Warner’s Safe Errors: Left Hand Safe

When you use as many bottles as H. H. Warner did for the marketing of his Safe Remedies, especially his Kidney & Liver Cure, you are bound to have some that slip through that contain errors. Warner was no exception and there are some classic error bottles that appear from time to time. Perhaps the most well-know of these “errors” is the so-called Left Hand Safe. In 1974, Seeliger reported that bottle appeared in both a double collar and blob version and was “[p]robably the most common embossing error appearing on Warner bottles. Several batches were made with safe hinges on the left side of bottle.”

Not being an expert in bottle manufacturing, I can’t tell you exactly what happened to cause this; however, the easy explanation would be that the mold was simply assembled incorrectly with the Safe facing the wrong direction. At some point, the error was noticed and corrected, but some of the error bottles made their way to Rochester and were filled and distributed to the public.

When I first started collecting Warner’s in the mid-1970′s, you would see these Left Hand Safe bottles with some regularity and they regularly sold in the $50-$60 range. In more recent years, these bottles show up less frequently and typically command prices in the $150-$200 range. Without question, these Warner’s bottles are very desirable and deserve a place in any Warner’s collection. If nothing else, they are a novelty. If anyone has more information on how this error occurred, please let me know and I’ll add it. In the meantime, keep looking for those Left Hand Safes.

 

Warner’s Collector Profile: Dave Kyle

I am not sure when I first met Dave, but it was either at the Baltimore Bottle Show or at the great Warner’s Safe Exhbit at the Genesee Valley Show back in April, 2001. In any event, Dave assembled a great Warner’s Safe collection in a relatively short amount of time. Unlike some of us slowpokes who have been at this for 30 years, Dave didn’t get his first Warner’s Safe until 1992.  In the succeeding years, Dave amassed a great collection including a number of one-of-a-kinds. He also served as a source for Ed Ojea and Jack Stecher in the compilation of their book. Since then, Dave has sold off his Warner’s collection in favor of a new passion, figural bitters. Nevertheless, I wanted him to shed light on collecting Warner’s and coaxed him into answering the same questions I put to Jack Stecher earler.  Without further ado, here is what Dave said:

1.    When did you first start collecting Warner’s Safe bottles?

       July of 1992

 

2.    Why?

       Was quite Impressed with the embossing, configuration, and the variety of their colors and Cities.

 

3.    What was the first Warner’s Safe bottle that you added to your collection?

       Safe Kidney &Liver Cure—- What else??

 

4.    What is the last Warner’s Safe bottle that you added to your collection?

        8/14/04  Yellow “Tippecanoe” Sold to me by Jack Stecher

 

5.    Out of the Warner’s Safe bottles that you own or have owned, which was your favorite and why?

       Has to be the full Labeled Pressburg Safe Cure—It was the ONLY one known

 

6.    Is there a Warner’s Safe bottle that you always wanted, but were never able to add to your collection?  If yes, which one?

       The Pint Aqua London Safe Cure–Didn’t have the $ 2600 at the time-[someone] did though!!

 

 7.    Apart from Warner’s Safe bottles, is there another piece of Warner’s advertising or paper that is your favorite? If yes, what is it?

       The large “Repo” “Safe Nervine” Woman stabbing the tiger

 

8.    What’s your best story (or stories if you have more than one) about getting a Warner’s Safe bottle?  The more details, the better.

       The above mentioned labeled Pressburg,as my contact In Germany had told me about an old country man, who bought this bottle years ago in Vienna. He knew nothing about the rarity of this bottle,he bought It cause he thought It was a “neat bottle”. My contact did know the value of this bottle,but could not budge the old man to sell. This went on for years ,and fortunately for me, my timing was superb, as finally the old man did sell to the contact ,and he, in turn, sold it to me.

 

9.    If H. H. Warner were still alive and you could interview him, what questions would be at the top of your list?

       Did you alone dream up the design of your bottles, or were there others involved? Was your Bright’s  Disease REALLY cured by your medicine, or was the alcohol affect enough to make you forget the Bright’s?

 

10.  Other than Warner’s Safe bottles, what is your favorite bottle or bottles? Why?

       My favorite category of bottles are figural Bitter’s.They are beautifully configured, stunning colors and their re-sale potential is quite good. Plus the interest in these bottles is tremendous, with many people involved.

 

 

11.  What’s the best way to encourage young bottle collectors to develop an interest in Warner’s Safe bottles?

        I would say to young people, join a Bottle Club, go to shows, get reference books ,follow bottle auctions even if you can’t afford to bid on anything, get In touch with the hard core “Warner” collectors.

