help with a few bottles

[GuntherHess]

All sorts of people post on open forums. You just have to try to sort out who is who, pay attention to the people you respect and ingnore the ones you dont. And dont take any of it personal. It's worth the trouble in the long run if you are really into bottles.

 

[adshepard]

Here is a link to some info on the Siegert & Hijos bottle:

http://www.angostura.com/06_cohistory.htm

The bottle would date from no earlier than 1872 due to the following info:

By the time Dr. Siegert died in 1870, his reputation and that of his Angostura® aromatic bitters were internationally established.
Dr. J.G.B. Siegert & Hijo, a partnership with his son, Carlos, was established in 1867 by Dr. Siegert. Two years after the death of Dr. Siegert, the name was changed to Dr. J.G.B. Siegert & Hijos, to include younger brother, Alfredo Siegert.

I found one of these bottles off Eastport, Maine this summer. Not worth much.

Alan

 

[California Dream N]

thagreatone...Welcome to the forum. I Think some of us need to get off our high horses and "Welcome" the new members instead of trying to come across bitchy and Superior...You obviously paid what you considered a fair price for these bottles. And I agree. They are nice...so don't worry about the opinion of peeps who obviously got up on the wrong side of the bed or just have a Big chip on their shoulder. I say Congrats on the bottle purchase and once again WELCOME... (Climbing down from my soapbox!!!) [] Norene

 

[Trying not to break it]

hi thagreatone, welcome to the forum. we all start somewhere. i buy what i like and some times will pay a little more then it's worth because i like it. i posted a bottle in this section that maybe worth $10, but it has great big bubles in it that don't show in the pic., as the bottle is so dark. it's nice to get a good buy sometimes. check e bay to see if any of your beer bottles are listed. that's a guide. good luck collecting, rhona

 

[Lordbud]

I believe a good rule of thumb for someone newer to the hobby, is "don't buy unembossed and/or screw-top
bottles." There are exceptions to any rule obviously, but generally speaking embossed bottles are what
the majority of collectors are going to be interested in. We likely all went through a 1940s creekbank dump
phase where we brought home all kinds of unembossed newer bottles, like I did. But once you find your
first handblown embossed bottle you'll be hooked, and likely rethink what you keep and what you leave behind
in the tailings.

As far as buying bottles at a yard sale, flea market or antique store, I think experience has to come with time,
how much disposable income you have, and what you learn by posting your finds here on the Antique Bottles
Forum.

When I started collecting bottles -- and for many many years afterwards -- there was no Forum, no internet, nothing except bottle shows, meeting other collectors and learning on your own by digging and buying. Flea markets and yard sales used to have bottles and all kinds of cool paper ephemera, souvenirs, et cetera. That was all pre-ebay; it has been around ten years since I found anything of note at a yard sale or flea market.

 

[LC]

Or you could be broke in the hard way. I had been collecting for a month or so. As Paul stated, I too had a slew of plain corkers, and other misc. bottles. A friend of mine came out one day to see what I had been coming up with. He looked them over, and I asked him what he thought about them with My confidence swelling up inside, just knowing he was going to say good job. But instead after asking him what he thought of the bottles I had, his reply was,,,, MY ADVICE WOULD BE TO TAKE THEM BACK TO THE DUMP YOU GOT THEM OUT OF AND DUMP THEM BACK IN IT !! Live and Learn, live and learn
But truthfully, I have found some bottles that are not worth a blasted dime, but I liked them and I kept them regardless of what anyone else said or thought. That is what collecting is all about. Now if you are interested in bottles as for value, then indeed you better ask questions, do completed searches on Fleabay, as well as going to the library in your area, and ask for bottle books to check out. If they do not have them, they will get them in for you.
I remember when I started out, I knew nothing about pricing. Didn't even know about bottle books or any other price guides. If I saw a bottle I wanted, if I truely liked it, I bought it having no idea at all what it was worth.. I still have some of thoise boat anchors that I gave double the amount of what they were worth. Of course, you do not want to do that very often if you can help it. Good luck with your new found hobby, it is a great one. Find you a good old dump and dig like crazy. You just never know what you may come out with. I found a pistol once digging an old river dump. Of course the pistol was a ball of rust. Like I said, you just never know !

 

[Ryan]

ORIGINAL: thagreatone76
I bought these over the weekend at a flea market for 5.00 each. Can anyone tell me exactly what I have and if they are worth what I paid? Thanks.

Those are cool bottles that have some good age on them. If it was me I probably would not have bought the two amber ones, but that's because I already have some like that and they are not as visually appealing to me. The stoppered bottles are very cool looking and I think $5 is a real deal, definitely priced right. Shipping alone would have cost you that on the internet.

Don't ever be afraid of buying something that you don't know what it is! That's the fun part, doing the research and learning from experience. As long as you don't spend over your limit it's the quickest way to learn...