Rare Justus Perry flask brings $17,360 to bottle auction

An online bottle auction saw its rare 19th century Justus Perry flask excel at $17,360

An extremely rare Justus Perry flask has brought $17,360 to a specialist online bottle auction, which ran April 27-May 6.

A rare colouration saw this flask excel at auction

The flask starred as top lot in the sale, which featured 195 bottles dating from 1850-1900, a coveted period for collectors due to the superior embossing techniques used at the time.

The blown glass piece was made circa 1822-1840 by the Keene-Marlboro Street Glass Works of New Hampshire, and embossed with a masonic eagle design. The bottle is a fantastic example of the scarce blue/purple colouration which is a highly sought-after rarity for collectors.

"If we had offered the same bottle in its usual aqua, it probably would have fetched $500," commented auctioneer Jeff Wichmann after the sale.

The bottle was prevented from realising its full potential due to a chip on its lip, which detracted from the final sale price. Without the chip, the bottle would have been graded 9.9, the highest possible grading.

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Surprisingly, the second highest bids in the sale weren't brought by a bottle, but by a Victorian-era target ball. Made from decorated glass, the balls would have been stuffed with feathers and catapulted into the air to be hit by shooters. They were introduced to Europe and the United States in the late 1800s due to declining bird populations.

The auction saw its excellent purple coloured example made by the Johnston Great Western Gun Works of Pittsburgh sell at $12,880. The same auction house set a record for a target ball at auction in 2010, when an 1870 Agnew & Brown example sold for $29,120.

Paul Fraser Collectibles has a superb range of unique items in stock, providing enjoyable and profitable tangible assets for investors.

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Images: American Bottle Auctions