CROWN DISTILLERIES / (crown above double shield with CDCo monogram inside) / COMPANY - That is all embossed within an oval on the body of this fifth sized liquor bottle from San Francisco.  It has inside threads and includes an original hard rubber stopper with essentially the same "embossing" on it.  Click HERE to see a close-up of the stopper which is in pretty good condition with a little bit chipped off one side.

These bottles like the Van Schuyver listed above likely contained a popular spirits product - Cyrus Noble Whiskey - and span a pretty wide time frame from at least the 1880s to National Prohibition at the end of 1919.  This  company was connected with the Lilienthal (San Francisco) and W. J. Van Schuyver (Portland, OR.) companies as briefly discussed above in regards to sharing the same stoppers in their inside threaded bottles.  Most of the bottles used by the three companies had essentially the same monogram of the crown over a shield with the initials inside the shield varying with the company.  This particular example likely dates from the 1900 to 1910 era.

As to the details of this bottle it is the same height and general conformation as the Van Schuyver above measuring about 11.25" tall without the stopper.  The color is a bright medium amber, has some scattered bubbles in the glass and a tooled inside threaded finish with the noted stopper.  Condition is essentially mint with no cracks, chips, dings or significant staining...maybe just a bit of dirt on the inside and a few minor and non-distracting scuff marks.  This example was found out in the woods of the Cascades near Klamath Falls many years ago and given to me since the person was not a collector.  Time to pass it on as I've too many bottles.  $30

W. J. VAN SCHUYVER / & Co (crown & double shield with V monogram) INC / PORTLAND, OR - That embossing is inside an embossed square and is probably the 6th oldest mold used by the company which used a total of 9 different mold varieties.  This example is what I call mold 6a as there are bottles made from the same front and back mold halves, but a different base plate; or the original base plate with the letters P.C.G.W. engraved part way through the molds life.  This indicates that the both variants were manufactured by the Pacific Coast Glass Works in San Francisco.  The examples with the base embossing I call mold 6b.  Like most of the Van Schuyver cylinder molds this is not a true plate mold but instead an embossed square. 

These bottles contained a pretty popular product - Cyrus Noble Whiskey - and span a pretty wide time frame from at least the late 1880s to Oregon's "early" statewide Prohibition at the end of 1915.  This Portland based company was connected with the Lilienthal & Crown Distillery Companies (San Francisco) since the Van Schuyver bottles with inside threads come with hard rubber stoppers that are embossed either with LILIENTHAL & CO (and their "L in a shield below a crown" monogram which this example has), or with (as this one is; click HERE to see the cap close-up) CROWN DISTILLERIES COMPANY (and the "CDCo. in a shield below a crown" monogram) or just a six pointed star with no name. 

STAR (asterisk?) BASE EMBOSSED, 4-PIECE MOLD, APPLIED LIP, WESTERN MADE CYLINDER SIXTH - Offered here is a relatively rare, Western blown cylinder sixth (6 to the gallon) that was found on private land near Klamath Falls, OR. a few decades ago.  Specifically, it was found on the Running Y Ranch back when it was an actual ranch owned by the Disney Corporation (it is now an upscale resort, vacation and housing area) by a timber "cruiser" cruising (marking trees for selective cutting) for a future timber sale.  Not being a bottle collector the owner gave it to me years ago and I used it as an example to illustrate the category of tall cylinder liquor bottles which were used widely by Western American liquor companies though the style was  also used throughout the US.  (See the write-up on it at the following link: https://secure-sha.org/bottle/liquor.htm#Tall%20slender%20bodied%20straight%20neck%20spirits%20cylinders )

These bottles with the star or asterisk on the base are firmly attributed to the San Francisco and Pacific Glass Works (SF&PGW) or if they predate about 1876 (not likely in my opinion) to either of those companies prior to their merging in that year.  There are various body embossed liquor and some food bottles that have similar markings on the base which were virtually certain to have been made in the Bay Area, although the markings can vary.  For example the "curved R" examples of the Fleckenstein & Mayer  (a Portland, OR. liquor Co.) cylinder fifth and pint "knife edge" flask both have similar markings except it is a 4 pointed (instead of 8 pointed) version more like a + with pointed ends like this bottles marking.  In any event these are Western made and used bottles.

This example is a bit over 11.5" tall, 2.75" in  body diameter (fifths are more like 3"), has a crudely applied "brandy" finish with some slop below, and was blown in a four piece mold.  Click close-up of the shoulder to see the mold lines in that area reflecting its four piece mold production.  Click close-up of the shoulder, neck and finish/lip to view such.  The glass color is wonderful in that it is a light to moderate density yellow amber with a bit of a green tint thrown in for fun.  I've heard this called "old amber" though that isn't very informative.  The images show the color pretty well.  Following is also a link to the same bottle in a window with a couple of related "fifth" cylinders on each side which were likely blown at the same SF&PGW - window image.  (That linked image shows the bottle as more yellow with little green, though to my eye the images to the right here show the green hue more accurately.  The fifth on the left is a standard medium amber; to the right a more medium chocolate amber.)

Condition is just about perfect with no chips, cracks, dings, potstone bruises or other like issues.  It has no staining as it was found on top of the ground in some ponderosa pine duff. It does have a very faint, very narrow meandering scuff line on one side which may have just been from when it was made or possibly when filled and/or shipped?  It is barely visible and non-distracting and takes nothing away from the visual condition.  Some scattered bubbles, stretch marks in the neck and wavy - whittled in places - glass round out a very nice, Western made spirits bottle.  I've seen a couple of examples from the apparent same 4-piece mold sell (eBay) for $250 or more the past couple years including an essentially identical star/asterisk base (my offering has a much bolder star; see image to right), 4-piece mold example that sold for $485 in September 2023!  It did have a bit more crudeness and a bit sloppier top but was otherwise identical to this example in size and glass color.  This is also one of the oldest bottles (ca. 1880 give or take a few years) I know of found in Klamath County.  (More of less contemporary with this bottle would be a Fleckenstein & Mayer cylinder reportedly (by John Thomas) found 40-50 years ago near Fort Klamath.  I have an example of that rare bottle which also has a similar but not identical marking (as noted earlier) on the base and was certainly made by the SF&PGW also.  I'm sure there were a few older bottles found in the Klamath Basin long ago as Klamath Falls was founded in 1867 as Linkville.)  Great example with great provenience.  $175 

JOHN KREMER / WALLA WALLA / WASH. - This is - as best I can determine - an unlisted Washington "saloon" flask from the "town so nice they named it twice" - Walla Walla, Washington.  John Thomas noted in his book "Whiskey Bottles and Liquor Containers From The State of Washington" (Thomas 1998) that "Even though I had reports that John Kremer was in Walla Walla in 1883 having the Schwartz Saloon up to 1905, my research shows him first listed in 1905 in business with a Mr. Hansen in 1905." He goes on with "By 1907 he was in business by himself. Research by Francis Christiano of Walla Walla shows him having the Schwartz Saloon up to Prohibition in 1915." 

Thomas also noted that "Bethman and Larson working on their flask book for the state of Washington turned up another Kremer flask showing him also in business with a fellow named Knox during 1907 and 1908." (Note: I wonder if that book was ever published as I've never heard of it and I have almost every bottle book published.)  That flask is embossed with KREMER & KNOX / BANK EXCHANGE /WALLA WALLA, WASH. and is a "clear glass half pint oval type flask that is similar to what Putnam in "Bottle Identification" calls a basket swirl type...(with)...a brandy type finish."  Putnam's (1965) book is simply a reprint of the Illinois Glass Company's (IGCo.) 1911 catalog and it simply calls the style a "basket flask" which was available at that time as a 6 oz. "half-pint" and 12 oz. "pint" (so called 'scant sizes').

Thomas further notes that "The only bottle known for John Kremer by himself is a clear glass, pint Washington flask."  This flask, however, is the "half pint" sized (actually a scant 6 oz. at most) "Olympia" style flask and not as described in his book.  Maybe the pint is a "Washington flask" but I suspect Thomas was misinformed?  The Olympia flask was a patented (August 9th, 1898) by the IGCo. - a fact which is also embossed on the base of this flask (click base image to the right to see a larger version).  See the following link to the page (left page) in the 1906 IGCo. showing an illustration of the flask an array of sizes including a 6 oz. "half pint" like this flask.  https://secure-sha.org/bottle/Typing/IGCo1906/IGCo1906page172.jpg  That page also notes that at least 5 sizes - including the 6 oz. - were available as "plate moulds"...just like this flask.  The flask is shown in the 1903, 1906, 1908 and 1911 IGCo. catalogs which fits with Thomas's history based dating of Kremer in the saloon business from 1905 to 1915 (Prohibition in Washington).

