Before degelation of the airline industry the competition for the business and first class customer was furious. Each air line tried to offer something special to set them apart. In 1952, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines created as series of 3” ceramic gin bottles that replicated historically important houses in Holland. The houses portray everything from Rembrant’s home to an Amsterdam brothel. There are nearly a hundred different models with at least one new one each year. The bottles are made using the same glazing process as the famous blue tiles produced in the Dutch city of Delft. Each holds about a shot’s worth of genever, a Dutch style of gin distilled by Lucas Bols BV since 1575

Over time they have become a status symbol with an enthusiast collector base. The idea being the more bottles you have the more you travel, the richer and more important your are. One collector is reported to have over a 1,000 of the miniatures. They have remained highly popular over the years and any attempt to eliminate them has met with an outcry from its customers.

An entire industry has evolved around these short rounds. At a gift shop in central Amsterdam, tourists pay almost $40 for houses. There are guidebooks for visiting all the houses. Several Dutch Web sites, including KLM’s, also let sellers and buyers haggle for the houses.

Special edition bottles can go for $1.000. When Princess Christina of the Netherlands sold her 210-house collection in 1996, it went for more than $10,000 at Sotheby’s in Amsterdam.

Of the complete collection, a KLM flight with carry about 30 different models so the serious collector does have some choice provided he can sweet talk the flight attendant. Of course you can also pinch the empty one that you non-collecting seat buddy left behind. However as is the case with all collectible bottles, they are worth more if they are unopened. A extremely difficult thing to maintain during a long flight.

This september the makers of 1800 Silver Tequila, Proximo Spirits, introduced a line of collectible bottles designed by nine artists from the U.S. and Mexico. These nine designs will appear on only 1,800 bottles . Learn more about 1800 Silver Tequila and the new collectible bottle designs at www.1800Tequila.com.

An important element of a collectible bottle endeavor or any collecting endeavor is record keeping. I know, I know, it’s a pain. You’ve spent the time hunting for your find, youv’e clean it, evaluated it and now you want to sit back and enjoy it. But what if, God forbid, something tragic happened, a fire, you were incapacitated or worse, how is anyone going to establish the value and extend of your collection. For these reasons and because it will help you to become a better collector, it’s extremely important that you complete record of all your bottle collecting transactions. A typical record should contain the following information:

• A Detailed description of the bottle: size weight, color, labels, manufacture, manufacturing method, and any distinguishing features, marks, etc.
• Details of your purchase: Where , when and from whom you purchased or found the bottle
• What you paid for the bottle plus an original or photocopy of receipt
• An estimated value of the item from reputable price guide
• If available, an ownership history of the item
• Any additional information about the item given to you at the time of purchased or that you have since discovered on your own.
• A photo of the item
• Location of the bottle. ie on display, in storage, etc.
• If or when you end up selling the bottle. record when, to whom and for how much

Tips: Be sure to keep a copy of your records, whether on paper or digitally, off site. You would hate to lose you collection and you records at the same time.Record Keeping. Prices and values do change so keep your records up to date. Best to review them once a year. If you sell an time don’t discard the record you may need to refer to it in the future.