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All Forums >> [Bottle Forums] >> Unexpected Discoveries >> Glass Floats

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Glass Floats - 7/4/2004 7:57:03 PM    David E Posts: 995 Joined: 5/24/2004 Status: offline If this is a repeat I am sorry, can't find it on posts and new at camera. Can't recall where I got these. Will try photos again Dave Attachment (1) Post #: 1

RE: Glass Floats Pic#2 - 7/4/2004 8:01:36 PM    David E Posts: 995 Joined: 5/24/2004 Status: offline Pic#2 Attachment (1) (in reply to David E) Post #: 2

RE: Glass Floats - 7/5/2004 11:57:47 AM    Maine Digger   Posts: 823 Joined: 2/4/2004 From: Augusta, Maine Status: offline Those are beutiful floats David! The red one is especially sought after by collectors. _____________________________ Norm Miller (in reply to David E) Post #: 3

RE: Glass Floats - 7/6/2004 8:20:06 AM    old digger   Posts: 65 Joined: 5/15/2004 Status: offline Glassfloats??? What are they, What were they used for?? (in reply to David E) Post #: 4

RE: Glass Floats - 7/6/2004 11:08:06 AM    Maine Digger   Posts: 823 Joined: 2/4/2004 From: Augusta, Maine Status: offline They were woven into fishing nets to keep them afloat; especially in the Far East. On rare occassions, they wash up on the shores of our Northwest. As I said they are highly prized, and should not be confused with 'Target Balls'. _____________________________ Norm Miller (in reply to David E) Post #: 5

RE: Glass Floats - 7/6/2004 8:40:32 PM    Sam_MaineBottles Posts: 343 Joined: 4/5/2004 From: Mid-coast Maine Status: offline These floats also show up on the East Coast of North America occasionally - the one pictured here I picked up on the shores of the Bahamas 20 some odd years ago - these are said to be from Spain or Portugal. (in reply to David E) Post #: 6

RE: Glass Floats - 7/6/2004 8:46:15 PM    Sam_MaineBottles Posts: 343 Joined: 4/5/2004 From: Mid-coast Maine Status: offline Sorry - can't upload the float pic now - some glich going on - Sam (in reply to David E) Post #: 7

RE: Glass Floats - 7/6/2004 9:21:44 PM    Maine Digger   Posts: 823 Joined: 2/4/2004 From: Augusta, Maine Status: offline Hi Sam, I was in a shop in Brunswick today where everything was outrageously priced You might know it, it's on the left headed south on Pleasant street just before you leave town. But anyway, there just so happened to be a dark amber float with a 'pontil' that had a very vague shape of an anchor on it. It didin't have a price tag and I think I caught the owner by suprise when I asked the price. She said $6.00, and I said I'd be back. I don't know anything about the value of blown floats, this one was fairly crude, and the closure/pontil looked a lot like the green one David posted above. The anchor shape was not stamped, it appears that while the glass was still molten, the maker 'dribbled' the anchor shape. Should I go back and get it for the $6.00 she's asking? _____________________________ Norm Miller (in reply to David E) Post #: 8

RE: Glass Floats - 7/7/2004 2:51:12 AM    David E Posts: 995 Joined: 5/24/2004 Status: offline Hey Norm thanks and I would go back and offer her $4.00 a lot of dealer's have figued into 10% of sale. Plus tax, and oldtimer's discount. Dave (in reply to David E) Post #: 9

RE: Glass Floats - 7/7/2004 9:20:21 PM    Sam_MaineBottles Posts: 343 Joined: 4/5/2004 From: Mid-coast Maine Status: offline Hey Norm - I don't know how floats were actually made but they are interesting to look at - like Dave said, I'd offer a little less and see if you can pick up the amber float. I'll try again on posting the pic of my float - Sam Attachment (1) (in reply to David E) Post #: 10

RE: Glass Floats - 7/7/2004 9:27:08 PM    Sam_MaineBottles Posts: 343 Joined: 4/5/2004 From: Mid-coast Maine Status: offline The float pictured above is a dark green and about four inches across. The knotted string around the float isn't that old as it is made of nylon. About 20 years ago while vacationing in the Bahamas I saw several floats in a local restaurant. When I asked about them I was told that they sometimes washed up on the beach but that they weren't as common as years before. I was determined to try and find one so I spent many hours during the week checking the beaches - but no luck until my last day there when I happened to find this one half buried in the sand among the sea oat grass way above the high tide mark - I was some tickled to find it. - Sam (in reply to David E) Post #: 11

RE: Glass Floats - 8/11/2004 12:33:52 PM    ashott   Posts: 35 Joined: 8/3/2004 From: roxboro, nc Status: offline My husband has one of these. I thought it was really nothing except something that my husband's Grandmother gave to him with a story of it you found one of these it was meant to be a token of good luck. It was found off the coast of the Keys In FLA.If anyone knows anything else let me know!! I would send a pic but am having trouble i have blue and green floaters and they are in a netting of some kind. (in reply to David E) Post #: 12

RE: Glass Floats - 8/11/2004 1:02:03 PM    David E Posts: 995 Joined: 5/24/2004 Status: offline Hi thanks for the good luck thing (I need that).I am in Wasington State just North of Seattle. I know when I was younger we used to search for them on the Ocean Beaches. I guess the ways the currants flow, Vancouver Island in Canada is the best place to find them (on the Ocean side). I live in walkinfg distance to Puget Sound but never heard of anyone finding one here, as they would have to come off the ocean and down the Straits of Juan de Fuca into Puget sound. (have make a right turn off the Ocean). Believe ours come from Japan, we do have the Trade Winds Here. Dave (in reply to David E) Post #: 13

RE: Glass Floats - 8/11/2004 2:11:44 PM    ashott   Posts: 35 Joined: 8/3/2004 From: roxboro, nc Status: offline Ok so i would send a pic but the kb's are too big like in the 400's. If anyone knows how to get them lower let me know and i will try it. thx (in reply to David E) Post #: 14

RE: Glass Floats - 8/19/2004 11:09:18 PM    yawningdog   Posts: 4 Joined: 8/19/2004 Status: offline much nicer than mine. I has 3 green and geen blue, one with a salt water etching that shows where the net was. I got mine in Anchorage in 1995 for $10 for the 3. (in reply to David E) Post #: 15

RE: Glass Floats - 8/19/2004 11:59:06 PM    LaidBackJack   Posts: 64 Joined: 8/4/2004 Status: offline I fished in AK back in the late 70's-early 80's, and we used to collect those glass floats like driftwood on the beaches in the Aleutians. Believe it or not, we used them for target practice! I only have a few left, but I kept a nice variety of colors & sizes, yellow,blue, green, aqua, and from 3" to 8" sizes. I sold a few on Ebay, but they didn't bring very much..like 5-8 bucks..so I'll hang on to the rest. I've seen them up to 12" in size. (in reply to David E) Post #: 16

RE: Glass Floats - 8/20/2004 4:13:39 AM    Tandy   Posts: 279 Joined: 6/19/2004 From: Netherby, South Australia Status: offline Years ago, I often used to visit our South East, and stay at a town called Robe. At Robe, the isd a long beach called, appropriately Long Beach, and it is from this beach that a few large glass balls were picked up. In those years, I was not interested, but I think I'll go back and see what I can find. To give you an idea where I am takling about, look at this URL, and the towns of Kingston, Robe and Beachport. I think our glass balls probably came from Asia. http://www.ozhorizons.com.au/sa/map.htm _____________________________ Today is the day I will find those goodies just waiting to be found ..... Lots of luck digging! Tandy, Netherby, