Warner’s Safe Cure – The End

As I devoted my last post to H. H. Warner’s Death Certificate, it seemed appropriate to followup with a post on the site where his remains remain. Specifically, Warner elected to be buried next to his first wife, Martha Keeney, in Skaneateles, New York. Martha had died suddenly in 1871, well before Warner’s Safe Cure empire took off.  Below is a photograph of the stone marking the gravesite.

The marker carries the following inscriptions. On the front, it reads:

H. H. Warner

1842-1923

Martha, wife of H. H. Warner

Died Jan. 25, 1871

Aged 23 Years, 7 Months & 7 days

The right side of the stone reads:

Sherman Keeney

Died Aug. 27, 1847

Ellen E. Keeney

Died Oct. 26, 1855

Clearly, the marker belonged to Martha’s parents. By the time of his demise, Warner was likely not in a financial position to purchase an exquisite grave marker. He will spend enternity with his in-laws. Special thanks to Jack Stecher for lending me this photograph and providing a transcription of the engraving on the marker.

Warner’s Safe Cure: James Abram Garfield (1831-1881)

Back in 2008, I wrote a little about H. H. Warner’s brief infatuation with politics. Like so many other successful industrialists of the late 19th Century, Warner may have believed that involvement in politics was a natural extension of his business life. By 1884, his medicine business was still in its ascendency and he undoubtedly exerted considerable influence in Rochester, so national politics probably seemed like a way for Warner to extend that power while, at the same time, growing his medicine empire worldwide. Although it is impossible to say for sure, Warner seems to have had great admiration for one of our country’s least-known and shortest-tenured presidents, James A. Garfield.  In the post-Civil War period, the Republican Party flourished and Garfield rode the tide.

Warner flirted with politics and as with everything else, he found a way to leverage it for marketing purposes. Like most of his contemporaries, Warner knew the importance of testimonials. His almanacs and other advertising is loaded with testimonials from average citizens, but also from the celebrities of the date. In the 1880′s, President Garfield was a celebrity. Warner undoubtedly believed that if he could convince prospective customers that the President of the United States used his remedies, he could convince almost anyone to use them. Toward that end, Warner published this poster.

Warner Safe Remedies Poster Featuring President James A. Garfield

Following his service in the Union Army in the Civil War, Garfield entered politics serving as a Congressman from Ohio for 18 years. At the 1880 Republican Convention, he supported the candidacy of John Sherman, but was ultimately nominated as the party’s presidential candidate.  He defeated another Union general, Winfield Scott Hancock, the Democratic nominee, by the slim margin of 10,000 popular votes. The above poster features members of the Garfield cabinet including (from left to right) James G. Blaine (Secretary of State), Thomas L. James (Postmaster General), Samuel J. Kirkwood (Secretary of the Interior), William H. Hunt (Secretary of the Navy), Garfield, I. Wayne MacVeagh (Attorney General), William Windom (Secretary of  the Treasury) and Robert T. Lincoln (Secretary of War).

Garfield served as President for barely six months when he was shot by a disguntled office seeker, Charles Guiteau. Garfield did not succumb to the assassin’s bullet directly, but rather as a result of an infection as a result of various doctors probing around to remove the bullet. This cadre of experts included the renowned Alexander Graham Bell. Talk about the cure being worse than the disease. Garfield was succeeded by his Vice-President, Chester A. Arthur.

While it is impossible to say whether the Garfield poster influenced anyone to buy Warner’s Safe Remedies, it is another great example of Warner’s pitch. It also gives us a look at one of our lesser known presidents. Special thanks to Jack Stecher for giving me the names of Garfield’s cabinet depicted in the poster.

