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Midwest Miniature Bottle Collector’s
Newsletter Vol. 32, Issue 4 OCT NOV DEC 2011
New Member Dave Allen shares some of his collection, To learn about these decanters (and see some more) check out his article
on pages 16 and 17.
Nice Jugs!!!
On the Cover you will find a bunch of Jugs from new mem-
ber Dave Allen’s Collection. The Article that tells you about
these jugs and shows you a bunch more start on page 16. If
you have some nice bottles in your collection why not send
some pictures and share them with the rest of us. We would
love to hear form you.
Even while you are out on vacation hunting for bottles, your
board is at work. President Elect Wayne Full spent the time
calling former members about why they dropped out and
even got a couple of old (okay maybe they aren’t old lets go
with former) members to re-join. The Board also voted on a
couple of proposals concerning show Jugs. The first involved
having a Jug for the 2012 show sponsored by the New Zea-
land Club it was defeated 7 to 4 . The second Proposal was
to offer show bottles for sale through the newsletter. This
gives a chance for those unable to attend the show to still pick
up a club bottle. It passed 9 to 2 so starting this issue I will
be advertising and selling club show bottles. Check out page
9 to see what I currently have to offer.
John Sullivan sent in a 3 page article he found in Time Maga-
zine that pertains to the purple gang of Detroit during prohibi-
tion. It is a very interesting article that I’m sure you will en-
joy (I know I sure did). It starts on page 10. Carol Coccia also
sent an article in on a Schnappshunde. Never heard of one? (I
hadn’t) Then check out page 5 to see this unusual bottle.
John Sullivan has also started a blog. If you want to read in-
teresting stories about his bottle collecting adventures then
you will want to check it out at
www.minibottleguy.blogspot.com .
And speaking of the web, Look for Jim Crawfords’s new
website coming to a computer near you in the near future.
Know of a website to share? Well then share it with the rest
of us, stop hogging all the good websites for yourself !!
(didn’t your mother teach you how to share?)
David Smith has surpassed 20,000 pictures on the minibot-
tlelibrary.com website. Have you contributed yet? Why not?
What are you waiting for, a personal invitation? If so consid-
er this YOUR personal invitation to contribute pictures to that
site. We will all be glad you did.
Judy Fink is trying to remember who she spoke to at the show
that has a wife collecting tins. She would love for this person
(or his wife) to get in contact with her
([email protected]) as she has some tins they may be
interested in.
Ron’s Ramblings…...and Club news tidbits
Deadline for the Next Issue is Dec 1, 2011
2
Send Newsletter Submissions to:
Ron Gabbard
5412 South K Street
Tacoma, Washington 98408
Email: [email protected]
If you haven’t reserved a table for next years show, make
sure you contact Jim Worsley and get one reserved. Last
year he had to turn away a couple of prospective sellers.
Don’t let that be you!!!!
The Northwest Club just had their 5th annual show. It
might be small (6 tables) but it was sure fun. If anyone
happens to be vacationing in the Pacific Northwest in the
Summer, you really should come and check out the best
little bottle show in Graham. Who knows you might even
find a bottle or two to add to your collection.
If you are missing out on the Mini Bottle Blast I encour-
age you to send me your e-mail . It’s free and it is full of
pictures and information on new bottles that are released.
It’s like going to the St. Louis show every month (without
the travel expenses).
You’ll notice an ad for the MiniBottles Magazine show in
Italy next June. Giuseppe Savoca has very generously
offered 2 free nights of lodging to members attending the
show. Additional nights are also at a very reasonable
price. If you have thought of visiting Italy, this is the per-
fect chance to go. (But still come to our show in April or
we’ll miss you).
In the giving credit where credit is due department. The
information about Stoli Vodka (on back cover) was
brought to my attention by Mikhail Madar. I got addition-
al info from Wikipedia.
This Issue I had a problem that is very good problem to
have. I received more submissions than I had room for. If
you don’t see something you sent me for the newsletter,
fear not I have already started on the next issue with the
overflow submissions I got. Thanks to everyone that con-
tributed. Keep sending those articles in!!!
The President Speaks…..From Your Next MMBC President, Wayne Full
3
(Editors Note: Our President is still MIA so once
again our President Elect has stepped up to address
the masses so you don’t have to put up with another
full page of me...just this little blurb)
Hello to all my fellow mini bottle collectors,
Here we are at the end of another summer. We have experienced some great weather and mother nature has also hit parts of
the country with some terrible things - tornadoes, forest fires, floods, extreme heat, etc. Hopefully none of you were in the
way of mother nature’s fury for long. Now we hopefully can look forward to the rest of a great fall with its abundance of great
fruits and vegetables and beautifully colored trees.
I hope that your summer trips brought you and yours some great times and the opportunity to do some successful bottle hunt-
ing.
