The Miniature Bottle Collector

Tough Stuff

2005-12-05T18:21:00.000-08:00

In the world of miniature beer bottle collecting, it isn’t hard to pick up a Blatz, Schlitz or Pabst Blue Ribbon for your collection. Just do a quick search on ebay and you’ll know what I’m talking about. After you have been collecting these things for a while, it is not too hard to create a rather nice collection consisting of some moderately hard to find bottles such as Crystal Rock, Red Ribbon, Tip Top, Fehr’s, Manhattan, and many others. Once you have these bottles you’ll probably find yourself lusting for more! At that point, prepare to break out your checkbook, as the next level of toughies will tax your bank account. That assumes you will even have the chance to purchase one of these rarities!

Enter the elusive Manru Lager. This beauty is super tough and some consider it the pinnacle of the hobby. It is known to exist in all three common sizes of 4 ¼”, 4”, and 3”. Here we have the 3” version, affectionately known as a “stubby.” Manru Lager was brewed by the Schreiber Brewing Company of Buffalo, New York.

Our next toughie is a one-of-a-kind. Well, at least only one is known to exist at this point. Submitted for your approval is the Wholesome Beer, perhaps one of the most interesting mini beers to have surfaced in a long time. First, the label is decal, which makes it very hard to fake. Notice the size. This bottle stands an unusual 2 12” tall. After some rather extensive research, the verdict is this was a prototype bottle used to pitch the concept of putting your brand on a miniature bottle. The glass is Owens Illinois, much like many mini beers such as Ambrosia, Nectar, and Frederick’s 4-Crown (a very tough bottle in its own right). In fact, the color scheme of the Wholesome Beer is the same as the aforementioned minis. Next, the Internal Revenue Tax Paid statement dates the bottle somewhere between 1935 and 1940. The funny thing about this bottle is the Wholesome Brewing Company never existed. However, the unknown maker of this bottle went to great pains to get the content, alcohol percentage and IRTP statement accurate.

So, when you find yourself searching an antique store or more likely ebay, keep your eyes peeled for the tough stuff like these gems!

German Giveaways: A Porcelain Primer

2005-10-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

You may know these bottles under one of a variety of names: giveaways, German giveaways, German porcelains, nips, nippers, grotesques, etc. You're surely free to call them whatever you want; however, they were manufactured in Germany and many were produced by the firm of Schafer and Vater which began sometime from 1890 to 1896 and closed its doors possibly as late as 1962. These bottles though date from the 1890's to the 1920's, of that there seems to be general agreement among collectors. The bottles are found in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, but as of yet are unknown in Germany. They come in a variety of sizes from just a few inches to well over a foot. They are found in both high glaze and bisque and in multi-color, blue, brown, gray, and an occasional green. This time we will look at two brown and two blue.

There's really very little to tell as the bottles speak for themselves. Some of these will on the rarest of occasions be found with a paper label. More will be discovered to have the name of a bar or restaurant etched into the porcelain. It is the bars prior to prohibition which used them and have allowed us now to have some delightful collectibles.

Bars would use these as gifts and most often gave them away, usually at Christmas. If you were a habitual elbow-bender, you probably got the quart size with or without a music box base. Naturally this bottle was then filled with the bar's whiskey. If you were less of a regular attendee, you got a smaller size. For many of the styles, there were five different sizes! For our purposes though, these are the smallest size of each of these styles. Next time we'll look at some of the multi-colored ones.

What a Night!

2005-10-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

Those of you who collect the German porcelains or giveaway bottles are quite familiar with the larger flasks with the thermometers or Drinkometers as they are known on the bottles. The idea was to hold your thumb or forefinger against the bottom of the "thermometer" and you could measure how many drinks you could or should have OR had already imbibed. The man toasting, the doctor (docter sic), and the old man are the three commonly seen. This one is not at all well known and very seldom seen.

WHAT A NIGHT is a common slogan on these bottles and can be found on a short pocket flask as well as the figural already seen here in this site. This fellow definitely has had quite a night as the dancing bottles of gin, whisky and scotch attest. On the other side of the bottle we find the new thermometer which has replaced the original and the weather forecast. Just a guess, but could that forecast have anything to do with what the "weather" would be like when this fellow got home after his evening's tippling?

