I recently got a call from an unhappy bidder. He bid on lot 43 of our last auction and despite a left bid of $1,000 won it for $600. The bottle was paid for and sent out. We thought that would be the end of it but we thought wrong. The bidder who we’ll simply […]
Collector Profiles: Sandor Fuss-A New Breed of Collector?

Even his name is different, Sandor Fuss, not your average Bill Smith or Bob Jones next door. “It’s German,” Sandor says proudly. Although relatively new to the bottle-collecting hobby, in the three or so years he’s collected antique bottles, Sandor Fuss has put together a collection that makes even the most ardent and longtime […]
Rare Schnapp’s Turns Up on Ebay
For Tom Doligale just a new color or slight variant example of the Udolpho Wolfe’s to add to his collection is an event. What he recently purchased on Ebay must have been a life changing experience for him, and the many people who treasure these multi-colored, often very crude schnapps. What Tom found was possibly […]
Photographing Bottles and Glass
Same Bottle-Different Colors Makes for a Challange Taking photographs of bottles is something I’ve done for almost 20 years now, I have learned a lot of things but continue to learn more each time I continue the endeavor. Bottles are an interesting subject because unlike an apple or a chair, they are transparent. That […]
The Current State of the Bottle Hobby
As Stated in a Speech given by Jeff Wichmann August 7, 2010 At the FOHBC conference in Wilmington, Ohio. Did you know that in the 1970’s bottle collecting was one of the most popular hobbies in America? Yep. Right up there with stamps and coins. But of course bottle collecting started much earlier than that. […]
The Antique Auction Podcast with Jeff Wichmann and Chi Chi Anyanwu.
American Bottle Auctions recently did an interview with Martin Willis, who runs the Antique Auction Podcast. This veteran has gone to great lengths to search out and do interviews with some of the most well known auctioneers and other interesting personalities in the business. To our surprise Martin wanted to talk with Chi Chi and Jeff about the […]
The Success (and failures) of Auction 50…and other assorted love songs
The Bryant’s Bitters The Favorite Bitters Our long awaited auction 50 ended last week and I have to say it ended with quite a bang. It was the final lot that stopped our hearts for a moment and showered us in an auspicious feeling of wonderment. A Favorite Bitters was the subject of a fierce […]
Our 50th Auction and Going…
This Monday the 24th of May, 2010 we will begin our 50th auction. It scares me as much as it makes me surprised. It’s like watching your child grow from a screaming little munchkin to a college grad and then a father. It’s scary because never in […]
The Beauty of Not So Expensive Bottles
I recently wrote an article entitled The Noble Collector that talked about some particular bottles that have sold for big dollars lately. These are extremely rare and desirable pieces that can take your breath away not only in the beauty of the piece but in the dollar amount paid for them. I received some emails […]
The Noble Collector by Jeff Wichmann
Tis’ the season, tis’ the time, the changing of the guard, the beginning of the stampede. That is to say, bottles, these fragile creatures, looming, lurking, hiding and appearing, like ships passing in the night. Now as dawn breaks we see the glimmer of a pontil, the sparkle of General George Washington’s face. We see […]