While Tennessee toasts Jack Daniel’s Whiskey, and Kentucky cheers Jim Beam’s Bourbon, neighboring South Carolina runs dry on notable liquor royalty. As America’s whiskey and bourbon men were mashing their way to fame and fortune at the turn of the 20th century, a conniving, one-eyed politician was cooking up his own elixir: a state-run monopoly on all alcohol bottled and sold within the borders of the Palmetto State, South Carolina. Read more
Cloudy glass, otherwise known as sick glass, can sometimes be cleared. Sick glass occurs when hard water seeps into the glass through micro fractures. The calcium, lime, and other minerals in the water cause a light, foggy appearance to occur. And as antique glass collectors know, eliminating “cloudy glass” can be a formidable challenge.
Over the years, the aforementioned collectors have devised a number of remedies to treat―and sometimes cure―sick glass. Using only household items, here are 5 methods for cleaning cloudy antique glass.
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Several months ago, I was invited by Butch Holcombe, the publisher of American Digger Magazine, to join him on a metal detecting trip to historic Augusta, Georgia. As I soon learned, the city is undertaking an aggressive “beautification” plan, in which public and private developers are reclaiming abandoned and condemned properties, tearing down dilapidated houses, and replacing them with new ones. Our mission? To search recently bulldozed lots for historical remnants of the past. Read more
From liquor, beer, and wine, to soda and medicinal bottles, there are many different sizes and shapes for collectors to collect. Physical characteristics such as embossed lettering, shape, and color accounts for much of a bottle’s popularity and value. A bottle’s age, provenance, and overall condition also impacts a bottle’s collectible appeal. For the novice collector to the pro, we’ve put together a few tips to help guide your adventures in bottle collecting.