Warner’s Safe Cure: Labels, Labels and More Labels

I’ve been collecting Warner’s Safe Cures for nearly 30 years and in that time, I have accumulated a few labelled  examples, actually quite a few. I was fortunate enough to get a chance to see Jack Stecher’s labelled collection back in 2001, including some of the rarest Warner’s known to exist. Many of these wonderful Warner’s showed up at what I have called the Great Warner’s Safe Cure Exhibit in 2001.

Recently, Ed Ojea shared some photos of Dan Cowman’s collection.  There may be some better collections of labelled Warner’s, but if there are, I never seen them. Take a look at these!

Dan’s collection includes not only Warner’s Safe Cures and Log Cabin Remedies, but also Tippecanoes and Craig’s Cures. If this collection does not make you drool, then check your pulse. Dan originally collected Safe Cures of all types, but decided to limit his collection to labelled versions and now possesses some of the rarest varieties known. Indeed, I may have to take another look at my A-List of Rare Warner’s and add a few thanks to Dan’s collection. There are plenty more pictures of Dan’s collection, which I have uploaded to my Flikr photostream. Thanks again to Dan and to Ed Ojea. In upcoming posts, I will be highlighting more of Dan’s collection. If you have a rare Warner’s Safe Cure in your collection, send me a picture and I’ll be happy to feature it.

Warner’s Log Cabin Remedies: Rose Cream

Typically, when you think of Warner’s Log Cabin Remedies, it brings to mind the familiar amber panelled bottle with, in some cases, the colorful label.  There are, however, exceptions to this rule. Undoubtedly, the most frequent is the fairly common

Log Cabin Liver Pills that appear in the paper wrapped vial. There is, however, a much rarer exception, the Log Cabin Rose Cream. Never heard of it. Well, that’s not surprising given the fact that so few examples are known. Indeed, until recently, I had not seen an example.

The January, 1888 Metropolitan advertisement for Log Cabin Remedies listed the Rose Cream for “Catarrh, Etc. Elegant.” For those who don’t know, catarrh is a thick mucous discharge associated with the swelling of the mucous membranes. But I digress. I had not seen an example of this rare Warner nostrum until just recently. Enter Dan Cowman. Dan has one of the nicest collections of labelled Warners that I have ever seen. And it includes an example of the Log Cabin Rose Cream.

Pretty nice, huh. The label says, among other things ”A Superfine Perparation for Catarrh, Rose, Cold, Hay Fever, Influenza.”  All for a mere 50 cents a bottle. Needless to say, if you can find one of these babies today, it will set you back a little more that four bits. If anyone is sitting on an example of Log Cabin Plasters, that’s one I’d still like to see.