# To tumble or not to tumble...that is the question.



## Flaschenjager (Mar 30, 2003)

Greetings to all,
*1.) * Would you tumble a bottle that was worth $2000 or more? Would this make it worth less or more after a buff? How about $1000? (prices would reflect money offered for the bottle - not near mint prices as found in a price guide or auction report)
*2.) * Would you tumble a bottle that was one of *less than five known*? How about *less than three*? Would this make it worth less or more?

*Keep in mind that:*
*1. * The bottle has a slight chance of breaking.
*2. * Somebody has to tumble it, if you can' t do it yourself professionally, can you trust someone else to do it?

_Is it really worth it? _ I' m just trying to stir up a discussion/argument.


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## IRISH (Mar 31, 2003)

I think that polishing IF it' s done well improves dull and badly tip stained bottles,  nothing worse than a badly polished bottle tho.
 if some one sells a polished bottle they shoud tell the buyer,  I think anything thats been done to a bottle always must be told upfront when selling. 
 it' s a bit of a bummer to get home from a show and then find a fault that' s been hidden etc etc.


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## baltbottles (Apr 3, 2003)

To professionally clean a rare bottle or to leave it in dug condition. In my opinion it all depends on the bottle and what you plan to do with it. If the bottles is very rare with less than 5 known and you plan to keep it leave it alone but if you plan to sell it at auction I would have it cleaned because many of the top end collectors prefer bottles as close to mint as possible and many of these top end collectors may not bid on a bottle in dug condition. If you plan to sell the bottle privately I would ask the person who wants to buy the bottle would you pay more if I have the bottle cleaned and if the answer is yes by all means have it cleaned if the answer is no than just sell it as is. My personal collecting philosophy is that I prefer bottles in dug condition for my own collection and I will pay more for one that was dug with some light stain and wear than I would for one that has been cleaned. I look at it like this if its in dug condition I can always have it cleaned but once Its been cleaned I can never put it back to the way it was before the cleaning and in my opinion the fact that the bottle survived  100 or more years in the ground is part of the bottles history and character.

 Chris


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## BRIAN S. (May 28, 2003)

Like in the previous post , I feel tumbling is a personal preference . I really don' t think tumbling hurts the value of a bottle if done properly and not over tumbled. And it does drastical improve the apperance for display purposes. With some of the new plastics they have available on the market for tumbling it' s very hard to tell if a bottle has been tumbled or not. Of course the plastics take much longer to polish the glass. And breakage is less likely because of no copper being used and you don' t have the weight slinging around inside the tube. 
 I have tumbled many bottles without a loss to date. Knock on wood !  And I have a Semi-cabin Bitters ( only known example) that is in dug condition. It has some outside staining , but still I won' t polish it and take a chance on ruining this unique example. So , I just rubbed some olive oil on it and set it in the display case. And it displays just fine like that !
 But , if I tumble a bottle for resale I always let the buyer know it has been tumbled before his purchase. Just good & honest business !


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## BRIAN S. (May 29, 2003)

slimdigger ,
  I have dug some of my bottles , but not all of them. I have also obtained some by purchasing privately , Shows , ebay , Auctions, and of course trading.


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## Relicsnstuff (Jun 24, 2003)

Hello;
  As for tumbling, I dig in New Orleans and almost all bottles dug here need to 
  be tumbled. I found a few very rare bottles, one of them is one of three know.
  I have tumbled them all, the trick is not to over clean and protect the pontils
  and lip. I would be real carefull to send bottles out to be tumbled as there are
  risks in shipping as well as how much experience the person has at tumbling.
  There is always risk in tumbling thin glass bottles as well. I have been tumbling
  for about  four years and have never lost a bottle due to tumbling, I know some
  other fellow diggers that have had bottles break during the tumbling process.
  If I had a rare bottle and I could not do it myself I would seek out some one in my
  area that I knew had the experience to do the job.

  Joe.


