Glass Works Auctions


102 Jefferson St, East Greenville, Pennsylvania 18041
215-679-5849

About Auction House

Jim Hagenbuch and company started absentee auctions back in the 1980s (as far as I remember they were the first to hold bottle-only absentee auctions) and probably have held around 100 auctions since then. As far as antique bottle auctioneers go, they probably have sold the largest number of bottles over time – it seems at least once per year they will offer one major auction with 700-800 lots, not to mention the other 3-4 auctions with several hundred lots each.  In addition to bottles, they often have barber bottles and shaving mugs, barbershop memorabilia, stoneware and early glass.

Auction Previews & News

1 Results
  • A circa 1865-1870 medium amber semi-cabin Harvey’s Prairie Bitters bottle
    Auction Result, Press Release
    Columbia Eagle Flask Sells for Record $177,840 in Glass Works Auctions Premier #192

    It was a new record auction price for an American flask or bottle. Other records were also set, including a circa 1865-1870 medium amber semi-cabin Harvey’s Prairie Bitters bottle, $33,930. PENNSBURG, Pa. – A circa 1825-1835 Columbia / Eagle flask by Kensington Union Glass Works (Philadelphia, Pa.), the very rare shorter 12-ounce mould with the single smooth wide vertical rib, sold for a staggering $177,840 in Glass Works Auctions’ online-only Premier Auction #192 held May 4th. It was a new record auction price for an American flask or bottle.  The auction featured choice selections from the collection of Richard Watson, one of the best-known collectors of bottles and flasks in the country. He started collecting in the late 1950s and continued until his death in 2014 at age 82. The late Charles Gardner was his mentor. Watson published two books on bitters bottles, in 1965 and 1968. His wife Elma did the line drawings. “We knew the Columbia / Eagle flask was going to receive strong bids, as only a very few exist in both the mould and color,” said James Hagenbuch, the owner of Glass Works Auctions. “It was the prize flask in the Watson collection and was well known throughout the flask collecting community. In all the auction was very successful, with several individual records established.” This circa 1825-1835 Columbia / Eagle flask by Kensington Union Glass Works (Philadelphia, Pa.) sold for $177,840. It was a new record auction price for an American flask or bottle. The flask, lot #1 in the catalog, was the overall top achiever of the 101-lot auction, which totaled a robust $497,000, including the buyer’s premium (all prices quoted here include the buyer’s premium). The flask was a light shading to a medium yellowish citron green pint, featuring an open pontil and sheared and tooled lip. An identical but damaged example sold for $925 in 1983. A new record auction price was achieved for lot #37, a circa 1865-1870 medium amber semi-cabin Harvey’s Prairie Bitters bottle, 9 ½ inches tall. The bottle realized $33,930. Another record price was achieved for lot #37, a circa 1865-1870 medium amber semi-cabin Harvey’s Prairie Bitters…

    AuctionDaily
  • Rare bitters and Midwestern bottles from two major collections bring high dollars in Glass Works Auctions online sale
    Auction Result
    Rare bitters and Midwestern bottles from two major collections bring high dollars in Glass Works Auctions’ online sale

    The Sept. 21-28 auction was headlined by the Paul and Mary Ballentine bitters bottle collection and the Don Spangler Midwestern bottles and glass collection. The auction’s top lot was this American Life Bitters bottle (P.E. Iler, Mfg., Tiffin, Ohio), circa 1865-1875, 9 ¼ inches tall, in a light to medium yellow color with an olive tone cabin ($42,000). EAST GREENVILLE, PA, UNITED STATES, October 14, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- An American Life Bitters bottle made in Ohio circa 1865-1875 sold for $42,000, a Constitution Bitters bottle made in New York circa 1865-1875 brought $23,000, a St. Drake’s Plantation Bitters bottle patented in New York in 1862 fetched $14,000, and a pattern globular bottle made by Zanesville Glass Works in Ohio, circa 1815-1835, hit $7,500 in Premier Auction #143, which opened for bidding Sept 21 and closed Sept. 28 by Glass Works Auctions. The online-only auction was headlined by two outstanding collections: the Paul and Mary Ballentine bitters bottle collection and the Don Spangler Midwestern bottles and glass collection. Of the 275 total lots in the auction, 140 found winning bidders. By the time it was all over, the sale grossed $354,600. All traffic was driven through the website, www.glswrk-auction.com. “The Ballentines were pioneer collectors from Ohio who started collecting in the early 1960s,” said Jim Hagenbuch, the owner of Glass Works Auctions. “Paul passed away, but Mary retained the collection until her recent passing. Don Spangler is probably the last of the early collectors of early Ohio glass. At age 90 he reluctantly decided it was time to pass it on to other collectors.” Following are highlights from the auction. All prices quoted include the buyer’s premium. Constitution Bitters bottle, circa 1865-1875 (Seward & Bentley, Buffalo, N.Y.), medium pink amethyst in color and in perfect condition, 9 ¼ inches tall ($23,000). The American Life Bitters bottle (P.E. Iler, Mfg., Tiffin, Ohio) was from the Ballentine collection and was the top achiever of the auction. The 9 ¼ inch tall bottle (Ring/Ham, A-49) had a light to medium yellow color with an olive tone cabin, and featured a smooth base and applied tapered mouth. “This bottle was…

    EIN Presswire