Warner’s Safe Cure: Early H. H. Warner and Reynolds Arcade (1874)

For most Warner’s collectors, the history of H. H. Warner begins about 1879 when Warner introduced his intial line of Safe Cures to the public. I covered some of Warner’s history in my series “The Rise and Fall of the Warner Empire.”  We know that prior to his life and death struggle with Brights Disease and his miraculous discovery of Dr. Craig’s Kidney Cure, Warner made a fortune selling fireproof safes in the post-Civil War era. Indeed, some of those safes have survived down the years as testimony to Warner’s first career. However, it seems that very little paper has survived from that enterprise. One exception is the above letter from Warner to a customer in 1874. The stationery is engraved “Office of H. H. Warner & Co., Fire & Burglar Proof Safes, Combination Locks, Vault Work [Etc], No 18 Arcade, Rochester,  N.Y.”

This terrific piece of paper is merely the confirmation of the order of a safe and nothing more, but it gives us a glimpse into the world of H. H. Warner before patent medicine. The other interesting tidbit we get from this otherwise seemingly innocuous piece of stationery is the address “No. 18 Arcade.” Thanks to the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County, I was able to learn a bit more about Reynolds Arcade. Architectually speaking, I love arcades because they combine the feeling of an open space with the beauty of natural light.  The structure was the brainchild of Abelard Reynolds (1785-1878) and was completed in 1829 with additions in 1838, 1842 and 1862. Fortunately, both illustrations and photographs of the Arcade have survived.

Based on the above floor plan, the Arcade apparently stretched between East Main Street and Exchange Place. The location of No. 18 would have placed Warner’s safe business on the outer edge fronting on Exchange Place opposite the Post Office. This is interesting because, although we usually associate Warner’s Safe Cure business with his Safe Remedies Building on St. Paul Street, his initial location was on Exchange Place as depicted in one of his early almanacs.

My initial thought was that perhaps this early Safe Remedies office was simply converted from selling burglar and fireproof safes; however, the building depicted in the almanac seems too tall to have been part of the Arcade. At any rate, we now have a better sense of where Warner was doing his safe business in the early 1870′s. Sadly, the Arcade in its original form has not survived.

The original Arcade and any vestiges of Offices of H. H. Warner & Co. Fire & Burglar Proof Safes at No. 18 were razed in May, 1932 and replaced by an Art Deco style building bearing the same name. Time marches on. Special thanks to Jack Stecher, who owns this nice piece of early-Warner stationery and to the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County for the wonderful information on Reynolds Arcade.

Warner’s Safe Cure: Collecting in the 1970′s

When I started collecting Warner’s Safe Cures in the mid-1970′s, bellbottoms were in and disco was on the turntable (the internet, ipods and satellite radio were the stuff of science fiction). I remember salivating when I saw show displays like the one above from Mike Seeliger. While I’m sure that I had a few Warner’s Safe variants, perhaps a Kidney & Liver Cure, Diabetes Cure and maybe even a half pint London Safe Cure, my collection was in its infancy. Mike, on the other hand,  along with folks like Jack Stecher, had taken Warner’s collecting to a new level.  I remember that I could not believe how many Warner’s there were and, more importantly to me, how was I ever going to get my hands on some of those rare Warner’s depicted in Mike’s book (parttime jobs as a teenager were not the source of great wealth).

Well,  flash forward 35 years and I have put together a pretty nice collection of Warner’s Safe Cures, including a few that are likely “one-of-a-kinds”.  Although, I have not displayed my collection, except for participating in the 2001 Warner’s Display at the Rochester Show, I still have the bug.  I am fortunate to call Jack and Mike friends and to be able to share the Warner’s Safe Cure bug with other friends worldwide via this blog. After two and a half years, we are coming up on 25,000 hits.

My advice to younger collectors is to decide on what type of bottles you like. Whether it is Warner’s Safe Cures, bitters, fruit jars or something else. Learn as much as you can about the bottles you like and their value. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have the money to run out and buy every bottle you like. Patience is a virtue. Stick with it and you will eventually meet your goals. Most of all, have fun

Special thanks for Mike Seeliger for allowing me to use copies of his photographs and slides from the 1970′s. They bring back great memories of my early days of collecting and remind me of how much fun I have had collecting bottles.

