# Common bottle list



## Humabdos (Jun 21, 2004)

If your new to Bottle collecting you might find this list helpful. This list is from Antique Bottle Collector's Haven list of common (worthless) bottles.[sm=rolleyes.gif]
 I think I have everyone of these! [&o] Even though most are "worthless" I still like them! [&:]
 Happy hunting! Glen

 Aspirin 
 Atwood's Jaundice Bitters, though labeled examples and sample sizes have some value. 
 Avon 
 Bromo-Seltzer 
 Dr. W.B. Caldwell's Syrup Pepsin 
 California Fig Syrup 
 Capudine 
 Carbona 
 Celery-Caffein 
 Certo 
 Chamberlain Colic Cholera and Diarrhea Remedy 
 Clorox 
 Citrate of Magnesia 
 Dalby's Carminative 
 Duffy Whiskey 
 Edison Battery Oil 
 Father John's Medicine, Lowell, Mass 
 Frostilla 
 Grolsch Beer 
 I.W. Harper (whiskey) 
 Heinz 
 Hick's Capudine (a Raleigh NC product) 
 Hoyt's Cologne 
 Javex 
 Jim Beam (click link for more info) 
 Dr. Kennedy's Favorite Remedy 
 Dr King's New Discovery for Colds 
 Lea & Perrins 
 Listerine 
 Lydia Pinkham's Medicine 
 Lysol 
 Murray & Lanman Florida Water (unless labeled or pontilled) 
 Mellin's Food 
 Milk of Magnesia (any brand, including Phillip's) 
 Minard's Liniment 
 Pinex 
 Dr. Pitcher's Castoria 
 Pond's Extract 
 Purex 
 Sauer's Extract 
 Scott's Emulsion (some bottles embossed with fish) 
 Three-In-One Oil 
 Vaseline 
 Vick's 
 Watkin's (usually furniture polish or some other household product) 
 Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup (but the pontilled examples are valuable). 
 General tips on identifying other common/worthless bottles: 

 Any bottle with "WHEATON" on the base is a reproduction. 
 Medicine or whiskey bottles with no embossing and no label are typically worthless unless they come in an unusual color like citron or puce. 
 Most screw cap bottles are worthless. Noteable exceptions are White House and Speas Vinegar. 


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## Ryan (Jun 21, 2004)

This is a great post! I collect insulators too and with them, as with bottles, you have half the battle won if you know which ones are basically worthless. Personally I think the Chamberlain's Colic, Cholera, and Diarrhea remedy is worth about $5 on ebay, and I'll bet you could get $8 or so at an antique show, but still common nonetheless...

 Here's some more that I've determined to be basically worthless:

 Ballard Snow Liniment
 Benedictine
 Cardui The Woman's Tonic
 Chamberlain's Cough Remedy
 Dr. Pierce's Golden Medical Discovery
 Furst-McNess Co
 Hood's Sarsaparilla
 Mary Goldman
 Maltine MFG Co
 Omega Oil
 Phenolax Wafers
 The Mother's Friend

 Anyone else have some to add?

 -Ryan


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## woody (Jun 21, 2004)

I suppose the old adage; "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", has some merit to this post.
 So is, "Another man's trash is another man's treasure."
 Also, what may be common in one area might not be available in another, therefore, what may be common to you might be worth something to someone else.


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## IRISH (Jun 22, 2004)

For a list of the very common bottles found in Australia (a lot are on the list's above) have a look at Oz-riley's website,  there is a few above that I have never seen but it's amazing how many common bottles in the US are also common here.


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## Bottles r LEET (Aug 28, 2011)

I know that this is a very old post, but I think that it is worth bumping. I think that it could be beneficial.


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## epackage (Aug 28, 2011)

I just replied to a new member regarding this exact point...


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## peejrey (Aug 28, 2011)

> Aspirin
> Atwood's Jaundice Bitters, though labeled examples and sample sizes have some value.
> Avon
> Bromo-Seltzer
> ...


 IF YOU DON'T WANT THEM SEND THEM HERE!!!!
 I have a couple labeled versions of these...many nice cleaned up ones too..[]


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## peejrey (Aug 28, 2011)

wait a minute.....
 2004...




 oops....[&o]


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## epackage (Aug 28, 2011)

> ORIGINAL:  peejrey
> 
> 
> IF YOU DON'T WANT THEM SEND THEM HERE!!!!
> I have a couple labeled versions of these...many nice cleaned up ones too..[]


 LOL....I sent you what I had buddy...[]


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## VTdigger (Aug 28, 2011)

more commons:
 E.R. Durkee  Salad dressing bottles New York
 Curtice brothers preservers Rochester NY
 Absorbine Jr.
 Lavoris (with a small star embossed under the name.)
 "it's French"


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## peejrey (Aug 28, 2011)

Yes I know, they are getting a nice, new display case in about 2 weeks..
 They all are on display right now.
 You will be getting some thing from me, as soon as the funds fill up again.[]
 All I mean is nothing is common to me, if it sees the light of day after years in the ground then, it is not common. So watch what you say about the Chambelains, and the Kilmers, People!!!


