Warners safe cures
Standard Warner’s half pint London safe cure, with amber lip.
Two rare green pint London Diabetes Safe Cures
Extremely rare aqua half pint Safe Cure London
Hubert Harrington Warner was born in Syracuse 1842 and died in 1923. In 1870 he moved to Rochester and entered his first business which would make him a millionaire, selling fire and burglar proof safes. He used a portion of the wealth from the safe business to purchase the formula for a patent medicine from Dr Craig of Rochester. Warner suffered a life-threatening case of a kidney disease. called Bright’s Disease. Warner used a vegetable concoction (Craigs Original Kidney Cure) sold by Craig and probably more by luck than the medicine he recovered.
In 1879 introduced Warner’s Safe Kidney & Liver Cure. In Warner’s early advertising he referred to Dr Craig and his wonder cure, however this soon changed and the two even fought it out in court after Dr Craig tried to re-enter the market with a cure very similar to his original.
Warner expanded the number of cures, introducing a Safe Rheumatic Cure, Diabetes Cure, Safe Nervine, Safe Tonic Bitters, Safe Bitters, Safe Pills and Tippecanoe Bitters. Most of these products were packaged in a heavily embossed bottle with a safe on the front. Inspired by his earlier business the safe also implied the products were safe to use.
In January 1884, Warner opened his Rochester headquarters in a magnificent multi-story building. This factory called The H.H. Warner Building churned out an estimated 26,000 litres of product daily. He also ran a huge marketing campaign with almanacs and advertising pamphlets to local chemists, doctors and grocers.
In 1887, Warner started production of a new medicine, his Log Cabin Remedies which were not marketed in his safe cure bottles. They were promoted as a supplement to the popular cures. Warner was extremely clever at marketing, and he appealed to his customers desire at the time to heal oneself.
The success of Warner’s products in the United States saw him rapidly expand his market internationally. In 1883 offices opened in Toronto Canada and London England, The bottles from Toronto featured the name of all his current offices: Rochester, London and Toronto.
In 1887 offices were opened in Melbourne Australia and Frankfurt Germany, and further expansion in Pressburg Hungary and Dunedin, New Zealand occurred soon after. The Pressburg office only lasted a couple of years and bottles for Melbourne and Dunedin were most likely produced in Rochester or London and then shipped. Warners advertising also mentions Kreuslingen,Switzerland, Brussels and Paris however no embossed bottles exist with these cities.
The range of products made by Warners and the variety of coloured bottles manufactured for his cures lends itself to collecting.
Pair of mini sample Warner's Safe Cures London
Warner's Safe Compound variations.
A late Warner's Concentrate Melbourne bottle, boxed with contents.
Rare half pint crude aqua Warners Safe Cure. Although an early looking bottle thought to be 1920s.
Warner's Safe Cure half pint London
Rare half pint SAFE CURE (large lettering) London bottle.
Dark green half pint London Safe Cure
Green half pint Safe Nervine Melbourne, one of only 2 known, strangely both dug in Germany.
Half pint Warner's Nervine Melbourne, honey amber.
Half pint Warner's Nervine London
Half pint Warner's Nervine Melbourne in deep chocolate brown.
Half pint Warner's Safe Medicines Melbourne.
Half pint Warner's Safe Cure Melbourne.
Half pint Warner's Safe Cure Melbourne.
Half pint Warner's Safe Nervine London in deep green.
Rare pale green/aqua pint Diabetes Cure London
Green animal 2 pint London Safe Cure
Warner's Diabetes Cure Melbourne pint
Warner's Safe Nervine Melbourne pint (black glass)
Warner's Safe Rheumatic Cure Melbourne pint
Warner's Safe Diabetes Cure pint in deep green
Warner's Safe Cure four cities pint in rare olive green
Warner's Safe Cure Melbourne pint
Warner's Safe Cure four cities pint
Warner's Safe Nervine Cure four cities one pint.
Warner's Safe Cure London green pint
Warners Safe Diabetes Cure four cities one pint.
Earlier Repro Safe Rheumatic Cure Rochester pint (Mary Poppins)
Warner's Medicines Melbourne one pint
Warner's Safe Cure Melbourne pint with unusual short top.
Warner's Safe Nervine London one pint green
Labelled Warners Safe Compound pint
Warners Safe Rheumatic Cure Melbourne one pint
Warner's Safe Remedies Melbourne pint
Warners Animal Cure 2 pint London
Outer of 12 bottles Log Cabin Liver Pills
