Around the holidays, Cognac, scotch, and other spirits are released in rare, expensive expressions bottled in Lalique, Baccarat, or other crystal containers that may cost thousands. What most people don’t realize is that you can find empty decanters and glassware on eBay and other auction sites for around $100 or less.
Some crystal is less well-known—for instance, Atlantis, Royal Brierley, Caithness, Glencairn, Moser, Ravenscroft, Rogaska, and William Yeoward—but of equal quality to the products of better-known manufacturers, such as Baccarat, Fabergé, Gorham, Lalique, Riedel, Steuben, Tiffany, and Waterford.
A note of caution: Many decanters are made of lead crystal, which can leach into the spirit, and leaving spirits in a lead crystal decanter for an extended period is not recommended. It’s generally acceptable to leave spirits in lead crystal for a few days, though, and to consume beverages from lead crystal glassware.
Among my acquisitions is a commodore’s chest holding a Baccarat ship’s decanter that Wild Turkey released in 1979. (The decanter even has turkeys on it.) Complete sets are hard to come by, but the bottles are often available online.
Moser, sometimes called the Czech Republic’s Baccarat, produces a unique lead-free crystal. The Churchill brandy set retails for $735, but I purchased it on eBay for $80. One snifter was chipped, but it was easily repaired with a diamond file. The monogramming’s not mine, but it adds character, as if I’d inherited the crystal from a wealthy uncle.