I spent part of my summer trying to contact members who had not renewed their MMBC membership. Although I wasn’t suc-
cessful in contacting all who had not renewed their membership, I think I succeeded in talking to about half. The reasons
ranged from I forgot, lost interest in the hobby, financial problems, sold my collection and a few passed away. The club needs
all of its members and certainly can use more, so I ask all of you to talk up the club and try to induce friends into joining. If
you find someone interested in joining have them contact:
Keith Cochran
P.O. Box 16912
Raytown, MO. 64133
They should include their name, address, city, state (country), zip code, telephone no. and e-mail along with a check or money
order for $20.00 (U.S. funds), payable to MMBC. The phone no. and e-mail are optional. They should also say if they want
the newsletter mailed to them or sent to them via e-mail and if they want to be included in the e-mail Bottle Blast. The e-mail
copy of the newsletter is great because all of the pictures are in color and the Bottle Blast shows you new bottles that other
collectors have found.
Remember this club and its newsletter do not run themselves it takes you the members for them to continue to survive and to
prosper. So, talk up the club whenever you have a chance and certainly support the newsletter by writing an article about those
bottles you found this summer or maybe that favorite bottle in your collection.
It is never too early to think about next year’s St. Louis show which will be April 20th, 21st and 22nd, 2012. Lets all plan on
attending MMBC’s 33rd Show and make it the best ever.
Starting soon (maybe even this issue) you will be able to buy Old and New Club Show bottles through information in our
newsletter. If you can’t make it to the shows you can still get the Club’s show bottle.
Until next time, have a great summer of mini bottle collecting and always THINK MINIES.
Elect
WAYNES WORLD BY WAYNE FULL
4
This is the first of three articles about fiddle shaped
bottles. This article is on one Bard’s Town Bond
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and four Bard’s
Town Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey bottles,
all distilled by Bardstown distillery of Bourbon
Springs, Kentucky.
The Bard’s Town Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Whiskey, has a tan label with black lettering. The
others all have brown labels with white lettering, ex-
cept for bottle number two which also has green let-
tering stating that it was ―Bottled in Bond‖. All the
bottles are brown glass and were produced circa
1940. Bottles one and two contain 100 proof 4 year
old bourbon. The next two bottles contain 90 and 93
proof 3.5 year old bourbon and the last bottle con-
tains 86.8 proof 4 year old bourbon.
The second bottle has a keystone shaped label at the
bottom center saying that ―This Whiskey Is 4 Years
Old‖.
These bottles would make fine additions to any col-
lection and certainly do to mine.
WLF
5 Carol Coccia came across the attached article in the DAR (Daughters
of the American Revolution) American Spirit November/December 2005 magazine. The bottle is a schnappshunde and was used to
drink schnapps “back in the day”.
6
The Club Directory
Kiski Beam & Spec. Club: c/o Mr John D Ferchak Jr, 8916 Cranberry Dr, Monroeville PA 15146 Ski Country Decanters Club, Lavon Daugherty E-Mail: [email protected] or write to: Ski Country De-canters Club, PO Box 473, Sugarcreek OH 44681-0473. Web-site at www.skicountrydecanters.com Midwest Miniature Bottle Collectors’ (MMBC): c/o Jim Craw-ford, 6934 Brittany Ridge Lane, Cincinnati OH 45233. Site at http://miniaturebottles.com Annual Show: April 29-May 1 2011, St. Louis Mo. Northwest Miniature Bottle Club: 982 “E” Street, Washogal WA 98671, Attn Donna. www.minibottleclub.com Annual bottle show August , 2011 Graham, Washington Western New York Miniature Liquor Club: Mr Wayne Full, 285 Lydia Lane, Cheektogowa, NY 14225-5237 Annual Picnic:July, 2011 Thorold Ontario Canada Associazione Collezionisti Bottiglie E Mignon Club Delle Mignonnettes: Via Gaibola 25, 40068 San Lazzaro De Sav-ena (Bo) Italy Hong Kong Miniature Liquor Club Ltd: Unit C, 16th Floor, Century House,3-4 Hanoi Road, T.S.T., Kowloon, Hong Kong. Chairman: Mr. Wai Man Ch(n, Man’s. URL: www.miniaturehk.com. Email [email protected] Verein Der Miniatureflaschensammler Deutschlands E.V. (The Assn of Germany’s Miniature Bottle Collectors, Regd.): c/o Klaus Polster, Dr. Wilh. Külzstr. 13, D-07381 Pößneck ,
Germany Website: www.miniaturflaschenverein.eu Osaka Miniature Bottle Club: c/o Mr Taizo Shiratsuchi, 11-2 Hakucho 1-Chrome, Habikinoshi, Osaka 583, Japan New Zealand Miniature Bottle Club (formerly Port Nicholson Miniature Bottle Club): c/o Mr. David Smith, 11 Trevor Terrace, Paremata, Wellington ,New Zealand Email [email protected]. www.minisnz.com AGM;Feb 18-20th 2011 Christchurch New Zealand. The Mini Bottle Club UK: c/o Jacky Drake, 22 Falcon Road, Calne Wiltshire, SN11 8PL, U.K. The club website is at http://www.minibottleclub.co.uk/ (UPDATED WEB ADDRESS) AGM: May 2011 time and date to be determined
Inactive Clubs—Lilliputian MBC, Great lakes MBC, California MBC
MMBC MEMBERSHIP
Dues are $20.00/year for U.S and Canadian Members and
$22.00 for international members. You will receive quar-
terly newsletters. Mail a check, payable to “MMBC” to our
membership chairman:
KEITH COCHRAN
PO BOX 16912
RAYTOWN MO 64133 USA
Please include the following:
Name
Address
City ,State and Zip
Country
Phone: (Optional
Email(Optional
New Members Dave Allen-Scotland
Hen Shoval –Florida
Welcome to all our new
members
Visit the MMBC club site at:
http://miniaturebottles.com.
Remember to do your part for the club and
help Recruit new members.
7
WANT ADS
FOR SALE : I have a 3 page list of old and new bottles most of which are vodkas such as Saaga from Estonia, Marani from Arme-
nia, Snow Leopard from Poland, Valt from Scotland and many more which are not sold in the U.S. Write me at
[email protected] and I'll email you my list. If you'd like a hard copy and snail mail, write me at David M. Spaid, P. O. Box
2161, Palos Verdes, CA 90274 PS Also have Tito's, X-Rated, Sputnik, Sputnik House of Lords, etc.
FOR SALE OR TRADE: Lots of bottles and new ones being added monthly. www.webshots.com/user/gabspa look in the bottles
for sale or trade album. Contact me with any interest Ron at [email protected] or call 253-241-8213.
FOR SALE: A huge figural collection with many rare items, many rare items seldom seen. If you are looking for something, now is
the time to send me your want list, as this is the first it has been advertised. Collection also has a good number of German and Japa-
nese give-a-ways. I can put you in touch with these great minis. I personally have thousands of scotch minis and others for sale.
Contact Butch Jones for information at (405) 722-3237 (nights) or email him at [email protected]. (1-09/1-10
WANTED: I am looking for one of the Famous First’s Spirit of St. Louis Airplane minis. I need this for a friend who had one, but
was destroyed in a recent move. This was a very special mini to him, and I am helping him find a replacement. If you have this mini,
please contact Jim Crawford at [email protected], or call me at (513) 467-9113.
Figurals, what have you got? Send me all of them! Come to think of it I probably don’t have the room. Just send me the
photos for Miniature Bottle Library and I will love you forever (in a purely platonic way guys!) Send to [email protected]
WANTED: I am looking for any type of minis from USSR, Russian, Ukrainian, Armenian, Uzbekistan and any other Post Soviet
Union countries. Also any minis with Cyrillic letters on labels. Will offer good trades or will buy. Mikhail Madar e-
mail:[email protected]
WANTED: I am looking for a Wild Turkey 1855 Special Reserve. Will buy or trade for this bottle. Contact Mike Myers e-mail
WANTED: Still looking for good Irish whiskey ,preferably older ones... I would be happy to buy any, but, I also have several (for
trade only), many of them good to very rare.. Plus, I wouldn't be above trading out of any other category for some good ones.. If inter-
ested, email me,or call me I’m located in Northeast Ohio. Bill Orr at [email protected] phone: 330-425-2365
FOR SALE: Collection of over 2300 bottles, Whiskey, Scotch, Vodka, Gin, Rum, Brandy, Wine, Gin, Liqueurs... Also for sale (5)
custom made display cabinets... Located in Newaygo, MI - Contact Ron Finger (231) 652-4927 or [email protected]
Photos can be seen at: www.kcinkc.com/rfinger
Wanted: Someone interested in purchasing the remaining bottles of Robert Snyder’s miniature bottle collection. Over 750 ―straights‖
and ceramics. Wild Turkey and Luxardo animal ceramics. Whiskeys, gins, vodkas, rums, cordials, etc. Too numerous to list. Also
available, Bob Snyder’s Bottles in Miniatures and Whiskey books, ―go withs,‖ advertisement products, and related reference/bottle
books. Interested? For more information, please contact: Jodie Snyder Nimmo, Albuquerque, New Mexico 505-292-6571
Your ad is not here. Why not? We can’t help you get rid of your doubles or help you find those elusive
bottles if we don’t know about them.
Send any want ads to Ron Gabbard at [email protected], or mail to me at 5413 South K Street,
Tacoma WA 98408.
FOR SALE: Approximately 1200 minis offered for sale from 40 year collection in the following separate groups:
76 Blends, Bourbons and Whiskeys
116 Brandy, Champagnes, Cognacs
95 Canadians, Gins, Japanese, Greek and Chinese Liqueurs
66 Miscellaneous, Mixed Cocktails, Vermouths
240 Scotch and Wine
107 Rum and Vodka
548 Miscellaneous Liqueurs
Approx. 99% glass, sealed, excellent condition. Many purchased from old collections. Selling as entire lot, or in above listed
groups. E-mail: [email protected] to advise your category(s) of interest.
8
MELOS MINIS By Mike Olson
Since we are in the middle of a summer heat wave I thought I would take
it easy and look at some 1930's whiskeys. These have always been my
favorites and if I ever cut my collection drastically down, they would be
the ones I would keep for sure. Another good thing is that most of these
came in variations which makes for more bottles to add to your collection.
Bottle number three is Royal
Springs Kentucky Straight Bour-bon Whiskey from K Taylor of
Frankfort Kentucky. Next is 99 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey from
the same
company. Both are 20 months
old.
Anyway, we lead off with a pair of Two Swallows from Silver Swan of San Francisco, Cal. The
first one is Bret Harte Spirit Whiskey at 90 Proof.
