Lot
Number | Description | Final Bid |
|---|
| THE EXCELSIOR WATER. Circa 1850’s Graphite pontil. Here is a gorgeous example of what we call Benicia glass. As the glass reacted to minerals leached from a tanning factory into the soil, it created this beautiful effect. No two are alike and this one is especially pretty. An exceptional Benicia soda that grades an 8. No dings, etc. | $ 600 |
| WM EAGLE NEW YORK PREMIUM SODA WATER. Graphite pontil 8-sided. We have some exceptional sodas in this auction, and starting with this eagle, this one is not exactly chopped liver. A sensational brilliant green highlights this 8-sided early soda. The Eagle name appears often on sodas, although we believe they could be different people or related. Here’s a superb example with loads of overall crudity in super condition. A grade 8 with just some typical light scratching. | $ 750 |
| W. EAGLE CANAL ST N.Y. PHILADELPHIA PORTER. Graphite pontil circa 1850’s. And here is that Eagle name again, this time most likely the same person. Here’s another exceptional example, this time in a beautiful turquoise with a bent top and neck. This is one we have not seen before. It would be hard to imagine a better example. This one grades an 8.5, which I don’t need to tell you is exceptional for a porter this early. | $ 350 |
| GEO EAGLE. Graphite pontil, applied tapered collar. 6 ¾”. This interesting bottle appeared in an earlier Grapentine auction with another blue example. The new owner was suspicious of the top, as it does have a bit of a low point on the ridge. This bottle had sold in a Harmer-Rooke Galleries Auction and at least one other major auction house and had never been questioned, or so we thought. As we examine the bottle, it was incredibly difficult to ascertain one way or another. So we went back and found the listing for this bottle in auction 40 of the Harmer Rooke Auction and sure enough, they mention a tiny flake, which was buffed out. So ends the controversy and we want to apologize to the original bidder, as although we weren't 100% sure it had been touched up, we were not positive. There was never any question about returning it, just what was really going on. At any rate, you still have a beautiful Geo Eagle in this rare and desirable shape. Aside from the top, which we will show in no uncertain terms, this one would be considered a grade 9. A lot of overall appeal and all graphite intact. | $ 1,600 |
| J. HARVEY & CO. 65 ½ CANAL ST PROVIDENCE RI. Applied top, pontil. The parade of amazing sodas continues with this superb specimen. Crude and with a goodly amount of bubbles, once again condition would be very hard to beat. As many of you know, Rhode Island sodas are tough to find. Here you are bidding on one of the best. Another 8.5, we dare you to find a better one. | $ 425 |
| BEARD’S MINERAL WATER F & B BOSTON. Blob top with smooth base. 1860’s. Here is yet another incredible example for the hard to please collector out there. Loaded with whittle, it has a huge top and is pristine quality. Here is another 8.5 that a lot of people would simply call Mint. | $ 200 |
| G.W. WILKINSON WALLINGFORD CONN ROOT BEER/THIS BOTTLE NOT TO BE SOLD On reverse. Tooled top circa early 1890’s. Here is an interesting root beer with nice color that could almost be described as root beer amber. There are some minor areas of stain, but generally, this is a very presentable example. A light cleaning would most likely render this an 8. We’ll simply call it a 7+. | $ 150 |
| WILLIAM SUGDEN TONIC ROOT BEER MANUFACTURING BALLSTON SPA NY. Applied top with original wire bale. This is a terrific example with a nice big bulbous top. We’ve never heard of a tonic root beer, so this must have been quite a beverage. Grade is a solid 8. An interesting and handsome bottle. | $ 650 |
| J TUNE & SON LONDON ONT. 7 ½” With embossed prancing deer. Tooled top circa late 1880’s early 1890’s. Here is an interesting piece that most likely held beer. We have a few very nice Canadian bottles in this auction and this is
one of them. With basically a couple of light scratches and some minor wear, we also spot some very minor roughness around the lip with just one minute flake. Generally a solid 7 grade. Do not let the condition bother you, it’s a very presentable bottle with terrific embossing. | $ 140 |
