Antique Perfume Bottles
When I tell people I collect antique perfume bottles as a hobby, they usually look at me as though I just told them I eat soap for fun. But one man's trash truly is another man's treasure, and nowhere does that phrase ring more true than at your local flea market or neighborhood yard sale.
With the emergence of sites like E-bay, more people than ever before are searching through refuse in pursuit of that single valuable piece, either to sell or use for decorating their homes. And one of my favorite yard sale treasures, I must admit, are antique perfume bottles.
Antique perfume bottles can be used to create a beautiful bureau-top display, or refilled with modern perfume or scented water and used again and again. Some great (and convenient) places to find antique perfume bottles are estate sale or garage sales in your own neighborhood, but antique perfume bottles are also available for purchase online at sites like E-bay.
Some of the most beautiful (and valuable) antique perfume bottles are those made of colored glass. Even plain water placed into a rose-colored bottle will look expensive and rich. To display antique perfume bottles as artwork, it is best to have a variety of bottles in different shapes, sizes and colors.
Placed on a bureau in a group or displayed in a guest bathroom, these perfume bottles can add character and Victorian charm to any modern-day home.
When searching for collectibles like antique perfume bottles, it is important to keep in mind that the condition of the bottle is not important as long as the bottle can be cleaned and the glass itself is in good shape.
An antique perfume bottle may hold the aroma of the liquids it has held in the past, but a good cleaning with soap and warm water should restore the bottle to like-new condition. An antique perfume bottle that is cracked probably cannot be re-used to hold liquids, but depending on the size and location of the crack (if only the bottom is cracked, for instance) can still be an attractive addition to your bottle display.
If you are lucky, you could find an entire collection of antique perfume bottles at a yard sale or flea market for very little money. Sometimes people will sell these items relatively cheaply, not realizing their true worth as antiques or measuring them for the price of their beauty.
I once picked up a pair of Victorian antique perfume bottles for only five dollars at a yard sale in my own neighborhood.
The bottles belonged to a neighbor who was storing them for an elderly parent. The person selling the antique perfume bottles saw them as clutter and just wanted to get rid of them. The glass needed some cleaning, but otherwise the bottles were in excellent condition.
Once they were cleaned up, I was able to list the bottles on E-bay and I received bids that were triple what I had originally paid for them.
With the emergence of sites like E-bay, more people than ever before are searching through refuse in pursuit of that single valuable piece, either to sell or use for decorating their homes. And one of my favorite yard sale treasures, I must admit, are antique perfume bottles.
Antique perfume bottles can be used to create a beautiful bureau-top display, or refilled with modern perfume or scented water and used again and again. Some great (and convenient) places to find antique perfume bottles are estate sale or garage sales in your own neighborhood, but antique perfume bottles are also available for purchase online at sites like E-bay.
Some of the most beautiful (and valuable) antique perfume bottles are those made of colored glass. Even plain water placed into a rose-colored bottle will look expensive and rich. To display antique perfume bottles as artwork, it is best to have a variety of bottles in different shapes, sizes and colors.
Placed on a bureau in a group or displayed in a guest bathroom, these perfume bottles can add character and Victorian charm to any modern-day home.
When searching for collectibles like antique perfume bottles, it is important to keep in mind that the condition of the bottle is not important as long as the bottle can be cleaned and the glass itself is in good shape.
An antique perfume bottle may hold the aroma of the liquids it has held in the past, but a good cleaning with soap and warm water should restore the bottle to like-new condition. An antique perfume bottle that is cracked probably cannot be re-used to hold liquids, but depending on the size and location of the crack (if only the bottom is cracked, for instance) can still be an attractive addition to your bottle display.
If you are lucky, you could find an entire collection of antique perfume bottles at a yard sale or flea market for very little money. Sometimes people will sell these items relatively cheaply, not realizing their true worth as antiques or measuring them for the price of their beauty.
I once picked up a pair of Victorian antique perfume bottles for only five dollars at a yard sale in my own neighborhood.
The bottles belonged to a neighbor who was storing them for an elderly parent. The person selling the antique perfume bottles saw them as clutter and just wanted to get rid of them. The glass needed some cleaning, but otherwise the bottles were in excellent condition.
Once they were cleaned up, I was able to list the bottles on E-bay and I received bids that were triple what I had originally paid for them.