So is the bottle unique?  I don't know, but it is the first one I've ever seen.  The bottle is 7" tall, colorless/clear glass, and has a unique tooled finish that I've is only seen on some very late 19th into the very early 20th centuries. flasks though a finish that is common on this style flask though the IGCo illustration makes it look more like a "champagne" style banded finish.  I know of no particular name attached to this finish.  The reverse side of the flask is not embossed - click reverse view to see such.  The bottle is in quite good shape with a patch of light white-ish water staining in the inside front below and to the left of the circular plate outline which shows in the image to the left (click to enlarge).  Other than that inside staining the glass is sparkling and clean.  The one post production flaw is there is a shallow flake/rough spot about 8 mm wide and 3-4 mm tall on the back side of the lip/finish that is hard to photograph.  Click view of the lip flake to see the shallow chipped area circled.  For another view click another view of the chip which shows the location on the backside of the lip.  Probably a key flask to have for a Washington liquor bottle collector...so priced to reflect the rarity with a discount for the lip flake.  $150

WARRANTED HALF PINT / FULL & HONEST MEASURE / ABSOLUTELY PURE / PURCHASED IN BOND / BOTTLED BY / FRANK WALKER / BUTTE, MONT. -  That is all embossed on 7 lines (likely a record for this size of bottle!) within a plate (plate mold bottle) on this 8 oz. druggist style bottle that was used for whiskey!  I procured this bottle to illustrate the cross-over of bottle types that is often seen in mouth blown bottles for my SHA/BLM Historic Glass Bottle Identification & Information Website (aka Historic Bottle Website or HBW).  This is a great example of one type of bottle (druggist) being used for a quite different product (liquor), i.e., a de facto liquor "flask" in the shape of a typical rectangular druggist style bottle.  Here is the write-up that I did for the HBW about this bottle and some of the interesting history behind it which includes just being from Butte, Montana during the hey day of the copper mining:

As with most types of bottles it was ultimately up to the purchaser/user of the bottle to determine what they wanted to put in the bottle.  In the case of the bottle to the right (click to enlarge) what was placed in the bottle was various Amercian whiskies including Old Crow, Black Thorn, Kentucky Turf, Woodland and others.  Like the Wm. D. Barry bottle above this rectangular bottle was used for liquor though is essentially a classic druggist bottle shape.  In addition this "whiskey" bottle is boldly embossed as follows:  WARRANTED HALF PINT / FULL & HONEST MEASURE / ABSOLUTELY PURE / PURCHASED IN BOND /BOTTLED BY / FRANK WALKER / BUTTE, MONT.  The bottle is about 7" tall, has a tooled "prescription" finish, mouth blown and embossed via a plate inserted into an accommodating plate mold and is rectangular with slightly rounded outward narrow sides.  Click base view to view a cross-section of the bottles shape. 

Some internet searching by a member of the Bottle Research Group (thanks Bob!) found that Frank Walker arrived in the Montana Territory in 1887 according to "A History Of Montana" (Sanders 1913).  He did various jobs (miner, retail liquor business, mining property developer, saloon bartender) but by 1901 was a retail liquor dealer at 12 Park St. in Butte, MT. doing $100,000 in business by 1913 and probably until 1920 when National Prohibition likely killed the business. Mr. Walker early on advertised in The Butte Miner that "The family trade will be solicited" by the wholesale business ( connected to his saloon!), "That the finest liquors for medicinal use will be kept in stock" and "Goods will be sold in quantities of full gallons, quarts, pints and half pints (emphasis mine)" (The Butte Miner Dec. 10, 1901).  The pictured bottle is one of several very similar variations of half pint "druggist" style bottles he used during those years.

