Canyonville Countdown

Wow, one week (correction - 1 Day!) and counting. October 6th will be here before we know it!

Looks like the weather is cooperating. Here's the advanced forcast for showtime; perfect~

The response to this years show has been well ahead of the curve compared to past years. We sold out of dealer space early, real early, this year and have a pretty healthy waiting list. We had to add display spaces to accomodate demand this year. And inquiries from the general public regarding our appraisal and onsite auction services continue to stream in. One gentleman in Northern California inquired about auctioning "100 insulators and well over 200 bottles, all of which are in excellent condition". Another person is consigning a Radam's Microbe Killer jug. And yet another has committed to auctioning an amber Fleckenstein and Meyer flask. I received some photos today from a local collector who is downsizing his collection and is bringing the following items to auction. 

 

For the insulator crowd there's a Locke porcelain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And for the bottle folks, a picture soda from Concord, Ca.,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

plus a scarce Lotus / BPOE flask from Portland.

 

Thought I'd add this photo that arrived today (Sat. the 29th) Of the Fleck. A little fuzzy but Wow, just the same!

Come join us for our 10th anniversary at the Seven Feathers Casino Resort in Canyonville!

 

See you soon~

Beavers 'n Bears?

And other ramblings...

Huh? Well I'm from Oregon and I collect picture whiskies, among other things. I've got a number of whiskies with pictures of the California grizzly bear on them. Oregon is the "Beaver State". You'd think that there would be a Beaver picture whiskey. About the closest thing to one though, is the Beaver Brand etched picture shot glass from Brunn & Co. out of Portland.

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This past weekend saw many of us trekking north on HiWay 49 to Downieville, where Rick and Cherry Simi once again hosted an amazing BBQ in conjunction with the annual show, located in the heart of the northern Gold Country of California. As always, the D'ville Show was fanatastic. I published an in depth article last year entitled "What's not to like?"

http://www.westernwhiskeytooltopgazette.com/2011/09/downieville-2011-whats-not-to-like.html.

It spelled out most everyone's feelings about the show and this year was a repeat of last.

 

As is so often the case, discussions about western bottles ultimately swung around to western whiskies. One collector observed that I must have a large and diverse grouping of Oregon whiskeyana in my collection since I've resided in Oregon for the past 37 years. I thought for a moment and responded with a simple, "Nope". It took a moment but a mental inventory revealed; one glop top Van Schuyver, one glop Rick Rack Hotaling, a clothes brush and a couple of picture whiskies (El Kader and Henry Fleckenstein with the griffin on it). He then mentioned that the Henry Fleckenstein didn't count because Bill Wilson said it was an eastern bottle. Not so, I stated, and here's the rest of the story~

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Bill Wilson, in his book Spirits Bottles of the Old West, documented the existence of a very scarce picture fifth cylinder, #68-5, embossed simply, "Henry Fleckenstein & Co. in an arch above a picture of a Griffin". The bottle is clear, but will purple, and has a tooled long tapered collar over a single ring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wilson further went on to state that this bottle was distributed in the east, might be related to Fleckenstein & Meyer of Portland, and dated it ca. 1895 - 1905 and. And so, for decades, the bottle was assumed to be eastern and despite the rarity, was accorded little to no respect.

 

 

That changed in the early 1980's when I obtained an advertising brush that plainly shows Henry Fleckenstein & Co. / Portland Ore. / Bear Valley Whiskey. So much for the east coast thing...

 

 

It was about that time that I acquired another picture cylinder. It was embossed simply "El Kader / Fine Old / Whiskey", and pictured what was quite obviously the Shriners symbol.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I placed the El Kader on the shelf next to the Henry Fleckenstein & Co. and noted that the bottle from the neck down and the slug plates were an exact match. Sure the neck was a little longer but that happens all the time. Coincidence?

