Picker’s Pocket Guide to Bottles: How To Pick Like a Pro

Buried TreasuresWhen a brilliant and rare flask sold at auction for a record $176,670 a few years ago, a secret was unearthed - bottles are true buried treasures. Discover for yourself what veteran bottle hunters have known for years with this hands-on, how-to guide to picking bottles. Learn what seasoned collectors look for and what they value in this easy-to-follow and indispensable pocket guide.You'll Uncover:The most popular bottles, including flask, whiskey, poison, and inkThe hot spots for picking bottles, from flea markets to thrift storesWhere and how to dig for bottlesHow to price and evaluate bottlesWhether for pleasure or profit, the Picker's Pocket Guide is a real find.|When a brilliant and rare flask sold at auction for a record $176,670 a few years ago, a secret was unearthed - bottles are true buried treasures. Discover for yourself what veteran bottle hunters have known for years with this hands-on, how-to guide to picking bottles.|This guide will show pickers where to pick the good, better, and best bottles for their collection ? no matter what their collecting level ? as well as show how to sell bottles for the best money possible. Despite the availability of bottles, condition, age, type and much more all play a factor in their collectability and value. All of these factors can be highly nuanced and this book aims to show how to understand what collectors look for. It will also touch on the history of bottles, look at common fakes and reproductions, and give pickers a working vocabulary to speak and think intelligently about this exciting and varied collecting field. The book also features advice and tips from some of the most effective and accomplished collectors and sellers in the field. Thousands of people base their livelihood on finding unique bottles and reselling them to collectors or businesses. Their skill and techniques were perfected over decades of trial and error, but they are happy to share their knowledge about the market and why they do what they do. Interest in bottle collecting continues to grow, and new bottle clubs continue to form throughout the United States and Europe. Bottles can be found anywhere and by anybody by exploring old ghost towns, abandoned homes, old mine shafts and even by digging out old outhouses. Plus, bottles are staple of the antiques and collectibles world, and virtually every antiques shop has bottles for sale.

About the Author :
Michael Polak is known as the "Bottle King" for good reason. With nearly 40 years in the hobby and with a personal collection of more than 3,000 bottles, Polak is a leading authority on bottle collecting in the United States. He has written more than 11 books on bottle collecting, including Antique Trader Bottles Identification and Price Guide, and has contributed numerous magazine and newspaper articles on the subject. He is a member of the Los Angeles Historical Bottle Club, San Diego Antique Bottle Club, Las Vegas Bottle Club, and the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors.