Catalog: Vintage Arts: Instruments and Implements (80)

Offered for your consideration is a porcelain medical sterilizer fresh from a retired physician's collection. This office size model is in fairly good condition and appears to be from the 1930-1940s era. It displays well; however, there is modest repair to the right side as seen in the photos.

Measures 5 inches long x 3.5 inches wide x 4 inches high (including the knob). A sweet diminutive size for easy display!

The embossed label on the base is marked "AMERICAN SUNDRIES Co. – BROOKLYN, N.Y. - PATENTED". The lid articulates backwards to open and appears to be missing the interior tray. Priced accordingly.

Offered is a hard-to-find survivor of 1930s - 1940s medicine!

This handsome cabinet is constructed of a hardwood (perhaps walnut) and sports an eye-appealing, front-facing, bakelite, control panel. The cabinet is rather heavy and measures 15"W x 14" H x 12.5" with a canted front panel and two wooden handles for transport.

The bottom drawer stores all of the wires and connections noted in the photo. The condition of the cabinet is very good with wear commensurate with age. One wire is brittle and non functional. There are 2 wires included that plug into the device as seen in photo. From the Philadelphia Hospital Supply Co.

An awesome piece of medical instrumentation - fusing both form and function not often found in today's market!

Offered is a wonderful, 1940s, dual-purpose heater that works as both a baby vaporizer and bottle warmer. This charming piece is in very nice condition complete with its original, quite visually appealing cardboard box.

The warmer/vaporizer is made of durable ceramic and sports an elongated, diamond-shaped label on front featuring an arrangement of flowers. Made by HANKSCRAFT, it dates to 1945 per the patent date noted on the underside label and measures about 4.5" tall x 3.25" wide. The underside metal label is packed with information!

The condition of the warmer/vaporizer is very good with no damage noted. The electrical component has not been tested. The box is worn (some loss and unattached pieces) and is generally tattered yet retains its absolutely wonderful graphics.

A delightful baby collectible!

Incredible graphics say it all for this highly unique, female medicine bottle, BonKora, dating from the 1930s - 1940s era.

The bottle measures nearly 7.5 inches high and is complete with original contents. The condition of the bottle is very nice with only minor staining to the label next to the letters in the word, BONKORA. Although the box is damaged (see photos), it displays very well as it retains the image of the nude female- an interesting conversation piece!

A bit of history: BONKORA was actually advertised as a weight loss treatment in print advertising, although this usage is not stated on the box. With sales in decline in the late 1930s, the BONKORA manufacturer attempted to make their product a bit more interesting by streamlining the original, bulkier silhouette in their advertising and adding a naked lady on the label. While a clever touch, the product’s popularity continued to wane – perhaps due to a combination of the economics of the Great Depression and the increased federal enforcement of earlier-legislated laws prohibiting unsubstantiated, and wild, curative claims for any and all maladies.

Offered is a very nice, vintage, drug store, BROMO SELTZER Dispenser with a patent date of 1930.

This popular and very recognizable, pharmacy collectible is constructed of a cobalt blue glass base with an aluminum stand that sports an old bottle of Bromo Seltzer retaining a label dating to 1987. The stand measures just over 15 inches high including the bottle.

The condition is commensurate with a used pharmacy device. The base shows wear with various scratches, and the metal is tarnished. The dispenser mechanism rotates and functions properly. The piece was in storage for many years and retains its original, "as-found" patina. A very nice find!

Some history:
The Bromo Seltzer product takes its name from a component of the original formula, sodium bromide. Bromides are a class of tranquilizers that were withdrawn from the U.S. market in 1975 due to their toxicity. Their sedative effect probably accounted for Bromo-Seltzer's vast popularity back in the day as THE go-to remedy for hangovers!

This is a wonderful example of a Quack Medical device from the 1930s. Inside the black, cloth-covered, fitted case lies a beautiful massage apparatus complete with all attachments and 36 page instruction booklet.

Measuring about 7" x 4", this "Rolex" brand-labeled device and its three attachments are in very nice condition. The booklet has a copyright date of 1934 and is packed with photos and suggested uses for the massager including treatment of headaches and renewing vigor!

