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Editors Note:  We had a couple errors in our original story we'd like to correct up front.  I know that it's hard to believe we made a mistake but first of all, Wayne Lowry was presented the Presidents Award not made a member of the Hall of Fame.  Also, it's Dick not Doc Watson, I thought people sometimes referred to him as "Doc" but it's apparently not true.   Sacramento is being considered for the Expo which is the FOHBC's every four year event.  I called it the National.  Also, I had some input I'll include here which speaks for itself.  We thank others who responded to the story. 

Jeff -
Your report on York was appreciated. Sorry our small New England Yankee contingent of dealers missed you all four days. We were ensconced in the right front corner of the hall - Jan Ratushny and Mark Vuono who owns probably (the best historical flask collection in nation - his father Charlie, owned the premiere collection before he passed on) from Connecticut besides myself (all three of us are part of  the partnership which includes Jack Pelitier and Fran Mikalonis) - of the web selling  site - www.americanglassexchange.com - and premiere ginger ale collector Ken  Previtali, and Gale and Joe Belliveau who displayed for sale her early New England  collection in lighted glass cases to the left of the displays, and Wes (stet) and Diane Seeman from Rhode Island specialists in early American glass among other glass collectibles, plus superb bottle cleaner from Massachusetts - Jennifer Heatley and her husband Roger-  www.jennrog-collectables.com.    As a former vice chairman of the Federation of Historical Bottle CLUBS, and the early publisher of the internationally circulated: The downeast GLASSMAN (stet),  I've been around the hobby since 1966. Like others in New England (and elsewhere) I photographed and wrote about Charlie Gardner and have the last verbal report of Helen McKearin who describes her and her father's work on their book and her comments on who was significant and who was not in recoding (on tape) the stories about glass during their heyday.  Oh, yes, I still am the President of the Museum of Connecticut Glass located in the only nationally designated  "Historic Glass Factory District" listed on the > National Register of Historic Places: www.glassmuseum.org.   For we "old timers" it was a show we could not miss, the "first" significant Expo to grace the Eastern Seaboard where there is a great concentration of bottle folks  (and early factories) in closer proximity to each other than anywhere else in the nation.    Good luck in promoting a West Coast Expo location for 4 years from now. Noel Tomas Glastonbury Connecticut (Yes, there was an early glassworks here too - actually Connecticut had 14 glass factories going from time to time from the later 1700s to the later1800s)

It’s been a week or two since the National Federation of Historical Bottle show in York, Pennsylvania. We are finally getting through with our current auction and I thought I might write something on the goings on and what my cohort, Dennis Fox, and I did while we were there. I wanted to take a bunch of pictures but my camera was stolen by airport security at some point during the trip over. I would have complained but I couldn’t figure out who to blame. Homeland Security? Never mind, it wasn’t going to bum me out and I heard afterwards that you don’t put anything valuable in your check-in bag if you are at all concerned about it. Bummer, I had over 2,000 photos I’d taken over the last year in the memory stick. I believe it’s not a lost cause as I transferred many to my office database.

We started out like anyone from the western United States, got up real early to start the trip which took up the entire first day, although it felt like a lot more. We switched planes at Chicago’s O’Hare airport. From there we made our way to Harrisburg, PA, a small town about a half-hour from York. We started around 9:00 a.m. and pulled in around 11:00 p.m. Arriving at the Yorktowne Hotel, our car was quickly parked and we were hungry. We called for a taxi and by 2:30 we were eating at one of a few restaurants still open. Since we didn’t have a sales table at the show, we didn’t officially have to be anywhere the next day until around noon. Although I wanted to attend some of the seminars the next morning, it was not to be. Looking back if we’d gotten out there a day earlier it probably would’ve made more sense. I heard the seminars were great. I especially wanted to hear Carl Sturm’s Identification and Dating talk on Black Glass. It’s a tough area to fully comprehend and I’m sure it would have been very enlightening. So the first night I was fearless, after all, we were still on California time so I just kept convincing myself it was still relatively early.

