Collecting vintage bottles is an enjoyable past time for a number of different people. The way these people actually became vintage glass bottle collectors is as unique as the bottles they seek. Some got started by accidentally discovering a bottle while talking a walk through the woods. Others may have found their first bottle while cleaning out their attic or basement. Wherever or however that first vintage bottle was discovered, a strong desire to find more similar treasures is often born.

Once one of these antique bottles is found, a passion to collect more of them is oftentimes developed. This activity appeals to an innate desire to seek out hidden treasures that others might overlook or not pay attention to. After all, these bottles are a small piece of history, many of which were only produced for a small period of time with certain shapes including famous people and animals being exceedingly rare and desired by collectors. A number of products that used to be contained in glass bottles are no longer sold in such a way, such as milk, medicine, and even soda.

For those people with a nostalgic streak, collecting vintage glass bottles has a very strong appeal. Anyone who remembers daily deliveries of milk bottles by their local milkman will get a kick out of discovering some vintage milk bottles at a garage sale. Collecting these small pieces of history is a way to retain memories of places in time that no longer exist in today's modern society. The nostalgic factor of collecting antique bottles is one reason people get so into collecting them.

In terms of collecting these vintage bottles, how are collectors able to determine which bottles have value and which ones do not? There are five major factors that can be evaluated to ultimately determine the value and demand of a particular vintage glass bottle, including age, category, condition, color, and design.

Age
Generally speaking, the older a vintage bottle is, the more valuable and collectible it is. Of course, there are plenty of exceptions to this rule, but this is usually the case. If a bottle is hand blown with an uneven shape, it was likely made prior to 1860. You can also determine age of a bottle by looking at the bottle's base. Bottles which were produced prior to the mid 1800's typically feature a small mark on the base where the rod used to hold the bottle as the lip was being shaped, is broken off.

Category
The category of a particular bottle, whether it be a whiskey bottle, milk bottle, medicine bottle, or something else, plays a major factor in determining the bottle's value. Certain types of vintage bottles tend to be more desirable and collectible than others. Some of the most popular and valuable bottles include vintage milk bottles, whiskey bottles, soda bottles, and ink bottles. Vintage bitters bottles are highly collectible and can fetch upwards of five hundred dollars at estate sales and various auction sites.

Condition
The better condition that a vintage glass bottle is in, the more valuable and collectible it will be. Any chips or cracks in the glass will lower the desirability and value of the vintage bottle. If there is a paper label affixed to the bottle, it should ideally be in good condition and legible for maximum value.

Color
Typically, the most coveted bottle colors include yellow, green, blue, and purple. Black glass is also highly collectible as it is generally considered to be the earliest type of American glass produced. Its dark color helped to ensure that the bottle's contents would not spoil from exposure to light. A black glass bottle also refers to any bottles with a dark brown amber or dark green amber color.

Design
If a bottle's design or embossing identifies important attributes such as the manufacturer, production date, or production location, it will be of more value. Any identifiers that might tell the bottle's story will be more valuable to collectors than those vintage bottles that do not contain any information.

Paying attention to these five factors will help to give you a rough idea of what a given bottle's value might be. Of course, consulting with an expert on the subject or a qualified appraiser will give you more accurate estimations. There are also a number of resources online that will help you to evaluate the value of a particular vintage glass bottle.

Another great way to determine the approximate value of vintage bottles is to look at auction sites like eBay. Taking a look at completed auctions will give you a rough idea of the value of a particular type of bottle. Of course, every bottle is unique, but it does help to have a general feel for the value of a particular vintage bottle type.

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One of the more interesting types of vintage bottles collectors love are antique poison bottles. These collectible bottles typically date somewhere between the 1860s and the 1930s. Because the literacy rate was so low during that time period, many people accidentally consumed poison and fell ill or died. As a result, the US government passed legislation to require better labeling on bottles containing poison.

As a result of these new laws, manufacturers gave their poison bottles dramatic and unique looks to differentiate them from other bottled products. Bottle textures were made to be different with diamonds, dots, raised ridges, and/or ribbing embossed into the glass. Embossed lettering on the glass poison bottles warned, "DEATH", "NOT TO BE TAKEN INTERNALLY", or "POISON".

Unique colors were also used to differentiate these old poison bottles from their harmless counterparts. Commonly used colors on these vintage poison bottles included honey amber, emerald, black, blue, and several varying shades of green.

Several collectible poison bottles dating back to the mid-late 1800s feature a skull and crossbones on their labels. In the later part of the century, manufacturers starting embossing the skull and crossbones into the bottle's glass. In 1894, Carlton Lewe created probably the most infamous poison bottle which was shaped in the form of a skull. These antique poison bottles are highly desirable to collectors, but are often damaged particularly on the nose area which typically has the thinnest glass.

Early on, manufacturers didn't design a unique bottle for each product. Instead, they simply designed a different label to the bottle to identify the contained poison. Old poison bottles with original labels that are in excellent condition are the most desirable.

Here is a small selection of vintage poison bottles available for sale now: