Authentic pre-Prohibition advertising pocket corkscrew in the shape of a beer bottle, issued for Anheuser-Busch's tonic beverage "Malt-Nutrine." Manufactured by C.T. Williamson Mfg. Co. of Newark, New Jersey, under their patented late 19th-century roundlet design.

The piece features a brass/nickel-plated two-part casing that unscrews at the shoulder. The top cap section houses a folding steel wire helix/worm; once unscrewed, the corkscrew pivots outward and the threaded top cap screws into the slotted base to form a rigid T-handle key. The outer casing displays the original embossed copper/brass advertising band featuring the classic Anheuser-Busch "A & Eagle" trademark logo alongside "ANHEUSER-BUSCH" and script "Malt-Nutrine" lettering.

• Product Type: Concealed Pocket Corkscrew / Roundlet

• Advertiser: Anheuser-Busch (St. Louis, MO) – "Malt-Nutrine"

• Manufacturer: C.T. Williamson Mfg. Co. (Newark, N.J.)

• Circa: 1897–1910s (Pre-Prohibition Era)

• Material: Plated brass/bronze casing, steel wire helix, embossed copper/brass logo band

• Dimensions: 2.75" height closed (approx. 2.875" overall); 36 grams weight

Origin & Age

• Origin: Newark, New Jersey, USA (Manufactured by Williamson Wire Novelty Co.)

• Age: Circa 1897–1910 (Pre-Prohibition)

Condition Uncleaned, untouched historical surface condition. Shows overall age-appropriate oxidation, plating wear, and surface patina to the metal sleeve. The embossed copper advertising band retains clear legibility of the A-&-Eagle crest and lettering with light surface rust/verdigris. Threaded closure unscrews smoothly; folding steel worm retains full structural integrity and sharp tip with expected oxidation.

Reference

• Book Title: Boxes Full of Corkscrews

• Author: Donald A. Bull

• Reference Detail: Pages 112–115 (Documenting C.T. Williamson Mfg. Co. bottle-shaped hidden pocket corkscrews and American advertising roundlets, patented 1897). (Additional cross-reference: Fred O'Leary, Frankly Speaking: An Illustrated Guide to Advertising Openers and Corkscrews).

Authenticity Assessment This piece displays all hallmark markers of an authentic turn-of-the-century Williamson roundlet. The underside of the base features the crisp, period-correct stamped Maker’s Mark: WILLIAMSON CO. / MAN'FR'S / NEWARK, N.J. set between two raised dashes. The wire helix shows authentic hand-finished steel forging with a tapered worm rather than modern cast alloy. The advertising panel is a separate applied stamped copper/brass sleeve (not a modern printed decal or cast reproduction), exhibiting genuine natural age oxidation and micro-fitting consistent with late 19th and early 20th-century American manufacturing.

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