As the base view linked earlier shows, this bottle is also embossed on the base in script lettering with ENGLISH which is almost certainly a glass maker proprietary name for that style druggist bottle.  Several very similar to almost identical Frank Walker embossed half pint liquor bottles have the Western Bottle Manufacturing Co. (W.M.B.Co.) makers marking on the base (although no ENGLISH embossed) so it is quite possible that this bottle was also made by that Chicago based company.  Another identically embossed Frank Walker bottle of the same 8 oz. capacity actually has druggist type graduation markings down both sides of the embossing (also a plate mold) as well as the stylized "3" at the top of the shoulder which is typical of early 20th century druggist/prescription bottles.  (Note: The same plate was used to produce at least one of the non-base embossed examples I've seen online.) Click Frank Walker bottle variation to view an image of a graduation markings version.  Graduation markings are discussed in the section of the Medicinal bottles page at the following link:  https://secure-sha.org/bottle/medicinal.htm#Druggist%20Bottle%20Dating%20Summary/Notes 

Interesting, eh?!  Like an assortment of "Family Liquor Store" bottles from the same early 20th century era in Portland, OR. and elsewhere, this weak appeal about the family nature of liquor stores was a last stand reaction to the Temperance movement which consummated with the passage of National Prohibition.  That constitutional amendment took affect in early 1920 even though many states had already gone "dry" prior to that (Oregon & Washington in 1915).  This interesting bottle is as described in the excerpt above and in absolute perfect "mint" shape with sparkling clean glass and no chips, cracks, cracks or any post-production damage...looks like it did the day it was blown, i.e., first decade or so of the 20th century.  Click upper body, neck and finish to see such which shows the sparkling nature of this bottle.  It also has the tiniest tint of pink to the glass indicating that it was decolorized with manganese dioxide to achieve the essentially colorless glass.  Nice bottle from Butte, Montana and apparently fairly rare, especially in this pristine condition!  $95

L. EPPINGER / PORTLAND. large ("pint") size coffin/shoo-fly flask - This is a nice example of a rarely offered saloon liquor flask from Portland Oregon.  It is also quite a bit rarer than the "half pint" version which are also pretty hard to find.  These are related to The Bureau saloon flasks also from Portland.  John Thomas did a pretty comprehensive history of Louis Eppinger in his 1998 "Whiskey Bottles and Liquor Containers from the State of Oregon" book which along with Thomas's Washington State equivalent book, are the bible(s) for the collectors of Northwest liquor bottles.  Following are links to images of John's historical write-up of Louis Eppinger and The Bureau saloon in the noted book: Eppinger write-up first part, Eppinger write-up second part. 

Thomas noted that at the time of researching/writing the Northwest books, there were two known pints and maybe 10 or so half pints.  He also notes that they were likely the earliest of the flasks used by Louis Eppinger in his relatively short  stint as owner of several bars during the 1877 to 1884 era.  The known examples information was actually provided by me to John since I knew of most of the finds of these flasks when living near Portland in the late 1960s to mid-1970s; when John was beginning his research of  NW liquor companies, their bottles and period of business.  Well, up to the early adoption of alcohol Prohibition by Oregon in 1915.

This offered example is the 7.5" tall "pint" though practically speaking, it held more like 12 oz. or so.  It is what was called a "scant" size by period bottle makers.  It is of the style called a "coffin flask" due to the more or less flat beveled narrow sides as versions the "shoo-fly" flask which are quite similar but the side panels are more distinctly rounded.  Click base view to see that the two side panels on each side of this flask is not quite perfectly flat but darn close.  (I cover the coffin/shoo-fly flasks on my educational Historic Glass Bottle ID & Information Website at the following link:  https://secure-sha.org/bottle/liquor.htm#Shoo-fly%20&%20Coffin%20flasks )  Shoo-fly was the name used by bottle makers at the time in their catalogs with "coffin flask" being more of a modern collector term...I think.  See the following link to a page from the 1906 Illinois Glass Company bottle catalog that I have posted on my other website:  https://secure-sha.org/bottle/Typing/IGCo1906/IGCo1906page174.jpg

