"Crossover"

The term seems to be pretty popular these days. Crossover SUV, political crossover, crossover music; why this term seems to have about as many uses as shrimp did in the movie Forrest Gump. So how about crossover bottles? You know, the same exact mold used to manufacture both glop tops and tool tops?

Numerous bottles come to mind; Phoenix Sole Agent & bulge neck, Hotaling OPS, OK Cutter, Cutter / Bottled By, Hildebrandt Posner, Jesse Moore Sole Agents, Gilt Edge, Gold Dust, Chevaliers Ginger Brandy & Castle Whiskey, Cartan McCarthy, Peppers; heck even Fred Raschen. And then there's the slug plates like Wolters Bros., MacFarlane & Co., Van Schuyver, Standard Old Bourbon, etc. etc. etc. Now that I think of it, the list seems almost never-ending. And the darned tool tops are often even cruder than their glop top counterparts, which came out of the same mold.

When did this anomaly first start to occur? At this time, we've got no hard evidence in the form of glasshouse notes since all records were reduced to ashes back in 1906. However, we can make a pretty good argument based on the years that some of these outfits were in busness or were using a particular mold. Many of the brands were registered with either the state or the US patent office, making dating easier. The firm of Hencken & Schroeder dates ca. 1884 - 1900, although Thomas narrows the gap down by dating the slug plates final use to 1888. He stated that the Tea Kettle brand was used by SB & Co. from 1881 - 1887 (when McKee exited the firm), and that the McKennas brand dates ca. 1874 - 1878. The full face Hilderbrandt Posner is attributed to the 1884 - 1890 era, with Hotalings OPS brand being bottled in the old mold from 1879 - 1885 and Pride of Kentucky being produced by Livingston from 1874 - 1879 (it was actually registered in 1873). That being said, it would appear that tooling of the tops began somewhere around 1878, although old school glassworks employees continued to apply tops at the S.F. factories for a number of years after.

OK, let's look at a few examples, comparing molds, dimensions and other common factors. Glop tops will be on the left - toolies on the right, identified according to Barnett WWB 4th edition / Thomas 2002.

#1) Phoenix full face -
      Barnett (B)#578 / Thomas (T) #120

 
 
 

 
 
#2) Davy Crocket - B #243 / T #73
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

#3) Spruance Stanley & Co. - B #750 / T #145

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#4) Thos Taylor / P. Vollmers

      - B #788 / T #152

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
#5) Livingston / Gaines
      - B #507 /T #110
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
#6) Livingston / Pride of Ky
      - B #506 / T #108
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

#8) Tea Kettle - B # 729 / T #136

 
 
 
 
 
#9) McKenna - B #848 / T #168
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#10) J. Moore - B #570 / T #93

 

 

 

 

 

 

So what gives? "Waste not want not" is a phrase that comes to mind. Odds are, molds for many of the above products were still in very good shape when the new glass manufacturing techniques that ushered in the toolies began to be employed. So why toss them if they were still serviceable? But a question comes to mind. I've measured both early tooled and their slightly older globby counterparts, which were blown in the same mold. I've compared font placement, and spacing using a micrometer to insure that they indeed came from the same mold. I've also measured circumference, diameter and height, and compared them with the above data, again insuring accuracy. Now here's the kicker... how can the height of toolies and globbys be the same, if the glop tops had the top above the single ring added to the top of the neck - where it was sheared from the blowpipe?

 

Here we go again with conjecture but~ I've got two theories. One is that the glop top necks were trimmed lower once the bottle was sheared from the blow pipe. The other is that the neck portion of the mold was modified (extended) for the tool tops to allow the required amount of additional glass to be tooled out. Shearing the neck down for a globby is kinda like putting the cart before the horse though, since there would have been no logical reason to do so. The extra step would have added time and therefore reduced income, since the employees were paid on a piece work basis and not by the hour. And tool tops blown in the old molds, on the other hand, show no evidence of mold modification to the neck. So what the heck went on and how?

OK, so let's hear it gang. Ideas, wild guesses... ??????????????

F.W. Bradley / San Diego

A few days ago, I remarked just how rare some of the small town cylinders are. The example of "THE MIRROR JAMES LERTORA SANTA MARIA CAL." that recently closed in American Bottle Auctions reinforced both the value and the demand for these rarities.

