# Owl Drug Company Blog



## mctaggart67 (Aug 29, 2012)

Just wondering how many out there read this blog about the San Fran Owl Drug Co. and its collectibles?

 http://owldrugcollectors.wordpress.com/

 Cheers, Glen


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## GLOPTOP (Aug 31, 2012)

Hey Glen, I have been waiting awhile to see if someone would post something about this site. I see that you made no comments about this, so I will put my 2 cents in. This is a very bitter old man who thinks that he is the only person that knows anything about collecting Owl Drug bottles and ephemera. Obviously he does know a great deal about this subject, has done much research, and written several books on the Owl Drug Company. However, in his narrow minded opinion, he is the only expert on the subject and if it didn't come from his book, it ain't  true! He constantly criticizes most anyone that sells Owl Drug items on ebay (they are fake, they are doctored, the seller lies, etc.), makes nothing but negative comments about most bottle shows and the clubs that sponsor them, and goes on numerous tirades about the Federation Of Bottle Collectors. There is not enough time or space on this blog for me to expose all the negativity that this elderly, bitter, narrow minded, mean spirited old man spews out on his web site. I encourage every reader of this blog to check his site, read his past writings, and make your own determination of his sanity! He sees himself as a possitive force in the bottle hobby, when in fact, he is a big detriment to it. Let me be perfectly clear, I am not an Owl Drug collector, and have no personal vendetta against this guy whatsoever. I just happen to know of, or personally know, many of the people that he slanders or lies about, and enough is enough! 

 Dennis


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## westernbittersnut (Aug 31, 2012)

I agree.


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## mctaggart67 (Aug 31, 2012)

Hey Dennis and Warren: He's made a similar impression upon me. I suppose we've all got a few axes to grind here and there in the hobby, but I've always felt that personal issues should either be kept to one's self or be addressed privately only to the party with which you've got a beef. I did send the blogmaster an email about some of the Canadian Owl Drug Company connections, and I allowed him to post the email on his blog. I think it would be a much more effective blog if it stuck with just the facts and eliminated the editorializing. By the way, I want to make it clear that I shared my info with the Owl blog purely out of a sense of getting the info out there for others to enjoy and benefit from. Also, I've dealt with some of the parties besmirched on the blog and have never had any problems with them. Quite the opposite, in fact, as I found these people to be honest and a pleasure to deal and communicate with. Our world is filled with so much vitriol (and so are some of my poison bottles -- sorry but I couldn't resist the wordplay!) that we don't need this sort of thing in the hobby. Hobbies are supposed to bring people together, regardless of other differences. Cheers, Glen


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## mctaggart67 (Aug 31, 2012)

Follow up to my above post . . . 

 I can no longer find my contribution to the Owl Drug Company blog. Perhaps my searching overlooked it?


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## andy volkerts (Aug 31, 2012)

I also agree wholeheartedly!!


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## probe buster (Aug 31, 2012)

You're dead on GLOPTOP. 

 Thereâ€™s a psychological condition known as Negativity Bias. This is where a person dwells more strongly on negativity. They become engrossed with the fact that spewing out negative information and making personal attacks creates a bigger impact and generates a much larger reaction than positive comments and compliments. Once addicted, they continue to churn it out and feed off of it. It is known that if one follows such negative diatribes too closely they can become afflicted themselves. Best course of action is to provide no response and ignore.

 Dr. Probe Buster, M.D. []


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## mctaggart67 (Oct 26, 2012)

Sorry to bring up this topic again, but Mr. Levine has just gotten under my skin. I recently posted the following on his Owl Drug Company blog in response to his call for Canadian information, which I had already given him, but which he deleted from his blog, as I note below. I want my response to him posted somewhere on the internet for posterity, so please forgive me for using this great forum to do this. If Mr. Levine doesn't erase my response to his blog comments, then that's to his credit. Anyhow, here goes:

David:

I find it interesting that you found my information on the Canadian Owl Drug connection to be inaccurate and hearsay. My qualifications as an historical researcher are beyond the amateur. I have the following degrees: Honours BA (History), MA (History), BEd, and I started a PhD at the University of Edinburgh, but had to withdraw on account of financial reasons stemming from a life-changing event. Nonetheless, I am an academically trained historian. As to bottle-related and local history research, I've been conducting that since I was in high school. I have written the following published books (this list is not exhaustive):