 

Warner’s Safe Cure: Animal Cures

If you are a serious Warner’s collector, you will likely remember the first time that you actually laid eyes on an Animal Cure. I had collected Warner’s on and off for over two decades before I actually held one in my hands. I had read about them in Mike Seeliger’s book, where he says

“[p]robably the rarest Warner presently known. Only two green ones are known to exist.”

H. H. Warner: His Company & His Bottles at 20. That was in 1974.  In the intervening 34 years, more Animal Cures have surfaced, but they are far from common. Indeed, depending on color, they generally sell for between $900 and $1800+. I know of two labelled Animal Cures that exist (one with the contents). Needless to say, the price for the labelled ones would be exceedingly high, assuming they ever go up for sale, but don’t hold your breath.

The Animal Cure itself is a fascinating bottle. Americans refer to it an the Animal Cure, while the Brits apparently all it a Mammoth Cure. Its 40 ounce size makes it stand head and shoulders above the average Safe Cure pint. It appears in various shades of green and amber in the London variety and various shades of amber in the 3-City variety. It is unclear as to whether there was actually a difference between the ingredients of the Safe Cure for humans and that for animals, although the labelled Animal Cures state plainly as the bottom “To Be Used for Animals Only,” which implies that it would be unfit for humans. Indeed, a page in both 1887 Warner’s Artists Albums is devoted to the Animal Cure. It states in part:

“Warner’s Safe Cure for Animals” is a special preparation for animal use, and should not be used by mankind. For all ordinary troubles, liver and blood disorders, proceeding from mal-assimilation of food and imperfect action of the kidneys and liver, it is a specific. It is put up in very large bottles, and sells for $1.25 per bottle. It has been used in many cases with most signal success, and many thousands of dollars of horse-flesh alone has been saved by the timely use of this great remedy.

Warner’s Artist Album (1887) (see above). The scarcity of Animal Cure bottles suggests that it may not have been as popular for use with livestock as it was with humans. Nevertheless, Animal Cures provide a wonderful addition to any Warner’s collection.

 Photos courtesy of Ed Ojea and Jack Stecher.

The Rise and Fall of the Warner Empire: Going Public and the Panic of 1893 (Part VI)

By the late 1880′s, Warner had decided that he could leverage the assets of his Safe Cure company by offering shares of it for purchase by the public. Atwater notes that Warner initially proposed a stock sale to employees, but the plan was not executed. In August, 1889, Warner sold the Company to an English syndicate, which incorporated as the H. H. Warner & Co., Ltd. with an initial public offering  of 20,000 shares of preferred stock and 35,000 shares of common stock at par $48.50 per share. The reaction was immediate and the shares were subscribed within a day of their offering.

Seeing the opportunity to secure a short term profit, Warner asked for and secured options from brokers to buy the stock in two weeks at a considerable increase over par. He then went into the market and began buying up shares, driving up the price. When the options became due, Warner had most of the stock, which forced the brokers to buy shares back from him at $250 per share in order to honor the options. When the dust settled, Warner had made several hundred thousand dollars, some 80% of the stock and the title of managing director for five years. Despite this apparent triumph, the public sale of the Company was the beginning of a slide into insolvency.

Warner began to spend less and less time attending to the management of the Safe Cure company and more delving into mining speculation. In the 1892 edition of the Safe Cure Almanac entitled “Law – State & National,” (pictured above) Warner offered his own shares of stock in the H. H. Warner & Co. Ltd for sale, including 4000 shares of preferred and 2000 shares of common stock. In one of the inserts entitled “Notice to Subscribers,” Warner used the same pitch that had worked so well in marketing medicine to the public:

There are millions of patrons of Warner’s Safe Remedies who have but few opportunities to invest their earnings in a live industrial enterprise where they will be safe, and at the same time afford them an assured and high rate of interest….

It would appear that Warner’s grandiose claims regarding the potential earnings from stock never materialized. On February 20, 1893, the American securities market crashed and the Panic of 1893 ensued. He was unable to meet his debts or those of  Arthur G. Yates (on which he had signed off). Although he attempted to satisfy his creditors with shares of stock in H. H. Warner & Co. Ltd., those who declined the offer forced him to assign his assets to a referee, which he did on May 8, 1893.

For the man to whom success had seemed to come so naturally, such an end was both surprising and disappointing. It was not, however, the end of his patent medicine business, which continued well into the 20th Century.

 

Warner’s Safe Cure: Free Samples!

