TURN TRASH INTO TREASURE

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WHAT'S IT WORTH?
Of course, the one influence that will finally determine the value of any of your unearthed treasures is the timeless law of supply and demand. There are—for instance—far too many unmarked beer, whiskey, and patent-medicine bottles for many of them to be worth more than a few dollars . . . if anything. (After all, during the nineteenth century there were some 85,000 "patent" cures on the market!)

Furthermore, when you begin trying to sell your colorful artifacts, you'll soon discover that tastes vary widely. Many people will gladly pay 50¢ to $2.00 for a little colored jug that's all but valueless to collectors. As a matter of fact, bushels of semi-worthless glass are sold, at garage sales, to people who just want something unusual to put a bunch of dried flowers in.

Generally speaking, old bottles rank in popularity and value as follows: [1] historical and commemorative flasks, circa 1810 to 1870 ... [2] bitters bottles from 1850 to 1906 . . . and then [3] whiskey, soda, poison, medicine, and condiment containers.

The highest-priced historical items (often whiskey bottles) are those embossed with designs that celebrate important events, famous people, patriotic fervor, and so forth. Such bottles are among the most expensive pieces of American glass, usually selling for $10 to $800, but in rare instances bringing even more. It's not unknown for an individual to pull a $22,000 bottle out from under an abandoned privy!

Bitters bottles now run a very close second, and may soon surpass the historical flasks in popularity. The most common and inexpensive of these are the containers that were used by the Atwood, Hostetter, and Lash firms: They sell for about $5.00. However, just the word "bitters" embossed on a vessel is enough to bring some money. (It's also a general rule that any container exhibiting marks from the glass blower's pipe is worth at least $5.00, regardless of other details.)

Since prices tend to fluctuate, it's impossible to lay down any absolute values here. You can get some idea of the market from bottle-pricing guides (although the books may not be entirely accurate or up to date by the time you read them). One very comprehensive example, among several on the market, is John T. Yount's Bottle Collector's Handbook and Pricing Guide (Educator Books, 1970 ... $3.95 in paperback).

Potential buyers will often advertise their wants in the bottle magazines and papers that have surfaced in recent years ... including The American Collector (Dept. TMEN, Drawer C, Kermit, Texas 79745 . . . $20 per year), The Antique Trader Weekly (Dept. TMEN, P.O. Box 1050, Dubuque, Iowa 52001 ... $19 per year), and Old Bottle Magazine (Dept. TMEN, Box 243, Bend, Oregon 97701 ... $10 per year). You can use the periodicals' classified ad departments to announce your finds, too. (Sample issues of these magazines cost $1.00 each to the general public, but only 50¢ to anyone who mentions THE MOTHER EARTH NEWS® in his or her request.)

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