Many of the readers are always asking me the question, “How old is my bottle?” I know you have probably found some old bottles if you like to collect, and you may have wondered how old they are.

Let me give you a little information on how to date your bottles. If you have a bottle in your collection that has “Federal Law Prohibits the Reuse or Resale of this bottle” on it, this is a liquor bottle from 1933.

You can also hold a bottle up to the light and see a seam that starts at the bottom and runs up to the top. You can tell the age by the seams on the bottle. If the seam is all the way to the top, it is from the 1900s. You can also use the gauge pictured to determine the age of your bottles in your collection.

If you hold your bottle up to the light and you see a seam that goes all the way around and then two seams that go to the top, this is a three piece mold. These bottles were put together in three pieces and these were made in 1809.

In an attempt to produce a cheap, clear glass, magnesium was added and used in the making of glass. The magnesium content caused a chemical reaction when the glass was exposed to the rays of the sun. This would cause the glass to turn purple, and these bottles were made before 1914.

Louisiana Treasures Museum has more than 3,000 bottles in several collections. Stop by with your bottles if you have any questions about their age. The museum is located on Highway 22-West of Ponchatoula. Call Wayne Norwood at 225-294-8352 for more information, hours of operation or to schedule group tours.

Wayne Norwood is a lieutenant with the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Department and owner and operator of the Louisiana Treasures Museum.