Hi up for grabs is my personal collection of
Bashews Bros Cape Town Soda and Gingerbeer collection - Vintage South African - estimated from the 1920s or earlier
If you are a serious collector I will consider offers
Hi there. This Is my personal collection of Bashews Bros and Bashews Bottles. Estimated to be the largest collection in the world dating back to the 1910-20s. The present company Bashews themselves have just a few bottles in their archive. The oldest only dating back to the early 1980s.
Bashews Bros started way back in 1899 (predating Coca Cola in South Africa - making them the longest running Soda Company in South Africa) when two young Jewish Bros living in District 6 (a then multi cultural poor area made up of black, coloured and white European immigrants) started distilling the water from the Devils Peak spring (known as the Soet Water, the original water source to the Khoi and later passing ships to the east and the Castle and the settlement at the Cape) to supply fresh bottled water to the British soldiers stationed at Fort Wynarnd during the Anglo Boer War as the water there from the Green Point Vlei was Undrinkable. They started delivering a few bottles at a time in their bicycle but by the end of the war they had enough savings to buy a horse and a cart. After the war they moved to a small warehouse in the city and over the next 60 years, over three generations of sons and siblings built their business to a large factory with a variety of mineral waters, soda waters and their famous Ginger Beer and later colourful flavoured soda cooldrinks which are now found today in most stores and especially in Spar Stores nationwide.
I fell in love with the brand a decade ago after hearing so many stories from my grandmother who remembered Bashews growing up in the 1930s and 40s and who herself sold them in her cafes, cafees and restaurant eateries right up to the early 1970s. I too started selling them at our table at food markets at our patisserie store. Many customers loved the colourful vintage styled bottles in wooden crates. Unfortunately due to logistics the current owners closed down that division. They themselves had no idea of the companies history. My knowledge comes from the original Bashews familys lovely website dedicated to their families legacy.
Every bottle in my collection is a variant and the only bottle that is a duplicate is the rare late 1920s/1930s blue bottle. Most of these vintage bottles have all been found and salvaged from underground. Some from as deep as 10m underground from century old rubbish dumps. Collected over 40 years of modern archeological digs. Some from century old railway lines currently removed. The bottles were used as foundations for laying tracks in a Cape Town back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Ive been the custodian of this beautiful gem, historical collection.The collection should be cherished and displayed in a museum for the public of Cape Town to enjoy and share the pride of a near forgotten brand thats truly proudly South African. If thats you then heres your once in a life time opportunity.
Please keep a look out for all my other TV, FILM, SUPERHERO & SCI-FI related toys & memorabilia ranging from 1930 to present. Thanks & Good Luck - Ag pleez daddy
