Amethyst colored bottles

[scduckett]

Someone please tell me about amethyst bottles. I love the color but seems like I read somewhere that this was artificially created[X(] I just purchased several amethyst bottles (mostly for their beauty but did find one that was pontilled[] after I got homeJ). One is a Minard's linament bottle which has been mentioned on one of the posts. The prettiest are cola bottles, one being Rye-Ola and the other being Red Race ginger ale. Have I been taken? I spent about $30-40 on a collection of about 15 bottles.
As soon as I can take pictures, upload them to the other computer, send them to this computer, I will post pictures.

 

[flasherr]

The value of a bottle or anything is not what a book says it is only a guide to the rarity of an item and for what someone has paid in the past. I buy and sell all the time if I got book price on everything I sold my bills would be caught up and id have lots of money in my pocket. it sounds like you have some unusual soda bottles. I have never heard of the 2 you mentioned. I figure $2 a bottle is not a bad price. Just ask yourself when you bought the bottles where you happy? Did you feel cheated at the time of purchase? probably not since you brought them home. There are unscrublis people that will alter thing to make them appear more valuable than what they are. But I feel if you got 15 bottle for $30 you did ok especially if you are happy with them. I might even give you $3 ea. on the soda bottles if I liked them . Just my opinion im fairly new to this board and I know there are many more experienced collectors out there that might offer an opinion that might be more right than mine. Just remember if you like it and the price seems reasonable enjoy the item and share with others.
Brian

 

[Bluebelle]

Here is a web page about artifically altered "amethyst" glass:
http://www.eapgs.org/alteredglasscolors.html
(Early American Patterned Glass Society)
Describes how it can be irradiated to create the color artifically.

There is also glass that is colored amethyst to start with, such as some of the Wheaton products.

Then, the "real" purpling is happens over time with reaction between glass, chemicals in the soil and sunlight. I have a great dug-up purpled milk bottle - unfortunately no embossing on it, but the color is very delicate and charming.

 

[drjhostetters]

Hey....Scduckett...

Welcome to the forum...and I agree with flasher....I recently paid $10 for a pharmacutical (medicine) bottle which probably no one else would have paid more than $3 or $4 for..why? Because I liked it ..that's why..I had been looking for an embossed bottle with our city name on it for over two months and when this lady at an antique store presented it to me I HAD to have it for my collection! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...I see a bottle I like because of it's eyecatching appeal..I buy it for my collection...so if you were happy with your purchase..more power to you.
Remember too...glass bottle are slowly becoming a thing of the past...litterly...just check out the millions and millions of PLASTIC garbage being thrown away in our landfills each day...will your grandchildren or greatgrandchildren pay X amount of dollars for a plastic milk jug? (I think not!) You are helping to preserve a piece of our heritage and our culture....keep up the good work!

Good hunting..The Doc...Doctor J[X(]

 

[bigkitty53]

scduckett,
As you've been already told,value is what you're willing to pay for an item,i.e. do you feel you have good value for your enjoyment?
A note on amythest and purple glass;manganese in small amouts bleached out the aqua tint to produce clear commercial glass products from the early 1800's.These items will change to variing shades of purple upon exposure to ultra-violet light.
Larger quantities of manganese will produce amythest or purple glass right from the furnace,i.e. no UV light is needed to produce the colour.This coloured glass was rarely used on commercial bottles but is fairly common in table/stemware and especially decanters from around 1500 to date.(The big auction house catalogues show examples.)Obviously not the sort of glass most of us will ever dig out of the ground![]

To echo Flasherr and the Doc,$2 a bottle sounds like a fair deal.Keep buying whatever you can afford if it makes you happy!

KAT

 

[scduckett]

I LOVE THIS FORUM[] Thanks so much for everybody's help. And yes I am very happy with my purchase. I have all the bottles lined up on the window sill with two very lovely sea green bottles (one a Rumsfield chemical and the other is a McCrudden & Campbell). And Dr. J, you are so right about the plastic!! It won't look nearly as pretty sitting in someone's window!![]