Bottle sells for record $18,000

Reaching for the bottle . . . Otago Antique Bottle and Collectables Club president Russell Knowles, of Dunedin, with the only known example of a Palmerston North Bell & Co bottle. The bottle sold for a record $18,000. Photo by Linda Robertson

A South Island telephone bidder showed plenty of bottle, bidding a record $18,000 for the right to own a rare blue bottle at a private auction held at the Edgar Centre last night.

The bid shattered the previous price of $9,000 for a New Zealand bottle.

The 6oz Bell & Co Palmerston North bottle is believed to be the only known example of its type.

The Marton-based owner listed the reserve at $10,000 and the bottle was expected to fetch between $12,000 and $15,000.

The auction, part of the 33rd Annual National Antique Bottle and Collectables Show being held at the Edgar Centre this weekend, attracted more than 100 registrations from collectors as far afield as Australia. More than 300 lots went up for auction, including kegs, bottles, scales, butter churns and tin toys, with organisers reporting sales well over reserve prices.

The auction marked the beginning of the antique and collectables show, which is open to the public today and tomorrow.

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