Prohibition Era Liquor Bottles - Any Value?

[ScubaFinder]

Hi, I'm predominately a shipwreck hunter and I have located some ships that went down near Bimini in a hurricane in 1926 (the heyday of Prohibition)...their cargo was liquor. No doubt the liquor was to be smuggled into the U.S. and sold on the black market, but fate had other plans.

Based on what I've seen, there is a good chance that many bottles are intact, some may even have the original liquor in them. Is there a decent market for bottles like this? By decent I mean decent enough to make it worth my while to go diving and dig some of them up. I realize this is a broad question, I haven't recovered anything just yet, but I know what is possible with the wreck sites. In broad terms, would the bottles have value based on their heritage and circumstances, or would they just be another 1920's liquor bottle.

Thanks, I know nothing of bottles so any help is appreciated.

Jason

 

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[sodetraveler]

Jason,
Bottles from the mid-1920's are mostly machine made and would have little value. However, the liquor in the bottles may be worth something to those folks who appreciate properly aged beverages! I would suggest bringing a couple up to the surface and "testing the waters". If you go this route, please post some pictures here - I'd like to get a look.

 

[jgas]

Agreed, get down there and see what you can grab up. You never know maybe the ship had bottles that were made earlier. Possibly some decanters or things of that nature that would command a higher dollar. I would not pass up the opportunity to do a bit of diving for those. You just never know what you may end up with. Sure the ABM types are not bank busters, but still historically neat! Let us know what you decide to do and see about getting some underwater photos' I for one would love to see them. Goodluck and be safe. jgas