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Antique Bottle Questions


This section provides a list of antique bottle collectors who have graciously agreed to offer advice in their area of interest. This does not imply the person is an expert in the area listed, just that they are knowledgeable and willing/motivated to field questions in that area. When asking a question, remember to provide:

  1. Exact wording embossed (i.e. raised lettering) on the bottle.
  2. Color of the bottle (e.g. clear, amber, aqua, ...).
    For help, see Antique Bottle Colors.
  3. Height of the bottle.
  4. Whether the bottle is BIM (Blown In Mold - side seams stop below the lip), or ABM (Automatic Bottle Machine - side seams run to the top of the lip). Most ABM bottles date after 1905, and most BIM bottles date before 1905. There is also a variety called 3PM (3 Piece Mold), which dates to the 1870s and before.
  5. Style of top on the bottle (e.g. crown, blob, ...).
    For help, see Antique Bottle Tops.
  6. If bottle has a closure, describe that too.
    For help, see Antique Bottle Closures.
  7. Style of base (e.g. smooth, open pontil, iron pontil).
    For help, see Antique Bottle Bases
  8. Condition with regards to chips/cracks/bruises/wear. Condition is important if you are requesting an appraisal.
    For help, see Conditions of Antique Bottles.
  9. To see how much your bottle is worth, check out Appraising Antique Bottles. New
  10. To see how old your bottle is, check out: Dating Antique Bottles. New
  11. See USA Bottle Marks New for the meaning of marks on the base of bottles made in USA.

Many of the question categories below have a hyper-text link (i.e. underlined text, as in Coca-Cola) that you can click on to see more info about the category. Please review the category info first - it may already answer your question.

And don't forget to thank the person afterwards for taking their personal time to research/answer your question. After all, they aren't getting monetary payment for this free service. If you would to help support this free service, consider making a donation below.

You may want to check some of the Questions and Answers that Digger Odell has handled in the past to see if your question may already be answered there.

Also be sure to check the cross reference list of Bottle Books/Clubs sorted by US State since this may be helpful for bottles with a city/state on them. Most club members will know about the bottles from their city/state.

Ebay is a good place to see what all kinds of bottles have sold for by online auction by searching their completed auctions.

Also check for your bottle against this list of common bottles.

Kovel's has a Online Price Guide where you can look-up the price of your collectibles, including bottles. Requires a free trial sign-up first. Can look up your first 50 items for free. Check them out.

Newsgroups are also great places to ask questions in a large world-wide public forum.

Questions can be asked in the following categories:
Bitters Historical Flask Coke Pepsi Poison Fruit Jar Ink Fire Grenade
Milk Gin Insulator British Cologne South Carolina Wisconsin Stoneware
Jelly Beer Ginger Beer Australia Turlington Edison Oil Mini-Jugs Apothecary
Saratoga Torpedo Viobot Canadian Canadian Hutch Christmas Lights Black Glass
Snuff German Stoneware Jim Beam Chlorox Listerine Bromo Seltzer Milk of Magnesia Aspirin

If you want to be added to the expert list above, then simply send me a Email with the area(s) in which you would be willing to offer advice.

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