Avon started in 1886 as the California Perfume Company (CPC), founded by David H. McConnell in New York. The name officially became Avon in 1939. But the real collecting craze kicked off in 1965, when Avon began making figural decanters, cars, animals, chess pieces, and just about anything else.
These bottles still surface in garage sales and old dressers at homes. Most people wonder if they’ve got something worth real money when they see them.
So, this guide covers how to identify antique Avon bottles, what actually drives value, and real examples that sold recently.
How to Identify Vintage & Antique Avon Bottles?
The age and authenticity of most vintage Avon perfumery bottles will easily be revealed if you look at four specific areas. So, pick up the bottle, turn it upside down, and start from the base.
The Bottom Markings (Your #1 Dating Tool)
The base marks are the most reliable dating clues. Pre-1928 CPC pieces will read “California Perfume Co.” often with New York, Kansas City, and Montreal branch cities listed. That’s genuine antique territory, over 95 years old.
- Pre-1928: “California Perfume Co.” wording, sometimes with a CPC logo. Handmade or hand-blown-in-mold construction. These are the rarest.
- 1928 to 1939: Both CPC and early “Avon” branding appear during the transition. Avon was first used commercially on September 1, 1929.
- 1939 onward: “Avon” script embossed on the base, often with a mold number.
- 1960s to 1980s figurals: Many bottles have only a paper or foil sticker on the base (no embossing at all). The Wheaton Glass Company usually didn’t mark its bottles beyond the Avon name.
- 1990s onward: Machine-crisp embossing with newer typefaces and clearer mold numbers.
Identification tip: If the sticker is gone, look for the ghost of adhesive residue. That circular haze is often the only sign an unmarked figural is genuinely vintage Avon.
Labels, Boxes, and Original Contents
Original packaging is the single biggest value multiplier on Avon. A common Model A car decanter goes for $5 to $8 loose. Put it back in its original box with the sticker intact, and it can double or triple. Full or unopened examples do even better because they’re increasingly rare; most got used up decades ago.
Paper labels fade, tear, and get washed off. If yours has a crisp, intact label, do not clean it. That label is often worth more than the bottle.
Glass Type, Color, and Manufacturing
Avon used several distinct glass types to make their bottles across the decades, and each one signals something different.
- Milk glass: Very common on 1960s–70s cream sachet jars and bath decanters. Vintage Avon milk glass tends to be dense white with a smooth surface. New reproduction milk glass often feels rougher.
- Coloured glass: Amber, cobalt blue, emerald green, ruby red, and topaz. These colors were available for the car decanters, amber being the most popular one.
- Hand painting vs. transfers: CPC pieces before 1940 were hand-painted. After the 1960s, the transfers became dominant. Hand-painting fetches premium prices.
- Ruby red pressed glass: Almost always the 1876 Cape Cod collection (1975–1992), made by Wheaton.
12 Valuable Vintage Avon Bottles Worth Money
The following examples span the whole Avon timeline, from the 1898 CPC era to the 1980s figurals, and are some of the most collectible ones.
1. Unicorn Cologne Bottle
Sold for $145
The Avon Unicorn is a clear pressed-glass kneeling unicorn with a gold-tone twisted horn as the cap. The same mold carried several fragrances, including Bird of Paradise, Brocade, and Timeless.
Most examples sell for $10 to $25, but rare configurations, exceptional condition, or competitive bidding can push this piece into the mid-$100 range on standout auction days.
- Estimated Value: $10 to $25 (rare peaks over $100)
- Production Years: 1970s
- What to Check: Gold horn intact, clear glass unmarked
- Quick Notes: Multiple fragrance labels share this mold
2. Curious Kitty Cologne Bottle
Sold for $65
The Curious Kitty is a charming two-piece Avon set from the 1970s: a clear glass fishbowl (with fish embossed on the sides) as the bottle, plus a separate plastic cat figure that perches on the rim. It held 2.5 oz of Sweet Honesty or Here’s My Heart cologne.
The cat isn’t attached to the bottle, so it’s often lost, and full boxed sets sell for real money.
- Estimated Value: $25 to $65 (full, boxed)
- Production Years: 1970s
- What to Check: Both the fishbowl and the cat figure present
- Value Notes: Cat easily lost; boxed complete sets are rare
3. Chess Aftershave Bottles
Sold for $130 (set of 32 bottles)
Produced by Wheaton Glass between 1971 and 1978, the complete Avon Chess Set has 32 amber and silver decanters shaped like chess pieces: King, Queen, Bishop, Knight (“Smart Move”), Rook, and Pawn.
Wild Country aftershave was the most common fragrance. Individual bottles are cheap. Complete boxed sets, though, are one of the most desirable Avon collectibles going.
- Estimated Value: $5 to $15 each, $150 to $300 full sets
- Production Years: 1971 to 1978
- What to Check: Amber glass body, silver plastic top
- Quick Notes: Complete 32-piece sets are the grail.
4. CPC-Era California Perfume Company Bottle
Sold for $130 (boxed set of 4)
This is the antique tier. CPC bottles predate the Avon name and were made when the company was still hand-mixing perfumes in a small New York shop.
Look for “California Perfume Co.” embossed on the base, ground-lip finishes, and original labels for scents like Trailing Arbutus or Natoma Rose around the bottle’s neck. Complete gift sets in original boxes are the rarest.
