“Collectors from Sydney, Wollongong, Goulburn, Canberra, Tumbalong, Wagga Wagga, Temora, Cootamundra, Albury, Melbourne and Holbrook set up their exhibits and traded in the Holbrook town hall,” Collectors Fair co-ordinator John Lynch said.

Glass marble bottles, the main patent for soft drinks from 1880 to 1945 were popular items with many collectors.

Mathematics professor James Bell started to collect bottles after visiting an antique shop in Broken Hill in 1972.

“From the moment I purchased two bottles, I was bitten by the bottle bug and have been doing it for 37 years,” he said.

“It’s a passion, a disease, an affliction, and a good excuse to get out and see the country and meet people,” he added.

Mr Bell drew attention to the fact - Britain, the home of the marble glass bottle is fascinated with Australia’s 26 ounce party bottle because British cordial makers didn’t make the bigger bottle.

Glass marble bottles were filled upside down. The marble would fall against the washer and the pressure would keep it in place when it was turned upright.

To open, a cup with a pointed object would be pushed down on the top of the bottle with the heel of the hand to break the seal.

“Although the bottles were returnable to the manufacturer, this didn’t always occur because children liked to break the bottles to get at the marbles,” Mr Bell said.

Retired bank manager John Hogan hasn’t lost his taste for money.

His collection of decimal and pre-decimal coins and bank notes is an “out of control hobby,” he said.

Mr Hogan’s collection has built up over 20 years although he took a break from it when he was a bank manager at Holbrook.

Doing a brisk trade at the Holbrook fair, he was interested in buying the 1966 round fifty cent pieces.

Mentioning the values of some of rarer coins in museums and circulation, Mr Hogan said, “ a nice average 1930 penny can sell for around $25,000; a 1923 halfpenny is worth $2000 and a Melbourne Centenary florin 1934-1935 is worth $450.”