2016 Houston Bottle Show fun as usual!

25 July 2016

The Houston Bottle Show is usually a tough one for me because it is usually a week or two before the Federation National Show (FOHBC 2016 Sacramento National Antique Bottle Convention & Expo) where a lot of my attention has been focused. This year was no different but I must say, it was well worth setting up and visiting with the Texas and southwest bottle crowd. I even picked up a few pieces that will work their way into my house which is under major renovation from the Houston floods this past April and May.

This past Friday started out early for me as I was in Dothan, Alabama for business the day earlier. I had a 6:15 am flight to Houston from Pensacola, Florida so I had to arise at 3:15 am and drive southwest. It now occurs to me that maybe I should have just stayed in Alabama and hit the 1st Tuscaloosa Antique Bottle, Pottery and Advertising Show. Nah, I had reserved a table in Houston and needed to stay the course. I did miss set-up and early admission on Friday night as getting around Houston during rush hour is a nightmare. There is construction everywhere and they had closed down all Easy Pass lanes to upgrade equipment.

Kind of a sparse Meyer table this year as much is in storage from the floods while we restore and renovate our house. Check out that cool Edwin Meaders rooster in a dark green glaze.

Saturday morning I got up around 4:30 am. Most of my bottles are packed up and in storage so I had trouble putting enough material together for a table. I usually get two tables and set up light boxes and display bitters and other figural color runs. You can see some previous table set-up at the links above. The material is not for sale, and just for fun as it draws people to the table where I have a table display rack of BOTTLES and EXTRAS and FOHBC memberships. I meet so many cool people this way.

Alton Neatherlin

This year my table was next to Alton Neatherlin who is a legend with the Houston bottle scene. I hope to do a story on him at some point. I also very much missed Dan Cowman who passed away earlier in the year. Dan was the king of bottle ephemera and had so many killer pieces of bitters material…and great bottles. Most is at auction now with Terry McMurray (McMurray Antiques & Auctions) in New York. The second Cowman auction had just ended a week before. Terry reported very strong prices which is good.

Alicia Booth, Paulette and Joe Mathews.

I also ran into Joe and Paulette Matthews who presented me with a copy of their upcoming Teakettle Ink Price and Reference Guide. Alicia is holding the book. I will be doing a separate piece on this super book.

Alicia Booth & Brad Seigler

FOHBC board member elects Alicia Booth (Public Relations Director) and Brad Seigler (Southern Region Director) were also present. Brad has a great collection of Texas bottles and had a table full of material including black glass from a collection he just picked up. He also had this killer Chippewa Salt framed advertising piece (pictured below) from Wadsworth, Ohio which I snatched up and I will hang at Peach Ridge when the time is right. Still painting and staining the walls for the next few weeks. Alicia Booth will be heading to Sacramento next week with us for the National. We leave on Tuesday, 02 August. Bags are packed. Elizabeth is also coming along with my granddaughter Isabella and Coco, my Weimie.

Framed Chippewa Salt advertising from Wadsworth, Ohio.

The Houston Bottle Show each year is headed up by Barbara and Kathy Puckett (pictured below). Barbara always does a great job as Show Chair. I especially like the carpeted floor and fully covered tables. I wish more bottle shows would consider the full coverage as it hides valuables and other material beneath the tables. It also makes for better pictures.

Kathy Puckett (left) and Barbara Puckett.

Also spotted in the crowd were a number a familiar faces such as Jay Kasper, Chris Renaudo, Earl McIntyre, Ronnie Britton, Henry Tankersley, David Cole, Robert Vaughn, Mike McGrew, Dee Mondey, Will Beauchamp, Courtney Frioux, Tracy & Barbara Bradford, Casey Roby, Phil Lambert, Jeff Yaun, Ronnie Britton and more.

Large PYREX insulator in pale orange carnival (one piece) to go with my smaller one. Kinda cool. Raw on my Saltillo tiles as my house being renovated.

I was able to pick up this large PYREX insulator in a light orange carnival color from Chris Renaudo which will go with my smaller one. Thanks Chris. I put them on some raw butcher block on my raw Saltillo tiles at home. Made for a nice picture.

Casey Roby reports that he is building a bottle making museum in East Texas, I hope to do a separate story on that too.

Anyway a fun day. I even asked a select few if they would be interested in putting together a proposal to bring the FOHBC National Convention to Houston in 2019. The answer was always a strong yes. You see, at one time in the 1970s or so, Houston was the epicenter of bottle collecting. Could it be again?

A smiling Phil Lambert… just whistle

Soda bottle caps always make a nice graphics display. I’d keep em’ all and hang on a wall framed!

I wonder if Jeff Yaun was playing Pokémon GO? Actually I really liked the Diamond Dyes box. Great

Earl McIntyre…proud as a 5c Peacock

Texas bottle KING, David Cole. Hoping to do a story on David too. Saturday was his birthday!

I thanked Will Beauchamp for wearing a shirt that went so well with his bottles! Will is a Houston anchor.

Ronnie Britton with a table full of bottles.

Casey Roby on the right. Misplaced the gentleman’s name on the left. Gonna do a post on Casey’s museum

I was able to grab a few of my Sandwich monument colognes. Always striking. Would have looked better on my light tables.

Henry Tankersley down from the Tulsa. Representing the Tulsa Antique Bottle Club. They have a show each year. Another anchor down this way.

I really like this hand holding a bottle. What a great marketing piece from Marshall, Texas. David Cole table.

A zillion Three Rivers Texas bottles.

Just a KILLER Lone Star Brewing piece. Love it! Color and condition outstanding.

ACL sodas on Don Wininger’s table.

Super insulator display case on Chris Renaudo’s table.

Alton Neatherlin let me photograph his extremely rare drug store bottle from Hilo, Hawaii.

I met Tracy and Carol Bradford for the first time. What great people. Postcard dealer at his first Houston show. Talk about coordinated shirts! A

Dynamite Anheuser-Busch piece. Cropped a bit tight but striking none-the-less.

Can’t remember this guys name. Please wear your badges and help me out 🙂 or maybe I should do a better job!

Rene Saenz with a table full of Art Deco bottles.

Someone brought over this deco perfume and said if it wasn’t broken it would be worth a fortune. I could not identify it but will contact the International Perfume Bottle Collectors Assoc. Would love to have an Indian Queen or Old Sachem’s in that color!!!!