HomeMy WebLinkAboutGoderich Signal Star, 2017-06-21, Page 39COLDWeu.
BANKeR o
411. 416
GODERICH
1827.2017
My Canada West Bottle Story
Courtesy of Brent Little
In '1967, I was at my grandmothers
old farmhouse in Goderich and found a
1920's Shell oil bottle under the floor of
the wood shed.
From that point on, 1 was hooked.
I was 10 years old when I began
collecting and have been buying, digging
and selling old bottles and jars ever
since.
1 have bought entire collections and
sold approximately thousands of bottles
and jars over my lifetime. •
In 1977 I began collecting Canadian
fruit jars in earnest and sold the collection.
in 1987 and bought the house 1 now live
in.
In the mid -80s, five guys got together
and dug the site of where the present day
SkyDome is in Toronto.
Collectors today refer to it as the
"Dome Dig". The five were known as
"The Dream Team", and the dig changed
the face of bottle collecting ever since.
Thousands of bottles were dug from
the harbour area and some that were once
very scarce became common.
The hobby as a whole tanked in prices
and many collectors who collected
Toronto bottles were very disappointed
in the values dropping.
Just like anything else, the best always
brings top prices.
The hobby still thrives and only a
small number of collectors across Canada
collect the VERY best.
I collect torpedoes, squats and
gravitating stopper bottles mainly
between 1850-80s period.
- Some of the best are from Goderich
and Clinton, both being Canada West
communities.
Some rare Goderich bottles are James
Vivian [gravitating] Symonds & Hart
[hutchesonj Symonds & Johnson tone
known) Phillips & Co. [stone ginger beerj
P.L. Walton, Symonds & Straughan.
From Clinton one of the best C.W.
bottles is Potts Pop Works, which was in
business the summer of 1867.
- R. Patterson and C.E.Starr are also
very scarce bottles from that little
community.
Wednesday, June 21, 2017 • Signal Star 39
GODERICH
The most rare bottle I have is the
coveted 11 Sproatt from Toronto, 1856-
62. This bottle is so early it was made
in an American glasshouse because
Canadian glasshouses did not exist at
that time in Ontario.
Hamilton - Glass Works produced
some 31 pop sellers from Ontario, all are
considered scarce to very rare.
These were made in the late 1860s
- late 70s. There are a very exclusive
number of. bottles marked C.W., which
means Canada -West. These are pre -
confederation era.
Canada -West at that time was mainly
Southwestern to Ottawa only. There
are some 25 communities with this
distinction.
All C.W. blob bottles are considered
scarce to impossibly rare to collect and
demand very high prices.
I am very happy to contribute my piece
of Canada for the 150th anniversary. If
you have something I may be interested
in please contact me:
brent.little.construction@gmail.com.
O Canada tcanuck
EH!TrueNorth P•6 12367
strong & free o
PROVINCE i4
maple leaf
#150 bday
TERRITORIF.S
First Nations
Goderich JULY 1
WE ARE PROUD
CANADIANS!
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ALL POINTS
138 COURTHOUSE SQ _FESTIVAL CITY REALTY
GODERICH
519.524.1175 www.coldwellbankerfc.com
The .super rare C.W. bottles,
made around the 1860s.
4.
•
R. A. Pilgrim torpedo bottie
from Hamilton. It is one of
four known of its kind,
dating back to the 1870s.
rare
ravitating
topper pop
ottle from
Goderich,
ting back
o the late
870s.
11. Sproatt bottle from
Toronto. Collectors,
consider it as Canada's
most coveted bottle, dat-
ing back to 1856.
Photos courtesy of Brent Little
GODERICH 524-7811
4
Looks like we are celebrating anniversaries
fji 67 years for the PARK TIIEATRE
.190 years for our beautiful town
ce4 •jOD GODERICH
And our wonderful piece of earth we call home
loll CANADA
www.movielinks.ca long distance')1 -800-265-3438