The other is Bret Harte Whiskey A Blend at 85 Proof. Both are from 1934 and have silver foil la-
bels printed in blue.
9 Melos Minis
Cont.
The other 99 is four years old and has
the 20 months old trimmed from the label. Anything to save a buck! Last,
but certainly not least, is Netter's Fa-mous No. 10 Whiskey A Blend from
Theodore Netter of Philadelphia.
Finally, where have all the better Amer-ican whiskeys gone on evilbay?
There are plenty of good tequilas, vod-kas, scotchs and other types of booze, but very little whiskey. Of
course you always have the morons try-ing to sell you a rare Seagram's 7 or a
one of a kind Corby's. Such a deal!
Until next time . . . .
MELO . . . .
If you haven’t been able to make it to a show and/or missed out on
getting club jugs now here is you chance. The club has a limited
number of show Jugs that normally are sold only at the show. But
through this special newsletter offer you too can get the jugs from
the comfort of your own home. I currently have these 5 jugs, the
2011 golfer, 2010 Race Car, 2007 Tennis, 2006 Soccer and 2005 Arch-
er. If you are looking a different year let me know and I’ll see if we
still have any. Quantities are limited and they will be sold on a first
come first serve basis, when they are gone, they are gone. Jugs are
$10 each and shipping (to the US) is $4.95 for the first one and $1.00
for each additional one. They make great additions to you collection
or even great stocking stuffers. Contact me by mail (Ron Gabbard
5412 South K street Tacoma, WA 98408), e-mail ([email protected])
or phone (253-241-8213). Get yours today!!!!!
10
Purple Gang Mug Shots (starting from left): Eddie Fletcher, former prizefighter and Sam “Gorilla” Davis, Purple Gang enforcer.
Mobsters, Mayhem & Murder This is an article Ifound in The Time Magazine which belongs to the Walkersville Publishing Co.
Sent in by John Sullivan
ONE OF THE GREAT IRONIES of Prohibi-tion is that instead of creating a perfect society by banning the consumption of liq-uor, the era produced one of the most vio-lent, crime-ridden periods in American his-tory. Prohibition was the perfect fodder for crime bosses and syndicates that have become the stuff of legends like Chicago‟s Al Capone and Detroit‟s Purple Gang. The Detroit-Windsor “Funnel”
Detroit was the first major US city to ban the sale of alcohol in public establishments. By 1918, the city was com-pletely dry, giving it a one year lead when prohibition became the law of the land in 1919. A year for gangsters and bootleggers to build a network for the transfer of booze from Windsor to Detroit. A veritable river of booze, which led to an huge increase in the consumption of alcohol. It was an era of ingenuity, crime and gangster rules.
Bad Boys: The Purple Gang pose for a police line -up. photo courtesy: The Detroit News
Although individual provinces, including Ontario, had outlawed the retail sale of liquor, the federal government ap-proved and licensed distilleries and breweries to manufacture and distribute alcohol “for export only.” The Detroit River was a smugglers‟ paradise; 28 miles long and less than a mile across in some areas, with thousands of coves and hiding places along its shore and islands. Along with Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River, these waterways carried an incredi-ble 75% of the liquor supplied to the United States during prohibition. It was a match made in heaven: Detroit, gateway to thirsty Americans in need of prohibited alcohol, and its sis-ter city Windsor, legally able to produce and export beer and whisky in large quantities. In the midst of its first great automotive boom, Detroit witnessed an influx of immigrants seeking employment in the auto capital of the world. It was a tough town, and the lower east side near the Eastern Market incubated poverty, crime, and violence in the early 20th century. One group that flourished in the years just preceding World War I was notorious: The Purple Gang. Legend has it that the gang received its colourful monicker as a result of a conversation between two Hastings Street shop-keepers. Both men‟s shops had been terrorized, shoplifted and vandalised by Jewish kids in Eastern Market. One of the shopkeepers exclaimed, “These boys are not like other children of their age, they‟re tainted, off colour.” “Yes,” replied the other shopkeeper. “They‟re rotten, purple– like the colour of bad meat, they‟re a purple gang.” Most of the young Purples were children Russian Jewish immigrants, who worked hard to scrape out an honest living for themselves and their families in the Jewish quarter near Eastern market on Detroit‟s lower east side. The young delinquents quickly graduated from nuisance street crime to armed robbery, hijacking, and extortion. The gang became notorious for its high profile manner of operation and savagery in dealing with enemies. In the early years of prohibition, sugar houses provided corn sugar for home brewers, who were allowed to brew a set amount of liquor for personal use. The sugar houses were a valuable resource for illegal stills and breweries, and one of the biggest, the Oakland Sugar House, was controlled by mobsters. The men known as The Purple Gang were young, but became valuable assets to the older Sugar House Gang. And when the opportunity came along to “import” liquor from Windsor, the Purple Gang was organized – and ready. They would soon dominate the business and connect with Al Capone‟s Chicago syndicate.
Newspaper cartoonist reflected public opinion towards the failure of enforcing Prohibition. Cartoon from Detroit Saturday Night, August 7, 1926
11
Mobsters, Mayhem & Murder Cont.
