Comments on: Has the Glass Bubble Burst?

By: Bram Hepburn

Bram Hepburn — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 00:56:34 +0000

Hi Deborah-
Your bottle is indeed old, and it is a classic old medicine, hawked by snake oil salesmen and 19th Century general store clerks throughout the northeast US. It was a prolific and successful business, so the bottles aren’t rare, dating to about 1880, and valued at about $20.00
You’ll notice your bottle has an embossed kidney on it. Dr. Kilmer also made a heart remedy, with an embossed heart, and a lung remedy with an embossed set of lungs. Both of those bottles are worth much much more.
Hope this helps!
Bram

By: Deborah Drake

Deborah Drake — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 23:18:14 +0000

I have a greenish / blue colored bottle that looks like it could have had a cork stopper. The bottle has some bubbles at the neck, The Great Dr. Kilmer’s Swamp Root Kidney Liver and Bladder Cure Specific appears in raised letters on the bottle’s front, on one side in raised letters is Binghamton, N.Y. on the others side is Dr. Kilmer & Co. The bottom of the bottle has the number 32 in raised numbers. Is this worth anything other than to me as a curiosity? Thank You, Deborah Drake

By: Jeff Wichmann

Jeff Wichmann — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 23:19:01 +0000

Nice article Bill, I didn’t know there was a Historic Glass Site you can get information from. I’ll have to check it out. I do about a dozen appraisals a day and take a number of calls at no charge. Not to pour water on your parade, I think what you are doing is great. I just joined Worthpoint and find it a wonderful tool in valuing pieces outside of bottles. What’s a Buck Rogers ring worth? Go to Worthpoint. How about a Beatles Hard Days Night poster? Worthpoint. All this new technology is beautiful, a little overwhelming at times but very helpful and I think it also helps bring people together. I hope things are good up North for you Bill, haven’t seen you in a while, I might have to go to the next show in Oregon. Best Regards.

By: Glass Bottles

Glass Bottles — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:06:21 +0000

Those are some great pictures you have posted. You say that the color and shape have a lot to do with the resale value, are there any specific colors and/or shapes that will receive a better resale value that others? Is amber better than cobalt, etc.?

By: Johanna Johnson

Johanna Johnson — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:12:50 +0000

Great article! My parents were bottle collectors when I was growing up in the 1960s. Every chance we got we went to deserted old farm houses and dug many dumpsites. It was always fun to add the new finds to the collection which numbered in the tens of thousands before they quit collecting.

By: fay

fay — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 14:39:28 +0000

I have bootlegging bottles. What are they worth?

By: g bruno

g bruno — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 23:58:04 +0000

Does anyone know where one can find information about painting or prints on vellum,circa 1800′s,these would be transparent images allowing a light source to pass through. Thanks for any info.