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## epackage (Aug 28, 2011)

I like commons too, as long as they are Paterson commons...[]


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## Picklejar (Aug 28, 2011)

This is a valuable time saver for the noobs! But I have to say that I have a Winslows soothing syrup rolled lip bottle that I still think is pretty damn cool!-Joe


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## Wheelah23 (Aug 28, 2011)

I find it helps to have consulted this list often. It's on the website antiquebottles.com, and I have it bookmarked. It saves me some of my hard earned cash at antique stores, and it saves me the time of asking "What is it?" on this forum if I dig one... []


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## RED Matthews (Aug 28, 2011)

My two cents!!  I just needed a reason and have had the span of nearly 75 years of glass and bottle collecting. I feel a great amount of my learning about bottle making before 1900, came from reading and looking for bottles with forming anomaly marks, has given me a great deal of satisfaction in bottle collecting.  I found that the Case Gin bottles, early Demijohns, and the collecting of Sodas and Mineral Waters; have all given me a chance to study the development of manufacturing changes that came about to meet the production demands for containers to these product lines.    A specialized  objective makes the collection of glass items, very satisfying.   RED Matthews


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## GuntherHess (Aug 28, 2011)

In general those listed are common bottles but I see at least a half dozen bottles on that list that have variants worth bring home.
 Its hard to make generalized statements because many popular products were made over a long stretch of time. Pond's Extract for example has a pontil marked version and machine made version with basically the same embossing.
 Its just as important to learn to estimate dates of bottles as it is to memorize the embossing.


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## RED Matthews (Aug 28, 2011)

Excellent point Matt,  Everyone needs to know the pontil mark and finish changes.  Both of these knowledge of recognition, needs to be basic learning. Thanks!   RED Matthews


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## VTdigger (Aug 28, 2011)

Some of these commons I haven't come accross yet knowingly anyway.

 I agree with Guntherhess on it being to vague on some bottles,
  There's also errors to look for ,I know the back words Z in Bromo Seltzer and a few other Bromo errors. Knowing that, I do take a quick glance at other commons, such as Foss,Listerine etc. Before I toss em aside.  I  have never found nor heard of any errors in any other common bottles besides Bromo's


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## cyberdigger (Aug 28, 2011)

I have tried to abide such a list, but something about it makes me uncomfortable.. like when your standing in line and you gotta pee..
 ..maybe because it has to be a lot longer before it stops looking like somebody's personal vendetta..[8|]


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## VTdigger (Aug 28, 2011)

and just because there common don't make them bad bottle's I'm sure most people get into digging after they find one of these bottles, I collect pretty much every kind of bottle rare or not, there's alot that look the same, but if it has different embossing,shape,size or defect, I'll save at least 1 version of each variant more if there rare examples and bring it home. Some bottle like Bromo's and Atwoods I never get sick of finding. I plan to display some of my bromos, store some, and donate some.


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## Wheelah23 (Aug 28, 2011)

I always keep any embossed bottle, even if I know it's common. The only bottles I leave at the dump are slicks. This list applies more to buying... You don't want to overpay for the bottles on this list, or at least I don't.


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## keithstanfield (Sep 3, 2011)

i totally agree with you.....i just love the mystery of researching the bottles,and displaying them.......Might i throw my hat in the ring?Dr paines celery compound,(pretty bottle,methinks......)wyeths,ummm....sloanes liniment..........


> ORIGINAL:  kawdog
> 
> I noticed when I first saw that list on another site, just about every bottle I found was on it. Good thing I don't dig bottles for money []. So I may never get rich bottle collecting, but it sure is alot of fun.
> 
> ...


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## |MDB| (Dec 18, 2011)

I just googled a bottle that's sitting in the window in my livingroom, Chamberlain's Colic, Cholera etc., and saw one listed on the bay for US $24.30. The seller should have read this list first, apparently.


