The first ships in bottles started to appear about 200 years ago, but the question as to who built the first one remains a mystery.ships in bottles were usually made by rough and ready semen for their loved ones back home, to sell for ‘beer money’s in some foreign port.It is hardly surprising that they rarely signed and dated their work.Howerver, the earliest known example can be found in the Holstenor Museum in Lubeck,Germany,dated 1784.

                     Bottling objects, rather than ships, had long been a tradition in central southern Germany and Austria .In fact, the art form can be traced back as far as the mid 17^th century.the Calvary scene, with Christ on the cross was a particular favourite.they served as tiny shrines in the home, and even found their way into the baggage of many an army officer on campaign.these ‘Geduldsflaschen’of scenes with miners underground, wood turners at their lathes, and puzzles of all kinds became ever more popular.

                     The reason this all appears to have started in central Europe is explained by the fact that it is the home of lead crystal, and glass blowing had been a major industry since Roman times.up until the end of the 18^th century, glass was very expensive to manufacture, and these early bottles must have been very precious.

                    All this changed in 1789 when the French chemist Nicholas Leblanc discovered a cheap way of making glass from soda and lime. This opened the way for mass production, and from the mid 19^th century cheap liquor in good quality clear glass bottles would have been in plentiful supply below decks. Hence from about 1850 bottling became a popular pastime among sailors, and it is from this period onwards that the vast majority of antique ships in bottle stem.