Need help identifying bottle age

potion123456

Hi all,

I just bought a demijohn online from a reseller in the middle of France, it was about 30 euros.

I'm now in paris for a short while so i thought I could bring something small back home for terrarium making. This bottle is about 30 cm tall, 20 cm in diameter. I bought it mainly because it had an asymmetrical neck, but there are many reproductions these days so I'm not sure if it was an authentic mistake.

Would anyone like to do some detective work here for me please? I hope to know its rough year of production, the cost in the market (if I were to resell) and maybe any other guesstimations! Really appreciate it!

Harry_Pristis

Don't you need to get your hand inside a terrarium?

I think your demijohn ("dame Jeanne") was made in the late 1800s or early 1900s in the Alsace, or possibly in Germany. The corrugated ring is diagnostic. Note that my similar bottle is not corrugated. No one is making reproductions of common bottles like this one.

Resale value is negligible because demijohn collectors generally avoid colorless glass, preferring the green or amber. Start visiting the "brocantes & antiquities" shops to find a collector bottle to go along with your terrarium.

potion123456

Thank you so much for your insight! By the way terrariums wont need too big an opening since one can just use tools like long tweezers.

I did not know clear glass isn't really in demand (gosh) :( while it might not be worth much (or anything in the market) I would like to think it's a pretty unique bottle with a long history. I guess collecting glass bottles requires lessons be learnt along the way...

Harry_Pristis

Yes, lessons, no doubt. You can start by visiting The Demijohn Page.

potion123456

Thank you harry! I just visited your website and it's so imformative. I wonder why demijohns are not more in demand, they are so beautiful and underrated!