Collectors’ bottles displayed at Quills

Press, 9 November 1984, Page 31

Collectors’ bottles displayed at Quills

For many years, Jim Beam bottles have been sought after by avid collectors.

Bought not necessarily for the whisky they contain, the bottles range in price from about $25 to $220 each and come in all shapes, sizes and subjects. Quills, formerly Cellar Ghost Cellar Liquors, has a permanent display of Jim Beam bottles, plus some specially produced decorative bottles from other manufacturers.

Betweep 20 to 30 bottles are on show, and are changed regularly to cover the range of designs that have been produced over the years. Some bottles cover a whole range of vintage car models, and there are complete train sets, right down to the passenger cars, locomotives and coal trucks in tow.

Animals, such as horses, ducks, and geese, are skilfully moulded and there is even an old-fashioned telephone bottle on show.

The Jim Beam Bottle Collectors’ Clubs have grown to a total membership of 40 clubs, with individual membership of nearly 1200. Members have helped to launch the gladiator series of trophy bottles for the New Zealand Sports Foundation.

The first of these bottles, the Colin Meads (representing rugby) bottle, will be distributed soon.

The other three bottles in the series Richard Hadlee (cricket), Phar Lap (racing and Cardigan Bay (trotting) — will be released in subsequent years and the New Zealand Sports Foundation should benefit by more than $BOO,OOO from this four-year project.