks


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## westernbittersnut (Mar 23, 2010)

I have a friend that has that same quart bottle in green. I also do not know what value these have. He is wanting to sell his also.


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