Bottle Collection

View of our front window with antique bottles

Welcome to our Bottle Collection page. We started collecting bottles in about 1963 after finding some in, under and around an old house in Tustin, California. They were immediately fascinating. If you want to read the entire story go to the Collections Page.

This picture shows a sample view of how the bottles are displayed in our home. We display our Bottles as well as Fruit Jars and Insulators in virtually every window in the house.

Bottle collecting has been an important part of our life for quite awhile and while we sincerely enjoy the bottles themselves we believe the friendships made over the years are at least equally important.

Close up pictures of some of our favorites may be seen below.

National Bitters They are shaped like an ear of corn.

The two bottles on the left are NATIONAL BITTERS and considered classics in the hobby. Bitters are a favorite category and contain some of the most ornate bottles known. Color is very important in determining value. The two on the right are a cannon shaped BININGER gin and a THE FISH BITTERS which are also classics. Our collection is a general collection with the emphasis on BITTERS and HISTORICAL FLASKS. But the truth is; we like them all.

Bininger and Fish Bitters Unusual shaped bottles

DRAKE'S PLANTATION BITTERS. Oh! those wonderful Cabin shaped DRAKE'S !!! These bottles have been responsible for really keeping us going on the BITTERS. Over the years we have had numerous examples, decide to thin them out only to soon discover we have again acquired another large group. We have upgraded and improved but never acquired a really superior example. However, the two on the right, a 6 Log and a 4 Log, are fine pieces in every way. The piece on the left is Yellow with Amber and Olive tones. It really changes with different light sources often showing a considerable amount of the highly desirable green. The bottle on the right is mostly Yellow with Amber highlights. It also has a slight greenish cast.

We believe that the DRAKE'S are so popular because they are relatively common, easy to acquire and come in so many wonderful colors and shades. Look for a few more examples here.

Pair of Drake's Bitters - They are shaped like a cabin.

Old Homestead Wild Cherry Bitters and Drakes - Two more cabin shaped bottles.

Pictured on the right is another shot of the 6 Log DRAKE'S shown above with an OLD HOMESTEAD WILD CHERRY BITTERS on the left. The DRAKE'S shows a lot of the Olive tones in this shot contrasted with the Puce toned Amber of the HOMESTEAD. The HOMESTEAD is even more Cabin like with simulated shingles, siding, windows and a door. It is considerably more rare than the DRAKE'S and also comes in some really nice colors, including one example in Cobalt Blue. There are also a few bottles that were fitted with an inside threaded glass screw stopper. Needless to say, these are extremely rare.

( We don't have one ;-) )

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