My first complete Iron Pontil, and a dandy to boot!

[bottle_head9]

If I found that, I would be compelled to START collecting jars.[8|]. Keep it if you can afford it.I just sold a bunch of my bottles, and it hurts.Save it for an emergency or something nice.It`s gonna hold it`s value.A piece like that will always be in demand.[]

 

[blade]

That's one sweet looking bottle, Congrats.

 

[sandchip]

Good glass ain't coming down in value until the Rapture. Then, it won't matter.

 

[Plumbata]

Many thanks to all of you who provided your opinions, congratulations, and advice. Unfortunately, the excitement which this find has caused here does not reflect my own.

After a week of letting the impact of the find settle, I arrived at a very comforting realization. I have collected old crap since I was 5, and for the majority of my life I have been fascinated with old things regardless of the value placed upon the items by other people, or the antiques and antiquities market in general. It is the personal value which is most important, not the awe and jealousy reflected in the eyes of outside observers which gives me my satisfaction. I still appreciate my Peoria bottle finds more than anything, and any singular find which was not recorded in the local bottle books means more to me than a known pickle, despite the fact that its monetary value far exceeds any local bottle find I've yet uncovered.

It seems that many collectors have been corrupted by the trends of the market, and collect that which commands a good price because of the prestige and glory associated with such high-value items, and lately I have been concerned with the influences of society upon my collecting interests. This find has laid to rest all such worries. I still retain much of the innocence and pure love and joy of collecting which I held when I was in elementary school, and although I use the language of monetary value to relate the significance of certain finds to other people, my internalized categorization scheme is still mostly untainted, and quite different from what I express to others. To put in better perspective, a worthless cracked and chipped bottle which was not previously known by living people before I dug it means so much more to me than digging a 3,500 dollar pickle. That former kind of true discovery makes me happy, not the uncovering of something which, for whatever reason, is worth a great deal on the open market. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to dig something of such desirability, but I feel that I do not deserve such a find. To me, it is worth less than a 15 dollar unlisted pharmacy, so I will have no problem with letting it go when I am in need of the money. My aforementioned position does not indicate that I don't enjoy turning a profit from my finds and purchases; we all need to support our habits somehow, but it seems that I don't let the market dictate my interests. As ancientdigger wisely stated, I should wait until I have something better to convert it into, but when that time comes I will have no regrets. It may well be the best bottle I've ever found and ever will find according to the standards of established collectors, but to me, personally, it is about a forty places down the list of my favorite bottles.

Perhaps I am insane, but the fact remains that its personal significance is very little. The implications of this fact provides me with a great deal of solace and satisfaction, and I sincerely hope that my position will not be shaken by the trends of the outside world in the future. I honestly wish that all of you will be able to find something far "better" than this pickle at some point during your adventures, if you haven't already, and I also hope that you realize that the value which the outside world places on your find should in no way be internalized as your own perception of personal value. We can't take this old glass with us, so why waste our finite years worrying about what other people think? Do that which you personally love, and don't give a damn about what other people see in it. If collecting 5 dollar ABM deco sodas makes you more happy than anything else, then don't let anyone take your appreciation and love such things away from you by belittling your beloved collections.

This fortuitous find taught me many things about myself and my involvement with the realm of collecting antiques and antiquities, and it is those realizations which hold the true value, not the bottle itself.



Anyway, here are some better pictures of the bottle, which should be far more interesting than my longwinded explanation of personal value:

Also, I went back to the site and dug it out, and the only somewhat significant find was another one of these:

Best regards, y'all.