1) The Ontario Drug Store & Druggist List (1851-1930)[/i]
2) Sarnia: A Picture History of the Imperial City[/i]
3) Sarnia: More Picture History[/i]
4) On Tap: The Odyssey of Beer and Brewing in Victorian London-Middlesex[/i] (North American Guild of Beer Writers' Quill and Tankard Award for best book published on the subject of beer in 2000)
5) numerous contributions to Alcohol and Temperance in Modern History: An International Encyclopedia[/i]

I think my research and writing credentials speak for themselves. I know how to undertake proper historical research, using relevant archival material, and I know how to think and write critically about the past. I have good track records in these areas.

I also believe that sharing research findings is important in our hobby. That's why I shared what I know, based on proper historical research methods, with you and your blog audience. You, in fact, published them. It was only after I politely declined your offer to sit on your blog's editorial board that you deleted my contribution to your blog about the Canadian Owl Drug Company connections. It seems that you also deleted what I shared with you about RIGO poison bottles and the Richards Glass Company of Toronto.

I can only conclude that your choice to delete what I shared, not long after I said "no" to joining your blog, was an act of spite, pure and simple. To then turn around and ask for Canadian information, as if you've never received it before, is, as much as it troubles me to say, mean-spirited. This same mean-spiritedness is an ethic which unfortunately underpins many of the diatribes featured in your blog, in which you impugn (with self-serving logical syllogisms and consequently invalid conclusions, I might add) the character and reputation of good, decent and hardworking people and organizations in our hobby. Sadly, such invective detracts from what otherwise would be a wonderful blog for information.

In other words, you could be building a great space on the internet for bottle collectors to enjoy (which, by the way, would give you the esteemed reputation you so obviously and so desperately crave). Instead, you metaphorically burn bridges, which leaves you quite literally alone and embittered. If only you played it nicely, you might find the results so much more satisfying.

Yours Sincerely,
Glen C. Phillips


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## mctaggart67 (Oct 26, 2012)

The blog link for Mr. Levine's comments to which I responded:
http://owldrugcollectors.wordpress.com/2012/10/24/truth-at-reno-expo-non-profit-worldwide-connections-owl-drug/#comments


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## mctaggart67 (Oct 27, 2012)

Yep, he deleted my response. Figured it would happen.


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## RICKJJ59W (Oct 28, 2012)

> ORIGINAL:  GLOPTOP
> 
> Hey Glen, I have been waiting awhile to see if someone would post something about this site. I see that you made no comments about this, so I will put my 2 cents in. This is a very bitter old man who thinks that he is the only person that knows anything about collecting Owl Drug bottles and ephemera. Obviously he does know a great deal about this subject, has done much research, and written several books on the Owl Drug Company. However, in his narrow minded opinion, he is the only expert on the subject and if it didn't come from his book, it ain't  true! He constantly criticizes most anyone that sells Owl Drug items on ebay (they are fake, they are doctored, the seller lies, etc.), makes nothing but negative comments about most bottle shows and the clubs that sponsor them, and goes on numerous tirades about the Federation Of Bottle Collectors. There is not enough time or space on this blog for me to expose all the negativity that this elderly, bitter, narrow minded, mean spirited old man spews out on his web site. I encourage every reader of this blog to check his site, read his past writings, and make your own determination of his sanity! He sees himself as a possitive force in the bottle hobby, when in fact, he is a big detriment to it. Let me be perfectly clear, I am not an Owl Drug collector, and have no personal vendetta against this guy whatsoever. I just happen to know of, or personally know, many of the people that he slanders or lies about, and enough is enough!
> 
> Dennis


 
 Lets kick his azz [8D]


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## RICKJJ59W (Oct 28, 2012)

The old man is jealous. I used watch Dr Phil a lot []


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## NyDigger1 (Oct 28, 2012)

stay away from the guy hes a creep, theres another abn post about him ranting on ebay users and how 98% of bottles are damaged and flawed, etc, etc, and how you should trust no one in the hobby. hes trying to push a standard of bottle condition and force it on people, otherwise calling the majority of collectors stupid. Sent him a message, never responded / deleted, sent him another and wrote that hes a self righteous ***. Im surpised anyone still reads his blog...

