CLEOPATRA'S BOUDOIR
Perfumes & More!

Are you a collector of antique & vintage perfumes or want to get started?

Are you a seller who wants to list vintage perfumes but don't know where to start?

Then you have come to the right place! I have been collecting vintage perfumes for many years and have also sold them on ebay for several years. I will discuss several things people look for when buying vintage perfumes and things a seller should add to their item descriptions.

If you are a seller, please read the following tips:

• Please bear in mind that your buyer is interested in how old the perfume is. If it dates to the 1920s, 1960s or even the 1990s, please make mention of it in your description. Many perfume bottles have been redeveloped throughout the years and knowing which year your bottle dates from may help in someone's quest for a particular bottle.If it is Victorian, please be sure it is an antique and not a reproduction, or those newly made light weight, thin glass perfume bottles from Egypt. If you have no idea on the age of your bottle, you can ask me thru my appraisal service or look thru any of my guides on vintage perfumes (most are listed by the perfume company's name).

• Who was the manufacturer? For instance, if Coty manufactured your perfume Emeraude, then make mention of it. Or if Guerlain made your bottle of Shalimar tell your buyer. Sometimes, perfumes can have the same names, but different makers. Your buyer may be looking up that particular maker in a search.Some collectors only want to buy certain perfume bottles from particular perfume houses.

• Is your perfume bottle an atomizer? An atomizer is a perfume that has the squeeze ball! If your perfume has one, be sure to mention if your perfume is an atomizer, because some people are looking for these. Look at the base of your atomizer for any manufacturer's signatures or labels. Some atomizer manufacturers are highly collectible like Devilbiss,Volupte, Aristo, Irice, Apollo, Marcel Franck. Be sure to mention  if your piece is acid-stamped, specially if it says Czecho-Slovakia, Baccarat, Lalique or France.

• The overall condition, is there any chips, scratches, fleabites, stains, or cracks? Chips along the mouth of the bottle or on the base of the stopper?  If your bottle has been gilded, is there any wear to the gilding?  Is dauber end  snapped off the stopper? If your stopper is frozen in place, be sure to mention that when listing. Some buyers prefer if you do not disturb it, plus it will help when it comes time to ship the bottle.

• The size of the bottle, please make mention how tall the bottle is and the width. Some bottles may look big/small on the computer, but a buyer may be disappointed in how big/small it may be in person. Mention if the bottle is a mini perfume or if it is a large factice (display bottle)

• The condition of the label is important as this adds or decreases the value of your bottle. For instance, is there any wear, fading, smudges, chipping? Is it a gold or silver foil label? Is it a metal label?  Is the label missing or on the base? Is there enameled lettering on the bottle instead of a label? Does this have wear?

• Stoppers and caps. If you have a ground glass stopper, make sure the stopper and the base go together. On fine French crystal bottles, numbers will be incised onto the base and the bottom of the stopper, this was done at the factory to show that the stopper was specifically ground to fit the base. The numbers should match! If your glass stopper has a plastic base, be sure to mention this in your listing as this helps to determine the age of  the bottle. If your stopper isnt glass, mention if your cap is metal, plastic, Bakelite, celluloid, cork, etc. If your stopper is stuck, be sure to mention this in the listing. Don't attempt to use force to remove it, as you can snap the stopper right in half or crack the bottle.

• The contents, or what we call the "juice". Many people wish to own bottles that still contain their original scents and haven t been opened. Perfumes generally sell higher if they are sealed. If you perfume is sealed, but looks like it has some missing, its most likely due to evaporation. Even if there is just a little amount, please let your buyers know. I usually give a percentage, like there is 20% of perfume left in the bottle. If your bottle is 7-10 years old or older, please tell your buyers, as the perfume will no longer be fresh in most cases. Is there perfume residue inside? Most bottles look beautiful with their juice inside, and I feel it completes the presentation.

• Is the original box present? If so, what condition is it in? Boxes are a definite help in selling vintage perfumes. Collectors like to display them together, be sure to include it in your pictures.

• Was the perfume bottle manufactured by a famous company like Lalique, Baccarat, Julian Viard, St. Louis, Val St. Lambert, Steuben, Tiffany, Daum Nancy, Galle, or DeVilbiss, or Czecho-Slovakia? Collectors are looking for these. Some commercial perfume bottles were manufactured by Lalique, Baccarat and Cristal Romesnil, so be sure to look for their marks on the bottom of your bottle.If your bottle is marked on the bottom, include a picture of it for your buyers.

• To look for Czech markings that may no longer be legible, take the base of the perfume bottle and rub it briskly against a piece of solf cotton like an old towel or denim, for several seconds, then immediately breathe hot air upon it, a mark such as Czecho-Slovakia may show up for a few seconds. If it didnt work the first time, try it again.

