About Antique Bottle Appraisal

History

• Glass bottles have been around longer than some people may think. The first one was made in about 5000 B.C. In America, the first glass melting furnace was built in Jamestown, Virginia, in the 1600s. Back then, the glass bottles had to be handblown. It stayed that way until 1903, when the first automatic glassblowing machine was invented. It was a boon to the industry, but the days of the unique bottles gave way to bottles that were the exact same size and weight.

Types

• There are several types of bottles that are sought after.
  Barber bottles are decorative bottles that barbers used to fill with things such as witch hazel. In 1906, it became against the law for such unlabeled bottles to be reused, and these bottles became obsolete.
  Ink bottles became obsolete with the invention of the ballpoint pen.
  Bottles for beverages such as soda, whiskey, milk cream and beer; medicine bottles at pharmacies; and cologne bottles are all considered collectibles.

Features

• An appraiser will look at features such as age, rarity, use and history to determine the value of antique bottles.
  Bottles from the 1800s are more valuable because back then, they were handmade. A workman could make a dozen bottles of the same design and not one of them would be exactly the same size.
  An appraiser will grade your bottles as one of five categories. A is commonly available; B is uncommon, but easy to obtain; C is scarce and hard to find; D is so rare that even the major collectors do not have them; and E is extremely rare.
  What the bottle was used for plays a big part in determining the value as well. Some of the most sought after are milk bottles and druggist bottles from when they had to mix the medicines themselves.
  Old soda bottles are very valuable, and gain more value if they are unopened.
  If your bottle was connected to a historical event, it will be especially valuable. For instance, for the bicentennial in 1976, Log Cabin syrup came in special commemorative bottles, each one with a different scene from history.

Identification

• Antique bottles are one of the easiest collectibles to identify. All of the manufacturers have their mark on the bottles, as well as the name of the product. Even dating is relatively easy to determine; you just need to know a bit of history. For instance, Coca Cola was first bottled in 1899, but it was not until 1916 that they adopted the contoured bottle with the bulge in the middle that is still used today. So if you have a no-bulge bottle with no contour, it would date between 1899 and 1916.

Potential

• Antique bottles have the potential to increase in value steadily. Very few items come in glass anymore. In the past, most were thrown out with the trash, making the ones that are left all the more valuable and sought after. Collecting antique bottles is a good way to introduce children to antique collecting, giving them the potential of developing a lifelong and rewarding hobby.