Beware of color modified bottles on ebay

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2find4me

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I have contacted many sellers like these, who try to sell their irradiated or fake bottles. Most of them never respond back.
 

epgorge

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I just wrote him and called him on it... I was none too friendly about it. If/when he/she responds I will let you know. This is something we need to be vigilant on and maybe even put up a wall of shame for these dealers.Joel
 

sandchip

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Any way to notify the buyer? He or she is the one that needs to file charges against the POS that did it. I feel like that's the only way to put a dent in this epidemic of fraud. Hell, I almost bid on that bottle myself!
 

cowseatmaize

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I didn't know old aqua turned almost clear. That adds a whole new dimension to it all. I know the later stuff got zapped and went an odd pucey color.It pays to be broke I guess.[8|]
 

saratogadriver

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cowseatmaize said:
I didn't know old aqua turned almost clear. That adds a whole new dimension to it all. I know the later stuff got zapped and went an odd pucey color.It pays to be broke I guess.[8|]
Yup, that was a shocker to me too, that old pontiled stuff can be altered. There was a "straw" colored pontiled umbrella that went for big $ not long ago that was an altered aqua or clear bottle before the zap. It makes buying color a potentially risky proposition right now. Jim G
 

cowseatmaize

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If they had just nuked the aqua's back then to make them clear, we wouldn't have all the purple and straw colors to worry about now.What was wrong with those people?!!! [:D]
 

GuntherHess

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There are very few people who have the skill and equipment to fake colors as well as this seller did.I don't want people to get the idea that is a rampant problem. It isn't , at least for the time being.But people do need to be aware of it and knowing who the sellers are gives you some level of protection. As far as the AQUA to CLEAR question..Virtually no old glass was clear to begin with. It either had lead or manganese added to make it clear.If too much manganese is added the bottle turns purple.High energy radiation (UVB to gamma rays) enhances the effect of the manganese.Cullet (broken up recycled bottles) was used as a flux to melt glass in the 19th century.So... aqua bottles often contained some manganese from cullet. Not enough to bleach them clear when they were blown, but, if irradiated properly the trace manganese could be activated to bleach the bottle. Thus you can sometimes make early aqua bottles into more rare CLEAR bottles. Note that while most early pontil medicines were made clear with lead (flint glass), there were some that were produced in clear using manganese.
 

GuntherHess

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Most of the crude bottle irradiating people seem to be centered around Jacksonville FL these days. I think because there are gamma ray food/hospital waste sterilization plants there.If you do a search of bottles around that area you will notice a large percentage are irradiated ... http://www.ebay.com/sch/Antique-Pre1900-/889/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=&_udlo=&_udhi=&_ftrt=901&_ftrv=1&_sabdlo=&_sabdhi=&_samilow=&_samihi=&_fspt=1&_sadis=100&_fpos=&_fsct=4535&LH_SALE_CURRENCY=0&_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_sop=10
 

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