This example is in very good condition with some very limited and light scuffing in a few places on the outside and a very faint but even haze on the inside.  These flasks, like most colorless liquor flasks of the era, tend to water stain quite a bit.  It does have a small (5-6mm), very narrow cooling check or "flash" in the glass on the front below the embossing which is very hard to see (and not noted by the seller I got it from). Otherwise it has no chips or other post production issues.  It has a tooled "brandy" style lip ("finish" in glass maker terminology) and a faint amethyst tint to the glass; evidence that the glass was decolorized with manganese dioxide.  It does have two tiny air venting bumps opposite sides of the plain back panel edge which is as early as bottles come with such...and probably dates it to the early 1880s.  Overall this is as better than average example as are the other examples (pint and half pint) I've had for decades having dug them in Portland back in the late 1960s.  Priced right considering the small in-making flaw but at about what I paid for it.  $95

J. H. CUTTER / OLD / BOURBON / (crown) / A. P HOTALING & CO. / SOLE AGENTS - A NO 1 - That is embossed in a circle on the front (A NO 1 on back shoulder) of this well known classic cylinder fifth whiskey bottle blown and used in San Francisco but shipped to most of the far Western states during mid to late 1870s into the early 1880s.  They are found in and around mining camps. logging towns, and many other classic Old West locations. According to the late John Thomas's classic book "Whiskey Bottles of the Old West" some Utah based collectors worked out a chronology of this series of five very similar J. H. Cutters with very similar embossing.

The first iteration of this design is identical to this one - actually the same 4 piece mold - but does not have A NO 1 embossed on the back shoulder.  This is the second and last iteration from that same mold with A No 1 simply engraved on the back shoulder  It was as noted the last use of the mold; the two subsequent ones blown in a two piece mold with minor variations in the embossing.  The Utah group dated the first use of the 4-piece mold as dating from 1873-1877 with the this bottle with the added A No 1 on the reverse as dating from 1877-1882.  Interesting, eh?  The posthumous publishing of the updated but final version of his book (2002) notes that there were at least a 100 examples in existence in collections of each of those two variations from the same mold.  So these bottles show up now and then but most are ensconced in various collections in the west.

This particular bottle is one of two in my collection at this time though I've had several others at various times in my almost 60 years of being "into" historic bottles.  It is a very nice example having the typical somewhat flattened but distinct bold embossing common with such bottles before the advent of mold air venting.  The other example I have was dug by our family when I was a teenager back around 1970 in the urban renewal areas of Portland, Oregon.  Click view of two J. H. Cutter, 4-piece mold cylinders to see this offered example (on left) next to the one dug in Portland long ago.  The Portland example is not for sale but does show the difference in glass colors with this offered example being a light-ish yellow amber; the Portland example is a dark-ish chocolate amber.  Thomas noted that these bottles come in various shades of amber with, to quote his book, "yellow being rare and green tones extremely rare." 

(As a side note, the mold maker/engraver that did the engraving work on this bottle was the famous - but totally unknown - person who did such work on many scores of various bottle molds for the glass works in San Francisco from about 1870 to 1885 or so.  The "look" of the embossing is often enough to know it was this guy but the for sure detail is the conformation of the embossed "R" which has a unique downward leg that curls and flattens out distinctly to the right.  Click on the embossing close-up image to the right to see several  twisted leg "R"s.)

The bottle is the fifth size and stands at 12" tall.  The lip has some nice slop below it from being applied; click on the close-up image of the shoulder, neck and lip/finish to the left to see more.  The base is somewhat domed in the middle with a flat ring around it.  Click base view to see such.  Condition of this bottle is near mint with no chips, cracks of other physical damage. I can't really find much wrong with it except for some minor very light scuffing but no apparent staining of note; I don't think it has been professionally cleaned but not impossible.  These used to be "around" at the bottle shows and though I've not been to a show for a few years they seem to be fairly scarce these days with offerings far and few between.  $235

Bitters & Medicinal

These used to be virtually unobtainable and rarely seen, though due to a couple small caches of them being found a couple decades ago (Nevada & Oregon reportedly) there are a few more around now...including this nice example.  (If you are looking for one of these you likely know the stories better than I.) These bottles date from only 1869 according to Wichmann's great "Antique Western Bitters Bottles" book (and the Wilson's 1969 classic) who listed them as valued at "$3000 to $7000" in the various shades of amber.  (The unique light citron green example was unknown at that time.) 

