A collection of Herman Tappan perfume bottles. Courtesy Helen Farnsworth
In A Hole in One, the Glass Dolphin Antiques has donated a Herman Tappan perfume bottle for the charity golf tournament’s silent auction. Here’s an excerpt from the book:
“Arabella smiled when she thought about the perfume bottle they were donating to the tournament’s silent auction. Valued in the $100 to $150 range, it was part of one of the ten-dollar estate sale box lots she’d bought in Pottageville. In amongst the glass doorknobs, embroidered doilies, and an assortment of what looked like polished rocks but might have been semi-precious stones or crystals, were a half dozen Herman Tappan clear glass figural perfume bottles, circa 1890s. Unmarked, yes, the labels long removed, but definitely signature Tappan if you knew your stuff, which thankfully, the estate sellers had not.”
When I was looking for the perfect item for the silent auction, I thought an antique perfume bottle might be something unique enough to garner interest, but I also wanted something in a specific price range. Having worked as the Senior Editor for New England Antiques Journal for many years, I was familiar with the International Perfume Bottle Association. The result of that, as well as more information on Herman Tappan, is recorded in their January 2019 newsletter. To read IPBA Solves a Mystery, click here.