Best Kept Secret in the Pacific Northwest!

Dating back to 1856, the town of Aurora was originally founded as a religious colony.

160 years later it now plays host, twice a year, to one of the best, if not smaller, antique bottle shows in the NW.

The town is loaded with antique stores and one never knows what treasures might be lurking under the counter, or on the shelves of the many shops. 

Aurora is a small sleepy community that is like stepping back in time. None of the commercialized, modern non-sense that  characterizes so many other historic towns these days.

And the bottle show reminds me of the early days of collecting. Close quarters are the rule of the day in a building stuffed elbow to elbow with bottles! I've scored some great stuff at fair prices at the Aurora Show over the years. 

Do yourself a favor and check it out this year. You'll be glad you did! 

PS: Click on the show flyer and it will open in a new full size window which is easier to read~

This Coming Weekend - Anderson

Northern California's premier winter show! 

eBay, again~

I watched with interest, as many others did, a listing on eBay that closed yesterday.

It was eBay item number: 312036609201. 

Described as "a bit over 12" tall by about 3" wide, embossed on the front is the name Hilbert Bros' Wine & Liquor Merchants 101 Powell St, San Francisco Cal , it has some clay/mud residue inside & also some maker bubbles, the condition is great for the age without any chips or cracks, it does have a 2 1/2" what appears to be a tool scratch on the side, a slight one on the front that is not deep & is had to feel with a finger & one on the inverted bottom as seen in last pic."

The photos though, seemed to  suggest that there was more than meets the eye in terms of "issues".

 
When the dust settled, with one second left on the meter, I think more than one persons jaw dropped. 
 

Winning bid: US $1,525.00

I, like many other devout collectors of western whiskies, have always been a fan of this variant of the Hilbert Bros. fifths. With nearly 30 bids, it's obvious that a lot of collectors were chasing this example despite the obvious shortcomings. And one person wanted it, A Lot!

photos courtesy of "1234wyman" and eBay.

 

Welcome 2018!