# Bottles turning purple?



## Dink1957 (Apr 5, 2021)

I have a few bottles turning purple and I understand that the sun does that to certain bottles. My questions are, why does a bottle turn purple? Do people find that desirable or is that a sign of damage and make the bottle less desirable? And what kind of bottles does this happen to?


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Apr 5, 2021)

Dink1957 said:


> I have a few bottles turning purple and I understand that the sun does that to certain bottles. My questions are, why does a bottle turn purple? Do people find that desirable or is that a sign of damage and make the bottle less desirable? And what kind of bottles does this happen to?


Any glass with manganese will turn amethyst/purple.  To do this the manganese oxides under Ultra Violet light. The sun works but takes many years. The more manganese,  the more intense the amethyst color. It can get dark purple. People artificially do this with high intensity UV sterilization lights. It is called irradiated.  It does not damage in any way i know. Some don't like this but it will sell because other people like purple. I can't explain the amethyst/purple people.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## Bottle 2 Rocks (Apr 5, 2021)

Type amethyst bottles in the search box top right corner and you will get a good bit of info on this topic.
Welcome to the site.


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## Dink1957 (Apr 6, 2021)

Ok well that explains all the purple bottles I have...I have a ton of purple insulators but I think they are naturally purple...I'm still confused about the olive thing...how much is a bottle like that worth? I REALLY appreciate you taking the time to educate me and answer my questions?


ROBBYBOBBY64 said:


> Any glass with manganese will turn amethyst/purple.  To do this the manganese oxides under Ultra Violet light. The sun works but takes many years. The more manganese,  the more intense the amethyst color. It can get dark purple. People artificially do this with high intensity UV sterilization lights. It is called irradiated.  It does not damage in any way i know. Some don't like this but it will sell because other people like purple. I can't explain the amethyst/purple people.
> ROBBYBOBBY64.


Ok well that explains all the purple bottles I have...I have a ton of purple insulators but I think they are naturally purple...I'm still confused about the olive thing...how much is a bottle like that worth? I REALLY appreciate you taking the time to educate me and answer my questions?


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Apr 7, 2021)

Dink1957 said:


> Ok well that explains all the purple bottles I have...I have a ton of purple insulators but I think they are naturally purple...I'm still confused about the olive thing...how much is a bottle like that worth? I REALLY appreciate you taking the time to educate me and answer my questions?
> 
> Ok well that explains all the purple bottles I have...I have a ton of purple insulators but I think they are naturally purple...I'm still confused about the olive thing...how much is a bottle like that worth? I REALLY appreciate you taking the time to educate me and answer my questions?


Olive is not worth anything really. It is age wise, heading in the right direction though.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## Bottle 2 Rocks (Apr 7, 2021)

Olive bottles were always in the leaverite category for me when digging back when I was a teen in the late 70's.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Apr 7, 2021)

Bottle 2 Rocks said:


> Olive bottles were always in the leaverite category for me when digging back when I was a teen in the late 70's.


Those and the ever present catsup bottles.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## willong (Apr 7, 2021)

ROBBYBOBBY64 said:


> I can't explain the amethyst/purple people.



I think that the original attraction, other than being a nice color in its own right (depending upon one's taste of course) was that the amethyst was justifiably associated with the age of "Old West" bottles having lain around in desert environments, particularly ghost towns, for a century or more.

I suspect that artificially irradiating bottles was a scheme initiated by eBay sellers to cash in on the popularity of what was previously commonly called "desert glass" when I was a kid. Seems to have taken on a life of its own now. Products of the sort should only be sold with a disclaimer in my opinion.

To me, irradiating a true antique that has intrinsic value for its type, embossing, condition, historical association with a locale and etc. actually diminishes it value, particularly when taken to an intense hue that one is not likely to encounter in naturally sunburned glass; but then I am a curmudgeonly old fart with anachronistic values.

Here is an article on the subject that I highly recommend: https://www.realorrepro.com/article/Irradiation-Changes-Color-of-Glass

The article discusses the processes, how and why they work; and it goes into the history of irradiating glass both for legitimate, industrial production purposes and for fakery. Article includes a nice selection of photographed examples, including bottles and jars.

