Best Of The West Live Auction (November 13, 2026 5:30 PM PT)

Circa 1871–1875, applied top, 6 1/2". Rufus L. Higgins was a Virginia City pioneer who arrived around 1863 and participated in a variety of business ventures. An 1871 advertisement notes he operated the "Virginia Dollar Store," where everything from women's undergarments to picture frames could be purchased for one dollar or less. By 1873 he had moved into a new location and shifted his focus to stationery and writing supplies. Unfortunately, his business was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1875, and he was forced into bankruptcy shortly thereafter. This bottle is one of the few embossed Western ink bottles and the only known Western master ink besides the base–embossed Pacific Glass Works master ink. These are exceptionally rare, with only two amber examples and approximately three aqua examples known. Both amber masters were discovered in California: one by Mike Dolcini in Davis and the other by Randy Haumann and Ralph Van Brocklin in San Francisco. The example offered here is the latter bottle, excavated by Randy and Ralph in San Francisco.

Description & Condition: Dark golden amber color with abundant whittle and crude glass. A beautiful early Nevada bottle.

Min. Bid $4,500 - Est. $9,000–$14,000