We went to our rooms around 4:00 a.m., not all that late considering we were really only hitting the hay at 1:00 Pacific time. Morning came and the three hours ahead suddenly became three hours behind. It dawned on me the various concoctions we consumed during the wasted day added up to more than a few but we did have a pretty solid dinner, hamburgers and fries. Nonetheless, we headed for the York fairgrounds and entered the building, anxious and a little tired, to see what York was about to offer.

We grabbed our badges and with the help of Wayne and June Lowry were set to go in. Wayne is a man of many talents, the least of which was to put this and other national bottle shows together. I told more than one person that he was born to do this. No doubt his wife makes him look better than he is, clothes may make the man but I don’t know many successful men who didn’t have a stalwart woman by his side. His efforts didn’t go unnoticed by the many who attended and at the banquet the next night, his efforts were rewarded by geven the Presidents Award by the FOHBC.  As always, June was at the table by his side, as happy as all of us were.

The show was a Disneyland of antique bottles. Nearly 400 tables loaded with flasks, bitters, inks, sodas, whiskey bottles and more. Oh, lots more. The jars! As I looked at the displays and tables, it became pretty obvious that antique food jars are hot, very hot. The many displays by so many people were a gift of time and energy. Terry and Katie Gillis had an unbelievable pickle display, Dale Murshcell showed us numerous examples of Wistarburgh glass, considered the first commercial glass house in the country. Mike and Mary O’Malley set up a target ball display and Wayne and June Lowry had a very rare collection of pint fruit jars. Richard and Bev Siri set up an awesome display of Hostetter’s bottles and go-withs and Bob Watson showed off a collection of John Roots Bitters Bottles. Phil Gideon had a unique display called, "Exploring the Pre-1840 Early American Bottle Period through Rare Examples" and some rare examples there were. A particularly interesting display of salesman sample jars and personal patent closures set up by Dan & Judy Corker was fascinating. How they assembled so many rare jars was amazing. Randy Hoffman displayed Pennsylvania canning jars. There was a great display of Charlie Ross bottles set up by Bill & Rae Herbolsheimer and Rick and Berny Baldwin had an unusual collection of glass house whimsy turtles of all things! Rex and Joanna Barber who traveled all the way from Australia set up a display of 19th Century ceramic quack cure pot lids. Joe Merkel displayed a 150-year celebration of Mason’s 1858 Patent jars, some great pieces. Mike Jordan covered the Hyacinth Vases and Russell and Cindy Mills displayed a beautiful collection of California Perfume Co. bottles. It also included products and memorabilia. Lynn Mitchell and Don Carroll had an amazing display of teakettle inks and I mean amazing. Keither Leeders showed off a vast array of Carter inks and Bob & Phyllis Pahlmann traveled from Illinois to show off their jelly glasses. Dennis Smith covered celery sodas and Michael and Bri Lehman covered an array of colored demi-johns. If you wondered about Central Pennsylvania’s past, Robert E. Lee III had it covered with a "picture of it’s past" display. In addition, Harrisburg was well represented by Michael Hester from guess where? You got it, Harrisburg, PA. Jars were again the talk of the show with another display of early American fruit jars by Ron and Kim Hands. Some really great stuff. Insulators, Sheaffer inks and asthma medicines were represented by Allen Klapaska, John and Sue Hinkel and Jeff & Mary Waterhouse respectively. All in all, it was a terrific group of displays and I know the FOHBC can’t thank all of these people enough. If I’ve left anyone out I’m sorry. The time they took to help educate both the novice and seasoned collectors alike is incalculable. I can’t imagine traveling from as far away as Santa Rosa or Australia to set up like they did. Hats off!

