# REAL or FAKE? opinions welcome!



## shauntos

I'm New to this site and have a question regarding handwritten labels on psychoative medicines. Has anyone ever seen small handwritten paper labels on bottles w/ no maker name or city or anything, just says opium, or morphine...? Can you tell anything by the style of writing? Thanks for any info
 This bottle says cannabis on the front(handwritten paper label) and says H.T. Helmbold on the side.

















 the next bottle says morphine on the front(handwritten paper label)








 the next bottle says opium on the front(handwritten paper label) and S&C Pacific Pharmacy Eureka CA. on the back


----------



## capsoda

*RE: handwritten labels on psychoatic medicines, GREAT PICS!*

Hey Shaun, Welcome to the forum. Hand writen lables were common in the 1800s and even into the early 1900s.

 Don't open any of those bottles. the contents were extremely potent and will do things to a person like you never dreamed of in your wildest nightmare.


----------



## shauntos

*RE: handwritten labels on psychoatic medicines, GREAT PICS!*

thanks for the advice capsoda i collect them to keep the contents inside the bottle and not in me!


----------



## GuntherHess

*RE: handwritten labels on psychoatic medicines, GREAT PICS!*

Those labels look fake to me. They are on bottles that would have not been used for those types of contents. The morphine one for example would have been a perfume, the Helmbolt was a flavoring extract. It appears someone added the labels to try to increase the values of common bottles. The text on the labels doesnt look authentic to me. Just my opinion of course.


----------



## zanes_antiques

*RE: handwritten labels on psychoatic medicines, GREAT PICS!*

snd them things my way I'll try a dose! ack ack ack


----------



## diginit

*RE: handwritten labels on psychoatic medicines, GREAT PICS!*

Ouch! If those are real-Keep in mind that they are controlled substances and a felony to posess. And are worth $$$ on the street.
 (I didn't see a thing) 
  Lay them on their sides to Keep the Corks Wet. 
   One question. Are the contents of all the bottles the same color, tecture, etc? The only way to tell for sure is to have the contents tested in a lab.


----------



## bikegoon

*RE: handwritten labels on psychoatic medicines, GREAT PICS!*

Heya,

 Did you replace those corks?


----------



## annie44

http://www.glswrk-auction.com/023.htm

 Here's a link to an article on H.T. Helmbold


----------



## KentOhio

I've seen plenty of re-used bottles with labels that didn't originally belong on them. I've even seen a medicine label glued overtop of a furniture polish label. Handwritten labels did look like the ones you have, but they'd be easy to fake too. If you got them all from the same source, they'd more likely be fake than if they came from different places. A crime lab could do a test to see what kind of ink they're written in, but that could be expensive. Plus, if someone was really clever, they'd get antique paper and a bottle of unused ink from the era and then go to work.


----------



## zanes_antiques

Don't forget the teabags!


----------



## huffmnd

I must have missed this one along the way, if all of the contents have the same coloration and fluidity I would have to sat that the contents at least are fake. As for the labels on the bottles there were a lot of frugal people in those days and would not have thought twice about using any bottle that was available to sell their wares in.


----------



## atticmint

Here's a few examples of bottles being reused. Probably praticed even more here in Canada than the States. Two good examples of U.S. bottles being recycled by us cheap Kanucks [] One Doyles bitters refilled as castor oil and a Dr. Hayden's used for formaldehyde.


----------



## atticmint

Also for the other side of the discussion here are some old unused labels I found a while ago, that could easily be used to fake people out.


----------



## BigJock

Some Crackheads dope collection left by his Grandfather lololol
 guaranteed 10-25 years for them all lololol


----------



## epgorge

"Ouch! If those are real-Keep in mind that they are controlled substances and a felony to posess. And are worth $$$ on the street." 

 The controlled substance act wasn't around during the days those medicines were used. I think the law if not the jury would very leniant on a collector. 

 Furthermore, the street value would denote to a heavy sentence for the individual releasing this poison onto the street. As Cap said, there is no way to say what is in it, or if it is potent or deadly.  I will personally wait for Zane to try some before I join in.[]

 Joel


----------



## logueb

I would have to go with the fake.  The corks appear to be too new and  the contents are too full.  What I have found in old closets etc. that were still corked had a certain amout of evaporation of the alcohol content even when tightly corked. And the corks were very crumbly and are usually even with the top of the bottle.


----------



## GuntherHess

Yes, there are a lot of red flags that make those labels suspious. Including the fact that the corks look new and the contents are too full (bottles werent typically filled that much even when new). Good points.

 As far as the contents being "controlled substances", I wouldnt worry too much about that. Complex organic componds break down over time. Doubt you would get a very good high off 100 year old opium.


----------



## huffmnd

Well there's only one way to find out if 100 year old opium is good or not, what you do is take a.........err?...........um?.................google search
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




.


----------



## Bottleman

.


----------



## WindyCityBrian

It looks to me like these are from a movie set.


----------



## poisons4me

ASSUMING THEY ARE REAL,2.00 EACH ON A GOOD DAY. SEND EM TO THE INCINERATOR AND (AS THEY SAY IN NYC) FORGET ABOUT EM.


----------



## cowseatmaize

What was is DeNero used to say... HOOOKAHH


----------



## bottlemania

Drugstores and Apothecaries back then were, believe it or not, pretty scientific places.  They had scales sensetive enough to measure grains, minims (1/480th of a fl.oz) and drams.  All of the poisons that I have that are hand written have big warning stickers all over them.  Opium is one of those meds that could croak you very easily.  Any druggist would have put CAUTION or POISON on the bottle.  It's one of the things that make them so desirable.  Also, there would have been dosage indications e.g. "8 drops, 3x/day" or whatever.  Anyone using opium would know exactly what was in the bottle and would not have taken time to label the contents.  Just my opinion.
 Paul


----------



## bigghouse

those r some strange bottles but they r very pretty if u dont no wats in them

 anna


----------

