 LAST CLUB MEETINGBEFORE THE 42nd Annual Kalamazoo Antique Bottle & Glass Show! We Need All Hands At your Battle Stations! |
| Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Club News |
| Vol. 20
Issue 7
Written By,
Allan C. Holden
March 2023 |
| LAST CLUB MEETING BEFORE THE 42nd Annual Kalamazoo Antique Bottle & Glass Show! We Need All Hands At your Battle Stations! |
| Plans for
2023 Show So cheer up friends! With spring, comes the song of the Robin, those early spring flowers, cats and dogs out marking their turf, and the Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Show! Just think, 42 Years and still rolling along! I personally have been back-and-forth on whether or not I would be setting up at the show this year. However, at the last meeting, I received some encouragement to do so once again this year. They argued, “It will be much easier on you without the hospitality suite to worry about.” Frankly, I had nothing to worry about anyway . . . it’s just my nature to stress-out! One problem I face in my life right now, is the number of doctors I have out-lasted! My last doctor just retired and they switched me over to a replacement. I can tell you that I feel new limitations to my body everyday. Judging from the daily aches- and-pains, I might have to scale back some. Growing older is an adventure in discovery which is somewhat different for everyone. What I didn’t expect, was that my mind is ready to go all-out racing on until the last lap clearly focused on that checker flag! But, on the other hand, the engine is only firing on half the cylinders . . . not to mention the tread is gone off all the tires and the wheels wobble really bad! Lord willing I am going to do my best at pressing on. After mailing out the last newsletter, I sent a web link to Henry Hecker, the Midwest Director of the F.O.H.B.C. (Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors). He had noticed that I was struggling along with an old 1996 edition of the Auction Price Report. According to Mr. Hecker, as F.O.H.B.C. members, we can access the current auction price database,   This is the beautiful high-quality magazine formally owned by our own member John Pastor! It alone is worth the price of membership! Well, I had recently received a reminder from Elizabeth Meyer that my Federation dues were coming- due very soon. So, I went to the Federation web site at FOHBC.ORG, and there I logged in. So if you are not yet a member, there is a tab on the home page that says MEMBERSHIP, where you can fill out the simple app and even pay online. So, after you become a member there is a tab “APR” which is Auction Price Report! They will assign you a user name and password . . . and you are off! The APR page opens up with a simple search tab, so you just type in a key word. I wanted to test it out! I had just taken a bitters bottle in trade towards a new metal detector in my store. Two brothers from Holland, MI came in two weeks back, and they traded in a used Whites metal detector towards a new detector, a new waterproof Garrett AT-Pro. The other brother was waiting to see how much they liked this new unit, before he made up his mind to trade. (They noticed my fondness for antique bottles) So, Saturday March 5th they came back in with yet another used White’s metal detector, and, this antique bottle. They had a price tag on the bottle for $165.00. He told me he put the price tag on it explaining, “I figured it must be worth at least that amount?” I wasn’t so sure of the bottles value, so I decided to stick with what I do know . . . detector values! I told him I would trade for $350.00 plus his detector, tax included. He countered my offer with, “How about $250.00 with the bottle included?” I didn’t jump at that price right away. I in my mind I am thinking, “One hundred dollars for another bottle that I don’t need?” Oh well, after all, it is an attractive semi-cabin bitters in attic- mint shape . . . and I do like it. . . . “OK, I can live with that . . . It’s a deal.” So, today as I work on the newsletter, I wanted to give this auction price report a test drive as newsletter research. Oh what I suffer through for you guys! So, I type in “Niagara Star Bitters.”  Up pops the following checklist, which I go through one item at a time 1. JOHN W. STEELE'S ✔ 2. NIAGARA BITTERS✔ 3. FIVE POINTED STAR✔ 4. BIRD FLYING TO RIGHT✔ 5. “1864”, and a five pointed star are on the roof panels, ✔ 6. Ring/Ham S-183✔ 7. New York, ca. 1863 - 1870 ✔ 8. Medium Amber semi-cabin✔ 9. 