The case measures about 8" x 10" and sports a fabulous interior label. The cord is a bit dry so I opted to not plug it in. (I would expect that this device is functional as all the other electric medical devices from this collection were in working condition. Without plugging it in, I cannot guarantee if it works, so please purchase with this in mind.)

Working or not, this interesting, Quack Medical device is a unique "find" and is ready for your collection.

This is a hard-to-find, pharmacy or drug store female specific tin labeled “SEDETS” – Pain pills from the 1940 – 1950 era. The tin measures 2 inches and is in very good condition complete with unused contents. There are faint scratches and minor wear areas. Marked "Rexall Drug Company" and "Patented 1938 in Canada".

This is part of many “female specific” old pharmacy stock items for sale.

This striking, decorated, ceramic apothecary jar dates from the 1930s and is marked "GERMANY" on its base. Measuring 9 inches tall, this jar features lovely,14K gold-painted swags.

The jar cover has a repaired crack at the base of the knob as seen in the photo, but the jar otherwise is quite fine lending flair and elegance to your apothecary collection.

Offered is a scarce POISON bottle that sports great images of an elk with an honorable rack. The bottle on the right is not available.

The 3 sided label is complete with minor loss, imperfections and fading as seen in the images. The bottle is undamaged and measures approximately 3.5 inches tall x 1 inch wide and include an orange colored cork. There is minimal interior hazing.

The front of the label is marked "ELK BRAND - LIQUID CARBOLIC ACID". The left side is marked "POISON" in bold letters and includes the antidote. The right side has another wonderful elk head image. It states "Mfg. by ELK MFG CO." Jellico, Tenn. The bottle dates to the 1930 era.

Jellico was once a thriving coal mining town during the late 19th century. Info on the Elk Mfg Co is scarce and the bottle such as this example is equally rare. One can find Elk brand tins etc. but bottle is scarce.

Offered for your consideration is a fabulous medical sterilizer fresh from a retired physicians collection. This nickel plated beauty is in fine shape and appears to be from the 1930-1940 era.

Measures 8 inches long x 3 inches wide x 5 inches high (including the knob). The embossed label is marked "MADE IN USA - CASTLE- STERILIZER". The lid is attached to the interior tray and articulates backwards to open or can be lifted off as seen it the photo. Please note that the electric cord was cut by the good doctor to fit inside his display cabinet.

Offered is a very nice grouping of 5 "ANCHOR CANTRUST" RUSTLESS HYPODERMIC NEEDLES.

Each circa 1940s era box originally contained a dozen high quality needles. The boxes and needles are all identical in size and labeling. Each needle clips into a metal tray and sports a wire cleaner which resides inside the needle.

There are a total of 33 needles within the 5 boxes, all measuring about 3 inches long, and all in fine condition. Three of the boxes are in very good condition; two boxes are in fair condition showing mild loss of the box label on the edges as well as some carton separation.

An exact example of these high end needles exists at the NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY.....Pretty neat!

Offered is a very hard-to-find, unused, Asthma Lung Cough Cure Plasters Drugstore Tin from North Chelmsford, Mass. A deep, purple-toned paper label covers the 3 inch tall, cleverly-named "PHI-TEM tin.

The condition of this early 1930s nostrum is very good with minimal tarnish to the metal and very light fading to the label.

This medicine tin is unopened and ready for your collection!

Offered is a wonderful, circa 1920's, John Wyeth apothecary bottle sporting a fancy, shield-shaped, foil label, Elixir Phenobarbitol.

Decorative stock bottles such as this beauty were meant to be refilled and reused and were the pride of the pharmacy staff. Eye-catching, reflective medicine bottles such as these also served as an advertising mechanism as they often were placed prominently in pharmacy windows to attract passers-by.

This 8.5 inch, amber, wide-mouth example reveals ground glass construction and dates to the 1920's era.

This empty bottle is in excellent condition with no damage. The ground glass stopper cannot be removed and appears perfect.

The label shows light wear and staining commensurate with age and use. Although the label appears silver in the photos, it is more of a GOLD-toned foil.

A difficult to find bottle with a label in this very nice condition.