• Is this perfume bottle shown in any books you may have on perfume? If so, quote the book, author, page its on, and the book value. Remember, book values are only a guide, but many collectors would like to know if the bottle has any value, or they can look it up in their own books.

• Packing and shipping perfume bottles is easy, be sure to wrap the stopper separate from the bottle to avoid breakage. I use styrofoam packing peanuts and small bubble-wrap to pack bottles. If the perfume bottle has juice in it, I usually put the stopper in place and then melt some beeswax around the edges of the stopper and mouth of the bottle (while it is in place) so that it will stay in place the juice will not escape during shipment. Just be careful you do not get any excess wax on the rest of the bottle or on the label! You can do this trick if your stopper is frozen too, just in case.Your buyer can scrape away any beeswax and wipe away any residue off with a soft cloth. I would email the buyer before shipment to see if they want the bottle sealed with the wax. Some might want just tape over the stopper. Do not get any tape on the label or gilding. I usually get a piece of paper big enough to cover the label, then put a piece of tape over that paper so that it does not touch the label.  Or you could get a medicine dropper and decant the perfume into a small glass vial with a screw cap to ship inside the box, so that the perfume won't soil the label or box. Please do not use newspaper as it is not a good cushion for the glass. I have recieved some broken bottles in the mail because the seller used newspaper. Some buyers want their perfumes double boxed.  Always insure the package and get delivery confirmation. If the bottle is over $100 you might want to get signature confirmation. You never know what will happen when the box leaves your hands at the post office--because YOU are responsible for getting the item in as described condition to the buyer, not the post office--so get insurance, its cheap enough for some piece of mind.

Be sure to pick up some of the great books devoted to vintage perfumes. My favorites are:

•  Commercial Perfume Bottles by Jacquelyne Jones-North. 
• Monsen & Baer Perfume Bottle Auction Catalogs
• The Art of Perfume by Christie Mayer Lefkowith
• Masterpieces of the Perfume Industry by Christie Mayer Lefkowith
• Perfume, Cologne & Scent Bottles by Jacquelyne Jones North

• Decide on what types of perfume bottles you would want in your collection. Would you like to collect atomizers, how about a collection of only DeVilbiss examples, or you can add the fabulous Czech atomizers, or other fine examples by Volupte, Apollo, Irice, Marcel Franck, Pyramid and Aristo.

• Do you like the pretty Czech crystal perfumes? In my opinion the most elegant pieces have jewels and filigree accents that look stunning when grouped together on a vanity or in a curio cabinet. There are many types of Czech perfume bottles such as mini purse flacons, jeweled and filigree examples, cut crystal with large intaglio stoppers, tiara style bottles, Irice minis with jeweled dangles as well as atomizers. 

• Are you interested in collection commercial perfumes? Do you prefer a certain perfume house such as Guerlain or Coty? Do you wish to collect the bottles with the fanciest labels? Do you like the Art Nouveau labels the best?

• Want to collect Lalique, Baccarat perfumes or other art glass pieces? Some of the finest perfume bottles were manufactured from 1900-1930s.Satin glass perfumes have a certain ethereal quality about them. Cameo glass pieces are scarce and highly collectible as are the iridescent pieces by Loetz, Steuben and Tiffany. Look above to read about other manufacturer's of art glass perfumes.

• If you are looking to collect perfume bottles but don't have much space to store them or display them, then perhaps you should collect the miniatures! They don't take up too much space and they are easily displayed on shelves, in curio cabinets, and other places. There are so many different brands of perfumes, that you could have hundreds of minis to choose from for your collection. It is also nice to collect the different sizes of bottles and include the mini as well!

• Condition. Try to buy bottles in the best of condition. Bottles in the best shape retain their value.If you find a rare bottle, such a Lalique one, a minor chip or nick shouldn't be too devaluing. Are the labels present?  Is their gilding on the bottle? Is it worn? Sometimes crystal perfumes have little fleabites and nicks along the mouth of the bottle, this was most likely caused from the stoppers being taken out and put back in over time, and is usual wear. Some collectors prefer to buy sealed bottles full of juice. I find that it completes the presentation, shows off the bottles nicely, and looks gorgeous.

• Make sure the stopper and the base go together. Every now and then, I see a base paired with a stopper for a different perfume. Another good tip is if the base of the perfume bottle has a incised number, chances are your stopper should have this same number, if it does, you know your stopper was specifically ground to fit your base at the factory. This was a frequent occurence with older French bottles.

• Does the perfume have its original box? Boxes add to the perfume bottles value.