The Snake

2005-10-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

There are many different types of German giveaways. We have flasks both large and small, wonderful figurals with music box bases, clever characters doing "naughty" things and occasionally, something different. The snake bottle pictured here (yes, his head is the stopper) is seldom seen. In many respects, if you really think about it, the bottle is somewhat of a figural flask. He doesn't hold much so he probably wasn't too popular among the larger imbibers. BUT, he also comes in at least one other color (blue) so whoever produced him at least thought that much of him!

One of the Boys

2005-10-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

Not only is he "one of the boys", he's also one of the most popular of all German giveaways. This cadaverous fellow has been delighting collectors for almost a full century now. He's got his champagne class and the bottle is cooling in its ice underneath his bar stool. If you are fortunate enough to have him in your collection take a good look at his smile and you'll know why you enjoy bottle collecting.

Knock-off or Rip-off?

2005-09-27T19:29:00.000-07:00

Can you say rip-off? Through the years I've read many articles about shady, fly-bynight companies in various Third World countries which don't exactly counterfeit famous labels, but surely make them similar. I've seen pictures of imitation Johnnie Walker Red and Gordon's Gin; however, up to now I'd never seen a mini imitation.

This Martell knock off was produced in probably 1937 and was sold in Mexico. If you traveled down there or lived there, you just might grab this off the shelf and think you got the real thing. The company which produced it, Anglo Swiss Vintager, also made a great many tequilas, rums, and even a marvelous set of ceramics. This one though is certainly less anspicious.

It just goes to prove that imitation isn't necessarily the sincerest form of flattery!

Duboigalant

2005-08-14T19:38:00.000-07:00

Every now and then a set comes along that is quite special, for whatever the reason. This group of three bottles qualifies under a number of headings.

In France those who really know about this sort of thing will tell you that the cognacs of Duboigalant are among the finest ever made. This set of three in its wooden box consists of the V.S.O.P., the X.O. and the Tres Rare. It is not known if the set is actually sold in France or was just made as a special offering for Selfridge's Department Store in London; however, what is known is that it is a very expensive set. At £25 (approximately US $41), this group of three miniatures sells for more than many full size bottles. However, as we all know, quality (like taste) cannot be disputed. (Forget French, for you who remember your Latin, we'll just say "Qualitas non est disputantum".)

Pennypacker Sour Mash Kentucky Bourbon

2004-12-18T19:41:00.000-08:00

Here we have a new Pennypacker Sour Mash Kentucky Bourbon which, of course, comes to us from Germany. This is the third or fourth bottle/label which Pennypacker has issued down through the years. This one is distinguished because of the excellent embossing on both the front and back of the bottle. Interestingly enough, the contents are 0,041 or 40ml. It wouldn't even be legal to sell this Kentucky Bourbon in the U.S.

Flavored Vodkas from the U.S.S.R.

2004-11-18T19:43:00.000-08:00

Fellow collector John Sullivan in Northern California does a lot of business traveling and lucky guy that he is gets to spend a good deal of time in Siberia and some of the former countries of the U.S.S.R. Recently John returned with these two flavored vodkas from Mikulovice and Jesenikach. The Grapefruit is obvious but the other one appears to be a Peach vodka. I guess there have to be some perks if you go to Siberia!

Roma Port Wine

2003-10-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

What you're looking at here is a Captain's bottle produced by the Roma Wine Company of Lodi, California especially for the Southern Pacific Co. which operated the railroads used for many routes out west long before AMTRAK was ever envisioned. It's a faceted, well made bottle which is highly collectable for many reasons. My particular favorite though is the fact that the Roma Wine Company will not admit to ever having produced a miniature. (For all of you with Gallo bottles and/or jugs, it also will positively avow that they produced no miniatures.) So for all of you who collect Ports, old 1930's California bottles, or anything having to do with transportation, this one is a must!

