Finding Stone Ginger Beer Bottles from Berkshire

There are so many ways of finding stone ginger beer bottles.  This is certainly the easiest approach to discovering the breweries from Berkshire over the period from 1830 to 1930.  Once I know a stone ginger beer bottle exists the internet can be a very productive way of discovering information and putting it together in one place on my website.  It also means that the research does not need to be general research looking for clues about breweries and branching off in all directions because the empirical evidence is there in my hands already.  Having provenance is the best feeling in the world as it confirms any research.

So, where does anyone find/buy any types of Victorian bottles including gb's?

Antique Shops

Auction Houses (BBR Auctions - specifically for Extremely Rare and Expensive Bottles)

Bottle Shows

Car Boot Sales

Charity Shops

Ebay and other selling websites.

Garage Sales

House Clearance Auctions

Jumble Sales

Networking - telling people that I collect them.

Other Collectors

Other Historians

Pubs - It is still surprising how many country pubs you go in that have old bottles on shelves gathering dust.

The one category I am missing from the above is an obvious one.  People still go and find and dig Victorian rubbish dumps.  There are still "bottle diggers" out there in every corner of the UK.  This hobby still flourishes even since the 1970's when the fascination began with Victorian Bottles.  It is discussed more at length in the Archaeology page of this website.

If you have the time, energy and money then buy the land with a known Victorian rubbish dump on (they are out there somewhere!....but good luck finding one!), hire a person with a JCB to dig it completely out to the bottom and find all of those hidden bottle gems out there!  You can then resell the land once you have made it good again.