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Auction # 69

Auction Ended: Sunday October 25th, 2020 at 8:00 PM PDT / 11:00 PM EDT
Each Lot Closes Separately when a bid is not entered for 10 minutes

Auction Local Time: Mar 29, 2024 04:19:20 PDT
Mar 29, 2024 07:19:20 EDT

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Catalog Lots 1 to 15

Lot
Number
Description
Final Bid
 WORMSER BROS. SAN FRANCISCO double roll applied top. 1867-72. These flasks hold 21 ounces of liquid which would put them at 5 ounces over a pint. Probably not something you’d carry in your coat pocket. Compared to a fifth of whiskey which is a little over 25 ounces, this would make it almost a fifth of a gallon but in a very compact and undoubtedly heavy size and shape. The Wilson’s in their western whiskey book think these bottles were made at Stoddard Glass Works. We are quite sure these have the look of a western bottle although they could have been made in both places. This is one of two we are selling, and it is a lighter amber color with some light crudity and is quite presentable. Grades a 9.  
$ 275
 WORMSER BROS. SAN FRANCISCO double roll applied top. 1867-72. Please Note: We recently found a ding on the bottom edge of this bottle and it is pictured. Another example of the larger Wormser, these flasks were probably an alternative to having a fifth. It could not be more different than the previous lot, it is darker and has loads of crudity and whittle. It also had a very unusual double roll/single roll top. That means that one side of the top is a double roll and it wasn’t finished on the other side, so it appears to have a single roll. A great overall example, heavy, whittled and crude, easy to see through and a grade 9 without the ding. If you've bid on this bottle and wish to remove your bid please let us know. Very sorry for the inconvenience.  
$ 250
 WORMSER BROS. SAN FRANCISCO flask with applied champagne style or applied band top. 1865-67. Here is another flask that contained 21 ounces of liquid. We find it interesting that some of the volumes are not what we thought they were. Along with the J. Angeli flask it is anyone’s guess why the earliest made western flasks are also the largest. Glass was a precious commodity then and maybe the bigger the better. In Spirit Bottles of the Old West, Bill and Betty Wilson point out that this