 

  

Both the El Kader and the "Griffin" cylinder are rare, with probably no more than a half dozen of each in collections. But proving that they were truly western whiskies and linking them positively to a liquor dealer would prove daunting to say the least. Life is full of assumptions, maybes, gut feelings and suppositions. But, without solid proof in the form of advertising, a bill head or a letter, my hunch remained just that.

 

 

Up until a few years ago, I never paid any attention to pre-pro shot glasses. That changed in an instant when I purchased a huge collection of western pre-pro glasses, which included well over 100 examples. And with that purchase came the opportunity to connect the dots to a lot of western whiskey mysteries. Those little advertising gems have proved to be an amazing source of information; including clearing up the El Kader mystery.



When I returned home this week, I thought it would be interesting to dig a little deeper into Mr. Fleckenstein and see what relationship he had to the firm of Fleckenstein & Meyer. I lucked out and actually gained access to the who's who of pre 1900 Portland Oregon.

 

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Henry Fleckenstein

Henry Fleckenstein was born in the city of Worms, Germany on September 14, 1838

 

At the age of 16 years he was apprenticed in the brewing business He mastered the business, after which he came to this country, landing in New York in 1860. Until 1863 he worked at his trade in St. Louis, also a brewing head- quarters after which, in May, he returned to New York, later going to Aspinwall and thence crossing the Isthmus, arriving in San Francisco in 1863.

He later went to Honolulu, but the climate failed to agree with him. Returning to San Francisco, he moved north at the end of a month to Portland in 1863 where he was employed for a year or more in the Weinhard brewery in Portland as a foreman, after which he started a bottling works in the fall of 1866. He abandoned that ambition a year later and engaged in the wholesale liquor business, in which he remained up to the time of his death. It was in 1867 that he was married to Christine Wittman, a daughter of Nicholas Wittman. The firm name for many years was Fleckenstein & Mayer. He was the senior member of this wholesale liquor firm until March 4, 1902, when he dissolved partnership and organized the firm of Henry Fleckenstein & Co. at 122 Second street On April 1, 1902. Mr. Fleckenstein supplied a constantly increasing trade in Oregon and other states. He was prominent in both business and official circles.

 

 

Brands marketed by Henry Fleckenstein & Co. after 1902  included; "Elk Tooth", "High and Dry", and "Belle of the Pacific", as well as the aforementioned Bear Valley and El Kader.

He also registered the following whiskies under the Henry Fleckenstein "label";

Serial #30462 - Buck Valley 5/21/1908

Serial #30803 - Diamond Hill also 5/21/1908

 

Documented addresses included 235 Oak (1903-1906), 68-72 2 nd (1907-1915).

 

In addition, 204 - 206 Second St. was recently added to the list thanks to the business card above and the following photograph.

 

Henry Fleckenstein died of heart failure on July 5, 1910; he was  72 years old. At the time of his death, he was an exempt fireman, a member of the Elks, A.O.U.W. and the I.O.O.F. and also of the Chamber of Commerce and the Commercial Club.
 

 

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Al Kader Shriners History

The Ancient Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine was founded in 1872 by a group of 13 men belonging to the Masonic Order. It was originally established to provide fun and fellowship for its members. Al Kader was the 46th charter and the first in the Pacific Northwest. It was originally located in the City of Portland.

No references were found linking Henry to the organization. And so the question begs, was the Elkader brand a tribute to, or a jab at, AL Kader and the Shriners organization? I guess that mystery will remain shouded in the mists of time~

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In closing I'd like to say that we have Henry Fleckenstein to thank for some of the most desirable of the Oregon glop top cylinders and early flasks, in the form of the Fleckenstein & Meyer bottles, as well as two of the scarcest tool top western picture whiskies.

 

Thanks Henry!

 

 

Shot glass photos courtesy of Robin Preston~

 

Expo 2012 - Rrrreno!

Rrrreno!

