Last Month

       We had a great meeting in February! The Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Club holds their meetings on the second Tuesday of each month and this club's meetings fall on the third Tuesday. In February, those two Tuesdays were miserable from a weather standpoint.

       The day of our last month's meeting started off as dreary as most February days in Michigan do. By midday, a cold blast from Canada was blowing down from the northwest and across Lake Michigan, stirring up some heavy lake-effect snow. By mid- afternoon, I started getting phone calls from members who were wondering if there was going to be a meeting.

       The day after the meeting I found an e-mail that Jan Miller must have sent to me during the day, hours before the meeting. He was wondering if the meeting had been canceled because of the bad weather. Of course, on meeting day, I can never find the time to check my e-mail. Some club members start showing up at my shop as early as noon, seven hours early! I don't mind that so much, but I would like to close around 6:00, so that I have a chance to catch my breath before the meeting.

      Anyway, Jan's letter went unanswered. I got to the meeting a few minutes early and found no sign of Jan. We were getting lots of blowing snow in Plainwell, but over along the lakeshore, at Holland where Jan lives, it was really looking bad. We really owe Jan and Rhonda a very special thanks for the risk they took just for us!

     The Lake Michigan shipwreck presentation was great! The search, which turned up a shipwreck thought to be the ghost ship Chicora, was launched with the goal of finding a large passenger plane. The following information I found on the Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates web site. By the way, that web address is:

http://www.michiganshipwrecks.org

     "In New York, on the evening of Friday, June 23, 1950 was a warm, but pleasant night. Passengers who boarded Northwest Airlines Flight 2501 bound for Seattle, Washington, with a scheduled stopover in Minneapolis, Minnesota were looking forward to a long, but comfortable flight.

      Flight 2501 was a Douglas DC-4 airliner with four Pratt & Whitney, R-2000 "Wasp" engines. These reciprocating piston, propeller engines could power the converted World War II C54 transport to a maximum airspeed of 280 miles per hour. The flight lifted off on time from New York's LaGuardia airport at 7:30 PM and headed west under clear skies.

      Captain Robert C. Lind The pilot was 35-year old Captain Robert C. Lind of Hopkins, Minnesota. In the right hand seat was co-pilot Verne F. Wolfe, also 35, of Minneapolis. 25-year old stewardess Bonnie Ann Feldman was in the passenger compartment taking care of 55 passengers, identified as 27 women, 22 men and six children.

    The uneventful flight passed safely over Cleveland, Ohio and continued west toward Minneapolis, Minnesota -- a major hub for Northwest Airlines. As the DC-4 passed over Battle Creek, Michigan at 11:51 PM eastern time, Captain Lind notified Northwest's Air Traffic Control Center at Chicago by radio that he estimated passing over Milwaukee at 11:37 PM central time. He was flying level at 3,500 feet.

    As the plane reached the lakeshore at 12:13 a.m. that evening, Captain Lind, knowing of storms over Lake Michigan, requested clearance from air traffic control to 2,500 feet. He was denied due to other traffic in the area.

    That was the last communication from Flight 2501. Her disappearance marked the largest aviation disaster in world history to that point -- and a mystery that remains unsolved 55 years later."

    Jan told us that finding a large plane like that, after crashing into the lake, is much harder than locating even smaller watercraft. That is due to the plane breaking apart on impact. Actually, parts of human bodies were found in the area where the plane was believed to have crashed.

    MSRA is actively involved in discovering shipwrecks off West Michigan in the area between the Indiana border and Pentwater. There are hundreds of shipwrecks presumed to have gone down in that area, and many are yet to be discovered. Here is a list of found wrecks in our area.

Anna C. Minch, Ann Arbor No. 5* Burlington, Brighty, City of Green Bay, Crane & Barge, Daisy Day*, Fire Boat Francie, H. C. Akeley*, Havana, Helen, Hennepin*, Ironsides, Manistee, Michigan*, North Shore, Novadoc, Potter's Barge*, Rockaway,

S.S. Michigan*, Salvor, Schooner*, State of Michigan, Trotter's Barge*, Verano, William B. Davock .

The ships underlined with a * were located by M.S.R.A.

Here is a list of shipwrecks in that same general area yet to be found!