My old pal, "the Mole Man - AKA Doc Barnes" just touched base with me and was good enough to share both some history of an infinitely rarer So. Cal. amber cylinder along with some good photos of it and the matching flask. There's a darned good chance that Bradley's whiskey slid across the bar at the El Paso Saloon pictured above~ Here's what he had to say:

"This is a very rare San Diego tool top short fifth, dating 1900 (turn of the century). There is this one and it is damaged with stone bruises on the body. There is a mint one in the old Kallis Collection. That makes 2, if there is anymore I haven't heard of them. The flask are tough, as with many of the San Diego bottles, especially the embossed whiskey stuff, but, this flask is one of the more common of what we have. The company that put this out was F.W. Bradley here in Dago on the border.

They sold Wines and Whiskies, they also have a embossed 1/2 Pint flask, maybe more stuff, I can't remember or find my notes? They liked to advertise their wares, there is advertising for this company."

Although incorporated as a city in 1850, San Diego didn't amount to much early on.

San Diego is anything but a small town these days but back in the 1870's and 80's, it really didn't have a lot going for it. San Diego was about to change though, and in a big way. As the turn of the century approached, things really started to hop, mainly due to the US Naval presence.

 By the late 90's it had really begun to take on a look of respectability.

They hosted the Panama-California Exposition in 1915 and I suspect that the F.W. Bradley fifth and flask date may to that era. Unlisted, this is a rare opportunity to view a bottle that not many even knew existed.

And since we're on the subject of unlisted... regardless of where you live, Please, take a few minutes to shoot some good crisp digitals - scribble down whatever you know about the provenance and or history of your western gem and send your new find to me. This is what is going to make this a killer site; sharing items that most have never heard of or seen! You'll get full credit and we'll be passing on history to fellow collectors.

Wowsa!

Across the finish line. No skid marks - just flat burnouts~


Lot number 75, a scarce variant of the Chevalier Whiskey Merchant is number 148 in Western Whiskey Bottles 4th Edition (WWB 4th). If the photos and description are accurate, this one's got everything going for it. Scarcity, condition and COLOR! At $180~, it's off to the races. When it closed at $392~ plus S&H, even I was shocked. Just shows to go ya, that COLOR is king. Package that with mint and scarcity and the book gets tossed out the window.

Lot 82, a tooled Chevalier Old Bourbon, blown in the glop top mold, is #133 in WWB 4th. It's got a couple of minor issues and is floundering at a hundred dollar bill. Based on the description, the damage sounds minimal and this could be a sleeper for someone who is willing to live with a couple of excuses. Slowing toward the finish line, it managed a respectable $212~ and change plus S&H.

Lot 83, is a small town cylinder from Santa Maria, Ca. Arguably one of the scarcer tooled tops dating to the turn of the century, this bottle should have crossover appeal to So. Cal. collectors and aficionados of the rarer tool tops alike. It's #559 in WWB 4th and is currently at $275~; evidence of it's appeal. Another strong performer, it also closed at $392~ plus S&H.

Lot 84, a full face Phoenix with a tool top which was blown in the globby mold is also having a tough time getting off the ground. #578 in WWB 4th, this bottle is notably harder to obtain as a toolie than as a glop. It's got a couple of minor problems in the form of a small lip chip and a couple of flashes, but if it stays at $150~, someone's going to get a good buy! Hammering at $420~ plus S&H, it was a bargain despite the damage. Odds are, it'd be tough to replace it for that. A nice bottle at a nice price.

Lot 85, a labeled and embossed J. F. Cutter toolie, #227 in WWB 4th, is putting on a strong showing and is currently bidding at $180~. Looks like the word is out about the scarcity of original labeled and embossed toolies. Glad I wised up back in the 70's~ Well, how do you do?............... $336~ plus S&H put it right where the auctioneer pegged it after buyers fees. A strong showing, but this example was all there replete with cork and neck label. Try and find another...

Lots 119 - 124 are groupings of tool tops ranging in quantity from three to five. Lots of variation here with dirt common to somewhat sought after examples all being represented. Based on current bids, they all are bringing strong numbers; evidence of the increasing popularity of this segment of western whiskey collecting.

Lot 119; F. Chevalier, Kelloggs, Slaters, Roth & Company, and a Pepper Distillery. The lot blew the top off the pre auction estimate and the bidding closed at $336~. A good buy when the Pepper is factored into the equation.

Lot 120; repeat performance of 119. Two Cutter A No 1 bourbons, Wilmerding Kelloggs, a Livingston, and Roth (not a back bar...) all toolies. Hammered @ $235~ another strong showing.

Lot 121; Lions and tigers and Bears (oh my). Well actually Kelloggs, Davey Crockett, Spruance Stanley, Rothenberg Old Judge, and EA Fargo (and no bear - it was a globby). But still, oh my! It blasted past the finish line at $364~ plus S&H. OH MY!

