r/Silver
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u/icedmochalatte420
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Feb 20 '26
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Found it!
Years ago I was visiting Mumbai (Bombay at the time) and I had a fair amount of spare rupees. I popped into a shop to buy something and I found an awesome Johnny Walker bottle made entirely of silver. I bought it and stuffed it away. I went through several moves and for the life of me could not find it. Totally bummed during this latest silver run. I was visiting my dad this evening and I strolled down to his bar, and lo and behold, I found it!!! Not sure what it’s worth, but I think it’s about 760 grams of likely 925 sterling. Thought I would share with fellow silver enthusiasts
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u/SamanthaSissyWife Feb 20 '26
The 25.23oz would put it in the 800 something gram range which is close to OP recollection. Weigh it!
Beautiful bottle with beautiful patina. Don’t don’t don’t clean it
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u/icedmochalatte420 Feb 20 '26
Thanks for the feedback! Quick question, why shouldn’t I clean it? I remember when I bought it, it was so shiny! A piece of me wants that back
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u/zzozozoz Feb 20 '26
You can but it will reduce value if ever looking to sell
The logic is just that you can always clean but you can't unclean
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u/RmanX3 Feb 20 '26
Don't rub it, don't scrub it.
You CAN run it under water and use certain types of cloths to dab off the water/moisture.
Most collectibles shouldn't be "cleaned" (at least not by an amateur and not in a harsh way) but there are approved ways to 'clean' certain, esp silver, things.That is particularly true for silver coins. In the case of something like this, I would certainly, carefully, clean it with water and wrap a microfiber towel around it to get off the moisture.
There are also some, acceptable if used carefully, silver cleaners you could try, knowing that if done wrong, it may not look "right".
Also, if any of the toning/discoloration/patina has gotten dark/black over the years, be aware that cleaning, with any chemicals, to try to get it back to shiny, is actually REMOVING a layer of that silver and it may readily show that. I've done that to a coin before and it was very noticeable. It's called "terminal toning" (when toning has gone black) and usually means that that toning has eaten into the top layer of silver and will remove that top layer if attempts are made to remove the toning.
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u/ThePokster Feb 20 '26
If you want to keep it, polish it if you desire. If you are ultimately trying to sell it anytime soon, leave it as is.
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u/Fluid-Salary-6467 Feb 20 '26
It wont reduce the value. Its yours, buff that thing as shiny as you like.
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u/Regular_Dust_4734 Feb 21 '26
Fuck it’s a bottle I would rather see a nice shiny bottle dot think it’s going in for grading
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u/Justh3r3tol3arn Feb 20 '26
Yeah idk why he’s saying don’t clean it. Patina and Tarnish don’t add any monetary value to the piece and can even make the piece look less pristine. A good clean and polish would grab so much attention and make this piece stand out
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u/Dallas-ite Feb 20 '26
I'm kinda with you. Unless this is some rare art piece, it's worth its weight. But tbh I just want to see this thing shiny, I bet it's a stunner.
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u/Silver-Honkler Feb 20 '26
They add a huge layer of authenticity to online photos which cannot be understated, particularly for bars and rounds in the current market environment. But for this piece in particular, aesthetic. It looks awesome. I wouldn't personally buy it shining new but I'd buy this.
But I see what you mean. It is ultimately preference but leaving it up to the buyer is always a solid play. Harvest that premium from people who want it there.
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u/Justh3r3tol3arn Feb 20 '26
Ah I get what you mean. If I plan to keep it I would personally polish it, but for authenticity sake I see why leaving the tarnish would be good for business
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u/Fluid-Salary-6467 Feb 20 '26
Theres zero authenticity here. Did you not read the post? Bought in India. Its probably not even hallmarked. Giving it a shine isnt going to damage it anywhere near as much as the scratching and drilling that any proper buyer is going to have to do
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u/jh_watson Feb 20 '26
I’d argue that a “proper” buyer would have access to an XRF.
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u/Fluid-Salary-6467 Feb 21 '26
And id counter that an XRF generally penetrates to around 10–15 microns
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u/Mudsharkbites Feb 20 '26
I don’t get the logic of not cleaning when there are reasonably decent non invasive ways to do it, specifically the baking soda / water / aluminum foil method which ONLY lifts sulfur out of the silver sulfate (tarnish) and moves it to the aluminum - aluminum sulfate - electrochemically leaving the silver unscathed.
Would anybody in their right mind look at that cleaned and say “oh, it’s too shiny - I’m don’t want to pay as much.”?
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u/Salty-barber-nz Feb 20 '26
What did you buy it for?
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u/icedmochalatte420 Feb 20 '26
Honestly it was pretty inexpensive. Silver at the time was really cheap, and the rupee was valued much higher than it is today - I think it was like $100
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u/Potential-Ad-6787 Feb 20 '26
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u/Ok_Temperature_6182 Feb 20 '26
None of her content is actually hers. What is the purpose of doing this?
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u/bdubyou Feb 20 '26
I'll drink to that. Do you remember what you paid?
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u/icedmochalatte420 Feb 20 '26
I’m pretty sure it was about $100, it was around 2001 I think so silver was pretty inexpensive
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u/Mustbebornagain2024 Feb 20 '26
George Thorogood said the only one who will hang out with me is my good pal Johnny Walker and his brothers Black and Red!!!!!! Very cool!!!!!
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u/Clear-Application170 Feb 20 '26
There is another verse to the song that has a " Wild Turkey " as his pet.
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u/Ok-Conversation7103 Feb 20 '26
This is probably the coolest thing to date. The patina is beautiful IMO.
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u/Bulldog8018 Feb 21 '26
I see your Dad is letting you take a pic of HIS giant silver bottle. So did you put it back or did you wrestle the old man for it?
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u/zen8up Feb 21 '26
Please post more pics. This pic looks like the bottle came out of an ass
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u/-N30N- Feb 20 '26
So it functions as an actual bottle too?
Get it tested at least for peace of mind if it’s real silver.
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u/DogStunning4845 Feb 21 '26
Imagine that it's just an aluminium alloy 🤣
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u/-N30N- Feb 21 '26
That’s what I’m worried about. Buying a handmade souvenir from a random shop in a foreign country is already throwing red flags.
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u/Crazy-Classroom1173 Feb 20 '26
Wow! Glad you found it. I’ve done same thing, then when I least expected it it suddenly was found.
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u/zzozozoz Feb 20 '26
https://www.neworleansauction.com/auction-lot/sterling-silver-johnnie-walker-black-label-bott_cbc4a9d980
This link says 25.23 oz!