The power of distributing free samples of your product was not lost on Warner. Few patent medicine proprietors did a better job of getting their product into the homes of potential consumers. When Warner opened his new headquarters building at 72-78 St. Paul Street in Rochester, he devoted an entire floor of it to advertising and marketing his product. (See The Warner’s Safe Cure Building).

The free sample bottles you most often see ar the cylindrical bottles embossed “Free Sample/Warner’s Safe Cure Co./Rochester, N.Y.” The much rarer variety are those embossed “Free Sample/Warner’s Safe Remedy Co./Rochester, N.Y.” and those with labels or mailing containers are almost unheard of. I have attached the free sample card distributed by Warner to potential customers. As you can see, this card, which was probably obtained from druggists or grocers, allowed a customer to send off for a free sample and provided a list of the Warner’s Safe product line on the reverse of the card. Because the card required that the customer fill out, cut off and mail the bottom portion, they often show up with the bottom missing. The complete cards are much scarcer.

If you look at the reverse of the card with the list of the warner product line, you will see that the free sample promised was not the small cylindrical bottle, but rather an 8 oz (1/2 pint) size. As many times as I have looked at these cards,  I had missed that detail. I would assume that the cylindrical bottles were simply distributed to druggists and grocers for in-store distribution.

There are also free samples of Safe Cure from the London office. These are pretty rare (especially the green). They are intriguing because they are miniature versions of the Safe Cure bottle. He also gave away free samples of the Safe Yeast. Looks like free stuff paid dividends for Mr. Warner.

Thanks to Ed Ojea and Jack Stecher for the last photo.

The Warner Observatory – Part I

There is little doubt that Warner’s ability to market his product accounts for his great success. He missed few opportunities to pitch his Safe Remedies to the public and to cloke them with the air of legitimacy. Perhaps one of his successful efforts in that regard was his sponsorship of the Warner Observatory and its principal scientist, Dr. Lewis Swift (pictured above). Warner was introduced to Dr. Swift prior to launching his patent medicine line in 1879. Dr. Swift had won gold medals from the Imperial Academy of Sciences in Vienna for his discovery of comets. Feeling that his astronomical efforts were not appreciated in Rochester, Dr. Swift was ready to pack it in and move west to Colorado when Warner intervened.

Dr. Swift or “Professor” Swift, as he became known, was born in 1820 in Clarkson, New York. Handicapped by a childhood accident, Swift devoted his time to the study of astronomy. It appears that his titles were honorary and not the result of the award of any advanced degrees. Indeed, he was an astronomer by avocation only and the operator of a hardware store vocationally. However, his sightings of previously undiscovered comets elevated his reputation and enabled him to give lectures. His notoriety allowed him to begin the process of raising money for an observatory in Rochester.

Warner assured the “famous comet finder” that if Swift could raise the money to purchase a large telescope, Warner would furnish a place to put it. The original estimate for construction of the Observatory was $20,000. Dr. Swift was able to fulfill his part of the bargain and a 16-inch refractor telescope was ordered from Alvan Clark & Son in Massachusetts. Ultimately, the Observatory cost Warner $100,000 and was constructed of white Lockport sandstone and appointed with rare native hardwoods. The plans for the Observatory also called for an astronomical library, astronomical equipment and a residential space for Dr. Swift and his family.

But what did Warner get for his investment? More to come.

Warner’s Safe Yeast

I think it’s safe to say that most of us associate yeast with baking bread or some other culinary endeavor and not with medicine. Although I have no figures to back this up, I would venture to say that second only to advertising related to his Safe Cure, Warner featured his Safe Yeast, which, according to him possessed medicinal qualities. Mike Seeliger has opined that Safe Yeast was Warner’s largest seller.

Warner’s Safe Yeast hit the market in  about 1885. It was packaged initially in a cylindrical container in a large and small size. After April 1, 1890, the packaging changed to square container. The product retailed for 10 cents per package. Unfortunately for collectors, the Safe Yeast product was packaged in a cardboard container rather than glass bottles, which accounts for the relative rarity of Safe Yeast containers available. I have attached an image of an invoice for the purchase of Safe Yeast dated May 28, 1887. The description of the product is worthy of note:

1 Case containing 1 doz. boxes large size and 1/2 doz. boxes small size of Warner’s Safe Yeast. Each case also contains sample packages of two (2) cakes each for free distribution for all of which we make no charge. Future supplies of Warner’s Safe Yeast can be obtained from any Wholesale Grocer in cases of 3 doz. boxes of both large and small sizes at $1.75 and $1.00 per case, respectively.