• Contents. If you are searching for that long lost or discontinued perfume of your memory such as Styx by Coty. Please remember that perfumes over 7-10 years start to lose their freshness and may start to smell like alcohol. The older the perfume, the less it may smell like what you may remember. I have had some buyers purchase vintage perfume and say that it stinks, I politely mention that  the perfume is blah blah blah years old and is no longer fresh. I make a point of putting this in my description. If you are looking to buy fresh smelling perfume, don't buy vintage or antique!

• Try to buy perfume bottles that you enjoy looking at or you find beautiful. These will give you the most pleasure as they would no doubt be in your display cases, vanity, or wherever you choose to display them. I wouldn't advise in following trends. If you like Lalique perfume bottles, by all means, collect them, they are gorgeous! They can be expensive though, so if you have a budget, you may want to buy some less expensive ones.Lalique perfume bottles, see my webpage the Online Encyclopedia of Lalique Perfume Bottles at www.freewebs.com/cleopatrasboudoir2

• If you are unsure about the age of a perfume bottle, always ask the seller. Always ask your seller any questions you may have about the perfume bottle. You should also do some research on your own in case you have any doubts. Or, you can ask me through my appraisal service or check thru any of my guides on vintage perfumes.

• Always inspect the pictures carefully as in most cases, they tell the true condition of the bottle. If you need a better picture, ask your seller, they will most likely send you one.If you are unsure about condition based on a poor or blurry photo, always ask about condition before bidding!

• By all means, purchase insurance if you buy a perfume on ebay. Just in case the bottle get damaged or lost in the mail, you can at least file a claim with the post office. The perfume bottle is your investment so protect it! Be sure to contact your seller right away if anything should happen to your perfume bottle. Insurance costs are cheap enough, I always get insurance on everything I buy on ebay. If you have special instructions on shipping your perfume, as a courtesy please email the seller first to make sure they will do this for you, so there are no surprises at the end of the auction.

• When all is said and done have fun treasure hunting!!!

Do you have a vintage perfume and need help in figuring out how old it may be? Simply knowing when your perfume first came out can be a huge help. I have written over 270 guides on eBay about perfume companies and their perfumes and noting launch dates for perfumes. Please remember that some perfumes were made for many years after their launch dates, on the other hand, some perfumes were only sold for a very short time.

• The presence of clear labels indicating contents were first used around the 1950s. These are either on the front, back or base of your bottle.

• By 1970, cosmetic companies were stamping colored numbers on the bottom of their products. This stamping usually consisted of four numbers and was visible on the bottom of each item. Older bottles from the 1930s-40s would have lot numbers or patent numbers embossed right into the glass base.

• A Zip Code on a label denotes age meaning this bottle is from 1962 or later. Before 1937, no zip codes were used. From 1937 to 1962, two code numbers were used on mail and labels. In 1962, all zip codes were required by the US Postal Service.

• If your bottle has a label which states: "returning this bottle to the perfumer is a national duty"...then your bottle dates from 1940-1945 during WWII.

• Bottles embossed with or having labels marked "Made in Occupied Japan" were made from September 1945 until April 1952.

• Bakelite screw caps were in usage from 1930s-1950s.Some perfume bottles as the ones for Lanvin often continued using black Bakelite screwcaps into the 1960s. If you rub the cap  with your finger briskly or hold it under hot running water (remove cap from bottle first!) for about 20-30 seconds, then smell it, if it has a formaldehyde odor, it is bakelite.

• Lucite caps were used from the late 1930s-onward. The older lucite caps become yellowed or discolored from perfume.

• Another feature was the use of plastic caps placed over the base of a ground glass stopper. The finest plastic caps began to be used by 1979 when the glass factory of Saint Gobain Desjonqueres introduced the first plastic covered dowel stoppers.

• Glass stoppers that had dowels that went into corks were in use from 1870s-1920.

• Goldtone plastic screw caps were in use after the 1940s.

• Goldtone metal screwcaps were in use from 1930s onward.

• Enameled lettering ( instead of labels) on glass bottles started being used after the 1930s and was pretty regular feature in the 1940s onward. This lettering is fragile and can be lost with too much cleaning.

• If your label states that the perfume was "created/compounded/assembled"  in France or USA, it dates to after the 1940s and most likely dates to the 1950s.

• If your box or label has a number with a degree symbol, this notes the perfume or cologne's alcohol percentage. Two common percentages are  80% and 90% for eau de toilette and cologne.  This helps date the bottle to after the 1950s.

• Look for a patent number on the base of the bottle, these patent dates were frequent in the 1930s and 1940s, you can look up the number on search engines on US patent webpages online. Also, English Registry Design numbers can also be found on perfume bottles from the United Kingdom, you can search the numbers online also.

