https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com Thu, 08 Oct 2026 07:18:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1 https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2026/08/antique-boericke-runyon-thuja-bottle-label-contents-san-francisco-california/ https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2026/08/antique-boericke-runyon-thuja-bottle-label-contents-san-francisco-california/#comments Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:23:44 +0000 https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2026/08/antique-boericke-runyon-thuja-bottle-label-contents-san-francisco-california/





















A San Francisco medicine cabinet, circa 1900 – sealed, labeled, and untouched. Before antibiotics, before federal regulation, and before Silicon Valley meant servers instead of sailors, San Francisco was a medical frontier town -and this tiny vial is a survivor from that moment. Produced in San Francisco, California, this original THUJA homeopathic pellet vial by Boericke & Runyon Company has remained astonishingly intact for more than a century, complete with its paper labels, crimped metal seal, and full original contents. Most examples were used up, opened, or tossed away. This one stayed whole. San Francisco origin – why that matters. At the turn of the 20th century, San Francisco was one of America’s most important medical hubs west of the Mississippi. As a booming port city, it blended European medical traditions with American manufacturing, serving physicians, hospitals, and households across the Pacific coast. Boericke & Runyon operated from San Francisco, California, supplying remedies nationwide during a period when conventional medicine was still dangerous, painful, and uncertain. Their West Coast location makes pieces like this significantly scarcer than comparable East Coast examples. This isn’t just a medicine bottle-it’s a San Francisco pharmaceutical artifact from the city’s pre-earthquake, pre-modern era. Boericke & Runyon Company was the most influential homeopathic pharmaceutical firm in the United States around 1900. Their remedies, reference books, and formularies shaped American homeopathy for decades. The company name being embossed directly into the glass was intentional-branding as authority. This bottle wasn’t meant to be anonymous or disposable; it was meant to be trusted. The product: THUJA pellets. Thuja occidentalis (white cedar) was one of the most commonly prescribed homeopathic remedies of the era. It was used for. Skin conditions (especially warts). Chronic or constitutional complaints. Conditions believed to arise from long-term imbalance or vaccination reactions (very period-specific thinking). The sugar pellets were taken dry on the tongue, as described on the original label-medicine delivered with ritual, routine, and belief. Examples like this are rarely found complete. Original paper labels (legible, multi-panel). Original crimped metal seal. Full original pellet contents. Most surviving vials are missing one or more of these elements. Having all of them together, especially with contents, places this firmly in the upper tier of antique medical collectibles. Technology: Electricity was spreading, automobiles were novelties, telephones were rare. Medicine: No antibiotics, risky surgery, limited pain relief. Culture: Health decisions were made at home, not hospitals. Politics: Progressive-era America, expanding westward influence, rising faith in science-but not certainty. Homeopathy thrived because it offered something gentler in a world where treatment itself could be terrifying. Faceted amber glass vial. Embossed: “BOERICKE & RUNYON COMPANY”. Original paper labels with dosing instructions. Crimped metal seal with blue glass stopper. Original pellets visible through the glass. Height: approximately 2.75 inches. Why collectors want this. This is a fully intact San Francisco medical artifact -small, displayable, and loaded with story. It bridges medicine, West Coast history, and early pharmaceutical branding in a way few objects this size can. The kind of piece that doesn’t just sit on a shelf-it explains itself.

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The product is an antique 1860 Western Aqua Spice Sauce bottle found in San Francisco, California. This collectible bottle belongs to the category of antique bottles and is specifically a sauce bottle. It holds a unique historical value as it was discovered in a specific location and adds a touch of nostalgia to any collection of vintage bottles or Western memorabilia.

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The product is an antique late 1800s to early 1900’s embalming fluid bottle from Eureka Fluid Works of San Francisco, California. It provides a historical glimpse into the methods of preservation used during that time period and serves as a unique collector’s item for those interested in antiques and science & medicine artifacts. The markings on the bottle provide several historical clues. The vertical graduated markings (numbered 1 through 16) were used by embalmers to measure the precise amount of fluid needed for a procedure. Company History: While the Eureka Chemical Company (which still produces “Fluid Film” today) dates its origins to the early 1940s, this specific “Eureka Fluid Works” branding and bottle style typically date from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Local Lore: During the “last wet” New Year’s Eve before Prohibition started in 1920, some San Francisco saloon owners reportedly went so far as to pass off embalming fluid as whiskey to desperate patrons. This bottle is extremely rare. Not many out there.

