Catalog: Antiques: Instruments and Implements: Medical (52)

Offered is a wonderful example of a late 19thC Pharmacy "tool of the trade" known as a pill machine but often referred to as a pill roller.

Pill machines were designed to enhance the productivity of the early pharmacist, and this design was, indeed, popular for many, many years. This pill machine is designed with 24 tubes for medicine-making.

The condition is very good, sporting a nice patina commensurate with its age and use. It is constructed of walnut and embellished with brass edge guards as well as brass grooved molds. The base measures approximately 11.5" L x 7" W x 1.5" H including the footed base. The paddle is 15.25"L x 2.25"W.

An apothecary classic, ready for your collection!

Offered is a very difficult-to-find and highly decorative group of six, matching, 19th century, iron, apothecary cabinet drawer pulls featuring stunning labels under glass!

Each wonderfully appealing drawer pull exemplifies the high style era of Victoriana design predominating the second half of the 1800's. Each pull measures about 4.7/8"W x 2 3/8"H x 7/8"D. The labels are reverse painted on glass, all-original and sport a lovely patina.

The condition of the pulls is very good with the exception of only one pull, VIBURN..., showing minor glass damage (see photo). Otherwise, some pulls have very minor paint loss, very faint superficial rust, and may need a slight cleaning of the glass, qualities which are consistent with 140+ year old antiques of the period that experienced consistent use.

Make no mistake, this matching set of stunningly-designed, label-under-glass style apothecary cabinet drawer pulls are a rare find in today's antiques market!

Offered is a wonderful grouping of five, choice C1900-1920, Patent Medicine Drugstore Pill Vials.

The first two medicines are from Denver, Colorado, are labeled KIDNEY TABLETS, and measure about three inches tall. As noted on their brightly colored labels, they are a remedy for a variety of disorders including: URINARY, LIVER, DIABETES, and LUMBAGO to name a few! The tablets are housed within wooden vials which are covered by the labels. The labels shows mild loss primarily on the ends. The condition of the wooden vials is very good. A hard to find Western medicine!

Thirdly, is another nice Western medicine: SWAIN'S BACKACHE AND KIDNEY PILLS from Kansas City, MO. This three inch remedy mentions the Food and Drug Act and sports a wooden vial housed in a very decorative paper label. The condition is very good with loss of the label on both ends.

The fourth medicine, DEBELL'S KIDNEY PILLS, dates to the early 1900s and also mentions the 1906 Pure Foods and Drug Act. It sports a wood vial enclosed in a paper label. This medicine is specific for kidney and bladder complaints and is from the C.W.BEGGS SONS & Co., Chicago, USA. The condition is good with modest wear and loss to one end of the label.

Finally, is DOAN'S REGULETS touted "A MODERN LAXATIVE" from Foster-Milburn CO., Buffalo, N.Y. The label on this 2.5 inch cutie is complete, mildly worn and colorful. Dates to the 1920s era.

Overall a nice group of early medicines ready for your collection!

Offered is a recent estate find in Myrtle Beach, SC. This Patent Medicine is an unused CRANE'S Quinine and Tar Cold and Cough remedy circa 1910. This diminutive "Free Sample" is from the CRANE MEDICINE CO., Chicago, Ill and is complete with the original box and insert.

The box approximately measures 4.5"H x 1.5"W and is in fair condition missing both the top and bottom flaps and shows wear commensurate with age. The delightful 4 inch bottle sports complete front and back labels and is in undamaged condition. The insert is included and the paper is brittle with signs of loss mostly at the folded areas.

A nifty medicine for quelling coughs caused by colds, croup, bronchitis and other afflictions. The bottle and box display quite nicely as seen in the photos. A neat find!

Back in the days when pills were made by hand, a pill rounder such as this (sometimes called a pill finisher), was used to create perfect pill spheres via use of a circular or figure-8 motion. The pill then would be dusted with powder, ready for dispensing by the apothecary.

Made of light-colored fruitwood (treen), this handsome tool of the trade has two different recessed depths used to finish or create, two different diameter pills.

Dates to C1880 and the condition is very good. Sporting a wonderful patina, this pill rounder measures approximately 2.75 inches in diameter x .8 inches high.

Will make a delightful addition to your pharmacy or medical collection!

Offered for consideration, is a wonderful and rarely found, early 20th century, English, "DENTIST" sign in brass measuring 12 3/4ths inches wide x 7 inches high.

The sign advertises the office of "James H. Groom. Dentist.", and remains in fine condition with rich, deep-toned, original patina and some very minor warping due to its many years of age. The lettering is actually impressed into the surface and is painted black. Any white marks appearing on the front of the sign are due only to light/sun reflection---the sign has a very even-toned coloration.

The sign has a hole at each corner to facilitate hanging, or it may be easily displayed upon a shelf!