Lot 122; I'm running out of breath~ Star & Shield, F. Chevalier Castle Whiskey, Jesse Moore, Beautiful Golden Cutter OK, and EA Fargo With a pre auction estimate of $50~ - $100~ this lot was another space traveler and hammered at two and a half times the high estimate, closing at an even $280 plus S&H. Wowsa!

Lot 123; Chevalier Castle Whiskey with original lid, IDE Turk bulge neck, clear Geo Blake’s, Adams Taylor, Cerruti Merchantile and Cutter Star & Shield Here we go again with a twofer with a high estimate of $100~ but the gavel slammed down at $224~.

Lot 124: two J.H. Cutter A No. 1’s, one with some green, and a later Jesse Moore Respectable but not totally over the top, it closed at $190~ plus S&H.

Mama, I feel dizzy. Is that my fever breakin'? Nope, just the excitement of seeing western tool top interest heat up to unprecedented levels.

The finish line~

Yep, in just a couple of days, American Bottle Auctions offering number 49 will be history. For a change, tool tops are very well represented. And they appear to be drawing a lot of interest!



Lot number 75, a scarce variant of the Chevalier Whiskey Merchant is number 148 in Western Whiskey Bottles 4th Edition (WWB 4th). If the photos and description are accurate, this one's got everything going for it. Scarcity, condition and COLOR! At $180~, it's off to the races.


Lot 82, a tooled Chevalier Old Bourbon, blown in the glop top mold, is #133 in WWB 4th. It's got a couple of minor issues and is floundering at a hundred dollar bill. Based on the description, the damage sounds minimal and this could be a sleeper for someone who is willing to live with a couple of excuses.


Lot 83, is a small town cylinder from Santa Maria, Ca. Arguably one of the scarcer tooled tops dating to the turn of the century, this bottle should have crossover appeal to So. Cal. collectors and aficionados of the rarer tool tops alike. It's #559 in WWB 4th and is currently at $275~; evidence of it's appeal.


Lot 84, a full face Phoenix with a tool top which was blown in the globby mold is also having a tough time getting off the ground. #578 in WWB 4th, this bottle is notably harder to obtain as a toolie than as a glop. It's got a couple of minor problems in the form of a small lip chip and a couple of flashes, but if it stays at $150~, someone's going to get a good buy!


Lot 85, a labeled and embossed J. F. Cutter toolie, #227 in WWB 4th, is putting on a strong showing and is currently bidding at $180~. Looks like the word is out about the scarcity of original labeled and embossed toolies. Glad I wised up back in the 70's~


Lots 119 - 124 are groupings of tool tops ranging in quantity from three to five. Lots of variation here with dirt common to somewhat sought after examples all being represented. Based on current bids, they all are bringing strong numbers; evidence of the increasing popularity of this segment of western whiskey collecting.


OK gang, it's time to belly up to the bar and order your favorite brand of tool top whiskey~ Good luck to all!

Barkeep... this whisky's for the birds!

Out with the old and in with the new. A term that certainly applies in a lot of cases. Such though, was not the case with a lot of our pioneer liquor wholesalers. Actually, "if it aint broke, don't fix it" is probably a little closer to home.



Take Naber, Alfs and Brune for instance. Established in either late 1879 or early 1880, the firm was originally located at 413 Front Street in "The City" (San Francisco). Naber, Alfs and Brune became one of the major liquor wholesalers supplying the west. Their most popular brands were Phoenix Bourbon and Damiana Bitters, but they also sold Club House Bourbon, Gold Medal Bourbon, Union Club Bourbon, Rock and Rye, Rum Punch Extract and Blackberry Brandy.

We're all familiar with the Phoenix brand. The full faced glop top Sole Agent variant is close to the top of many western collectors "wish list". Not rare by comparison to some other bottles of the era, it was obviously immensely popular with the miners and loggers out west. But why? I've got a couple of theories. One is that it was good whiskey at a fair price. The other was that it had a picture of a "critter" on it. The eagle was an often used advertising symbol during the 1870's and 80's. The union was intact, the economy was stable and patriotism continued to run high due to the recent centennial celebration of 1876. The eagle, a symbol of the strength and unswaying individualism that had built this country was a natural to capitalize on. Plus, it was easy to identify. Illiterates, not uncommon in that era, were also afforded brand identification by the pictures embossed in the glass. So... even if one couldn't read the fancy label they could still order up a glass of their favorite whisky by pointing at the bottle with the picture of the bird on it! And what the heck, the Phoenix looked enough like an eagle to kill two birds with one stone...

