# Mounsey's Preston Salts



## Genuwen1 (May 3, 2012)

Hello Everyone,

 I have a bottle I recently acquired in a lot box of bottles and need help identifying and finding a value for selling. It is a small aqua bottle measuring 1 3/4" tall. The front embossing says Mounsey's Preston Salts. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 Thanks.


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## Clam (May 3, 2012)

I dug one of these a few weeks back and I was told that it has a value in the range of $40 to $60 it has a age range of about 1840's to 50's


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## epackage (May 3, 2012)

If it's an OP the last one on Ebay sold for $85 in 2011...Jim


*Member id reddbehrens-us ( Feedback Score Of 97) 

 Dec-28-11 19:34

 Collectible Antique Bottle Aqua Mounseys Preston Salts OP (#110785505547)

 US $85.00*


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## surfaceone (May 3, 2012)

Hey Caren,

 Ya doesn't has to make the photo so small. [8D] Us old blind guys thank you in advance.

 What's the base like? Lavender Smelling Salts it is. 

 "Mounsey's Preston Salts The following directions for making this preparation are taken from the London Pharm Journal viz: 
 Take of True oil of cloves 
 English oil of lavander of each a drachm 
 Oil of Bergamot five drachms 
 Strongest solution of ammonia sp gr 880 one pint 
 Mix these together The bottles are then to be half filled with rough carbonate of ammonia and filled up with the carbonate in fine powder The salt is then saturated with the above solution and corked closely" New Hampshire Journal of Medicine, 1854.

 Check out this Sandwich Pungent.

 This one 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 is in the NY Historical Society

 I believe there may be both British and American examples.


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## Genuwen1 (May 4, 2012)

Hi Jim,

 What does OP mean? Open Pontil? Still learning I apologize.

 Caren


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## epackage (May 4, 2012)

Yes Caren..[]


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## deepbluedigger (May 8, 2012)

Pretty sure it's like Dalby's, Turlingtons, etc, and was originally a UK product, but became very popular and was widely copied on both sides of the Atlantic. 

 There are English versions of the bottle in flint glass, and several variations in the embossing: Mounsey's Preston Salts; Preston Salts; Preston Smelling Salts; etc. I have a heavy pontiled flint one that's just embossed "Mounsey / Chemist / Preston". Preston is a town in Lancashire in NW England. Mounsey was a chemist / druggist there in the late 18th and early 19th centuries (latest reference I've found to him still being alive and in business is 1819).


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## cowseatmaize (May 8, 2012)

It was my understanding that Preston Salts was a cheaper, ammonia based salts used for colds, fatigue etc but most commonly seen in movies to revive the fainting woman whose corsets were to tight in warm weather.[][]
 Not quite to be confused with Preston of New Hampshire (Portsmouth USA) but was the same thing but the actual people were named Preston. [8|][8|][][]


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## AntiqueMeds (May 8, 2012)

I always wondered if there was some link between the mounsey and preston NH products. It would amaze me if there wasnt.


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## cowseatmaize (May 8, 2012)

Preston of NH had been around since the late 1830's and I had researched the stuff. William first and then Andrew I believe. I had a full labeled ground stopper with metal cap from 1900-20 and a couple others of different names but when I lost those and the writeup I never bothered re-researching. They were mostly smelling salts but of coarse some of the catarrh cures etc. crossed over before the 1906 thing.
 The Preston formula I think was a development to just make a more cost productive product. Was it by those Prestons, I don't remember but with the earlier Mounseys I think probably not.[8|]


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## glass man (May 8, 2012)

GROOVY!!JAMIE


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## AntiqueMeds (May 8, 2012)

> Preston of NH had been around since the late 1830's


 
 I think I saw a labeled one that stated an 1833 establishment date?


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## deepbluedigger (May 9, 2012)

> ORIGINAL:  AntiqueMeds
> 
> I always wondered if there was some link between the mounsey and preston NH products. It would amaze me if there wasnt.


 
 It does look like there's a bit of a tangle to sort out: very similar bottles with very similar contents from two different proprietors, one US and one UK. And, just to confuse things some more, from the look of the bottle that started this thread there may also be US made versions of the UK type?


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## digginthedog (May 9, 2012)

Here's a damaged example I dug last summer in central NY... Only embossed PRESTON SALTS, Smooth base, lip looks sheared for a metal cap ? JB


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## cowseatmaize (May 9, 2012)

> I think I saw a labeled one that stated an 1833 establishment date?


Got me researching again. Maybe you mean THIS FROM here. [] 1838 I think with the small tear.


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## AntiqueMeds (May 9, 2012)

thats probably what I saw.


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## surfaceone (May 9, 2012)

"In 1777-8 Mr John Fallowfield was the town's Bailiff; in 1797-8 he was the Mayor; and in 1814 he was one of the wardens of the Parish Church. He opened the first properly equipped chemist and druggist's shop in Preston; it was at the lower part of the north side of the Market Place, close to Ancbor Weind (the property here was demolished some years ago for improvement purposes), and stood opposite Anchor court. Fallowfield had for some years in his sbop either as assistant or apprentice James Mounsey wbo subsequently kept a shep at the top of Friar-gate nearly opposite Fallowfield's and claimed to be the original maker of the noted "Preston Smelling Salts." But Fallowfield's son John, wbo was also a chemist and druggist and had a sbop in Church street (the present No 148) was apparently the first to give vogue to these salts or get them into high favour." From Preston Court Leet Records.




From GuntherHess.


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## Genuwen1 (May 12, 2012)

Very interesting information and also confusing. What would be a reasonable asking price on the one I photographed. Thank you all so much for your help.


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## AntiqueMeds (May 12, 2012)

maybe $20-30 in the US.


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## baltbottles (May 12, 2012)

This one isn't embossed with preston salts or any such product but is a similar shape and form from Baltimore druggists G.W. Andrews. its flint glass with a glass chip English looking pontil. Probably made at the Baltimore flint glass works in fells point in the early 1830s.
 There are also several small early jar type bottle embossed aromatic salts some with a G. Watts embossing also from Baltimore.

 Chris


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## Clam (May 19, 2012)

And here is one that we dug in Va. last month not pontiled but old enough to be it has a ground lip........


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