# Dr. Spivey's Asthma Cure in and with original packaging and ad booklet....



## historic-antiques (Nov 22, 2017)

Hi,

I'm new at this forum and wanted to share a bottle I found in an old, beautiful 1880 house in Chicago, on top of an ancient boiler down in the basement.  Actually I found 2 of them, all with original packaging and ad booklet inside, somebody just left and forgot 137 years ago.

Thanks for any help you can give, especially regarding the preservation of the paper labels and the booklets, and packaging (both are in packaging, but one is easy to take out without damaging it).  Any thoughts about how rare it might be?  I've got more pictures if you need to see them!

Sincerely,

Paul


----------



## andy volkerts (Nov 22, 2017)

nice label only cure bottles!! (doesn't appear to have any embossing-lettering in the glass itself)  The best way to preserve the labels-packaging etc, is to keep the items all together in their boxes, put the boxes with all the wrappers signs and bottles into a big enough ziplok bag, then keep in a dry DARK place in a storage drawer or something like it. the dark will keep everything from fading


----------



## historic-antiques (Nov 23, 2017)

Hi Andy,

Thanks for your response and advice, which I shall follow!  The bottles do have embossing on the back which I included here, and I think on the sides,(don't have side shots to show).  If you'd like to see side shots, I'll get them for you.

Take care and thanks again!

Paul


----------



## nhpharm (Nov 23, 2017)

Wow...what a find!  I would say quite rare with labels and probably pretty rare even without.  James Rudolph Spivey was a druggist (maybe not a doctor as shown on the label) in Oxford in the 1890's.  He attended Miami University from 1886-1888 and Purdue from 1889-1891.  The Spivey Medicine Co. seems to have been fairly short-lived...1893 or thereabouts.  There is a Dr. Amy Spivey in Oxford these days...I wonder if she is a relation?  Nonetheless, a great find!  A wild guess, but I imagine the bottles are worth $100+ each.


----------



## andy volkerts (Nov 23, 2017)

Yes Paul, I would like to see if your bottles have the words asthma cure on the sides, as I own one which does, but no labels, so maybe you would consider selling one?


----------



## sunrunner (Nov 23, 2017)

so that's what a hole one looks like . I had dug the embossed part of this bottle up in Piqua Ohio many years ago .


----------



## botlguy (Nov 23, 2017)

The wording on that cover is amazing. "POSITIVE ERADICANT OF THE DISEASE". Matt Knapp does not even have the company listed in his book unless I missed it somehow. I'm sure he would like to see pictures of what you have.
Jim S


----------



## historic-antiques (Nov 25, 2017)

Thanks for the information!  Yes, wonder if Dr. Spivey is a relation; she's lived in Oxford all her life, so probably she is related!


----------



## historic-antiques (Nov 25, 2017)

Yeah, like many a bottle I've found in pieces.


----------



## historic-antiques (Nov 25, 2017)

I'll try sending him some info/pictures about the Spivey bottles I have.  Yes, with such astounding claims, thank Teddy for the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1903!!....


----------



## historic-antiques (Nov 25, 2017)

Hi Andy, 

No, mine do not have "asthma cure" or anything embossed on the sides - just what's embossed on the back panel as shown in the image I posted.  Seems like you have the rarer bottle.  Did you find it in California?  

I haven't decided what I eventually want to do with these bottles, but if I end up wanting to sell them in the next couple years, I will inform you.  Ideally - as with all my collection of antiques - I'd like to find a museum or in this case, even relatives of Dr. Spivey to donate family heirlooms back to them.  But I will let you know.  Thanks for your interest!

Paul


----------



## andy volkerts (Nov 26, 2017)

No, I bought out a collector from Ohio a couple years ago, and the Spivey cure was with the  bitters bottles that I bought from him. It was a pleasant surprise, as I happen to collect cures as well as bitters and S.F. meds and California sodas





historic-antiques said:


> Hi Andy,
> 
> No, mine do not have "asthma cure" or anything embossed on the sides - just what's embossed on the back panel as shown in the image I posted.  Seems like you have the rarer bottle.  Did you find it in California?
> 
> ...


----------



## andy volkerts (Nov 26, 2017)

My Spivey cure is embossed on one side, Asthma Cure and on the other side Spivey Med co. and on the back Oxford Ohio. it is also green glass not clear and the top is applied. blown in a snap case mold. Giving the bottles to a museum or the heirs is a really nice thing to do. If yu decide to sell one in the future please LMK, via    ravolkerts@Hotmail.com     Thanks


----------



## historic-antiques (Nov 27, 2017)

OK Andy, thanks for your interest.  Yes I shall let you know about my selling plans, now that I'm participating in this forum, it'll be easy.  Seems like you have a rarer variant of the Spivey Asthma cure.  Didn't know others had bottles from this "Dr.".  Wonders of the internet!!


----------

