Antique perfume bottles were made before the 1920s and demonstrate construction techniques no longer used. They can be made of glass, porcelain, or metal and may include decorative accents. Collectors focus on specific eras, regions, or producers. Guides can help identify bottles, but experts should be consulted before making expensive purchases.
Antique perfume bottles are bottles that were manufactured to hold perfume in an earlier era. Many people define bottles as “antique” if they date from before the 1920s, although some people push the date further, to the 1900s or 1800s. Either way, antique perfume bottles demonstrate construction techniques that are no longer in use. widespread use and people collect them because they are interesting relics of human history and because many are also quite beautiful.
As archaeological evidence indicates, humans have been making perfume for thousands of years. Both the Greeks and Romans readily used perfume, as did the Egyptians and many ancient Asian cultures, and some very fine examples of ancient perfume bottles of historical interest have been discovered at sites around the world. The line between “antique” and “ancient” falls for most people around 1700, although it is extremely rare to find cheap bottles from this period on the market.
A number of building materials may be involved in antique perfume bottles and atomizers. Glass is common, especially in the case of perfume bottles from Italy and the Czech Republic. Porcelain was also in common use in regions such as France, and in Great Britain and some other regions, perfume bottles were used metals or combinations of metal and glass. Many bottles include jewels, beads, precious metals, and other decorative accents that can greatly increase their value.
The scent is usually long gone, though faint traces may linger, but an antique perfume bottle has its own inherent beauty. Many bottles made in the 1920s, for example, had a lavish Art Deco style, while bottles from the 1800s feature hand-painted flowers. Hand-blown bottles from the 18th and 19th centuries often have a very individual look and feel, as do hand-made porcelain bottles fashioned into a variety of shapes. People can display antique bottles as a collection in their homes or use them as decorative accents alone or in small groups.
Some collectors focus on antique perfume bottles from a particular era, using time-honored techniques such as examining a bottle’s markings for clues about when it was made and how it was constructed. Other people just like to collect antique perfume bottles that they find cute no matter what era they were made. It is also possible to pick up bottles from a particular region of the world, or products from a specific producer. Some people even use antique perfume bottles to hold perfume, giving them as one-of-a-kind gifts.
Numerous glass bottle guides provide information on how to date bottles and identify their regions of origin. Antique perfume bottles can be found for sale on auction sites, antique shops and websites dedicated to collecting antique bottles, although novice collectors would do well to consult an expert before making an expensive purchase, to confirm that one bottle is authentic.
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