# Black Bear Brand



## jysk (Jun 2, 2006)

I found a very cool bottle in Vancouver B.C. It came from an excavation in a very old part of town called Blood Alley. I don't collect so forgive me if this is a common sort of item to you folks. I believe it's not.

 I've only rinsed away the clay and soil with a trickle from a garden hose. I don't know if it once held beer or soda.

 It has an intact wooden, screw-in cap with a sort of red rubber seal squished right in the mouth's threads. The wood seems more brittle today then it did yesterday when I discovered it. I haven't unscrewed and removed the cap yet. Is doing nothing to treat the wood going to damage it?

 It's embossed with the words; Registered, Black Bear Brand, Cross & Co Ltd Vancouver B.C. It also has the companies logo. An "iron cross" type cross with "&Co" on it's lower end.

 The bottom is embossed too. The letters "E. B. Co Ltd" and the number 12146 is embossed around the base circumference. I can't get a good photograph of those underside letters.

 Could 12146 be it's stamp date? Dec 1/1946?

























 Mike


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## jysk (Jun 2, 2006)

I managed to get a picture of the both the wooden bottle stopper top, and of the embossing on the bottom. "E. B. & Co Ld. 12146"

 Any opinions about the number?











 Thanks,

  Mike


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## wvhillbilly (Jun 2, 2006)

Dont know what it might be but I like it, the cross on it is the best part though[]
 It looks as if its still got something in it thats unusual esp. with it having a cork which usually means old


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## cowseatmaize (Jun 3, 2006)

I'm not big on English bottles but I'd say it's a ginger beer, beer or ale or maybe soda. The internal threads were very common on a multitude of embossed bottles over there around 1910 +- 10 years or so.
 I don't think the Canadians used as many but they had pretty close ties to Britain. They may have made there own or Britain may have exported them.


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## jysk (Jun 3, 2006)

Thanks you guys, I appreciate your thoughts. 

 Wvhillbilly, it is a very cool cross. I like it too. Until I find out more about it, I'll leave the bottle's contents alone.

 Cowseatmaize, since my first post, I've found that the BLM has an awesome website on this subject. I looked at the sections discussing inside threads, and noticed that the stoppers were typically made of hard rubber and less commonly glass. No mention was made of wood. (I'll re-read it to make sure). It's interesting.

 And as for origin, you've sure got me thinking. I assumed that the embossed words "Vancouver BC"  implied that the bottle was made locally. But it could have been made in England, for sale in the target market of Vancouver. There isn't any obvious record of a Cross & Co bottling plant having been in Vancouver, but I haven't done any real research yet.

 I have a few more pictures to share.
















 Mike


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## capsoda (Jun 3, 2006)

Looking at your pics I'd say that your bottle is older than most internal thread bottles. By the crudeness of the applied top probably late 1870s to 1890.

 The cross would symbolize not only the name but was a good luck symbol too.


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## jysk (Jun 4, 2006)

That old eh? It was almost lost for good.It was unearthed with a 330 Cat Excavater using a 5 foot wide digging bucket!

 I've been having fun learning about this hobby and I've enjoyed researching this bottle. 

 How is a bottles value assessed? 

 How do I find a home for it?

 Mike


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## capsoda (Jun 4, 2006)

Hey Mike, Usually a bottle is accessed acording toage, rarety, condition, color and a few other factors but it all comes down to how much someone is willing to pay for it.

 We have over 4000 members and a few hundred are regulars. This equals alot of knowledge about bottles but know one has any info on yours. I would do alot of research to find out just how rare it is and go from there but I am a collector and don't sell many bottles.

 If you are interested in selling it I would go wilt Ebay. Put up a reserve of what you want for it and see what happens.


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## jysk (Oct 9, 2006)

> ORIGINAL: capsoda
> 
> Looking at your pics I'd say that your bottle is older than most internal thread bottles. By the crudeness of the applied top probably late 1870s to 1890.


 
 Nice guess Capsoda!

 Remember that on the bottle's bottom is embossed "E.B. & Co. LTD 12146? I found a reference to E.B.& Co. LTD. months ago that said they were a bottle manufacturer in England at about that time. I regret that I can't cite that article. 

 By the info I've found regarding English glass, (http://www.geocities.com/soho/lofts/5772/odds.htm) I'm convinced that 12146 is it's registration number and that this bottle was made in 1877.

 Now I just need to know what was in it.

 Mike


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## capsoda (Oct 9, 2006)

There was a Black Bear Brand wine But I would guess your bottle held some type of soda pop.


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## bigbob (Jun 7, 2016)

I too have a bottle which is very similar. Front face reads REGISTERED/BLACK BEAR BRAND(ALL WORDS SHARING THE SAME B)/CROSS&CO LTD/(A LARGE IRON CROSS WITH & CO INTERLINKED)/VANCOUVER/BC. On the reverse side near the bottom is embossed A.ALEXANDER/& CO/LONDON. It has an inside threaded top and stands 21.5 cm


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## CanadianBottles (Jun 8, 2016)

That's a pretty good one, I collect BC bottles and I don't have one.  I'm not positive on the value but I think at least a couple hundred is fairly likely.  I don't remember seeing one of those sell before.  I know the Meikle Brothers Black Bear Brand bottles are very very valuable, but those are older than the Cross bottles.  I'm not sure how the two Black Bear Brands are related.


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## Mudlani (Aug 13, 2022)

Black Bear Brand is first advertised by Meikle Bros. in 1905. Meikle Bros. was taken over by Cross & Co. in 1908. Meikle used the same type of bottle, so presumably this is from not too long after the take over.


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