Category
Ceramics and Porcelains
Medium
glass or ceramic liquor bottle
Distinguishing marks
pic of duck on front of bottle signed by J. Lockhart pic of J. Lockhart on back. The bottle is brownest gray in color
Condition
Excellent
Date Period
on bottom of bottle 4 5 83 also 5391
Long Description
James B. Beam liquor bottle thats 80 proof 4 years old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey with a front pic of a duck in a tree and on the back its talks about J. Lockhart being a wildlife artists.
eBay Auction Link
For Sale?
No
Re: James B. Beam
http://www.jimbeamclub.com/
I have about thirty of them without really trying. They are referred to as Decanters. Some of them are very collectible. Often they are made of porcelain.
If they have the tax stamp they are worth more, if the whiskey is still in the container, often worth even more.
This is a good reference and after searching this site a search of Ebay would help establish price.
As a matter of interest, in 1972 Kovels put out a antiques guide and listed prices. The prices have not changed all that much simce then from what I have seen on Ebay and my research. I however pick them up when I see them and have about 25 decanters. Would I pay shipping to get one? No. Do I collect them? yes.
Re: James B. Beam
I have 4 decanter from the James B Beam collection, I have the Devil Anse Hatfield dated on the back from 1839-1921, and I also have the Randolph McCoy, with date on back 1825-1915. How can I fine out much they r really worth....?
Re: James B. Beam
These items are really soft in the market now. I have been picking them up for under $3 and took some to Williams Grove, PA flea market and sold one for $7 and had an inquiry from another person who bought one at 4$ or so he claimed. That is about correct, from what I understand $5 is the going rate now.
http://www.jimbeamclub.com/
This site offers some activity but adding shipping deters sales.
What I did was put a shelf in the garage above the garage door. I have about thirty of the decanters up there. My thoughts are that the demographics of younger consumers is to beer and wine. That with some additional time that these will come back into trend. I accumulate if the bottles go for 2$ or less at auction. That strategy works for me in this current market as I own storage in a rural area, bought and paid for storage. I will take no more than three pieces to a market and offer for sale, if I get my spread Ok, if not I'm accumulating.
I think that there is real attrition occuring in this market where pieces are being lost to the demand currently. I also feel with time that the government similar to cigarette legislation will regulate the industry and or some of the hard liquor vendors will go out of business. The more unusual the decanter and the longer the willingness to hold with in time determine if my strategy is sound or not.
But in conclusion, when everybody was selling ford stock, the market was down, the range of the price of the stock has been $1 to 8$ in the last 52weeks. You cannot do well in any market buying under the greater fool theory, where you buy at a high price and somebody buys at yet a higher, remember cabbage patch dolls??? No the opposite is actually true, you need to buy in markets such as these and hold until market conditions improve.
See the market as it meets your current needs, but the market is soft now for these particular items but bought, cleaned, and stored offer immense longer term value.
Re: James B. Beam
I like Dee 1961's wise approach. THANKS!
Re: James B. Beam
These days Jim Beam decanters are worth about the same value as their contents ;~)Demand for "Collectibles" of this type peaked in the late 1980's and values have declined for all but the rarest of them. I see them all the time at auction for under $20.00.
Lovejoy