Antique Perfume Bottle Collecting

My sister collects antique perfume bottles. She has for as long as I can remember. Her interest in antique perfume bottles began when she was a child. Like most children, she loved things that glittered and sparkled. She loved costume jewelry, shiny rocks and even my grandmotherís glass doorknobs. It only stood to reason that she would like decorative glass as well.

Her collection began with an old decorative aftershave bottle that was bought for my father years earlier. Avon used to put its aftershave for men in attractive glass ornaments styled as automobiles and the like. My sister loved the items so much that my mother began collecting similar items for her to keep, as long as she took very good care of them.

Not only did my sister take good care of the glassware, she wound up stocking up an impressive collection of antique perfume bottles in the process. There are some items in the group that are really appealing. You can spend a good deal of time sifting through the seemingly endless assortment of glass.

However, not all of the antique perfume bottles were made of glass. I favor a few items in the assortment that are made out of metal. One of these metal items was either used for fragrance or for smelling salts. I like this piece because it is a little mysterious and because it is dated 1914 which makes it even more interesting.

I also like that some of the items in my sister’s collection tell stories that were shared by my family member. One story stands out about a mermaid and her fragrance carried by friendly fish. My grandmother gave my sister a particular set that still has me green with envy. The vintage bottles were a pair of fish.

These antique perfume bottles had cast metal holders. The caps screwed on the top and each cap had a “dab tube” that was used to dispense a modest amount of fragrance for the wearer. The antique perfume bottles boasted the finest detail including fish scales that almost looked real.

I have to say that these are my particular favorite among my sister’s collection. She would argue that this is because they were not made of glass. Maybe she is right. I personally never found glass to be of any particular interest. However, seeing her collection of antique perfume bottles is a real treat even for those of us who are not fascinated with glimmer.