I've been attending the Reno show since 1970. It's one of those time / date stamps that I look forward to every year. Back in the day, the convention center (such as it was) was located waaaay south of Reno proper. The MGM Grand sprouted out of the desert, part way and a little south, between Reno and Sparks, in 1978. We used to marvel at it's size as we lumbered through the center of old Reno, down South Virginia, and out into the dessert south of town toward the convention center. It was in the middle of nowhere, had a gravel parking lot, and tumbleweeds blowing alongside the building. Funny thing, it's still in the same spot, but bears no resemblance to it's former self. And what was the middle of nowhere is now the middle of south Reno. Times change, places change. Progress? (I don't think so...)

Fast forward to 2012. This year the Reno Show hosted Expo 2012 at what was the MGM Grand; now the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino. I come from meager beginnings and places like the Grand Sierra can be a bit intimidating to an old country boy who's not used to grid lock, anything over a couple of stories high, and glitz and glimmer every where you look. And so, we arrived Thursday to get a lay of the land and figure out what lay on the horizon for us. And that's where the good stuff started.

Here's my story; and I'm stickin' to it!

1) Setup; Talk about a walk in the park! A freight elevator that you could drive a Greyhound bus into! And rolling carts, courtesy of the Grand Sierra, that could hold the contents of not one, but two, loaded pickups. I was already smilin' from ear to ear.

2) The Grand Ballroom (heart and soul of the show); Easy access from the ground floor via escalator or elevator, just a hop skip and a jump from the entrance, carpet, twenty foot high ceilings, padded chairs, a bullizion square foot room, draped sales tables (that were in good repair and didn't collapse once the sales racks were up), displays up the whazoo, and room to spread out galore. Who could ask for more? OK, maybe color corrected lighting around the 5500 kelvin scale, but beggars can't be choosers~

3) Showtime; Exceptionally well organized. Everything went off like clockwork. Sure the neck veins throbbing visibly in Marty and Rich Siri's necks were visible proof that they were dedicated to making things flow smoothly in terms of both dealer and displayer setup. But the planning paid off in spades. Great job guys!

4) Crunch time (opening the floodgates); Again, advance planning paid off. Twelve noon - everyone out of the sales / display area in the Grand Ballroom. 1 PM, it looked like a cattle chute outside the entrance to the Grand Ballroom. The presence of uniformed security guards sent a message and no "gate crashers" made their way in uninvited.

5) Show Time (the nitty gritty); more awesome glass was present than I can ever recall seeing in one place in my 45+ years in the hobby. And the beauty was that both displays and sales tables were adorned with great "stuff". Both west and east were equally represented. Killer western whiskies, bitters, cures, sodas, plus any and everything else that came in glass was present. And from the east; historical flasks, foods, figural bitters, poisons and on and on. Totally breathtaking!

6) Attendance; Both Friday and Saturday were absolutely jamb packed with folks. Sunday started off strong but, as is typical with any show on the last day, things slowed as the clock ticked on.

7) Tear down and load out; Ditto Item #1.

8) High Points; a massive array of quality glass was present. Both east and west were equally represented. The displays were out of this world. If you were in a buying mode, both quality, quantity and fair prices were around every corner. The Shootout was a blast; great Drakes, Circle Cutters and inks - something for everyone. Seminars - again, something for everyone.

And yet, there was the one burr under the saddle that continues to plague every show these days, no matter how much security is present or no matter how vigilant the dealers are; THEFT. I've got my own feelings on the matter and personally think that the "code of the west" outta still be enforced. The heck with "politically correct". I guess that just don't cut it in the 21st century. It still should... And yet, with the quantity of killer glass present, coupled with the sheer volume of folks packing the aisles, it could have been a heckuva lot worse. Still, one theft is one too many~

Overall impression; I've always loved the Reno Show. But 2012 was, as Denaveauz and Maison named their top shelf whiskey, Crème De La Crème! The organization was great. The weather was great. The facility was great. We enjoyed great food, great beer, great whiskey, and great entertainment (thanks daughter Megan for the Ron White tickets!). We spent nearly four full days enjoying the company of the great friends and fellow collectors that we've gotten to know over the years. Who could ask for more!

