Ancient Bottle Appraisal
I recently acquired this bottle, and know little about it. From posting some questions on other forums, there appears to be the chance that is rare and of some value, it could possibly even be considered ancient. Any suggestions on the best way to get an "expert" appraisal of this item to determine its age, origin, and value?
Comments
I visited Corning Glass Museum last summer and was really taken by the ancient glass displays. What was most striking to me was the display of faked ancient glass. Early mid-eastern glass is not all that uncommon - I recall seeing quite a large display in a tourist shop several years ago in Lebanon. They had dozens of examples. Why someone would go to the trouble to reproduce pieces complete with such a level of patina and aging is beyond me.
I am not saying that your example is a fake, but needs to be examined by an expert. You could walk into any bottle show in the US and get help on US made bottles but finding the right person to evaluate this piece is going to be a bit more difficult. Instead of looking at general bottle sites, I would look to for someone who specifically deals in ancient and Roman glass. You may also be find help from the staff at Corning.
You will regularly find examples of ancient glass on ebay. I think you will discover that offered prices for vials and plain examples is in the hundreds of dollars. Larger, more dramatic pieces, especially those with applied decoration will command significantly more.
Hope this helps.