My wife found a small blue bottle in her flower bed that must have been underground for over 100 years. She?

has tried everything she knows of to "clean it up," but it still appears to be "dirty." I wonder if the glass has been damaged by being underground for so many years. Any sugguestions?

My wife found a small blue bottle in her flower bed that must have been underground for over 100 years. She?
Glass objects develop a "patina" over time (it looks like oily residue on the glass.) Leave the bottle as it is... it has character.
Reply:Check to see if it's worth anything before you try to clean it further. Never clean an antique on your own as you may ruin its sale price.



That being said, the bottle may have been etched by acidic soil. Small pieces of soil matrix may have then been trapped in the rough etched surface. But I'm just pulling this out of thin air, not an expert.
Reply:So as not to damage the bottle itself fill the bottle with vinegar and cap it with melted wax. Put the entire bottle in something larger and fill that with vinegar. Let is set for several days, turning the larger vessel several times a day. After about a week take the blue bottle out, throw the old vinegar out. And gently rinse with luke-warm water. Then you should be able to see what the bottle looks like. Take a good picture and send it to the websites of both Sothbey's and Christie's auction houses and ask their experts if they know where the bottle came from, what it originally held and how much it is worth. Or for more additional information try the Library of Congress' website at: loc.gov and post a question about antique bottles in the U.S. Good Luck and happy hunting for more relics. Where there is one there may be more.
Reply:she can use some acids to clean this bottle but she must wear rubber gloves when she do that ,, may be hydrochloric acid or conc acetic acid will be helpfull

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