Warner’s Safe Yeast Co.

Officially, Safe Yeast was manufactured and distributed by the Waner’s Safe Yeast Company, which, conveniently, was located in the same building as the Warner’s Safe Cure business. However, some advertising refers to the building as the Warner’s Safe Yeast Building.

Warner was clearly a pioneer in the “proof of purchase” marketing business. Depending on which ad your read, cutting out and sending 10 front package covers featuring the safe and 10 two cent stamps or 15 top covers plus the same postage entitled the sender to a copy of the Warner’s Safe Cookbook that included 500 pages of the “choicest recipes, all tested and tried by experts, who pronounce them the ‘best’”. The Warner’s Safe Cookbook went through a number of editions and many survive to this day, demonstrating the popularity of the promotion.

Warner’s Safe Cure: Tippecanoe Bitters?

In 1883, Warner introduced a new product to replace his bitters line (Safe Tonic, Safe Bitters and Safe Tonic Bitters) that had come into being when he launched his patent medicine business. Although the distinct figural log bottle reveals no product difference, labelled versions suggest that Tippecanoe came in two grades: “XXX Bitters” and “The Best.” But why? Why take an established bitters line off the market and replace it with an unknown? Why two grades?

These are questions that may not have clear answers. Mark McDonald has suggested that Warner introduced the XXX Bitters first and later dropped the word “Bitters” from the label. Indeed, a close inspection of the XXX Bitters label reveals the following statement “Use No Nostrums or Preparations Called” followed by the word “Bitters,” which suggests a rebuke of bitters. Mark also suggests that Tippecanoe was introduced to create a clearly trademarked product, perhaps to compete with the Hop Bitters product marketed by fellow Rochesterian, Asa T. Soule.

Whatever the motivation, the product was principally (about 99%) rum for at least part of its existence. That existence likely spanned into the 20th Century. Although it was originally believed that Tippecanoe vanished from the market about 1895, at least one labelled version makes specific reference to the 1906 legislation enacted to limit the expansive claims of patent medicine hucksters. That label states in part:

Contains ethyl alcohol, 23 per cent. Guaranteed under the Food and Drug Act June 30, 1906. Serial No. 5017.

 In the end, collectors love the Tippecanoe bottle, because of its uniqueness and not because of what it contained. The majority of Tippecanoe bottles are found in the familiar amber with a prized few in green (which multiply their value considerably). Reports of a clear variety have never been confirmed. Some Tippecanoes also can be found with mold errors which misspell the word Rochester as either “Rochestr” or “Rocheter” and are also more scarce.

The Tippecane product was heavily advertised by Warner and appeared in his almanacs and other publications, including the Artists Album pictured above. Advertising signs also have been found in three varieties, including the one pictured above for “Bilious Headache/Blood Disorders.”  They provide an interesting diversion from the Safe Remedies for which Warner was best known.

Warner’s Safe Cure: The “A” Lists

About three weeks ago, I proposed putting together a list of the Top 10 Warner’s and solicited the thoughts of collectors. (See The Rarest Warner’s posted April 10, 2008). Although no one went on record with comments,  I got a few back channel lists, which gave me some pause to wonder if it is possible to come up with a fair Top 10.

The lists I got suggested that there is general agreement on the rarity of a number of Warner’s bottles based, not surprisingly, on the difficulty in acquiring them. However, the lists don’t completely coincide with each other or with my own list. Consequently, I think the best way for me to approach this is to highlight the rarest Warner’s without assigning them a numerical value. In the end, it is the independent judgment of each collector that counts. Here, in no particular order, are what I consider to be the “hardest gets” among Warner’s. The first list is bottles, then labelled bottles, and finally mold errors or non-bottles:

Bottles:

London Safe Cure Pint and Half Pint in Aqua

Frankfurt Nervine Pint in Amber

Pressburg Diabetes Cure Pint in Amber

London Safe Compound (5 1/2″ strap sided) in Amber

Tippecanoe in Green only

Four Cities Rheumatic Cure Pint

Frankfurt Safe Cure Half Pint in Aqua or Amber

Three Cities Nervine Half Pint

Pressburg Safe Cure in Aqua

London Safe Cure Sample in Green

Rochester Rheumatic Remedy in Aqua only

London Rheumatic Cure in Green only

London Safe Nervine Half Pint in Aqua

Melbourne Safe Remedies Pint in Amber

Frankfurt Diabetes Cure Pint in Amber

Rochester Kidney & Liver Remedy in green only

Melbourne Safe Nervine Half Pint in Green

(Yeah I know, that’s more than 10)