Greg Spurgeon had a table set up and beyond an incredible array of jars, many of which are featured in his auction, he had a peacock blue half-gallon keyhole Mason jar. Unbelievable. Price? Oh, around $20 grand, give or take a thousand. Greg is a standup guy who came to the table to greet me and talk bottles for a bit. He’s started a new auction house selling expressly jars. It’s called North American Glass and can be found on the Internet at www.gregspurgeon.com. He knows his stuff and his wife Angela was so friendly. As I began to walk around, just in the first few minutes the many, many collectors whom I’d either talked to on the phone or conversed with via email now stood before me. I was deluged with handshakes and smiles. Richard Siri and Beverly said hello, of course we see one another fairly often. Richard was not only the master of ceremonies the next night at the banquet but is also the new President of the FOHBC. We all know Richard and he’s not only been a mainstay of the hobby, especially western glass, he’s a gentleman who has decided to spend more time getting involved in the hobby as he gains in years (bottles, not age). As wonderful and respected a person Richard is, Beverly to my knowledge, has been at every show I’ve ever seen Richard at (please see the woman by the side comment in the last paragraph). Richard’s brother Ted has been an antique dealer with his wife Theresa for years and has collected bottles as long as Richard. He has probably the best collection of western beers in the country among other nice pieces. After that many years you get an eye for what’s great and Ted has 20/20 vision. He’s a straight shooter and together, the Siri brothers have made quite an impact on the hobby. As long as I’ve known the Siri’s, Betty Zumwalt has known them longer and will attest to their collecting prowess. A number of the bottles in her first book, Spirits Bottles of the Old West, Richard owned at the time. Jim Mitchell and his wife Lynne had a row of tables filled with bitters, inks and more, many duplicates in multiple colors. Jim also had stacks of his new book, which is a compilation of prices of thousands of bottles in almost every category realized at auction. I believe every collector should own one as let’s face it, there are so many different bottles out there it can only help the average and advanced collector to keep up on values. It’s only been out for a few weeks and I’ve used it dozens of time already.

Dennis and I walked on, Jack Pelletier, a longtime collector and dealer had a flurry of stories and we later met in the hotel bar. Michael George was there and Jeff and Holly Nordsy said hello. We also saw Jeff later at the hotel. Holly as pretty as ever and Jeff shared some interesting tidbits of bottle information. Name after nametags hung from their shirts, names I’d seen on paper and the computer but could now put a face to. As I continued along row after row of gorgeous glass it dawned on me the sheer number of not just faces but friends and colleagues. We met Jim Hagenbach and his wife Janice. Dennis and I were curious about the authenticity of a set of Stoddard salts in our present auction and Jim did his best to give me his opinion. It was much appreciated. Norman Heckler and his son Norman Heckler greeted me with a wonderful new table display, Norm is someone I consider a personal friend and a guy who’d I love to know even if there was no such thing as an old bottle. I remember years earlier at a show when I approached him, he smiled and shook my hand. He knew me somehow and offered to buy me a drink. Since everyone knows I don’t drink I had a whiskey. I was to see Norm again and watched in awe as he sold bottle after bottle a couple nights later at the Federation auction. If Lowry was born to run a show, Norm was born to be an auctioneer.

The list goes on, and some of the stories! Dick Watson was there looking great. I don’t know Watson well but he’s a legend. I heard Bob Ferraro was there, the new FOHBC V.P. but didn’t see him. John Feldman spent some time with Dennis and I telling us a great story of how he helped board up the now famous Amytiville Horror house, which was the subject of a movie by the same name. "Did you see anything scary," I asked John? "Nah, we were there to do a job, I didn’t even think about it," he replied." I didn’t even know it was scary until the movie came out!" he added. I don’t see John often but we all got a big kick out of the story and I hadn’t seen him look so good. For those of you who don’t know, John is a longtime collector who has one of the finest bitters collection in the country. I don’t know about you but the movie scared the hell out of me. Ed and Kathy Gray, mainstays of the hobby were there and they had some fine pieces. Ed and Kathy are very nice people who present great stuff and are easy to work with. I’ve done a few deals with them over the years and there are always fair and willing to work with you. This day we just talked, told a few jokes but they are always there ready to help in any way.