By the early twenties, the Purples had developed an unsavoury reputation as hijackers, stealing liquor loads from older and more established gangs of rumrunners. Sarcastically referred to as “The Jewish Navy”, The Purple Gang preferred hijacking to rumrunning– and their methods were often brutal. Anyone landing liquor along the Detroit waterfront had to be armed and prepared to fight to the death, as it was common practice for the Purples to steal a load of liquor and shoot whoever was with it. The Bernstein brothers – Abe, Ray and Izzy; Harry Fleisher, Abe Axler and Phil Keywell were a few of the names that became well-known to Detroiters during Prohibition, when most of America was forced by the 1919 Volstead Act to buy wine, beer and liquor from the underworld. The Purple Gang sought to control alley breweries and stills, and fought with other gangs for domi-nance of booze flowing into blind-pigs. Prostitution and gambling went hand in hand with the speakeas-ies, and was valued by the mobsters. A Detroit Mob War soon ensued between Italian, Irish and Jewish bootleggers fighting over territory. The Purples fought a vicious turf war with the Licavoli Squad led by the vicious brothers, Tommy and Pete Licavoli. When anyone was shot, newsboys would hawk a special edition The Detroit Journal, with extra pages devoted to all the gory details. The Purple Gang rapidly rose to prominence after a machine gun massacre at the Milaflores Apart-ments in March of 1927. Three out-of-town gunmen suspected of killing a Purple Gang liquor distributor were butchered in the ambush. Fred “Killer” Burke, famous for his role in the St. Valentine‟s Day Mas-sacre in Chicago in 1929, was hired by the Purples as the machine gunner. To ensure the safe passage of liquor to other cities, The Purple Gang developed the fictitious Art Novelty Company. Smuggled liquor coming into Detroit was repackaged and shipped under false label to St. Louis, Chicago, and other cities; Chicago mobster Al Capone was one of their main customers. This arrangement was made after Capone was told by the Detroit underworld to keep his operation out of the city. Capone thought it more prudent to make the Purples his liquor agents rather than go to war with the gang. One of these shipments was hijacked by Bugs Moran‟s Chicago gang, and led to the famous St. Valen-tine‟s Day Massacre in 1929. By the late 1920s, The Purple Gang reigned supreme over the Detroit underworld, controlling the city‟s vice, gambling, liquor, and drug trade. They also ran the local wire service, providing horse racing information to local horse betting parlors and handbooks, including many in Windsor (see Issue #22). For several years the Purples enjoyed almost complete immunity from police interference. Witness-es to crimes were terrified to testify against any criminal identified as a Purple Gangster. Reporters covered the war between the authorities and the bootleggers and between rival gangs, with a vengeance. Two new dailies joined the News, Free Press and Times in covering the mayhem. Competition was fierce and extras were printed almost continuously. Impartiality was the order of the day; many reporters drank in the same blind-pigs as the bootleggers; they knew the gangs as well- or better than the police. The gangs meanwhile grew increasingly violent and brazen. Hijacking and kidnapping were ram-pant, as was murder of rivals. Innocent pleasure boaters or fisherman could hardly go on the river or lake for fear of stray bullets from Customs agents or gangs. The innocent and guilty were subjected to searches of their property, homes and persons. By 1929, illegal liquor was the second biggest business in Detroit at $215 million a year, second only to auto manufacturing. Public opinion was squarely against the liquor ban – no mayor was elected in De-troit who expressed favourable views of prohibition. People drank everywhere, from speakeasies to private clubs, to established restaurants, to store-fronts – and of course they drank at home. Cocktail parties were all the rage, and workmen wanted beer with lunch or dinner. One could buy a shot from a car in the parking lots of the Hamtramck auto plants or in one of the four hundred „soft drink parlors‟ licensed in that city in 1923. When the state police raided the Deutsches Haus at Mack and Maxwell, they arrested Detroit Mayor John Smith, Michigan Congressman Robert Clancy and Sheriff Edward Stein. From St. Clair Shores‟ Blossom Heath on Jefferson to Little Harry‟s downtown, to the Green Lantern Club in Ecorse, Detroit‟s most upstanding citizens fed the coffers of the gangs that were reaping huge fortunes from their appetite for alcohol.
12
The Purple Gang became arrogant, even sloppy to the point where they were terrorizing Detroiters with street exe-cutions of their enemies, killing a police officer and in 1930, murdering well-known radio personality Jerry Buckley in the lobby of a downtown hotel. In 1931 an inter-gang dispute ended with the murder of members of their own gang. The three men had violated an underworld code by operating outside the territory allotted to them by the Purple Gang leadership. Known as the “Little Jewish Navy,” this group of Purples owned several boats and participated in rumrunning as well as hijacking. They decided they would break away from the gang and become an underworld power. The three men, Hymie Paul, Isadore Sutker (aka Joe Sutker) and Joe Lebowitz were lured to an apartment on Collingwood Avenue on September 16th, 1931. They believed they were going to a peace conference with Purple Gang leaders. In reality, they were being set-up for a mob assassination. After a brief discussion, the three unarmed Purples were shot to death by the very gangsters they had gone to meet. A bookie named Sol Levine, who had transported the three men to their fatal rendezvous, was arrested soon afterwards and quickly became the State‟s main witness to the murders.
