For bottles, date codes are often printed on the neck or shoulder (the section just above the label). These codes are easiest to identify when they are printed in yellow or white ink on the bottle, but black or dark ink is not uncommon, so hold the bottle up to a light source to help you find the code.
How can you tell if a bottle is antique?
The embossed maker's mark or letters on the side of a bottle or on the base of a bottle will help to reveal a bottle's age. Marks or letters on collectible milk bottles and Coca Cola bottles are commonly indicators of age and origin.
What do the numbers on the bottom of glass jars mean?
Many bottles carry only a number (or numbers) on the base. These marks often served as some type of mold identification , indicating a particular mold used by a glass factory. If a number of identical molds were produced for making a certain type of bottle, they would often be serially numbered (such as 1 to 12).
How do you date old glass bottles?
There are three keys to help with dating most bottles: Side seams: None: bottle may be free blown , in which case it has a very uneven shape and dates before 1860. Or the bottle may have a nice even shape, but was spun in the mold to smooth out the seams; a practice common around 1900-1920.
Does old glass have seams?
If you examine a piece of pressed glass you will always find either two, three or four seams running through the glass , although sometimes the seams were well hidden in the pattern. ... When manufacturers began producing pressed glass (1850-1910); patterns ranged from very plain to very elaborate cut glass imitations.
Are old bottles valuable?
While not all old bottles are valuable , an older bottle is more likely to be worth more than a newer one. Seams and pontil marks are two of the ways you can determine a bottle's age. ... The Open Pontil bottle describes bottles which were made from the 1600s to about 1855. The Iron Pontil bottle was made from 1840 to 1865.
Does hand blown glass have seams?
Blown glass is an ancient form of glass making that is still used in the fine arts. ... The resulting glass item will often have a blown look and glass varying in thickness. It will not have a seam . It often has a pontil mark, where the pipe was attached.
How can you tell how old a glass Coke bottle is?
If the bottle seam goes to the lip's top, the bottle is likely a machine-produced bottle from 1910 to the modern era . If the seam goes to the neck's top but stops before the lip, the bottle was likely produced from 1880 to 1910.
What is the rarest color of Depression glass?
Pink glass is most valuable, followed by blue and green. Rare colors such as tangerine and lavender are also worth more than common colors like yellow and amber.
Do bubbles in glass mean it's old?
Bubble: a bubble is a air bubble that became trapped in the glass during the manufacturing process. Bubbles are not considered damage . In fact, bubbles usually add to the appeal of old glass. ... Glass made after about 1920 does not usually have bubbles.
Does all milk glass have markings?
Most early milk glass is not marked . Various companies began marking their glass in the 1950s, 1960s or 1970s. What does milk glass look like? A milk glass is usually pretty easy to identify, even though there are a variety of styles and designs.
What are the most valuable vintage bottles?
- National Bridge White Beer Brewery Bottles – $2,700.
- Dr. J. ...
- Lemp's Large Labeled Beer Bottles – $300. Photo: morphyauctions.com. ...
- Conrad Budweiser Beer Bottles – $300. Photo: morphyauctions.com. ...
- Weiss Beer Blob Top Bottles -$180. Photo: morphyauctions.com. ...
What is the most valuable bottle?
A 258-Year-Old Cognac Is Now the World's Most Expensive Bottle. A bottle of Gautier Cognac 1762 sold at auction for $144,525.
How much is my Coke bottle worth?
The straight-sided bottles can vary in value from $25 up to around $400 , depending on the condition and the uniqueness. Amber-colored bottles, sold widely in the South and Midwest, tend to be more valuable than the clear or light green or flint straight-sided bottles that were more common in other parts of the country.
What is the difference between hand blown and mouth blown glass?
The only difference between the two methods is that mold-blown glass is blown into a hinged steel mold and it offers more control than a hand-blown piece . Semi-handmade glassware is formed by mouth blowing the initial glass bubble and finishing the piece by blowing the bubble up larger into a hinged steel mold.
How can you tell if something is blown glass?
A small pinched area around the lip of a vase indicates the spot where blown glass is removed from the blowing tube. Finding a pinched area at the lip or opening of the vase is a good indicator of blown glass. Instead of a pinched area, you may find what appears to be a scar or a swirl on the bottom of the base.
