Owl Bottles
In America, the Owl Drug Company opened its doors in 1892 in San Francisco, dispensing medicine, soda, pills and poisons in its own distinctive bottles. The company's success led to its expansion to a dozen states. It was eventually purchased by Rexall Drugs. But during its heyday, the Owl Drug Company produced cobalt blue and clear bottles embossed with its owl logo sitting on a mortar bowl. The cobalt bottles are particular favorites with collectors. The Owl Drug Company produced its bottles with many variations, including: one-wing owls, two-wing owls, long tail, no tail, short tail, potbelly owl, and more.
Joan Cabaniss, a bottle collector and publisher of the Antique Poison Bottle Collectors Association's newsletter, has tracked poison bottle sales on eBay since 1999. Even so, valuing Owl bottles is difficult, as Joan explains: "There are 10 sizes of the one-wing, cobalt, BIMAL Owl, from one-half ounce to a 32-ounce size. Those have sold for $48 to $64 for the one-half ounce size to $591 to $700 for the 32-ounce bottle. The two-wing ABM bottles are in eight sizes and have sold from $76 to $165.50."
BIMAL is the abbreviation for blown-in, mold-applied lip. These bottles were hand made. ABM (automatic bottle machine) bottles were made by machine. To tell one from the other, look at the seam. On an ABM bottle, the seam runs all the way through the lip. BIMALs have no seam in the lip because it is added later in the process.
When Rexall purchased the Owl Drug Co. in 1920, it stopped making Owl bottles. This was not long after Owl Drugs had switched from BIMALs to ABMs. (Automatic bottle-making machines were first introduced in the early 1900s.) Ironically, Owl ABM bottles may be somewhat harder to find than the handmade BIMALs since Rexall curtailed production not long after the company switched over. Yet, Digger O'Dell, publisher of Poison, Drug Store and Apothecary Bottles, believes that, "The older bottles will bring more money. There are a couple of ABM poisons that bring big bucks. ABM bottles may be rarer in many cases, such as the Owl bottles, but only a few purists would place more value on them."