10"high, smooth base ✔ 10. applied mouth. ✔ $2,750.00 Sold April 2021 · Glass Works Auctions lot 26 I just knew $165.00 wasn’t right. You can never be too careful! We had a great meeting last month, We truly did! Well, I sure had a great time! “That I can tell you!” President Rob Knolle started us off with our “Pledge of Allegiance”  which still warms my soul. Then we jumped right down to business. The first main discussion was focused on the bottle show. John Pastor did get the show contracts in the mail, as I mentioned last month. Here is the “Eat-your-heart- out” list of the finest bunch of people you could ever rub elbows with, and who signed in at our February meeting: Dave Wilkins, Gary Dean, Brian Wages, Katie Wages, Kevin Siegfried, Ed Nickerson, Kelly Bobbitt, Ron Smith, Scott Hendrichsen, Vincent Grossi, Rob Knolle, and Al Holden. MEETING NOTES Here are some meeting notes provided to me straight from our Vice President, Vince Grossi: “On Sunday, February 19, 2023, Rob Knolle and Vincent Grossi went on a road trip to the West Michigan Antique Bottle Club's meeting in Grand Rapids “Grandville,” Michigan. The guys took part in the general meeting, and their $5 bottle table, and other activities during the evening. Everyone was very receptive in discussing ways the two bottle clubs could work together in the near future on joint bottle shows, picnics, meetings, etc. Hopefully, other future road trips will be planned in both directions. At our next meeting, on Tuesday, March 14th, 2023, the Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Club will be having our second $5.00 bottle table. We will be making some changes in how the sales take place: First, we would like to invite, everyone who can, to bring one or more bottles for the sale. The bottles should have at least a $5 value. Second, we would like to invite everyone to bring in money, $5.00 bills would be helpful. This time; members will be purchasing numbered coupons for the drawings, 6 coupons for $5.00 The club will then be drawing the numbered tickets or coupons. If your number ticket or coupon is picked, you go up to the table and make your selection. The club will pay the owner of the donated bottle from the money collected. After all the drawings are completed, any bottles left on the table can be purchased from the owner directly. Kevin Siegfried has donated the tickets to the bottle club. Thank you ! Kevin. The bottle club would like to thank Gary Dean for offering and volunteering his services in helping and taking pictures of the show-and- tell-bottles during the monthly meetings. Hopefully, this will continue in future. Mr Al Holden does appreciate the help ! (Indeed I do!) The Bottle Club Spotlight for the month of March goes out to club members: Mary Hamilton, Greg Stonerock, Mandy Hayes, Mellissa Hayes , and Tim Hayes. The bottle club has been missing you! Hopefully, everyone is safe and well. We will leave the outhouse light on and the barn door wide open. WE ARE NOT ALONE ! On Saturday April 8th, 2023, during the Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Show, The Kalamazoo Indoor Flea Market will be at the Expo Center, in Expo South Room from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. 2023 CALENDAR OF EVENTS: MAY 9th, 2023 The Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Club will be hosting guest speaker; Professor John Wilterding, from the Olivet College ( Olivet, Michigan ). The presentation will be on MARBLE COLLECTING. John has been collecting marbles for about 10 years now. John will be bringing marbles examples to look at, talk about the major styles, and markers, and discuss the challenges in identifying marbles along with some information about the fakes and misleading examples that circulate now quite commonly. WHEN: MAY 9th, 2023 ( Tuesday Evening ) WHERE: Otsego Area Historical Society Museum, 218 N. Farmer Street, Ostsego, Michigan. TIME: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM. SCOTT HENDRICHSEN, long time member of the Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Club, will be giving his famous presentation on: PRIVY DIGGING in the area. Scott will be describing the process of locating and investigating the contents of old outhouses. The purpose is the salvaging of antique bottles and everyday household artifacts from the past. Wait until you see some of the great stuff Scott has found over the years. ( Hopefully the information on presentation scheduled for August 2023: Sponsor, When, Where, and Time will be shared very soon. ) Vincent Grossi has been working on a bottle club flier for the up and coming bottle show, Saturday April 8th, 2023. Ready to go to the printers !! ) MEETING TREASURES! 
