Twins!

Sorry about the hiatus from bottle articles. I've been entangled in a "consulting job from hell" since Canyonville. Nothing like small town politics coupled with a government employee with a big title, an equally big ego, combined with a bad attitude to make life "interesting". Anyway, the project is done... And, I was long overdue for a reversal of fortune!

 

_________________________

 

Twins!

No, not the bouncing baby kind.

 

 

Decades ago, I met an old guy named Howard Height. He owned the property where the old Ashland dump was located. It wasn't the earliest dump in town, but it had good age; late 80's / early 90's through early post turn of the century. It was huge! Howard dug, and dug, and dug. He also was magnanimous enough to let others dig; if you paid him a digging fee. And, he got to keep his pick of what came out of the ground. Howard set up his own little "museum" and would occasionally sell stuff if someone offered him enough. Most of the time what Howard thought was enough, was over the top, and so I never did consummate any purchases.

 

Still a visit to the museum was always a welcome diversion. I recall one time, around 1976, when Howard showed me a killer whiskey that he'd just dug. Not for Sale!; he said. Being a whiskey guy, even then, I was duly impressed. Whiskies were a rarity in the pious pre 1900 town of Ashland. Good grief, the churches outnumbered the saloons by something like 5 - 1. But on rare occasions, Ashland did yield up some power. I recall digging a tri color enameled Blumauer and Hoch - Old Kentucky Home Club / OPS shot glass around that same time. Of course, that was down in the old railroad district, where you'd expect to find whiskey.

 

The whiskey that Howard found was a mini, a sample, embossed BT&P Oak Run Whiskey. I'd never seen one, and knew nothing about it. Still, it was intriguing. First thing I did when I got back to our place was to bust out Wilsons "Spirits Bottle of the Old West". That was "the bible" back then. Sure enough, right there on page 39, was a description and on page 37, a picture of the bottle.

 

 

 

 

 

I had the amber fifth Brunsing Tolle and Postel  in my collection, and boy that mini would fit in nice. But no, that bottle was destined to be one of Howards "keepers".

 

In the 90's, Howard sold the property. It was bulldozed, graded and condominiums rose on the site. No more Ashland dump, no more Howards museum. I don't know what ever happened to that bottle. But, I've wanted one ever since I first laid eyes on it.

 

A couple of weeks ago, I got a lead about a person that had some minis. It's been a bit of dry spell in regards to bottles here. As such, I wasn't overly excited. Still, the lead you ignore is normally the one that turns out to be the "one that got away". This was one that didn't get away. I touched base with the owner, and the response that I got was mind boggling. Here was my long lost Oak Run mini. But not just any old mini, this one was complete with labels and contents as well.

 

 

But wait, there's more!

 
That's right. Twins

Brunsing Tolle and Postel "Oak Run" twins, to be precise.

An Oak Run Home Run!

 

 

C'ville 2013 photos~

Many thanks to Gloptop (Dennis R.) for answering our request for pictures. Here are some great shots of the show~
 

This killer sales table arrangement, courtesy of Pete and Shannon Hendricks, caught your eye the instant you waltzed through the entry doors.

 

Oh, and check out that overhead lighting~

 

 

 

___________________________________ 

 

 

 

Holy Moly! Would ya look at these IXL's!
 

Two thumbs up to Dale M. for this incredible rainbow of rarity.

Medina's Medicine Show.

Just unbelievable in terms of variety and rarity.

And what a crowd it drew!

Having "pursued the pickle" for the past forty years, I can say that both my wife and I (as well as everyone else who saw this display), were drooling over this array of killer pieces.
Thanks Mike L.!

An excellent arrangement of beers by Mike R. I loved the verticality and dimension created by the used of period boxes. Another crowd pleaser.

 

______________________________________

 

A little quiet time Friday evening during the hospitality hour with hors d'oeuvres and no host bar, where collectors and dealers relaxed and caught up with one another.



 

Canyonville 2013

 

Time Marches On

The weekend of October 4th has come and gone. It's been eleven years since the JSABC annual Show and Sale made the move to Canyonville. Hard to believe...

The move from the middle of the month, to the first weekend in October seems to have been a blessing in disguise. For whatever reason, the seasons have changed. This year saw the wettest September ever recorded in Oregon. The fall colors appeared weeks early, trees are already dropping their leaves and it is now freezing at night.

