S. Mordan & Co. – Bottle – Perrier-Jouet Champagne

Exceptional pencil. In near mint condition. The bottle label is marked “Perrier-Jouet & Cie.”. The inner barrel is stamped , “Du Vivier & Co. N.Y.”. virtually everything about this pencil matches the Sampson Mordan “Louis Roederer” “Reims” bottle pencil in the collection. It does not have a maker’s mark, but was almost certainly made by Mordan. It is made of sterling silver, with an enamel label. It is a double extension magic pencil.

DuVivier & Co. was a New York City-based importer and distributor of wine and spirits. The company, founded in 1856, imported products from France, Portugal, and Britain, including Scottish and Irish spirits, as well as sourced domestic products like ryes, bourbons, and rum. In addition to wine and spirits, the company also occasionally distributed beer, bitters, olive oil, pickles, glassware, and condiments. In 1904 the company faced bankruptcy proceedings but remained solvent until the ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment, which took effect on January 17, 1920. The company spent the year leading up to ratification attempting to liquidate their inventory, ultimately shipping the remaining wine and spirits to Cuba and Canada in early 1920. While the company explored other products to sell and trade, DuVivier & Co. ultimately folded in 1922. (This info is from NYC Public Library online records for Du Vivier).