I'm in the bottle dumps!

mcateercustom

Full Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2012
Messages
150
Location
Bodcaw, Arkansas
Well let me just say I am new to all this relic hunting so I really don't know anything about it. I found a bottle dump on my great aunts place. It way back in the woods what made me start digging was an old busted churn I found. So I thought there might be some good stuff there. I found a ton of old bottles and there is still a ton more. To me the ones I found are more on the worthless side then on the priceless side lol I was wondering if I should even keep digging them out or not. Here's some pics

Some of them are kinda neat.
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They are mostly screw tops so I figured they couldnt be that old.
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I found a ton of the things on the right no clue what it is. It has some metal object protruding out that is broke off. My first thought was a fuse. Any ideas?
Then the thing on the left appears solid and kinda light but it's metal. I would guess aluminum.
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Well if I decide to dig some more there I'll post some more when I find some time. Thanks for look and GLH!
 
Wow love em'! I couldn't tell but are any of the bottles embossed? Wish ya look and looking forward to more pics!
 
embossed

Raised lettering in the glass.

What to look for:
1. unusual colors- purple, black, green, yellowish brown, cobalt, teal, aqua
2. corkers- obvious bottles whose tops would take corks
3. embossed
4. medicines,inks, bitters, spring water, blown
5. pontils- bottom of bottle has a distinct mark where it looks like it was snapped off
6. imperfections in glass- bubbles , bottles that lean, crude looking from manufacturing process
7. seams on the side- older ones only run partially up bottle
8. older -tops were applied by hand

Bottles that are valuable were not massed produced like today. Unfortunately , what you have is alot of newer type bottles. Keep looking though. There might be some older stuff in the ground that is buried Hope this helps.
 
Hey thanks Fred!! This will defiantly get me started in the right direction!There is a couple of them that are embossed. My favs are the listerine bottle and the dark brown one in the first pic to the right. It has bumps/stubs all over it. Kinda neat. I'm ready to get digging again! Never know what's in the ground!
 
its fun huh

right on brother its all worth something to someone, i have unloaded ones that i thought werent worthy of bringing up to the wash rack, but i get off on the feeling i get when i look at my personal collection, knowing no one gave me them or i went out and bought them and i mean no offence to all you buyers out there, but i worked for them, rebirthing them as i call it, anyway i could go on and on, just have fun with it and put your aunts property back together as you go it can get out of hand quick....
 
So far looks like your digging 50's era stuff. You gotta go deep to get to the old. Keep digging you maybe surprised what turns up. When I say deep dont be afraid to go a few feet down, unless you can tell it's natural ground. It may be a surface dump.
 
Hey thanks Fred!! This will defiantly get me started in the right direction!There is a couple of them that are embossed. My favs are the listerine bottle and the dark brown one in the first pic to the right. It has bumps/stubs all over it. Kinda neat. I'm ready to get digging again! Never know what's in the ground!

Oh wow I have that exact same Listerine bottle actually what are the odds?
 
Cool man! I will get back to diggin when it gets a little cooler. I am allergic to this heat wave lol! 105 today:( But next week it's supposed to be in the 80s!! That's more like the right weather!

Im not sure if this dump was started by my great aunt or not. It's at the back of the property. They moved there around the 40s I think. But my thinking was that they may have dumped where the previous owners dumped. I'll just have to wait and see. Also they may have threw out the old people's !!!!. Maybe something there. Kinda adds to the fun, not knowing!
 
keep going

Good chance there are better bottles, many dumps were used for decades. Also some of the bottles you have are being used now for outdoor crafts, or decorations. Sometimes you can sell a box full for a few bucks. I would go back. HH :roll::roll::grin:
 
Screw tops were around in the 1920's so a good number of those bottles could be almost 100 years old!

The quick way to tell is to look for air bubbles in the glass. If there are any, they are typically pre-1930's.

Embossed bottles, ESPECIALLY old milk bottles with the embossed names of the Dairy on them can be valuable.

However, the history of the objects are always priceless.
 
Im glad that y'all know stuff! I will get back to diggin when the weather is a little cooler. A mile hike with a cooler load of bottles is tuff when its 104! :laughing:
 
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