However, the weather for show weekend couldn't have been better. 70's during the day, crisp and cool at night. Crystal clear afternoons and best of all, no rain! The perfect weather no doubt helped attendance. Early attendance was up again this year and Saturday saw a steady stream of local people through the doors.

75 sales tables and eight displays filled out the show. Several collections, fresh to the market, were on the tables and a number of new faces appeared behind dealer tables. Many of the dealers that we spoke with reported strong sales in the four figure range. The Saturday auction table continued to be a hot spot.

Dealers were presented with a free raffle drawing for a crisp $100~ bill. Seven Feathers again donated a meal and lodging package, which rounded out the free dealer drawings.

Eight displays were set up, representing both the bottle and insulator hobby's. A hot topic in both areas of collecting continues to be the dearth of fakes flooding the market. A bottle display, entitled "Real or Repro / Fantasy or Fake" was especially popular and was awarded the Federations Most Educational ribbon by a team of judges representing both hobbies.

Raffle prizes this year were over the top. American Bottle Auctions helped out by selling us a group of three historical flasks for a reasonable price, and a killer group of insulators were offered to balance out the raffle table. The third raffle prize was a custom display cabinet with a retail value of $750~, designed to accommodate either bottles or insulators.

Unfortunately, in the rush to get to the show, I forgot my camera. Anyone with photos of the show is asked to send them to me so that they can be posted.

And so, this years "C'ville Show" is now in the history books. We'd like to thank everyone who made the trip and will look forward to seeing one and all again next year.

 

Same weekend / Same place.

At the Seven Feathers Casino Resort,

where you can expect the best~

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like.....

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like.....

 

Canyonville!

________________________

 

 

 

Here it is, September 24th already.
 

A little rain and cooler temperatures. The trees are beginning to show some fall colors, brilliant blue skies, and the smoke from this summers fires is gone.

 

And do we have some treats in store for you.
 

We're back to white table tops this year - you asked, we listened and 7F obliged.
 

The complimentary $100~ dealer cash drawing returns.

 

 

Raffle prizes - we went over the top this year!

This years featured prize is a $750~ custom bottle (and or insulator) cabinet complete with color corrected back lighting!

 

 

And of course, we'll also have a lodging and meal package, and an insulator and a bottle lot to choose from.

 

Same luxurious facilities with plush carpet, comfy padded chairs and brilliant lighting!

 
 

75 tables chock full of goodies to choose from.
 

 

  (Who was that masked man?)

 

 

 

Displays galore too; including rare western whiskies, IXL Bitters, sodas, beers, Lightning Rods & Balls, plus a special public information display on Real or Repro / Fantasy or Fakes.

 

Come join us for what promises to be a great weekend at Seven Feathers Casino Resort - Where you can Expect the Best !

Up Next - Downieville!

This year's Downieville Bottle Show is a sellout!

All of the 50 sales tables have been sold, with several new dealers setting up this year.

"Downtown" Downieville

 

The show opens on Saturday September 14th to dealers at 7:00 am and for a $10 admission early lookers are admitted at 8:00 am.

Admission is free from 10:00 am to closing at 3:00 pm.

Friday night Wine Tasting and BBQ for dealers and guests starts at 5:00 pm at the old Downieville Brewery

The Brewery Saloon

Come on up to the Sierra Nevada Mountains for some small town hospitality - great food and a one of a kind bottle show

Hope to see you in Downieville next weekend!

 

 

Above courtesy of Rick & Cherry Simi and Western Bitters News~

Real? Repro? Fantasy or Fakes?

Update 8/28

Poof; and they were gone~

Looks to me like enough collectors banded together and got involved; and made a difference. As of this AM,  "stoneware-and-photos" (aka "kycollectibles12") eBay feedback has gone private and all listings have been terminated.

GOOD JOB to one and all for making a difference.

Hopefully the bidders who were defrauded will be reimbursed and the seller will get their just deserts.

Update 8/27

Yesterday, I was pointed in the direction of antique advertising tokens that are associated with the Az. Nv. and S.F. jugs .

Sure enough;

Based on what I see, the person / persons that "created" these jugs, simply copied the information present on the original and authentic tokens.

Oddly (or perhaps not)

The recent bitters scam alert posted on the Peachridge site was for kentuckycollectibles@gmail.com

The seller on ebay was kycollectibles12.

