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HUGE Bottle dump tonight. Any value?

montanamuzik

montanamuzik

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I was hunting an old homestead on a friends ranch today and he called so I would stop in on the way out. He was digging a huge hole with his backhoe to push a couple deteriorated buildings in getting ready to replace them with new shop. It was dark but he brought me out with the flashlight and showed me where he had dug into an old bottle dump he kind of knew was there (from his mother mentioning it, shes in her 90s) Bottles must be a couple feet deep and who knows how wide. He had several dozen nice ones pulled out but said he was tired of getting on and off backhoe. Many had rolled to the bottom of hole that had some water in it and were floating everywhere. Bottle dump was covered he said in the 30s and was probably started in the 1880s. I'm not a bottle guy but many looked pretty cool. He asked that I come tomorrow and pick all I want. Is there much value to many? If so, what to look for? Thanks in advance.
 
Lots of bottles have value. Esp. pre 1900. Depends on the bottle really. I'd say grab all you can, post pics, recycle what you don't want to keep.
 
post pics or embossing on them and could most likely find a value. As Green said, pre 1900 era bottles can have significant value. Western Whiskey bottles especially. Very rare to find those intact.

Old med bottles, poison bottles, inks, hutch soda bottles...the list goes on and on... there are many bottles after 1900 that are valuable also. Straight side cokes, pepsi bottles, embossed local sodas/beers that people local to the area of the manufacture live.

There have been early 1900ish bitters/med/poison bottles go for well over 12k and some for 2bucks...

don't forget milk bottles either. Milks with embossing/ACL paint, especially of a defunct and small dairy.

Canning jars can do very well.
 
Ended up working today, went for a bit afterward. Wasn't sure where to start, there is bottles and junk and broken glass falling out of the banks everywhere. Didn't see anything I would think was very desirable. There is an old outhouse site that will also have to be escavated in the building process. Is that a good spot to look. I'm hoping to find some fancy drug store type bottles. Maybe this area is "too new?" Although the lady in her 90s siad she remembers there was already junk there from the previous rancher when she was a kid.
 

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I'd get it all!

Get all you can now before it's covered, and go through it later! Pic 1 shows a few cool bottles -like the small red colored one by the wall. Pic 2 shows an odd shaped bottle sticking up out of the water. Pic 3 -is that an old horseshoe? No telling what's there if the site's that old. Oh and I would definitely hunt the privy site! Good luck!!
 
yah..excavate like a mad man... just pull em out, put them on the bank on a safe area to clean later. Also, privy sites/outhouses etc are phenomenal places to find bottles. many bottles were tossed into privy holes back then. I'm digging one at the family farm from the 30-40's and finding era sodas and beers... have found a couple pocketwatches, some marbles and broken pottery/crockery.

there are 2-3 older privy sites thatt date back to the mid 1850's and up...going to hit those this summer. Many a treasure has been found in a poophole.

http://rickyglass.webs.com/

best privy digging site out there. should have some useful tips for you... another tip is to eventually sift the dirt you throw aside...a 5 gallon or smaller pail with holes poked through large enough for dirt to go through vs items works. Also some ppl make one out of smaller holed chicken wire or masonary fabric and 2x4's...

your dig site looks very promising...i'd be digging and hauling every chance i had...

gl with it and have fun!!! be careful too..don't want to gash yourself open or fall in a hole!!
 
The older more valuable ones will be on bottom. Bottles are probably worth more than coins get every one you can. Especially look for ones that made for corks, and not screw tops. Ones without a crease from a mold? Generally ones older than 100 years.

All coke bottles, may not be any given the location, but in the south Victorian coke bottles are found that can be worth $1000+.
 
here's a great website for info on dating bottles and pics of different types...
I'd pile them up by type (soda/milk/med/poison/beer etc..) and then try to figure out dates... and then post them here of course!

http://www.sha.org/bottle/

some people finding some great digging spots on this forum!!!
 
That dump has potetial. Look for bottles that are embossed. Smooth bottles with screwtops can just be put into a recycle bin. You probably do have some nice bottles there already. Gotta dig it as much as you can, the deeper the better.
 
Any type of bottles that are embossed - keep them-especially medicine bottles. Soda bottles can be worth quite a lot as well. Bottles of color are good. I’d get them all and sell them!!!
 
imukdiver said:
That dump has potetial. Look for bottles that are embossed. Smooth bottles with screwtops can just be put into a recycle bin. You probably do have some nice bottles there already. Gotta dig it as much as you can, the deeper the better.
Click to expand...

Not saying that they are valuable but I see the the ones from the 1930's and 40's that say "do not refill under penalty of law" at the flea market and estate sales with a dollar or two on them.
 
Whew. Lotta bottles there, many broken. Nothing too fancy yet I don't think. Pretty sure I located excacly where an outhouse sat (on edge of the backhoe hole) Owner thought it was there somewhere close. Very soft dirt as far down as I can prod/poke. Found a newer (probably 40s) Big Chief Beverages soda bottle under the floor of one of the sheds that is being demolished. Its from Coca Cola Bottleing, Missoula Montana. Pretty cool looking. Also found an area of bottle dump where everything had cork or pop tops. (No threads)
 
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