In Albany, a day to celebrate the bottle

PHOTOGRAPHER: Stacey Lauren-Kennedy

Dave Delorier right, of Wappinger Falls, an exhibitor at the 18th Annual Bottle Show at the Polish American Community Center, shows grandson Daniel Delorier, 8 of Schuylerville, a bottle for sale. Mary Delorier of Schuylerville is left.

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Bryan Matheny had one thing on his mind Sunday: antique soda bottles that were made in Albany.

“It’s the capital of New York,” said the Gloversville man, a dealer and collector of antique bottles. “It would be cool to have some stuff from there.”

He said he has been collecting antique bottles for almost 20 years and his collection is very broad.

“I have been collecting for quite some time,” he said. “But now I have my eyes set on the soda bottles from Albany.”

Matheny was among 70 dealers who set up shop Sunday in the Polish American Community Center for the 18th Annual Bottle Show. Dealers from several neighboring states participated as well. The event drew only a small crowd, and exhibitors outnumbered spectators at times. But there was a lot of history on display for those who did attend.

Bob Prentiss was eager to show off some of the rare antique bottles in his large collection.

“This is really a hard one to find,” said the former state assemblyman and Albany County legislator, pointing to a green glass flask that was created in 1840.

Some of the bottles in his collection were crafted in the 18th century and are worth more than $500.

“This is a really great event,” Prentiss said. “All of the antique bottle lovers can get together and it’s a great thing to be a part of.”

Matt Campaner collects old milk bottles that he finds by digging through recycling bins. His table contained almost 100, most of which were made in the Capital Region, and were listed for $10, $15 or $20.

“I find a lot of the bottles in the area,” he said. “I like collecting them and having them appraised and then finding out what they are worth.”

Jason Privler, the organizer of the event, said there was a large spike in the number of dealers at the bottle show this year.

“We have seen about a 50 percent increase,” he said, adding that more dealers means a wider variety of bottles, which in turn should attract more people.

Privler said that people were enjoying the selection and customers were walking away satisfied.

“This is a great event and this is a tight-knit community,” Privler said, speaking to the bond that many antique dealers share.

He acknowledged that some of the items carried steep price tags, but he said there were bargains to be had.

“Some of the more valuable stuff is out of a lot of people’s price range,” he said. “But if you look hard you can find great bottles for a good price.”