What the Doctor Ordered

2002-11-18T20:29:00.000-08:00

Shown here are two of the versions of this popular bottle. Notice the color variations of her hat and stockings. Here is also one of the few bottles that spells "Doctor" correctly. The missing version shows our fair damsel (she's surely undistressed) with her leg up in the air and no feather on her hat. No matter which variety you have, count yourself fortunate.

Four Aces

2001-10-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

Back in the 1930's it was perfectly okay for a spirit of a particular type to be produced almost anywhere. This led to American Scotch, Canadian Bourbon, Mexican Cognac and probably a great many other odd combinations. It was only with the changing of international law in the late 1940's that we had to have our Cognac made only in France and our Scotch only from Scotland. Thus it was also true that Canada and Mexico could no longer make American-style bourbon.

The FOUR ACES or Cuatro Aces was a bourbon produced in Mexico in the late 1930's. There were several American and Canadian versions of Four Aces, but this is the only known one from Mexico. Notice how the neck label has the large "6". This was to make you think it was six years old, but that wasn't the case. It may have been "Aged in Wood" six months was probably more like it.

Indian Giveaways

2000-08-14T19:20:00.000-07:00

Let's look at a couple of multicolor German porcelains, or giveaways. This Indian with his peace pipe and rifle is highly sought by both bottle collectors and antique porcelain collectors. The use of color on those two decanters is some of the most interesting work to be found on this type of bottle. Thankfully you're able to see this in color. These two were no doubt produced in the early years of this century. It is extremely good fortune that they have survived. The small version in white is not an exact replica of the larger bottle. Note the right arm and hand which hold the rifle and, of course, the coloring. The small bottle is 4 3/4 inches tall while the larger one is an 8 inch size. A 9 1/2 inch size is also know No doubt there is at least one more size variation Next time we'll talk about why they're called "giveaways". And we'll look at a couple of baseball players.

Glenfiddich Wedgwood

1999-12-05T20:15:00.000-08:00

This is the Glenfiddich Wedgwood Jasperware Stag bottle. Originally produced in the late 1980's in the large size, it was sold in a few U.S. markets before becoming a staple of the duty free shops. As the years rolled by, the price of the piece crept upward to around $500. Because it was so attractive and sold to Wedgwood and bottle collectors alike, Glenfiddich decided to add a miniature version in the early 1990's. This was for sale only at the distillery in Dufftown, Banffshire, Scotland. It proved to be quite successful and has sold now for several years. Due to dollar-pound fluctuations, it was priced at between $80 and $100 depending on the finicky monetary exchange. All good things must come to an end though and Glenfiddich has decided to stop marketing both sizes of the Wedgwood Stag bottle. A few of the large size may be found in an out of the way duty free store, but the miniatures will have to come from a collector.

Johnnie Walker Scotch

1998-06-18T19:59:00.000-07:00

While we're in the scotch category, let's look at the Johnnie Walker Gold Label, aged 18 years. This has been on the market in both large and miniature size for only a few months and while the 750ml bottle is in quite a few areas, the mini is found in very few places: Chicago, New Jersey, and coming to California. Two interesting facts...it's one third less expensive here in the U.S. than in the U.K. AND this is a different Gold Label than the one first issued in Japan in 1994 for St. Valentine's Day. That bottle was a 15 year old which may still be found in Johnnie Walker sets (which also includes the Red, Black, Cardhu Malt, and Johnnie Walker Scotch Liqueur).

Murano Glass: Real Italian Beauties

1998-05-18T20:14:00.000-07:00

If you travel to Venice to gaze at the art, ride the gondolas through the canals, and bask in the sun with an espresso at St. Mark's Square, you're going to have a great time. However, if you also take a little side trip to the island of Murano, you'll have an even better vacation. Murano Glass is known throughout the world. The glass blowers there have perfected an art seldom seen elsewhere. From the tiniest swan candy container to the largest animals and vases, you'll undoubtedly come away with a treasure. And it's treasures we're showing you here. These Murano Glass vases were blown and the flowers applied along with the 22k gold. They were then filled with Gran Liquore della Certosa and corked. (The liqueur comes from a company in the suburbs of Firenze (Florence.) These bottles were then sold for a very short time in the 1970's. Others which we can look at in the future were done with silver inlay. You may be asking why show these bottles which are so difficult to obtain today. The answer is that there is much more to miniature glass liquor bottles than those found on the airlines! These Murano pieces are but four of a huge variety of beautiful glass bottles made solely for the purpose of sampling liquor!

