Larkin Cold Cream

[robertk]

Bottle Vitals​

	Date	Color	Shape	Size (Height x Diameter)	Value*
Larkin Cold Cream	1880s	White	Round (cylindrical)	1.75" x 2.25"	$20.00

Bottle Views (click to enlarge):

Front	Back	Side	Side	Bottom	Top/Lid
					(NOT my photo **)
				Larkin Co Buffalo	Larkin Cold Cream Larkin Co Perfumers Buffalo

This bottle contained cold cream manufactured by the Larkin Soap Company in Buffalo, New York. The company started in 1875 and rapidly expanded into a major nationwide business. The company became a tourist destination in Buffalo, and they even had their own exhibit at the Pan-American Expo in 1901, where their products earned two gold medals, one silver, and three bronze.

The company built its business on direct-to-consumer marketing, but also encouraging the customers to recommend and re-sell the products, an idea akin to the network marketing concept.

The company reorganized in 1892 and encouraged the public to invest in stocks, an investment that offered a guaranteed four percent dividend every six months, as well as a box of the company's products for each share bought. Shares were $10 each, the equivalent of $250 in 2025 dollars.

This particular bottle is one of their early products, a Larkin branded cold cream. They offered other cold creams under the Modjeska brand, and all would have had a similar purpose. It was intended as a general skin treatment for dry or chapped skin or other minor skin irritations.

** The specimen shown did not have a lid. The lid is from an example I found on eBay, and is included to show what it would have looked like. I do not have any portion of the lid for this product.

* Value is based on eBay listings at the time of posting. Value varies with condition (and whether or not it had a lid).

 

[DizzyDigger]

"Our company starts without a liability or one dollar of debt."

That's an amazing company, and I'd certainly have wanted to buy some of their stock... were I around in 1892.

 

[Limitool]

Really good job there Robert. A lot of good information along with it also. That was quite the concept on the marketing back then.

Wasn't there a broken "lid" or something like that in the collection? Probably not for this jar and maybe not even a lid...?

 

[robertk]

Wasn't there a broken "lid" or something like that in the collection? Probably not for this jar and maybe not even a lid...?

There was a broken lid liner, but that was for a mason jar. There are also a couple of tiny little discs that might be lids (hard to tell), but they're too small to fit this. No metal lids or pieces that aren't already attached to jars.

 

[achanceforgold]

View attachment 2206314​

Bottle Vitals​

	Date	Color	Shape	Size (Height x Diameter)	Value*
Larkin Cold Cream	1880s	White	Round (cylindrical)	1.75" x 2.25"	$20.00

Bottle Views (click to enlarge):

Front	Back	Side	Side	Bottom	Top/Lid
View attachment 2206314	View attachment 2206315	View attachment 2206316	View attachment 2206317	View attachment 2206313	View attachment 2206318 (NOT my photo **)
				Larkin Co Buffalo	Larkin Cold Cream Larkin Co Perfumers Buffalo

This bottle contained cold cream manufactured by the Larkin Soap Company in Buffalo, New York. The company started in 1875 and rapidly expanded into a major nationwide business. The company became a tourist destination in Buffalo, and they even had their own exhibit at the Pan-American Expo in 1901, where their products earned two gold medals, one silver, and three bronze.

View attachment 2206310

The company built its business on direct-to-consumer marketing, but also encouraging the customers to recommend and re-sell the products, an idea akin to the network marketing concept.

View attachment 2206311

The company reorganized in 1892 and encouraged the public to invest in stocks, an investment that offered a guaranteed four percent dividend every six months, as well as a box of the company's products for each share bought. Shares were $10 each, the equivalent of $250 in 2025 dollars.

View attachment 2206312

This particular bottle is one of their early products, a Larkin branded cold cream. They offered other cold creams under the Modjeska brand, and all would have had a similar purpose. It was intended as a general skin treatment for dry or chapped skin or other minor skin irritations.

** The specimen shown did not have a lid. The lid is from an example I found on eBay, and is included to show what it would have looked like. I do not have any portion of the lid for this product.

* Value is based on eBay listings at the time of posting. Value varies with condition (and whether or not it had a lid).

It looks like porcelain.
My mom used to have glass like that.
Is it porcelain?

 

[robertk]

It looks like porcelain.
My mom used to have glass like that.
Is it porcelain?

I don't think so. Porcelain is made from clay, while this appears to be glass ("milk glass").

 

[achanceforgold]

I don't think so. Porcelain is made from clay, while this appears to be glass ("milk glass").

you are correct sir.
it's been many years.

 

[Chilli]

View attachment 2206314​

Bottle Vitals​

	Date	Color	Shape	Size (Height x Diameter)	Value*
Larkin Cold Cream	1880s	White	Round (cylindrical)	1.75" x 2.25"	$20.00

Bottle Views (click to enlarge):

Front	Back	Side	Side	Bottom	Top/Lid
View attachment 2206314	View attachment 2206315	View attachment 2206316	View attachment 2206317	View attachment 2206313	View attachment 2206318 (NOT my photo **)
				Larkin Co Buffalo	Larkin Cold Cream Larkin Co Perfumers Buffalo

This bottle contained cold cream manufactured by the Larkin Soap Company in Buffalo, New York. The company started in 1875 and rapidly expanded into a major nationwide business. The company became a tourist destination in Buffalo, and they even had their own exhibit at the Pan-American Expo in 1901, where their products earned two gold medals, one silver, and three bronze.

View attachment 2206310

The company built its business on direct-to-consumer marketing, but also encouraging the customers to recommend and re-sell the products, an idea akin to the network marketing concept.

View attachment 2206311

The company reorganized in 1892 and encouraged the public to invest in stocks, an investment that offered a guaranteed four percent dividend every six months, as well as a box of the company's products for each share bought. Shares were $10 each, the equivalent of $250 in 2025 dollars.

View attachment 2206312

This particular bottle is one of their early products, a Larkin branded cold cream. They offered other cold creams under the Modjeska brand, and all would have had a similar purpose. It was intended as a general skin treatment for dry or chapped skin or other minor skin irritations.

** The specimen shown did not have a lid. The lid is from an example I found on eBay, and is included to show what it would have looked like. I do not have any portion of the lid for this product.

* Value is based on eBay listings at the time of posting. Value varies with condition (and whether or not it had a lid).

That's one freaky looking baby there in the Christmas box add.

 

[DizzyDigger]

That's one freaky looking baby there in the Christmas box add.

No kidding...thought much the same myself. Guess that's what Churchill looked like as a baby...