Sunday, August 9, 2009


The big kahuna, California Clubhouse(t-119) was available for collectors to inspect at the Pomona show. I availed myself for a cursory inspection. There has been quite a bit of back and forth on this site in regards to the Clubhouse.

Just the facts:

This is the darkest example of the known Clubhouse fifths.

There are 10 known Clubhouse fifths, 9 intact - 1 with a repaired neck.

This was the last one found, 2002? Marin County redwood tree find??. It is not the one found in Virginia City- 1964, later owned by Doc. Ritz and currently still owned by Robert F.

The bottle is mint. There is not a "whack in the side" as I heard someone mention at the National.

Other relevant information?

When viewing the pictures of the bottle I suspected that it has been lightly cleaned, kinda had that mirror look. After holding the bottle I am not sure. Some character is evident on the glass surface that may have been removed with a "tumbling". If it has been cleaned, it has been done very lightly, and probably by hand.

Did not see any distractions other than a very light scratch on one side. No fleabites, potstones, really no excuses at all.... except that it is darker amber and has no whittle.

Check out the video at American Bottle Auctions bid site -- and good luck.


  1. Soleagent & AP,
    9 Clubhouses?
    Is my count close?

    soleagent 1
    AP 1
    Redding collector 2
    Santa Rosa 2
    Robert F 1
    Wichmann auction 1
    The genuine 1
    L.P. 1
    Tonopah 1 ?
    Deer Lodge repaired 1
    Watkins Glen 1 ?
    Mullaully 1 ?

    What say the clubhouse boys

  2. By my count, that's more than a bakers dozen.

  3. G.O.

    your list of possible Clubhouse keepers is bit too long. However, you have hit on 9 of the 10. You are just missing on one, and it is not in the group of ? marked names. Fun game... I guess we should let it continue, I know that A.P. knows the final one. Anyone else??

    I am assuming that the repaired example still resides in Montana...? The Santa Rosa count would be 1 not 2.

  4. Can I play?
    Remove one from Santa Rosa
    Remove The Genuine
    Remove Tonopah

    The rest should be members of the Club...
    Feel like I am missing someone...Still think one on the list should not be.

    Close? M.E.

  5. The Clubhouse up for bids was first sold to miner Bill A.... and he hand polished most of his bottles, so most likely that is what SoleAgent was noticing upon close examination. If you want the exact facts on how the bottle looked before it was washed, you'll need to talk to Rich L who got it from his buddy that dug it the next day and brokered the sale to Bill A.
    The missing Clubhouse is in the Sacto area owned by the son of the former owner and is also a dark amber example. It was dug in the 1960s in the S Cruz Mtns

  6. Well lets see,
    Take 1 away from Santa Rosa, 1 from the genuine, 1 from the genuine? Dave R. from Antioch swears he dug one a few years ago & sold it to the genuine. Take 1 away from Tonopah, it went to Utah? What about Deer Lodge, I heard it went to Santa Rosa along with some other fifths. Add Sacramento and that puts us at 12 clubhouses and not the 10?

  7. G.O.
    I have a fairly complete owner's list or pedigree chart for all the "known" Cal. Clubs. The digging stories that go with a few of the finds are better than the bottles!!!
    I have to laugh at all the old diggers that have 'found' Clubhouses. Time kinda warps the memory I guess. If every digger that claims to have dug one actually has.. there would be about 25 of them!
    The missing Club is the one mentioned from the Sac. area. I am using a picture of that bottle as my follower icon. Belongs to Phil K., son of Don K. (see Thomas book).
    Phil loves that bottle! When his dad sold a bunch of stuff a few years ago, everyone tried to get the Club. Don couldn't sell the Club because it really wasn't his bottle. Phil gave me a copy of the story of the discovery of his Clubhouse. Amazing! I need to get his permisson to put it in a post. He has owned the bottle since he was 14, probably close to 45 years. Has a pretty nice collection along with the CChouse.
    I don't know if the Schoengarth/DesertJohn repaired example has a new owner or not....

  8. Speaking entirely for myself, I'd much rather have Phil's "Goat" that the "House". IF I ever get lucky enough to dig a CCH, it'll be gone in a flash.

  9. Where is AP and his input on this post, must be on vacation.

  10. So I have a friend that has had one of these bottles for several years that he dug out of a creek. Dark amber color, no cracks or flaws...
    I know for a fact it is not on any of the lists. any suggestions on how to get a value for the bottle and if he does want to sell who we should go through?

