SIMPLE STEPS TO BUYING YOUR OWN JEANNIE BOTTLE: 1. Read the reviews! Learn from my success and from my folly! I think it is safe to say I have the single largest and broadest collection of Jeannie bottles from over 22 artists with Jeannie bottles as old as 15 years. 2. Why do you want your own Jeannie bottle? I think this is a very important question to ask yourself. For some people they want a toy, something to play with and show off, others want an exact replica of the original prop while most want the bottle they recall from the television series or one of the reunion movies, finally there are those who want their very own original designed Jeannie bottle. 3. Once you know why you want a bottle the next question is what kind of bottle do you want? Jeannie bottles are painted on everything antique Jim Beam glass, ceramic, porcelain, resin, plaster, concrete and brass. Of all the things you can buy the most accurate is the Jim Beam bottle and it will hold the highest value over time but it is also more expensive and more breakable. Ceramic, porcelain and plaster are equally breakable but cost a fraction of a painted Jim Beam bottle, they are almost always about 5% smaller than a Jim Beam bottle owing to the molding and casting process. Resin, concrete and brass are far more durable but can still be dented or chipped and again they tend to be about 5% smaller than the Jim Beam bottle and in the case of the brass bottles they are slightly larger and the details of the shape are somewhat different from that of the Jim Beam. 4. Next ask yourself which of the bottles you are interested in, i.e. first or second season, reunion movies or sister’s bottle. Most people focus on the second season bottle since this is the most viewed and iconic of the Jeannie bottle. Think long and hard about whether you will have just the one bottle or if you will want to have all four or more of the bottle designs. It is important to decide in advance if you intend to have a set of bottles. All the artists do the second season style of bottle and a good number of those do the first season bottle as well, but most of the artists do not attempt the reunion bottles. The top artists’ bottles as a set tend to look very well together but mixing and matching bottles from different artists tend not to look good together. For example a reunion bottle from Dan Moyer doesn’t look at all good next to a second season bottle from Shannon or a first season bottle from Michelle. Part of this is due to the type and amount of gloss sealant used by each artist but coloration and thickness of design work also play a significant role in how well bottles look together. If you don’t plan to display your bottles in close proximity to one another it makes less of a difference. 5. The best bottles are 100% hand painted they are most like the bottle we recall and they command the highest valuation provided the design work is well executed. There are artists and sellers who use decals or have bottles mass produced abroad. Bottles with stickers or decals are fraught with problems such as yellowing and pealing while mass produced bottles are rushed and inaccurate. Ask the seller if they use paint pens. I recommend that you avoid artists who use paint pens because the design work tends to be thin and sloppy. The best design work comes from using final sable brushes and high quality pigments. 6. Budget is always a big factor in buying anything. Ask yourself what you can reasonably afford but keep in mind that you get what you pay for. Saving a bit longer for a more expensive bottle will more likely reward you with a better bottle that will last a lifetime. Cheaper bottle might look good but in the long run they could have problems such as pealing paint. Similarly don’t expect that a very expensive bottle is necessarily better simply because it cost more. Two of the three most expensive bottles in my collection are barely worth the Jim Beam bottle they are painted on. 7. Don’t just take my word for an artist’s work ask for references from the artist and if they have a refund policy. A top artist will gladly provide you with multiple references as well as refund your money if you are not completely satisfied with your bottle. | 
