Zeilin arrives…

The bottle opener auction lot arrived today, and it arrived safely–all wrapped up together as one lot, in bubble wrap, in a box.

And, after carefully removing the tape, and unwrapping the contents, the Zeilin looked to be in nice shape, but with a fair amount of tarnish.

With a jar of Wright’s Silver Cream at the ready, I gave it a quick polish.

Much better:

Marked with S. Cottle’s makers mark, STERLING, and 10, it is a lovely addition to the Zeilin collection.

The embossed one on the right is also marked for S. Cottle, STERLING and 11.

If you have a dosage cup corkscrew with which you would like to part, I would love to add a few more.

Drop me a line!

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Have I mentioned lately…

how I really like medicine and poison corkscrews…

If you have any with which you would like to part, drop me a line…

on the Fürstenwärther hunt…

On February 7, 1888, Johann B. von Fürstenwärther was awarded his patent (#377,483) for a Medicine Cup and stopper.

And, for those of you not familiar with Johann’s patent, it is quite different than the Zeilin patent, insofar as instead of having the corkscrew extend from the bottom of the dose cup, it is instead set at a right angle. This serves several purposes, but our man Fürstenwärther, explains it pretty clearly in his patent description, explaining:

“The cup A may be made capable of holding any desired quantity of liquid—for instance a tea-spoonful, two tea-spoonfuls, a table-spoonful, &c. –-and may be marked with appropriate inscriptions showing the capacity of the cup for use by druggists and physicians. It will obviously perform the two functions of assisting to extract the cork from the bottle and to measure the quantity of fluid or other material taken from the bottle. If provided with the corkscrew, it can be readily applied to any cork or stopper of any size, and the cork, if worn out or unfit for use, can be exchange for another. On the other hand, the cork or corkscrew, which is attached to the cup at right angles to its vertical axis, will serve as a convenient handle for the cup whenever the cup is used apart from the bottle. The cup may also be used as a cover for the bottle by being inverted and placed over the mouth thereof.

Unless the corkscrew is at right angles to the cup the latter, when filled, would have to be emptied at once. By my invention the dose can be laid aside on a table until the patient has been adjusted to receive it. The bottom of my cup serves as a base to rest it on, the corkscrew not being in the way.”

I would love to add an example of the Fürstenwärther to the collection, and they are out there.

Well, I know of at least one that is out there, but surely they didn’t make just one.

When found, it is marked with the patent date: “PAT. FEB. 7, 1888.”

If you have a medicine cup corkscrew, I would happily make a trade for it. Drop me a line.

a few teaspoons…

As mentioned the other day, during the most recent collectorcorkscrews.com auction, I picked up a Sterling spoon with folding corkscrew.

As many of you know, I have lots of medicine / dosage corkscrews, and it does seem that the spoons generally have some uniformity of size–a teaspoonful of medicine…

or alternatively:

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down

The medicine go down

the medicine go down

Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down

In a most delightful waaaaaaay

But, I digress…as I am want to do.

If you are wondering, all three of the spoons pictured above do really hold a teaspoonful (yes, I actually measured)

I have larger spoon with corkscrew that has been in collection for some time, and it holds 3 teaspoons.

So a tablespoonful.

(yes, I measured that one too).

There are other medicine spoons with corkscrews out there, as well as variations of the Zeilin dosage cup with corkscrew.

And, I would love to add others to the collection. If you have a dosage cup with corkscrew, or medicine spoon with corkscrew, drop me a line.

Combined Corkscrew and Time Dial…

From an 1891 issue of Pharmaceutical Record:

 

THE CLOUGH CORKSCREW AND CAPSULE COMPANY, 132 Nassau street, New York, issue an illustrated price list of vial Corkscrews and Capsules.  The Wire Corkscrew Rings are made plain, and also with name in raised letters stamped on the ring with steel dies.  Folding Corkscrews are made with decorated metal handles, with name printed to order on the outside, or both outside and inside.  Combined Corkscrew and Time Dials are so arranged that the Corkscrews serves as a hand to designate the hour at which time medicine is to be taken.  Clough’s Capsule is metal cap designed to fit over the upper portion of the cork, to facilitate the removing of the cork from the bottle.  This company is prepared to quote prices on these goods in quantities up to 1000 gross.

 

For years, I have been on the hunt for the Combined Corkscrew and Time Dial; also known as Clough’s Medicine Dial.

 

 

On Don Bull’s site, Ron MacLean explains that in 1977 Bob Nugent found a number of them and gave them away as Christmas gifts to fellow members of the ICCA.