Levine had been allowed to live because he was a friend of Ray Bernstein. The State finally had a live witness who could testify against The Purple Gang, and Levine‟s testimony was devastating. Three of the four Purples involved in the incident, known as the Collingwood Manor Massacre, were quickly arrested. Irving Milberg, Harry Keywell, and Raymond Bernstein, three high ranking Purples, were convicted of first degree murder in the Collingwood Man-or Massacre and sent to prison for life. The demise of The Purple Gang began when government agents enlisted the help of the Italian mafia, who would soon trade places with the purples and control the criminal underworld. Although the Purples remained a power in the Detroit until 1935, long prison sentences and inter-gang sniping eventually destroyed the gang‟s manpower. The predecessors of Detroit‟s modern day Mafia family simply stepped in and filled the void as The Purple Gang self-destructed. End of an Era Outrage from the citizenry at the violence spawned by prohibition, along with the absurdity of trying to stifle a uni-versal thirst, and anger at imperiled civil liberties, eventually combined to move public opinion towards the repeal of this flawed experiment in legislation of social policy. On May 11, 1933 beer was legalized again. Seven months lat-er, on the day before New Year‟s Eve, the manufacture and sale of liquor were legalized in Michigan
The excursion vessel Ste. Claire (later famous as the Bob-Lo boat) was caught in a crossfire with the border patrol in 1931. An innocent passenger was wounded on the deck of the St. Claire by stray bullets from a border patrol boat. Incidents like this helped sway public opin-ion against prohibition. Photo courtesy Dossin Great Lakes Museum.
Mobsters, Mayhem & Murder Cont.
13
More Russian Bottles By Mikhail Madar
The Ararat distillery, one of the most famous
from Armenia, came out with some great
cognacs – ARARAT, NAIRI, AKHTAMAR
and ANI. All these brands are very old and
very well known.
Another distillery came out with wines that were in the fig-
ural shape of the fruits they were made from.
There were
also some new
and very neat
minis from
Belarus. Right
away, one of
them became
very hard to
get. It is called
Medwedeff. Its
name sounds
like the current
Russian presi-
dent. I am very
sure that the
company in-
tentionally did
this for the
publicity.
Fake or Counterfeit Russian miniature bottles are another problem currently happening in Russia. There are
a lot of fake Russian miniature vodkas surfacing. Some of them are already on eBay, and they may even be
in your collections if you bought Russian Mini Vodkas on E-Bay. There are two sets of fake vodka minis.
The first is at least 36 bottles that are counterfeit, and it is from the same distiller, I talked about, that pro-
duced the set of six ―drink with…‖ minis. The labels were printed on a regular computer printer. These are
easily spotted because they don’t have Bar Codes on the label, unlike the legitimate set of six that all had
valid barcodes. They can get away with this because Russia does not require the use of Bar Codes. They
also don’t have tax stamps, which are strictly required, and it is a federal offence to sell alcohol without
these stamps in Russia. The other Fake set is supposedly from ―Sarapul‖ distillery. While ―Sarapul‖ did
produced just one type of miniature vodkas, ―Sarapul‖, and they did have tax stamps which stated that it is
―Sarapul‖ vodka, the fake minis had many different counterfeit labels. I am not really sure just how many
fake labels there, but I would estimate about 38. They put these fake labels on ―Sarapul‖ vodka minis, and
tore off the part of the stamp which was said it is Sarapul vodka. This is means that from the entire set,
only two bottles with ―Sarapul‖ name on labels, and ―Sarapul‖ vodka on the tax stamp, are real. Again, I
have seen these fakes sold on E-Bay, so be careful!
14
CHINA: The 1st week in August I received some minis from China. All were great looking, but there was a set of 6
minis that really stood out. As you can see below, all are fantastic crystal minis, and each one is shaped differently.
Each is also 50 ml in size, and all are filled the same 46% alcoholic contents. These minis also have the same name (set
of Chinese characters), except for the presence of a different letter on each bottle. If you look closely, you will see the
letters ―A‖ thru ―F‖ in a circle just below, or just above the label.
As I looked at them, I really wanted to find out what they were and what they contained. Now, however, I struggled
with how to translate the Chinese Characters to determine what was in these minis. Then I thought about a Chinese
Restaurant located not far from us. This turned out to be a real adventure. When I presented the bottles to one of the
people working at the restaurant, 4 workers quickly gathered around, but none of them agreed with what these minis
contained. Suggestions varied from Wine, to Liqueur, to Vodka, to one person who said it was Chinese Beer. Then the
owner came out, looked at the Chinese characters, and proclaimed it to be Brandy.
He pretended to drink the bottle, then held his throat & said ―Sting-Hot-Hurt‖. He then pretended to drink the bottle
again, but this time he kind of staggered & wobbled, and said ―Strong‖. He didn’t speak much English, but I got the
message loud & clear. This Brandy is very potent, and must have one hell of a bite! For now, it’s a Brandy, but if you
know anything about these minis, please let me know!
