Expert: Paul Wagner - 2/22/2008

Question
Hello Paul,   I have an unopened bottle of 1930 Chartreuse yellow 1L from my late grandfather's estate.  It is in really nice shape, I am just trying to sell it since I have no interest in antique liquor.  Do you have a ballpark guess what it would be worth?  How would I find a buyer for it?  I have many digital photos of it I could send to someone who is interested.

Thank you for your help!

William

Answer
HI William

Unlike some fine wines, distilled spirits like this do not change much in the bottle, for better or for worse, because the alcohol levels are so high.  The good news is that this should be perfectly good to drink.  The bad news is that it doesn't taste much different from a current bottling.  As a result, connoisseurs wouldn't pay much more for this bottle.  I would estimate the value of these bottles at around $75-125 at a wine and spirits auction.  

Please note that it is illegal for private individuals to sell alcoholic beverages in the USA, so you would have to work through a retailer or auction house, who would take their commission.

But this is an interesing bottle in itself, and these bottles are sometimes quite collectible, so you might find more interest (and higher prices) among bottle collectors.  Go to antiquebottles.com and see if anyone there has more interest...they are good people with a lot of good information.

Hope that helps

Paul Wagner