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## toddrandolph (Dec 18, 2011)

It's interesting that there are apparently great regional differences in common bottles as there are some on that list I've never heard of and others that aren't on the list that I won't even bother to pick up off the ground  of a dump that aren't on the list (Fletcher's Castoria...the alltime most common med in my area)


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## Dansalata (Dec 19, 2011)

I DIG FOR THE JOY OF UNCOVERING STUFF FROM THE PAST..EVEN THOUGH IVE BEEN DIGGIN A  WHILE , A LOT OF THOSE I DONT HAVE, I WOULD STILL BE EXCITED TO UNCOVER SOMETHING I NEVER DUG REGARDLESS OF THE VALUE AND...THE COMMONERS MAKE GREAT GIFTS FOR FRIENDS...I HAVE DUG PONTILS, A $3000 INSULATOR COINS ETC..BUT I WOULD DIG A TOC ANY TIME..AND I STILL LOVE BROMOS LOL...


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## madman (Dec 19, 2011)

> ORIGINAL:  Dansalata
> 
> I DIG FOR THE JOY OF UNCOVERING STUFF FROM THE PAST..EVEN THOUGH IVE BEEN DIGGIN A  WHILE , A LOT OF THOSE I DONT HAVE, I WOULD STILL BE EXCITED TO UNCOVER SOMETHING I NEVER DUG REGARDLESS OF THE VALUE AND...THE COMMONERS MAKE GREAT GIFTS FOR FRIENDS...I HAVE DUG PONTILS, A $3000 INSULATOR COINS ETC..BUT I WOULD DIG A TOC ANY TIME..AND I STILL LOVE BROMOS LOL...


right on brother!


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## NyDigger1 (Jul 6, 2012)

the florida water is not true, depends on embossing, ive got 6 different embossed


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## mdavenport (Jul 6, 2012)

Noooooooooh! Not my Hoyt's Cologne collection! I will never be able to retire now.


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## AntiqueMeds (Jul 6, 2012)

Since BromoSeltzer is on the list, anyone with worthless teal bromos can send them to me and I will dispose of them.[]


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## coolbottles (Jul 7, 2012)

If  anyone has some of the common dr kilmers,dr pierce dr seth arnolds,chamberlains,carters in green, citron, yellow, or amber let me know I would be happy to make you an offer.[]


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## justanolddigger (Jul 7, 2012)

> ORIGINAL:  coolbottles
> 
> IfÂ  anyone has some of the common dr kilmers,dr pierce dr seth arnolds,chamberlains,carters in green, citron, yellow, or amber let me know I would be happy to make you an offer.[]


 here is a group of five, I think all are in good shapes and decent color. The one on the left has a really crude lip, it kinda looks like chips, but I am 90% sure it is all inmaking. Make me afair offer on them all, you can have them & I will pay shipping.


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## justanolddigger (Jul 7, 2012)

Lip of the one on the left. The one on the right is BIM, blown in mold, the other four are early machine made as a lot of the colored Pierces are.


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## #1twin (Jul 9, 2012)

I'll second that Mike. 
 I started digging bottles to collect vintage things I could find in the ground and bring them back to life for others to enjoy. I'm not out there trying to dig up money. I actually get bored with my metal detector.[] It's the appreciation for the past and history of the item for me. I only want to know values for trading, or selling if I fall on hard times for money. Also for when I pass on, my children don't just give them away.lol   Just my thoughts on the subject. 

 *I'll take all the Jaudice Bitters yall don't want.[]


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## hemihampton (Apr 12, 2020)

Figured I'd bump this up for the new guys.


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## TrashPanda (Apr 12, 2020)

Perfect time to bump, but can I add there is not much worthless stuff before 1940, it is just not worth selling.


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## CanadianBottles (Apr 12, 2020)

GuntherHess said:


> In general those listed are common bottles but I see at least a half dozen bottles on that list that have variants worth bring home.
> Its hard to make generalized statements because many popular products were made over a long stretch of time. Pond's Extract for example has a pontil marked version and machine made version with basically the same embossing.
> Its just as important to learn to estimate dates of bottles as it is to memorize the embossing.



I think this comment is worth bumping for the newbies as well.  Definitely a lot of exceptions on that list.  A generic citrate of magnesia is nearly worthless but a coloured version from a local druggist can be worth hundreds, for example.  And I'm surprised to see Dalby's Carminative on there, is there even a common recent version of those?  I only know of it as a somewhat common pontil bottle which definitely isn't worthless.  Pretty sure a few of these are a bit more desirable today than they were in 2004 as well, like Hood's Sarsaparilla I definitely wouldn't consider worthless, not here in Canada anyway, even if it is common.

I think my advice to newbies would instead be to not spend very much on bottles for the first year or so of collecting, and to take home anything that looks interesting if you find it.  And if you do buy stuff focus on local bottles, because that's likely what you'll end up interested in later on and especially local paper label bottles because they often only show up once and you can't dig them anyway.


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