It’s My Pleasure
By Jim Crawford, Ohio
15
BOTTLES BY BUTCH…………Butch Jones, Oklahoma
Through the years, I’ve had the opportunity to
make a lot of friends in this hobby. I bet I’ve ac-
cumulated at least a thousand photos as well. For
this issue, I will feature some nice older whis-
kies.
I won’t go into descriptions or years for these,
except to mention the Seagram’s Pedigree has a
tax seal dated 1927, and the C&G Old Reserve
Straight Bourbon Whiskey is post 1962 (the year
the tamper-proof lids came into view).
As you can see, there are nice examples from the
1920s through the 1960s. What I enjoy most about
the older whiskies are the beautiful labels. Sandy
and I collected antiques for many years, and I’ve
always enjoyed the history of the older bottles.
16
News From Across The Pond Dave Allen
Hello everyone. My name is Dave Allen, and I am a recent recruit to the MMBC. Some of
you may already know me as the ceramics officer, secretary and auctioneer of the UK MBC,
with whom I recently celebrated 25 years of membership. As a point of interest, I commis-
sioned a limited edition miniature ceramic decanter in recognition of this landmark.
I recently decided to spread my wings and have taken out a membership with your club, and
I hope to be able to make a contribution to your newsletter in the shape of some articles on
my own main collecting interest, which is Scotch and Irish whisk(e)y ceramic decanters. If
they are well received then I would be happy to compile one for each quarterly magazine.
For this, my first article, I will give you a brief profile of Lindisfarne Ltd., the company that
was responsible for the wide ranging and colourful series of mead-filled miniature ceramic
flagons. At their peak, they produced over 200 of these little decanters, but they did not stim-
ulate any interest in me until they branched out and formed an associate company under the
trading name of Lindisfarne (Scotland) Ltd. in 1987. They had decided to extend their port-
folio to encompass the miniature whisky trade, and registered Glen Fiona as the name of the
blended Scotch whisky that would be filled into their decanters, each of which holds 4.75cl
at 40%vol. At that time the company was based at Haigsfield in Coldstream in the Scottish
borders, although their registered office was at St. Aidan’s Winery on the Holy Island, a tidal
island off the coast of Northumberland in north-east England. They also had their own pottery which was located in Ber-
wick-on-Tweed, a small town on the border between Scotland and England.
Sadly, Lindisfarne (Scotland) Ltd. didn’t survive too long, probably less than ten years. However, they were very prolific
during that time, producing 53 different flagons as well as several figurals, including the sporran and a couple of different
golf club heads. Amongst the flagons were many customer specials for organisations such as Harrod’s of Knightsbridge, the
Whisky Shop chain of stores, Silver State Specialities, Stirling Castle and Bailgate Marketing Ltd. (Whisky Shop of Lin-
coln). They also produced a plethora of general issue ceramics and a few limited editions, such as ―500 years of whisky‖ in
three different colours, in 1994. I’ve included a cross-section of photos (see Front page of newsletter), but if anyone wants
to see the complete range then you can contact me at [email protected] and I’ll send you a PDF.
As far as new issues of miniature ceramic decanters here in Scotland are
concerned, Pointer’s and Rutherford’s have come up trumps over the
last couple of months.
In the case of Rutherford’s, the royal wedding on April 29th of this year
was the theme of their new issues, with a series of five jugs for you to
track down. They are each filled with 5cl of the Rutherford blend at 40%
vol. Photos to the left and right show us two different images that were
produced in celebration of Kate and William’s engagement, while the
jugs below were issued for the wedding itself. The last jug was produced
at the same time and depicts Diana holding William as a baby.
17
Pointer’s have also been busy recently, launching no fewer than 13 new decanters.
All of them are filled with 10cl of their own blended Scotch whisky at 40%vol.
The first of these is their royal wedding decanter, and it can be seen to the left.
The Decanter to the right is undoubtedly my own personal favourite. It is the lim-
ited edition Coronation Street special, and has been produced under license from
Granada Ventures Ltd. Every surface of this hexagonal shaped decanter is
adorned with images of the main characters of this iconic soap opera throughout
its 50+ years of production. Photos Below are a pair of limited edition decanters
that were produced to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain
(1940 – 2010). The remaining nine Decanters are from the Rangers Legends se-
ries, and depict some of the top players and managers of this famous Glasgow
football club throughout its history. Each piece carries an image of the player to
the front and a list of his achievements to either side. There is a brief profile of the
player on the reverse of the decanter.
That’s you lot for my first article. Hopefully you’ll have found it interesting and
informative. If so, then look out for more of the same in future newsletters, so till
then………….
News From Across The Pond Cont.
