# box full of bottles from old pharmacy



## epgorge (Sep 25, 2007)

John, our town pharmacist gave me a box (Gudes Pepto) full of old dirty bottles, most with toc or after druggist labels, corks, contents, etc. 

 From first glance there seems to be few embossed bottles, except bottom embossments (TW & Co, etc.), except a couple of Wyeth's. There are a couple pontiled apothecaries. Remember these have a hundred years of dirt and dust on them from being in a cellar. There a few Albany NY and Philadelphia bottles here.

 I have the task of cleaning, identifying, and documenting. This is the first of several boxes. I thought I would share the fun with you. Any help would be appreciated. 

 Joel


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## epgorge (Sep 25, 2007)

.


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## epgorge (Sep 25, 2007)

a couple close up


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## epgorge (Sep 25, 2007)

Belladona 100 pills


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## epgorge (Sep 25, 2007)

..


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## epgorge (Sep 25, 2007)

..


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## epgorge (Sep 25, 2007)

John Wyeth & Bro / Phila


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## epgorge (Sep 25, 2007)

Oil of Savin, 
 Fritzsche Brothers inc. New York


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## epgorge (Sep 25, 2007)

..


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## tigue710 (Sep 25, 2007)

very cool, I cant wait to everything you find!


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## epgorge (Sep 25, 2007)

This is probably the most impressive find in the box so far, wrapped around the bellodona. It is a price list for pills and granulars published by the McKesson and Robbins Manufacturing Chemists of New York. The list is huge and folded. I don't dare open it up for fear of it deteriorating in front of me. The list is "upon reciept of price, New York Setember 1887.

 This should be in the hands of an expert on preservation. I won't open it further than I already did by unrolling it. It appears to be several pages and folded upon one another.


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## epgorge (Sep 25, 2007)

Tilden and co / new york (side embossed panels)

 nux vomica pellets


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## ktbi (Sep 25, 2007)

Wow EP...Almost like Christmas...Thnks for the pics....Ron


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## Gunsmoke47 (Sep 25, 2007)

Great score Joel!


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## epgorge (Sep 25, 2007)

Thanks everyone! They aren't mine, yet. I am cataloging them for a friend.

 I think we have some more impressive ones I have found in the bottom of the box. I need to take pictures of them and get them out to you. Very nice indeed and thre are five more boxes full. It is like Christmas. I take a few bottles out at a time and go back for more after I have digested them. It even has some old flared lip bottle still with seal, label and content. There are also these little tiny unopened 12 sided apothecary bottles with ingredience label on them. 

 I will be needing your help in determining what they are. 

 What is the best way to clean these without damaging the labels?

 Joel


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## woody (Sep 25, 2007)

I'd use a soft toothbrush to clean them, being very careful around the paper labels.
 I've also used a damp sponge to clean alot of the dust around them.


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## kozmothewonderdog (Sep 26, 2007)

The wooden box is pretty cool too...

 - Al


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## PhilaBottles (Sep 26, 2007)

any good drugs in there? [sm=lol.gif]

 cool stuff.


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## Jim (Sep 27, 2007)

Very cool, Joel. I can't wait to see what else is there. The clear John Wyeth embossed oval is listed as a poison bottle. They were usually cobalt, but a glass factory shortage made them use clear bottles in place of the cobalt poisons for a while. ~Jim


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## epgorge (Sep 27, 2007)

Jim,
 I have gotten through the first 12 bottles so far. I will post them tomorrow sometime, with the info on the bottles. Here is the label on the John Wyeth & Bro bottle. It has black, round pills in it. Saline and Chalybeate flints, and a cornacopia of other ingredients. 
 Joel


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## epgorge (Sep 27, 2007)

Thanks Kelley. 

 Woody, thank you. I used a soft bristled tooth brush as you suggested and also a box of soft cleanexes.

 They came out really nice. There are some labels which I can't read but there is not much I can do about that. These labels are neat and I wonder who made the labels for them?