A fabulous, scarce, rich-looking display piece with great "eye appeal"!

*****SOME HISTORY*****

We were contacted by the granddaughter recently with this insightful information.

I thought you might be interested to know that I have a photograph in my family photo archive that shows this very sign in situ. The photo has my great grandfather in the doorway of a chemist shop called Nicholls in Camborne, Cornwall. On the door post I can just make out this brass plaque (using a magnifying glass and good light - takes quite a bit of concentration). Anyway, I thought it would help if you knew where it came from. On the 1911 UK Census, there is a James Henry Groom age 28, living as a Boarder at the house of Jane Bray, 19 Basset Street, Camborne. His occupation is described as 'Dentistry' and it says he was born in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. The photo I have is probably taken after 1911 but probably before 1920. Interesting for whoever might buy it to know its history.

Offered is a scarcely found, late 19thC, pharmacy, drugstore, or apothecary Powder Folder which was used by early pharmacists to package single dose powdered medicines into individual folds of paper. This brass pharmaceutical tool of the trade was designed to more accurately ensure proper dosage, and it facilitated customer convenience by wrapping powders into separate doses.

This diminutive folder measures 3.5 inches tall x 2.25 inches wide and has a ratcheting type clip on one side designed to adjust height and width to conform to dosage size. The condition is very good and the surface sports a wonderful, rich patina.

An essential piece for the well-curated apothecary collection!

Offered is a group of six, very scarce, 19th century, tin, apothecary, storage containers with hand-painted, gold gilt labels and a decorative and stylized floral, front embellishment. The gold gilt labels make these early pharmacy canisters really stand out!

The tins sport an early and original, hand-painted, mustard-colored surface patina. The five smaller containers measure approximately 7 inches high x 4 inches wide x 5 inches deep (front to back including the distinctive front floral embellishment). The one large container measures about 8 inches high x 5 inches wide x 5 inches deep.

Structurally, the canisters are very solidly crafted containers, each with a slanted, well-fitting, hinged cover that snaps into place when closed. There are unobtrusive dings, and the finish shows modest wear and paint loss commensurate with a 19th century, well-loved and well-used, dispensary antique.

Offered is a delightful trio of 19th century, Horn, Apothecary Pharmacy Powder or Tablet Scoops. These tools of the trade were made in three different sizes ranging from nearly 5 inches long to 5.75 inches long.

These interesting pharmacy implements have a warm honey translucent tone and are complemented by a natural brownish color which is especially noted in the largest scoop. They were most likely made from cow horn as was typical of the period. Depending upon their size, a scoop, such as these, was capable of holding from 2 ounces to about 4 ounces of medicine when used compounding process.

The smooth surface of each scoop shows minor wear from usage. Overall, they have a very handsome and rich patina with various minuscule scuffs and imperfections commensurate with age and use. The only minor damage noted is a 1/4" split near the corner of the handle of the largest scoop.(SEE PHOTO).

This very scarce group of 19th century horn scoops will make a wonderful addition to any apothecary collection!

This handsome, late 19th century leather case is a wonderful example of a physician's traveling medicine case of this era. This particular example is larger in size and number of sections than is typically found, and additionally sports the personalized label, "Dr W. J. Gier MD" in old, silver-toned lettering on the front of the folded case.

The vintage black leather case with carrying handle on top, measures approximately 10.5" wide x 32" long when fully opened and 10.5" wide x 5.5" long x 4" deep when closed. The case is comprised of four different folding sections that house up to 28 corked vials per section, with only one vial missing from this medicine case. The clear glass medicine vials come in 2 sizes and measure about 2 to 2.5 inches tall including cork, with most vials sporting both paper label and cork. There are a few bottles labeled in red print as opposed to black, which indicates that the contents are poisons. Included are one OPIUM vial and 3 POISON vials.

The condition of the case indicates that Dr. Gier must have had a busy and lucrative practice as the case shows modest wear and tear to the leather components: loose seams, some leather loss in areas, partially detached flaps, one completely detached flap- all of which are commensurate with age and use. Some of the vial labels are also incomplete as noted in the photos.

In total, a fabulous example of the retinue of medicines that the late 19th century physician had on hand when making house calls.

Hard to find pharmacy or chemists bottle comes complete with colorful contents and original label. Measures about 5 inches tall and ready for your collection. Dates to the early 1900s.

Offered is a choice, late 19th century, physician's, Homeopathic Medicine Case No. 1 from Parke Davis & Company.

It is a nearly complete example containing 23 of the original 24 screw cap empty vials! This example was most likely part of a set of 2 or 3 other matching cases offering various additional remedies as the gold printing on the flap notes the following: "TABLET TRITURATE CASE NO. 1. A partial printed label marked "ASSORTMENT A..." indicates that Parke Davis offered a large assortment of different homeopathic medicines.

