The Antique Glass Bottles Blog

As the world surrounding us keeps rapidly changing, there is something inside us all that is still attracted to elements of the past - the way things used to be. People still feel this connection very strongly and collecting antique glass bottles is one way we can transport ourselves back in time and once again experience those old things. In last few years, collecting antique glass bottles has become more and more popular and enabled us to experience the more simple and less busy times of the past.

There are many ways you can obtain antique glass bottles. The obvious choice would be to visit flea markets or auctions which are typical places to find antique glass bottles. However, you could come across antique bottles while cleaning out your attics, in an old shed in your backyard, sticking out of a construction site or just along the side of the road. Recently, there has been a new hobby created called “bottle digging” or “privy digging.” It is basically raveling down old roads or hiking and looking for antique glass bottles.The easiest way to determine the age of glass bottle which you found is to have a look at objects that surrounded it. If you find plastic bags or other similar objects right next to the bottle than it is probably just a replica and is not worth very much. The crucial thing before searching for antique glass bottles in any area is to find out who is owner of the land and ask for his permission.

There are many different shapes and sizes of antique glass bottles. Most of the bottles were handmade and therefore very few are identical. Each one is different, they have flaws that make them unique such as bubbles within the glass. It is these characteristics that often make the bottle more sought after and therefore can make it more valuable. However, there are many other factors to consider when determining value:

1) Age - in most cases there is a simple rule: the older the glass bottle is, more valuable it is, the easiest way to determine the age of the bottle is by close examination of the base of the bottle

2) Colour – some colours are more valuable than others. The colors with highest value are yellow and olive greens, cobalt and teal blues, yellow, purple, and green.

3) Design or Embossing – glass bottle is worth much more if it contains embossing that clearly identifies producer, where the bottle was made and when it was made.

4) Condition – chips or cracks usually reduce value of the bottle;

5) Category – there are many categories of antique glass bottles, for example medicine bottles, flasks, soda and alcohol bottles or druggist bottles.

So why should you spend the time looking for antique glass bottles? Well, first of all, these long-forgotten everyday objects can be very valuable and you can make very nice profit by finding and later selling them. Imagine the excitement if you found out that the old glass bottle which you found in your back garden is actually worth 100$ or more. However, there is also second, maybe even more important reason and that is the fun that you experience while treasure-hunting for old bottles. Antique glass bottles bring back memories of simpler, happy times when life seemed so much less complicated. For many of us, antique bottles also bring back memories of loved ones sipping on a a bottle of soda or using a certain product.

Collecting vintage glass bottles is exciting, self-fulfilling and increasingly popular hobby. Whether you are after old glass beverage bottles or antique medicine bottles there couldn’t be more entertaining hobby than collecting antique glass bottles.