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).
My maternal grandfather and uncle got into bottles in about 1965 or ‘66 when I was in high school, and we s… [more]
One of the most common fruit jars ever produced is the lowly Ball jar. Historical figures show that from betw… [more]
“The Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors is a non-profit organization for collectors of historical bot… [more]
Bill Lindsey's fantastic bottle identification and information site. Loaded with detailed descriptions and diagrams… [more]
Ed and Mark Runyon's wonderful guide to the antique bottles of Cape May County, New Jersey is a great site for anyo… [more]
There's a ton of information here, but as with bottles, you have to dig to find the best stuff. Start with the famo… [more]
This great site, from British diggers Darren Gray and Jeremy Kemp, is rich in information about hunting for antique… [more]
Assembled by Gunther Rademacher with the help of several other contributors, this collection of over half a million… [more]
Norbert Lamping's collection of 600+ ceramic bottle stoppers, Hutter stoppers, swingtops, swivel stoppers, and ligh… [more]
Lather up with Creighton Friceks complete chronology of collectible Old Spice shaving products. Start with the bott… [more]
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