Antique Bottles - Potlids British

Last updated November 2005

In his unique and immensely valuable book "THE PRICE GUIDE TO BLACK AND WHITE POT-LIDS" ISBN
1 85149 008 6 first published in 1977 Ronald Dale lists more than 2300 potlids approximately 1264 of which are diagrams taken from a manufacturers catalogue.

In the ensuing 25 years diggers and collectors world-wide have probably "unearthed" more than 1000 additional previously unrecorded lids.

Generally speaking the more decorative and colorful a lid, the more collectable and pricy it becomes and its value is certainly not established by its rarity as some lids of which only one example is known are not even worth a second glance.

To place some perspective on this branch of collecting, the most commonly found lid in South Africa is the White Rose Paste of S. Maw which can be easily purchased in antique shops, at antique fairs, or from collectors for as little as R 200. South Africa's scarcest and most prized lid of which only 3 examples are known is pictured below. A perfect specimen, dug in Pretoria fetched £ 1400 at auction in the U.K. during July 1999.

The following are some of the more interesting and ornate British Lids dug in South Africa.

As of September 2003 we have added a new feature which enables you to find out more about certain lids... simply hold your mouse over an image to see if more information is available.

Where applicable the manufacturers name is used for alphabetical positioning making it more easy to see how many lids are attributable to any given manufacturer.

Tooth Paste

This potlid fetched a world record price of £1400 at auction in the U.K. in July 1999. Two of only 3 recorded S.A. dug examples were taken from a Pretoria dump within a week of each other!	Vinola Toothpaste. This lid is found in Green, Blue and Pink. The only oblong lid with champhered corners. From the Mitty Leroux Heyns Collection.	This product was manufactured for export to the colonies and is only dug in SA and Australia. Highly Desired by British collectors, virtually all dug examples known come from Kimberley.
Areca Nut Toothpaste Commans Bath	Army & Navy Co-operative	Benbow & Sons
Cherry Paste Extra Moist Breidenbach & Co London	White Rose Toothpaste Breidenbach & Co London.W.	T.F. Bristow
Burgoyne. Burbidges & Co	F.S. Cleavers	Crown Perfumery Co
Cherry Tooth Paste The Crown Perfumery Co.	Crown Perfumery Co	Douglas Perfumer With Matching Base.
Foreign & Colonial Drug Co	H. Gilbertson & Sons	Oriental Toothpaste Jewsbury & Brown Ardwick Green.
Oriental Toothpaste Jewsbury & Brown 113 Market Str	John Gosnell & Co produced these two miniature lids c1895. The one on the left is 36mm and the one on the right which is 33mm diam. belongs to Fiona Yagmoor and is a superb example of the early transfer manufacturer's craftsmanship. We have enlarged these lids to show the intricate detail.	John Gosnell & Co
John Gosnell & Co	John Gosnell & Co	John Gosnell & Co Ltd
John Gosnell & Co Ltd	White Rose Tooth Paste Hawley London & Liverpool	Heynes Tooth Paste.
Humphry	White Rose Paste La Roche Et Cie London & Paris.	Lorimer & Co Perfumer
Lorimer & Co	Lynch & Co Ltd	F. Newberry & Sons
F. Newberry & Sons	White Rose Paste S. Maw Son & Thompson.	S. Maw. Son & Thompson
E. Rimmel	Rimmels Cherry Toothpaste There are 4 different transfers.	Saponaceous Tooth Powder.
Swintons English Primrose Toothpaste.	White Rose Tooth Paste	D. Wrights

Other Products

(Ointments, Cold Creams, Meat & Fish Paste And Shaving Cream)

James Atkinsons Bears Grease	Blondeau & Cie	T.F. Bristow
Highly Perfumed Bears Grease	Grant & Co	J. Grossmith rose cold cream
Mrs Ellen Hales celebrated heal-all ointment	Holloway's	Holloways ointment 5/-
Jackmans	Price & Co	Russian Bear's
Dr Showers Radium Salve	Vinolia Co Ltd	Whitaker Limited
	Wright & Co