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November - December 2020
Bottles and Extras
FOHBC
President’s Message Ferdinand Meyer V
John O’Neill FMG Design, Inc. 101 Crawford Street Studio 1A Houston, Texas 77002 713.222.7979 x115 Avenue, 1805 Ralston fmeyer@fohbc.org Belmont, California 94002
650.619.8209 itting down at my desk, on this firstJoneill@risk-strategies.com back-to-work Monday after New Years, I conjure up a vision of a stove with lots of pots-a-cooking. n my inaugural issue ofbottle Bottles andhas Extras, promised a Statetoofthe The kettle labeled antique events us allI looking forward the Union the next2016 issue and so here is whatAntique I believe stretch leadingAddress up to theinFOHBC Sacramento National Botfaces us as a hobby andthis a group. tle Convention & Expo August. We have a coordination conference call later in the week and plan to step it up a notch or two. We are also pleased that wewith locked in Springfield, Massachusetts ourare 2017 In consulting Elizabeth and Ferdinand Meyer for who bothNational Antique Bottle Convention, and by theour timemembership you read this long time officers and board members, formessage, the pastthe FOHBC 2018 Antique Bottle & 876 Expomembers, will have in been three years is National as follows. In 2018 we Convention had a total of announced for899 Cleveland, Weofreally have our teams place 2019 we had membersOhio. (a gain 23 members), and inin2020 ourand our wheels inismotion. supposeofwe should start thinking thethe 2019 membership 795 (a Idecline 104 members) and thusabout erasing Convention in the Southern Region. Planning ahead has many benefits. gain of the prior year and looking at a percentage decline of 11.56%.
I
The FOHBC is also proud to say that this March | April 2016 issue of Ferdinand believes that back in 2013 webemay have in hadfull a high BOTTLES and EXTRAS is the first to printed color,ofwhich around 1200 members, which if accurate reflects that we have now only costs us an additional $184, an issue. This change prompted a few lost a full third ofwhich our membership base. wesuch haveasreason to of design revisions, we hope you willI think notice, the Table be concerned trend headers. indicatesWe ourreceive numbers willabe in reContents and aabout few what of thethe section quite few futurenice years, unless we try to not onlylooks gain exposure ally compliments on new howways the magazine and havetocome thefar hobby the federation, butofkeep the Oh, current base so in a and relative short number years. and membership look for a new section in the and backfind of ways the magazine called “Member Gallery”. interested to expand to a whole newPhoto generation of This new section is must dedicated to there the fine of antique bottles and collectors that be out thatphotography we are just not connecting with. glass. Please feelabout free the to submit your images We Ferdinand wrote same problem in 2013for andconsideration. yet seven years have already started work on the May | June issue and hopethethat you later we are probably in a worsened condition. I don’t think hobby will authoring article forwe theare magazine. We we are need here to help! is onconsider life support, but I an don’t think doing what to be
doing to maintain a healthy sustainability of the hobby. We are not Within this issue of BOTTLES and EXTRAS, please read the proposed facing this problem alone: coin, stamp, dolls, advertising, and similar bylaw updates and revisions that have been marked in red. All revisions collectors are facing the same grim statistics. Even the Car Collector have been approved by the FOHBC Board of Directors. These bylaws market in 2019 cooled off. They are seeing an increasingly discerning have been amended and need to be reviewed by the FOHBC membership market, with a widening between good, at better and best.2016 OurNaprior to the annual generaldivide membership meeting the FOHBC hobbies are becoming a buyer’s market, rather than a seller’s market tional Antique Bottle Convention & Expo in Sacramento, California by with exceptions forof thea best of theofbest. The best always an affirmative vote majority all votes cast of bythe thebest eligible voters seems to hold value andthat in many cases increasing exponentially. in attendance, provided a copy of the proposed changes are made available to each member in advance, either directly by mail or by timely notice in the Federation’s official is periodical or onone theproblem Federation website. Let’s talk about what I believe the number facing
our hobby – Age. I have not done any in-depth study as to what
In news, moving ahead photography for thetake Virtual ageother bands that we our are membership base with falls into but it doesn’t Museum and hope to have regional photography labs set up in regions Einstein to walk through the bottle shows to look at all the white to bottles boththeinmajority a standard format and 3-dimenandstart grayphotographing hair and figure out that of our members and sionally. This effort is being spearheaded by Museum Director, Alan Deattendees are at least in the sixth inning of the ballgame. I think it Maison. You may have met Alan at the Virtual Museum table during the would be a shame to see these great collections inevitably come FOHBC 2015 Chattanooga National Antique Bottle Show last August.
