February 2011 Columbus Bottle Show Report and Photo Album



Finally have a chance to post the pix from the 2011 Columbus Bottle Show.

Joe Hardin and his new co-show-chairman Jamie Houdeshell put on an excellent show -- great job, guys! Friday night they had an awesome Hospitality Party at the hotel, with food, snacks and drinks. There were at least 50 people there, all sharing bottle stories and having a great time. I had so much fun visiting with old friends, and making new friends, that I didn't even take any pix. But trust me -- it would have been pix of lots of happy people!

Joe and Jamie are already making plans to add to the menu for next year's party. It's going to be bigger and better, just like the show. So make your room reservations early, and come to the Friday night pre-show party! I'll post details here on this website, so drop me an email to make sure you are on our email update/newsletter list -- finbotclub@gmail.com.

Saturday was SHOW DAY. With 130 or so sales tables, and a steady flow of collectors filtering through the entire show-time, it was a huge success. We really lucked out with the weather. It was a beautiful sunny day, with gobs of bright natural sunlight streaming through the showroom windows, making us all feel cheery and happy, and making those bottles glimmer and shine.

The big Scott Antique Show is across the street, so everyone was able to walk across the street, and attend both shows. Some people went through both shows more than once. You know you never see everything the first time through a show, and heck, there are still plenty of deals around later in the day, too.

This post is a bunch of showroom views. I have a couple themed posts to do, too. But this is a start -- enjoy!

You can see it is a really big open showroom, with plenty of windows that let the sunshine stream in. So bright that those of us who stayed inside didn't even feel like we were missing the nice weather.

This show has plenty of variety. Fruit jars, milk bottles, flasks and bitters, medicines, insulators, advertising and go-withs, stoneware -- you name it, it was there!

Parker Higby with his milk bottles. Parker was recently quoted in a magazine article about milk bottle collecting.

Serious fruit jar shoppers with Dave Rittenhouse (left). Dave is the president of the Midwest Fruit Jar Club.

A large variety of neat painted-label soda pops.

Many tables were a sea of rare bottles.

Jim Hall always puts out a selection of rarities, all clean and shiny and drool-worthy.

George Judy and his killer huge amber glass bell. George is looking for any info about this unusual piece.

Dick Watson is goin to be the Guest Speaker at the FOHBC National Show's Banquet this summer.

Not just bottles -- many dealers have advertising and tins and signs - oh my!

Jack Dixey brings a wonderful selection of high end advertising and toys. He was interviewed about his passion, political memorabilia, in the Town Crier (Poland Ohio) newspaper last October. Jack sets up at our October Findlay Bottle Show.

Here is my new friend, Amy Rutkowski, between Jeff Klingler (left) and Don Dzurro (right). Amy just started collecting fruit jars a few months ago, and has jumped in with both feet. Amy and her hubby, Eric, even came to the hospitality party on Friday night, where she met a bunch of  fruit jar collectors. She is a member of the Ohio Bottle Club already, and you will be seeing her at lots of upcoming bottle shows. Columbus was her first, and she is hooked. Welcome to the hobby, Amy!

Here's Joe Coulson, newsletter editor for the Midwest Fruit Jar Club. Read some of his award-winning newsletters here.

Margaret Shaw, of the Jelly Jammers Club, was thrilled to find this pretty amber glass jar.

The Jelly Jammers will hold their next meeting at the summer Muncie Fruit Jar Get Together in July. I will be posting all the details here soon.

Big bottles!

Big advertising!

Todd Knisely and John Apple discussing a green historical scroll flask, a category of rare bottles they are both passionate about.

Todd wrote an article for this blog about flasks -- read: Rare Early 1800's Historical Flasks Antique Bottles

The "2pm Ritual Bowing of the Dealers" -- caught the exact moment that everyone started to pack up!

The end of another great day of being with the people who understand our flavor of crazy -- bottle collectors!

_____________________________

You can read some more show reports with lots of pix by some other folks who were there:

• Joe Coulson -- show report

• Jeff Klingler -- show report

• Bruce Schank -- show report

The FinBotClub Blog is published by the Findlay Antique Bottle Club of Ohio