c.1919 English? Antique Ship in Bottle Folk Tramp Ar (02/21/2011)...

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c.1919 English? Antique Ship in Bottle Folk Tramp Art

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c.1919 English? Antique Ship in Bottle Folk Tramp Art

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Sold Date: 02/21/2011
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Transportation and Vehicles

The Flavor of a Ship in Bottle .... Through the years, I have owned quite a few ships in bottles made by German prisoners of war during the period 1914-1919. And I have also sold a lot of German POW sibs from that era. Many of the sibs from that era in my private collection have provenance -- dates inside the bottle. The names of the soldiers who made them. After awhile, you can tell where a ship in bottle was made just by looking at it. There are different characteristics that distinguish most sibs made in France, Germany and England. This particular ship in bottle comes with no provenance, but I think I know where and when it was made -- just by the flavor of it. At first I thought it was German, and likely made by a POW. I've changed my mind. I'm pretty sure this ship in bottle is from England, and not made by a POW at all, unless it was someone interred in England. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
What's For Sale? .... Regardless of whether this ship in bottle is from England or Germany, there is no question about it's age. I date this sib to around 1915-1919. It was likely made during World War I. The bottle has all the characteristics of that era. The bottle has no embossing on it ... it has the bubble defects favored by collectors ... the shape is spot-on with other bottles from around 1915 ... the lip of the neck was added after the glass was pulled from its injected mold. Before long, this ship in bottle will be 100 years old!
Details, Details ... This ship in bottle is beautiful. It's what i call "tight." Everything on the model and inside the bottle is tight and perfect. Te rigging is realistic and detailed, yet there are no loose lines, and no loose sea resin shards inside the bottle. A model this old, you wouldn't be surprised to see a loose line or two -- but that's not the case because the model is so well made. The hand carved hull is nicely carved and it's painted in that I call the classic iconic style -- black with white outlined windows. Both fore and aft, the deck of the hull is risen and you perhaps in the photos you can see the tiny raised railing. The diorama is similarly painted with nice detailing. There are eight or nine hand carved 3-D buildings, all painted differently. Included in the buildings are a nice lighthouse, a church, a row of houses, and a windmill. There is only one defect with this sib -- one of the rotors has fallen off the windmill. The rotor is hidden behind the rest of the diorama and in my humble opinion doesn't detract at all from all the nice details. The eye focuses on the good stuff, such that you don't even notice that the windmill has only one rotor. The sea resin is nicely done, and in the horizon is a nicely hand painted sky that gives off a nice glow to everything inside the bottle.
Don't hesitate to ask questions regarding this item :

Note: I'm cleaning out the sib closet . Check out my other items -- I'll be posting other ships in bottle in the very near future.

Interested in learning more about ships in bottle? Join the Ships in Bottle Association of America. Check out the website: / Learn more from the people who still make them. (FYI, I myself don't have the patience, but I can appreciate the results all the same.)

Original vs. Factory Made: There are a lot of ships in bottles listed on eBay which are mass produced in a factory-like setting. In my opinion, those "sibs" will not increase significantly in value over time. Most of them are not worth the cost of shipping. This ship in bottle is made the traditional way, through the neck. It is an original piece of folk art, not made in a factory in China ... see my comments below concerning value.

A Word About Value ... I have no clue how many ships in bottles I've sold on eBay through the years, but suffice it to say -- quite a few. And as with all products and services during this economic downturn, there are definite trends that apply to ships-in-bottles. Which is to say,...