onto market with little interest in them. How about the incredible knowledgemember base behind each and every collection sitting idleproFederation Alicia Booth, is heading up thejust nomination like the tombs of Egypt awaiting some explorer to unearth and cess for the election of all Federation officers including the them President, carryPresident(s), them forward for future generations. Fortunately, are not Vice Secretary, Treasurer, Business Manager,we Membership
at that point yet. We still see strong successful auction results from
Glass Works Auctions, American Bottle Auctions,Director, AmericanHistorian, Glass Director, Public Relations Director, Conventions Gallery and all Director, the other Directors-at-Large auction houses that(3), serve collector. Merchandising andthe Region Directors (4). These elections occur every two years. Any officer may run for successive terms. This has prepared a slateShows of nominations With Covid-19, the committee majority (90%) of the Bottle have beenfor each officewhich and isislisted below. It istoimportant to note any member cancelled a further blow our hobby. One that of the things we desiring to are run doing for anyis office in the Federation may file a nomination as a Board engaging in some additional assistance from form with the Election Committee (in accordance with procedures apoutside providers to promote the FOHBC on a six-month trial basis proved by the membership and instituted by the Election Committee) to get our Instagram page up and running, and enhance our Faceindicating the office they desire to run isfor. deadline for filing this book presence. The scope of services as The follows: is April 1st 2016. We have seen successful campaigns by our membership before so if you want to run for a position, please let Alicia know. Provide a recurring, month to month service to post frequently You and reach her at this email address, alicia@cis-houston.org. You on the FOHBC Facebook page. Develop a FOHBC Instagram will be receiving a ballot for voting so please take the time to vote. account and regularly add posts. The goal is to increase the visibility of the FOHBC, President: word about theVimportance Meyer FOHBC Candidates spread theFerdinand of membership, push ourHouston, magazine Bottles and Extras, push Texas is the slate Virtual of FOHBC Museum, National Conventions, and Shows the Here FOHBC First Vice President: Sheldon Baugh recommended candidates and other related news. The FOHBCKentucky will provide ideas and Russellville, put forth by the nominating visuals for content. committee (Alicia Booth, Second Vice President: Gene Bradberry
Chairperson) for 2014 - 2016. Bartlett, Tennessee I personally think the The slate is being put forth for electronic medium has been a huge asset your consideration and in anyone Secretary: during Covid-19 that it keeps us inJames touch Berry with fellow collectors to run for office may YorkGroups that anyone anddesiring enthusiasts through theJohnsville, FacebookNew Private be nominated by going to the canwebsite join.and I belong to a number of suchGary Groups and all of them have Treasurer: Beatty printing out a a following almost asormuch as the FOHBC North Port, Floridaand in many cases signomination form. Then, mail nificantly more. email to Alicia Booth, Here 11502 are some of the Groups I belong to. California Historian: Jim Bender BurgoyneBottles Drive, Houston, Texasmembers), Antique and Vintage Bottle CollecAntique (608 Sprakers, New York tors77077. (18Kalicia@cis-houston.org members), US Bottle Diggers & Collectors (8.3K memClosing date for nominations Martin Van Zant bers), Hardcore StonewareEditor: and Ceramics (2.4K members), Bottle is April 1, 2016 at midnight. Danville, Indiana Diggers & Collectors (17K members). I could go on but I think you Additional nominations will get be the point. The isMerchandising not dead, but we aren’t reaching Director: Val Berrywho we printed alongside the Hobby slate Johnsville, Newhas York needproposed to connect with and so if Covid-19 taught us anything, it is by the nominating committee and will be listed My fellow Collector and friend Max Bell said Pivot, Adapt, Survive. Membership Director: Linda Sheppard in the May-June 2016 issueis certain; it best,” if anything it’s that the future is uncertain” as he Sprakers, New York of BOTTLES and EXTRAS along toldwith toame in a phone call about the cancellation of the 49ers Bottle short bio of each Conventions Director: Louis Fifer Club Show. candidate.
Brunswick, Ohio
Until we are able to returnBusiness to our Shows and Sales across the Manager: Elizabeth Meyer country, perhaps it’s time to rethinkTexas how we stay connected. I would Houston, like to gauge the level of interest in undertaking visits in Seminars Director-at-Large: Bob Ferraro via Zoom or visits to collector’s homes (again via Zoom) and to Boulder City, Nevada electronically meet them and see their collections and learn some of Director-at-Large: Steve Ketcham These the fascinating history behind the collector and the collection. Edina, Minnesota could be done regionally or nationally and we would limit them to Director-at-Large: 30-45 minutes possibly over a weekend lunchJohn hour.Pastor I encourage you New or Hudson, Michiganmessenger page and to reach out to me at my email my Facebook let me know your thoughtsMidwest on this, but Covid-19 could beLacy as much Region Director: Matt an opportunity for us to evolve as an organization as anything that Austinburg, Ohio has ever confronted us.
Northeast Region Director: Andrew Vuono Stamford, Connecticut
So in summation, the state of the Union is Strong when you consider Southern Region Director: Ron Hands the numbers that have an interest in the hobby, but weak from our Wilson, North Carolina membership perspective. This requires us to evolve, it may be forced evolution, but it's evolutionWestern nonetheless. Every time some Region Director: Eric calamity McGuire Petaluma, California befalls us or a new technology uproots the standard, it forces us to change our thinking of the Public problemRelations and it’s an opportunity become Director: Rick to DeMarsh better for both ourselves, our hobbySpa, and New our organization. Ballston York
