A Sincere Thank You!

Dear dealers, collectors and attendees;

I wish to pass on my sincere gratitude for your support! 

Most of us are creatures of habit. We like familiar surrounds, and we get used to our comfort zone. Seven Feathers became just that. 

But life is fraught with change. And so, after roughly fifteen years in familiar surrounds, Seven Feathers and I "agreed to disagree". It's always tough starting over. But start over, we did. And, with your support, I believe that we have laid the building blocks for something far better.

Sure, the padded chairs, the plush carpeting, fancy table drapes, linens, etc. etc. were nice amenities. But heh, how often do we get the chance to attend a show with the aroma of livestock wafting through the building, accompanied by sheep bleating, cows mooing and horses snorting in the background. Welcome to the Rogue Valley, and the Old West as it once was (and I wished still remained). 

Speaking of livestock, I accidentally backed my truck into the manure pile down by the east end and packed my fair share of fertilizer home on the rear bumper and trailer hitch. Do you know how much that would cost if you had to buy it at Home Depot? Now that's what I call a bonus to our parking arrangements~ 

The "ambience" of Expo 2016 is just one of the many things that I love about this wonderful valley in Southern Oregon, and I hope you all did too.

OK, enough shooting the bull... Here's the long and short of it. Hall dimensions - 12,0000 square feet. Gate count combined for the two days of general admission was just a tad under 500. Table sales; 52 - 30" x 8' bottle / insulator - 43 one hundred square foot antique dealer booths. Sales - according to sellers - ranged from good to excellent. Public attendance was superior compared to C'ville. Advertising was accomplished through TV, radio, news print, Craigslist, Internet, and multiple insertions into bottle / Insulator and Antique Store hard copy publications. Sandwich boards were fabricated and disbursed through the Valley, as were overhead banners. Simply, unless you were blind, deaf and dumb (excuse the politically incorrect terminologies but you all know me...), there was no way that you could not hear about the event.

Glitches were few, but included an issue with vendor handicapped parking; quickly and efficiently addressed and handled thanks to the understanding dealers who moved their vehicles so that we could relocate those with health issues up front and center. As Murphy's Law would have it, the one dealer that inquired prior to the show about the quality of lighting said, "we have no need for electric power, however, we do hope for a well lighted room", and to whom I replied "equal to or better than the vast majority of shows on the west coast". Alas, the only light bank in the entire facility that failed was directly above their table, which died a sudden death (albeit fifty feet in the air and non-repairable while the show was set up), as soon as they finished setting up. Thanks Murphy~

The vast majority of disappointments were from the Johnny come latelys, who wanted to reserve a table or booth at the last minute. Our introductory announcement about this venue, sent to dealers around the first of the year, stated "I can't stress the old saying enough; you snooze / you lose. Simply, if you are serious about a table / tables, mail your reservation in as soon as you receive this dealer packet". Simply, there was nothing that we could do to accommodate more dealers. As such, come 2017, get you dealer applications completed and sent in ASAP when you receive your packet!

The upsides were many in terms of sleepers and rare pieces that "crossed the aisle" from antique dealer to bottle / insulator collectors and visa versa. And the quality of rare western glass, regardless of form, that seems to migrate to our shows here in the "State of Jefferson" never ceases to amaze.

In closing; this, our first year of reinventing the wheel, was a success. We sold to the walls, had strong public presence, were able to address the few challenges that popped up, and provided our dealers with an opportunity to sell their wares while enjoying a wonderful spring weekend in Southern Oregon. 

I personally had a great time, and am hoping that everyone else enjoyed themselves as well. Looking forward to seeing you all in 2017!

Many, many thanks!

Bruce Silva
Show Chairman

 

Next stop - 2016 Jefferson State Antique Bottle & Insulator Expo!

Yep, less than a week away.

12,000 square feet of good stuff, all under one roof.

In conjunction with the Rogue valley Antique Show~

See you there!

 

 

 

Just when you think you've seen it all!

A couple of years ago a glop top Pioneer bear surfaced that took most by surprise. The mold variant was listed by Thomas as  #5A, and is commonly referred to as the "German Bear". John went on to say that they are red-amber in color, have an applied top and are heavily whittled.

