New to Collecting

[hgtvwannabe]

I am curious to find out about this ginger bottle. Is it really from 1896? Any tips on whether I should try to clean it? (My mother gave this to me, from one of her antique store purchases.)

 

[embe]

Is that a paper label?

Overall I don't know how much would be gained if cleaned, doesn't look too bad as is.

 

[UnderMiner]

Looks good! Don't know much about British ginger beers but they were definitely still in production in 1896 and this style of bottle certainly fits that time period. What I've noticed over the years is the British did not modernize their bottle making processes as quickly as American bottlers. So it's common to find British bottles as late as the early 20th century still resembling mid-19th century design patterns. It would be rare to find an American ginger beer bottle from 1896 still being made of stoneware for example.

 

[Len]

Everyone should have a Mom like yours. ..The 1896 may be their first production year or the year they earned those two medallions (could be both.) The intact and clean paper label increases it's value. Most paper label ginger beers are often found in poor condition. Some details of the company should be easy to research. The monetary value may not last long at a casino but Mom gave you something to remember her by and maybe to pass down to your kids.

 

[CanadianBottles]

That's quite an unusual looking one, I don't remember seeing a UK ginger beer in that shape before. Based on pictures of their other bottles (looks like they were quite a prolific firm, they have lots of variations) I think the 1896 is probably the year the medals were awarded but I also don't think it dates from that long after. In (presumably) 1910 they put out bottles advertising their 50th anniversary so it probably dates from before then. These transferware stoneware bottles (for the others reading, that's not a paper label, just an unusual two-tone design) won't be damaged by soap and water so you can wash off any dirt that way, but I wouldn't try anything harsher than that. As long as you don't do anything particularly silly to them these old stoneware bottles are pretty durable.

 

[hgtvwannabe]

Wow, thank you for all your input. Yes, I have the best Mom ever!
This seems to be all stoneware, no paper.