The Phoenix name proved so popular that Naber, Alfs and Brune maintained it as their flagship brand until prohibition. Rather than reinventing the wheel they continued to use the same full face mold when the transition from applied tops to hand tooling of the lips occurred. A bulge neck variant, both with and without a picture of the Phoenix embossed in the glass, was also used during the transitional period from glop to tool tops.

Although originally thought to contain either scotch or rye whiskey, a still corked bulge neck example was recovered some time ago from a barn with full contents and bearing the original label for... Damiana Bitters.

Later, once they owned the Phoenix

brand, instead of just being Sole Agents for it, a new mold was cut. This tool top bottle has a large bird facing right and is embossed Phoenix Bourbon. And the theme of the Phoenix is further reinforced on these later molds with the graphics of the flames and ashes beneath the bird. It was blown into a four piece mold and the embossing on the early ones is so crisp that you can almost smell the smoke from the ashes that the Phoenix is rising out of.

Later still, a couple of two piece mold bottles were made with a large bird facing right; one embossed Phoenix Bourbon, the other Phoenix Whiskey. Notice the spelling of Whiskey, as opposed to Whisky; evidence that the product was now being distilled and rectified in San Francisco instead of Kentucky. All of the above variants are attributed to the ca. 1890 - 1900 era and were blown in shades of amber. By now, the company had relocated to 323-325 Market, where they would remain until burned out in the Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906. A small run of the two piece mold, large bird facing right was blown in clear glass that will turn purple. They are seldom seen and extremely desirable.

 



A small bird facing left was also blown in a two piece mold. Although originally thought to date from the same era, the bottle appears to be more neatly made and may well date past the turn of the century. In as much as none of the tool tops have base markings that can be attributed to a specific glass house, we may never know exactly what the dates of use were though.

A number of embossed clear and amber tooled flasks were also produced ranging in capacity from 1/2 pint to one full pint. They too prominently displayed a large Phoenix in the center of the embossing pattern.

An exceptionally rare pre-prohibition shot glass was also produced in this era. It served as top of the mind advertising with every shot of Phoenix Bourbon that slid across the polished mahogany bars of saloons throughout the old west.

Local saloons purchased Phoenix whiskey in bulk and bottled the product in unembossed flasks with private labels. The mortality rate of labels is exceedingly high and as a result, are seldom seen.

As mentioned earlier, Naber, Alfs and Brune also marketed Damiana Bitters. The label plainly displays the trademark Phoenix (which now looks more like an eagle - which is perched on a cactus?) while boasting that they were Sole Manufacturers and Proprietors.

(click on any of the photos and they will enlarge - hit your back button to return to this page)

In 1907 the firm rebuilt at 825 Mission and remained there until 1910 when they relocated for the last time to 631-635 Howard St. Around 1910 the firm also commisioned the production of their final bottle, an amber quart "tanker" embossed Full Quart (on the shoulder) Naber, Alfs and Brune / San Francisco, Ca. (on the obverse face of the bottle). Although it supposedly was used only until 1917, odds are that it's use continued until passage of the Vostead Act and the ratification of the 18th Ammendment to the Consititution.

Their doors were closed forever on January 16, 1920 and the firm of Naber, Alfs and Brune silently slipped into the pages of history.

Pre-pro shot glass, clear cylinder and flask photos reproduced with the generous permission of R.C. Lucchesi

A New Beginning~

Here we are, 2010 at last! Out with the old and in with the new. Well, maybe not out with all the old, since www.globtopwhiskies.com and westernbittersnews.com, both upstarts in 2009, are soaring along with ever increasing interest and support.

In the spirit of furthering the western collecting fraternity, I'm pleased to introduce the Western Whiskey Tooled Top Gazette. This site has been created with the intent of complimenting the aforementioned blogs. This site will serve to pick up the western whiskey saga where the glop top whiskies left off and to tie in the bitters products produced by the western liquor industry during the tooled top era.

I'd like to reinforce that this will be a fun site. Let's keep it positive and enjoyable to both read and contribute to.

