A “rare and desirable tin,” this German Liquor Cure example made by Sears, Robuck and Co., Inc., earned the highest price of the day at $2,912. The empty hinged, flat pocket tin was 3 inches long ($200/400).
Review by Kiersten Busch
KIRKWOOD, N.Y. — On December 7, McMurray Antiques & Auctions conducted a 133-lot sale of apothecary items, including labeled patent medicines, tins, tooth powder tins, pills from Seroco, veterinary items, books and advertising. “I was very pleased with the results, with only one lot not receiving a bid,” shared owner Terry McMurray. “Not a lot of ‘high power’ and expensive items — just good, clean merchandise and what the collectors are looking for.”
McMurray further noted, “bids came in from across the US and Canada from private collectors, dealers and a buyer in Washington, DC, looking for items to buy and donate to the Smithsonian Institute.”
A Sears, Robuck and Co., Inc., (Chicago) German Liquor Cure tin led the sale, surpassing its $200/400 estimate by more than seven times to earn $2,912. McMurry shared that it was the “first example [he had] ever handled and knew it would get attention.” He further explained that it was “a cross-over collectible that appealed to different categories of collecting with great subject matter.” The tin, which was labeled “‘Sure Cure’ For Drunkenness / Stop Drinking” and “Guaranteed to destroy all desire for liquor,” also had directions and advertising on the inside of the top lid, as well as a “nice image” of a man drinking on the front, according to catalog notes.
This paper sign advertising Dr Henry Baxter’s Mandrake Bitters sold for the second highest price of the day, $1,456. Measuring 21 by 25 inches in a period oak frame, it was the only example Terry McMurray had ever come across ($800-$1,200).
Apothecary advertisements were popular with bidders, as one of the cover photos for the physical auction catalog, a framed sign for Dr Henry Baxter’s Mandrake Bitters, sold for $1,456, the second-highest price of the sale. The advertisement, housed in a period oak frame, depicted a young girl smelling a flower in the center. At the bottom of the poster were the words “Cures Dyspepsia. Constipation. Sick Headache” and “Only 25 Cents. Liquid or Tablets.” In excellent condition, notes in the auction catalog explained it was “a rare and attractive patent medical sign, and the only example [they were] aware of.” Another advertisement, this one for Mrs Winslow’s Soothing Syrup, used for children when they were teething, sold for the third-highest price, $1,064.
Medicines and pills were led by a one-ounce tin lithograph container of morphine sulfate from Powers & Weightman Manufacturing Chemists, Philadelphia. Examples such as this one are “always popular with the collectors,” the auction catalog explained. The red tin had a skull and crossbones near its lid, flanked by “Poison” and with “Morphinae Sulphas” underneath it. The container sold for $896, surpassing its $100/150 estimate.
This complete and sealed case of Hawker’s Wild Tolu and Cherry Balsam, advertised to cure coughs, was made by The Hawker Medicine Co., Ltd., circa 1900. The box, measuring 6½ inches high, 5 inches wide and 5½ inches deep, was in overall good condition and earned $840 ($300/500).
Additional cures that performed well included a complete, sealed case of one dozen Hawker’s balsam cough cures dated circa 1900, made by The Hawker Medicine Co., Ltd. “Rare to find an original,” according to the catalog notes, the paper wrapped case was labeled “Hawker’s Tolu and Cherry Balsam A Sure Cough Cure” and was in overall good condition. Despite some light staining, dirt and a few tears at the top, the complete set went for $840.
Another interesting find was a complete four-sheet Antikamnia calendar from 1901, which sold just over its $400/600 estimate for $784. According to the auction catalog, the calendar included “great skeleton images on each sheet and advertising on the backside.”
McMurray’s next sale will take place in the spring of 2025; a date has yet to be announced. Prices quoted include buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, 607-775-5972 or www.mcmurrayauctions.com.
