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Overheard a dealer at the Brimfield flea market say those old apothecary bottles are being mass-produced in China now
Guy in the next aisle was telling his friend a container of 'antique' blue glass bottles just landed at the port last month and they're already mixed into real antique stock at a place in Sturbridge, so how do you even tell the difference anymore?
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joseph_baker1mo ago
Yeah it's basically hopeless now.
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miaa411mo ago
You ever try to check for glow? My friend Kate bought a bunch of those old apothecary bottles at an estate sale, all excited about the cobalt blue ones. Took em home and hit them with a UV light, and half of them glowed bright neon green under it. Said it was a dead giveaway the newer glass has that manganese reaction or something. She was so pissed she drove back to the sale but the dealer had already packed up and left. Now she carries a little keychain UV light everywhere she goes, says it's the only way she trusts anything anymore.
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ryand261mo ago
Wait, does that manganese glow trick work on all the new fakes or just some of them? I've heard a few people say the Chinese makers figured that out and are adding something to the glass now to stop it from glowing so bright.
But even if it works, how does that help when you're at a flea market in broad daylight and can't exactly whip out a UV light without looking like a total weirdo?
I've got a buddy who collects old milk glass and he swears by checking the bottom for certain mold marks, but he also said he got burned last year on a set of "antique" canning jars that turned out to be reproductions.
Makes you wonder if there's even a single reliable tell anymore or if we're all just one step behind the factories at this point.
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