Each cylindrical vial measures approximately 3 inches in length including the cap. The vials are nestled in the leather case with most of them sporting a small paper label that is hand written or printed upon. The fitted leather case measures 7" long x 1.5" wide x 3.5" high and shows wear commensurate with its use and its 120+ years of age. Modest loss to the flap closure is noted with general wear and mild loss of material. One flap is separated as seen in the photo.

A wonderful pharmaceutical relic representative of late 19th century homeopathic medicine!

An exceedingly RARE and all-original, commanding group photograph of 1880's NURSES with a bit of the mysterious - might be depicting recent graduates of a nursing program with male and female head instructors or may be a photograph of hospital staff nurses with head nurse and administrator/physician. A bit of intrigue for certain, and most definitely a highly rare and unusual period nursing photo of substantial size! Found in a New York state estate.

Framed in original, period frame with wood backing (20 x 15.5 inches); the tattered matting has been removed. Photo dimensions - 14.5 x 19.5 inches. Very good condition with some light fading in the upper portion and a minute ding next to the writing. One of the nurses has the words "BAD GIRL" written above her head!

Offered is a very special group of 7 Patent Medicines from China that date to the 1900 - 1920 era. This diminutive in size selection measures from a mere 1.5 inch example to the 3 inch box of skin lotion that houses a corked bottle. The 2.5 inch aqua bottle has embossing on 4 sides with one side noting "CHINA". This appears to be the oldest example. I just love the graphics and appealing colored labeling not to mention that they will fit anywhere in your collection. 2 of the boxed medicines each have an external paper label that is printed with the traditional Chinese contents in English. The tiniest of all "U-I-OIL" sports a graphic insert with an image of the (?)companies owner and details in Chinese. Overall the condition of this collection is very good with no damage. Only one label shows modest wear and tear. Just fabulous as a group or by themselves.

Offered is a very nice C1900, Fairbanks, NY, Drug Store or Apothecary Prescription Scientific Scale complete with weights. Features of the scale include a mahogany case sporting a wonderful patina, and the bone (or early plastic) name plate which is marked "FAIRBANKS NY", an iconic maker of quality scales of the period. A brass labeled NY (New York) CITY asset tag further enhances this vintage scientific collectible.

Additionally, a brass beam, column and dial create a visual enhancement. There are 2 nickel plated pans and a complete set of boxed weights that round off this appealing scale.

The scale case measures 9"L x 4.25"W x 2.5"H and is about 10" tall with the brass column in place.

The overall condition is very good with the expected scuffs, dings and imperfections commensurate of a 120+ year old antique. Minor tarnish prevails especially on the pans and on metal areas. The boxed weight set is in as found very good condition.

***NOTE*** THE SCALE WILL BE SHIPPED DISASSEMBLED for safe keeping during transit.***

A perfect compliment to one's apothecary - drug store collection!

***PRICED EACH***

Offered is an absolutely fabulous group of early 1900, Merck & Co., amber glass, dispensing pharmacy bottles. Each bottle measures 5.5 inches tall, sports a ground glass stopper and comes with 2 labels. Many of the bottles have contents and are in undamaged condition. Only the "Pepsin" bottle has condition issues - (a big chip at the back side of the mouth not seen from the front when displayed - $15.00).

Don't miss this rare opportunity to acquire a quality pharmacy collection! Select one or more bottle - your choice $35.00 each!

This is a fully-functional, ready to use vintage 1900 wood and porcelain pestle.

The condition is very good with only signs of mild wear commensurate of a modestly used tool of the trade. No damage or loss, just scruffs and a nice surface patina.

Measures about 10.5 inches long and ready for your collection or use. The #7 is stamped into the edge of porcelain.

Offered are a scarcely-found group of three pharmacy ointment mill tube fillers that date to the circa 1910 - 1930s era. These tools-of-the-trade were typically found in compounding pharmacies. This particular grouping came from the estate of a pharmacist who first began practicing in the early 1900's.

The first example, as seen on the left, measures 3.5 inches and has a heavy brass base and an aluminum compression rod. There is a removable brass nozzle that screws into the base. This diminutive hand size mill would fill 1 to 2 ounce medication tubes and sports a nice patina. There are no markings seen and just minor superficial wear is evident.

The second mill, as seen on the right, measures 4 inches and has a one piece molded aluminum base and a brass compression rod. Perfect for filling smaller tubes, this example fits comfortably in one's hand. The condition is very good except for a small chip noted at the end of nozzle.

The third and final mill featured in the center of the primary photograph sports 3 legs and two removable brass nozzles. The nickel plating covers what appears to be brass, showing minimal wear only to the top of the feet. This unmarked 6.25 inch high beauty has all-original patina and has capacity enough to have filled either multiple or larger-sized medicine tubes.

Also included are four medicine recipe cards from the 1950's noting proprietary medicines from "BUTLERS" drug store establishment.