 

[glass man]

PRICES ARE DOWN ON MANY BOTTLES,BUT FOR A BOTTLE LIKE THAT? I THINK WE WOULD BOTH BE SURPRISED WHAT IT WOULD BRING!! I HAVE SEEN COLORED CATHEDRAL PICKLES AND PEPPER SAUCES STILL GOING FOR GOOD BUCKS! SOME PEOPLE STILL HAVE PLENTY OF MONEY AND THESE PEOPLE WANT THE BEST AND I THINK YOUR COLORED CATHEDRAL PICKLE FITS IN THAT CATAGORY! THOUGH IT HAS SOME HAZE THAT SHOULD BE EASILY REMEDIED,DIGGER RY WOULD KNOW MORE ON THAT. BEAUTIFUL!!! JAMIE

 

[downeastdigger]

Wow, Plumbata, all I can say is AMEN. I wish I wrote that "long winded" explanation myself. I can almost get myself to that place where you are at, but my lust for the high value - big dollar stuff often gets the best of me. I can't help it. But reading your philosophy on it may help me right my ways, as weird as that sounds.
As far as collecting and digging, I find that the best part is the hunt and the dig. The money end of it usually leaves me bummed out, whether I win or lose. It has started making more sense for me to keep valuable and interesting shards from my digs. From a collectors standpoint, I find them just as beautiful and interesting to collect and display, and condition isn't a concern.

Nothing is more annoying than to have to worry about a microscopic flake on a lip of a bottle you have put money into, or get into one of those " is that a crack, or an in-manufacture cooling stress fissure bla bla bla". Takes the fun out of the hobby for me.
Thats why I've backed off from dealing in top of the line stuff. Who needs the stress.
But like I say, I still cave in to my lust from time to time. Maybe nows a good time to stop

But man, what a pickle...

Thanks for writing all that.
Bram

 

[Just Dig it]

if you end up cleaning or selling it ..you should post its whole journey in here...It would be amazing to see it cleaned..even thoyught its bneautiful how it is..also.i agree with others..i think if you do sell it its going through the roof..either way..Break a leg plumby ..bask in the glory of that bad larry..

 

[glass man]

ORIGINAL: Plumbata

Many thanks to all of you who provided your opinions, congratulations, and advice. Unfortunately, the excitement which this find has caused here does not reflect my own.

After a week of letting the impact of the find settle, I arrived at a very comforting realization. I have collected old crap since I was 5, and for the majority of my life I have been fascinated with old things regardless of the value placed upon the items by other people, or the antiques and antiquities market in general. It is the personal value which is most important, not the awe and jealousy reflected in the eyes of outside observers which gives me my satisfaction. I still appreciate my Peoria bottle finds more than anything, and any singular find which was not recorded in the local bottle books means more to me than a known pickle, despite the fact that its monetary value far exceeds any local bottle find I've yet uncovered.

It seems that many collectors have been corrupted by the trends of the market, and collect that which commands a good price because of the prestige and glory associated with such high-value items, and lately I have been concerned with the influences of society upon my collecting interests. This find has laid to rest all such worries. I still retain much of the innocence and pure love and joy of collecting which I held when I was in elementary school, and although I use the language of monetary value to relate the significance of certain finds to other people, my internalized categorization scheme is still mostly untainted, and quite different from what I express to others. To put in better perspective, a worthless cracked and chipped bottle which was not previously known by living people before I dug it means so much more to me than digging a 3,500 dollar pickle. That former kind of true discovery makes me happy, not the uncovering of something which, for whatever reason, is worth a great deal on the open market. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to dig something of such desirability, but I feel that I do not deserve such a find. To me, it is worth less than a 15 dollar unlisted pharmacy, so I will have no problem with letting it go when I am in need of the money. My aforementioned position does not indicate that I don't enjoy turning a profit from my finds and purchases; we all need to support our habits somehow, but it seems that I don't let the market dictate my interests.  As ancientdigger wisely stated, I should wait until I have something better to convert it into, but when that time comes I will have no regrets. It may well be the best bottle I've ever found and ever will find according to the standards of established collectors, but to me, personally, it is about a forty places down the list of my favorite bottles.