• Old glass bottles might have etched matching numbers on the base of the perfume bottle and on the bottom of the stopper. This was done at the factory when the stopper would have been ground to fit the bottle, the numbers are to show which bottle goes with the right stopper. These were usually found on French bottles.

• If your bottle is marked Gaillard, J. Viard or J. Villard, it was made during 1900-1920s. Lucien Gaillard was a contemporary of Lalique and designed many Art Nouveau perfume bottles for notable French perfume houses such as Clamy and Violet. Julien Viard was a French glass designer of the 1920s and designed bottles for Richard Hudnut,Isabey, Favolys and Langlois. Both Gaillard & Viard collaborated and you might find the mark of J. Villard on some bottles.

• Older bottles stamped their name and origin somewhere on the bottle. In the 1940s, stickers replaced the stamping but were soon lost or destroyed, making it difficult to authenticate.

• If your bottle has an embossed entwined HP mark on the base of the bottle, it was made by the glass factory of Pochet et du Courval in France after 1930.

• At the beginning of the 20th century, revenue stamps appeared on the imported scents coming into America.This stamped container is very collectible, because of the information on that stamp.

• Always look at all sides of a bottle. Some labels can be read from both sides, looking thru the back of the bottle. You might encounter labels which have the date stamped on the back of the labels. Sample bottles from the 1950s onward, often had labels that would say "sample, not to be sold". Today's bottles read "tester". Factice, or display bottles, were not meant for resale, and will have labels such as: "dummy, not for sale".  Sometimes a date is also stamped on the backside of the label, I have seen this with old Chanel & Lanvin bottles. Chanel bottles from the 1960s onward should have the backs of their labels marked with a copyright symbol and CC.

• If your bottle is marked S or SGD on the base, it was manufactured by the Saint Gobain Desjonqueres glass factory of France after the 1950s, when the factory was rebuilt after WWII and equipped with modern fully-automatic machinery.

• Old labels turn brown naturally, however, water and perfume can cause stains on labels over the years

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• Cellophane packaging was developed in 1908 by a Swiss textile engineer, Jacques Brandenberger, and in 1917 assigned his patents to La Cellophane Societe Anonyme and joined that organization. On December 26, 1923, an agreement was executed between Du Pont Cellophane Company and La Cellophane by which La Cellophane licensed Du Pont Cellophane Company exclusively under its United States cellophane patents. It was originally used to wrap luxury items, but was expensive and not moisture proof. Finding early perfumes with cellophane packaging is very rare. It wasnt until the late 1940s that cellophane started to become a regular feature on perfume box packaging.

• Look on the base of your bottle for acid stamps for Baccarat, Lalique, Cristal Nancy or Cristal Romesnil, these markings add value to your bottle. Cristal Nancy closed their doors in 1934. Only from 1936, Baccarat bottles were systematically engraved with  a mark. Prior to this, they were acid etched, stamped and some had round paper labels, while many have no distinguishing marks.

• Lalique perfumes were marked with a signature on the bases. The signature has changed over the years and you can date a bottle by the style of the signature. Older bottles are marked R. Lalique in block lettering.You can look up various websites or books on Lalique to find signatures and the dates they were used.

• Older perfume will start to darken and the oldest perfumes have a syrupy texture.

• If your label or box has the perfume company's address, you might be able to date the bottle by comparing the addresses for the company if a company has had more than one address.

• If your bottle has a VB , or BR mark on the base, it was made by Verreries Brosse of France after the 1920s when the factory installed semi-automatic bottle making machines. In 1963, Brosse switched from making hand ground stoppers to precision machine grinding. In 1976, Brosse patented two new stopper innovations,the first is a ring made of polypropylene with horizontal joints placed on the stopper dowel.The second is a polypropylene coating of the stopper dowel designed with internal friction teeth.

• Sealed perfumes which look to have some perfume missing, have had their contents evaporated, this is caused by heat, and poor storage as well as aging.

• Check out vintage advertisements for perfumes in old magazines. They will usually have a date on them and you can use these to compare your bottle to whats shown in the ad.

• Older perfumes have onion skin paper seals or thin celluloid seals in either red, blue or other colors.

• The styles of the boxes or labels can also help determine age. Art Nouveau is generally 1900-1920s, Art Deco mid 1920s and some styles carried into the 1940s, psychedelic late 1960s-early 1970s. Please note that this isnt always foolproof.

• Some perfume boxes or labels might have a warning label such as: "Warning--Use only as directed. Intentional misuse by deliberately concentrating and inhaling the contents can be harmful or fatal". This warning was approved by the FDA starting in 1975.

• Any cosmetic, perfume or lotion labeled "hypoallergenic" dates to after 1975, when the FDA allowed companies to mark their products in this manner.