To know collectible antique glass you must understand how glass was made in the days from which your collectors clamor. Blown glass was made by molten glass placed on the end of a glass tube and blown up like you blow up a balloon. As it was being blown, it was shaped by various tools and when complete it was allowed to cool. During the making of collectible antique glass bottles, a handle may be applied by pressing the molten glass shaped like the handle onto the jar once it started to cool. Occasionally this process resulted in a crack in the bottle, which does little to detract from the current value of a collectible antique glass.

During the fashioning of blown glass, a tool called a pontil rod was used to hold the glass while it was fashioned into the desired shape. In the end it was simply snapped off and may be polished clear, but the evidence of the pontil mark should still be visible and gives a general idea of age and value of collectible antique glass.

In later years glass objects were made of molded glass and many of those were counterfeits of original blown glass. To find modern molded glass masquerading as collectible antique glass there are a couple things to look for like the wear factor. Look at the bottom of the piece first to see if you can find the pontil rod scar and then look for wear marks. If there are marks where there shouldn’t be, it’s probably a fake.

Another hint is small irregularities in the top of the piece, indicating spill over as if too much molten glass had been poured into the mold. This would be a sign of shoddy workmanship, as would too many bubbles in the glass. Although, even in quality blown glass a few bubbles may appear, but in the cheaper reproductions it won’t take long to find them. Perhaps your first step in buying collectible antique glass should be the purchase of a collectible antique glass magazine or book. It will usually identify the collection trends and help lead you on the right collectible path.

People are not completely the same hobbies. Some like to spend their idle hours watching television, listening to music. Others like chatting with their friends in their free time. And there are many other hobbies.One of the most rewarding possible hobbies is the collection of antiques. Antique collecting offers considerable advantages to a hobbyist while filling the needs for relaxation and enrichment. Collecting antiques is a great way to increase one’s quality of life without expending considerable physical energy.

First, antique collecting allows participants to connect with history in a very special way. All of us recognize that we are, in large measure, a byproduct of the historical forces that have shaped our forefathers and families. Antique collection allows us to interact with that history in a very real way.

Appreciation of older items brings with it a chance to explore the history that created them. We learn more about the circumstances surrounding their origin, the people who once used them, the context in which the antiques were used and other interesting historical tidbits that we may otherwise never fully understand. For this reason alone, antique collection should be considered a wonderfully enriching hobby activity.

Second, antique collection allows us to embark on a long-term endeavor that has no definitive end point.

Instead of being yet another of the discrete chores we encounter every day, collecting antiques is an open-ended proposition. It provides collectors with a lifelong opportunity to explore learn and find pleasure. It is not a simple matter of a beginning and an end. Instead, it offers the joys of a long journey and is a pastime one can enjoy throughout their entire life.

No antique collection is every truly complete. There is always another item that can be added. Even if one feels a collection is whole, there is usually at least one piece of the collection that can be upgraded or improved. If one truly feels comfortable in the completion of a particular aspect of a collection, they need only expand their interests ever so slightly to re-initiate a collector’s challenge.

Third, antique collecting allows us to bring things of interest and beauty into our life. The industrial world is full of sameness. Assembly line products stuff store shelves and cookie cutter homes dot the suburban landscape.

Antiques provide an alternative to this homogenous culture. Collectors have the opportunity to brighten their lives and to stray from dull norms by bringing items of historical significance and unique aesthetics into their daily life.

One can settle for ready-made furniture or they can add a functional and elegant piece of history to their home by acquiring an antique table. One can decorate their walls with prints found at a shopping mall store or they can add extra dimension and impact to a room by hanging an antique painting or ornamental item.

Antiques provide an opportunity to escape the humdrum and to put one’s personal mark upon their living space.

Fourth, antique collecting is one of the few hobbies that offer the potential for actual financial gain.

Most hobbies can be accurately viewed as an expense. They cost money and although they may produce benefits, they generally do not produce revenue. Antiques on the other hand, are valued commodities. Many antique items double nicely as investments and thousands of collectors have found their hobby is also a great way to earn additional money.

Antiques and Collectibles are very multiform. Collecting them is considered a wonderful hobby for anyone. It allows us to experience history, enrich our lives and to profit financially at the same time. Few pastimes can offer a package as complete as the one presented by antique collection.