And here is a nice short article at the Corning Museum of Glass, which avoids the ethical aspects of the subject: https://www.cmog.org/article/solarized-glass


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## Dogo (Apr 11, 2021)

Bottles that have been subjected to nuclear radiation, such as from a nuclear power plant will turn really dark. Also different types of glass will turn to some very odd colors. We had a nuclear plant near us and some of the employees must have been bottle collectors, because there were some really strange shades of common bottles around.  Most naturally turned bottles are not that dark and not evenly turned.


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## coreya (Apr 12, 2021)

most of the irradiated glass comes out of meat processing plants where its easy to run a bin thru the sterilization process (they use low dose radiation to sterilize the meat)


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Apr 13, 2021)

Dogo said:


> Bottles that have been subjected to nuclear radiation, such as from a nuclear power plant will turn really dark. Also different types of glass will turn to some very odd colors. We had a nuclear plant near us and some of the employees must have been bottle collectors, because there were some really strange shades of common bottles around.  Most naturally turned bottles are not that dark and not evenly turned.


I just watched a video on YouTube that had these kids in Canada I believe. They have 2000 bottles turning amethyst. To make them more purple they layed all the bottles on the top of the mountain(must be their property). They are laying on grass and with the sun I think they are going to start a fire. Someone already commented on it but, I never seen anything like it. I don't know what people are thinking, like this was a good idea? Crazy!
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## willong (Apr 13, 2021)

ROBBYBOBBY64 said:


> I just watched a video on YouTube that had these kids in Canada I believe. They have 2000 bottles turning amethyst. To make them more purple they layed all the bottles on the top of the mountain(must be their property). They are laying on grass and with the sun I think they are going to start a fire. Someone already commented on it but, I never seen anything like it. I don't know what people are thinking, like this was a good idea? Crazy!
> ROBBYBOBBY64.



Do you have a link to the video?

A tall mountain would have more intense UV exposure: 




Other than the UV intesity consideration, and exercise value if the kids are humping the bottles up the mountain on their backs, it does seem a questionable practice at best.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Apr 14, 2021)

willong said:


> Do you have a link to the video?
> 
> A tall mountain would have more intense UV exposure: View attachment 223325
> 
> Other than the UV intesity consideration, and exercise value if the kids are humping the bottles up the mountain on their backs, it does seem a questionable practice at best.


Here is the video. They did it.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## Dogo (Apr 17, 2021)

I have  half pint milk bottle that I found at a flea market in Rapid City, SD almost 40 years ago. It is the darkest naturally turned bottle I have ever seen. I think it must have been full sun the whole time. The bottle is from OAKLAND, NJ !!!!!


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## willong (Apr 20, 2021)

ROBBYBOBBY64 said:


> Here is the video.


Thanks Robby.


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## willong (Apr 20, 2021)

ROBBYBOBBY64 said:


> Here is the video.


I think they are being a bit liberal with the definition of "mountain."  That said, northern Ontario would experience long hours of daylight through the Summer.


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## bottle-o-pop (Nov 4, 2021)

It's a new way to ruin bottles. Zippity!

Bottles that are already greenish, like Coke bottles will, when artificially irradiated, take on a ghastly dark brownish green color like spoiled spinach leaves.

I have seen some sellers selling pop bottles with a deep purple color. I believe that they are ALL artificially irradiated. I don't think that glass will take on that deep of a purple color, even if subjected to sunlight for thousands of years!

It might happen on a planet that revolves around a B-type star, but not near our civilized G-type star, even on the planet Mercury.


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## Harry Pristis (Nov 4, 2021)




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## bottle-o-pop (Nov 30, 2021)

Has anyone in this community ever had success rescuing a bottle ruined by artificial radiation by using heat? I imagine it takes enough heat that the furnace used needs a controller to slow down the cooling to avoid cracks forming.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Dec 1, 2021)

bottle-o-pop said:


> Has anyone in this community ever had success rescuing a bottle ruined by artificial radiation by using heat? I imagine it takes enough heat that the furnace used needs a controller to slow down the cooling to avoid cracks forming.


