Seeters Vichy and Carbonated Beverages, L. Cohen & Son, Trade Mark Pittsburg, Pa

L. Cohen & Son, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Amber Hutchinson Bottle

Provenance: Chip Cable Collection

This very rare “Seeters Vichy” Hutchinson blob-top soda bottle was used for carbonated beverages such as pop and mineral water. There is an unfortunate misspelling on the face of the bottle as “SEETERS” should have been “SELTERS.” Louis and Morris Cohen noticed the error, but maybe the public did not with the abundance of embossed copy, scrollwork, and a pictorial lion holding a seltzer bottle. The likely use of a paper label that was printed correctly may have lessened the impact of the error.

Museum example “Seeters (sic) Vichy and Carbonated Beverages L. Cohen & Son, Pittsburgh, Pa. bottle.

The cylindrical orange-amber bottle measures 6 ¾ tall by 2 ½ inches wide. A large embossed outlined vertical oval is presented on the side of the bottle with contained sans serif copy reading in a convex horseshoe arch, ‘SEETERS VICHY CARBONATED’ over a concave and aligned ‘BEVERAGES.’ A strongly embossed pictorial lion, standing and facing left is holding a large seltzer bottle. Small arched letters are above the lion and seltzer bottle reading ‘REGISTERED.’ There is very decorative embossed scroll work around the feature oval. Beneath the oval, in a wavy compound horizontal line, is embossed copy reading ‘L. COHEN & SON.’ Along the base of the bottle, in smaller letters, in the same wavy manner is ‘TRADE PITTSBURG PA MARK.’ The base is embossed with a very large ‘C.’ Four or five examples are known in aquamarine, amber, and citron.

Louis Cohen & Son

Louis Cohen, of the Jewish faith, was born in May 1862 in Russia. His wife was named Mary, and they were married in 1892. He received his immigration papers in 1893. In 1899 he and presumably his brother Alexander were listed as bottlers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The 1900 U.S. Federal Census listed his children as Abram, 17; Morris, 15; Emma, 14; Kate, 12; Elizabeth, 10; Viney, 2 and Louis Cohen, 6/12.

By 1902, they had set up their bottling business as Cohens & Goldman at 68 Arthur Street with three partners, Louis and his son Morris and William Goldman. The partnership dissolved by mutual consent in August 1904 as Goldman retired. The business was carried on as L. Cohen & Son even though 1903 newspaper advertisements referred to L. Cohen & Son as the business name. Morris was initially a driver and clerk in their bottling, mineral water, and soda pop business.

1903 is when the subject Seeters (sic) Vichy Carbonated Beverage bottle was made as the bottle design was listed in a July 1903 notice—“Small pop and mineral water bottles with the words, L. Cohen & Son, Pittsburgh, Pa. Selters, vichy, and the letter “C” on the bottom of each bottle.” The Cohen’s also ordered and used large siphon bottles for seltzer. Etched on the side of the bottles was “Cohen & Son” with product information. The newspaper notice below outlines their six bottles.

Notices: To Whom it May Concern lists six (6) L. Cohen & Son bottles.

Primary Image: The Seeters Vichy and Carbonated Beverages L. Cohen & Son, Pittsburgh, Pa. bottle imaged on location by Alan DeMaison, FOHBC Virtual Museum Midwest Studio.

Support Image: Auction Lot 468: Hutchinson Soda, “SEETERS VICHY AND CARBONATED BEVERAGE / REGISTERED” / (standing Lion holding a seltzer bottle) / “TRADE L. COHEN & SON / PITTSBURG, PA, MARK,” Pennsylvania, ca. 1890 – 1910, light-medium amber, 6 6/3”h, “C” on smooth base, tooled blob mouth. A sizable repair, 3” by 1” has been made to the side of and across the base. A very rare bottle and having plenty of embossing! One of only three or four known examples! – Jim Hagenbuch, Glass Works Auctions, May 2016

Support Image: Auction Lot 311: Hutchinson Soda, “SEETERS VICHY AND CARBONATED BEVERAGE / REGISTERED” / (standing Lion holding a seltzer bottle) / “TRADE L. COHEN & SON / PITTSBURG, PA, MARK”, Pennsylvania, ca. 1890 – 1910, light yellow-green, 6 7/8”h, “C” on smooth base, tooled blob mouth. Some chipping exists around the base from usage, the largest being about 1/4” in size. A very rare bottle and having plenty of embossing! One of only three or four known examples! – Jim Hagenbuch, Glass Works Auctions, November 2015

Support: Reference to Soda & Beer Bottles of North America, Tod von Mechow. Aqua example noted as from Sam Greenberger.

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