On eBay Now...AMBER SOUTH CAROLINA DISPENSARY palmetto quart bottle ILLINOIS GLASS CO sc s c For Sale
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AMBER SOUTH CAROLINA DISPENSARY palmetto quart bottle ILLINOIS GLASS CO sc s c:
$10000.00
In the world of South Carolina Dispensary bottles, this is one of the rarest. An original round quart palmetto in amber, and the condition is outstanding! WhenPhillip Huggins published his book on SCD variants in 1970, the round quart palmetto (#312) was thought to exist only in clear, green and blue. An amber reproduction was created in 1970, but its easy to spot, with thin glass, extremely dull embossing and several other anomalies not found on originals.This bottle is the genuine article. It was manufactured by the Illinois Glass Company in the 1890's, and bears the IGCo diamond mark on the base. In 2005, the late Harvey Teal wrote the following for FOHBC:
From 1897 to 1899 Illinois GlassCompany supplied the S.C. Dispensarywith 22 carloads of a clear round quart,palmetto-tree Dispensary bottles. Thesebottles carry the company’s trademark ontheir base, a diamond with the initials,“I.G. Co.” inside it.The Illinois Glass Company alsoproduced a short-neck, amber roundquart palmetto-tree Dispensary bottlewith an inside-thread screw closure.Four of these bottles turned up at a LasVegas, Nev. bottle show and one inVermont. The author first saw one ofthe Las Vegas bottles at a S.C. bottle showin February, 1982 and wrote an accountof it in the bottle club’s newsletter. Abouttwo years later, he purchased one of thesebottles. About seven examples of these bottleshave turned up so far. In over forty yearsof digging in S.C., no broken pieces, andonly one whole example, of this bottlehave turned up inside the state.During the time Illinois GlassCompany produced this bottle, all otherbottles being used by the Dispensary wereflint, or occasionally light-green or aqua.No record could be found of theDispensary ordering amber bottles fromIllinois Glass.The example of this bottle found inVermont was covered in wicker. Thissuggests that, for some unknown reason,Illinois Glass produced a small amountof these bottles that were not shipped tothe S.C. Dispensary. The glass companycould cover the palmetto tree and theDispensary name with wicker and sellthese bottles to another customer.- Harvey S. Teal
As Teal mentions, inside the neck of the bottle are spiraled threads. Very uncommon for dispensary bottles. I'm told there are only two other SCD variants with inside threading, a pint Jo-Jo and a super rare flask known as "the platypus".Teal's article did help me solve one mystery - why my bottle has tiny, evenly spaced hash-marks on its back side. Apparently from being covered in wicker. You really can't see the marks unless you examine them under reflective light. I imagine you could polish them away, but as I see it, they're part of the 'provenance' of the bottle,
In 2003, Teal and other bottleaficionadoscreated a list of the top 25 rarest bottles from South Carolina. Sodas, bitters, beers, whiskeys; everything was considered. This amber variant of the quart Palmetto ranked #14 on the list. You can view it by Googling "South Carolina Top 25 Bottles FOHBC". It should be the top search result. Aside from this list and the above excerpt from Teal, the Internet is devoid of information on the amber quart palmetto (except the reproductions). The bottle truly is a unicorn.
Teal also theorized thatIllinois Glass created it's diamond logo specificallyfor SCD and it's bureaucraticrequirements. Illinois Glass later became Owens-Illinois (the world's leading glass bottle manufacturer) and, interestingly, their glass mark still features a diamond pattern to this day.
The condition of the bottle is excellent. No chips, cracks, scratches or dings. Not a even a single tiny fleabite. I'd say the only negative is some light iridescence. It's mostly on the base, but there's also a small patch near the "N" in Dispensary and a thin swirl line on the back of the bottle. The iridescence suggests the bottle once may have been buried.
There's a mold imperfection where the neck and shoulder meet. While being blown into the mold, the glass wrinkled, leaving a horizontal seam on the exterior and a glass blob on the interior. Very distinctive. Like bubbles or whittle marks, it adds character and makes the bottle uniquely identifiable.
"Where did I get this gem", you ask? Believe it or not, the clouds parted and it was handed to me on a misty mountaintop by God himself!
Okay, that's a lie. I bought it at a swap meet, but I've always wished I had a better backstory. At the time, I had no idea the bottle was rare. Based on the price, I'm sure the seller didn't either. It's been in my collection for forty years and this is the first time I've shown it publicly. An interesting side note, I also have a palmetto quart in amethyst with the IGCo diamond. You'd assume the bottles would be from the same mold, but not the case. The amber variant is slightly shorter and more narrow, and the embossing, while similar, does show some variation.
Yes, I know the price is high, but considering you'll probably never see another, this will be the crown jewel of your SCD collection. Plus, I'm in no hurry to sell.
I'll pay for the shipping and insurance. We can use whichever carrier you choose. I prefer to ship only within the US. If you have any questions, my name is Jeff and I'm happy to help.