By the way, I heard a rumor, just a rumor that Sacramento could be in the running as a future host of the National.Expo, an every four year event.  California is a haul for so many people but it’s a holiday destination for a lot of people too; there are so many things to do here, why not? If you haven’t seen Monterey, the Sierra Nevada’s, the Pacific Coast for that matter you’re missing one of the wonders of the world. I’m sure the collectors from California would agree that we could hold a terrific show. Just look at what Reno did last year and that tells you something. Whether or not there’s any truth to the rumor or not, I think it would be great down the road. Everyone can stay at my place. Speaking of Reno, Marty Hall is a master bottle repair expert and just a great guy. He virtually made the Reno show, the displays will be talked about for years to come, just one of the jobs Marty tackled with aplomb the entire memorable weekend. Others from the Golden State were Mike Dolcini who looks rejuvenated and healthy after a scary health issue. It’s good to see another world famous digger and all around class guy back. Mike has dug more great bottles than many people see in their lives. Also, the famous child actor, Ken Salazar was there and we bantered on the merits of…well, living, life and some philosophy. Ken is a black belt Judo expert and speaks fluent Portuguese, like that’s going to be useful. He’s a soda collector among other things and has dug some of the finest bottles ever pulled out of the earth. Mike Hoffman from King’s Park, New York, another top collector accompanied the western rat pack and Louie Peligrini was a lifesaver at the auction as he loaned me his bidder number and then paid for the $5,000 or so I spent, repaid later that night. Peligrini is a master collector in his own right, with a collection of food jars that defies credibility. He’s had so many great jars for so many years it’s tough to get him too excited about anything but when he saw the display that Gillis put up, as well all did, he was in awe. We also saw Dennis Bray, all the way from the Central Valley of the Golden State along with Ken Edwards and Jerry Forbes, two major collectors who are often seen at national shows. Bill Ham was there as was Kent and Margie Williams. Doug and Margie Hansen had a table and they always have nice pieces. Ed and Diane Kuskie from Pennsylvania, formerly Southern California were there with a table and it’s always great to see them. It was nice to see the western contingent in full force.

The night was young as we headed back to the Yorktowne Hotel, Dennis and I changed (not together) and headed to the banquet. Tables quickly filled and as I headed in, I saw Betty Zumwalt, a talented and gracious woman. What man can resist intelligence and beauty? I spoke with Ralph Finch, the target ball guru from way back and he was kind enough to give me an advance copy of his newsletter which featured an article on our ongoing Alex Kerr collection. He introduced Jim Hagenbach to the Hall of Fame to the stage and did a fine job. Mike O’Malley was there and if you don’t know Mike, he is fast becoming the target ball king with a brand new website, www.glasstargetballs.com and has one of the finest collections assembled with much care (and money) with his son Sean. No one will argue that Mike is a super guy and is doing more right now for the target ball world than anyone. Go to his website and you’ll see the many hours he spent putting it together, not just balls but history, famous shooters and a host of other valuable information. Target balls are fast becoming a major collectible and can sale for many thousands of dollars.

I headed to my table and saw Ferdinand Meyer and his wife Elizabeth who I knew Dennis and I would meet here to spend more time with. We had spent a lot of time together in St. Louis at an earlier show and seemed to hit it off. We call him Ferd and for those that don’t know Ferdinand, you’re missing something. He’s an ambitious and intelligent man who owns his own graphics and design firm. You can’t miss him, long flowing hair, a modern day Buffalo Bill, he has a great sense of humor and his zest for collecting shows in the multitude of binders that he carries everywhere under his arm. They contain all the bottles in his collection and browsing through them you know he’s very serious about collecting. Ferd is now a veteran collector and has shown his smarts through the many choice pieces he enjoys in his own collection. Rarely do you meet someone who has mastered the art of antique bottles in the time he has. Also at our table were Tom and Alicia Booth, good friends of Ferd and wonderful people in their own right.  In St. Louis Alicia was my good luck charm at the tables and won me a lot of money.  Mr. Stery Mann also joined us and had some interesting things to talk about.  Jeff and his beautiful wife, Jeanine Burkhardt were at the table and everyone knows Jeff is a consummate collector, mostly bitters and the owner of an amazing collection. An Iron Skillet award-winning chef prepared the dinner and it was delicious I’m sure most would agree. It was a wonderful banquet and a treat to share with the rest of our table.  How they got the chef I'll never know.