Grappa

1998-02-18T20:04:00.000-08:00

Finally we travel down to Italy for a pair of Grappa bottles, one of which has just about the prettiest label to be seen in years. Of course, it's the Bellangelo which is referred to. That little cherub presiding over the village scene is a most impressive label. It's as colorful as its companion, Grappa Villa Massari, is drab. But both bottles are much more intriguing because of their shape and size. Pudgy and only about three inches high make for two characteristics unseen in mini bottles.

Signatory Scotch

1997-12-18T19:56:00.000-08:00

There's always something new under the sun. If you're out and about, you'll no doubt have some good luck in finding new bottles because they're coming into the marketplace with great regularity. What makes it even more fun is that you won't always find the same bottles in different parts of the country. Let's look at some recent additions to liquor store shelves. The two sets are from Signatory in the United Kingdom. Signatory is one of the companies which bottles aged scotches from a variety of distilleries. Previously Signatory miniatures have only been available in Great Britain and Scotland, but now these two sets are available in New Jersey and other areas. Don't look for bargains because aged scotches are expensive, but you'll also find quality for that higher price tag. The first box shows a pair of scotches with a shot glass which has the Signatory barrel logo silk-screened on one side. This pair consists of 1982 Single Islay Malt Scotch which was distilled at the Port Ellen Distillery and a 1984 Single Highland Malt from the Linkwood Distillery. The box of four contains scotches which have been aged for a much longer period of time. The oldest is the 1975 Highland Park, next comes the 1976 Tomatin (pronounced Toe-mah-tin), followed by the 1978 Glen Mhor, and finally the 1979 Dufftown. What makes these miniatures unusual from their U.K. counterparts is that none of these is numbered. The Signatory bottles sold in the U.K. have all been given a specific number and you always know exactly how many are bottled.

Marks & Spencer

1997-11-20T13:46:00.000-08:00

Take a look at the 1997 Christmas releases from Marks and Spencer in the U.K. Each Christmas season the department store produces a number of bottles among which are scotches, ports and creams. Shown here are the two new Cream bottles released under their St. Michael brand. Actually the types aren't new, they've been done before. It's just the label which are new this time. Anyway we have the Irish Cream Liqueur and the Chocolate Cream Liqueur. Included with each of these bottles are some wonderful chocolates with liqueur centers. Now why can't we have something like that in the U.S.?

Sheridan's Black and White

1997-08-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

One of the great success stories in liqueurs of this or any decade has been the Sheridan's Black and White. Introduced a relatively short time ago, this coffee and vanilla liqueur has outsold many of its better known competitors. The question to mini collectors though was when, if ever, would there be a mini Sheridan's. The answer, to a degree, came in the summer of 1995. The presentation shown here was attached to the neck of the larger bottles and sold for a short time in England. It was clever, it was cute, and it was in plastic. In all probability it would not have sold well if issued like this. As a sample, it did its job, but for collectors, it was a definite thumbs down. Take heart! If at first you don't succeed...and all that. This year the Irish producer promises to issue a glass version. Obviously they've done their homework and know how many thousands (millions?) of miniature Bailey's are consumed each year. Possibly a great many people in Dublin live much better lives from the amount of Bailey's minis just poured by the airlines. Be on the watch this summer. You'll be able to add a most unique miniature to your collection.

Capucello

1996-04-18T20:01:00.000-07:00

Just a short voyage from the U.K. to Holland for our next bottle. This Dutch Capucello is a Cappuccino Liqueur imported in 1995 and found first in central Florida. If this test market is successful, you can expect a big roll out of this mini and its 750ml big brother. With the success of so many coffee bars today, this one would seem to be a natural.