- Estimated Value: $80 to $300+ (rare complete sets higher)
- Production Years: 1886 to 1929
- What to Check: “California Perfume Co.” base embossing
5. Mouse “Brocade” Perfume Bottle
Sold for $40
The Brocade Mouse (also sold with Elusive and other fragrances) is a small gold-toned figural with a coiled tail forming the loop. It stands under 3 inches, which makes it easy to lose but also easy to display.
The original tissue-lined box is critical here; loose Avon Brocade mice sell for a fraction of what boxed ones do.
- Estimated Value: $25 to $45 (new-in-box)
- Production Years: Early 1970s
- What to Check: Gold finish, coiled tail loop
6. Western Boot Wild Country Aftershave Decanter
Sold for $30 (with box)
The Western Boot is one of the most-searched Avon figurals on Pinterest and eBay. Made in amber glass with molded stitching, a silver spur, and a chrome cap on top, it held 5 oz of Wild Country aftershave.
The original box has bold “WESTERN BOOT” lettering. Complete examples with the spur intact and box included sell fastest.
- Estimated Value: $20 to $40 (boxed)
- Production Years: Early to mid-1970s
- What to Check: Amber glass, silver spur intact
7. Owl Fancy Raining Violets Cologne Gelee
Sold for $23 (with box)
Owl Fancy is a highly identifiable 1974 release from Avon that featured an amethyst-purple colored glass body and an elaborate golden-toned metal owl head cap.
It held 4 oz of Raining Violets cologne gelee, a semi-solid gel fragrance that Avon discontinued shortly after. The box art matters a lot for the value, since intact boxes with the violet pattern lift the value the most.
- Estimated Value: $20 to $35 (with box)
- Production Years: 1974
- What to Check: Amethyst glass, embossed gold owl cap
8. Car Decanter
Sold for $17 (with box)
The ’55 Thunderbird is one of Avon’s most-loved car decanters, a cobalt blue glass replica of Ford’s original two-seat T-Bird. It held Wild Country aftershave and came with its own blue-and-black box.
Avon reissued this shape multiple times from the 1970s into the 1990s, so check the base sticker carefully. The original box lifts value noticeably.
- Estimated Value: $15 to $30 (with box)
- Production Years: 1970s original, reissued through 1999
- What to Check: Deep cobalt blue glass, original box
9. Snoopy / Peanuts Character Bottle
Sold for $14
Peanut collectors and Avon collectors both chase these, which keeps demand steady. The 1969 Snoopy Wild Country decanter came with a baseball hat and glove.
Later 1970s versions like Snoopy’s Snow Flyer, Snoopy Ski Team, and the Flying Ace bubble bath followed. Missing plastic hats or ears cut the value in half, so complete examples matter.
- Estimated Value: $10 to $50 (with box, hat intact)
- Production Years: 1969 to the late 1970s
- What to Check: Original plastic hats or accessories intact
- Quick Notes: The United Features license adds appeal and value.
10. Pony Post Decanter
Sold for $10
The Pony Post is a striking green glass decanter with a horse-head top perched on a fluted column base, complete with a small brass hitching ring. It stood about 10 inches tall and held Tribute or Leather aftershave.
Made in the late 1960s, it’s one of Avon’s more architectural figural designs. The brass ring often goes missing, which hurts value.
- Estimated Value: $10 to $20
- Production Years: Late 1960s to early 1970s
- What to Check: Brass hitch ring present
11. German Shepherd “Noble Prince” Bottle
Sold for $12
The Noble Prince is a brown glass German Shepherd standing about 6.5 inches tall, with a plastic head that screws off as the cap. It held Wild Country aftershave through the mid-to-late 1970s.
Since the plastic head takes most of the wear (chips, fading, breakage), examples with the head fully intact and paint bright command the strongest prices.
- Estimated Value: $10 to $25
- Production Years: Mid to late 1970s
- What to Check: Plastic head intact, no fading
12. 1876 Cape Cod Decanter
Sold for $17
The 1876 Cape Cod is Avon’s most recognizable line, produced by the Wheaton Glass Company between 1975 and 1992. The deep ruby red pressed glass was inspired by 19th-century Boston & Sandwich Glass Works patterns.
Cape Cod decanters are common, but complete sets with the cake plate, butter dish, and pedestal lanterns are valuable, especially in original boxes.
- Estimated Value: $10 per piece, $150 to $400 for full sets
- Production Years: 1975 to 1992 (last sold 1995)
- What to Check: Deep ruby color, not faded
What Are Vintage Avon Bottles Actually Worth?
Most antique Avon bottles sell for $5 to $30 on eBay. Full, boxed, or rare designs bring $50 to $150. The true grails, pre-1940 CPC pieces and licensed character bottles like the 1930s Mickey Mouse, can hit $300 to $400.
The five factors that decide what a vintage Avon bottle is worth:
- Era. Pre-1965 beats 1970s. Pre-1940 CPC beats everything else.
- Original box and label. The single biggest value multiplier.
- Full or unopened contents. Adds 30% to 100% on average.
- Design rarity. Short-run figurals and licensed characters (Disney, Peanuts) command premiums.
- Condition. No chips, no cloudy glass, no flaking paint, no broken plastic caps.
Always check recent sales before buying or selling any bottle to see what collectors are paying for it.
Most vintage Avon bottles you’ll come across are worth a few dollars, and that’s just the honest truth. But once you know to flip the base over, check for the CPC mark, look for original boxes, and cross-reference sold examples, you’ll spot the real ones.
