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.

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