Ding-dong, Avon calling
When our Mark Dixon suggested I write something about car-related Avon cologne bottles (nothing to do with the venerable tyre brand), there was a slumping in my heart. Not those hideous glass actrocities, I thought… For all-round naffness, I’d bundle them into the same category as Matchbox’s 1970s Yesteryear models mounted on onyx ashtrays, or table mats displaying photos of veteran cars outside stately homes. Time to hold my nose.
However, when Mark showed me the Avon ‘decanter’ he’d just picked up for a couple of quid, my mindset shifted. The white bottle is shaped like a Champion spark plug and, along with its box, is quite charming despite chubby proportions. I hadn’t seen one before, and I’d like one of my own to bring my automobilia fetish as far as the bathroom cabinet. (Only kidding: the steam would ruin the box.)
The door-to-door Avon cosmetics business began in 1930s New York, but not until 1965 did it produce ‘figural’ cologne bottles, beginning with a boot and soon including animals, tools, guns and even tennis rackets. Both vendors and purchasers were women, so these tended to be bought for ‘him’ as a gift. Whether or not ‘he’ actually liked the pungent, alcohol-based potion inside didn’t matter.
In 1968 came the first cars, in heavy blue, green, topaz or smoked grey glass. To sit all four wheels solidly on a bathroom shelf, one end of the car was usually a mismatched plastic lid which concealed the stopper.
I’m weakening here because, although some were ugly replicas of 1920s American automobiles, plus laughable Jaguar E-types and Porsche 911s, a few have both a kitsch quality and a bit of quirky authenticity. The ones I’m coming round to, despite myself, include a Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow, 1948 Chrysler Town & Country, Volkswagen Golf MkI, 1955 Ford Thunderbird and – weirdly, my favourites – a Winnebago or a Ford Ranger camper van. Not to be sniffed at any more, maybe. Plus, that spark plug, also available in lurid gold as a further assault on good taste.
The collector market is harsh to old Avon decanters. The really common ones are almost valueless thanks to huge survival rates of the millions made throughout the 1970s. A box, original labels on the bottle and maybe full original contents bolster what little desirability they have. Investments they are not.
Keeping it sealed is best for nasal harmony. Pour 40-year-old aftershave away and your drains will reek for days…