Artist, Amazon, Alpena, Andaste, Antelope, Anne F. Morse, Bradley Thomas, Champlain, City of Duluth, City of Tawas, Clara Parker, Contest, Chicora, Commerce, DC-4 airliner, Dayspring, D. G. Wright, Eagle, Edward Bancroft, Evening Star, Experiment, Florence M. Smith, Florida, Garden City, Granada, Gen'l. H. E. Paine, Grace Greenwood, Hamilton, Hattie Wells, Hinsdale, H. W.Willard, Hirondelle, Hurricane, Indian, Industry, Ithaca, J. F. Johnson, Joe, John Edwards, John V. Moran, Joseph P. Farnam, Kalamazoo, Kate Lyons, L. J. Conway, Lena M. Nielson, Lewis C. Irwin, L. Painter,Lizzie Throop, Mercury, Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Milwaukie, Monsoon, Morning Light, Muskegon, NW Flight 2501, O. G. Wright, Outdoorsman, Orion, Regulator, Richard H, R. G. Peters, R. N. Rice, Sea Mar III, Souvenir, Superior, Union, Wegand!
The steamship Kalamazoo sank in 1892.
Believed to be 500 feet down.

         Is that mind boggling or what! These are shipwrecks along our shoreline. Thanks Jan for a great program! I encourage each of our members to check out the M.S.R.A. web site where you can see photos of many these ships before they sank!

        Two of my friends from the Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Club will be on hand to talk about bottle digging and collecting. I have not seen their presentation, but I do know they have been asked to give encore performances.

        Chuck Parker is the bottle club's president and quite the story teller! Scott Hendrickson is a treasure hunter and one of my customers, who goes way back with me . . way back! Chuck is also a treasure hunter, and these two guys like to make at least one trip south each year to hunt Civil War relics. Chuck has some southern roots, and with an e-mail address "CRebel1862" you can bet that you better not say anything bad about the south! I remind Chuck every chance I get that my great, great, great grandfathers whipped his grandfathers, once and for all! We have a lot of fun together! I am excited about Chuck and Scott getting a chance to meet all of you.

         Scott's nickname is 'Scooter' and his e-mail ID is "Scooterdig." Scott is a lot of fun and he is full of energy! Chuck describes him as having a 6-volt butt powered by a 12 volt battery! This guy is deadly charming in his brown U.P.S. uniform! If he delivers a package to your 200 year old home, chances are he will leave with permission to find your privies and dig them up! This is a talent all bottle diggers envy. The hardest part of bottle digging, for most diggers, isn't digging that 6 foot deep hole, it's getting that permission.

       Also, this meeting is Visitors Night! We are going to need extra goodies for our break time and more door prizes. This month each visitor will be given door prize tickets. This is something that has been for members only.

       Also, even though we have had our 'time change' for spring, we will still have the Miscellaneous contest this month.

Here are some items of special importance that you should know about:

ITEM#1

One of the club's fund raisers is our annual Easter Egg Hunt. If this is news to you, here is how it works. As you read this, the Mike Walker family will be stuffing dozens of plastic Easter eggs. Some of these will truly be treasure eggs! Each egg is stuffed with Easter grass, jellybeans, and. . . some pre-1964 U.S. silver coins! Some eggs will even have big bucks inside! And yes, it's true, some will have just candy.

All you have to do is invest one measly dollar (that is the price per egg), then hope for the best!

Here are a couple of rules. Each member can purchase only two eggs to start with. Then, after we are sure that everyone has had a chance to buy some, you can purchase more! Also, the club needs the plastic egg shell back to recycle for next Easter.

ITEM #2

Since this is our first ever Visitors Night, be sure to wear those name tags.

We want to know that special word! That word that best described what your mother thought of when she first saw your little wrinkled face!

Was she in 'EARNEST' to get out of the hospital with that little bundle? Or perhaps her mind was on the 'BILL' thinking, "this is going to cost us a lot of 'JACK'.

Perhaps her thoughts were of floating you down the river like Moses! But then the thought of seeing you 'BOB' in the water softened her heart! I am going to stay away from any' 'JOHN' lines.

Maybe she looked down on her little daughter and thought, "One day she will be big enough to 'LINDA' me a hand with the dishes!"

If you have your name tag at home, please wear it to the meeting! If your tag is at the meeting, find it and have someone help you put it on.

I know almost all of you! I know that all of you would really like each other! But it's amazing how many of you don't know each other! You're missing half the fun!

In the hobby of antique bottle collecting there are many categories. These are broken down by the many different types of bottles. Many collectors specialize, or focus on just one or two types of bottles. For example, there are dairy bottle collectors, soda bottle collectors, whiskey or beer collectors. One of the categories that includes some of the rarest and most costly bottles is the bitters bottles.

As a bottle digger, you collect what you find, and you are exposed to all of the categories, which makes it really fun. For me, there is something beyond the value of the bottle itself. Some of the rarest, most valuable bottles come with very little history behind them. However, some of the most common bottles have some of the richest history behind them and not all of it is pretty. So, what is the story behind the bottle? I guess the medicine bottles have the most interesting stories behind them.

I found this in an article from an 1860's New York Times archives.

"Some years ago I heard a prominent New York lawyer, asked by his office scrub-woman to buy a ticket for some "Association" ball, say to her: "How can you go to these affairs, Nora, when you have two young children at home?"

