Posted 11 years ago
Uxbridgeite
(10 items)
My Dad bought this bottle in the late 70s. I recall someone offering him $1,500 in the early 80s but he would not sell. I can't find any markings or signatures on the bottle. The bottle is hand blown and could be from the 1800s. It could be just a piece of folk art. Overall the bottle is 12" high and about 8" in diameter at the largest point. I like the birds that appear to be Orioles or some type of Finch. I just love the piece. Opinions or comments are welcome.
I think that may be very early glass bottle & maybe even pre 1800's.
When I bought that 300+ yr old great house in St. Eustatius(NA), there was a wine cellar in the stone cellar with a lot of old wines in a rack. During a party, we brought them up & decided to see if any were still good.(some were). We got trashed, as was our habit back then & I saved the bottles and washed them as they were really old. Tourists would ask to look at the house & I have no problem with that & several days after that party, a tourist was looking around & spotted the old bottles on the kitchen counter & picked up one and proclaimed, "this is a rare '(blah, blah)' bottle and worth about 800-$1,000. No telling what it would be worth if it were full!" I could bring myself to tell him it had been full several days earlier & gave him the bottle! The poor guy kept saying he couldn't possibly accept such a rare bottle but I forced it on him as I was in the business & money meant nothing then. He was obviously a serious collector & it went into good hands. I'm sure he is still showing that bottle & telling the story behind it.
Sorry to take up so much room here but it was a funny story. I just didn't want that bottle sitting on a shelf as a reminder of what we had done! Can't even remember if it was good wine!!
blunderbuss2, I love the story. If I found drinkable stuff in my younger days then it would have gone the same way as your story. Everyone does something they later regret. I think about all the things I sold, didn't care about, or passed up on as a kid. Wish I could go back and pay a little more attention this time around. Live and learn!
Glad you enjoyed it as it's a true story. I am kind-of hoping that that surprised guy follows bottles on CW so we could share some laughs. That was in the early 80's. The Queen of The Netherlands bought the house & donated it to the island for a museum. My name is on the list of owners on the brochure.
Love your bottle & we found similar ones on "Statia". Oh, the stories I can tell about my 8 1/2 yrs living on that speck of an island! 3 cars going down the same road in the same direction in 1 day was considered a parade! No crime, no drugs & no reason to lock doors or even take the keys out of the ignition in your car.
This is an early New England globular bottle, 1780-1820s. Decoration could have been any time, but it certainly looks 19th century. I collect, and would be interested! earlyglass@gmail.com Thanks, Mike