I was late getting out the door the next day, Sunday, but I still made it into the show room before general admission.  I made a bee-line for the table with the Pennsylvania Chief barrel glass, but it was too late, it had gone.  The owner was still nowhere to be found so I couldn't even find out how much he had sold it for.  Mark it down as one that got away.
	Minutes later, the gates opened and the room was suddenly teeming.  I wondered if there were any shot purists among the group: I'd been in their shoes more times than I can count.  There were still plenty of good glasses to be had.  Paul's table had some prime glasses at great prices, and Leo Goudreau ("leophoenix" on eBay) had a display case containing several attractive shots in nice condition (see below).  And, as I've said before, Baltimore is about much more than shot-glasses.  The show consistently attracts vendors who have a wide range of high-quality goods to offer, so there's always plenty to pick through, ogle at, and haggle over.	Andy Regrut with offerings from western PA

Ralph Van Brocklin was now entrenched behind his sales table, chatting with one of his bottle-collecting cronies and I nodded good morning.  "Robin!" he exclaimed "I found a great little shot.. ! " He reached down to his side and pulled up a wad of crumpled newspaper.  I groaned loudly because as the paper was unrolled I knew exactly what was in there.  Yup, a barrel glass with an American Indian Chief's head on it. 

"You bugger - how much did you get that for?" I splurted.  Needless to say, it was considerably less than anything I'd put down on a glass yesterday.  "You can make me an offer" he grinned.  I dutifully played the game and added $2 to the price he'd paid for it. 

"I .. don't ... think so......" he replied as I walked away, both of us chuckling. 

The Pennsylvania Chief turned out to be payback for the Casper, because Ralph listed it on eBay the following month.  xxxtruk (who else) slammed it for $154.50.

Ah well, c'est la guerre (French for @#%%^&!!)  

The only thing I spent money on at the show on Sunday was the latest edition of the Baltimore Bottle Book.  No, this is not a tentative step onto the slippery slope of bottle collecting: bottle books are useful for research purposes and I buy them whenever I see them to add to the library here at pre-pro.  I believe they still have a few left if you wish to pick one up for only $25, post paid...

 I spent the rest of the morning catching up with people that I'd not seen in some time, picking through piles of pre-pro paper, and taking in the exhibits.  The collection of Sandwich Colognes shown below was pretty stunning.  The collector who owned these obviously had an artist's eye because they were arranged to take full advantage of the contrasts and harmonies among the different colors.  This was probably the first time that I'd actually looked at a bottle and begun to appreciate them for their aesthetic value.  The picture below doesn't really do them justice: there's a larger version that might give you a better idea and could be downloaded for use as wallpaper on your desktop!  Slippery slope, slippery slope....

 

 

My show experience was cut short by an urgent call from back home, and I hastily left around noon.  On the way out the door, I turned and looked back into the bustling room and the giant arc of the dome above.  Bittersweet indeed.  

Bye bye Baltimore.... maybe I'll see you again someday.

p.s.  Much credit for the success of the annual Baltimore event goes to Bob Ford, who has been show Chair for many relentless years now.  I greatly appreciated the invitation to attend - many thanks Bob.  btw, is the yellow hat in the mail yet????  maybe you don't have my new address????

Above:  a display case filled with shots for sale at Leo Goudreau's table.  Right: one of the exhibits organized by members of the Baltimore Bottle Club.  The colors in the bottles are something: the photo here doesn't really do them justice, but take a look at the larger, unedited version.