# Beef Iron and Wine Paper-Label Druggist from Shelby, Michigan



## Robby Raccoon (Oct 23, 2015)

I picked this tooled strap-side druggist up today with a number of other bottles.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




This Beef Iron and Wine is "Prepared for E. L. Stevenson & Co. Druggists, Shelby, Mich." Because it was "Guaranteed under the Food and Drugs Act. June 30, 1906," we know it's post-1905.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Other than that, I know nothing beyond what it says. It even had some product left in it, but it stained the bottle so badly that I flushed it out and scrubbed what I could out.'20 per cent alcohol and caramel.' Also in it, 'Citro-chloride of iron with pure grape wine and aromatics.'Sounds delightful. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Has an interesting seam over a corner of each "strap." Anyone know anything on this particular druggist?


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## sunrunner (Oct 24, 2015)

pure beef !


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## Robby Raccoon (Oct 24, 2015)

It tastes delicious. []Just kidding. lol.


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## iggyworf (Oct 24, 2015)

Cool! There is a Shelby Mi. just a couple of miles north of me.


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## Robby Raccoon (Oct 24, 2015)

Semi-local bottle for you, then.  Because it was 'prepared for,' I'd think it was a large druggist. But I don't find info on the company?


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## logueb (Oct 24, 2015)

I was doing research on a liquified meat  bottle a few years ago and discovered that at the turn of the century there were a lot of underweight people.  The introduction of liquid meat juices was recommended for these people who were seriously underweight.  This may have been one of those remedies.  Also with iron it was probably a forerunner of Geritol .[]  Buster


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## Robby Raccoon (Oct 24, 2015)

So it's basically a medicine that actually worked. Rather amazing that it did more good than harm, unlike other products of the time.


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## hemihampton (Oct 24, 2015)

I used to live near a Shelby Michigan when I lived in Utica. Shelby was the next town north of Utica. BUT, It was such a small town I'm not even sure if it existed around 1900? Is there 2 different Shelby Michigans? LEON.


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## iggyworf (Oct 25, 2015)

LEON, yes there is another Shelby Mi. It's actually in the area of where Bear lives. It's north of Muskegon. But it is still a small town.


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## Robby Raccoon (Oct 25, 2015)

Only thing I know about Shelby is that my friend's GF lives there. lol. This complicates things, then. 2 Shelby's? Very interesting.


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## hemihampton (Oct 25, 2015)

I've seen some medicine bottles ect. from Shelby Michigan before & I'd have to assume they are from the other one, out by Bear north of Muskegon. LEON.


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## Robby Raccoon (Nov 15, 2015)

As it turns out, I indirectly bought it from another member of the local bottle club: We were talking about Shelby on the way there tonight, so I said, "For best acquired I brought a Shelby, Michigan paper label druggist Beef Iron and Wine.""I think I had one of those," said the man behind me in the SUV. _Uh-oh_, I began to think, for it might mean that it's common. "With a cow's head on it? Green label?" he asked. "Yeah, and my label's a little chewed up," I responded."Is the mouth chipped?" And bells began to ring in my mind. "Yeah, was the right side of the label damaged?" And he smirked and affirmed it: It was his bottle, but he was getting rid of it because he smokes inside and didn't want to damage the label. No one else there has seen one before, but one member knew the company and believed they had paper-label bottles-- this one proving it.


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## CanadianBottles (Nov 15, 2015)

I'm pretty sure that Stevenson & Co was actually a small local druggist.  This is the second example of this sort of thing I've seen, but I'm pretty sure that Stevenson's name was added after the label had been printed, or was at least printed on a plate where they could easily exchange druggists' names.  See how the ink is different on that part versus the product description?  I'm quite certain that back around the turn of the century there were companies that produced products like this with customized labels for each store to make it look like it was a special product from that store, when really the same product could be found at any number of stores, each with their own name printed on it.   I've got a hair restorer bottle from a drug store in Courtenay, BC - a fairly remote town only a bit bigger than Shelby - with a nice elaborately designed label, but again the drug store name is printed more faintly than the rest of the label and isn't worked into the design at all, just like yours.  Sadly I'm not in the same city as my collection as the moment so I can't get a picture, but I'm positive that it's the same idea.


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## Robby Raccoon (Nov 15, 2015)

I was also thinking that the name was added on after as like a stamped-on thing.  I was thinking, "Well, where's the pic?" when I read the last line. lol.


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