Golden Gate Bottle show photos

maxbitters · Apr 22, 2009

If there's one thing that makes my blood boil it's a thief. There was a very rare clear San Francisco coffin flask stolen off the table behind ours. I also heard there was another bottle taken off a table but I don't know what that one was. Two known bottle thief's who have both been caught before were at the show the day bottles disappeared. One of these thief's someday is going to be caught in the act by the wrong person and I can tell you it ain't going to be pretty. This sort of thing has gone on for years at almost every show and I'll almost bet in many cases it's someone we would all recognize.
Overall it was a real nice show and many thanks go out to Gary, Darla & the rest of the Golden Gate Club for making it such a success.

CALDIGR2 · Apr 22, 2009

I saw one of the well known miscreants on Friday, but was told that the bottles disappeared on Saturday. That flask in particular not EVER be offered for sale, anywhere. Whoever stole it will have to live with his miserable self, and be sole witness to that bottle's existence. Sooner or later, his hand will tip, and he WILL be exposed and dealt with, digger style.

Dabeel · Apr 22, 2009

Hey MaxBitters and Caldigr2,

This is only the second bottle show that I have been to and my question to you long time collectors is why couldn't the known suspects be asked to leave if everyone seems to know that they do that?

I mean that seems real uncomfortable to have a known bottle stealer roaming around the show. I would think someone would confront them and ask them to leave. The embarrassment alone would make them want to leave the show don't you think?

Why are the still allowed into the shows?

Doug

CALDIGR2 · Apr 22, 2009

Well, Doug, you'd have to ask the folks who run the show. If someone pays the 10 bucks to get in, I guess he's got the right to enter. He knows that he is persona non grata, and must've felt like he was "under the lights", but the truth of the matter is that many collectors have forgotten, or are unaware of, his prosecution for bottle theft. I also noticed some people wandering around the aisles who were seriously overdressed for such a warm day. What a better place to hide purloined bottles than in a large coat. In the future, I will make it a point to eyeball anyone who is unfamiliar to me and is improperly attired on a very warm afternoon. Any suspicious activities and it's off with the coat time, if you get my drift. Heh heh.

Lordbud · Apr 24, 2009

Interesting topic, I've always noticed the casual attitude at bottle shows -- and that's how it should be amongst fellow collectors.
The way prices have gone up, I guess it isn't surprising that thieves prey on the bottle collecting community. However would they bother
if there wasn't a market to sell these stolen bottles? If they've stolen bottles before without serious consequence or hardship it's no surprise
they've got ten bucks to get into a show and "case the joint" as it were.

As to how prices have gone up, and therefore the inspiration for thieves to steal -- I picked up a coffin flask at the Vallejo show embossed:

F.J. BAYER 400 HAIGHT ST. SAN FRANCISCO

with a (correct me if you were there and I'm wrong) price tag of $475!
I just about fell over. I paid $50 for mine at the Santa Rosa show back fifteen-plus years ago. Price tag like that on the bottle is enough
to clue in *anyone* attending the show that a very portable and not-very-large item is a "steal".

CALDIGR2 · Apr 24, 2009

The same can be said for sales, too. I have sold bottles in the past for 40 bucks that would easily bring twenty times as much today. Most prices have risen considerably over the past few decades, despite the known populations of some specimines rising accordingly. Superior examples of some Cutters could be had for a few hundred in 1980 but the same bottle would set you back two Gs nowadays. I also can recall when a bottle that today would bring 20K would go begging at that very same 2Gs. You might say it's all relative.

Golden Gate Bottle show photos

Welcome to our Antique Bottle community

Be a part of something great, join today!

maxbitters

Well-Known Member

CALDIGR2

Well-Known Member

Dabeel

Well-Known Member

CALDIGR2

Well-Known Member

Lordbud

Well-Known Member

CALDIGR2

Well-Known Member

Similar threads

Latest posts

Members online

Latest threads

Forum statistics

Share this page

Online statistics

Forum statistics