Avon Historical Aftershave Bottles

Q: I have some old Avon aftershave bottles that depict Ben Franklin and some presidents, like Washington, Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt. The heads are cream colored, and the bottoms are white. Do they have any value?

A: Avon Products, Inc., dates back to 1886, although it didn’t start using Avon as a product name until 1928. The company’s name was officially changed to Avon Products Inc. in 1937. Collecting Avon bottles became a fad in the 1960s and was a popular pastime for about 20 years. That’s no longer true, but there are still dedicated collectors out there. Your bottles were made in the 1970s. Abraham Lincoln was first in 1973; then George Washington and Benjamin Franklin in 1974, Theodore Roosevelt in 1975 and Thomas Jefferson in 1977. The bottles were made of painted glass and the heads, many of which discolored over the years (hence, the color of your bottles’ tops), were white plastic. They were only made for a few years and contained six ounces of aftershave products called Wild Country, Tai Winds and Everest. Most of the bottles, even mint with the original box, sell for only about $5 today.