J.H. Zeilin & Company

John Henry Zeilin was first mentioned in connection with patent medicines in Philadelphia in 1871. His firm probably began sometime in the previous year, as his private die stamps were first issued in February of 1871. They were last issued on May 15, 1883.

192,885 were printed on old paper, 2,017,727 on silk paper and 2,684,172 on pink and watermarked papers. 357,000 of the silk paper ones were perforated and gummed by mistake. Zeilin decided to use these, but told Butler & Carpenter to be sure in future to provide imperforate and ungummed ones as specified.

The imperforate copy above is printed on watermarked paper, and all of the perforated ones are on silk paper.


One shipment of 34,633 stamps printed in red was issued in 1876, for some unknown reason. All are on silk paper.


A Zeilin almanac from 1881-82. It is not explained what Centennial is being celebrated.


The back cover of the almanac is interesting, in that it implies that their private die stamps constitute a seal of legitimacy for the product. It also mentions that their stamps may be red or green, covering the possibility that a package could bear one of the 1876 red ones.


A page from a Zeilin Pocket Companion for recording memoranda. It apparently dates from 1885, and shows the facsimile seal adopted by the company after the revenue stamps were no longer necessary.


A label incorporating a facsimile that Zeilin adopted after June 30, 1883. The Latin "Purissima et Optima" appears in the ribbon in the picture in the pocket companion above, but is replaced by "Simmons Liver Regulator" here. This could mean that it was used later, but the 1881-82 almanac shown above has "Simmons Liver Regulator" in the design on the cover as well.


One of Zeilin's imitators was Simmon's Vegetable Liver Medicine, produced in Saint Louis. It is possible that they ultimately joined forces, as the distinctive Zeilin logo appears with a Saint Louis address by 1922.


The bill associated with the cover above. It lists the medicines still being marketed well into the Twentieth Century.


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