Do you have an interesting flea market story?

Vanity | 12-25-05 | Jo Nuvark

[Jo Nuvark]

Do you have an interesting story about a Flea Market, Auction, Swap Meet or Garage Sale? Do you know anyone who met their spouse this way or found a lost treasure? Do you have a tale about odd people you've met while scavenging? If so, please share them here.

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[Young Werther]

I have a book on glass collectibles which includes bottles, telephone insulators, (have a few of those) and other glass products.

You can look on EBay and Amazon under collectibles as well. The book will allow you to understand the history and identify what you have. For example before 1902 the formula of glass was such that when exposed to sunlight the glass would change to a light purple or rose color. This is one way of dating the glass. I was a a farm auction in North Dakota where the item of interest was a Model T. It's headlights glass had been exposed and they were a truly stunning pink!

I have a whittle model bottle with an applied top. You need to learn these terms and you collecting will become more fun!

[Jo Nuvark]

Try www.kovels.com. They have volumes on collectibles and antiques with their auction appraisals and values.

I also have a few Avon collectible (argueable) liqueur
bottles from the 70's, but someone (my Dad) broke the
seals. They are very attractive artistically, but I
don't know how glutted the market is.

Now to put a back story to your bottles. Why would
they not have been consumed and for what occasion were
they intended?

[Jo Nuvark]

[...six legged painted table...]

Yes, it's amazing what you can find under paint. Do you know what kind of wood it is? Is there a craftsman mark under the top or on one of the legs? In other words is it an important piece?

I ask because I have a walnut table that my Father made. He put a message under the table top with his signature. This makes it more valuable not only to me, but to collectors. I will never let this table go. It is beautiful. My Father is 90 now and still an incredible craftsman.

[Jo Nuvark]

[...TOP SECRET, ARMY INTEL 9906753 DO NOT OPEN!...]

Open it. Mel Gibson ("Somewhere In Time") could be in
there, or the Arc of the Covenant. You might even find
Jimmy Hoffa, or those top secret papers Sandy Berglar
stole from the archives. The possibilities are endless.

[ErnBatavia]

Why would they not have been consumed and for what occasion were they intended?

I really don't recall....it was a widow in a very old and large Los Angeles home, and they had a basement chock full of various stuff; I only bought the bottles because they looked extremely old.

I'll check the site - thanks!

[ErnBatavia]

For example before 1902 the formula of glass was such that when exposed to sunlight the glass would change to a light purple or rose color.

Thanks! I have what would appear to be a pint liquor bottle that's gotten quite purple; found it in a barn in Illinois years ago. I actually set it outside for two years and it indeed richened up the color a bit...now it's safely tucked in wifey's china cabinet.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Manganese in trace amounts causes that. My Mom is a heavy duty glass collector. I have an inkwell on my desk that belonged to my Great Grandfather that is a nice purple.

[ErnBatavia]

Here's one of the bottles of Mumm's.

[Jo Nuvark]

What is that number on the upper right of the label?
Is there a year on the bottle?

[Young Werther]

The cork seems to be made of cork. this bottle should be laid on its side to keep the cork wet. Wines can remain potable for centuries. I remember that a bottle Rothschilds wine from 1805, (est) sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

I'm sure there must be a wine catalog which would have the prices for wines of particular vintages.

[ErnBatavia]

5014, on both bottles...looks like they were stamped post-label printing. There's no date.

Here's an unopened bottle of some Chilean stuff, bought at the same time - you can see 1937 on this one...I have two of these, also.

(I'll bet the contents of all this stuff would be really, really funky!)

[ErnBatavia]

Thanks...I should start doing some bigtime Googleization!

Regarding the corks - these have stood upright for decades, so I'm sure the corks would be dried and worthless; I'd be afraid to alter the way i store 'em at this stage

(I've posted another pic of another bottle, BTW - I'd swear that the cork covering on this one is made of thick lead!)

[Lucretia Borgia]

Jo,
There were no makers mark on the underside, it appears to be maple and the legs are carved. It is very beautiful. As this is the Christmas season, my creche is on it.