EG Booz Old Cabin Whiskey

I stumbled upon a straight roof Clevenger EG Booz bottle on ebay this week – this is a classic Clevenger piece that is fairly faithful to the original and looks genuinely old. The experienced collector, however, knows to look for the details that distinguish it from the originals.

EG Booz Whiskey Bottle
EG Booz Whiskey Bottle

Do you have an original EG Booz bottle? It might just be one of the 31 different reproduction molds documented by Tom Haunton in Tippecanoe and E.G. Booz Too! – A book about cabin bottles Tom’s book (available now only on CD) describes each in detail and the book is richly illustrated throughout. He even went to the effort of assigning a McKearin classification number to each mold.

Search for EG Booz Whiskey bottles on ebay – you can get a good idea what different variants are selling for by examining the auctions, especially by searching completed auction results.

65 Responses to “EG Booz Old Cabin Whiskey”

  1. Nancy Johnson

    I have a question.What Is the Clevenger E. G. Booz Old Cabin Bottle worth? Is The Clevenger one a reproduction?
    I have one of these bottles its light Amber in color has the beveled cornors on roof. Has all the wording where it should be.To me its hard to tell the real one from a fake.

    • Nancy,
      It seems like the Clevenger reproductions – at least the attractive hand blown examples in amber – tend to sell in the $100 to $250 range. Occasionally, they will fetch more. Yes, the Clevenger examples are fairly accurate reproductions of the original 19th century bottles blown at Whitney Glassworks in New Jersey.

      Discerning the originals from the reproductions can sometimes be quite difficult. In some cases, the differences come down to subtle variations in the embossing. A more obvious difference is the bevel on the gables of the roof. If the bevel cuts into the second row of shingles, then it is without question a reproduction.

  2. Christine

    i have a eg booz old cabin whiskey bottle amber color.. not a reproduction.. has a date of 1840 on the back. also has an address of 120 walnut st. philadelphia. just curious to see what it would be worth.

    • admin

      With the abundance of reproductions and relative rarity of originals, it is highly likely that you have a 20th century piece. Accurately identifying the mold as an original involves the careful examination of several mold details.

    • christine did you find out what your bottle is worth i think i have this bottle .tell me the value and if you know where to sell this rare bottle

  3. Tony Del

    I have a Clevenger repro. EG Booze that say’s E Clampus Vitus with a picture of a minor and Weaverville on the back. I heard this was a limited numbered bottle and may be valuable. Is that true?

    Thank You, Tony

    • admin

      Tony – This is the GVII-16c mold according to Tom Haunton’s book. He suggests that amber and green are the better colors; evidently, they were only made for a 2 year period, but I am not sure how scarce they are. A friend sold one on ebay a few months ago (a different variant within the #16 mold) and got just about $40 (in amber) Hope this helps

  4. Charlotte

    I have one that was dug out of a dump site (Calico, CA). It is blue in color, none of the bottles that came from the site are any older than 1880. Can anyone help me? The curator at the site told me that several blue ones had come from the site, and a few blue ones plus amber were found in the original salon in the Ghost Town.

  5. I have an Old Cabin Whiskey bottle in cobalt blue. It is obviously a reproduction, but there is no name on the bottom except “Booze Bottle”. I have not seen anything on the web about these bottles in this color. Can you give me an idea of value?

    • This is the GVII-32 mold as identified in Tom Haunton’s book on cabin bottles. It is probably a 1960s Italian reproduction and is reported in cobalt blue. At the moment (June 2010) the market for sub-$100 bottles has dropped off somewhat. There was a time this might have brought $20-30 but I think you would be lucky to get even $5 on ebay right now.

  6. Teresa Marlin

    Hello, Im sending this message from Tennesssee, My father found this bottle many years ago while working under a house. He held onto it as a show and tell piece , my dad has since passed away. I was wondering if you could possibly tell me a little about it. Its dark amber in color has E.G. Booze on the shingeled roof above the 2 windows on the front it states Federal Law Forbids sale or re-use of this bottle, the back of bottle has the same E.G. Booze(1840) on shingled roof. And on the bottom of bottle is 7D61 with 12 and an A in a circle and then 54 right below the 7D61… Could you tell me what this bottle might be worth?…Thanks so much for your time., Teresa in Tennessee

    • admin

      Teresa, See this web page on Federal Law Forbids bottles for dating this bottle. These are fairly common and not much in demand right now. I have seen several not even get a bid on ebay for around $5 recently. In better times, it might have been a $10 or 15 bottle and a bit more if it has the complete label in good condition.

    • Based on the color alone, it is a 20th century reproduction with some value, probably less than $30. You could get an appraisal to identify the particular mold and a more accurate assessment of value, but you would need to provide clear photographs.

  7. Roy Starner

    i have a green one that says BOOZE BOTTLE on the bottom of the bottle.Its kinda odd cause it has like a curve line above the bottom window that almost touches the top of the door.You can see it but you cant feel it. Im sure its a repo,but its neat and only paid a buck for it.Do ya know anything about when or who it was made by and value.