"Sure, they're all right, she returned blithely; "Just wan teaspoonful of Winslow's an' they lay like the dead till mornin'."

Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup was a product used to quiet teething babies. It is a very common bottle to find and it was sold nationwide for over half a century. These little bottles contained opium and cocaine and alcohol! If the child, in most cases infants, were given too much they would never wake up. Most of the big targets of the Pure Food and Drug act of 1906 were products like Mrs. Winslows Soothing Syrup a.k.a. The Baby Killer!

       The cover drawing on the July 1897 magazine, 'The Medical Investigator,' shows a man shining a lamp on a rock that reads 'Medical Frauds and Charlatans.' Out from under this rock are crawling cockroaches with human heads. On the shell of each cockroach are the names of different companies. H.L. Olds, Kalamazoo, T.C. Barnes, Marshall, Western Med. Co., Kalamazoo, Celery City Med. Co., Kalamazoo, L.F. Page, Marshall, State Homeopathic Inst, Detroit, Van Laer Med Co., Boston Mass., Michigan Med. Co., Kalamazoo, Thus. Slater, Kalamazoo, G.B. Wright, Marshall.

        Did you notice that this horrible national scourge is mostly coming out of Michigan? And you can see that Kalamazoo is really a hot bed of snake oil companies!

       Not all of the Kalamazoo medicine products were worthless or dangerous snake oil. One Kalamazoo company actually put out proven and honest products that actually worked and that was The UpJohn Company!

      One of my books is called Medicine Show and its subtitle is "Conning People and Making Them Like It!" The traveling medicine show was one of the safest places to buy medicine. This is because the pitchmen would never poison you because they wanted to return on a regular basis.

     One of the ways medicine companies could stand the best chance of conning the public was to connect their product with something or someone the buyers would trust. One of the popular products sold at medicine shows in our area in the 1800's was Kickapoo Indian Oil. The Indian Medicine man was believed to know the secrets of using natural ingredients for healing. They respected that. It is not like that foolisness we have today where they go around telling us that our sport teams should not have Indian names because it insults the Native Americans. That is hogwash! The teams who chose Indian names did so because they represented bravery and strength.

     I clearly remember when I learned about the slave trade in America. It horrified me to the core! I was very young and close to my parents and brother and sister. I could not imagine something so evil as selling human beings like property! Then, to heap on the horror, splitting the families up to different owners. I remember the comfort that came from knowing that those days are over.

       When I think about the con men of the patent medicine days and how they took advantage of the poorest Americans over and over again, it leaves me stunned! Is there comfort to be found knowing that it is over? No, of course not! I hate it when I see people making millions by selling nothing!

        Perhaps it is evidence of the failure of our education system, I don't really know for sure. Only in America could a company thrive selling the product of 'naming a star' after people. That is a real head scratcher! I like to listen to the radio but lately I am sick to death hearing those stupid jingles for Free Credit Report . Com. Folks they have nothing to sell that you or I need! They are making money selling you information about you, information that you can get free anyway!

       When I found that I have type-2 Diabetes, my wife bought me some books on the subject. I found that, unless it is controlled, it can kill me in short order. Two of the many concerns are the kidneys and liver.

       I read a very impressive ad in a magazine that I really respect called Newsmax. This ad was for a product called Dr. Cutler's Kidney & Liver Cleanse. They really put together a very convincing ad and it sure had me convinced! I paid $100.00 for 3 bottles and they gave me a fourth bottle free.

        I took the pills for several weeks and I really felt as if the product was really helping me. Then one day I picked up the bottle and looked it over close. In tiny little letters it reads, "This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease."

        An interesting sidenote is from something I heard on the news. Scientists have discovered that the more you charge for a placebo, the better it works.

        Some of you will disagree with me on this because you have been conned by the very best. The reason this world-wide con has been so successful is that it is being spearheaded by someone who is widely trusted, a former Vice President. Of course I am talking about Global Warming or Climate Change. Billions have already been made in the global flim flam and it is coming out of your pocket!

     There are people out there telling the truth about this scam, but the news media ignores the evidence. Why, even our President is showing signs that he is falling for this hoax.

       Solomon said, "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun."

           At the last meeting I told the club about a man who came into my store inquiring about used metal detectors. I showed him everything I had that I felt was worth owning. When I came to the cheapest one, a Radio Shack Bounty Hunter, I quoted him a price of $75.00.

      "Don't you have anything cheaper than that?" he asked.

     Then he pointed to an ancient Whites that I had sitting in one corner as a decoration. "How much for that one?"