 I mean just read this... i cant get over how stupid the owner of the blog is, its mind boggling:

 "In our last blog posting I addressed issues raised by a gentleman named Scott Grandstaff and requested that he answer questions we raised to him.  As of this writing, Scott has never responded to the blog or tried to contact the blog with his responses.   This apparently is a pattern for members of the Federation, past and present.  They refuse to validate their claims by responding to questions they are asked or support their claims with any factual information.  For those of you who know or thought you knew Scott you now have a better understanding of how he avoids responding to issues or questions because he cannot answer or support his comments.

 For example, the claim Scott makes that â€œall premium bottlesâ€ have been professionally cleaned, tumbled or polished and that they retain the same value as a natural mint bottle, is totally false and a misleading statement.  Many who collect bottles have their items professionally cleaned, tumbled or polished and support the practice.  Since Scott like other profess that these bottles retain and enhance their value by doing so, others like Scott believe this as truth because they have been told so often by others and have not been shown the evidence to prove that claim is false.  Once one person believes it, they spread it to others as well.  Over the years, this idea having been spread to others and now permeates the bottle collecting community.  NO one has the courage to set the record straight or tell those collectors that this story is false and misleading.  The failure of sellers to identify their bottles as having been professionally cleaned is the perpetration of FRAUD.  The Federation, instead of stepping up to this perpetration of FRAUD, continues the practice of spreading false and misleading information to its members and allowing venders to sell their fraudulent items at their shows.  Why does the Federation fail to condemn this behavior?  Perhaps it is because many of the Federation members and its leadership have bought into this concept and many of the items in their collections reflect this situation.  The answer is, of course, because condemning this practice would be totally against their self-interest."

 ^^^ I think I lost some brain cells reading that...


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## epackage (Oct 28, 2012)

Maybe we should go rape his horses and shoot his women....wait...what????...Never mind[8D]


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## NyDigger1 (Oct 28, 2012)

one more thing, heres his statement to the public:

 "We have a responsibility to our readers to maintain a """high level of standards""" so that anyone can read it and not feel embarrassed, offended, or the object of personal attacks."


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## NyDigger1 (Oct 28, 2012)

Heres an article americanbottle.com did about the site, I suggest you read it, it rips the owl drug co author to shreds... its a good laugh:

 http://americanbottle.com/blog/?p=664


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## andy volkerts (Oct 28, 2012)

[8D] I stumbled across this blog a couple months ago and tried to get an intelligent dialogue going, and tried to educate David on some of the reasons bottles are cleaned and about stating as a seller that a bottle has been cleaned when selling such a bottle. some of my posts were published but not all. I have since given up on the whole thing, I think the guy is just bitter and predujiced ( spi)and there is nothing we can do to change his mind, and probably shouldnt care  as he is just the lunatic fringe so to speak..........


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## NyDigger1 (Oct 28, 2012)




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## westernbittersnut (Oct 28, 2012)

I received a phone call from David Levine and his wife many months ago. The first phone conversation lasted almost 2 hours. A second phone call came later and it also lasted nearly 2 hours. They live in the Washington D.C. area now, but used to live in California. I learned a lot about them and would suggest to anyone that they not get involved with them or their blog site. He certainly has a self serving agenda and uses people anyway he can. His rantings on his blogsite have no basis in fact. He wanted to attend the Reno Expo event and demanded that the Federation provide personal security around his table. His requests were so absurd that he was banned from attending the event. This is why his blog site postings of late have been about only the Federation organization and nothing about his "Owl Drug" information. I could tell the forum members many stories about Mr. Levine, but the best remedy is to not respond or read his blogsite rantings.


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## NyDigger1 (Oct 28, 2012)

wait are there even any pictures of owl drug co bottles on the site? LOL

 My site it bottles only, no gimmicks, and when i do start a blog eventually it wont be a personal rant, rather than questions i receive and or new articles i find on bottles, unlike this self righteous... you know where im going with that [8D]


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## mctaggart67 (Oct 28, 2012)

Thanks, guys, for your insights. I guess it really bothers me that Levine could be making some very positive contributions to our hobby, but chooses to grind those axes. It is best to ignore him.


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