The banquet festivities began after dinner and Wayne began with Richard Siri taking over the M.C. duties. Richard told me more than once that he’s nervous speaking in public but I know he could host the Gong Show without any difficulties. He was great and kept things moving along. Numerous people were given Hall of Fame honors and the greatest of all was Betty Zumwalt. Some collectors from the east don’t know Betty, she was earlier known as Betty Wilson. She’s authored at least three books and her last; Ketchup, Pickles Sauces is probably her most popular and undoubtedly her best seller. But her books on whiskeys, Spirit Bottles of the Old West may be the reason I’m writing this article today. Her other book, 19th Century Medicine in Glass was a remarkable work for its time and is now difficult to find. She has always been an inspiration to me and we talked for a long while after the banquet. Even today, her earlier books are invaluable references and all I can say is that beyond dedicating my own book to her, her nomination was long overdue and a fitting tribute to this great hobby.

The night was in full force by midnight. Drinks were on the house and everyone knew it. People meeting people, talking bottles, antiques and life. Looking around at the 50 or so people left, I thought to myself that this was what it was all about. I’d probably spoken to way over 100 people already and there were two days to go! I forgot to mention the highlight of the night at the banquet. There was a $500 raffle that was announced towards the end of the night. Many times I’ve seen someone win the raffle who it might mean an average bottle to, this night it went to 9 year old Austin, son of Bob Barbour. Austin’s expression and excitement was the highlight of the show for some. It was priceless. He seemed to walk on air as he high-fived his way to accept the $500. When I asked him what he was going to do with the money, he quickly replied, "buy bottles!" It was a moment for me and I hoped that his presence was a sign of things to come. We need a hundred more Austins and with any luck we will. Bob Barbour is someone I consider a good friend who I first met years ago at a show in Nashville. He’s a very interesting guy and a very eclectic and enthusiastic collector. His knowledge of the hobby is unmatched and from what I can see, he’s doing a great job raising two enthusiastic boys, Austin and Alex. From the look on his son’s face, he thought he’d won the lottery. It was a great moment.  Just a side note, Austin gave his brother half his fortune.

The show the next day was in full force with deals being made left and right. I bought a Lafayette flask from Jack Pellitier and a couple colorful tins I thought looked neat, from another dealer. Dennis and I weren’t really there to buy, besides not having room to bring stuff home, we have plenty of time to buy back home. We were really there to meet and say hello to the people that have helped make our auction as successful as it has become over the years. It’s been 15 years since we’ve begun and last year, thanks to Bryan Grapentine, was the first year we’d made a profit. So it’s easy to see we don’t do it for the money but rather the people and the glass, which we rarely tire of. Working with my office manager and woman of many means, Chi Chi or Chinyere, which is her real name, it’s a pleasure to head for the office never knowing what the day will bring. Lord knows you need consignors but you can’t operate without buyers and my hat goes out to all the people that have supported us through the years. It’s almost like bottle collectors have a special secret that we delight in knowing. You have beauty and history in one beautiful piece of glass. At any rate, we continued to prowl the rows of bottles and met friends like George Mross and his wife Edna. Speaking of beautiful glass, how can I forget the stunning stained glass piece I purchased from Edna Moss? That’s one piece I can photograph and show. She had a few truly original artworks and it was tough deciding on the right one. I wanted them all. George and Edna are seen throughout the country at bottle shows and he has great taste in glass and has purchased some nice pieces from me over the years. Another person we visited with that day was John Brandt, a former writer for Chuck Moore auctions. He’s a great guy with a museum’s worth of knowledge in his head. He knows bottles but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve talked with John since the show and he’s a very enlightening guy. Others we talked to were Michael George, a longtime customer and very affable guy. Tod Von Mechow is working on a new website and published one of the first references for soda and mineral water bottles from across the United States. I use it frequently and now he’s taking it a step further, working on a website which I don’t believe is finished yet or I would include the address. Tod’s a very knowledgeable guy to talk with. Perry Driver was another interesting guy along with his wife Pat. His table was next to Greg Spurgeon and we had a good talk, he’s a fruit jar nut and as it turns out, he ended up buying the half-gallon blue Mason from Greg. How much? Don’t know the exact amount but it was some not cheap. A killer jar for anyone that saw it.