We saw some sweet bottles at the last club
meeting!Brian and Katie Wages displayed some real beauties! One of them I recognized as a inside-thread screw top English bottle. Personally, I really love the old deep colored English bottles with their heavy embossing and super thick glass! Until recently it wasn’t easy to find out too much about them. This was because there was so little information on rarity and market value. Because of these factors, most American collectors were just not much interested. I have never had to sign-up to join a Facebook group, because somebody will sign me up! And that is how I became a member of “Bottle Diggers and Collectors.” These guys are mostly digging in the UK and the stuff they find is awesome! In most cases they are muck raking or digging old landfills like we did here in the 70's. Yep, the Wages do indeed have a inside treaded mineral water bottle in emerald green, “ROSARA By W.SIMPSON & CO” The auction price report couldn’t find it . . .no surprise. It is really a sweet bottle! I was able to find a UK  e-Bay listing for £23.95 which is about $30.00 US Dollars. What a deal! Why hey! you couldn’t even make one for that! The perfect figural bottle for our Valentine Day meeting was Brian and Katie’s large heart shaped 1950's Paul Masson Rare Dry Sherry Wine It is a large heart-shaped figural bottle that is 8-1/4 inches tall. Paul Masson used this bottle for wine, sherry, and brandy as well, and there are different bottle variations. 
Next the Wages wowed us with a large 3 piece
mold, open
pontil demijohn or also known as a
Carboy bottle with a crude applied top! This
beauty is loaded with seed bubbles! I am not
sure it fits in the ‘demijohn grouping,’ it
is likely a turn of the century European
wine bottle, and it may have been in a
wicker wrap? It is really a beauty!Kevin Siegfried, brought in a really cool tin box that is decorated with colorful  Victorian
artwork. The artwork theme is from American author; Washington Irving’s, Rip Van Winkle, first published in 1819. Kevin’s “Rip Van Winkle” tin was originally a biscuit tin produced by the New York baking company, Holmes & Coutts Biscuits, in 1890 and these tins are pretty rare! You see, I wish I knew what I was looking at . . . when I first saw it!  Kevin also showed us a crown-cap beer bottle in aqua color from; West Side Brewery in Detroit. Just try running down this bottle with the key words, “West Side Brewery.” Well, you better add the city name, ‘Detroit,’ because nearly every large American town had a West Side Brewery!  Even though it is a big city brewery, the bottle is not all that common. I found a listing for one priced at $50.00! From a small amount of research that I did, it looks like they made more on-tap sales than by the bottle. They had a big Tiger Stadium account!  Scott
Hendrichsen displayed several
awesome bottles from his vast collection!
What stands out in my photo is three
variants of Kalamazoo Zoa Phora bottles,
with one adorned with a perfect label!Ron Smith hit the Valentine’s Day theme squarely dead-center! If the target had a arrow sticking in the bulls eye, he split that arrow right down the center!  Ron displayed three beautiful and dainty pressed glass perfume bottles! What gal doesn’t like perfume on Valentine’s Day? OK, there is my wife! Candy, flowers and perfume seem to be well received by most gals. I read the bottle magazines, and follow other bottle collectors; I am surprised how few perfume collectors are out there! The perfume bottles are the antique bottle type which is closely linked to true glass art. I have a couple pre-Civil War era scent bottles which are among my favorites!  Kelly
Bobbitt showed us some nice items,
one was a Detroit “Voigt Beer” which is
a crown top aqua bottle. There is a really
rich history behind the Voigt family and
their ties to Detroit.EDWARD W. VOIGT was an outstanding figure in connection with the development of Detroit, where for more than fifty-five years he was identified with the city’s business interests. Not to mention, he wore lots of hats which included ship owner and Great Lakes Ship Captain! Also, he was one of the founders of the Edison Illuminating Company of Detroit in 1886. This led to Mr. Voigt’s further connection with various public utilities. He helped in establishing branches of the Edison Illuminating Company at Grand Rapids, Jackson, Sault Ste. Marie and Petoskey, Michigan. Kelly also found a nice little French’s Mustard bottle with multiple side panels. It is  embossed
"It's Frenches Mustard!" Kelly had a glass lid on his little bottle, but examples I found had tin screw caps. (He mentioned that) I remember these very well from my youth, so the can’t be very old . . . oh wait! I guess they could! I found the pattern was patented 1915 and a seller on e-bay has one listed for $48.00 plus shipping! Beam me up Scotty! Be sure to make the meeting next Tuesday if at all possible, this is the last meeting before the show! THEME
THIS MONTH
POISON BOTTLES AND RECENT FINDS!   The
Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Club
Meets At the Otsego Historic Society Museum  Meeting date is MARCH 14th at 7:00 pm The Museum is located at 218 N. Farmer St. Otsego, MI 49078 Meeting starts at 7:00 Information  |
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