Based on research, we now know that these were blown in Gerresheimer Germany by  Gerresheimer Glasshuttenwerk, and imported to the US by Abramson Heunisch of San Francisco. Gerresheimer Glasshuttenwerk also produced a number of other notable bottles such as the hammer whittled applied top San Francisco beers, Warners Safe Cures, Gilka's and other equally crude bottles noted for their intense red coloration and extreme crudity.

Imagine our surprise though, when  a Fenkahausen Pioneer Bear surfaced in straw yellow; identical in color to the pint and half pint Warners Safe Cure from London. A first!

Speaking of firsts, got an email from a fellow collector down in Northern Cal. this AM. Get a load of this; a hammer whittled Boulevard Bourbon in  red amber with an applied top! Up 'till now, there wasn't even a hint of a rumor that this bottle existed. Not surprising though, since there is a German, clear glop Boulevard.

Not sure if this is of German descent, since he's still working on photographing it, but nothing surprises me any more.

Just the same; another first!

______________________________________

Photos as promised~

(not the best pics., but they get the message across) It's the one in the center; red amber, applied top with drip, and definitely a different mold than any I've seen - I've got four toolies here to compare it to...

The jury is still out whether German or not. Will know more when I get a chance to see it up close and personal.

Is Columbus lurking in the shadows?

PJ - More information on PJ

Just to add a little info. Jeenicke was also the proprietor of the California Soda Works in San Jose. The addresses of both Jeenicke and the California Soda Works being located on Orchard Street in SJ. Jeenicke might well have used both embossed hutches simultaneously/overlapping during the years he was in business.

I have 4 of the aqua Jeenicke hutches and I believe 2 of the California Soda Works hutches that I have collected over the years. The amber Jeenickes were very likely used for hard cider, the amber color being the main clue. 

(thanks Jason!)

---------------------------

Got an email from a fellow collector today. He was kind enough to help me correct a typo with regards to the dating, as well as to provide a killer piece of paper to add.

"It looks like the bottle may date to 1891, unless of course he was using the bottle before the trademark. I couldn't find any record of Jeenicke's soda water business before 1890 in directories or newspapers so perhaps these sodas really are that new. Last month we dug a bubbly aqua Jeenicke and it certainly was an 1890s layer. "

 My response:

Thanks for catching my mistake. You are correct in that the bottle was / is attributed not to ca. 1879 / 1880, but rather ca. 1889 / 1890.

I get too close to the forest to see the trees on a regular basis and although I spell check, read, a re-read my articles prior to posting, typos inevitably slip through the cracks.

Again, much obliged.

----------------------------------------------------

 
Hi there! Let me  introduce myself - name's Paul Jeenicke, "PJ" for short.

I'm an old timer! I was born in San Jose California around 1879 or 1880. I've always been the dark sheep of the family. Nearly all my brothers, sisters and cousins are light complected, almost blue. Me, I've got a great dark brown tan. I've held up pretty good despite my advanced years, although my skin is real "wrinkly". I made it all these years though, without any cuts or scrapes and no wear to my features either, although there's quite a bit of sag where my head meets my neck. I still have my original closure, which looks like new. It probably helps having sat in a barn since I was a kid~

Funny thing though, the barn was in Oregon, near a place called Brownsville, and I don't have any recollection how I got there from my home in San Jose. Well today this nice guy, who was originally from San Jose, met me and offered to take me home this weekend. He said that he's going to stop off at a place not too far from San Jose called Antioch.

Who knows, I might wander off again with some other nice person who takes a shine to me.

See y'all soon!

Next up; Antioch

Expo 2016 update!

 

Update.

Our original allocation of 50 tables has been reserved. Greg freed up enough space for us to accommodate six additional tables.  Please touch base ASAP if you'd like to reserve one of these.

This coming week we will be mailing the following out to dealers;  table reservation numbers, a table map, a map of the pavilion, and an access map to make loading in and out easy. We'll also include lodging information for those looking to reserve a room at one of the nearby motels.

Here's looking forward to a great weekend!