Believe it or not there are actually 5 different magazines all dedicated to bottle collectors. There are two in the UK, two in the US of A and also one in Australia...... and there used to be more !!. New Zealand once had a national bottle magazine and only recently Canada had an excellent national publication. I intend to provide links to all reputable national magazines, most of which have their own websites. In the meantime, here is some information about the UK national magazine affiliated to this website ;
BYGONES is a UK national magazine for all collectors of old bottles and related bygones. It was launched under the title of BOTTLES & BYGONES in January 1992 by Mike Sheridan - who also happens to be the owner and developer of this website. Bottles & Bygones went into print as a quality publication in A4 format printed on glossy artpaper with many photographic illustrations. This contrasted with the lowly status of the UK's other bottle publication which started out as a few photocopied sheets of A4 paper with simple line drawings ! BOTTLES & BYGONES was the FIRST UK bottle magazine to gain an ISSN from the British Library - ISSN 1355-7211, and also the FIRST UK bottle magazine to set up on the internet.As part of the agreement for providing the ISSN, the British Library received FREE copies of the magazine, so the publication will be accessible to future generations !! In January 1998 came a relaunch. For the first time colour printing was introduced and the magazine was expanded to 32 pages. Another contrast here as BOTTLES & BYGONES had taken just 6 years to go colourful whereas the other UK publication had taken 12 years ! With the relaunch came a new name - BYGONES. Subscribers to this publication have come from literally all around the world. Naturally most were based in the UK but large numbers of subscribers were also based in the US of A and Canada. Australia and New Zealand were well represented. Then there was Holland, Eire,Germany, Spain, Belgium,.Hungary, Mexico, Barbados, the Bahamas, US Virgin Islands, South Africa and even Japan !! The popularity of this magazine may be judged by the total lack of any second hand back issues for sale at any UK bottle show . Bottles & Bygones ws conceived as an essential reference source - a mine of information, and clearly collectors value their magazines. When spare copies of the first two issues came up for auction in 1998 they astonished some people by fetching quite large sums of money.
With the new Millenium beckoning, Mike considered the future of the magazine and indeed the future of this website. It seemed a logical move to transfer the magazine to the internet and make it into a fully fledged e-zine, available for FREE. Accordingly he decided to cease printing BYGONES with issue Vol 3. No 5. He has offered the printed magazine for sale so there is a chance it may continue but if not .......watch this space !!
For the very best of reasons therefore, no further subscriptions to the printed magazine are being accepted. However shoould you wish to purchase single copies of the printed magazine this will still be possible for a few more months.
BYGONES VOL 3. No 5 - The CURRENT and possibly the LAST issue contains a 151 lot fully illustrated auction catalogue featuring the UK's biggest & best Warners Safe Cure collection plus a GREAT coloured Hair collection. Also included is a good poison grouping including a GREEN Gilbertson wedge poison. Also some rare and desirable ointment and glamour pots. This auction closes on April 30th 1999 and can be fully viewed elsewhere on this site. Features in this magazine include - The Story of Schweppes Part 3, Crosse & Blackwell, Whisky & Birds, Bottle Talk, The Woolmer Green Dig and more. Cost is just £3.50 postpaid within the UK and $5 US postpaid to the US and Canada.
ALSO AVAILABLE
BYGONES VOL 3. No 4 - Contains an advertising auction catalogue , the auction for which is still current on this site (JUST) £3.50 postpaid in the UK, $5 US postpaid to the US and Canada
BYGONES VOL 3. No. 2
BYGONES VOL 3. No 1
The back issues are all in very short supply and will all sell out very soon. Please send a $5 bill from the US or Canada and in the UK please make any cheque payable to BOTTLES & BYGONES.
Please do come back soon when we will present information about the two US bottle magazines, the Australian Bottle Magazine and possible more about the future of BYGONES
E-mail for more information ? mike@bygones.demon.co.uk