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## Jim (Sep 27, 2007)

Thanks for the pic, Joel. That is the first one of those I have seen with a non-poison label. That bottle is close in size and shape to the cobalt Wyeth poisons. When they had problems getting the cobalt bottles, they must have ordered an extra batch of those ones and affixed a poison label to temporarily replace the cobalts. ~Jim


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## RICKJJ59W (Sep 27, 2007)

I missed this post
  Cool Meds you got there, it makes you think just how far we have come seeing that stuff,lables,corks,and medicine that probably didn't work[]


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## epgorge (Sep 28, 2007)

Yeah Rick, 
 It makes me wonder whaty future historians will say about modern day (today) techniques of medicine such as chemo therapy and radiation. Maybe, akin to dr.'s using leeches to bleed for everything, in the earlier centuries. 

 Here is the start of the first 12 bottels cleaned and recorded. Any comments on these bottles or labels are most appreciated. Also, a rough value on each bottle would appreciated. My predictions (however accurate) are in red.


 Apothecary Druggist - *Piperazine/bayer *(label), amber, no embossment2 5/8 inches tall, flared lip, original cork and label. Poor condition with what appears to be a crack behind label and through bottom, dirty. $5-$10.


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## epgorge (Sep 28, 2007)

[blockquote]
 Medicine - *Oil Neroli  *(loose label, hand caligraphied), 3 Â¼ inches tall, square, clear, BIM, flat tooled lip, dirty, otherwise Near Mint. $8-$12[/blockquote]


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## epgorge (Sep 28, 2007)

Apothecary Druggist -12 sided, clear, 2 inches tall, *HYDRARG OXIDE NIGR: 1 OZ*.(on pharmacy label), unopened, full content, sealed with lead which is embossed with an R&S, $20 - $25.


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## epgorge (Sep 28, 2007)

Apothecary, 3 inch high, clear, pharmacist label *SULPHIDE CALCIUM 1 OZ./ POWERS WEIGHTMAN / PHILDELPHIA*. There are some pen markings of pricing done by the pharmacist possibly. $18 - $25


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## epgorge (Sep 28, 2007)

Medicine - 2 1/8 inches miniature, clear, rectangular eight sided, with label and cork, label reads: *Strychnia, gelatin coated pills, 1-4.8 grains*, BIM, ring tooled lip, Bottom embossed with glass makers emblem PD&Co, 
(P.D.& CO...........Parke Davis & Company, Detroit, MI (1875-to date). Parke Davis was (and is) known for an extensive line of pharmaceutical products. I'm including this mark because it's frequently encountered and might be mistaken for a glass manufacturer's mark. I do not know what glass company(s) made bottles for Parke Davis, but no doubt many different companies made bottles for them over the years. Most of the bottles with the P.D.& Co. marking probably date before 1930). ( http://www.myinsulators.com/glass-factories/bottlemarks.htmlhttp://www.myinsulators.com/glass-factories/bottlemarks.htmlhttp://www.myinsulators.com/glass-factories/bottlemarks.html)
$13 - $18


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## epgorge (Sep 28, 2007)

.


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## epgorge (Sep 28, 2007)

apaothecary, outward rolled lip, 3 3/4 inches tall, cork label, CROTONCHOLORALHYDRATE/ FROM E. SCHERING/MANUFACTURING CHEMIST BERLIN/ $5-10


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## epgorge (Sep 28, 2007)

TILDEN & Co / NEW YORK (side embossed) - Medicine (pills), BIM, flat tooled top, clear, square with sloped shoulders ,2 Â½ inches tall, smooth bottom with a number 2 embossed. Residual pills inside, near mint with label. Label: *100 / PELLETS /NUX VOMICA EXT* /EACH CONTAINING 1.50 GRAIN / tildon & co / New Lebanon, New York. $12 - $22


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## epgorge (Sep 28, 2007)

The prices are speculative on my part and please feel free to correct anything you see with regard to price. 

 The Piperazine/Bayer goes back to the 1890's. Piperazine was used for the treatment of gout, ("use liberally with lots of water")and I have found medical journals from 1894 suggesting it may be helpful in the treatment of diabetes. All other reference I could find was court litigation paperwork.
 Joel


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## Jim (Sep 28, 2007)

Yeah, we dig tons of Wyeth bottles. A lot of them are just slickers with Wyeth on the base, but there are a few interesting Wyeth bottles (Mainly the poisons).

 I had to laugh, I saw one of those very common amber Wyeth Liq. Ext. Malt bottles at the antique mall, being peddled as an "early whiskey" with a $38 price tag []. ~Jim


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