About Antique Poison Bottles

Beginning in the mid 1800's, poisonous substances came onto the market to control plants and vermin, and as surface cleaners. To prevent mishaps, poison bottles were given distinctive features, which today make them fun to collect. Colors like cobalt blue, inky black, and dark green ensured they were easily recognizable. So did raised lettering or inlays of the words 'POISON' or 'DEATH' (especially useful if you were fumbling by candlelight). Patterns included latticework, deep grooves, geometric shapes, and most commonly, the skull and crossbones. Look for figural bottles (including a rare few shaped like coffins or skulls) and other shapes (e.g. cigar-shaped bottles).


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Interviews & Articles

An Interview With Antique Bottle Collector Bill Lindsey

My maternal grandfather and uncle got into bottles in about 1965 or ‘66 when I was in high school, and we started d… [more]

Guest Column: Collecting Antique Ball Jars

One of the most common fruit jars ever produced is the lowly Ball jar. Historical figures show that from between Se… [more]

An Interview With Chinese Snuff Bottle Collector Vincent Fausone, Jr.

In 1978, I found a snuff bottle and didn’t know what it was. It intrigued me, so I bought it. Then I found some boo… [more]



Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)

Historic Glass Bottle Identification

Historic Glass Bottle Identification

Bill Lindsey's fantastic bottle identification and information site. Loaded with detailed descriptions and diagrams… [read review or visit site]

Cape May County Bottle Collectors

Cape May County Bottle Collectors

Ed and Mark Runyon's wonderful guide to the antique bottles of Cape May County, New Jersey is a great site for anyo… [read review or visit site]

Antique Bottle Collector's Haven

Antique Bottle Collector's Haven

There's a ton of information here, but as with bottles, you have to dig to find the best stuff. Start with the famo… [read review or visit site]

Diggersdiary.co.uk

Diggersdiary.co.uk

This great site, from British diggers Darren Gray and Jeremy Kemp, is rich in information about hunting for antique… [read review or visit site]

Bottle Cap Index

Bottle Cap Index

Assembled by Gunther Rademacher with the help of several other contributors, this collection of over half a million… [read review or visit site]

Plopsite.de

Plopsite.de

Norbert Lamping's collection of 600+ ceramic bottle stoppers, Hutter stoppers, swingtops, swivel stoppers, and ligh… [read review or visit site]

Old Spice Collectibles

Old Spice Collectibles

Lather up with Creighton Friceks complete chronology of collectible Old Spice shaving products. Start with the bott… [read review or visit site]


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Top eBay Auctions  Help | Get weekly Poison Bottles email

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Medium Pinkish Puce Pontiled Lyons Powder Bug Poison$167.50 Ends Thursday 11 bids 22 watchers
Nice Early Quilted Poison 5 1/2 Tall Plus Stopper 3/4$37.69 Ends in 4 hours 3 bids 6 watchers
Antique German Figural Grim Reaper Death Poison Bottle$31.00 Ends Wednesday 4 bids 28 watchers
Collection Of Blue Glass Poison Bottles : 1900's : Good$28.53 Ends in 9 hours 1 bid 5 watchers
1880s Traingle 3" Poison Bottle Amber Color$19.99 Ends Thursday 1 bid 2 watchers
Old Vintage Skull & Crossbones Poison Bottle. 2 5/8". $15.50 Ends Saturday 6 bids 7 watchers
Antique Poison Bottle Ribbed Cobalt Blue 1 Oz North N$15.50 Ends Tuesday 8 bids 4 watchers
Labeled Chloroform Liniment Poison Bottle 1890s - 1900$14.99 Ends in 14 hours 1 bid 2 watchers
Very Rare Amber L&t Patent Marked Poison C1910$13.77 Ends in 11 hours 6 bids 21 watchers
Three Cobalt Blue Poison Bottles$12.01 Ends in 15 hours 5 bids 9 watchers
Medium Size Cobalt Blue 6 Sided Ribbed Poison Bottle$11.99 Ends Thursday 1 bid 2 watchers
Antique Cobalt Blue B.p. Co Medicine Bottles Pharmacy$11.49 Ends Tuesday 4 bids 6 watchers
Extrememly Rare Amber Kc-49 Poison Bottle$10.00 Ends Saturday 2 bids 15 watchers
5 Old Poison Bottles$9.99 Ends in 16 hours 1 bid 9 watchers
Vintage Embossed Strychnia Poison Bottle Strychnine$9.99 Ends Thursday 1 bid 8 watchers
National Casket Co Poison Embalming Bottle Small Size$9.99 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 12 watchers
Vtg. Mccormick & Cobalto Triangular Shaped Poison Btle$9.99 Ends Thursday 1 bid 12 watchers
Antique Stoneware Poison Jug / Bottle - Mercury$9.99 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 1 watcher
Cobalt Cylindrical Vintage Poison Bottle$9.50 Ends Tuesday 3 bids 7 watchers
Scarce Cobalt Nauheim Poison Bottle $7.95 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 9 watchers
Rare Antique Set Of Boxed Travelling Poisoin Bottles$7.49 Ends Wednesday 1 bid 3 watchers
4 Color Mini Poison Bottle Not To Be Taken Olive Blue$6.00 Ends Tuesday 5 bids 8 watchers
Rare Blue Izal Poison Bottle$5.56 Ends Thursday 2 bids 16 watchers
3 Pc. Lot/ Poison Bottles-labelled$4.99 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 6 watchers
Stoneware Co-op Scottish Ammonia Poison Bottle$4.49 Ends Sunday 1 bid 3 watchers
4 Vintage Blue Glass Ribbed Poison - Chemical Bottles$3.68 Ends Tuesday 6 bids 8 watchers
2 X Embossed Poison Fluted Amber Bottle Med Size$2.77 Ends Tuesday 2 bids 6 watchers
Glass Stoppered Chemists Poison- Rogers Of London C1915$1.80 Ends Wednesday 2 bids 17 watchers
Hard Find Blue Vapo Cresolene Poison Bottle Clean $1.78 Ends Sunday 2 bids 12 watchers
Vintage Miniature Blue Poison Bottle$1.49 Ends Friday 1 bid 3 watchers
Vintage Miniature Olive Green Poison Bottle$1.49 Ends Friday 1 bid 8 watchers
Vintage Miniature Emerald Green Poison Bottle$1.49 Ends Friday 1 bid 4 watchers
Killgerm, Cleckheaton (west Yorks) Amber Poison Bottle $1.49 Ends Wednesday 1 bid 8 watchers
Blu Colour Variation Lewis And Towers Old Poison Bottle$1.49 Ends Wednesday 1 bid 2 watchers
Large Vintage Blue Glass Ribbed Poison Chemist Bottle$1.49 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 12 watchers
Vintage Blue Glass Ribbed Poison Chemist Bottle$1.49 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 3 watchers
2 Vintage Blue Glass Ribbed Poison - Chemist Bottles$1.49 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 7 watchers
Not To Be Taken Amber Poison Bottle Very Clean$1.04 Ends in 15 hours 2 bids 13 watchers
Old Skull Cross Bones Poison Tinct Iodine Bottle Amber$1.04 Ends Tuesday 2 bids 9 watchers
Embossed Posion Not To Be Taken Bottle Green $0.99 Ends Thursday 1 bid 6 watchers
Not Common Olive Colored Fluted Poison Bottle C 1890$0.99 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 8 watchers
Vintage Rectangular Ribbed Golden-amber Poison Bottle$0.99 Ends Wednesday 1 bid 13 watchers

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