There was just one snag, as the Mount Crawford auction house’s William F Kimbrough explained: “Unfortunately, we could not locate the stopper for the bottle at the Wentz home, and had to offer it without – no telling what it would have brought with the stopper!”
In the event, at a conservative estimate of $100-200, the bottle embossed to the base R Lalique, c.1925, measuring 3in (7.5cm) high, still sold impressively at a premium-inclusive $5557 (£4340) to a private online bidder from France.