Warner’s Safe Remedies Building: Living History

If you are a Warner’s Safe Cure collector, you owe it to yourself to visit the center of the Warner universe, Rochester,  New York.  I did so in 2001 and have written about it before in this blog.  During my visit, Jack Stecher and I were able to go into the building, but found that much of the space was carved up into commercial uses and undoubtedly bore little resemblence to the hustle and bustle of the patent medicine business that flourished there in the late-19th Century. Nevertheless, the fact that this wonderful piece of Victorian architecture was still standing for us to admire was no small thing. Rochester has lost more than its fair share of wonderful buildings to the wrecking ball, including other structures associated with H. H. Warner, such as his mansion and the Warner Observatory.

I was delighed recently to find that the Warner’s Safe Remedies Building has found yet another adaptive reuse in the form of the  H. H. Warner Lofts. Although I had not been back to the building to tour these new residential spaces, they appear to make wonderful use of  unique architecture of this building and will hopefully ensure that it lasts for many more years.

Best of all, the developers of this project have been mindful of the significance of the building’s history and its progenitor and have included photos of Warner’s Safe almanacs and trade cards on their website. I say “Bravo” to the H. H. Warner Lofts. If I lived in Rochester,  I might be considering a new address.

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.

Henion’s Sure Cure for Malaria

I have only had occasion to actually see one of these rare little bottles. Appropriately enough, it was in the collection of Jack Stecher. You are immediately struck both by the wonderful blue color as well as what can only be described as a Tippecanoe lip. However, apart from the unmistakable similarity of the lip, yet another connection exists between Dr. Henion and H. H. Warner.

In the April, 1975 edition of Old Bottle Magazine, Jack published an article on Henion’s entitled “What’s a Henion’s,” which is a fair question given its rarity. It seems that Henion first appeared in the Rochester City Directory in 1873. That listing continued until  1879 listing only his name and residential address. In 1880,  the listing vanishes, only to reappear between 1881 and 1885 with Henion listed as a physician. In 1886, he is listed under Patent Medicine, but not as a physician. The final listing for Henion was in 1887, where he is again listed as a physician with the earlier address. Based on his research, Jack concluded that Henion’s Sure Cure for Malaria appeared and disappeared from the market in 1886, perhaps accounting for its rarity.

By 1886, Warner’s Safe Cure was hitting its stride with operations on two continents with expanion to a third in 1887. Jack’s research also revealed that Henion joined forces with Dr. Charles Craig and his son, William, after they left their employment with H. H. Warner, to form the Craig Kidney & Liver Cure Company also located in Rochester.

An advertisement in the Genesse County Business Directory by Dr. J. B. Henion entitled “A Great Mystery” claims all manner of cures, including one for cancer. The ad goes on that state “When I say CURE, I mean it, and NO HUMBUG!” So much for truth in advertising. It is worth noting that the ad establishes the address for Dr. J.B. Henion as No. 22 & 24 North St. Paul Street. You will recall that Warner’s Safe Remedies Building opened in 1884 on St. Paul’s Street.

Oh, by the way. If you’re interested in adding one of these rare cures to your collection, the stars have aligned. American Glass Gallery is offering one for auction as Lot No. 141, but act fast, the auction ends tomorrow.  Special thanks to Jack Stecher for the historical material on Henions and to John Pastor and American Glass Gallery for the use of their photograph.

Warner’s Safe Errors: “Four Circles” Safe Kidney & Liver Cure

Mold errors are not always limited to misspellings or the incorrect positioning of trademarks. In some cases, the mold error may simply be presence of an unintended  mold marker or slug plate marker. To some extent, the presence of a slug plate impression falls into that category, because slug plates were used to allow the glassmaker to interchange embossing on similar molds. Nevertheless, we note the presence of slug plates in describing bottles, because the impression is clearly visible.

