Whether you are a collector, digger, trader or someone who just loves the look of a few old bottles decorating a kitchen shelf, an antique bottle price list is the ultimate resource for identifying and appraising these utilitarian objects from the past. Being able to spot old bottles worth money is a really useful skill, so tuck this list in your bag as you peruse the wares at antique shops, flea markets, and estate sales.
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When you go out hunting for new old bottles to add to your collection or want to dig a little deeper into what you already have, it's always a good idea to come prepared. It can be difficult to gauge the value of a bottle offhand, but a price list can help.
Because there are thousands of different types of antique bottles and their value depends largely on condition, age, rarity, and other factors, it would be impossible to include every bottle in existence on a list. Instead, it's more useful to look at various categories of antique bottles, and the value ranges you can expect to find for these categories. This handy printable list includes all the major bottle categories.
If you need help downloading the printable price list, check out these helpful tips.
PDF_| https://cf.ltkcdn.net/antiques/files/907-antique-bottle-price-list.pdf
The following estimates of value are from current auctions, past auction results, and antique valuation services.
Small medicine bottles typically sell in the $3 to $20 range and have these qualities:
Bottles come in all kinds of gorgeous colors, and some colors can be worth a lot. There's a big range, but many sell for between $40 and $100 if they're in good shape. They tend to have these characteristics:
Really small bottles are adorable, and they can also be valuable. They often sell for around $3 to $25 and have these features:
Bottles from well-known cola companies can be worth almost nothing or sell for hundreds of dollars. It all depends on how old and rare they are, as well as whether they're in good shape. Some Coke bottles can be worth $300 or more, especially if they are commemorative editions or are really old.
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Tablet or medicine bottles regularly sell in the $15 to $45 range. Look for these characteristics:
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Ink used to come in bottles, and they are pretty common. Still, collectors sometimes specialize in these bottles, which often sell for between $8 and $20. Some can be worth much more. Look for these qualities:
Up until the middle of the 20th century, it was really common to get your milk delivered in glass bottles. These still abound in antique shops and at flea markets, and they often sell in the $10 to $20 range. Some of the most valuable milk bottles can be worth hundreds, though. Watch for these characteristics:
There are as many styles of liquor bottles as there are types of liquor, but some of the really old and interesting ones can be worth money. Expect them to sell in the range of $20 to $200, although there are definitely outliers. These are a few of the qualities to watch for:
Antique perfume bottles come in all kinds of shapes and can be some of the most exciting glassware to collect. Really rare ones can sell for thousands of dollars, but most sell in the $20 to $200 range and have these characteristics:
Like other medicines, narcotics came in glass bottles. These can be worth quite a bit to collectors, usually selling in the $50 to $100 range. Look for them by these signs:
If you're wondering whether you have an old bottle worth money, looking it up on a price list can help.
Need to Know
If you suspect you have a very valuable bottle or you're planning to sell one, it's a good idea to get your pieces professionally appraised. Appraisers consider factors like market trends, condition, manufacturer, material, desirability, and more when setting a price on an antique bottle.
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You can also find other price guides for antique and collectible bottles. Many cover a specific bottle type, such as Jim Beam Figural Bottles: An Unauthorized Collector's Guide by Molly Higgins or the Antique Trader Perfume Bottles Price Guideby Kyle Husfloen and Penny Dolnick.
Other price guides provide a more generalized listing of old bottle types. Warman's Bottles Field Guide by Michael Polak is a compact volume, for example, perfect for toting along on a dig or a jaunt to the flea market. Antique Trader Bottles Identification and Price Guide by Michael Polak is a large book, but it also comes in an electronic edition. You'll find extensive information about bottle types and prices.
Quick Tip
You may notice that many printed price lists are out of date. Times are changing, and printed guides can't reflect the current prices of every type of bottle. We still think they're handy for identification, though.
When using a price guide to determine the value of an antique bottle, consider the following tips:
Price lists for antique and collectible bottles can help you determine whether your piece is valuable, but they have a few limitations. Keep these in mind as you use the books and publications:
A price guide can be a helpful tool when you're shopping for or identifying old glass bottles. Although price lists have limitations, they can offer some fascinating general information about the value of your finds. You might discover that the bottle you're holding is a treasure.
Did you know "American Pickers" star Mike Wolfe got his start digging bottles when he was just a kid? He's in good company. Collectors from all walks of life enjoy this pastime for fun and profit. But when it comes to valuing antique and collectible examples, their many varied factors to consider.
One great resource is Antique Trader Bottles Identification and Price Guide (Krause Publications) by Michael Polak. This bottle expert, who has collected more than 3,000 varied examples, also shared in an Antique Trader magazine article that there are several general factors, which are elaborated upon in his book, that must be considered when pricing bottles. Those key points are color, condition, and rarity.
Color Is King
Perhaps because glass color is the most immediate thing collectors notice about an old bottle, they often proclaim that color is king." Rare colors do elevate the value of most any type of bottle, according to Polak. He ranks the following colors in the low to medium range, generally: clear, aqua, basic amber, milk glass, green, black, and dark olive green.
As the colors become more unusual, the values often start to rise. More uncommon colors include teal blue, cobalt blue (in some instances), emerald green, purple (also known as amethyst), straw yellow, puce, yellow amber, deep blue-green, teal green, sapphire blue, and cornflower blue along with others.
What this equates to is that the same bottle in clear glass compared to one in a rare color like teal blue could have a difference in the value of several thousand dollars at auction. It is imperative that you look at comparables of the same bottle type in the same color when determining value. Dont let yourself fall into the one just like mine" trap if they arent exactly alike in terms of style, color, and condition.
Grading Condition
As with most antiques and collectibles, figuring out how much old bottles are worth relies greatly on the condition in which they are found. Polak suggests that there are six variables he uses when determining what kind of shape a bottle is in:
Considering Rarity
Its good, first off, to remember that the amount of damage a collector will tolerate when it comes to an old bottle goes hand and hand with how hard that example is to hunt down. Polak mentions seven grades of a rarity in his book ranging from unique to common. A unique bottle, one where only one is known to exist, would be more acceptable with damage and still bring a high sum, but if its pristine the price goes up. Common bottles, on the other hand, need to be in top condition to bring top dollar and the value won't be nearly as high even then.
Extremely rare bottles have only five to 10 known examples, while very rare will have 10 to 20 known examples and rare means there are 20 to 40 examples known to exist in collections. The term scarce is used for 100 bottles in existence, while very scarce references 50 known examples.
Common bottles, according to Polak, include those that are abundant and easy to acquire. Clear medicine bottles from the late s along with certain beer bottles or whiskey vessels in readily available colors, for example, fall into this category. These are usually bottles beginners focus on, and again, they need to be in mint or near mint condition to retain the most value.
Other Valuation Factors to Consider
Collectors learn as they go along that several different factors go into grading and valuing bottles. Studying a book like Polaks is a great place to start, but it takes years of hands-on experience to be able to evaluate rare bottles without further guidance. Dont be afraid to ask a more experienced bottle collector or dealer for help. This is especially true if you have something you think is out of the ordinary.
There are also several unique features or characteristics that can significantly affect value such as pontil marks found on blown glass, whittle marks, type of molds, glass imperfections, slug plates, variations of lips or tops and the glasshouse location where the bottle was manufactured, Polak wrote for Antique Trader. These are all advanced nuances that may add value to a variety of different kinds of bottles, and you learn to pick up on them over time.
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