American Glass Gallery #4

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:02:46 +0000

We’ve heard that American Glass Galleries is currently putting together its Spring 2010 auction. This will be auction #4. It is tentatively scheduled to close in early May.

Preview photos will be available soon. Check back here for further details or visit their web site at http://americanglassgallery.com.

Hunter’s Corn Witch

admin — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:24:49 +0000

Here is an absolutely amazing bottle: great color, intriguing embossing and an unusually wide mouth. It stands only 2-7/8″ tall and would be worth a bit more if it were larger. The bottle is not for me but I think it is fairly priced…retail but fair at $299. Ever seen another?

I doubt it has anything to do with Salem or witches but rather to the product’s magical powers.

The base is marked W. T. & CO. / C / U.S.A. which of course stands for Whitall Tatum Company of Millville, NJ

Go to the listing on ebay to see this bottle for sale.

Hunter's Corn Witch

Rare Patent Model Poison Bottle Surfaces

admin — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 23:28:15 +0000

A rare patent model poison bottle turned up on ebay this week. It’s a small clear bottle with an embossed skull and crossbones. Anna and Clara Moss of Collingswood, NJ received Design Patent # 46,407 on September 15, 1914. I searched around quite a bit on Google Patents but could not find the patent record listed there.

With one day to go, 29 bids have run the price up over $1000. Bidding may have a ways to go yet.

Here is a direct link to the poison bottle auction on ebay

Patented in 1914

Update!

Over 40 bids ran this bottle up over $5,600!

Heckler Auction #88 results

admin — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:04:29 +0000

This is the only auction that I had a chance to preview this fall, but I got to see a great selection of bottles as always. The auction began and ended on high notes: Lot 1 was an exceptional G1-73 Baltimore Glass Works General Taylor and Fells Point pint in a pink amethyst – a color that could only come from Baltimore. It wasn’t that many years ago when this probably would have sold in the Pollard sale for about 5 grand. This one brought $25,000. The last lot, Lot 100, was in fact from the Pollard sale – it was a GI-19 in a copper amber color and brought $8,000. Clearly historical flasks are the hot item right now with consistently strong prices. The heck with the down economy, everyone is still eager to get the best that money can buy.

Group shot of bottles and glass in Heckler auction #88

The highlight of the auction was lot 99 – a GII-69 Eagle Cornucopia in yellow olive with just the perfect coloration. The color simply glows. Bidders agreed and ran the hammer price up to $39,000.

GII-69 Eagle Cornucopia in yellow olive - Lot 99

Lot 36 was eagerly anticipated by New England collectors – the GX-27 Granite Glass Works “Stoddard Flag” closed at $21,000, a price which reflects both the high demand for flasks and the particular interest in this iconic piece of Americana.

Free blown and utility glass was perhaps a bit weak across the board – a group of snuff bottles brought $1500 and a set of nine graduated chestnuts just $2500. Prices realized for these items were not unlike those seen a decade ago, showing that there are at least some good buying opportunities out there.

See the prices realized list at: http://www.hecklerauction.com/Auction88/auction88ppl.html

The auction flyer with color photos:
http://www.hecklerauction.com/Auction88/Auction88web.pdf

Rare size Potter and Bodine jar soars at auction

admin — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 23:41:10 +0000

Recently on ebay was a pint size Potter and Bodine jar. Notable was the incredibly clean condition with no damage at all. Everyone has seen the quarts and perhaps a half gallon, but the pints are quite rare. Just 17 bids ran the auction up to $3850 at close on November 15th.

It measures just 5-1/2″ tall, has a glass ball pontil base and, judging from the description, was a fresh discovery…

this fine little jar brought nearly $4000 at auction

DelMarva Auction #14 – closes December 19th

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:20:23 +0000

Delmarva Auctioneers and Appraisers of Delaware kicks off their fourteenth auction today consisting of 114 lots. The auction comprises early glass, Andrew Wyeth prints, an extensive collection of antiques reference books, select antique bottles and flasks and several stoneware lots.

The auction will close Friday, December 19th, 2009

View the auction online here

Visit their web site

Lowenbrau Beer recovered from Hindenburg wreck at auction

admin — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:59:12 +0000

A Lowenbrau beer bottle recovered from the 1937 wreck of the Hindenburg zeppelin will be auctioned by Henry Aldridge and Son of London today.

From their auction catalog:

Lot 206. LZ129 Hindenburg memorabilia: An extremely rare bottle of Lowenbrau Beer recovered from the wreck site of the Z129 Hindenburg, May 6th 1937 when it crashed at Lakehurst Naval Air Station. It was recovered by local Fire Chief Leroy Smith of the Matawan Fire Department New Jersey, along with 5 others which he handed out to each of his colleagues. The whereabouts of all of these bottles with the exception of one is unknown. He presented one to the Lowenbrau brewery in 1977 where it remains to the present day. The example being offered for auction is sealed, with some of its original label and shows evidence of heat damage. This lot is sold with a provenance package which include correspondence from the Lowenbrau brewery regarding the bottle of beer donated to their Museum, press cuttings and signed copy of a letter of provenance and an account of how Fire Chief Smith came to acquire the bottle.

UPDATE – According to thisiswiltshire.co.uk, this lot sold for 10,810 including the 15% buyers premium. That is approximately $18,078 US.

ABC News, the New York Post (article) and the BBC are reporting that this bottle may bring $4-8,000

The bottle of beer that survived the Hindenburg disaster. Photo from This is Wiltshire

South Carolina Dispensary Bottle

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:21:20 +0000

Here is the one that everyone is bidding on. Three days to go and there are already a whopping 29 bids. The auction is currently at $1625.

From the auction description, “The S.C. Dispensary was the brainchild of Mr. Ben Tillman, govenor of SC. The dispensary started operation in Edgefield, S.C. in 1893. It was an unsuccessful business venture that was abolished in 1907.”

View the auction via this link.

Dr. McMunns Elixir of Opium

admin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:46:15 +0000

Here is a classic early 19th century medicine bottle with unusual serifed embossed text. Marked “Dr. McMunn’s Elixir of Opium” What a great photograph!

View Dr. McMunn’s bottle at auction on ebay

Update:

Another plain, smooth based Dr. McMunns Elixir of Opium bottle sold on ebay for a surprising price. The auction closed at $54 on 01/24/10

Here’s a link to that auction

Here is the picture for that auction – clear and crisp. Quite the above average price for an average specimin! That’s the nature of auctions – some times the prices are average, some things die at auction and every once in a while two or more bidders drive a price up to unusually high numbers.

Glass Works Auction – The “Colors of Fall” – October 19th

admin — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:23:34 +0000

Glass Works Auctions big fall event comprises 375 lots with an substantial offering of historical flasks, rare soda bottles, pontil medicine bottles, bitters, fire grenades and much more.

Of special note is the rare California Fire Extinguisher in amber with embossed bear. It’s one of the most desirable fire grenade bottles out there, and not surprisingly, it attained a high bid of $5,000 long before closing day.

Another very exiting bottle is the GXII-15 “Union” / Clasped Hands – Eagle with Banner / “E. Wormser & Co / Pittsburgh in a deep blue green color. Examples in unusual colors (besides aqua and amber) in Group 12 are unusual, and this one is just amazing. Several days before closing, the bidding had achieved $19,000.

Bidding closes Monday evening, October 19th.

Here is a direct link to the auction: http://www.rtam.com/glassworks_catalog/cgi-bin/CATALL.CGI