As of today; the seller ID on the listing for the mini jug listings had changed to

stoneware-and-photos ( Feedback Score Of 20)

Less than 1 Month

IN,United States

But, if you run an ebay seller search under stoneware-and-photos it links back kycollectibles12

"The box below contains the User IDs that this member has used on eBay. "

 

 

User ID Effective Date End Date stoneware-and-photos Aug-26-13 Present kycollectibles12 Aug-07-13 Aug-26-13

 

The seller has already closed four sales of these suspect jugs, for as much as $473.68 a pop. 

I just noticed that one of his listings had the description revised and although he still claims that these were his grandfathers, he now states that they may be "older reproductions". Duh, reproductions? Ya think?

 

Regardless, based on the user ID monkey business and all the red flags, I'D make a wide berth of these offerings.

____________________________________

This morning I spotted three fresh listings on eBay. They are for "Mini Stoneware Scratch Jug".

One is incised "Compliments Of The Ruby Saloon Yuma Ariz 1900". It is listing number 111151276386.

The next one is incised "Compliments Of Sioux Saloon 901 Buchanan St S.F Cal".  It is listing number 111151283228.

The third is incised "Compliments Of Gold Dust Saloon Goldfield Nev". It is listing number 111151278923.

Seller states; I acquired this collection from my grandfather and don't know anything about them so i am selling with NO GUARANTEES!!!!!!!!.

Hmm, red flag.

 

And then I got to looking at the word "OF".

 

More than just a casual similarity?

Dejavu - BLM flexes it's muscles again...

Oregon Trail damaged in south-central Idaho

 

 

 

 

According to the Associated Press; The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is investigating damage to a portion of the Oregon Trail in south-central Idaho near Burley. It was allegedly damaged by people using metal detectors and shovels to illegally search for artifacts.   The BLM stated that  they recently found about 400 holes over several miles of the trail. This area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and protected under the Archaeological Resource Protection Act of 1979.   The holes were dug alongside "pristine wagon ruts" made in the 1800s through the dirt and sagebrush by thousands of immigrants heading to Oregon, officials said.   "It is the BLM's responsibility to protect and preserve any sections of the Oregon National Historic Trail under its jurisdiction," said BLM Burley Field Office Archaeologist Suzann Hendrikson. "The recent damage to the trail near Burley has resulted in a significant loss of history for the American public."   The following photo shows Ms. Hendrikson inspecting some of the "damage".   Suzann Henrikson, archaeologist with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, looks at a boulder that was displaced (ie: to move physically out of position - as if BLM permitted range cattle don't) from the Oregon Trail. “I haven’t seen the magnitude of this kind of damage ever,”Henrikson discovered the damage Aug. 13 while visiting the site with a group of volunteers interested in grooming the trail. ("grooming"? - exactly what is grooming and how does it impact the "pristine nature" of the trails archeological context?) "Although owning a metal detector is not illegal, be aware that using this device on lands under federal management may result in a crime," Henrikson said. "If you sink a shovel in an archaeological site on public land, you could be convicted of a felony." "A BLM special agent is investigating the incident as a criminal case." (our tax dollars at work once again...)   "People convicted of ARPA violations can be fined up to $20,000 and jailed for one year for a first offense. Second-time offenders may be fined $100,000 and receive up to five years in prison. (and convicted drug dealers, rapists, and 2nd degree murderers get what?) Federal and state laws also prohibit selling, buying and trafficking artifacts removed from public land." And so, the witch hunt is on by the BLM to locate and prosecute those who did the digging.   The Oregon Trail generally followed level ground along the Snake River in Idaho before entering northeastern Oregon, where immigrants crossed the Blue Mountains north-west of what is now Boise.

 

 

Boy, I dunno...

 

I think that the diggers were irresponsible if they left their holes open, but why not recover whatever is laying out there in the sage before time and the elements destroy it for all eternity.

 

This seems to me to be like a case of "the dog in the manger".

 

I (BLM) doesn't want it, but you can't have it either~

____________________________

 

If you get the urge to touch base with Ms. Henrikson, just to let her know what a "great job" that she and the BLM are doing with your hard earned tax dollars, she can be reached at;

 

Suzann Henrikson

Burley Field Office 15 East 200 South Burley, ID 83318

(208) 677-6663

lhenrikson@blm.gov

 

Oh, and her boss is

 

Mike CourtneyField Manager
15 East 200 South
Burley, ID. 83318
(208) 677-6663

(no email listed)