What are these

[kumtow]

Hi again Tomgor,
Just noted you appraisal is in pounds and not dollars. Now I feel like a right twit. [&:]Whew, that reads a little better now. Value of the sealed Eng cylinder depends a lot on what is written on the seal and provenence of the bottle. Some seals are quite common and your bottle looks very late 1700 early 1800s. I would be surprised if you didn't get a lot more for the continental seal. Continental seals are as rare as hens teeth. I also think you mallet in the front is under valued. If it has no chips or cracks and the string rim is complete it should be worth a lot more. I'll give you 70 pounds for it right now. In fact, if I had a better cash flow I'd give you what the total appraisal is for the lot.
Did you look at Mark Nightingales site "earlyglass.com"

 

[Tomgor]

Dear Alan

Thanks for your positive posts. Mark Nightingale gave me those estimates and he did say that the continental seal was a difficult one to value. I'm going to give him some moire information and he will make an offer for the collection.

PS While I'm going into this in greater detail I'm starting to get rather fond of the bottles and why my grandfather loved them. Actually he had about as many again and my cousin had the others. He also had a lot of very large earthenware bottles with brewers names either embossed or printed. He was collecting these things in the 60's and I don't think there was any value to them at the time but he had them very prominently displayed among furniture and other things of much greater value. He really loved them.

Thanks again.

Tom

 

[kumtow]

Tom,
Mate, these bottles are mostly pre 1800 and difficult to get. Some are certainly not as valuable as others but all are sort after by collectors. Most tips that collectors dig in the UK are post 1870 so your bottles don't become available very often. Mark seems to be a nice bloke and he has a wealth of knowledge about this type of glass. You must bear in mind that he is a dealer and needs to get these bottles at the best price for him to be able to resell them later on (sorry Mark if you are reading this, but Tom should be aware). I personally think eBay will get you more.
I am slowly building a collection of these bottles and they do grow on you. Your grandfather obviously loved them and cared for them. If you sell them you'll never get them back again as these older bottles are truely one ofs. A collector once told me that collectors like us pay good money, not to own bottles as possessions, but for the privilage of looking after them for the next generation. This is what your grandfather did. Think about keeping them and adding to the group and joining the rest of us on this forum of nutcases addicted to fondling old bottles.

 

[S.C. Warner]

Think about keeping them and adding to the group and joining the rest of us on this forum of nutcases addicted to fondling old bottles.

Amen!

sc.

 

[bigkitty53]

Hi Tom,
To echo Lobeycat,a VERY handsome collection indeed! Are you sure wish to sell this lot?Sentimental reasons aside,there are some excellant bottles in that collection,(and they are not anything you will likely ever replicate again! ) the sort of bottles that will appreciate in value as long as you hang on to them.

O.K.,Sometimes I repeat myself...[][] If you don't need the money Tomgor,HANG ON TO THEM!!!You are not likely build a like collection again yourself (Unless you $$$$$) and as Kumtow observes,we are caretakers for another generation-Do you have young family members?Any possibility they may develop a love of old glass??Any possibility YOU might develop a love of old glass?[][]

KAT

 

[Tomgor]

Dear Kat

I appreciate your thoughts. At the moment aside from the release of 'Scooby Doo and the Black Glass Bottle Mystery' or the MTV Guide to Early English Sealed Onions, it is highly unlikely that my children are going to develop an interest! But I have decided that unless I can get good prices then I'll stick with them. In terms of decorative value they are quite hard to beat. I've also got some old corkscrews with brushes that came with them and they look good together.

 

[kumtow]

[][][] Mate, fondle them, check out the potstones and the bubbles, admire the pontilled bases, gaze lovingly at the crude lips and the lopsidedness. Think about the sweat blood and tears of the people who made them (some nearly 300 years ago). The 7 or 8 year old helped the blower make his bottle in the intense heat of the glass house. Do all these things and you will be sucked in to the hobby just like the rest of us wierdos and nutters.[][][]

 

[Tomgor]

Dear All

Thanks for all your advice, help and enthusiasm. I have decided to keep all the bottles except for one that I've put on ebay. It is different to the others and so doesn't sit so well with the others as it's paler glass. The link as some of you have requested is http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6151132657
Please let me know if I've described it properly. I've not set any reserve as I assume the market will take care of that.

Thanks again.

Tom

 

[Tomgor]

Thanks for your advice everyone. I suppose that ebay was the right medium to sell the bottle. I had so many questions and general interest in the auction. Am now going to polish up the ones I'm keeping!

 

[kumtow]

Well done Tom.