Cottle Post & Co.

Probably my favorite blob top soda is the Cottle Post & Co. from Portland. These date from the 1879-84 time period, and are very popular due to the pretty colors they were blown in, and of course the embossed "Phoenix' in the embossing pattern. These are normally found in teal shades, from light, to a dark almost "Palmer green". Occasionally, an amber example turns up, but they are considered vary rare in this color. I can account for 7-10 in collections, and several are damaged. Due to the elaborate embossing, and typical usage, the embossing is prone to wear. The theory is that the amber specimens contained cider, where the teal examples held soda or mineral water. The amber western blobs in amber coloration ( Eastern Cider, Crystal ) are cider. This must not have been as popular as hoped, as these amber blobs are rare with the Eastern Cider being more plentiful. Every amber Cottle Post I have seen is the exact same darker amber with none being seen in a light yellow, or olive tone to my knowledge.

The Los Angeles Trio

Finally, a free moment to post L.A.'s three blobs. My research has one, John Moran, Sr. of Los Angeles, trying his hand at soda waters in the early 1860's. A product he sold for two bits a bottle from his vineyard(unembossed). But in a city full of saloons, prostitutes, banditos, and vigilantes, his soda water was too "soft" a drink to find much favor. Little was done to establish the soda water trade until 1867, when Henry Stoll, a German immigrant, arrived to organize the Los Angeles Soda Water Works. The mis-spelt "Los Angelos" bottle (ca.1873, L.A.'s first embossed soda) was Henry's embarrassment, and he had them distributed to the nearby Chinese railroad camps, and the German village of Anaheim. I understand mine is the only one without damage! He then quickly wired San Francisco to correct the mistake the "other" glasshouse made. It was just about that same time that the boys at Excelsior Soda & Mineral Water Factory in Los Angeles were coming into their own, and rode Henry's coat-tails by saving the money it would take for an original mold of their own... Or visa-versa. Hard to say unless you were there. Their bottle is the same mold as Henry's second run, instead putting "Excelsior" where Henry has "Los Angeles." These are my examples - enjoy!

"Cross" Soda

Over the years, I have picked up a number of early pontiled western sodas. I prefer the uncleaned even if "scummy" examples over the tumbled specimens. These bottles are Gold Rush artifacts which represent some of the most wild times in our nation's history.

Here is one which remains a mystery to me. There is the mindset that these pontiled blobs contained holy water, but many believe that this was simply a soda or mineral water which may have focused on the lonely faith based miner as it's target market. I believe these are mainly found in the Sierra foothills, but would be very interested to learn more about this bottle. Does anyone know who sold these, or have any more information in addition to Markota's research?

Western Distributed Soda’s

Hi Lance,

Thought I would send along a few pictures of some early soda’s that were distributed to the gold rush camps here in Sierra County.

 Almost all of the early soda distributers that were located on the west coast had their bottles manufactured on the east coast and shipped to their “depots” here in California.

The early gold rush era camps of Sierra County had a ferocious appetite for any type of manufactured goods that could be packed into the remote areas that were being mined and that included the popular brands of soda water bottled in Sacramento, Marysville and San Francisco.



Western distributed soda's recovered from Sierra County



Two Lancaster variants

Iron pontil base



Iron pontil base













Although I do not collect soda's "per say" I do collect gold rush era bottles that I have recovered from Sierra County.
I sure enjoy following your soda site Lance........
rs

J. Monier

This is somewhat of a mystery bottle due to Jerome Monier being listed in San Francisco Directories in the late 1850s as a hair dresser, not a soda water manufacturer. As suggested in the Markota's book, "Western Blob Top Soda and Mineral Water Bottles" Monier could have maintained a short lived soda bottling business as a sideline. Regardless of his business interests the bottles do exist and we have Jerome to thank for that.

This cobalt example was dug from a downtown Sacramento privy a few years ago and now rests firmly in a Northern CA collection. It has a iron pontil and is simply embossed J. MONIER & CO/CL FR Na.

