12 Vintage Perfume Bottles That Are Worth Thousands

A variety of elegant, transparent glass bottles with ornate stoppers contain different shades of liquid, ranging from amber to golden yellow. The bottles are arranged on a reflective surface with a blurred background.
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Perfume isn’t cheap, whether we’re talking Baccarat or Chanel. Sometimes it’s the brand’s big name. Sometimes it’s the luxurious fragrances within the bottle. And sometimes it’s the bottle that holds the value. When it comes to vintage perfume bottles, there are some alarmingly high price tags tacked to them.

Here are some of the most valuable ones we could find.

1. 1934 Obelisk Egyptian Revival Perfume Bottle

A perfume bottle shaped like an obelisk with gold and black details stands on a stone base. The bottle features Egyptian hieroglyphic designs. A watermark reads "Perfume Bottles Auction.
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction

Sold for: $60,000

No, this perfume bottle wasn’t among Cleopatra’s belongings, but it still went for a tomb-rattling $60,000 at auction. Intended for Christmastime roll-out in the U.S. in 1934, this particular perfume (along with the bottle) wound up being too expensive to mass produce, so it was put to the wayside — and eventual auction block — instead.

2. 1930 Art Deco Czech Josef Schmidt Perfume Bottle

A vintage amber glass perfume bottle with an intricate, faceted design sits on a decorative gold stand. The bottle features an ornate silver plaque and an elegant stopper, on a reflective surface with "Perfume Bottles Auction" text in the background.
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction

Sold for: $18,000

Art Deco items are notoriously valuable. This perfume bottle’s cased amber crystal, white glass inclusions, and carved features only add to its allure and price tag.

3. 1946 Schiaparelli Salvador Dali Le Roy Soleil Perfume Bottle

Two artistic perfume bottles: one shaped like a golden shell and the other like a starburst sun with birds. Both are elegantly crafted, with the background faded into darkness to highlight their designs. "Perfume Bottles Auction" text is visible.
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction

Sold for: $10,000

This Baccarat-crafted crystal bottle, designed by Salvador Dalí for Elsa Schiaparelli, is a tribute to France’s golden age and looks more like a sculpture than a perfume bottle. Nestled in an opulent clamshell box, it was gifted to royalty (both literal and in the  fashion-world) and celebrated the Allied victory in Europe during World War II.

4. 1940s Marie Earle Ballerina Perfume Bottle

1940s ballerina slipper perfume bottle
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction

Sold for: $8,000

This perfume bottle from the 1940s was simple by nature, but its packaging was the real draw. With a ballet slipper stand and stunning gold accents, it’s all things opulent, feminine, and alluring, leading to its $8,000 price tag.

5. 1930s Curt Schlevogt Czechoslovakian Perfume Bottle

Art Deco perfume bottle with a red and black design, featuring embossed figures on the base and a decorative stopper. The bottle has a bold, sculptural look.
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction

Sold for: $7,500

This Czechoslovakian crystal perfume bottle from Curt Schlevogt’s “Ingrid” collection is pure Art Deco seduction — a masterpiece in crimson and shadow. This bottle was a homage to the rich hues of ancient Pompeii and looks more like an artifact than a perfume bottle from the ’30s.

6. 1920s Fulper Minyunet Mignonette Perfume Bottle

A decorative perfume bottle shaped like an ancient Egyptian-style woman sits on a red velvet base, next to an open gold box lined with red fabric. Text reads "Perfume Bottles Auction.
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction

Sold for: $6,000

This porcelain perfume bottle from Fulper Pottery Works shape shifted into an Egyptian courtesan. It’s a relic of the roaring ’20s if we’ve ever seen one and proof that the most valuable vintage perfume bottles are the ones with unique, ornate features.

7. 1913 D’Orsay Art Nouveau Perfume Bottle

Antique perfume bottle with a decorative silver-toned lid and ornate detailing around the base. The name "Nelly D'Orsay" is embossed on it. The background is plain white.
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction

Sold for: $5,000

Compared to some of the other vintage perfume bottles on this list, this Baccarat crystal example might appear a bit simple. But for 1913, it was plenty flashy: gray patina, delicate carvings, and an inscription!

8. 1929 Andre Jollivet Black Perfume Bottle

A black spherical bottle with a central label and a gold cap is adorned with gold decorative faces on each side. It sits on a multi-tiered red and white marbled pedestal against a gray background.
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction

Sold for: $5,000

This little bottle is pure vintage drama. Made of sleek black glass with a textured finish, it has gilded, bearded faces on each side that look straight out of an Assyrian museum. And that stopper? Total Persian royalty vibes. 

9. 1911 Rene Lalique for Coty Styx Perfume Bottle

Clear vintage perfume bottle with a decorative cap and separate stopper. Text on the bottle reads "Sirène" and "Lalique." Bottle is part of a perfume bottle auction, as noted by the watermark.
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction

Sold for: $4,750

This see-through perfume bottle rewinds back to 1911. It includes a carved stopper with four wasps and gray patina, adding to its vintage essence.

10. 1930s Vogel & Zappe Czech Perfume Bottle

Ornate blue perfume bottle with a gold-trimmed, ribbed body. The clear stopper features an engraved figure of a dancing woman holding a garland. Embellished with blue stones.
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction

Sold for: $4,500

This looks like a perfume bottle with a “handle with extreme care” label written all over it. One wrong move and the intricate glass is shattered on the floor, surrounded by jeweled gilt and shards of blue. 

11. 1930s German-Saxony Lily of the Valley Perfume Bottle

A glass perfume bottle with a clear, oval base. Its stopper is shaped like a bouquet of translucent purple flowers. The words "Perfume Bottles Auction" and a website link are visible on the image.
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction

Sold for: $4,250

While the base of this perfume bottle is just your average glass container, it’s the elaborate Lily of the Valley stopper that makes the bottle stand out as a valuable vintage piece.

12. 1944 Arden ‘On Dit’ Perfume Bottle

Vintage Elizabeth Arden perfume bottle on a decorative stand next to an ornate, hexagonal box with colorful illustrations. The bottle is flask-shaped with a white cap, and the stand has "Elizabeth Arden" written on it.
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction
Image courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Perfume Bottles Auction

Sold for: $4,250

This frosted glass figural bottle, complete with its original hangtag, rests on top of a revolving musical box designed for the 1944 holiday season. With graphics by René Bouché, it’s a limited-edition piece, which explains its high price tag.

Author
Rachel Schneider

Rachel is a Michigan-based writer with a bachelor’s degree in Professional Writing and English. Throughout her career, she has dabbled in a variety of subject matter from finance and higher education to lifestyle pieces and food writing. She also enjoys writing stories based on social media trends. Find her on Instagram @rachel.schneider922