Cast Iron Painted Bottle Opener Boy Chased by Alligator Clearwater FLA Souvenir
Description: A painted, rare and rather heavy, cast-iron bottle opener in the form of a boy running with an alligator chasing him. The boy who is dressed in yellow pants and an off-white shirt, is running away with the alligator nipping at the seat of his pants. The boy is running and his foot is resting on raised grass, which is actually the bottle opener itself and has a short-curved hook on the bottom, which in combination with a rounded high portion form the opener. The alligator body is the handle of the opener. The piece has nice vivid colors such as the yellow pants, dark brown for the boy's skin, black in his hair, red for the alligator's mouth, and green with yellow and brown tones for the body of the alligator. The piece also has nice and interesting details such as the eyes for both the boy and alligator, the alligator's red mouth, and the boy's scared eyes. The piece is marked "CLEARWATER FLA." in black lettering n the body of the alligator indicating that it was a souvenir from Clearwater Florida. A great, uncommon, and rather rare bottle opener, which is very seldom seen. Please carefully review the photos presented as they are part and parcel of our description.
Date: Unknown, but most likely from mid 1900s
Origin: Attributable to the John Wright Co. of Wrightsville, Pennsylvania. It was purchased in an estate sale in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Size: About ~3 1/2" long from end to end and is ~2 1/2" at its highest. The piece itself weighs over 7 ounces
Maker: Attributed to the John Wright Co. of Wrightsville, Pennsylvania.
Marks: Marked "CLEARWATER FLA" in black lettering on the body of the Alligator.
Distinguishing Characteristics - Most Interesting About The Piece: Truly a rare, nice, and colorful piece in good condition. This is a nice piece which would make a worthy addition to your collection.
Condition: The bottle opener is in very good condition, with no breaks or repairs. The piece is beautiful and retains most of its original paint. However, it does have some color loss as well as some chipped off colors throughout commensurate with the piece's age and use. It also has general soiling, which would probably clean nicely, but we leave that to the discretion of the buyer. Finally, the piece has a few spots of rust showing through the paint and at some of the spots where the coloring is lost. All these issues can be seen in the photos. Be that as it may, the piece is still great looking and very nice. Please see photos for additional condition information.