That night was another frolicking event as Dennis and I changed once again (separate rooms) and headed over to the auction held in the same building as the show. Long time collector and past FOHBC president John Pastor initially presided over the event and then former president Ralph VanBrocklin helped announce the items coming up while Norm Heckler Sr. held service over the auction. Randy Driskill does the technical aspects of the auction and it’s very well done. He also has a new auction house called American Bottle Club Auctions and I believe he’s putting together his first offering. He has been doing auctions for a while and can be seen at www.bottleauctions.com Not only does Norm show you the glass while describing it, each piece is shown on a huge screen showing the bottle in full color. It worked great and many of the pieces did really well. As I mentioned, I purchased about a half-dozen bottles including a beautiful Sweets Blk Oil and a heavily whittled purple tombstone shaped Dodge Bros. I also got a neat yellow-green nerve & bone liniment and a cobalt blue painted German spirits flask. The auction also featured some other really nice pieces. They include a Covert’s Balm of Life, Zingari Bitters a Seaver’s Joint & Nerve Liniment in olive green, A beautiful Wryghte’s Bitters, A D. Davis cobalt root beer, an emerald green Skerrett’s Oil, a Daffy’s Elixir in yellow green, A gorgeous Dr. HB Skinner from Boston, A Golden Bitters and a recently dug Maynard’s Star Bitters in yellow green. There were 76 pieces in all and it was a good selection and much of it did well. Along with some great inks John Brandt gave me for the auction, I had broken my own rule and had too much to get home so Richard Siri kindly helped me out by bringing them home for me. I have not seen him to this day.

It was time to head for the hotel and we had another great night shooting the bull with other guests and collectors. Some new faces and others we’d hung with much of the weekend. Dennis and I had a late dinner and headed to our rooms, this night relatively early this time, around 3:00 a.m. Every minute was worth it and although I wouldn’t, or better put, couldn’t, do it often, it was a weekend to remember. The nights were long and full of sprits, good food and of course great friends.

The next day we hit the show for a few hours and had to get back to the room and prepare to leave. I had a chance to talk with Ralph VanBrocklin a little while, he had a Keller’s California Bitters that had everyone checking their bank balance. Jim and Joy Scharnagel were there with a table and we talked about the show and bottles and Jim put in some early bids on our auction. Terry McMurray, who has his own auction, McMurray Antiques and Auctions, was there with his own table. He had some neat stuff including some store counter pieces that were very colorful and rare. He’s been around as long as American Bottle Auctions and we both agreed business is good. In fact everyone I talked to seemed to feel the market for antique bottles was strong. Ray Klingensmith was there with a table and he also is starting a new auction house. Also by the way, John Pastor has a website www.americanglassgallery.com and has a great selection of bottles for sale and display. The site is extremely well done and it’s good to see more bottle websites popping up. It was good to see William Taylor, we ran into each other (figuratively) at Reno and both attended York. He’s a strong collector and has participated in our auctions in the past.  Brad Francis was there with some nice pieces, he was also on a trip to obtain another collection. Hope he got what he wanted.

My wife reminded me to "remember, check your room for everything," and of course I did and of course I didn’t. I had a belt I really liked and had just purchased a few weeks before I left and of course it was nowhere to be found when I got home. My Iphone charger is now in the hands of someone else and I’m sure there’s more to be found, or not, as I get back to work and back to the auction. I know, I’m supposed to call the hotel and let them know but of all the sunglasses, bathrobes and computer cords I’ve left, they never find them let alone send them back.