Since there were a few more of them around economics dictated a falling of prices - which happened for a time.  Examples are more rarely seen at auctions today having been dispersed to collectors quickly.  A similar colored (a fairly similar medium amber ) example sold a few years back on eBay for over $2000!  Another similar one (though a bit brighter) at American Bottle Auctions (ABA) went for $2500+ with commission though the supply is still dwarfed by the demand and prices have been ticking up again.  I recently acquired one that came from a particular Nevada mining camp - the noted Nevada cache?) so I'm selling this example even though it is a bit superior in condition and color to my other one which has not been cleaned.

This offered example is 9.5" tall, has an applied, one-part "oil" type lip or finish with some nice "slop-over" just below (click view of the shoulder, neck and finish to view such), smooth shallow domed base, and is in a very shiny bright medium amber color.  The images show the color accurately to my eye.  This example is near mint with no chips, cracks, pings, dings or flea-bites...just a few light scratches near WORMSER on the front and some very vague haze spots mid-body.  It has been professionally cleaned (like most of them) but without any diminishment of the glass surface, embossing or beauty.  The image of the base (base view link) shows some light haze where the cleaning didn't reach. It has some bubbles in the glass - particularly at the neck/shoulder interface and a few in the body.  Click the following links to see more views of this bottle: left side view; right side view; back side view.  Overall it is a very nice example in essentially perfect condition - a classic Western made (likely) and used bottle that every serious Western bottle collector should have an example of.  $1650

DR HENRY.S / WORLD'S TONIC - & / BLOOD PURFIFYER. - This is a very nice example of what is reported to be a Western blown tonic bottle and possibly related to the California Dr. Henry's products (e.g., Dr. Henry's Sarsaparilla).  It has the deep blue aqua color typical of the 1870s and 1880s products blown at the SF&PGW (or predecessors) and have been reported to be found in the West, though some seem to come from back east also. 

The shape, size and embossing pattern was probably chosen to emulate the way more popular "Dr. McClean's Strengthening Cordial & Blood Purifier" though the mold engraver (or Dr. Henry?) had a problem correctly spelling purifier choosing to spell it "Purifyer" to the delight of modern bottle collectors.  Unlike the McLean's product, this bottle has the noted embossing spread over both sides of the body...once again to the delight of collectors. 

In any event, this example is 9.2" tall, "flask" shaped body (over 4" wide and 2" thick), blown in a post-base mold, lacking evidence of body air venting although boldly embossed, and a crudely applied double ring lip or finish with an appearance and manufacturing signature dating it to the 1870s.  The glass is, as noted, a rich blue aqua with a nice assortment of bubbles in the glass and a bit of other crudeness to the body.  Condition is near mint with no issues besides one surface open bubble at the heel that has no depth at all; it appears to have been professionally cleaned to my eye.  Great example of a very rare tonic bottle that I've seen a couple examples sell for around $500 in recent years.  This example is well priced at... $195

DR. HENLEY'S / WILD GRAPE ROOT / IXL (in an oval) / BITTERS - These large (at least a quart in capacity) Western bitters bottles are quite popular with collectors since they are...large...have great embossing and found in a myriad of colors, though any color besides shades of aqua are very expensive.  A very popular product, these bottles are found all over the West from the mining camps of Utah, Nevada, and Montana to the big cities of the day - San Francisco, Portland, Sacramento.  In my experience visiting scores of the mining camps and ghost towns of the West, it is the rare location where one does NOT find fragments of an IXL - it was that popular. 

This example is just over 12" tall, a relatively rich "San Francisco & Pacific Glass Works" blue-aqua color (where it was made), the usual domed base, and an appropriately crude applied "champagne" style banded finish (click neck and lip image to see such).  This example probably dates from the late 1870s to early 1880s since it fairly crude (stretch marks, bubbles), not air vented, and from a mold that lacks the distinctive curved "R" of the earlier mold(s).  FYI...here is a copy of the original labeling that these bottles had:  Henley's IXL Bitters label

This offering is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, dings or repairs - only some light scattered haze inside and some minor scratching, scuffing/wear mostly on the back of the bottle.  It has lots of small seed bubble throughout as well as some decent whittle.  A nice example with a nice deep aqua coloration.  $200