After many hours of research, I took a closer look and found ... it is ... A FAKE!
This is a FAKE of the reproduction BALL & CLAW BOTTLE of
amethyst glass complete with cork stopper.
As with FAKE glass it comes with all the forced antiquing: excessive
bubbles and impurities within the glass, excessively rough patch to surface and
the unmistakable base embossing of “MADE IN TAIWAN”. The talons are clearly
defined as are the words “Worlds Best Remedy, Wheaton N.J.” and “Indian Drug
Speciality Company”. The bottle appears to be in excellent fake vintage
condition with no cracks, chips or damage to the embossing, the cork is present
but a few small pieces broken away which doesn’t affect this piece in any way.
Make no mistake...this is not the original (and yes they do exist, they are not
all reproduction as some ‘experts’ will tell you), nor is it a reproduction
(identified with “Wheaton Village” embossed on base), it is a clear FAKE!
This lovely little fake would make a great ‘filler’ for your collection, until you
are able to replace it with a reproduction or even the original. Ideally, one
could collect the fakes for themselves.
Did I mention it was a FAKE!?! Every treasure hunter needs one occasionally to keep us on our toes (though I think that's just what I tell myself).
But this is what I discovered while the hours ticked by....
Many ‘experts’ proclaim all Wheaton’s
miniature bottles to be colonial reproductions
from the late 1960s - early 1970s, while
regular people still indicate that they are incorrect as they have been
collecting these bottle since the mid 1950s. So, experts are not always right, I guess. But it does make it
difficult to date these dainty little bottles.
The Wheaton Glass Works of New Jersey, USA, began in 1888 by
a physician with a passion for beauty and quality in hand blown glass, Dr
Theodore Wheaton. The Ball & Claw miniature bottle is just one from a collection of 24
designs of full sized bottles by Wheaton. Colours of this particular miniature bottle include: Topaz (yellowish),
aqua, blue, green, cobalt, avocado, and ruby. Only certain designs, such as the Ball &
Claw, included the colours of cobalt and avocado, along with: Dr Fisch Bitters,
Franklin Flask, Jaundice Bitters, Jenny Lind, and the Straubmuller Wheaten
bottle, only 6 of the original 24 deigns.
And finally, there are 3 categories of this miniature bottle, they are: Originals, Reproductions, and then there is mine, Fakes. Luckily I picked it up for only a poorly sum at a market stall. I am still giggling from my fabulous findings and I hope that I have provided you all with a little humour for your day. ;)
