American Bottle Auctions' next big sale will be held April 27-May 6 Bottles, bottles, who’s got the bottles? American Bottle Auctions, that’s who – around 175 bottles, many of them rare and vintage examples in a broad variety of categories, to be sold at auction soon.
News-Antique.com - Mar 27,2012 - (SACRAMENTO, Calif.) – Bottles, bottles, who’s got the bottles? American Bottle Auctions, that’s who – around 175 bottles, in fact, many of them rare and vintage examples in a broad variety of categories. All will be sold in an Internet and catalog auction that begins April 27 and ends May 6. The bottles may be viewed online, starting April 24, at americanbottle.com.
Bottle collecting is a rapidly burgeoning genre, often making the top ten lists of the “most searched” categories of collectible on the Internet. This sale will have something for just about every collector in the field: rare “territory” sodas (from when states were still territories), bitters, western whiskey bottles, medicines, gins, early flasks, historical flasks and early blown glass.
“We’ve got a tremendous selection of antique bottles from all over the country. They are rare and desirable pieces from virtually every category,” said Jeff Wichmann of American Bottle Auctions. “Many will sell in the $1,000 to $10,000 range, but others will go for much less. The impressive thing is that these bottles are all fresh to the market. It should be an exciting auction.”
One bottle is expected to soar to $20,000-$30,000, maybe more. It’s an exceedingly rare Justus Perry early blown glass Masonic/eagle flask (GIV-1), made circa 1822-1840 by the Keene-Marlboro Street Glass Works. What makes the bottle so special is its fabulous purple and blue coloration. If the same bottle was being offered in its usual aqua, it might bring just $500.
But at past auctions, such a bottle has fetched tens of thousands of dollars. This example does have a small chip on the inside of the Masonic side lip, its only flaw. “We will be happy to have the lip fixed to perfection at no charge to the buyer,” Wichmann volunteered. “Without the lip chip, the bottle grades at 9.9. How much of a distraction the chip is – that’s up to the buyer.”
Soda bottles will span two key eras of manufacture. The so-called “blob”-style sodas, the first generation of sodas, were made from 1850-1890. The auction will have examples from the East and West coasts. The “territory hutch” sodas (made between 1890-1920) will also be in the sale, from Idaho, Utah, Hawaii, Oklahoma, the Northwest Territory and other pre-state regions.
While the sale boasts many rare and beautiful hutches, one stands out from the rest for its gorgeous olive-yellow coloration (hutches are almost always aqua). The T. Burkhardt Braddock bottle, with a tooled mouth and on a reverse base, is expected to hit $300-$600. Its condition is generally good, graded 8.5, with some typical light scratches, but the green color is the big draw.
Two bitters are worth singling out for their importance and desirability. The first is a Dr. Wonser’s U.S.A. Indian Root Bitters bottle, with an applied top (est. $7,000-$12,000). The bottle is colored a medium root beer amber, with just the lightest amount of wear on the outermost ridge. Collectors are snapping up Wonsers at a fast clip, and
