The McGee Scale of Miniature Bottles Fill Levels
I don’t think anyone has gotten around to formalizing this, so here goes. Collecting 5cl screw-cap miniature liquor bottles is a popular and relatively cheap hobby. Among the major considerations are whether the seal is intact (this is imperative), how much has evaporated from the bottle (the “fill level”), the condition of the label or labels (tears, stains, peeling, etc.), and whether there is any unsightly sticker residue (this can usually be addressed by careful use of solvents). The problem of fill level is that the screw-caps are notoriously gas-permeable. To formalize the fill levels (unless otherwise listed, assume fully intact seal), select the best applicable from the following:
aa: Fill level obscured by bottle cap (most bottles are not filled this high)
a: Fill level to mid-neck or above (the normal original fill line)
b: Fill level above the shoulder
c: Fill level at the shoulder
d: Fill level less than 1 cm below the shoulder
e: Fill level at or above the midpoint of the main bottle body
f: Fill level below the midpoint of the main bottle body
g: Empty, with seal intact
z: Seal is broken, cap is present (disregard fill level)
zz: Seal is broken, cap is missing (disregard fill level)
x: Ceramic or otherwise opaque bottle, difficult to judge (may accompany a guess of whether the bottle is (1) more than 2/3, (2) more than 1/3, or (3) less full)
Therefore, a grade of a would be an excellent item, a grade of c would be acceptable to many collectors, a grade of e or f would be a space-filler until a better example comes along, and a grade of x1 would possibly be good, depending on how much you trust the vendor’s skill of estimation of volume.
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