Dave Allen
18
Minibottles Magazine 2012 Bottle Show
June 8th –10th 2012
Program 8th June, 2012 – Friday
10 a.m. Free visit on a chartered Minibottles Magazine bus, to a win-
ery at the foot of Etna
1 p.m. Lunch (Sicilian menu for € 25,00 drinks and taxes included)
4 p.m. Visit to the local Convento dei Cappuccini and discovery the
town of Francavilla (Free admission)
8 p.m. Pizza and beer evening (taste up to 8 different type of pizza
cooked in wood oven for € 10 per person)
9th June, 2012 – Saturday
9 a.m. Consignment minis for auction
10 a.m. Mini Bottle Auction
1 p.m. Break for lunch (light lunch at € 20)
3 p.m. Sellers can start setting up their table
4 p.m. – 8 p.m. Bottle Show (Free admission)
8 p.m. fresh fish meal (€ 25 drinks and taxes included)
10th June, 2012 – Sunday
9 a. m. – 1 p.m. Bottle Show opening
Hotel D’Orange D’Alcantara
2 Free nights for attending
the show Extra Nights at
49 euro Single
79 euro Twin Room
This should be a very nice show. It is estimated that there will be thousands of mini bottles for sale. You can
get a table to sell for both days for free and you can take bottles to consign for the auction (not sure if there is a
limit to how many bottles you can consign. You are sure to find bottles you won’t see at the St. Louis show.
It will be a great opportunity to meet collectors from all over the world and pick up some new bottle trading
partners. There are many ―non bottle‖ related activities to see and do so this would make a great vacation if
you ever thought of visiting Sicily.
For Further info contact: Via Vittorio Emanuele, 256—98034 Francavilla di Sicilia ME
Tel. +39 328 4263885 Fax +39 0942 981704
Rivista registrata al Tribunale di Messina al n 10/08 il 12 giugno 2008
Web: www.minibottles.it email [email protected]
P. Iva 02980360834– C.F. SVCGPP78T22G371Y
The contact info is what I have copied from the Press Release. Basically contact Giuseppe Savoca at the e-
mail address above as he is the owner of the Hotel and the Editor of the Mini Bottle Magazine. You can
check out the Hotel and see what activities are available in the area by visiting the hotel website at
www.hoteldorange.it
I know of a few people that may be going to this, if you are one of them...Please send Pictures and a report
for the rest of us that can’t go. (unfortunately for the bottle collector in me (and fortunately for the Beach
lover in me) I have a 2 week vacation in Hawaii planned for the end of that month and can’t pull off both
trips) However if there is a rich person that wants to send me to Italy for the show, I’ll consider doing
both!!!!
MIDWEST MINIATURE
BOTTLE COLLECTORS
33 rd
ANNUAL SHOW
April 20th-22nd 2012
SHERATON PLAZA HOTEL 900 West Port Plaza
St Louis MO 63146
Phone 1-888-627-7064 & reference
Midwest Miniature Bottle Show in Sheraton
Westport Hotel—Plaza Tower
OR http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/MiniBottle2012
To book at special Sheraton MMBC site online.
MMBC Room Rate Until March 26th, 2012, or until
our block of rooms is GONE! Reserve EARLY!!!
$105. 00 + Tax**
Free Shuttle From Airport/Hotel
Friday, April 20, 2012
5:00 PM Member’s Sandwich Buffet
6:00 PM Meeting
7:00 PM Member’s Consignment Auction
Location: To Be Announced
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Show Hours 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Hospitality Suite Open After The Show
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Show Hours 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
For Additional Information, Contact:
Jim Worsley-Table Chairman
(785) 234-2857
Email: jrsw-
[email protected] No Telephone Reservations
Check out the MMBC Website at: http://miniaturebottles.com
Show Chairman
Bill Baker [email protected]
19
No Formal Golf this year, but contact Butch
Jones if you are interested in playing 18.
Midwest Miniature Bottle Collectors (MMBC) 5412 South K Street Tacoma, Washington 98408 Forwarding & Return Postage Guaranteed Address Correction Requested President………………..Ted Verstreater President Elect ………...Wayne Full Treasurer………………..Bill Baker Secretary………………..Linda Voris Membership…………….Keith Cochran Show Coordinator………Bill Baker Newsletter……………….Ron Gabbard Website…………………..Keith Cochran Printer……………….FedEx Kinko’s 3815 S Steele St Tacoma, WA 98409
Stolichnaya has its origins in the Moscow State Wine Warehouse No. 1 which was opened
in 1901 by the authorities to ensure higher quality vodka production. There's a confusion
about the actual birth date of Stolichnaya vodka. The earliest confirmed production date is
1948, but the label design clearly predates 1946.It is likely that it was created by V. G.
Svirida around 1944. However, there is a trademark patent dated 1938, which is sometimes
quoted as another birth date In 1953, Stolichnaya was introduced at the international trade
show in Bern and received a gold medal . From that time in 1953 it was Stolichnaya Rus-
sian vodka, but this year it is has changed to Stolichanaya Premium vodka. Stolichnaya's
chief rival Russian Standard Vodka aroused controversy when it questioned Stolichnaya's
Russian authenticity. The international Stolichnaya is distilled in Russia but bottled
in Latvia. Stolichnaya distributor Pernod Ricard responded by insisting that it is an authentic
Russian vodka as nothing is added or removed during the bottling. Apparently something
has happened with this controversy leading Stolichnaya to change it’s labels from Russian
Vodka to Premium Vodka. The good news for mini bottle collectors? A whole new set of
Stoli labels to add to their collections.
End of an Era???
ONLINE BONUS PICTURE Not only did Stoli change from Rus-
sian Vodka to Premium Vodka
Check out the new bottle design (and
flavor) Chocolat Rasberri
