![]() Here are some examples cited in the 13th edition of Jim Megura's "Official Price Guide to Bottles" (House of Collectibles) Since only about 200 American types exist in all, it's a highly competitive field. Getting up can lead you to such sites as Poison Bottle Hall of Fame, Rudy Khun's Poison Workbooks, Glenn Poch's newsletter article on poison bottles, and others displaying and offering exotic examples, including Reggie's Poison bottles, Rob's Famous Poisons (he recently showed a rare 1871 coffin-shaped example, with ribbing around the bottom edge resembling coffin nails, that was auctioned for the staggering sum of $10,800) and Duane Comb's Poison Bottles.įor further information, you can also join the Antique Poison Bottle Collectors Association, 312 Summer Lane, Huddleston, VA 24104.īeing such an attractive and intriguing bottle category, rare poison examples can command high prices. ![]() There is considerable Internet activity in this area of collectibles. ![]() Now, if the bottle has retained its original glass stopper, this will add greatly to its value. Further efforts to distinguish poison bottles from others included uncommon multisided and triangular shapes, and unusual, hard-to-open tops, the predecessors of the modern child-proof openings. In addition, many had sharp points on top for the same precautionary purpose. In order to better identify these lethal vessels by feel (not forgetting that there were many people in this period who could not read) when groping for them in the dark, they had such elaborate tactile patterns as quilted diamonds, lattices, hobnails and prominent vertical or horizontal ribbing, as well as spiky knobs and ridges. Others, particularly rare and collectible, had unusual - and appropriate - shapes, including skulls, leg bones and coffins. At that time some, of the bottles were distinguished by particularly bright colors, such as cobalt blue (the most common) and emerald green. For collectors, the high point of poison bottle manufacturing was the period ranging roughly from the 1870s to the 1930s. However, passing these laws was not easy, and the manufacturers were essentially left to do as they wished. In 1872 the American Medical Association also made recommendations - namely that poison bottles be made of colored glass, and also have a rough surface on one side - making them identifiable even in the dark - and the word "poison" visible on the other (the skull and crossbones wasn't quite as ubiquitous as those movies led us to believe). Then, in the middle of the 19th century, the American Pharmaceutical Association recommended legislation regarding identification of all poison bottles. For consumer protection, as far back as 1829, New York State made mandatory the marking of the bottles with the word "poison" in large letters. ![]() Poisons were commonly found in the home for the purpose of controlling rodents and other pests, and were sold by grocers and druggists. Obviously, the one thing that sets the poison bottle apart from all other bottles is the need for prominent and immediate identification as a receptacle for toxic material, and this was achieved in a number of ways, including shape, color, embossing and labeling. In off-screen reality, however, poison bottles have quite a different identity - they are distinctive, varied, colorful - and definitely collectible. ![]() The medicine cabinet opens and there, sitting on a shelf, is the incriminating object - the ominous dark bottle with the skull and crossbones on the label. We've all seen them in a hundred different mystery movie scenes. ![]()
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