So that was it, I started writing this thinking it would be a page or two and it’s ended a little longer. Collectors around the country might not correspond with as many collectors as we do but when you go to a show like the national you know you’re among friends and you are going to see things you’ve never seen before. As many bottles as I see a year, you’d think I wouldn’t be as intrigued as I was. Not the case as I saw more amazing bottles and other antiques in one weekend than I’ve seen the whole year. The bottles are an important part but the people are what we went for. It’s a pleasure to visit with the many veterans of the hobby and see new faces discovering the beauty in glass. Did you miss anything? Well, all I know is that if I hadn’t gone, I would have missed one of the best weekends of the year.

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Auction 45

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American Bottle Auctions Flips its Top Over New-Found Lid!

By Jeff Wichmann

The Lid stays put even when the jar is turned upside down.

If you’ve been following our story on a newly discovered one-of-a-kind Lupton Jar, you might be happy and maybe even amazed to know that an original lid has been found for this extremely rare fruit jar! That’s right, when we announced this new jar to the bottle world, collectors began the search for what they thought might be the glass lid as described in the patent. Well, before long I got a call and then a glass lid that fit, well it fit like a lid made for the jar. The patent describes the application of a rubber band around the lid edge which when pushed down into the mouth of the jar, forms a perfect seal.

Well, as the light apple green lid first was inserted, it was a little loose. We had a stack of rubber bands that we went through and after a little trial and error, we applied one around the edge of the lid. To our astonishment, it fit so well, you can see one picture of the jar being held upside down with the lid perfectly inserted. A self-sealing lid! It’s likely they had something covering the lid, as they mention either metal or wooden, we’d have to guess metal but all in all, the marriage of a one-of-a-kind jar meets the possibly one-of-a-kind lid. Although the colors don’t match perfectly, it’s a story we love to tell. To find not only a jar so rare, but the lid to go with it is quite amazing. The jar will appear in American Bottle Auctions 45th sale sometime in July.

Who would’ve thought this rare lid would've shown up?

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A recent email to American Bottle Auctions turned out to be quite interesting. The sender mentioned he had a jar, his father had recently passed and before he did, told his son to sell the jar, it was time. The seller whose name is Bill said his father had bought a jar at a flea market years ago and it had remained safely in their house ever since.

We had another interesting email a few months before this one. It ended up resulting in the Dalbey jar, which by now has sold in our recent auction. This time the potential seller, Bill, said he had checked the landscape and decided he liked the way we did business, he decided to consign it and we didn’t mind that one bit. I told Bill that we are more than happy to give opinions on bottles, we do many everyday.

After some brief small talk I asked him what he had. "A fruit jar that has Lupton’s embossed on it," was his reply. As I talked I went to the bookshelf, pulled out Doug Leybourne’s Redbook and Jerry McCann’s Fruit Jar Annual for 2008. Not a Lupton jar in sight. I figured it was a turn of the century jar made in his area of the country that just didn’t have the interest of either author. "Does it say anything else" I asked? "Yes it does," he replied. "Self Sealer Pat May 29th 1866." He had my attention. Surely Doug or Jerry would include a jar from the 1860’s? I needed more information.

I called Doug Leybourne who told me he was not familiar with the jar. I called Bill back and told him the news, unlisted, no real news to give him except that it could be an exceptionally rare and possibly valuable jar. I needed to see it.

The next day we sent Bill a Fed X label, which comes in handy. You email a label addressed to us and he prints it out, glues it to the box and it is back in our hands within a day or two. Dave told me his dad, Fred, and his family had settled near New Jersey. He had done some research on the jar and pointed me in the right direction. I went to the Google Patent search and there it was as plain as day. Not only the entire patent, number 55128, but a picture of the jar and its unique lid. Designed, according to the patent abstract, to be pressed onto the mouth of the jar, placed in boiling water with some weight added to the top and the contents, when the jar and contents cooled, would seal itself. A self-sealing jar, just like the embossing said.