      I told him that I didn't know if it even worked. I set the old detector on the counter and opened the battery door, not knowing what I would find. Thankfully, someone had removed the batteries but left the holders. I scrounged up 14 AA batteries and loaded them up. The detector fired right up and worked great. It was an old TR type with no discrimination. "I'll take $25.00 for it,"

     He said that he would take it so I ran him through the tuning procedure. Handling these old detectors always sparks memories.

        One day an older woman came into my shop with a little boy who couldn't have been more than 7 and about 60 pounds soaking wet.

        "This is my great grandson, and this was my husband's metal detector. My husband passed away a few years ago." It was one of the old Whites that had a control box that was big enough to use as a bread box!

       She carried it in and I wondered out loud, "Can he carry it?"

       She wanted me to show the boy how to work it, which I did. I shortened the stem up so that he could hold it like a suitcase, with the coil almost touching the ground. It was too heavy for him to swing with his arms, so I showed him how to twist his waist to move the coil.

      They were both very excited to be able to go treasure hunting. About a week later, the two of them came in, but this time they were not lugging a detector. "My grandson wants to show you what he found."

      Beaming, he held out his arm and opened his fist and there in his hand was a 1900's U.S. $10.00 gold coin! Almost by reflex I asked, "Where did you find that?"

      Great Grandma answered, "Bronson Park!"

      OK, back to our $25.00 detector. This guy also returns to show off a find. He has an old farm somewhere northeast of Plainwell and the frozen ground isn't slowing him up at all. He found a Confederate sword belt plate and a rectangular C.S.A. buckle worth about $3,000!!! Since then he has been in again with a complete bullet mold for two calibers! Also, in the same area, he found a token that would have been used at the saloon for the player piano! It reads, "Good For One Tune!"

The other story involves some antique bottles. One of the guys from the bottle club was checking out some of the area antique malls looking for some good bottles. There are certain booths that keep a few bottles out for sale. It is my theory that many of the antique mall vendors get their inventory to stock their booths from estate sales.

When Steve walked up to one of the booths, he was shocked to see four really great bottles added to one display. Steve told us that each of these bottles were worth over $100.00 apiece, yet they were priced from $12.50 to $15.00. Steve quickly gathered up his newly discovered treasures and carried them up to the cashier. As she carefully removed the vendor's tags, she remarked to Steve, "Oh, I see this seller has a 10% discount on his merchandise!"

Steve said that he had to pinch himself to make sure it wasn't a dream he was in. His mind raced to come to grips with his amazing luck and he could barely recall the drive home. One of these beautiful bottles was a Polish, 'Hartwig Kantorowicz' milk- glass case gin. Another was a sparkling Drake's Plantation Bitters. The third bottle was also sparkling clean Doyles Hops Bitters.

The fourth bottle was the only one that was clearly a privy find and it had never been cleaned. Because it wasn't as 'sparkling' as the others, the seller priced it lowest at $12.50. Don't forget, Steve was also given a 10% discount! This fourth bottle was carefully inspected inside and out and found to be in perfect condition. What is it? A Kalamazoo "Best Bitters!" The most that I have ever heard one of these bottles selling for was $17,000, just a couple years ago. Steve had an asking price of $8,000 on this one and, five days after the bottle club meeting, it sold for that amount.

The bottle on the right (center of picture) is the rare, The Best Bitters in America! Oh how I wish she were in my collection. This is the Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Club's mascot bottle.

Not much to report here so you can tell the ground is frozen shut in Michigan!

COIN FINDS:

1. 1965 Dime                                                                                 By: Ron Jenner

2. 1946 Wheat Cent                                                            By: John Assenmacher

The wheat penny got 33 votes and the dime got 4.

1. Silver Tiger Eye Ring                                                                   By: Ron Jenner

Ron was able to get over 50% to vote for his ring so he did get the prize.

1. 'Horses are my Life' Token                                                By: John Assenmacher

John was able to carry 50% so he got the prize.

1. Tiny Key                                                                                      By: Ron Jenner

Ron's key was only one vote short of getting 50%, no prize.

1. Matching Earrings                                                                       By: Ron Jenner

2. Spanish Coin & Palming Coin                                                   By: John Dudley

3. Nixon & Agnew 7oz Silver Round                                             By: Ron Osborne

4. Fish Bobber Checkers                                                            By: Deb Wittkowski

5. W.C. Walker Token                                                                    By: Mike Walker

6. London England Bottles                                                            By: Ernie Lawson

7. Statue of Liberty commemorative                                           By: Brian Matecum

8. German Coins WW II                                                              By: Anna Matecum

Diver Deb Wittkowski was the winner with her fish bobber checkers! All the entries were awesome!

Our silver dollar winners were Bruce Wood and Ron Jenner.

Our 50/50 winners were Bruce Wood and John Newman.

Our fish bowl (Silver Cache) winner would have been Larry Kolkman, had he been there.