Milk Bottles Have Both Sentimental And Collectable Value

Milk Bottles Have Both Sentimental And Collectable Value AG WORLD Ag World If you have any old glass milk bottles lying around you might want to dig them out and clean them up Recently a green East End Dairy milk bottle originally sold in Harrisburg Penn sold for $3 738 at a Pennsylvania auction Though the bottle was in excellent condition and rare one of four known don t expect to get rich on most bottles warns John Tutton a collector and author of a series of milk bottle collector books This was a case where two people really wanted it he notes and they bid up the price Realistically the bottle was worth about $500 Collectors particularly prize green bottles made from 1933 to 1945 and used at Christmas time for eggnog Amber bottles that held buttermilk are also highly prized The bottle everyone wants is a Thatcher the first bottles made around 1885 with glass tops When prices peaked they were worth about $600 but now it s possible to buy a Thatcher for $300 Tutton says Currently the hottest bottles have WWII slogans and pictures of such things as Uncle Sam chasing Hitler and Mussolini They sell for $50 to $1 000 on eBay which has become a popular place to buy and sell bottles Six years ago was the peak Prices have come down because of the economy he says Bottles once worth $35 are now bringing $10 Many collectors focus on bottles from their own region Since many towns and dairies bottled their own milk in the early 1900 s there s a wide variety of bottles to collect After embossed bottles which were expensive to mold - in 1932 the technique of pyroglazing allowed bottlers to add colorful labels that didn t wash off and were attractive to housewives As paper cartons replaced bottles in the 1960 s and many dairies went out of business most old bottles were trashed The ones that show up for sale these days are often found in attics or in closets storing things like buttons Tutton says Occasionally they are found in town dumps Dairy-rich states like Pennsylvania and Ohio have had collectors for a long time The hobby is more recently growing in states such as Iowa Some people collect bottles with their family name or from local dairies Others have major collections that require entire buildings Tutton and his wife had a dairy farm in western New York and started collecting bottles in 1968 Since no guidebooks were available he started writing books about the history and value of bottles His latest book is Udderly Splendid Since prices continually change Tutton recommends checking out the National Association of Milk Bottle Collectors Inc website www milkroute org for current information The group holds a huge annual convention in Hershey Penn and publishes monthly newsletters As a book author Tutton is also sought out as an expert He notes that he lists real-world values in his books - not fairy tale prices collectors would like Contact: FARM SHOW Followup John Tutton 1967 Ridgeway Rd Front Royal Va 22630 ph 540 635-7058; www earlyamericanworkshop net

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