Offered is a fabulous, early 20thC, Patent Medicine Bottle sporting the image of an old geezer - OLD HERMIT EMBRO. Wonderful label graphics! Made by OLD HERMIT REMEDY CO. SCHENECTADY, NY - LABORATORIES - SCOTIA, NY, this nostrum was primarily a remedy for a variety of lung and respiratory afflictions as seen on the label: WHOOPING COUGH, ASTHMA in addition to frostbite, sprains and more! It was quite common for early medicines to purport to have many different benefits, and the "old hermit" manufacturer capitalized upon this.

The 4.5 inch high bottle sports a corked top which is covered by a plastic seal. The highly decorative label with wonderful graphics surrounds most of this cylindrical 1 1/2 ounce bottle. The label has an amber tone color and some minor wear, scuffs and loss commensurate with its age.

An interesting addition to one's apothecary, drugstore collection.

Measuring a diminutive 2 inches in diameter and in near mint condition, this interesting and unusual celluloid advertising pocket mirror features a person dosing with a magical "Nature's Remedy" tablet! (**Please note that any white spots in the photos are light reflections ONLY and not damage to the mirror.**)

The mirror front has a age-faded salmon colored border surrounding an image of a person's face with protruding tongue, about to swallow a "NR" (Nature's Remedy) tablet. The fading makes it a challenge to read the following which is imprinted around the circumference of the mirror: "Take One Tonight - You'll feel Better In The Morning."

AND....

"Better Than Pills For Liver Ills - Get a 25 Cent Box"

Original mirrored backing is in very fine condition with just a few very minute, superficial scratches.

Manufacturer name stamped on bottom edge: "Parisian Novelty Company, Chicago".

An interesting little advertising piece!

The Siemens Model M-22, carbon hearing aid was made by Siemens & Halske A. G. of Germany around 1925 (engraved on the back side of the microphone) and was marketed in America under the DUOTONE name by The American Phonophor Corporation of New York.

The double carbon amplifier microphones measure 4¾" x 2⅜" x 7/16" thick. The front view sports two decorative "snowflake" designed ports, and the base has a small swiveling leg for standing on a flat surface. The leather tab is provided so that the hearing device could be attached to a shirt button.

The receiver microphone is attached to both an "ON/OFF" switch and the earpiece via two coiled wires that have a two-pronged end for battery attachment. Please note that the battery is not functional nor does it have the correct ports for receiving the wire prongs...but it came with the case and fits quite nicely!!

The condition is very good with wear commensurate with a well-loved antique.

WIKIPEDIA has some very inetersting info on this style of hearing aid which was produced from the early 1900s till the late 1930s.

Offered is a wonderful 1920-1930s era Asthma Remedy bottle labeled HIMROD'S REMEDY. This lovely nostrum sports bright colored graphics and includes full contents and image of the debonair Mr. Himrod.

The condition is very good with the expected wear and minor scuffs and imperfections of a vintage piece.

There is even a high profile testimonial on the top box label from Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes who claimed this medicine to be "the best thing in my experience" etc.

Measures 4.5 inches tall.

This is a very nice Glover's Veterinary Dog Specific Condition Pill Tins that sport fabulous Art Nouveau graphics!

The green colored tins date to the 1910 - 1923 time period and measure about 3.25" long x 2 inches wide.

The tin with paint loss especially on the bottom is priced @ $70.00. .The better tin is $90.00

The covers and hinges work well. Made by "METAL PKGE CORP. BKLYN, NY".

****The brown colored tin is sold****

Some History: Henry Clay Glover started practicing veterinary medicine sometime prior to 1877. In 1888, his medicines were awarded the medal of superiority by the American Institute of New York. He identified himself as a “Specialist in Canine Diseases". As a personal testimonial, he stated that as of 1897, he had been the Veterinarian to the Westminster Kennel Club for 20 years.

The first known address for Dr. Glover is 1293 Broadway, New York City. Tins with this address state “H. Clay Glover,V.S. Prop", and appear to be the earliest-known. Some time prior to 1914, the company moved to 118 West 31st Street. Glover was still sole proprietor, but by 1917 the company was incorporated, and the tins stated “H. Clay Glover Co” while retaining the West 31st Street address. The company moved to 127-129 West 24th Street in 1923.