My Pharmaceutical Collection

I've finally got my pharmaceutical collection into some form of order. At least the best stuff is all displayed together with the overflow stored in my stationary cupboard close by. I'm using the display stand that I made for my recent club show to house all my dispensing bottles (and a bit more). It's always nice to see a collection come together in a display.

Large Pink Drug Jar

I was very fortunate to be able to pick up three very nice items for my pharmaceutical collection at our Morayfield show three weeks ago. The first one I bought from my friends stall on the Friday night when we were setting everything up. It is a very large pink ceramic drug jar (about 27cm tall and 17cm in diameter).

The jar is in excellent condition with only some crazing to the glaze as can be expected on a ceramic item of its age (probably c.1900 or maybe earlier). Most of these jars have quite a few chips around the rims and have damaged handles to the lid. The only thing that would have made this jar more desirable would have been an appropriate pharmaceutical label. I was told that my friend used to keep cat food in this jar. Originally it would most likely have been used to store pharmaceutical ingredients used in the preparation of medicines. The large size and bright colour of this jar could also indicate that it was intended for display purposes in the pharmacy window. Pharmacists would often have a colourful display of large containers in their windows to attract customers and to make it obvious that it was a pharmacy.

The large pink drug jar shown beside the my largest dispensing bottle. 

The next item from the show was another drug jar bought from the same friend on the Saturday of the show. This one is a little more modest in colour, design and size. It is white and only about 15cm tall and 9cm in diameter but it does have a good paper label. The label reads "Oleum Anisi" which is Oil of Anise. You can read about Oil of Anise here. This jar is also in excellent condition.

White Drug Jar

Unknown manufacturers mark (possibly German) on the base of the white drug jar.
The number 2 probably refers to the size of the jar.

The third item that I bought from the show for my pharmaceutical collection was a Sloan's Liniment bottle with its original box.

This bottle is not particularly old (probably from the 1940s) but does have great graphics and lots of cool information on the box and label. It also has a strongly embossed star pattern on the rear of the bottle. These patterns were to warn the handler that they had picked up a bottle that contained poison. So when you got up late at night to get something for the headache you had, you would immediately know you had picked up the wrong bottle. It also has the AGM mark embossed on the base. The particular mark on this bottle was used by the company 'Australian Glass Manufacturers' from 1934 to 1948. You can read more about Dr. Earl Sawer Sloan here.

Another recent addition to my pharmaceutical collection is this cedar test tube stand pictured below. I found this in a local antique shop a few months ago. It is constructed entirely of Australian Red Cedar and I just love it. It has a few stains (actually some look like burn marks) but these just add character. This stand may or may not have been used in a pharmacy but looks right at home with my collection. If it didn't actually come from a pharmacy, it may have been used in a chemist's laboratory or even a school laboratory. I don't have any test tubes for it yet but they shouldn't be too hard to find. Anyone out there have a few they want to get rid of? The bottles didn't come with it either but it just so happened that I had a few that kind of look OK.

The stand is very well made. Who ever made it even took care to set the brass screws (align all the screw slots). This is always a sign of a good craftsman. The green felt is rather worn in places but looks original.

 I wonder what else is waiting out there for me to discover and add to my collection?

2012 Queensland Historical Bottle & Collectables Club Show

It's been a very busy last few months as preparations were under way for last weekend's Antique and Collectables Fair at Morayfield. It was the Queensland Historical Bottle and Collectables Club's, my home club,  annual show. Now it's all over for the year I will try to catch up on adding some new posts to my blog. This first post being about the show.

The show opened to the public at 9am and closed at 4pm. I believe that over 700 people visited the show this year. Overall, it was great success and a credit to all who were involved.

I entered four displays again this year and won three first places and one second place. Nice to know my efforts were appreciated. Below are the photos of my displays.

American Nursing Bottles display (1st place in the Nursery Bottle category)

 I always like to do a baby feeder display as they are one of my favourite things to collect. I usually do a general display covering the development of baby feeders over the past 150 years. This time, just to be a little different, I decided to focus only on American Nursing Bottles as I had enough for a 15 bottle display. I was fortunate enough to recently acquire a couple of very early nursers (the Americans tend to call their baby feeders - nursers) and these were featured in my display.

Dispensing Department display (1st place in the Pharmacy Bottle category)

Another favourite area of mine to collect is Pharmaceutical Items. Last year I put on a general display of pharmaceutical items but this year I concentrated on the pharmacist's dispensing bottles. I built a special display case for them. The idea for the sign 'Dispensing Department' came from looking at old pharmacy photos. The dispensing bottles (or chemist rounds as they are known) were always lined up on shelves under such a sign. This display also gave me the perfect opportunity to display my Pharmacy Prescription Ledger that I featured in an earlier blog.

Vintage Games & Toys display (1st place in the Games & Toys category)

I have enjoyed collecting vintage games over the past couple of years. I found the early Monopoly set at Collectorama and the Buccaneer game at the Caloundra show last year. The Schuco ferrari, Dinky crane and Donald Duck ramp walker are all my own toys from my childhood. I had hoped to display a tin of Ezy-Bilt and a box of Bilda-brix but they took up too much room. Maybe they will turn up on a future display.

Sir Walter Scott Miniature Bookcase of Waverley Novels display
(2nd place in the Single Collectable with Written History category)

This miniature set of books has always been a favourite of mine. I just had to show them. They also feature in an earlier blog.

Karen and I also had a stall at this show selling collectables and some other odd bits and pieces. We actually made more money from the stall than I managed to spend on the day. My purchases will feature in a future blog. Below are some photos of me sitting at my table of goodies just waiting for someone to come along and buy them.

Waiting for the buyers to come along

Potential buyers? Afraid not! Just my children and grandsons come to see grandpa. I really appreciated their visit even if they didn't buy anything (my daughter actually went away with a few freebies).

Me again waiting for a passionate Coke collector to come along and buy all of my Coke memorabillia.

Below are some photos of what I believe were some of the best and most interesting displays of the show. Hope you enjoy them.

A great display of Matchbox Cars. Every car, 1 -75, are featured on the stand at the top of the display.

Carter's Ink bottle display. This display belongs to a friend of mine. He really does have some fantastic blue inks.

Baby and Invalid Feeder display by another friend and member of the club. Some hard to get feeders among this lot.

More of my friends Baby Feeders. Quite a few here that I would love to add to my own collection.

Nice display of Coloured Soda Syphons. You don't often get the opportunity to see so many beautiful coloured syphons together like this.

This Favourite 5 Collectables display belongs to another friend of mine. The sailor's sweetheart shell and the carved silky oak panel are amazing. The Stones Corner pot is also another beautiful and rare piece.

Kitchenalia display owned by another friend. I didn't enter this category this year although kitchenalia is one of my main collecting areas. I did however manage to buy a piece at the show to add to my collection.

Millitaria display owned by yet another friend. He has been collecting millitaria for many years and has  managed to put together an amazing collection of items.

Some more of his collection. This time it's Trench Art. Items made by the soldiers while still at war and also soon afterwards out of old millitary shells and other discarded pieces.

An amazing display of Early Australian Convict Relics. Quite macabre but fascinating.  Where on earth did they manage to get the condemned prisoner's hood from? Can't imagine there would be too many of them around.

Miniature Earthen Ware Pipe Display. This is another great display of hard to get items.

I am already looking forward to next years show. Until then, I will keep on searching for those elusive treasures to add to my collections. Who knows what we will see on display next year.