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$ 17,000
 WORMSER BROS. S.F. /FINE OLD COGNAC on reverse. Applied double roll collar. 11 ounces. 1870-72 Interestingly, Wormser went from having one of the largest flasks to having this banded cognac style made. These always come with a double roll applied top. This is not the only cognac style flask out there and they all seem to be somewhat similar. These are generally referred to as a half-pint, however it is 3 ounces over a half-pint. As early as 1969 it was thought there were only a couple of these around but since then, more have turned up with quite a few being found in Gold Hill, Nevada. This example is an old amber with some decent crudity. Really no distractions to speak of, this one grades a solid 9.5.  
$ 4,800
 C.P. MOORMAN ONLY MAN’R OF J.H. CUTTER OLD BOURBON A.P. HOTALING & CO. SOLE AGENTS S.F. with applied mouth. Pint. 12 ounces These are one of the many Cutter flasks out there, these were made from around 1873-79. Since they are a fairly early flask, they do come quite crude. This one is fairly average in that department and is a pretty standard medium amber with a drippy top. Condition is fine with just a hint of interior haze. Grades an 8.9  
$ 425
 MILLER’S EXTRA TRADE MARK E. MARTIN OLD BOURBON with applied single roll collar. Pint. 14 ounces. Thomas-19, 1871-79. Here’s a flask that was made for a number of years, which is born out of the number of examples in collector’s hands today. This one has some good character with pleasing greenish yellow amber. An overall terrific example and has never been cleaned. A strong strike and drippy top compliment this early western flask. Grades a 9.  
$ 1,600
 J.F. CUTTER EXTRA OLD BOURBON TRADE MARK WITH EMBOSSED SHIELD. 1870-80. Single roll collar. Pint. 14 ounces. The Star & Shield was made between 1870-80 and is always a favorite among collectors today. Many of the more popular pint size or should I say 14-ounce flasks with the bands on each side, are sought after for their interesting shape and role in the history of western flasks. Although these are not particularly rare as they were made for 10 years, adding a nice example to your shelf is a must for flask collectors today. A nice light amber with the single roll top and grades an 8.8  
$ 850
 J.H. CUTTER OLD BOURBON E. MARTIN SOLE AGENTS WITH EMBOSSED CROWN ON SHOULDER. Single roll collar. Pint. 14 ounces. 1873-77 Like the previous lot, this flask has a fifth that displays the same embossing pattern. Called the “Crown Shoulder,” these Cutter flasks are considered much rarer and quite a bit harder to find than the other Cutter variants. As Thomas points out this is considered a top flask and a tough one for western flask collectors to add to their collections. Over the many years we’ve been selling bottles, we have sold only three other examples. This one has a strong strike and some nice light crudity and is medium amber with the single roll top. If you look closely you can see some striations of darker colored glass. If a Crown Shoulder flask is on your list, here’s a rare opportunity to add this one to your shelf. Grades a 9.2  
$ 2,200
 C. NEWMAN’S BAKER BROS & CO. PAT OCT 17, 1876 on base. With screw on shot glass which was the patent. 15 ounce flask with metal screw top lid. An oddly shaped flask that apparently did not catch on or there just weren't a lot made. Thomas even has a special name for the type of base and calls it the “Newman Type.” These don’t pop up a lot and it’s nice that this one has the original top/shot glass. /as is pointed out in the Spirits of the Old West book page 20, they show a picture of this flask and explain how it was a bit top heavy for many of the liquor dealers of the time. Newman changed the design and it became a much more usable flask. A great historical addition to any flask collection. Grades a 9.4.  
$ 800
 FLECKENSTEIN & MEYER PORTLAND, O with fancy monogram at center. Tooled rolled, tool top. Pint. Thomas-23 1879-83 pint. This flask comes in both an applied top and this tooled top variety with the double roll. Because the applied top variants are so much harder to find, they do command a higher price. This example, however, has a lot of character and is still considered scarce. These are referred to as a knife-edge flask. A nice example in a light amber, this one grades an 8.9  
$ 750
 LILIENTHAL & CO. S.F. with applied double roll top. 1872-80. 20 ounces. Here’s another very early and interesting flask that makes one ask the same questions that the Angeli and Wormser bring up. Why the 20-ounce size and oddball shape? Thomas calls these Union Ovals flasks and they would qualify in more of a jumbo sort of way. These are not a particularly rare flask and come in two variants, this being the high-embossing one. These were thought to have been made starting in 1872 so as many as seven years later after the first Wormser. A nice light amber with a double roll top and grades a 9.3.  
$ 550
 AAA OLD VALLEY WHISKEY with embossed cross with the initials M.G.M.F. from left to right. Applied single roll top. 15 ounces. 1871-82 Please Note: We recently found a flake on the bottom left edge of the corner base. Here’s a flask that is just a little bigger than what we usually consider a pint but still an ounce short of a pint. These almost always have a single roll top and are a fairly early flask. For an in-depth description, see Thomas in the flasks selection. This one has some nice crudity and an overall grade 9.3. If you've bid on this item and wish to withdraw your bid please let us know. Very sorry for the inconvenience.  
$ 325
 OLD BOURBON CASTLE WHISKEY F. CHEVALIER & CO. SOLE AGENTS with applied single roll top. Pint. 14 ounces. Thomas-8, 1875-80 Here is another western flask generally regarded as one of the top western pint-sized examples out there. There are a number of Castle products that were made for the western market and this flask is at the top of the heap. We sold one of these many years ago when a fisherman found one in his net while fishing in the Monterey Bay. As for overall condition, this example would be very hard to improve on. With a solid strike and just an immaculate overall presentation, not much of a scratch to speak of and some typical light crudity. Notice this is a knife-edge tupe instead of the banded style like the Jesse Moore and J.F. Cutter. Grades a 9.8. Like most of these flasks, we are not aware of any that have had a professional cleaning. This particular flask doesn't even show much base wear. Found by Kent Williams Star City outside of Auburn. It was in the Tom Quinn collection until he sold it to Don for $1,000 in 1984. The bottle was just under the ground and probably spent most of its life under the floorboards of a cabin.  
$ 3,600
 JESSE MOORE & CO. LOUISVILLE, KY. G.H. MOORE OLD BOURBON & RYE MOORE HUNT & CO. SOLE AGENTS with embossed antlers and TRADE MARK. Applied double roll top. 14 ounces. Thomas-32, 1878-82. Here’s a flask that matches the larger fifth counterpart for embossing. And as for embossing, you can’t put much more on the face of one bottle. It is thought there are probably around two dozen of these banded flasks and they come in both single and double roll. Condition wise, Don Mullally must have been looking for the best because aside from the repaired example, most of these are exceptional. Here’s a western flask that any serious collector should eventually have on his shelf. This one grades a 9.3.  
$ 5,500
 PHOENIX OLD BOURBON NABER, ALFS & BRUNE SAN FRANCISCO SOLE AGENTS with a Phoenix rising from the ashes. Tooled top. 6 ounces. Thomas-51, 1895-99. This is the smaller of the two Phoenix flasks in this sale with the tooled top. The Phoenix bottles are always a popular flask and lately we’ve even seen a couple of the Hollister variants show up. This one has some good crudity but also has some interior haze. These flasks are neatly made so this one is definitely an improvement with more character than most. Safely grades an 8.8.  
$ 475
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