  8. Todd Cool

    I think I might have an original green e.c. booz’s old cabin whisky bottle. one side says 120 walnut st. philadelphia, all in caps. the other side reads e.c.booz’s old cabin whiskey, again all in caps. the first row of shingle does not go under the 2nd as you have noted to someone else. The back read, 1840 in the middle of the roof. There are no repro markings on the bottom. Before sending you any pictures, I would like to know the estimated value if in fact it is an original.

  9. I DO have an original amber bottle that my mother got from her grand mother. My mother’s grand-mother said it belonged to HER father. So this bottle goes back three generations from me, I’m 50. The two dots under “St” on the side and the period after Whiskey, the alignment of letters on the roof and the centered door latch, the top-heavy embossed “K” on the side, and a few other obvious things. WOW, what a find!!!

  10. The bottle that I have is purplish in color and the house has the word Booz on the roof, part of the B and the O are slightly cut off by the neck. Could this be real?

  11. I have a reproduction slant roof……but like one of the above posters mentioned…mine has paper labels to the front, back & one side. Amber glass…..bottom markings 7 D 61 12 (a) 54. I know it’s not worth much, but the labels are all perfectly intact. Do those bottom markings give any indication of the year? (i.e. 1954 or 1961?). Just curious

    • You might have the labeled variant which says “Old Mr. Boston” and has a serrated edge to the label. If so, this was made by Armstrong Cork Co. from 1954-1966.

      The “54” to the right of the trademark would indicate 1954.

  12. Hmm….The front label IS serrated……but it doesn’t say “Old Mr Boston” anywhere on it.. The one side label as a picture of an “original” EG Booz cabin bottle and the label says “The original “old cabin” bottle……a collector’s item quoted at $75.00 in antique catalogues*Further information on request”

  13. Stephanie

    ok so I have one of these bottles, my late husband was a collector of old glass bottles, and well I inheretted all of his because of his untimely death. I am clueless on the worth and I dont knkow much on it, It still has a cork in it and seems to be well described by previous people, but on the bottom it says Wheaton, NJ. Can u tell me anything about it or how to tell if a repro or for real?

  14. I have a typical light amber repro with 2 variables. The lip is hand applied and there is no writing or dots on the bottom, just a counter clockwise swearl where the pontel might have been. Any ideas on what I have?

  15. Hello, I have read through all of these posts and still can’t find the value of the original e.g. booz bottle. I have an authentic 1840, but have not been able to find a current value for the bottle. Could anyone help me out and provide a current estimate on the actual “real thing” not a repo?

  16. Hello I have a purple bottle it says E. C. BOOZ’S OLD CABIN WHISKEY on front of roof . On one side it say E.C. BOOZ’S OLD CABIN WHISKEY and on the other side says 120 WALNUT ST PHILADELPHIA on the BACK roof it says 1840 third shingle up . On the BOTTOM it has NULINE. N.J. and a pattern or brand in the middle not sure . I dug this bottle up in my grandmother yard in Marlton N.J. along with other bottles and a green glass vase and a gold glass dish . If anyone can help me out how much it’s worth . I have had these for about 20 yrs . Thanks!

    • You may have dug this up, but it is a modern bottle. The Nuline bottles are no more than 30-40 years old. You will find them regularly listed for sale on ebay to give you an idea of what they are selling for.

  17. I have a E.C.Booz’s old cabin whiskey bottle. date 1840 with address 120 walnuts Philadelphia. bottom has booze bottle. The bottle looks like a cabin with in prints of windows. Can you give me ballpark price. Thank You

  18. rosceo johnson

    I have a green ec booze old cabin whiskey /(1840) / 120 walnut st Philadelphia . I got it at a tag sale today 10/19/12 in Greeneville , TN . Gave 3 dollars for it . I’d like to no if its real and what its worth .

    • All originals of the EG Booz Old Cabin Whiskey would be cork top with applied lips (as opposed to what is called a “tooled top)

      There is one notable exception which caused quite a stir earlier this month at the Baltimore Bottle Show – an example turned up with inside screw threads (which would have been fitted with a threaded glass stopper) Whitney Glass Works of New Jersey did produce such closures on other bottles, but this may be the only known example.

  19. Neil Haffey

    We’re any repo’s of the EG Booze bottle ever cast using an original Whitney mold? Perhaps in the 1930’s.also, how does one go about getting a cd copy of tippercanoe eg booze too?

  20. EG Booz bottle. Still has paper wrapping. And whiskey inside. Bottom has an “a” with circle around it. And 57. Assuming it is cork company. 1957 ? I am not interested in selling as my grandpa Booz (relative of the maker original) gave to me many years ago. Any thoughts. Or value. ? I am reading all the notes about roof etc. and meets criteria for original but I am not willing to take labels off. He had few in our cabin growing up. Thank u.

  21. I have one that has all of the markings for an original and a faint windy like line work design all around the bottle. The door handle is also not just a straight line. It has a shorter stem than the 20th century reproduction glass.

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