The Antique Perfume Bottle

Vintage Perfume Bottle & Antique Perfume Bottle history goes as far back as Biblical Times. It has been mentioned many a time in the Bible the use of incense, which was probably the first mentioning of perfume.

The perfume bottle itself goes back as far as the 6th century B.C... Egyptian bottles from this time had been found mostly made out of terra cotta and onyx, and held such items as frankincense, myrrh and sandalwood.
 
I have a sister who collects antique perfume bottles. She has for as long as I can remember. Her interest in the antique perfume bottle began when she was a child. Like most children, she loved things that glittered and sparkled.

She loved costume jewelry, shiny rocks and even my grandmother’s glass doorknobs. It only stood to reason that she would like decorative glass as well. Mother began collecting similar items for her to keep, as long as she took very good care of them.

She not only takes good care of the glassware, she wound up stocking up an impressive collection of antique perfume bottles in the process.

There are some items in the group that are really appealing. You can spend a good deal of time sifting through the seemingly endless assortment of glass.

Nevertheless, not all of the antique perfume bottles were made of glass. I favor a few items in the assortment that are made out of metal. One of these metal items was either used for fragrance or for smelling salts. I like this piece because it is a little mysterious and because it is dated 1914 which makes it even more interesting.

In addition I like that some of the items in my sister’s collection tell stories that were shared by my family member. One story stands out about a mermaid and her fragrance carried by friendly fish. My grandmother gave me a particular set that still has me green with envy. The vintage bottles were a pair of fish.

Her antique perfume bottle had cast metal holders. The caps screwed on the top and each cap had a “dab tube” that was used to dispense a modest amount of fragrance for the wearer. The antique perfume bottles boasted the finest detail including fish scales that almost looked real.
 
I boast to say that these are my particular favorite among my sister’s collection. She would argue that this is because they were not made of glass. Maybe she is right. I personally never found glass to be of any particular interest. However, seeing her collection of antique perfume bottles is a real treat even for those of us who are not fascinated with glimmer.
 
Today commercial perfume bottles are mainly manufactured outside of the United States. AL-Group Wheaton and Carr- Lowrey dominate the commercial perfume bottle manufacturing field today. So the next time you buy perfume for yourself, do not throw away the bottle afterwards. You might just want to collect it for its future worth when it becomes known as an antique perfume bottle.

Resources

Buy Antique Perfume Bottles - We have a small selection of antique perfume bottles, why not browse and see if you find one you like. If you are into antiques we aslo have antique coffee grinders, and antique estate jewelry.

Antique Collection - learn all about antiques and how you can buy and sell antiques and collectibles and make a nice living. You will even find some unique items like antique guitars and other antique musical instruments.

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