I was not a member of the ICCA in 1977 (I was still in grammar school), so I wasn’t one of the fortuitous recipients.

That said, yesterday a deal was struck, and a Combined Corkscrew and Time Dial is heading to the island.

 

 

Thanks for the trade RL!

 

 

For Begg’s Medicines

The other day, I ran across an online advertisement for a pair of Clough medicine band corkscrews.

One was of the more common variety, and the second had an ad for “FOR BEGG’S MEDICINES.”

After emailing the seller, I convinced him to sell me just the Begg’s, as I didn’t have it in the medicine band collection.

Securing the deal, I headed to Don Bull’s list of Clough medicine band list, and not seeing the Begg’s there, I revisited Barry Taylor’s more recent publication on known medicine bands…   It wasn’t there either.

In a little rough shape, but a neat addition to the Clough medicine bands in our collection.

Do you have a a For Begg’s Medicine amongst your Clough’s?

Butte Montana Spoon…

Yesterday, I was messaging back and forth with a fellow collector, and I inquired about medicine corkscrews; specifically the Zeilin patent dosage cup corkscrew.

He responded that he had one of those folding spoons with advertising.  And, in short order a photo was sent.

When I looked at the photo, however, it had a different advertisement than what usually turns up.  I couldn’t make out all the letters in the name, and I am not near the collection, but I was pretty sure it wasn’t one I had.

I asked how much, and he asked me to make an offer.

I did.

He accepted.

So, this is on its way to Maine.  Now… what is the name on the spoon?

While clearly I can wait until it arrives, I opted to enlarge the images with photoshop, and examined what I saw.

BUTTE MONTANA was fairly obvious

And clearly there is N. MAIN ST.

But…  E. ___ALLOGLY & C

With a little digging around, I found the answer.

E. E. GALLOGLY & CO…

That would be Elmer Ellsworth for those wondering about the E. E.

Thanks for the spoon James!

Sterling Zeilin

Over the weekend, the latest corkscrewcollectors.com auction took place, and lots of corkscrews changed hands.

I did bid on a few, and of course, didn’t win as my bids were quickly taken out by those willing to take the price to a level that was far beyond my means.

Or, perhaps, far beyond what I thought was reasonable.

Still, I sold a few, and bought one.  Yes, I ponied up for a nice example of the Sterling Zeilin dosage cup with corkscrew.

I actually have owned several of these over the years, but they have made their way into other collectors’ collections.

That said, we have quite the collection of medicine corkscrews, and it was time to put one back into the collection.

And, since I am trying to acquire a few more examples of the Zeilin…if you have a dosage cup with corkscrew with which you would like to part feel free to drop me a line.  The one that I am really after is not in Sterling.

In O’Leary amongst the others, this version of the Zeilin is pictured and described as being marked, “ONE TEASPOONFULL PARRISHS HYPOPHOSPHITES, J.H. ZEILIN & CO. PHILA, PA”

This would make for an excellent addition to the collection!!!

Dead Ringer…

As mentioned on the Edward Leverich Hall post, there was mention that Hall (or his company) possessed the patent rights.  So…I started to look for a patent.  In doing so, I found several references to patents for poison indicators or poison warning devices, but one poison indicator, in particular, I was excited to find.  After a little more research, I ran into an article in a 1915 issue of Pharmaceutical Era

POISON INDICATOR

Many mechanical inventions have been devised for apprising individuals of the poisonous contents of bottles that they may be called upon to handle.  One of the most recent devices of this character is the invention of Mahalah T. Hudson, Kirksville, Mo. (Patent No. 1,131,839), shown in the accompanying illustration.  It comprises a frame formed from a blank and provided with a central body, upon which are formed integral arms bent upward as to me at their end portions; a bell carried by the ends of said arms, integral plates formed upon said body and extending at right upper angles thereto, said plates being adapted to rest upon the upper portions of a cork of a bottle for retaining the frame in its correct vertical position, and spurs extending downwardly from the lower portion of the body for digging into the cork whereby the poison indicator will be held in engagement and rest evenly on the upper portion of the cork.

And, might be saying to yourself, “Okay, not so fast Josef, there isn’t a screw, there are two spurs…”

Yes, you would have a point there…  But, if you look at the other illustration from the patent drawing, that wasn’t shown in the Pharmaceutical Era blurb, there IS a corkscrew.

That little bell that you have in your collection, is indeed a patent.  And, a dead ringer for the patent drawing!

A patent for a poison indicator.  And, one that does not appear in the front or the back of O’Leary.

The 1915 Hudson patent #1,131,839…