As I read the United States Patent Office abstract dated May 29, 1866, I could tell the Lupton brothers thought they had a unique and possibly groundbreaking invention. They explained "by means of which fruit cans can be sealed air-tight in such a way that the fruit can be kept sound and sweet for any length of time, and the stopper can be removed when required without difficulty and without injuring the stopper; and it consists of a fruit-can stopper formed by combing an india-rubber or equivalent lining or surface with a wooden or metallic cap; as hereinafter more fully described." A novel idea indeed. The patent went on to describe the different materials that could be used for the container including, tin, glass or earthenware. "Among the advantages," the patent reads, "our invention it may be mentioned that the operator can always tell whether the can is sealed or not…for if the sealing is not perfect the stopper can be lifted from the can." Joshua and Nathan Lupton signed the patent on February 19th, 1866. Witnessed by a Mr. I.F. Oshel and a Mr. Levi Morris. The patent also states that the Lupton brothers were from Stafford, Ohio. A town that as of 2000 still had a population of only 86. A lot of jars were made in Ohio. In addition, a picture of their invention is shown, the jar or can, exactly as it appears now in front of me, without the embossing. A most unusual lip applied to the top of the jar, the very top a ground or polished finish. It’s called a fruit-jar on the abstract and a fruit can on the picture.

Looking at the jar or can, it is a nice bluish aqua with some good overall character. Lots of tiny bubbles, plenty of light whittle overall, and that odd flat top with signs of grinding or polishing. It’s obvious they wanted the flattest lip possible to insure a tight seal. The bottom has no pontil, just a slightly indented 2" diameter circle in the center of the jar. The condition is about perfect; it appears it wasn’t used much. As it turns out, it held right around 40 ounces, a little more than a quart and stands 8" with the base being 3 3/4" in diameter.  An odd size for an odd jar.

Well, it’s a guessing game now, what happened with their new invention? Why didn’t it catch on? Did the first user die of botulism? Did the brothers die in a fire? Even the oddest of the odd have some place in record books. Even a blind squirrel finds an occasional nut. The fact that they went through the process to patent the "can" as they called it had to be something they felt was a promising venture. It should have been more important than this. How could one jar survive? Just one?

So a man named Fred, gone at age 79, many years ago, strolling through a flea market reached into a box and pulled out a jar he liked enough to fork over a few bucks for. Just a glass jar that might have held the dreams of two men, brothers who like so many others during their time, pursued that pot of gold near a rainbow. What is the price or value of a dream? Was it all for naught, the remains of two visionaries found at a flea market? How can the smartest of the smart and the strongest of the strong not succeed? It was a self-sealing jar for God’s sake. Now, besides the patent and the jar, what is left? Is there a Lupton family in Ohio? A great grandson or daughter perhaps? What are dreams truly made of, what makes a dream come true? And do they have to become true to be a real dream?

Editors Note; we did find a Nathan Lupton who died in Warren County, Ohio in 1916.  Also, this jar will be included in our next auction.

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The Downieville Antique Bottle Show & Sale 
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The Los Angeles Historical Bottle Club Proudly Presents its
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At the Arcadia Masonic Temple
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The Phoenix Antiques, Bottles & Collectibles Club
Annual Show and Sale
Friday October 10th 2008 from 10 AM to 5 PM (Early Bird 10 AM - 12 PM) &
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At N. Phoenix Baptist Church (NPBC) with over 10,000 sq. ft. available for setup!
NPBC is located at 5757 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ
INFO:  BETTY HARTNETT at 602-317-4438
email is bettchem@cox.net
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Northwestern Bottle Collectors Association
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Jefferson State Antique Bottle & Collectibles Show
Saturday October 18th 2008 from 9 AM to 3 PM
Dealer set-up/ Early admission Friday 12 PM to 7 PM
At the Seven Feathers Hotel and Casino Resort
I-5 Exit 99
Info:  BRUCE SILVA, PO Box 1565, Jacksonville, OR 97530
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email is jsglass@q.com / http://www.ecandm.com/canyonville/

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To view the Grapentine auctions click on either Part III, II or I below.

Click Here to View The Bryan Grapentine Auction Part III Catalog
 

The Bryan Grapentine Auction Part II ended on August 29, 2007.
To view Part II please click here.

The Bryan Grapentine Auction Part I ended on April 11, 2007.
To view Part I please click here.

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Headlines on the Front Page
State law puts stiff restrictions on artifacts people pull from the ground

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