# TRUE CEPHALICK SNUFF BY THE KINGS PATENT.



## Steve/sewell (Feb 14, 2011)

You dont see this bottle too often either on ebay or glass auctions for that matter.I believe this bottle is an early American Copy-cat of the original Britsh Version.Dr. Dyott advertised these in 1810 and the color is right there with other products that were coming out of the Olive and the Gloucester Glass works of which he was the sole agent for each factory.The bottle is light yellw green in color,has a rough pontil mark as shown and a flared but rounded thicker then usual top.It is embossed vertically TRUE CEPHALICK SNUFF/on one half and BY THE KINGS PATENT on the other.My guess on the age would be 1800 to 1815.Mark or Jerry could either of you two guys shed some light on this.Does anyone else here at this forum have one or has information pertaining to the bottle?
 Thanks Steve


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 14, 2011)

Number 2.


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 14, 2011)

Number 3.


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 14, 2011)

Number 4.


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 14, 2011)

Number 5.


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 14, 2011)

Number 6.


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## Road Dog (Feb 14, 2011)

All the ones I've seen of that one have been aqua colored ones. That's a nice early one for sure.


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## JOETHECROW (Feb 14, 2011)

Cephalic snuff
 [cephalic ditto]
 A medicinal SNUFF, intended as its name implies, to cure disorders of the head, widely available, and sometimes branded. In the nineteenth century the term was sometimes shortened to cephalic. It is doubtful whether the product remained the same throughout the period since it has been noted in the Dictionary Archive as early as 1707 [Newspapers (1707)], yet the 'Cordial cephalic snuff' was not patented until the 1770s [Patents (1773)]. A cephalic snuff was still available in 1790 [Newspapers (1790)], and the OED records it as 'Cephalic' as late as 1834. It was probably the same as, or very similar to, 'The Golden Snuff' [Newspapers (1708)], which was claimed to cure much the same conditions.
 One ingenious entrepreneur proposed that 'Those who take much of the common snuffs, may prevent their bad effects by mixing with them a proportion of this excellent cephalic' [Newspapers (1790)]. He also claimed that 'Persons who visit the sick, unhealthy places, or hot climates, will find the Snuff an admirable preventive of infection; and it is particularly serviceable in those complaints of the h[e]ad which Painters, &c. are subject to'.
 OED earliest date of use: 1813

 From: 'Celandine - Cephalic snuff', Dictionary of Traded Goods and Commodities, 1550-1820 (2007). URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=58720  Date accessed: 15 February 2011.


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## JOETHECROW (Feb 14, 2011)

*


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## JOETHECROW (Feb 15, 2011)

Here's one of the recipe's for it,...in fact, they still make a version, and I use it occasionally.


  Boeli's Cephalic Snuff consists of 2 drachms valerian, 2 drachms snuff, 3 drops oil of lavender, 3 drops oil of marjoram; mix. This is said to relieve the eyes as well as the head.


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## JOETHECROW (Feb 15, 2011)

Here's another pic from "The Manhatten Well Diggers" site...


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## earlyglasscollector (Feb 15, 2011)

Yes, certainly an American example, but I've never seen a clear glass before, usually aqua. The English ones are usually ultra, ultra crude and quite dark, some even mid green. Jerry has some excellent examples of these so I'll leave it to him to post those. I do however have a contents example just for a bit of fun, if anyone wants to try some real early 19th C cephalic snuff? It is an American version...





 ...hooray, got th eimage thing working again!
 egc


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 15, 2011)

Joe great information thank you,Rory dittos,Jerry could you post your True Cephalick snuff bottles from your collection on here.I would like to see the early British versions. Thanks Steve


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## earlyglasscollector (Feb 16, 2011)

Jerry seems to be away from here, so I'll put this pic up. I think it might be his anyway, sorry Jerry, just keeping the flow going, but here are some deffo English Cephalic snuffs. they are lovely and crude.....





 egc   www.earlyglass.com


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## earlyglasscollector (Feb 16, 2011)

...and here's a giant one that my mate John has....





 ...well you got to laugh a bit as well...[]
 egc  www.earlyglass.com


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## earlyglasscollector (Feb 16, 2011)

...back to serious, you will see how the earlier examples have a taper. Many are so heavily pontilled they do not stand, and some are dark enough to be called green. The very nice example on the right has that thin walled blown into the embossing aspect which is delightful. Interesting how similar though the latest example on the right is similar to American made...unless perhaps????
 C'mon Jerry...
 egc  www.earlyglass.com


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## deepbluedigger (Feb 17, 2011)

Also only just found this thread. Asleep at the wheel.

 Those three snuffs are John Aults. I only have one, an English one with lip damage, almost identical to the centre one of the trio. Several of that type, including mine, turned up in the Sittingbourne sea wall dump in Kent, England, in the 1970s - 80s. I dont have any more info about the medicine than is already posted in this thread as I haven't researched it yet.

 THere are some very nice US versions of the bottle around though, including some very heavily embossed. Almost as though the heavy embossing had been deliberately copied as part of the style or brand of the bottle.


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