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| deepbluedigger |
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  Registered Member #28 Joined: Thu Jul 19 2007, 02:08Posts: 43 | I haven't posted on here before, although I've been a member for a while. Wanted to say how much I enjoy the PBC website and newsletters. I'm based in England, but have been reading your club newsletters online for several years now. Keep up the good work - writing, collecting and digging! Jerry Kemp Collector of English pontiled medicines. Digger of (so far) only post-pontil age sites! 'I dream of an English pontil privy' [ image disabled ] Digging in the UK | ||
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| ca_drm1n |
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   Registered Member #1 Joined: Thu Apr 12 2007, 09:24Posts: 339 | Jerry, Thanks for posting! Please feel free to post info on England digs and/or bottles as well, and best of luck finding those pontilled pits! - Al | ||
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| deepbluedigger |
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| Registered Member #28 Joined: Thu Jul 19 2007, 02:08Posts: 43 | Thanks Al. I like your avatar. Those two are honored members of my pantheon of heros: "There's Treasure Everywhere". Jerry [ image disabled ] Digging in the UK | ||
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| deepbluedigger |
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| Registered Member #28 Joined: Thu Jul 19 2007, 02:08Posts: 43 | I forgot to mention: My digging buddy and I have a website at www.diggersdiary.co.uk. There are a few English digging stories on there, along with some other stuff. Would be interested to know what you all think of it. Any suggestions welcome. Digging in the UK | ||
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| chosi |
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 Registered Member #4 Joined: Mon Apr 23 2007, 07:55Posts: 156 | I was extremely impressed by your web site. I don't have any suggestions other than keep up the good work. And thanks for the kind words it had about our clubs newsletter. - Chosi | ||
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| deepbluedigger |
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| Registered Member #28 Joined: Thu Jul 19 2007, 02:08Posts: 43 | I've moved this post from the 'Diggin blues' thread, as that one was getting very long, and picture-heavy. _______________________________________________ Dodd asked to see some of my collection. I'm not sure where would be best to post it, so I'll tag a few pictures on here. Most of my collection is packed away because of upheaval in the house (hopefully it will be out on display again in the next twelve months) so I can only post a few shots of single items and small groups, rather than an overview shot. My main thing, apart form self-dug items, is English patent medicines. Especially pontil or hinge mold bottles. My main sideline is pre-1880 stoneware beer and spirit bottles. Here are some pics of early meds, of which I have disturbingly few: [ image disabled ] Three of my all time favorites. A Siblys solar tincure, a Dicey & Co Daffy's Elixir, and a large Solomons Balm of Gilead, all pontilled. The shield design on the front of the Siblys bottles was a widely used device on English patent meds up to about 1830, with at least another dozen proprietors (Ruspini, Sigmond ,Webster, Brodum and Harmstrong, amongst others) using similar, completely spurious, coats of arms. The Daffy's is probably 1840s, the other two earlier. The Gilead has embossed a 10/ 6d price (10 shillings and 6 pence), which was raised to 11 shillings in 1812 and was never reduced. The bottle may date after 1812, but the mold must have been cut before that date. [ image disabled ] Two other pontilled Dicey & Co bottles. A half size Daffy's, and a cylinder. The cylinders have no medicine name, but were probably used for Batemans drops. [ image disabled ] Another of my favourites. This bottle was not used by the original Anthony Daffy (who was active in the late 17th century) although it is probably an early bottle dating roughly 1795 - 1815. There's a story to be told about the actual proprietor of this bottle, who was a very nasty piece of work, but I need to do more research first. [ image disabled ] Three standard type flint glass pontil meds: Dr Gilberts Pectoral Tincture, Dr Norris's Drops for Fevers, and Spilsburys Antiscorbutic Drops. Very difficult to date precisely because, from the 1750s to the 1850s, flint glass bottle manufacturing methods seem to have hardly changed at all, and all three of these medicines were sold over a long period of time. The Norris's (sold from the 1760s to the 1840s) came from an 1880s site in northern England, the Spilsburys (sold between the 1790s and the 1850s) was found under floorboards during the demolition of a very old building in the south of the country, and the Dr Gilberts (sold for about 30 years, from the 1810s to the 1830s or 40s) came from a New York privy! [ image disabled ] This is the great grand daddy of Essence of Peppermint bottles. John Juniper received the patent for Essence of Peppermint in 1761 (the 'Kings Patent' that is embossed on the generic types). He died in 1798, leaving the rights to the medicine to his friend John Heath. Heath seems to have died in 1813 (needs confirmation), giving a possible latest date for this bottle. There are not yet any known examples of earlier Essence of Peppermint bottles. [ image disabled ] Three generic pontilled meds. 'Black Drop', 'Embrocation' and 'Opodeldoc'. Black Drop was similar to laudanum, being opium dissolved in vinegar. Apparently it was Lord Byrons preferred method of getting his fix. The black drop is quite early, probably 1820s or before. The other two are probably 1840s - 1850s. BTW, I've been looking for a pontilled 'Steers Opodeldoc' for ages. Don't suppose anyone knows of one that might be available? Hope you've enjoyed those. I will post some smooth base meds later. Jerry [ Edited Wed Nov 26 2008, 01:12 ] Digging in the UK | ||
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| ca_drm1n |
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| Registered Member #1 Joined: Thu Apr 12 2007, 09:24Posts: 339 | Jerry, Thanks for sharing - neat bunch of bottles! I have added a link to your website to our Links page as well. Keep diggin, finding, and writing about your exploits! - Al | ||
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| ca_drm1n |
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| Registered Member #1 Joined: Thu Apr 12 2007, 09:24Posts: 339 | By the way, do you use a lightbox to take your bottle pics? | ||
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| andy g. |
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  Registered Member #9 Joined: Thu Apr 26 2007, 10:46Posts: 113 | Now that is eye candy ... I have only dug a couple of your lesser (if you can call them that) bottles and mere pieces of two others that are the true dream bottles. Mind boggling. Thanks for posting. andy g. As a wise, old privydigger once told me: May your shovel be light and may you find many colored pontils. | ||
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| deepbluedigger |
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| Registered Member #28 Joined: Thu Jul 19 2007, 02:08Posts: 43 | andy g. wrote ... Now that is eye candy ... I have only dug a couple of your lesser (if you can call them that) bottles and mere pieces of two others that are the true dream bottles. Mind boggling. Thanks for posting. Which are the ones you've dug Andy? I'm intrigued to hear which 'dream bottles' you found in pieces, too. I don't use a light box: I rely on a large sheet of white paper as the background, illuminated by one (or two, for stoneware) bright desk lamps. Some of the photos need to be tweaked to increase the contrast, especially for the colorless glass, but otherwise I find getting OK shots is mostly down to getting the angle of illlumination right. And of course taking lots and lots of photos from different angles and with different exposures, and then only ever letting people see the tiny minority that aren't complete rubbish. Digging in the UK | ||
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