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## wvbottlehead (Jul 6, 2003)

I don' t see tumbling as altering or damaging to a bottle at all. Done properly I see it as restoring the bottle to it' s original condition. I have tumbled many of my own bottles and never broken one or affected the embossing.  Rectangular bottles & bottles with damage must be tumbled on a slow speed. I would never use a buffer. Aluminum oxide does the trick for bringing the shine back. Sometimes you can' t appreciate the true color (especially amber, green etc.) of the glass until it as been properly cleaned, but I too have some bottles I chose not to clean because I think they just look better, many years in the ground can produce a beautiful iridescence . Scratches can also be safely removed using a fine grit silicon carbide, Although I usually don' t mind a few scratches on my bottles it too gives them character.


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## Flaschenjager (Sep 16, 2003)

*WOW!!!* What a great response from all. A lot of great points are made. Tumbling bottles can always be a part of a good discussion, for many reasons. The part of the country you live in factors in as well, New Orleans area for example. I also do feel that a dealer should tell the buyer that the bottle has been tumbled. This is a must. As far as tumbling my own finds, well I agree on a light tumble to some, but I've never done this, yet. I don't own a machine, but I'm certain I will in the future. The olive oil trick works well and I've done this to a few, because it's quick, easy and can be washed away and doesn't alter the bottle at all.

 Once again, Thanks to all who helped make this a great discussion!


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## bttlmark (May 9, 2006)

Clean & Pretty is better than Sick and Ugly


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## GuntherHess (May 9, 2006)

In general from what i have observed at auctions, bottles that have been cleaned usually bring a higher price than bottles which have significant stain/haze.
 Buyers paying top prices for high end bottles seem to prefer clean versions, tumbled or attic clean.
 Tumbling has risk, but so does shipping.
 There are some bottles you just dont want to tumble, bottles with onionskin surface bubbles, bottles with cracks, early medicines with thin corner walls.
 If its something like a heavy soda bottle that is very unlikely to be damaged then you dont have to worry much about damage.
 I prefer tumbled over hazy but its a personal preference.


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## annie44 (May 13, 2006)

I definitely prefer bottles that are clean and shiny, over ones in dug condition.  They display so much better in my opinion.  That being said, if I had a very expensive bottle to sell, I would leave it to the buyer to tumble or not tumble rather than risk the bottle breaking while I had it tumbled, even if that meant I got less for the bottle.  I agree with the opinion that tumbling is not altering the bottle, just restoring it to its original condition, and they sure do look nice when they sparkle!


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## bearswede (May 13, 2006)

I think the last four posts pretty much sum up my thoughts on the matter... As to not wanting glass that has been altered, well that's just not possible... First of all, glass is technically a liquid and is flowing under gravity at an extremely slow rate... Thus it is theoretically if not practically subject to alteration as it sits on a shelf...

  Second, if dug, it has already been altered from it's original condition at the time of being blown, by various natural/cultural processes...

  Technically, simply washing the bottle is altering it's "found" condition...

  Anyway, it's up to the owner... And passing on info about tumbling is a courtesy, but I don't see it as an ethical necessity... Repairs on the other hand are a different matter...


  Ron


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## capsoda (May 13, 2006)

Hey Ron,...... exsqueeze me......pardon moo.......huh.......what.......eeh......pardon-a- muaa........say  what. I don't think i got that.

 Wait I think something nicked my head as it went over. 

 Just joshin but that is a very good point that I will use to advantage.


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## bearswede (May 13, 2006)

> I will use to advantage.


 
  HOW NOW, MOO COW...?


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## Nu_B_2_bottles (Jul 24, 2006)

This is all of extreme interest to us Nu_Bs out here. My question is in the mix. Very rare and extremely limited bottles...should be tumbled with?? I have heard of using copper and must say that I am uncomfortable with that on a very valuable bottle. I have also heard of using plastic BBs, which sounds much less abrasive to me on the glass. So if I were to find that very rare bottle on one of my digs, take it home, soak it, and then decide to tumble it in my homemade tumbler. Just what would be the best mix??
 Thanks for any and all help,
 Nu_B_2_bottles


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