These types of variants among Warner’s Safe Cures set them apart from each other. In the years since Mike Seeliger published the first Warner’s guide, a variety of errors have been noted and documented in guides like Ojea/Stecher.  One such mold anomoly is the “Four Circles “Safe Kidney & Liver Cure.

The “Four Circles” Kidney & Liver Cure is cataloged by Ojea/Stecher as WRG 12B.  It appears only in the K&L Cure with the blob lip. The circles, which are each about the diameter of a quarter, appear behind the Kidney & Liver Cure embossing. Although it has been described as a slug plate, in all likelihood the circles represent mold markers and later molds were corrected to remove the unintended impression. This particular variant is rated as “Good” by Ojea/Stecher and is, in fact, harded to come by than is more common (and error-free) cousin. The normal Kidney & Liver Cure usually fetches $20-$50 depending on condition and color. This variant usually goes in the $70-80 range.

Warner’s Safe Errors: 3-Cities Safe Cure “Reversed N’s” Revisited

For those of you who follow this blog with some regularity, you know that back in October, 2008, I featured a bottle, which I referred to as the 3-Cities Safe Cure “Reversed N’s,” because of the fact that the “N’s” in the embossing of  “TORONTO, CANADA” and  “LONDON, ENGLAND” on the sides of the bottle were backwards. At that point in time, only one of these bottles had surfaced and it was listed in the Ojea/Stecher Warner’s Reference Guide as a “one-of-a-kind”.

If you watch eBay and other online auction sites, you know that on occasion, rare bottles surface and can be purchased for well under their true value. The key is knowing what is and what is not rare. As I have said in the past, I am constantly dismayed by people who list  common or good Warner’s Safe Cures are “rare,” either out of ignorance or as deliberate misrepresentations. Long story short, do your homework and know what it is you are buying and don’t just take the seller’s word for it.

In a recently concluded eBay auction, a second 3-Cities Safe Cure with Reversed “N’s” showed up and sold for slightly over $400, well under the value such a bottle might fetch at a show by a Warner’s collector. I was watching that auction with interest (since I have the other one) as was Steve Panton, who commented on it after the auction concluded.  So much for my one-of-a-kind. I guess two-of-a-kind isn’t so bad. Keep watching those online auctions, you never know when a gem may pop up!

Warner’s Safe Cure: Eureka Spund Apparatus Company

Just when you think you have a handle on H. H. Warner, something else turns up that surprises you about the extent of his business involvement. I have recounted his initial business success with fireproof safes and his phenomenal success in the patent medicine business. This is contrasted with his failures in various mining ventures. It appears that Warner also had his fingers in other businesses, to wit the Eureka Spund Apparatus Company of Rochester.

This letter came from Jack Stecher’s collection and is a real gem. Now, I have no idea what the Eureka Spund Apparatus Company made, but the letter suggests that it has something to do with the brewing industry. The letterhead lists H. H. Warner as President and Albert S. Sidelow as Secretary. Perhaps as important as Warner’s name was the watermark on the letterhead, the Warner’s Safe Remedies Building (also known as the Warner’s Safe Yeast Company Building). Warner’s name and building on the letterhead were undoubtedly intended to convey the message that Eureka Spund had good standing, effectively an endorsement. This letter was sent out in 1890 as the Warner empire was reaching its zenith. Warner had served as the first president of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce in 1887. Warner knew the importance of leveraging his patent medicine prowess and Eureka Spund is a perfect example.

I googled “Eureka Spund” and came up empty. Jack speculates that it was short-lived and may have fallen victim to Warner’s financial collapse in 1893. Unlike the Eureka Spund Apparatus Company, the recipient of the letter, the Eberhardt & Ober Brewing Company, is not lost to history and was apparently a significant Pennsylvania brewer. Indeed, Penn State University has a collection of Eberhardt & Ober records  between 1882 and 1906.

If you have any information on Eureka Spund, please let me know and I will supplement this post.  Also, I would welcome any other examples of Warner letterhead that markets products other than patent medicine.