Labelled Bottles:

Labelled Three Cities Animal Cure

Labelled  “Diabetic Cure” Pressburg Safe Cure Pint in Amber

Labelled Diabetes Cure London Pint in Olive Green

Labelled Pressburg Safe Cure Pint in Amber

Labelled Frankfurt Nervine Half Pint in Green

Labelled London Safe Compound (5 1/2″ strap sided) in Amber

Labelled French Safe Cure on London Safe Cure Pint in Amber

Labelled Rochester Warner’s (No Safe) Remedies Co. in 12 1/2 and 6 oz. sizes in Amber

Labelled Rochester Diabetes Remedy Free Sample in Amber

Labelled Rochester Safe Cure Free Sample in Amber

Labelled Log Cabin Scalpine

Labelled Warner’s Compound Screw Top (3 3/4″ and 2 3/4″)

Mold Errors/Non-Bottles:

Rochester Warner’s (No Safe) Remedies Co. in 12 1/2 and 6 oz. sizes in Amber (considered to be a mold error)

Three Cities Safe Cure w/ Reversed “N’s” in the city names

London Big Print Safe Cure in Light Amber

Rochester “8 0z” Safe Nervine in Amber

Asthma Cure Tin

Safe Yeast Container

Honorable Mentions:

Frankfurt Safe Cure Pint in ABM only in Amber

London Animal Cure in Olive Green

Frankfurt Nervine Half Pint in Amber and Green

Three Cities Safe Cure Pint w/ Abbreviated Countries (e.g “LONDON, ENG.”) Sometimes called the English Three Cities

Rochester Diabetes Remedy in clear only

Rochester Safe Cure (not K&L Cure)

I am sure that I have left something off these lists and welcome corrections and suggestions. I think it is “safe” to say that if you include any of the above bottles in your collection, you are playing in the big leagues. However, there are plenty of great Warner’s bottles that aren’t on any of the above lists. Best of luck!

Photos from left to right: London Compound (5 1/2″) strap sided; (No Safe) Remedies Company in 12 1/2 oz and 6 oz sizes; Pressburg Safe Cure in aqua; 4-Cities Rheumatic Cure and Melbourne Safe Remedies Pint.

 

 

 

Warner’s Foreign Offices: London (1882 – 1939?)

Perhaps one of Warner’s most prestigious foreign branches was his London office opened in 1882. Not only was the office in a major world capital, but it produced some, if not most of the most colorful Warner’s available to collectors. (See Warner Colors). This includes 40 oz. Animal Cures in various shades of amber and green, the Safe Cure in pint and half-pint in amber, shades or green and aqua, the Diabetes Cure in pints in shades of amber to green, the Nervine in pint and half-pint in shades of amber and green, the Rheumatic Cure in pints in shades of amber and green, two sizes of Compound and sample miniatures in amber and green.

Over the course of its existence until the 1930′s, the London office shifted its locations around the City. According to research based upon Warner advertising and London City Directories, H. H. Warner & Co. Ltd. operated out of the following locations:

1885   81 Southhampton Row, WC

1889, 1899, 1902   86 Clarkenwell Road, EC

1909, 1914, 1920 and 1923   18 & 20 Laystall Street, Rosebury Avenue, EC

1927   18 Laystall Street, EC1

1931-1932   18 &20 Laystall Street, EC1 (Space shared with M. F. Frederick, Mechanical Engineer)

1934    18 & 20 Laystall Street, EC1

1939    63a Hall Road, Peckham SE15

See http://bottlediggers.netfirms.com/cures.html. In addition to supplying the Safe Cure needs of the Brits, the London office apparently also supplied Safe Cure across the English Channel to France and possibly to Belgium and Switzerland as well.

I have attached a copy of what was likely an insert in a box of Safe Cure or Safe Compound. I have also enlarged part of the flyer. This flyer is particularly interesting on three fronts. First, although it does not include a copywrite or publication date, it states “Renowned for Nearly Fifty Years.” Assuming we use 1879 as the date when Warner first introduced his medicines to the public (in Rochester), that would suggest this insert dates to the late 1920′s. Second, this also confirms that he operated out of the 18 & 20 Laystall Street address well into the 20th Century. Finally, it suggests that Warner’s London office was still supplying products to Paris, Kreuzlingen and Brussels after the turn of the last century. This likely accounts for the wide variety of Safe Remedies bottles from London.