Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Summer Finds #2



My friend Jan Boyer has a famous “bottle shed” in his backyard.  I have looked through it many times, and still find bottles I’ve missed.  Recently he had a yard sale which resulted in emptying most of the shed.  One bottle I had passed over was a plain olive green wine, but when I picked it up, was surprised to find it was etched S. Levin & Sons Prov. RI.  This was the earlier Levin style as the company became Levin Bros. in 1902.  Only embossed examples are known…until now!


Some of the trickiest soda bottles to get are the early straight-sided Coca-Colas from Woonsocket and Providence.  They always go for more than I’m willing to pay on ebay due to those avid Coca-Cola collectors.  I got lucky recently on a block lettered Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Woonsocket, RI with a little flash in it.  I was delighted to find that it was embossed Contents 8 Fl. Oz. on the heel, which was not shown on the listed example.  That makes six different Woonsocket Coca-Colas now!


Another nice soda I picked up at Jan’s yard sale was a handmade crown top New England Bottling Co. CH (monogram) 7-1/2oz. Westerly, RI.  The website only lists one BIM example, and that has the AJ monogram.  These sodas are around, but the BIM ones are pretty scarce!


I recently got the urge to go marsh digging, and among the newer finds were two sizes of a screw cap RI medicine.  They were embossed twice on the sides Otis Clapp & Son with a shield flanked by two lions.  One had Inc. embossed after Son.  Currently the club hesitates to list screw cap bottles on the website, but a few have sneaked by.


Once again, my friend Jan has proved his unparalleled vigilance when it comes to frequenting antique shops.  He recently sold me a superb early T.E. Hickey & Co. Providence, RI blob soda.  Tall sodas don’t get much earlier than this late 1870-early-1880s example.