Lot
Number | Description | Final Bid |
|---|
| W.H. BURT SAN FRANCISCO. Iron pontil. A generally overall solid example, this has some very average wear, but would certainly grade a 7. Sodas are generally a tough grade, anything 7 and up are usually a good condition bottle. Because of the way they were stored, shipped and reused, you'll rarely find even a grade 9. This is a good example if you don't have one on your shelf already. | $ 200 |
| EAGLE SODA. Applied top, iron pontil. We call these the Sacramento Eagles but that’s just because we find a number of them in the west and more specifically Sacramento. There are different variants and this is the one without the slugplate. That might lead you to believe it's an older variant and you might be right. The eagle is bold and beautiful and the bottle itself is in good shape after a light cleaning by Lou Lambert. There is some nice light crudity, good color with some minor remaining spots of wear on close inspection. A grade 8 early soda. | $ 250 |
| JOHN RYAN EXCELSIOR MINERAL WATER SAVANNAH GA 1859 with UNION GLASSWORKS on reverse. Iron pontil. Here’s a soda with some overall nice crudity, with an average amount of wear and light scratches. Another grade 7 soda. | $ 170 |
| NAPA SODA/NATURAL MINERAL WATER on reverse. Blob top with smooth base. Here’s a superb soda in a very unusual color. To our recollection, this is the only pure green example we’ve seen. Condition is very solid and we give this a grade 8. One of the finest examples we’ve ever sold. | $ 550 |
| JACKSON NAPA SODA SF. 9 ½” The Jackson company was a very busy one to be sure. Here’s an example of a scarce soda in a not often seen color and shape. Condition warrants a 9 with a natural defect (see video). | $ 100 |
| H. MAW & CO EUREKA NEVADA. Blob top. Here is the rarely seen misspelled version of this Nevada bottle. The spelling should have been “MAU” and was changed soon after the mistake was caught. Here is a misspelling that is quite rare, unlike some that they didn’t bother to change or produced a great number before making a new mold. Condition is a solid 8 with a few scratches on reverse. Never cleaned. | $ 800 |
| JACKSONS NAPA SODA SPRINGS with NATURAL MINERAL WATER F.M. VALLEJO slugged in on reverse. Tooled top. Of all the variants of the Jackson Sodas, this is no doubt as rare as they get. This variant is mentioned in Markota-54 as Fred Michaelis was an agent for Jackson in the early 70’s. A real tough one here ladies and gentlemen. | $ 700 |
| PIONEER SODA WORKS TRADEMARK with shield. Blob top. We have a couple of these sodas with the embossed shield in this auction. This example being extremely heavily whittled. In fact, we will say this is as whittled as any smooth based soda we’ve come across. There is a little bit of haze, and we would recommend a super light cleaning to restore it to its original grandeur. A super example. | $ 140 |
| X.L.C.R. SODA WORKS SAN FRANCISCO. Blob top. Here is another San Francisco soda that we rarely come across. It is believed to have been made from 1861-72 and is considered rare. A top notch soda in a grade 8 with some nice overall whittle. | $ 1,300 |
| WOOD’S NAPA SODA NATURAL MINERAL WATER. Blob top. These Wood variants are fairly scarce. We’ve also seen them in cobalt blue. This example is a crisp greenish aqua and would be hard to improve. There is an area of slight stain on the interior but really you’re not going to get a much better example in this color. A solid 8.5 grade. | $ 275 |
| HOLLISTER & CO HONOLULU. Blob top. Here we have an extraordinary example of this hard to find Hawaiian soda. Between the gorgeous, almost sapphire aqua and overall crudity, this has to be up there with the best examples known. A 9 grade. | $ 425 |
| PIONEER SODA WORKS TRADEMARK. Blob top with smooth base. Here’s another example of this popular western soda, this one has a strikingly beautiful turquoise coloration and is one of the nicer examples we’ve seen. Grades a solid 9. | $ 140 |
| J.N. GERDES S.F. Blob top with smooth base. Here is a well-known 8-sided San Francisco soda. This has the typical curves “R’s” and is classic San Francisco. Tough to find another better in aqua, this one grades a 9. | $ 120 |
| CALIFORNIA NATURAL SELTZER WATER with embossed bear. H & G on reverse. Blob top with smooth base. Here is a bottle we felt was strikingly bold when we first looked at it with the bear on reverse and all the signs of a superior soda. If you’re looking for the best, you have found it. Another grade 9. | $ 500 |
| AZULE SELTZER SPRINGS with embossed bear. Blob top with smooth base. We have some nice Pacific Congress Water bottles in this auction, and this first example is the scarce Azule Seltzer Spring. Here is a grade 9 soda with good whittle and nice color. | $ 160 |
