c.1930's Detailed Antique Ship in Bottle Folk Tramp (02/21/2011)...

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c.1930's Detailed Antique Ship in Bottle Folk Tramp Art

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c.1930's Detailed 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

He's Baaack!! After a lengthy family visit out in the Middle of Nowhere (Read: Kansas), I'm back home, trying to get back into the swing of posting some ships in bottles. Not that there's anything wrong with K-K-K-Kansas. (Ed. Note: eBay acknowledges the seller's personal feelings about the state of Kansas and hereby states that the seller's slanderous statements do not reflect the views of eBay, it's employees, agents and/or advertisers . Any future negative comments about Kansas will be referred to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation whereupon the alleged perpetrator of such slander will be shot and/or hung by his big toes without due process of law. And it would serve him right!) Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore. (Whew!)

What's For Sale? OK, OK, enough with the Kansas jokes. This is a lovely ship in a pinch bottle which based on the bottle and patina I would date to around 1930. Could be a decade either side of that, but we're in the ballpark. It's old. The bottle is square and rather small -- 8.5 inches (21 cm) in length and 3.5 inches (9 cm) in diameter. There's no diorama with this sib and I have a good idea why -- because the person who made this was very skilled and he wanted the entire focus on his very detailed ship model. I'm not sure if you can see all the details in the photos, but the way the sails hang, the rigging, the extended masts -- it's all perfect. The sails appear to be cloth, always a nice feature and prized by some collectors. The hull is hand carved and hand painted, and the seas look rough, as the ship is tilting against the wind as it speeds along course. The hull also has some nice details on deck. As for the sea resin, it's a greenish hue (Atlantic Ocean?) with rough white caps, consistent with a ship that is being pushed by a strong wind. The bottle is a "fifth" liquor bottle, and its neck is capped with glued-on twine and a green wax seal, which has crumbled a little from age. Can't say one negative thing about this little sib -- it would look nice in any display case, no matter what the quality of your collection.

Masts are all aligned and there are no loose shards inside the bottle. The rigging is quite realistic, and the hull is painted black. This sib is heavy, as one would expect from a very old glass 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, prices today are down from what they were a couple of years ago. My pricing of this SIB reflects that downturn. But anyone who follows the stock market knows that what is once down will surely rebound and go back up in time -- the value of a work of art will continue to grow over time. I have long felt that ships in bottles are a hidden treasure of the broader world of Folk Art. Which is to say, you can still buy a ship in bottle relatively cheap. Have you priced rare silver coins recently? Th...