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AMBER WHISKEY BOTTLE FROM SAN FRANSICO, CALIFORNIA.

]]> https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2026/04/rare-san-francisco-california-honey-amber-roth-co-pre-pro-whiskey-bottle/feed/ 0 https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2026/03/mini-sample-crown-distilleries-san-francisco-california-whiskey-bottle-withstopper/ https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2026/03/mini-sample-crown-distilleries-san-francisco-california-whiskey-bottle-withstopper/#comments Sat, 07 Mar 2026 17:00:41 +0000 https://sanfranciscosanfrancisco.com/2026/03/mini-sample-crown-distilleries-san-francisco-california-whiskey-bottle-withstopper/








Mini Sample Crown Distilleries Bottle w/Original Stopper. Bottle is in EXCELLENT Condition! The stopper’s threads are worn off so it sits loosely on bottle.

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Blown in a two-piece mold with a distinctly rolled (applied) square collar lip and exhibiting strong whittled character, the glass is a rich Western deep aqua with sparkling clarity. The base is smooth-bottomed, indicating the post-pontil transition era that followed the 1850s’ open-pontil production. Measuring 7?? tall, this bottle has not been tumbled or polished – only gently rinsed with water – preserving its crisp surface and lively, undulating texture. Bubbles, striations, and a bit of asymmetry give it that unmistakable hand-tooled charm collectors prize. By the late 1860s, California was in the middle of its first industrial boom. The Gold Rush had subsided, but San Francisco was now a manufacturing hub for glass, iron, and food products bound for mining camps and new settlements. Railroads and steamships linked San Francisco to Portland, Sacramento, and Virginia City, fueling the spread of “fancy groceries” throughout the West. Bottles like this one held everything from pepper sauce to curry powder to flavored extracts, catering to miners and settlers hungry for a taste of civilization. Technologically, this decade marked the move from pontil rods to snap-case tooling and from open-hearth glass furnaces to coal-fired tank production. The square-collar lip seen here was a popular Western style – practical for corking yet decorative enough for display in a frontier kitchen or hotel dining room. Color: Deep Western aqua. Lip: Rolled/applied square collar. Base: Smooth (no pontil). Condition: Sparkling clean, no chips, cracks; Excellent whittled surface and bold glass character. Imagine a kitchen in Virginia City or San Francisco, 1869: cast-iron stove humming, a tin of imported curry open on the counter, and this vibrant aqua bottle catching light from a nearby window. A cook might pour out a dash of pepper sauce or vinegar to season a roast while the telegraph tapped news of the newly completed Transcontinental Railroad. Abraham Lincoln had been gone only a few years; Ulysses S. Grant was President; and the nation was healing from war even as it raced toward industrialization. In that setting, this modest glass bottle wasn’t just a container – it was evidence of the West’s transformation from wilderness to modern society.

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The Mini Sample CROWN DISTILLERIES San Francisco, California Whiskey Bottle is a collectible liquor bottle from the United States, specifically from San Francisco, California. This brown bottle, representing Crown Distilleries, is a piece of history from the pre-1900 era. Its small size makes it ideal for collectors or those interested in antique bottles, showcasing a piece of American whiskey history. Zip code and packaged based on the United States Postal Service Guidelines. Merchandise is packaged safely and properly. PLEASE examine the photos carefully, along with the item’s description. I try to point out any flaws, damage, or issues with any of my items either in the description or in the photos. Feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns, or comments. My packages are packaged carefully and cautiously to ensure safe arrival. I do not package items unless a sale is made. Therefore, I do not know the exact costs.

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Has overall wear and scuffs, not major or offensive. Thick Glass with Great Bubbles!

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Great Example of this San Francisco based picture Whiskey. Take a look at our Eclectic Bottle Collection of all Colors. Thick pretty clean Glass? 1890s Era.

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Beautiful Old Pre Prohibition San Francisco Slater’s Bourbon Whiskey Bottle in Outstanding condition with Super Bold Embossing! Take a look at our Eclectic Bottle Collection of all Colors. Thick Glass with Great Bubbles!

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