Recent Acquisition- B&G

The Canyonville, Oregon show had a wide variety of nice glass. I was fortunate to pick up this great example of a B&G San Francisco soda. This is one of those rare combinations of great condition ( never cleaned) and no wear on the lettering. The glass is pretty clean with the exception of some stain, but no etching or pitting. Combined with a huge top, and pristine pontil, this was a great find for me. This is a classic Gold Rush soda that is getting very hard to find in this condition.

soda bottoms

Mikes post on the trade mark painting of soda bottoms got me thinking about the early pontiled sodas sent west and refilled by whatever soda works could get their hands on the empties. Some sodas seem to lose their paint and their graphite on the bases being buried for 150 yrs while others can retain both their graphite and the paint. My experience with bottles dug in the gold country indicates a better survival rate of intact painted examples. Here are some from my collection. Cal 49er

Chase & Co's ad in SF Directory

The firm of Chase & Co placed a two page spread in LeCount and Strong's 1854 Directory of San Francisco. Frederick G. Chase opened his soda water manufactury in San Francisco, on Broadway near Kearny St in 1853. Later that same year he expanded his operations to include Stockton and Marysville. A.W.Cudworth was a partner in Chase & Co and assumed ownership in 1856 after buying out Chase.

As we all know, there were two different Chase & Co bottles. The green face plate embossed CHASE & Co/MINERAL WATER/SAN FRANCISCO/CAL. and the highly desired 3 cities version, CHASE & Co/MINERAL WATER/SAN FRANCISCO/STOCKTON/MARYSVILLE.

Painted Soda Bottoms As Trademarks

These trademarks are from 1861. Anyone ever dug one of these western soda's with the bottom paint still intact?
rs

Dirty old bottles

Here we have a "C&R" on the left and a C&K next to it. Casey and Kelly first opened their soda water manufacturing business in 1858, but this type of embossing doesn't show up until 1860/61. Prior to that it is believed that the "Sac Eagle" embossed bottles were used to contain their products.

The "C&R" bottle is believed to have been made for and used by a James Kelly, a usurper, who listed the address of 109 K St as his place of business. This was the location of the C&K Works, a place to which he had no connection. C&K were understandably ticked off about this blatant copycat and went about securing a trade mark on their bottles. They also moved their works to 107 K, distancing a bit further from James Kelly who understood the situation and disappeared from the Sacramento soda water scene.

The C&K bottles are quite common, but the "C&R" not so. Notice the size difference between to two bottles, with the C&K being somewhat larger than the other.

Some Gerdes Love....

Here is a recent find fresh from mother earth's grasp.  Being 10' underground didn't phase this soda at all which turned out to be a crude sparkler after a light muriatc bath.  Lying in the same layer were several other sodas, master inks, spices, blacks, and a mysterious neck to a pure green whiskey 5th with a monstrous drippy top.

Miscellaneous Sodas

Bay City Soda Water S.F.

Gold Rush Sided Sodas Continued...

M.R.

Here are three of the known types of bottle that contained Martin Rancich's soda waters. Another bottle marked simply MR & D exists, but not in my simple grouping.
I dug the blue examples on the left and right, but "silver picked" the green one. I have dug the green misspelled variety but for some unknown reason sold them off over the decades. One pit on 6th St in Sactown held 33 mint regular MRs and 2 green ones. Shame all that is long covered up by progress. It was good while it lasted but disappeared much faster than we neophytes thought it would.

Bremenkampf & Regli- Eureka, Nev.

I have always liked the early Nevada sodas. The W.S. Wright, G.P. Morrill, and Stephens and Jose to name a few. here is a nice blob from Eureka, Nevada. The Bremenkampf & Regli's seem to be pretty scarce, and this example has some nice swirls of green throughout, and slag particles along with trails of bubbles. I know some green examples exist also. Dale M.

2 Tone Owen Casey Blob Soda

Here is one of my favorite Owen Casey Blob Sodas, its a 2-Tone, medium cobalt blue in the body and a Dark Cobalt Blue Top. No it hasn't been played with, nuked, repaired, or used in a sacrificial bottle rite. My Buddy AT dug this in Sacramento years ago, its Soooo Awesome. I used to have 25 different color shades of these Owen Casey Sodas, now I am down to around 8 or 9 and this one. DB

Gold Rush Sided Sodas

Alright Lance, I like your motivation. I still have some sodas left, I do favor the unembossed sided iron pontil gold rush sodas. These are currently sitting on the boob tube right now, been awhile since I have been to add a different one to the group, I did sell an aqua (Double) one at the Los Angeles Bottle Show to a Limey who was taking it back to England for a friend of his. Rick, AKA. Doctor Barnes

Congrats On Your New Soda Site

Hey J.F. Cutter,


I just sold my western soda collection and now you're getting a site going. I'm not much of a blogger, soleagent can attest to that, but I'll try to support your efforts and enthusiasm. Will you allow an EC&M insulator collector who owns only 8 or 9 western sodas on your site?


Thanks Lance,
Denny Bray

Lynde & Putnam