Monday, July 27, 2009

S. ADOLF - SALEM, O


Now here is a great flask. I have made mention of the recent find of the A.M. Smith flask from Salt Lake, but I have to admit the Adolf flask is nearly as rare. This flask has to be mentioned with the other top Oregon bottles.

The S. Adolf Portland O.(tf-1.5) is known in the pint size, 3 examples known. Two applied top and one is tooled. Thomas makes mention of a 1/2 pint tool top, I am not sure if that is correct. Light amber, slug plate mold, knife edge flask.
Check out the top on this one, super crude.
The owner of this beauty was able to acquire it from a descendant of good 'ol Sam Adolf about 10 years ago. He had to negotiate with the relative for several years before a deal was done.
Posted by at 10:26 PM
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8 comments:

  1. This is one of those killer rare bottles, but where the mold lacks design and creativy, and if you're holding... you have to hope not many more are found, as it's main merit is its rarity. Probably had a pretty label in the center, one would think with the obvious "where's the monogram" gap.
    AP
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  2. Sorry, AP, but "designs" don't move me as much as rarity does. To each his own, I guess. That's what makes this hobby so great, ain't it? Choices, many choices. If we all looked for the exact same things it would be a dull world, indeed. A fine example would be the "Green Grange". Put that one next to a new Sprite bottle and the unitiated couldn't tell the difference. ZERO crudity, but color and "design" it had in spades. My preference would be the Adolf. Hey, maybe that's why collection is so meager. LOL
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  3. Very, very nice historic flask
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  4. I hear ya OC. Individual taste is a cool factor and also helps alot of bottles out there find a good home. To me, collecting for rarity is a fun factor too, but soley for rarity is another story and risky, as you well know there are "creepers" out there constantly cruising and digging!
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  5. In over 50 years of digging, and searching, there has been only 2 of these found in the wild. And 2 examples (the pictured pint, and half pint, were in the Adolph family forever, and were not found by collectors. A tooled pint was found in 2007 under a house by a plumbing contractor, and of course pint dug in the 70s.Seems like most small town flasks by merchants with VERY limited funds at the time, continue to withstand the test of time as far as rarity.(Brassey) Some bottles are simply too rare to create a frenzy of demand, the top factor in value.I know there could be a few more of these found, and I am searching the neighborhood, and block to find the glop fifth that I am 93% certain exists. I know where to look...two pints,one applied, and one tooled came from there.I know the market that sold the stuff. Maybe next winter it will happen.
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  6. That would be awesome if you or someone digs the matching fifth ! Probably would make the flask even more appealing too. Remember on your search, you are looking for plumbing pipes, not bottles, because in Orygun ya can't dig for bottles or pump your own gas. The "State"... "takes care" of everything/one there... yeah, right ?
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  7. "Creepers"!! HAR!!! Anyone in particular to set our sights on? Remember when that phrase was coined? LOL

    You can't look for pipes in Oregon, either. You might disturb some 1940s trash, or heaven forbid, something a few years older. Up thataway, you don't call USA, you call the SOA(Society of Oregon Archaeologists). Be safe, call before you dig. Bwahahaha
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  8. OC,I hear the new creepers are invading from the south...
    As for the SOA, I personally feel we should make Oregon a different country or divide it somewhere around J'Ville and give the rest of the North to the US Socialists Party or to France !
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