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bourbonmed
01-29-2003, 17:15
Here's an interesting bottle of whiskey up for auction in ebay.

Murdock Whiskey, distilled 1863, bottled 1872. Label reads 2/3 rye, 1/3 corn. Embossed Walters and Co., Baltimore.

There's a (very) small remnant of a seal covering a portion of the cork. If legit, this would be among the oldest 'sealed' bottles of whiskey in existence today. Since seal is mostly gone, there's of course no way to prove bottle has never been opened or recorked.

Note description: "Drink from the time of Lincoln. Full, Sealed bottle"...

There again, it all depends on seller's intended use of words 'drink' and 'full'.

Yes, it was a 'drink' of that era and yes, it is a 'full' (size) bottle as opposed to a pint. But many will interpret those words to mean you can actually 'drink' this Lincoln era whiskey because the bottle is still 'full'.

On short item descriptions, bidder beware. Ask for details.

Looking through the tinted glass, it's hard to say if contents have evaporated. I've yet to find a pre 1900 whiskey bottle with any contents. Take a look at the photos. Ebay Item # 3203252386

Oh yes, the price. Well, even that is hard to say. It's currently listed for $2,000. But reserve is not met.

Got to admit, neat 130+ yr old label. If the bottle really is 'full' of original Lincoln era whiskey and has been'sealed' all these years, then it's indeed a rare treasure for the most descriminating (and wealthy) collectors.

Cheers,
Omar

jeff
01-29-2003, 18:32
Omar,
One thing I have learned from ebay is never to bid on an item listed by a user with a "0" feedback rating. Nice looking bottle though. thanks for bringing our attention to it. $2000, geez, and I thought Hirsch was expensive http://www.straightbourbon.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/tongue.gif

bourbonmed
01-30-2003, 09:21
Jeff, you are right about that. No feedback history.

Coincidentally, Mike Veach also noticed this bottle yesterday. And he provided some additional clues to gauge authenticity...

The trace of the stamp shown on the cork is red. Such stamps were not used until after Prohibition. Green strip stamps were introduced with the Bottled in Bond Act in 1901 and red ones after Prohibition to show taxes paid on the non-bonded whiskey. The only way it could be legit with that stamp is if it was re-sold after Prohibition to a distributor.

Omar