Clueless Michiganders with a LOT of Bottles.

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crocke28

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It's just bottles, bottles everywhere, until I got him to move some of the boxes into a safe, unused, cat-free room. They all seem to be in decent condition, though - At least a lot of the ones I've managed to unwrap and take a gander at.

I'm now totally at sea.

Not going to lie, I'm a numismatist through and through.

The bf has an obnoxiously large collection gifted to him, that we'd like to understand as far as value, etc. and hopefully get them moved outta here!

Most bottles were probably found doing bottle digging (I didn't even know it was a thing; give me a metal detector any day of the week, though) & also probably Western Michigan as that's where he's from and this is a thing his dad and grandfather did.

Apparently his dad didn't want the boxes and boxes (AND BOXES) of these things, so now they've got their own bedroom. Which of course, needs clearin' out.

So I know some of these must be worth more than .10 (MI deposit value), probably not as much as my 1972 1c DDO#4, but it's a large collection I've barely looked. at. For some reason he felt he had to tell this antique junkie to not try returning them....I'm not too bad at trash v. treasure!

I am learning self-learning a few things, but always found my Lincoln Coin Forum fellows a big help when I got into it. So I'm asking for a little help and perhaps trusted collectors interested in some or part of the lot of them.

I get a few things here and there about color, the funky holes on the bottom (or lack thereof), general interest, condition...but then again, I'm not the expert so I'm hoping this ridiculous collection I'll have some questions about doesn't bother anyone.

It's like an unsearched wheat roll! I'm going to attach some photos from the two boxes (one had larger bottles, the other had smaller apothecary type drug bottles), and these things have been pretty much unseen for years.

Some of them are even admittedly pretty gosh darn cool and I wish I could have some Electric Bitters.

Probably going to be lazy and use this as an introductory post (hey, I did that!).

Also, who knows, future bottle digs may commence as we live on over an acre of 1800's farmhouse fun.

Most of these are yes, from Michigan. At least what I looked at. Muskegon in particular. Some are of course from other places, and kind of nifty.

We just need help with all these bottles....I apologize for the lack of setup with some attached photos I figured I'd include to show some of
what I found in those two boxes.
Thanks everyone! And for the record, I'm Sarah!

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Dogo

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Sarah, your bottles are definitely worth more than a dime. You need to find a collector/dealer who will give you an honest appraisal. Maybe the person who gifted them could suggest someone. If that is not practical someone from this forum will be in touch I am sure. I would put what you have shown in the $5.-15 price range, but sometimes local collectors recognize a rare version of a common bottle. Have patience, and GOOD LUCK.
 

crocke28

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Sarah, your bottles are definitely worth more than a dime. You need to find a collector/dealer who will give you an honest appraisal. Maybe the person who gifted them could suggest someone. If that is not practical someone from this forum will be in touch I am sure. I would put what you have shown in the $5.-15 price range, but sometimes local collectors recognize a rare version of a common bottle. Have patience, and GOOD LUCK.
Thanks! I did feel that locals/Midwesterners might have more interest as many collectibles are like that.

I don't know if my boyfriend's dad has a clue of their value, and they're not just in the bottle room, they're in the basement, closets....you name it.

When you say $5-$15, do you figure the small handful I posted altogether? Curious, as we really do want to get them out of the way (he may want one or two for sentimental reasons), and I've been pretty curious about them overall.

If there's anyone in Michigan reading this....we're your bottle people! (& coin/comics, etc. people)
 

UncleBruce

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We just need help with all these bottles....I apologize for the lack of setup with some attached photos I figured I'd include to show some of
what I found in those two boxes.
Thanks everyone! And for the record, I'm Sarah!
Sarah those are some very good bottles. No slouches out of the ones you've shared. The most common one is the ELECTRIC BITTERS. They go up from there. Better think twice about parting with them as it looks like a lot of time was spent assembling these. Definitely don't get in a hurry to get rid of them. If you don't want to keep them don't let someone go through a pick out the Cherries leaving the marginal ones. Sell them as an entire lot. My advice is to keep them for awhile until you learn more about them.
 

crocke28

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Sarah those are some very good bottles. No slouches out of the ones you've shared. The most common one is the ELECTRIC BITTERS. They go up from there. Better think twice about parting with them as it looks like a lot of time was spent assembling these. Definitely don't get in a hurry to get rid of them. If you don't want to keep them don't let someone go through a pick out the Cherries leaving the marginal ones. Sell them as an entire lot. My advice is to keep them for awhile until you learn more about them.
Thanks, Bruce. Since there are so many of them, I had figured the best route would be selling as a lot with my boyfriend keeping anything sentimental (his family collected them).

It would take too much time to even sell them to a cherry picker, and considering we don’t have resources for a legitimate estimate at the moment, we wouldn’t have a clue as to a fair value. So naturally I wound up here.

I can tell you about coins, but not about bottles - no one’s picking’ through my pennies! I’m not even sure what slouching means, so I’m trying to find as much information and resources as possible.

Do have any rudimentary suggestions as to what we should be particularly mindful of? They are all in boxes out of the sun and away from the cats, but some general idea(s) are appreciated. (For example, one box had about a dozen+ small bottles; another had the larger examples including the ones not intended for sale).

I’ll probably post a few more when I delve into the bottle room and request anything in the basement be moved as well. Until moving in, I had no idea bottle digging was even a thing people do - maybe I should warn my mother about her antique medicine bottles (she’s a scientist)…. I believe some of them have product, but of course the cocaine was mysteriously not there when purchased.
 

pipebomb

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looks like some good bottles there.
your best bet would be to organize and catagorized
by city/location (muskegon for example) and general type (beer, soda, medicine, etc)
and like others said, try to sell in them a lot - but try and figure out what you have.
you could get them organized and figured out and have a sale- advertise on craigslist, local papers, etc you will surely draw a crowd if done right.

interested to see what others you have :)

my .02
Greg
 

hemihampton

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I live in Michigan & may be Interested in Buying the whole lot. Without seeing what you have only Guessing I could offer anywhere from a few Hundred to a few Thousand if you had some good rare Bottles. I live in Detroit though. Could be a long Drive but may be worth it. PM me a Private Message. THANKS, LEON.
 
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Old man digger

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Those bottles with the funky holes in the bottom, are more than likely Pontil scares. You should post some pictures of those in particular as they will stir some interest. Most collectors will want a specific type, color, region, or remarks on the bottle. CONDITION is everything and from what you have posted there isn't a problem there. As far as selling them do what some of the guys here have said and research them. There are many sites available online and I would use them as a source for information.
 

hemihampton

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I know the Electric Bitters is very Common, Maybe a $10 Bottle, Same with amber Muskegon Bottling works. As for Chumards Gravitating Stopper Bottle I paid $75 for mine but it was Attic mint perfect Bottle with original Stopper intact, yours looks like a hazy dug Bottle needing a Tumble Cleaning. Meds or Phamacy or Druggist Bottles from Big City's are usually pretty Common, The Smaller more Obscure the City the better on those. Curious to see what else you got. LEON.
 

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