Antique Silver Scent Bottles
Small, jewel-like and infinitely varied — antique silver and silver-mounted scent bottles held perfume and smelling salts, and the finest are by celebrated makers. A guide to identifying, dating, valuing and selling antique silver scent bottles in the UK.
What Is Your Silver Scent Bottle Worth?
Send a photo — including the marks on the cap or collar — and we'll value it free, with no obligation. We reply within one working day.
For two centuries a lady carried scent or smelling salts in a small silver or silver-mounted bottle — some plain and practical, others jewelled, enamelled or shaped as novelties. Compact, decorative and hugely varied, antique scent bottles are an irresistible collecting field, and rare forms by good makers fetch prices far beyond their size.
Silver scent bottles: what they are
A scent bottle (or perfume / smelling-salts bottle) is a small flask of silver, or of cut glass with a silver mount and cap, for perfume or aromatic salts. Forms include the double-ended bottle (scent at one end, salts at the other), hinged-cap and screw-cap bottles, châtelaine-hung bottles, and novelties shaped as horns, eggs or animals. Many are Victorian; makers such as Sampson Mordan are especially collected. Browse our silver collection.
What collectors look for
Named makers
Sampson Mordan and other noted makers carry a strong premium; check the cap and collar marks.
Novelty forms
Figural, double-ended, enamelled and jewelled bottles over plain examples.
Condition
Sound hinges and threads, original stopper, uncracked glass, bright unworn silver.
Decoration
Fine engraving, repoussé, enamel or gilt interiors lift desirability and value.
What are antique silver scent bottles worth?
Valued on form, maker and novelty rather than weight:
Indicative only — your bottle depends on form, maker, condition and decoration. Send a photo for a free, accurate valuation.
What Determines Value
The factors we assess on a silver scent bottle:
- Maker — Sampson Mordan and noted makers over unmarked pieces.
- Form — Figural, double-ended and novelty over plain.
- Decoration — Enamel, repoussé, gilding, jewelling.
- Condition — Sound cap, hinge and thread; uncracked glass.
- Completeness — Original stopper and any inner glass present.
- Marks — Clear hallmarks on the cap or silver collar.
Marks are on the cap or collar — look for the lion passant for sterling. Plate is marked EPNS.
How to identify and date your scent bottle
Look on the silver cap and collar (mount) for the lion passant (sterling), town mark, date letter and maker's mark — the celebrated Sampson Mordan mark ("S.MORDAN & CO") is well worth finding. Plated or unmarked mounts are worth far less; see our EPNS vs sterling silver guide. The date letter dates it — use our how to read silver hallmarks guide. As these are small, form and maker matter far more than silver weight.
Scent bottles sit with the small silver and dressing-table pieces. See our guides to vinaigrettes, vesta cases and browse our silver for sale. When you're ready to sell, visit sell your silver.
Value Your Scent Bottle
Send photographs of the bottle and the marks on the cap or collar, and we'll give you an honest, no-obligation valuation.
⚠️ Strictly by appointment only — no walk-ins at either showroom.
Frequently Asked Questions
Antique silver scent bottles — common questions.
What is a silver scent bottle?
A small flask of silver, or of glass with a silver cap and mount, for perfume or smelling salts. Made in great variety through the 19th century, including double-ended, hinged-cap and novelty forms.
How much is an antique silver scent bottle worth?
From a modest sum for a plain example up to a high collector premium for novelty, enamelled or named-maker bottles such as Sampson Mordan. Form, maker, condition and decoration decide. Send a photo for a free valuation.
Who was Sampson Mordan?
A celebrated 19th-century English maker of small silver — scent bottles, propelling pencils and novelties. Mordan pieces are well marked and especially sought after by collectors.
What is a double-ended scent bottle?
A bottle with a cap and compartment at each end — typically perfume at one end and smelling salts at the other, often in coloured glass with silver mounts. A popular Victorian form.
How do I tell sterling from plate?
Look for the lion passant hallmark on the silver cap or collar. Plated or unmarked mounts are worth far less. Send a photo of the marks and we'll confirm.
Where can I sell an antique silver scent bottle in the UK?
Mozeris Fine Antiques are specialist silver buyers with showrooms in Mayfair, London and Braintree, Essex. We offer free, no-obligation valuations — send photos or visit by appointment.
Send Us Your Photographs
Attach photos of the scent bottle and the marks on the cap or collar. We'll respond within one working day.