iStockphoto / Wendy Gunderson
Without fail, I am astonished by the number of people who go on Antiques Roadshow with only a tiny kernel of knowledge pertaining to the treasure they possess only to be blown away by the big reveal. The latest clip to scramble my brain is from a woman who is sitting on a treasure trove of rare bourbon relics worth tens and tens of thousands of dollars, Prohibition Era George T. Stagg bourbon.
These days, individual bottles of ultra-premium bourbon will retail for anywhere from $250 to over $1,000 and sell for considerably more on the secondary market. Bourbon is booming, as they say. So while there is a price range that gets attributed to these bottles I can’t shake the sense that they are worth considerably more to the right buyer.
1933 George T. Stagg Distillery O.F.C. Bourbon Bottles Appraised On ‘Antiques Roadshow’
This is a newly-released (digital only) clip from season 29 of Antiques Roadshow in an episode that was filmed at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. The woman in the clip goes on to explain how the bottles were originally her fathers.
He was a pharmacist on the South Side of Chicago during the Prohibition Era of America. Prohibition lasted from January 17, 1920 – December 5, 1933 and while we don’t know the exact years he ran the pharmacy we know these bottles at least date back to that time period. They also have dates on them.
As a pharmacist, her father was able to write prescriptions for ‘medicinal’ alcohol. Hence how the bottles are marked as ‘medicinal.’ She has the sealed bottles and accompanying boxes and according to her there are more bottles back at home being preserved.
What’s in the Bottle?
Printed right there on the label is ‘George T. Stagg Distillery’ and O.F.C. Bourbon along with the phrase ‘Bottled in Bond.’ We know that Bottled in Bond carries legal distinctions that must be followed and as I’m sure many are aware, George T. Stagg is one of the most famous names in bourbon history.
The O.F.C. stands for ‘Old Fashioned Copper’ and it was a major innovation from Colonel (E.H.) Taylor. In this clip they call him a ‘visionary’ which would be impossible to argue against. I’m still losing sleep over how incredible the two E.H. Taylor x Christ Stapleton single barrel releases were and thank my lucky stars and stripes I got a bottle of each.
Colonel Taylor used copper tubing and other equipment which ultimately led to an age of “pure ingredients” and the purification of the process so the natural ingredients could shine through. Now, the fact that she is sitting on six bottles here (and more at home) of George T. Stagg Prohibition Era bourbon is incredible. But let’s get to the clip and the reveal on what it is worth:
The appraiser discusses how each bottle would be graded individually but with the caveat that each of these sealed bottles of George T. Stagg is still valuable. He estimates that collectors would spend between $12,000 to $30,000 for the six bottles. She says she has another six at home so in total she’s looking at a range of $24,000 to $60,000 for the 12 bottle collection.
What would you do with those 12 bottles? I’m curious to hear what you all think. Let me know in the Facebook comments.
If it was me, I would probably reach out directly to the distillery/Sazerac and work out a trade of some sort because I am sure they would be interested in displaying these somewhere among their distillery/showrooms.