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Bottle Vitals
| Embossing | Date | Color | Shape | Size (Height x Diameter) | Value* |
| Hoyt's German Cologne E W Hoyt & Co Lowell Mass | 1870 | Clear | Round (cylindrical) with tall neck and wide lip | 3.5" x 1.25" | $12.00 |
Bottle Views (click to enlarge):
| Front | Back | Side | Side | Bottom |
 |  |  |  |  |
| Hoyt's German Cologne E W Hoyt & Co Lowell Mass |
Hoyt's German Cologne was a product of Eli Waite Hoyte & Co. My Hoyte was working as a druggist in 1866 and began limited marketing of his cologne, devoting his first thousand dollars to expanding that business. In 1870, he partnered with Freeman B. Shedd and started to manufacture ands distribute Hoyt's German Cologne. The business grew and expanded, requiring a new building, then another, and a branch in Montreal, Canada. There were three bottle sizes available -- a large bottle sold for a dollar, the medium bottle sold for 50 cents, and the trial size sold for 25 cents. The bottle pictured here is most likely the trial size.
Despite the name, there was actually nothing German about it. The name was chosen simple to make it unique and intriguing, and in 1918 they changed it to "Eau De Cologne", to sound more French and less German during World War I. The cologne is actually still manufactured today, under the name "Hoyt's Cologne", by a company called "Indio Products, Inc." They describe it as "A clean and refreshing scent with fragrance notes of citrus and floral. Hoyt’s is widely believed to bring good luck. Splash on your hands and body before playing games of chance."
Here's an advertisement from 1872.
By the 1880's they were doing their advertising on trading cards, which they soaked in the cologne.
Here is a before and after cleaning shot for this particular bottle. Cleaning was done with soap, water, and a bottle brush.
And here is one that I do not intend to clean. This one still has the cork in it, and a white residue that I presume is what's left of the original cologne, with all the liquid long since evaporated.
*Value is a rough estimate based on sold listings on EBay for the same size and color as of the date of posting. Value varies widely based on color and condition.
