Bottle
Value
 The value of antique bottles is determined by a number
of factors which include not just the age and condition
but also the bottles rarity, imperfections, color and
historic value. I would highly recommend purchasing a
good bottle value book. Its always interesting to see
just how much your collection is worth. Note that most
guides list value form mint condition bottles. I find a
more realistic value can be found by searching for what
similar bottles are actually selling for on any of the
online auctions like ebay.
Age - In general older bottles of the same category are
more valuable than their younger counterparts.
Rarity -How unique or rare the bottle is. It is not only
important for bottles to be rare but must also be
desirable to collectors.
Imperfections -This is a combination of uneven
characteristics, thickness and the presence of
bubbles in the glass. The more imperfections the
more valuable the bottle.
Condition - Bottles in mint condition with no scratches
or
chips demand a much higher value. I have listed
below the standard definitions that determine the
condition of a bottle.
Mint: Perfect bottle with paper label intact
(if it had one) No chips, scrapes
or wear. Once a bottle is tumbled or
polished it can not qualify as Mint.
Extra Fine: slight wear, and light stains.
Very good: Light wear, missing label,
light stains.
Good: some chips, scrapes, additional
wear, label missing.
Fair: Considerable wear, label missing,
embossing damaged.
Poor: Large cracks and chips
Color -In some styles of bottles one color variation may
be
more desirable and therefore more valuable. In general
aqua and amber are lower in value than black glass,
clear glass, cobalt blue, purple and green. Producing
colored glass was a challenge. Prior to 1840 colored
glass was very expensive. Even producing clear glass was
considerably more expensive than standard Aqua until
around 1880 when manganese was found to bleach out the
green of aqua glass.
Embossing- Most hand blown bottles with embossing have
some value. Embossing may include the
manufacturers name, state, trademarks, logo etc.
Basically the more extensive and elaborate the design
of the embossing the higher the value. Embossing can
also be helpful with ageing a bottle. For example,
bottles embossed with “Federal Law Forbids” were
made after Prohibition 1933 through the early 1970s.
Historic Value- some bottles can be associated with
history
and therefore have a greater value. One example are
bottles recovered from shipwrecks. These bottles
are sought after not only by bottle collectors but also
maritime historians. One example would be bottles
recovered from the prohibition rum runner Lizzie D, off
Long Island NY.. Some of these bottles are common 1920
vintage ABM but because they were recovered from this
wreck they have sold for several hundred dollars. On
that note its always advised to obtain a certificate of
authenticity for any bottles recovered from a shipwreck.
This document provides proof to the bottles origin and
increases the associated historic value.
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These
basics can be enhanced and modified as model
builders become more proficient. Capt. Dan has
included a showcase of ship in bottle images
from some of the best master model builders in
the world. Often the best way to improve skills
and technique is to examine the exquisite work
and detail of these masters.
Hunting
Antique Bottles in the
Marine Environment.
He
also uses over 10 unique 3D diagrams designed to
give a better understanding as to the time line
of glass blowing and bottle manufacturing. These
3D mold images are combined with drawings of the
bottles they produced and highlight the distinct
mold seam marks each created. This informative
text tells all the tricks of the trade that
until now have only been learned through years
of experience. Bottle collectors, scuba divers
and anyone interested in exploring the marine
environment for these historic treasurers will
reference this text often as they search for and
collect antique bottles.
