Andrew Rapoza
- Sep 2
- 7 min
Hair-Raising Stories: the Bear, the Coconut, & the Oil Well
Part 1 of 3: THE BEAR I shave in the dark. I don’t need to turn the light on because I know where everything is on my face. My nose and...
34 views1 comment
Andrew Rapoza
- Aug 16
- 5 min
The Unforgettable Big Bottle Expo
The FOHBC put on an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime event at Houston24 An upcoming issue of the FOHBC (Federation of Historical Bottle...
33 views1 comment
Andrew Rapoza
- Jun 29
- 1 min
update to: "Blowing Smoke ..."
Please check out the interesting update (29 June 2024) with new photo at the boom of the 23 March 2024 blog post, "Blowing Smoke on the...
25 views0 comments
Andrew Rapoza
- Jun 26
- 8 min
Come to Houston! Look into the Past through Amazing Glass
This is my personal invitation to you, my reader and my friend, to come to the most amazing assortment of bottles and glass that you’ll...
36 views1 comment
Andrew Rapoza
- Mar 23
- 6 min
Blowing Smoke on the Ideal Victorian Lady
NOTICE: This article has been updated as of 20 June 2024: additional image of a woman smoking in an ashtray - contributed by Sonny...
49 views2 comments
Andrew Rapoza
- Mar 17
- 7 min
Soule's Eradicator: the Flower or the Worm?
It's so easy for me to imagine the scene in 1885: a young woman of Lynn, Massachusetts, has put in another long, hard day at the dismal...
37 views1 comment
Andrew Rapoza
- Mar 9
- 7 min
The Big Green Bottle, Full of Miracles & Tragedy
In the early 1880s, Jacob Welch had accomplished having the biggest furniture store in Lynn, Massachusetts, and he felt he could achieve...
36 views1 comment
Andrew Rapoza
- Mar 3
- 7 min
A Tribute to Dreaming Under a Bridge
No one was more driven than Dan Pinkham, even when the world was crashing in on all sides. His once affluent family lost everything...
40 views1 comment
Andrew Rapoza
- Feb 25
- 5 min
Tips on Old Medicines
I am no expert on the collectible I'm going to share with you today, but I don't know anybody that is. So what I've learned in my...
44 views1 comment
Andrew Rapoza
- Feb 17
- 6 min
Dr. Kilmer's Unforgettable Organs
Personal Note from Andy: In most of these blog posts, I've tried to entertain you with great history, solid research, and engaging...
42 views2 comments
Andrew Rapoza
- Feb 10
- 7 min
The Gift
One Father’s Day, a little over 30 years ago, my wife and children presented me with a gift that has ever since been dear to me. They had...
30 views2 comments
Andrew Rapoza
- Jan 27
- 5 min
A Cure for Monsters
Please gaze at the image above and ponder it for a few moments. What kind of animal do you see – perhaps a poisonous reptile, an angered...
42 views1 comment
Andrew Rapoza
- Jan 21
- 7 min
A Big Story from a Small Bottle
Several years ago, I went to the illustrious Baltimore Bottle Show. Traveling from Texas to Maryland for a long weekend cost me several...
43 views1 comment
Andrew Rapoza
- Dec 30, 2023
- 3 min
Trademarks: Playing Possum?
It was one of the earliest trademarks registered in the United States - Number 247 - and the very first for a business in Lynn,...
37 views0 comments
Andrew Rapoza
- Dec 10, 2023
- 5 min
Epitaph for “The Metaphysical Cure”
Well, the beautiful box I featured a few posts ago has been sold – definitely not to me. It went for $1,850 which comes as no surprise –...
20 views0 comments
Andrew Rapoza
- Nov 25, 2023
- 2 min
Their World Wasn't Sepia
We tend to get nostalgic when we look at old-time photographs. The world of our ancestors is almost always seen in sepia tones - faces,...
26 views1 comment
Andrew Rapoza
- Nov 24, 2023
- 2 min
Curing with Frost, Rain, and Dew
One thing you have to give to the patent medicine makers of the 19th century - they were definitely creative. Since each was positioning...
59 views6 comments