Last week a friend gave me a Coca-Cola in a bottle, not an aluminum can. What a treat!! It brought back fond childhood memories of New Orleans on a hot summer day, riding my bicycle and spying a box Coca Cola machine. For 35 cents you would slide the Coke bottle through the double flippers, lift the bottle, pop off the bottle cap and find yourself saying, “AHHHH!!”. Today all Coca-Cola bottles are highly collectible. A Coca Cola bottle from Jackson, Tennessee, circa 1900-1910, is worth $150 to $200. The Historic Burlington Antique Emporium for the month of August will feature bottles and tools from the mid-1800’s to the 1950’s.
The common methods of determining the age of a bottle are mold seams, lips/tops, stoppers/closures, and color variations. Prior to 1900, bottle manufacturing was done by either a blowpipe (free blown) to 1860 or with a mold to 1900. On bottles manufactured before 1860, the mold seams end low on the neck or at the shoulder of the bottle. The closer the seam extends to the top of the bottle, the more recent the bottle was made. To determine a bottle value, collectors use rarity, age, condition and unique features of the bottle. Today collectors find bottles on the Internet, flea markets, thrift stores, garage sales, salvage stores, estate sales, antique shops, and by digging.
Tools are implements that shaped America. From the tallest building to the molding around your doors, tools were used by carpenters and craftsmen. The Burlington Emporium will be displaying woodworking tools that are divided into five categories: planes; saws; measuring implements such as calipers and levels; augers, bits and other boring devices; and edged tools such as axes, chisels and other bladed implements. Collectors value tools on type, material and condition. Planes and bit braces, for example, are generally prized above other types. Handles and frames of imported rosewood and mahogany increase the value of a tool as does the use of brass and ivory trimmings.
The Burlington Art and Antique Emporium is located at 424 High Street, Burlington City, New Jersey. For your convenience, the Emporium is open 7 days a week from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Complimentary tea, coffee and snacks are always available to enhance your shopping experience. Visit the Emporium’s website for pictures of what our dealers have to offer (www.antiquesnj.com) or phone for directions (609) 747-8333. With 65 dealers in a 14,000 square foot building, The Emporium is sure to have something for everyone.