In a nutshell, The show was over the top!

A sincere thanks to all who were responsible for a weekend that one and all will hold dear to their hearts. Simply awesome!

Bruce Silva

Countdown to Reno

The Federation Expo in Reno is just around the corner. Based on what I'm seeing and hearing, this should be the west coast show of the millennium, especially for western whiskey collectors. Ken Schwartz is bringing some real power to tease those with an appetite for the good stuff including a couple of small town fifths to die for; The Manhattan / Oroville, and The Peerless / Madera. He's also laying out the handled red whittled Non-Pariel flask from Kolb & Denhard, a green Chevalier / Castle flask and another dozen or so hitters. Check out his "menu" in this months Bottles & Extras classifieds.

We're looking forward to seeing one and all again this year. We will have a great assortment of pictures, glop tops, flasks, tankers and pre-pro shot glasses. According to Marty, the show is a sellout with around 350 tables reserved. WOW!!! He also said that our table assignment is SECTION D2 / TABLE B.

You can look forward to some great bottles at fair prices. Here's a few photos of some of the offerings that we'll be making available;

 A nice string of Cutters, many with a little something extra going for them in terms of color and crudity.

 A little bit of Aloha from the Islands.

Some desireable tool and glop top pictures in both clear and amethyst.

A quantity of "small town" fifths.

A few critters.

A flock of birds.

A couple of Star Shield JF's plus a little variety tossed in to keep things interesting.

A few more crude and rude glops.

Like I said, a bit of everything.

And that's just the tip of the iceburg. Plus, if you've got any wants or wishes, let me know in advance. I may just have that special bottle stuffed in a box around here.

So come on by the table, pull up a chair and take a load off. See you all shortly.

Bruce

PS: Here's a link to the show website;
http://www.fohbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/EXPO-2012-book.pdf

July 4, 1884

July 4, 1884

Jacksonville, Oregon (aka Table Rock City)

Jacksonville had, by 1884, assumed an air of civility. Gone were the days of the Indian wars, mad scrambles to new diggin's, and living on the frontier in Oregon Territory. The thirty some years that had elapsed since the cry of "Gold, Gold, Gold" had echoed down the canyon of what is now third street had mellowed the town. Gone were the Fourth of July days of old, replete with public drunkenness, the shooting of anvils, gunfire, and celebration to excess. Nope, Jacksonville had grown up. And there were some who missed the "good old days".

Bum Neuber and Otto Biede were pals. Bum was the town marshal (and also a saloon keeper) and Otto was the town tinsmith and glazier; both were respectable sorts. Bum and Otto were "old timers" who remembered J'ville during the "good ol' days". And they missed them.

Jacksonville had a surplus cannon, used in both the Indian Wars and the Civil War, stuffed away at the fire hall, which was in back of the city hall on Oregon Street. Just before sunup, Bum and Otto, snuck into the fire hall, moved the ladder truck and hose cart out onto the road, and proudly wheeled the cannon out of the building. So far so good. Hose cart and ladder truck back in their respective places, they guided the canon north on Oregon and turned the corner at California, pointing the canon due east along the main drag of the downtown commercial district. One, two, three, four, five... yes six... woolen sox full of black powder found their way down the muzzle of the cannon. The morning summer sun comes up over a good sized hill due east of Jacksonville, called Roxie Ann. As the sun slowly peeked over the top of the ridge, an earth shattering blast was unleashed by Bum and Otto. And.. every single window on California Street for three blocks shattered into a thousand pieces.

Bum and Otto thought it jolly good fun. Otto gladly footed the bill to replace the window glass. And drinks were on the house for the rest of the day.

Happy Fourth!