On that note; Let's take a brief tour of where tool top western whiskey collecting began, where it has been and where it may be headed. Most will agree that this segment of the hobby began in the 1950's. Back then, folks didn't dig or buy, they "bottle hunted". Yep, walk though the forest where turn of the century logging camps once stood, poke through the sage brush amongst mining camp ruins in the Nevada dessert, paw through the garbage piles of abandoned homesteads in the Central Valley and pick up whatever struck your fancy. Color was king back then, as well as now. Only then it was a different kind of color; purple. Not nuked purple mind you, we're talking sun colored purple. Yep, those purple whiskies were "rare". It had taken almost a hundred summers to turn that color. Heck those brown ones were everywhere. Back then you had to trade a half dozen brown ones for one purple one. Embossing, who cared, they most all had writing, but not many were purple. The first decade or so was pretty much status quo; "The Age of Innocence".

Purple was still king when I got interested in the mid sixties, although a few folks were beginning to notice a pattern when it came to names on the bottle. You'd pick up one Castle Whiskey to a hundred Cutters. And those pictures

were pretty neat too. Yep, castles,

horses, eagles, bears, and people.

Kinda different~

By 1967 folks were starting to become a little more aware of what was, and what wasn't easily found. A fella named John Howe, came out with the first true western whiskey book that year. It was called Antique Whiskey Bottles, was softbound, had 68 black and white pages - about half with photographs and listed around 250 whiskies. Rarity was scored in terms of common to extremely rare and no prices were listed; it was a start. The hobby had begun to evolve.

In 1968, Bill and Betty Wilson came out with Spirits Bottles of the Old West. Published in both hard and softbound, it contained 180 pages of photos, historical data, dating and information previously unpublished. It was as close to a research text as had been published to date; however it too lacked pricing. The next decade saw the hobby evolve and prices began to become standardized based on what the "market" would support. It also saw the beginning of the decline of easy finds and digging became more of a challenge and less of a sure thing. The supply was beginning to dry up and collectors were now having use a silver pick (wallet) as much as a garden shovel or potatoe rake in order to add to their collections.

Close friend R.E. (Bob) Barnett published the first "handbook" for tooled top collectors in 1979. Entitled Pacific Coast Whiskey Bottles, it had line drawings that approximated the embossing pattern on the bottle, approximate dates of distribution and... a price guide. Collectors finally had something to guide them financially in pursuit of their vice of choice. Bob continued to add to his data base (actually a three ring binder) as new finds surfaced and updated the book a few years later. The new edition, "Western Whiskey Bottles" documented numerous new finds and updated pricing based on actual sales. It also had a numbering system that most collectors continue to utilize when listing, inventorying and communicating about their bottles. Western Whiskey Bottles 4th Edition, currently the last in the series, was published in 1997 and remains the most complete work to date. It is considered

by nearly all collectors of western tool

top whiskies to be the definitive work

to date.

Enter 2010. Wow have we seen some changes. Dedicated amateur historians with access to the internet now spend countless hours researching and updating our knowledge of the history of the distributors of these historical gems. Others continue to research in libraries and archives and our knowledge base continues to grow yet further. More and more blanks are filled in and misinformation, once accepted as gospel, corrected. Rarity is now well documented as is current value. Purple is still neat; especially if it's a Gold Dust, a Columbian, or something equally rare. And yes, a deep sun colored purple Taussig or Wissemann still has more appeal than a dead clear example of same. But, like everything else in the world, western tool top collecting has evolved and now is as much of a science as not. Gone are the days when

an inside thread Castle picture sold for the same

price as a tooled  amber Fenkhausen Bear. Gone

too, are the days of legal digging in many areas of the west, be it on "public" or private property. Demand has far outdistanced the supply of the better tool tops and there's no "cure" in sight.

Common is, and will remain, common. Short of someone cornering the market on say, #202 neatly made Crown Distilleries, and then making a concerted effort to destroy all but a handful, they will remain a $10~ - $15~ bottle; in line with where they were back when greenbacks first began to be exchanged for glass. If not for common tool tops though, I, and many others, could not have afforded to enter the hobby and remain avid collectors as financial circumstances improved. This aspect of collecting has remained unchanged for the past 40 years. I suspect that it will continue to remain unchanged for the next 40. Simply, rarity equals demand and demand equals value. Both common and rare bottles continue to serve a purpose.


Ok, so what about the future of western toolie collecting? I recently responded to just such a question posed by one of our highly respected younger collectors. My response read in part;


I personally see a bright future for tool top western whiskey collecting . It will continue to evolve and change, as everything in life does, and I believe that we will continue to see new collectors enter the hobby and fill the voids left as the older ones pass on. The key to making sure that the hobby continues to thrive and grow is honest, forthright dealing, the willingness to share information, to remember how we felt as newcomers and to treat new collectors with the respect and enthusiasm that we were many years ago.

Rose tinted glasses? Nope just common sense and experience talking.


Here's to 2010~