- #1
Thread Owner
Bottle Vitals
| Embossing | Date | Color | Shape | Size (Width x Diameter) | Value* |
| JBL | 1890s | Clear | Rectangular flask | 2" x 5.25" x 1" | $15.00 |
Bottle Views (click to enlarge):
| Front | Back | Side | Side | Bottom |
 |  |  |  |  |
| JBL |
(The following info is duplicated in the sample size bottle posted here.)
Dr. J B Lynas (JBL) began making medicines that he called "family remedies" in 1866 in Logansport, Indiana. He bought a building, then renovated and expanded it, adding a full length basement. At the time, it was purported to be the second largest medical laboratory in Indiana. The building still stands today.
Dr Lynas produced various medicines with names like Catarrh Remedy, Hoosier Cough Syrup, Ready Relief, Rheumatic Liniment, White Mountain Salve, Egyptian Salve and Liver Pills. His reputation and success grew quickly, gaining an endorsement from the mayor.
Here are a couple of advertisements for his products (click to enlarge)
The business quickly expanded nationwide and had revenues over $10,000 a year (equivalent to almost $250,000 in 2025) by the late 1880s. Dr Lynas aggressively pursued sales representatives and ten years later, in the 1890s, the business had expanded world wide, with offices in Tokyo, Paris, and London, with nearly 6000 people in his workforce by 1900.
During that time, he also expanded his product line into flavor extracts, perfumes, and soaps.
He later brought his son George into the business and changed the name to "JB Lynas & Son". His son then took over the business completely after his father's death in 1901, and ran it until his own death in 1926. The business then fell to George's brother Will, who sold it in 1938. The business was finally dissolved in 1965.
This particular bottle might have held any of the company's medical preparations, or it could have been a flavor extract. It would have had a paper label describing the exact contents, but that label has been lost to time. Since it was found with many other patent medicine bottles, I'm going to assume it was medicine and not flavoring.
And finally, here's the before and after cleaning. This one required soap and water, hemostats to remove some of the debris, several brushes, and some elbow grease.
* Value is an estimate based on sold eBay listing as the date posted. Value varies with condition.
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