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Geo. P Morrill Rare Apothecary Bottle NV - Virginia City,Storey County - c1863-1865 - 2012aug - Neva

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Western Americana Start Price:1,500.00 USD Estimated At:3,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD
Geo. P Morrill Rare Apothecary Bottle NV - Virginia City,Storey County - c1863-1865 - 2012aug - Neva
Invoicing and lot pick up will NOT be available at the live auction.
Gorgeous drugstore bottle. Front embossed “Geo’ P. Morrill/ Apothecary/ Virginia City” with no maker’s mark on bottom. 6.75” tall x 2.75” wide. Applied top with run of glass at seam. Spectacular aqua glass with a large bubble on one side and a medium bubble in the top. Pristine. According to Fred Holabird’s forthcoming book, Nevada History through Glass—Vol2, George P. Morrill was a pioneer western druggist and soda manufacturer in Virginia City who was born in New Hampshire in 1828. His family with four brothers moved west for the California Gold Rush. While his brother Charles (J.C.) started early in the California Gold Rush as an apothecary, George was first recognized in the Langley San Francisco Directory in 1862. Competition in San Francisco in the wholesale and retail drug trade was tough in the early 1860s. The Morrill brothers were trying to break into a market that was controlled largely by 3 merchants: Crane & Brigham, R. McDonald, and Redington & Co. By late 1862, Morrill moved to Virginia City, where he bought part interest in the Warner & Muncton Drug Store with A.M. Cole. Morrill advertised in March and April 1863, when Sam Clemens (Mark Twain) was writing for the Territorial Enterprise, and the two must have known each other since Clemens sat in Goodwin’s office just across the street. Morrill’s business was distinctly local. He added other items as necessary for sales, exposure, and profit. His business produced a stunning embossed apothecary bottle from the Territorial period, c1862-1872. On 27 December 1872, Morrill declared bankruptcy, and on 20 March 1873 the store was assigned to R.E. Lowery at auction. The apothecary bottle most probably dates from 1863 when Morrill first opened his own drug store. The Morrill apothecary bottle is important to western glass and bottle collectors because it may be the first embossed apothecary bottle made on the west coast.

- Jacobitz Collection -59574