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April, 2020 The Antique Shoppe Page 3
SHIP IN A BOTTLE Hawaiian ship in Gordan bottle to call these “patience bottles”) and some
that is valued at $1,100. very good, long neck pliers, a bent metal
Continued from Page 1
coat hanger, or a pair of polypus forceps,
Essentially, there are a specialized surgeon’s tool. The work is
only three ways to place an slow and tedious, and, although much skill is
impossible object, such as a needed to construct a ship inside a bottle, such
sailing ship, inside a bottle— construction lacks the magical moment when a
construct the ship or object 3-masted sailing sloop in bottle offered string is pulled and the masts
inside the bottle from smaller on rubylane.com for $100. are raised and the ship, in a split
parts, place a small object inside second of time, appears ready
the bottle that expands or grows for the open sea.
once inside, or mold the glass bottle around the Dating the first ship in a
object, which may actually be considered cheating. bottle is impossible. Bob de
SIB builders usually use one of two ways to Jongste, History of Ships in
place a sailing ship inside a bottle. The easiest Bottles, suggests the oldest
way and the most common way is to build and known ship in a bottle is a
rig the sailing ship, masts and all, outside Portuguese three-masted
of the bottle. First, attach masts, spars, warship, dating from 1784.
and sails separately, and then rise up This ship is now part of the
the completed ship after the ship is Museum fiir Kunst und Kulturgeschichte located
placed inside of the bottle. The masts in Dortmund, Germany.
are attached to the ship’s haul, which Some historians date a Dutch ship in
must be small enough to fit through a bottle to the very early 1800s, but
the bottle’s opening, with strings and for all practical purposes, ships in
hinges so that the masts and sails bottles first appeared after the
will fold flat against the deck’s upper This ship in a American Civil War when the
haul. When the ship is placed inside bottle, created by Industrial Revolution allowed
the bottle, the masts are pulled up using German prisoner of war mass-produced, clearer glass
during WWII was shown
strings that are slipped through the masts, on Antiques Roadshow and bottles with less air bubbles.
and the ship expands, inside the bottle, to all of appraised between $300 and $500. Continued on Page 5
its sea-worthy glory.
Collectors quickly note that Visit Historic Downtown
most ships are placed inside tinted MADDY'S ANTIQUES
glass bottles or bottles with minor 121 W. Oak St.
imperfections. This is done to help ARCADIA
hide the ship builder’s tricks, such 863-494-2500
as hinges on the masts, but hinges Voted Best Antiquing Town in Florida Specializing in:
cannot detract from the magic of by Florida Monthly Magazine
building a ship in a bottle. Country, Primitives,
An alternate way to construct “Come Spend the Day With US” Vintage Sports
a ship in a bottle is to build the
entire ship inside of the bottle from Thur. & Fri. 12-4, Sat. 10-4 or by appt.
the haul up. This requires a lot of View our store at:
patience (which leads some people ORANGE AVE MONROE ST OAK STREET POLK AVE DESOTO AVE www.maddysantiques.net 1

! ANTIQUE ASSOCIATION

MEMBERS
Antique Association of Arcadia Bizarre Bazaar - 941-456-5602

www.ArcadiaFLAntiques.com Corey’s Antiques - 863-494-5959
Maddy’s Antiques - 863-494-2500
Yellow Brick Road - 863-993-3000
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4TH SATURDAY 8am-3pm

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MAY 23 • JUNE 27

Booth Info 863-993-5105

Beautiful clipper ship in a bottle.