Glass, labels & cure-alls of a bygone pharmacy.
Amber apothecary bottles, cobalt poison bottles, patent-medicine "miracle cures" and the instruments of old-time doctors – VintageMeds is a short-cut to the best medical antiques on eBay.
Apothecary bottles Medical instrumentsAffiliate links – I may earn a commission from eBay on qualifying purchases at no cost to you.
Browse the shelf
Each label opens an eBay search.
Apothecary bottles
Stoppered pharmacy bottles and jars, many with original labels.
GlassPoison & cobalt bottles
Distinctive embossed and ribbed bottles made to warn the user.
QuackeryPatent medicine bottles
Embossed bottles from the golden age of miracle tonics.
QuackeryDr. Kilmer's Swamp Root
One of the best-known patent-medicine brands among collectors.
Pharma historyParke-Davis & pharma bottles
Manufacturer bottles, tablet tins and unopened packages.
InstrumentsAntique medical instruments
Surgical sets, stethoscopes, dental and doctor's-bag tools.
CuriositiesLeech jars & bloodletting
Unusual relics of Victorian-era medicine.
PaperDruggist catalogs
Old pharmacy catalogs – both collectible and a useful reference.
AdvertisingPharmacy signs & ads
Drugstore tins, signs and counter displays.
Know your bottles
A few facts that make browsing more fun.
Colors had a purpose
Blue glass was originally used for poison bottles, a convention that later shifted toward green. Amber glass helped protect light-sensitive contents.
"Patent" didn't mean proven
Most patent medicines were branded tonics of vegetable extracts, alcohol and sometimes narcotics. Over 10,000 bottle types were produced in the U.S. and Canada between roughly 1850 and 1906.
Imperfect is authentic
Early bottles were hand-blown and often irregular. Seams, bubbles and a rough pontil scar can point to age; condition, embossing and original labels drive value.
An easy way in
Plain apothecary bottles are among the most affordable starting points, while rare embossed patent-medicine bottles and boxed pharma items can command much more.
From the archive
Public-domain and CC0 imagery from museum and library collections.