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(Several years ago a friend of mine and I obtained permission to dig the Armstrong House. It was one of the oldest wood framed homes still standing in J'ille, dating to the mid 1850's. We'd located an outer on the side of the lot almost into the city right of way on 6th Street. It was a no brainer since it probed sold glass. Funny thing, the first five feet of that pit were solid window glass. Old window glass, wavy, crude and full of huge bubbles. The first bottle out, beneath this layer was an E.C. Brooks Druggist Jacksonville. Easy to date this one, 1884. Yep, and guess who lived in the house at that time. Thanks Otto, for the memories.)

Totally Choice, dude~

Choice Old Cabinet

The name itself instantly conjures up the mental image of a top notch whiskey. And what better way to merchandise a top notch product, than to have a top notch mold made for the bottles that held it. A quick glance at the full face embossing tells you that the bottles were blown in San Francisco thanks to the "funny R". The amber applied top cylinders, what few of them are around, have that characteristic look of a late 70's - early 80's classic western glop top.

Crane Hastings & Co. came into being on July 2nd of 1874 when Byron G. Crane and Everett L. Hastings established their co-partnership. They opened their doors that day at 608-612 Front Street.

Based on the appearance of the cylinder, the molds were commissioned and the order for bottles filled from the get-go.

This arrangement was short lived, thanks to the sudden demise of Hastings in 1875. He was aboard the ill fated steamer "Pacific", that went down on November 10, 1875 near Port Townsend Washington Territory. Hastings had been "up north", participating in legal proceedings against saloon owner S. Benton in Colfax, Washington Territory, caused by a default on a $1200~ payment for goods received from Crane Hastings & Co.. Colfax was located in what is now NE Washington near Moscow Idaho. Hmm, might be a good place to look for Choice Old Cabinets...

Hasting's wife participated in ownership of the company from the time of Everett's death until April 5th, 1876 when Crane legally assumed sole ownership of the firm while remaining at the same location.

Four years later, Crane, on March 10, 1880, went into a partnership with a Charles E. Benjamin. They retained the same company name of Crane Hastings & Co. but made a move over to 121 California Street; still in the heart of the wholesale liquor district. For whatever reason, two years later they relocated once again, only this time to two separate locations. One being at 316 Sacramento Street, the other at 321 Commercial Street. On April 1, 1886, Crane dissolved this co-partnership and again makes a go of it alone. He retains both locations. What I find strange, is that the two addresses are only a half block apart; the first on the corner of Sacramento and Front while the latter address is on the corner of Front and Commercial. He kept the doors open at both locations until closing the doors to the company in 1895.

Now back to the bottle (bottles). Based on the number of Choice Old Cabinet bottles remaining in private collections today, they must not have been highly successful; at least not in comparison to say A. P. Hotaling or Moore Hunt & Co. I could find no evidence of newspaper advertising in either the Daily Alta California or the Call. There are no etched shot glasses known to exist and I've not seen any back bar signs or other media that would indicate extensive advertising. According to Thomas, around twenty of the bottles exist; having been found in California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.


Although it never made John's top twenty list, the Choice Old Cabinet is one of my favorite glop tops for many reasons. Often quite crude, the full face embossing and sloppy tops coupled with all the attributes of this era of whiskey really make it stand out in a crowd. What many collectors are unaware of is that there are actually two very similar molds in existence. One has the typically crude rounded embossing so typical of the late 1870's 1880's era while another has "chisel point" embossing so sharp that you can cut a steak with it.

This new mold was made at the time of glassblowing technique transition and has a tooled top. At first glance, one might mistakenly think that the old mold was simply re-cut. However, despite the outstanding job of duplication, minute differences exist proving that it is indeed a new mold. Oddly, the R's retain the characteristic curved leg of the older molds; an anomaly not present on most of the bottles blown during the 1890's transition era. As is so often the case, the tool tops "don't get no respect" despite the fact that they are infinitely rarer than the glop tops. Personally, I value both equally and am fortunate to have one of each in my collection.

For those in the market for one, I might suggest checking out ebay. There is one currently available from a well known and respected western collector.

It's totally choice, dude~