| C & R EAGLE WORKS SAC CITY. Applied top, smooth base, 1860’s. Here we have a variant of a well-known Sacramento soda that normally reads “C & K.” Casey and Kelly spent a great deal of time in the soda business. At some point during 1860, the “K” was replaced with an “R” for a brief period of time. This bottle is infinitely rarer than its C & K counterpart. This one is loaded with whittle and aside from a ¼” flash on the back panel and a rather thorough cleaning, this one is very presentable. When held to the light it displays some nice bubbles and is a very pretty blue. The top appears to have been buffed, however, this bottle, which was dug in Sacramento, is exactly as it came out of the ground with the exception of being cleaned. A super rare western soda. Grade 7 without the flash, it might be some time before you’ll be able to bid on another. | $ 400 |
| VARENNES SELTZER VARENNES NEAR MONTREAL. 8 ¾” Round bottom soda. Applied top circa 1870’s/80’s. This is the first of two extremely rare seltzer bottles from Varennes, which by the way, is near Montreal. We know these bottles to be very rare and possibly one of the only round bottle sodas from our Canadian friends in blue. This example has some very light typical scratches and just a hint of interior haze. Really nothing that detracts, as we would give this a solid 8+ grade. A tough seltzer to find. New information:
FYI, that Varennes quart was dug from the Highland Park Hotel dump in Aiken, S.C., by me more than 20 years ago. I sold it to Phil Culhane for $1,000 U.S. Phil had the smaller, slimmer size. He sold both to Bryan.
Aiken is best known for its "Winter Colony" of wealthy Northerners and as a thoroughbred training center. Visitors brought their own mineral waters and we dug many Saratoga Springs bottles in that same ravine.
The Varennes quart is one of two dug there. I have no idea what happened to the other since my digging buddy took it. He doesn't have a clue.
Best regards, Bill Baab, Augusta, Ga. | $ 700 * |
| VARENNES SELTZER VARENNES NEAR MONTREAL. Applied top circa 1870’s/80’s.
And here is the companion to the previous lot, this one is 10” long and may hold a record for the largest round bottom soda known. This has an open bubble inside the lip, which upon close inspection appears as what it is, simply a natural flaw. The bottle itself has some minor interior stain and a tiny potstone star on the very bottom area, but generally you’re looking at a grade 7+ seltzer. Both of these bottles came from the Grapentine collection. It will probably be quite some time before you’ll see one of these again. These come with a custom stand as shown; if the same buyer purchases both bottles, it will be included. If there are separate buyers, we’ll figure something out. | $ 1,200 |
| PACIFIC CONGRESS WATER. Applied top 1860’s. We are lucky enough to offer a wonderful selection of Pacific Congress water bottles and other assorted related pieces. These were acquired through the collection of Willy Young, a friend to many and well-known extinguisher collector. We will offer numerous pieces over the next two auctions. Here’s a gorgeous example and one of many bottles from the Pacific Congress Springs. These were generally made from 1869-76 and are quite rare in blue. This example has been cleaned and generally appears pristine. On super close inspection, we see a slight flash in the top area, which we will try and show in the streaming video. It is almost too slight to see. Regardless, a solid example in a hard to find color. This one also has a streak of green running through it. | $ 750 |
| MILL’S SELTZER SPRINGS. Hutchinson style with applied top. 1874-85. The story of the Mill’s springs is an interesting one. This bottle comes in both blob and this hutch style. Luther Mills produced soda after a fairly successful grocery business. His health soon became an issue and he purchased the Congress Springs Hotel and later sold out and bought the Seltzer Aperient in Santa Clara. There are a few different Mills bottles, these hutches are considered scarce. This example has an “M” on the base. There is some light staining on the very bottom and top, which tells us that this was cleaned at one time but could probably have been better done. Overall, this example has loads of whittle in a nice green hue. There is an open bubble with what appears to be a tiny flash on the reverse panel, all smaller than an apple seed. Here’s a grade 6.5 soda that could be improved. | $ 250 |
| PACIFIC CONGRESS WATER PA. CADUC. With applied top circa 1868-81. Here is another of the Pacific Congress Waters with the name “Caduc”, who sold out to Louis LeLoy in 1881. Considered scarce, this example is quite pristine and looks as if it was professionally cleaned. An overall grade 8 soda. | $ 200 |
