An Introduction
by Joe St. Germain
From prehistoric man picking up
volcanic glass, obsidian, and looking through the smokey substance with
wonder. An Egyptian priest dips his finger into a highly colourful amphoriskos and delicately paints the symbol of Ra around his eyes. Then
to Rome, as a General raises a beautiful cameo cup to his lips in
celebration of victory. On to Persia where a woman upturns a beautiful cut
perfume bottle and cry's as the fragrance is spilled on her lap. In Venice
a merchant toasts with a enameled glass goblet at the discovery of the new
world. Then, England, France, the Netherlands, and to all the countries
who have contributed to the advancement of glassmaking.
It was not until the early 19th century that glass was no longer looked
upon as a luxury item. With the advancements in industrial factories and
glass formulas, the once coveted bottle became nothing more than a useful
receptacle, and it was the ingredients in the bottle that became coveted,
and the bottle was to our good fortune discarded. Glass. Where would we be
without it. Of all the substances known, what has more magical properties.
This is how we get our enthusiasm for beautiful glass bottles. And this
magic is felt when digging or buying early 19th and 20th century bottles.
Bottles in a vast array of colours, shapes, with interesting names and all
the history that is attached to them.
The Four Seasons Bottle Collectors Club was founded in 1976 to provide a
forum for collectors to meet one another and share their excitement for
the hobby. The club has a number of regular activities including digs,
museum tours, a Christmas party, summer BBQ and of course our regular
monthly meetings.
Perhaps the greatest accomplishment of the club was the start of the
Toronto Bottle & Nostalgia Lovers Show & Sale in 1992. This show has grown
to be one of the premier bottle shows in Canada with over 100 sales tables
and an audience of 500 plus. |