Perhaps I am insane, but the fact remains that its personal significance is very little. The implications of this fact provides me with a great deal of solace and satisfaction, and I sincerely hope that my position will not be shaken by the trends of the outside world in the future. I honestly wish that all of you will be able to find something far "better" than this pickle at some point during your adventures, if you haven't already, and I also hope that you realize that the value which the outside world places on your find should in no way be internalized as your own perception of personal value. We can't take this old glass with us, so why waste our finite years worrying about what other people think? Do that which you personally love, and don't give a damn about what other people see in it. If collecting 5 dollar ABM deco sodas makes you more happy than anything else, then don't let anyone take your appreciation and love such things away from you by belittling your beloved collections.

This fortuitous find taught me many things about myself and my involvement with the realm of collecting antiques and antiquities, and it is those realizations which hold the true value, not the bottle itself.



Anyway, here are some better pictures of the bottle, which should be far more interesting than my longwinded explanation of personal value:

Also, I went back to the site and dug it out, and the only somewhat significant find was another one of these:

Best regards, y'all.

COOL! THE THING WITH THE BOTTLE YOU FOUND IS I LOVE IT,NOT CAUSE OF THE MONEY IT IS SURELY WORTH,BUT WOULD LOVE IT IF IT WAS ONLY A 50 CENT BOTTLE,IN FACT WOULD PROBABLY LIKE IT MORE,BECAUSE LIKE YOU I GET FLIPPED OUT ABOUT THE MONEY THING. WHEN SOMETHING IS WORTH A LOT OF MONEY I WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME ENJOYING IT,BECAUSE I WOULD BE IN CONSTANT FEAR IT WILL BREAK ,CRACK ON AND ON!

IN THE LATE 60S IN THIS TOWN I TALKED TO THE PEOPLE THAT FIRST DUG BOTTLES HERE. ONE PERSON LIKE A CATOGORY ,ANOTHER SOMETHING ELSE . WHEN ONE DUG SOMETHING ANOTHER LIKED THEY WOULD TRADE,NOT EVEN CONSIDERING MONEY!! IT DID NOT MATTER TO THEM ONE WAS GETTING A BITTERS WHILE THE OTHER WAS GETTING A CRACKED SS COKE BOTTLE!
IN THE 70S THEY QUIT COLLECTING ,BECAUSE THE MONEY THING RUINED IT FOR THEM! JAMIE

 

[blobbottlebob]

it is about a forty places down the list of my favorite bottles.

Hey Plumbata,
I can relate to the sentiment you so eloquently express. I think the fact that it is not a favorite makes it a lot easier to sell. You may even be able to sell it off to somebody who has something local that you really want - plus a bunch of cash to even things up? Who knows?

I think I could sell that off pretty easily because the cash would be great and it would have little significance in my collection of sodas. (However, I would have trouble thinking of forty bottles that were better.) Good luck with it. It sure was a lucky find. Congrats again!

 

[sandchip]

There are very simple reasons that this bottle is worth what it is, and it has nothing to do with the prestige of owning such a bottle, or being able to show it off. It is simply one hell of a bottle, one of a limited number known, and one that is found very desirable by a large number of collectors who are willing to pay for it. A local bottle, and I have my own, can be priceless, sometimes only to one person, and borderline to totally worthless to anybody else in the country. I've found on a personal basis, that I can look at pictures of bottles and not values, prices or estimates, and the ones that I am drawn to almost always, and to my dismay, are those that bring huge money, that unfortunately I don't have. I simply have a deep love for bottles (colored pontils in my case) like the pickle featured in this thread. Apparently there are many others who feel the same way who have the money. We mustn't forget why people started collecting bottles in the first place, many who may not have had the financial resources thirty years ago that they may have now. They love old bottles, and it has nothing to do with showing off. I've always said that if I had the money, this fellow who has, in my day, dug ditches, swept streets, and cleaned sewage lift station pumps, would suddenly be what the magazines call an "advanced collector." I've never liked that term that is thrown around so frequently, because it makes those with money, sound as if they must be better than the rest of us collectors. I don't believe the majority of wealthy collectors feel that way about themselves, but careless use of this descriptive term can needlessly create a social rift that our hobby doesn't need. I still love that damn pickle, Plums.