Who Collects Patent Medicines?

[Harry Pristis]

Who here collects patent medicines? . . . Practically everyone, I'd guess!

Here's one about which I'd like to learn more:

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This one has a tooled lip, and may date to the Early 20th Century. The fact that the mold was peened to remove the "DR." from the "DR. W. H. BULL'S" suggests there was a lawsuit, OR that the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 forced some changes on the W. H. Bull Medicine Company of St. Louis.

Anyone know any more about this company's history? Does anyone here have other examples of Bull bottles?

 

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[Bellwoodboys]

The shore has quite a few patent medicines! Here are some of mine.

Gassin Household Remedies from Belmar. Tall and clear with strikingly bold embossing. This bottle is extremely rare and was able to buy it from a very good friend of mine reasonably. Nicholas Oriental Balm from Manahawkin. Nice patent med from the gateway town to Long Beach Island. This bottle is fairly rare. Magnum Bonum from Asbury Park. This company had 2 NJ locations, one in Woodbury and the other in Asbury Park. Both are hard to find, with the Asbury one being rarer.


Kinmonth Patent med from Asbury Park (Diphtheria and Sore Throat remedy). Kinmonth had 5 patent medicines. Kinmouths Diarrhea Remedy, Kinmouths Saspirilla, Kinmonths Expectorant, Kinmouths Liniment, and Kinmouths Diphtheria and Sore Throat Remedy. The Diphtheria and Sore Throat is the most common while the Saspirilla is the rarest. The next is embossed "Golden Age Linament, Asbury Park" with an embossed anchor with (hope) embossed in the center. This is another rare one.

 

[Bellwoodboys]

Forgot about this one! Lewes Lincoln Eaveson Sinda Oil. The Sindia was a merchant ship that wrecked off Ocean City NJ. Lewis Lincoln Eavenson made attempts to salvage the ship. Afterwards, he created this patent medicine. Eavenson was located in Camden, but the med has the Ocean City connection.

 

[Harry Pristis]

That's great, 'boys! . . . a bottle with a story.

 

[Bass]

Who here collects patent medicines? . . . Practically everyone, I'd guess!

Here's one about which I'd like to learn more:

View attachment 1186956
​

This one has a tooled lip, and may date to the Early 20th Century. The fact that the mold was peened to remove the "DR." from the "DR. W. H. BULL'S" suggests there was a lawsuit, OR that the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 forced some changes on the W. H. Bull Medicine Company of St. Louis.

Anyone know any more about this company's history? Does anyone here have other examples of Bull bottles?

Harry, I think you may be correct on this W H Bulls. No positive proof yet but I've read where he was involved in a lawsuit and likely had to drop the title "DR. " I've seen a couple of the older bottles as well before DR was removed from the mold.

 

[Bass]

Harry, this is quoted from Digger Odell, from his webpage Bottlebooks.com concerning the bottle in question

"The W. H. Bull Medicine Company was located in St. Louis Missouri. the labeled specimen of the bottle you are asking about gives the alcohol content at 17%. That this was listed suggests a fairly late date. possibly after 1906. The base of the examples I have seen have an 1885 patent date on them so they cannot be earlier than that. I found a listing for the product in 1912. About 1900 they were producing a whole line of medicines including two sizes of the Herbs and Iron, an eye salve a worm syrup, a pile cure, a blackberry tonic, stomach bitters and others. Confusion often exists because there are several well known "Dr. Bulls". Dr. J. W. Bull was located in Baltimore and as far as I know there is no relation to the St. Louis Concern."

 

[Bass]

Nice collection Rob. All are great but I like the long neck on that Magnum Bonum. You have a lot of aces up your sleeve!

 

[Goldenplug]

i know there are some people that saw these when I dug them. My two favorite meds.

 

[Harry Pristis]

I do like that little green KILL A KORN bottle!

I also like this female specific:

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[tpeters]

Who here collects patent medicines? . . . Practically everyone, I'd guess!

Here's one about which I'd like to learn more:

View attachment 1186956
​

This one has a tooled lip, and may date to the Early 20th Century. The fact that the mold was peened to remove the "DR." from the "DR. W. H. BULL'S" suggests there was a lawsuit, OR that the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 forced some changes on the W. H. Bull Medicine Company of St. Louis.

Anyone know any more about this company's history? Does anyone here have other examples of Bull bottles?

Hello, I have collected bottles and advertising from this company for several years. Feel free to contact me for more information.