A CURIOUS "LOT."
The recipe of a patent pill was sold for £5000 at a Londk/n auation mart recently. This was the very first time (says the "Daily Mail") such a "lot" has been offered at Tokenhouse Yard. One of the largest rooms at the mart was filled with chemists, druggists, pill und patent medicine manufacturers, with a good sprinkling of smart city speculator, all competing lor the iecipa of "Dr. King's dandelion and quinine bilious and liver pilte.' Even the disclosure of two of the ingredients in the above description did not take off the edge of the keen competition, and when the auctioneer (of the firm of Messrs Wharton and Stunt) had taken up his position, hammer in (hand, be man received the first bid of £2000. Towards the end the bidding hung a little. The auctioneer informed the bidders that the pill had been "before the public for upwards of forty years at ordinary prices, while the average net profit returns to the proprietors for tlie past five years had been tut the rate of about £905 Is lid per annum. Moreover, it was more than hinted that "by judicious advertising and giving every facility to-run this proprietary article on sound business principles" a much larger income could be derived. Eventually the round sum of £5000 was offered, and at this price tihe recipe was sold to Dr. Hide, a member of the syndicate which has been running the pill lor some time past. The recipe remains jealously guard&d in a carefully-eealed envelope, aaid this, together with tihe official stamp of the patent medicine, will be solemnly handed over on the completkm of the purchase on New Year's Day.
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Press, Volume LX, Issue 11493, 28 January 1903, Page 7
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282A CURIOUS "LOT." Press, Volume LX, Issue 11493, 28 January 1903, Page 7
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