I heard it can be done in a kitchen oven. Not sure the exact procedure. Sounded risky so I have never done it.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## WesternPA-collector (Dec 2, 2021)

I've seen deep purple irradiated bottles for sale on Ebay with no disclaimer stating that they have been modified, which is against the site policy. I don't like bottles that have been artificially colored this way. It's ruining the historical value of an item. So I agree with what willong said.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Dec 2, 2021)

WesternPA-collector said:


> I've seen deep purple irradiated bottles for sale on Ebay with no disclaimer stating that they have been modified, which is against the site policy. I don't like bottles that have been artificially colored this way. It's ruining the historical value of an item. So I agree with what willong said.


ASC is a term they use. Amethyst Sun Colored. 
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## willong (Dec 2, 2021)

bottle-o-pop said:


> but not near our civilized G-type star, even on the planet Mercury


I don't know about that since Mercury receives nearly seven times the solar irradiance that Earth does and has only 1% the magnetosphere strength at surface. Since it is also a factor in the colorization, how long duration of exposure are you willing to consider? I suspect that an exposure of just a few MERCURIAL DAYS at its equator might produce a noticeable lavender hue.


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## Jamdam (Dec 17, 2021)

Harry Pristis said:


> View attachment 231636


This is why I love this site. I can’t imagine having resources like this during most of my bottle collecting days. Just ask and someone out there can help.

Here’s my contribution. A 1/2 pint uServo milk. I did not apply any contrast to see the embossing, just white light to show color with no editing. I don’t collect milk bottles so don’t know much about this one other than age range. I keep it to demonstrate selenium colorization when i give the occasional talk.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Dec 18, 2021)

Jamdam said:


> This is why I love this site. I can’t imagine having resources like this during most of my bottle collecting days. Just ask and someone out there can help.
> 
> Here’s my contribution. A 1/2 pint uServo milk. I did not apply any contrast to see the embossing, just white light to show color with no editing. I don’t collect milk bottles so don’t know much about this one other than age range. I keep it to demonstrate selenium colorization when i give the occasional talk.View attachment 233031


Nice example. Hard color to call, to me it looks light rose beige.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## Csa (Dec 23, 2021)

I have a few 1920s small milks that have a light rose/beige tint. I thought the magnesium usage was stopped well before that.
By far the best SCA bottle I have dug is a little Albion Maryland whiskey bottle circa 1900-1910 I believe.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Dec 24, 2021)

Recycled glass with manganese can be found in later bottles. This 1952 Coca-Cola hobbleskirt glows a nice green. From Newark, N.J.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## Fenndango (Jan 19, 2022)

You have tons of purple insulators???


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## DavidW (Aug 14, 2022)

Jamdam said:


> This is why I love this site. I can’t imagine having resources like this during most of my bottle collecting days. Just ask and someone out there can help.
> 
> Here’s my contribution. A 1/2 pint uServo milk. I did not apply any contrast to see the embossing, just white light to show color with no editing. I don’t collect milk bottles so don’t know much about this one other than age range. I keep it to demonstrate selenium colorization when i give the occasional talk.View attachment 233031


This color, or slight variations, when seen in some insulators (such as some types made by Dominion, McLaughlin, and Whitall Tatum) , is usually called "Straw" or "Peach"  in the insulator price guides,  and among insulator collectors.


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## CanadianBottles (Aug 14, 2022)

I won't buy those deep purple bottles where you can barely see the light through them, I don't understand the appear of those.  I am more forgiving of the medium-shade purple, because natural sunlight will do that if the bottle has been laying out in the sun for a century so you can't be sure they're artificially irradiated.  Here's a shard of glass I recently came across on a sand dune which I can guarantee was never artificially irradiated:



I've seen the same shade on mine tailings in the mountains.  Never found anything intact with that shade of purple unfortunately.  In both cases it was in places that are covered by snow half the year.  For those of you who live in the desert, what's the deepest purple that you find on the surface?  I would imagine that it would be quite a bit darker if it hadn't been covered over every winter.  

There are also those deep purple insulators that I initially assumed were irradiated, but of course an insulator would be open to the sun the whole year no matter how cold it got in the winters, so I now suspect that they actually turned that colour while on the poles if they were left up long enough.  There are so few light purple insulators in comparison that I have a hard time imagining the majority got irradiated.  Has anyone here ever found a deep purple insulator in the wild?


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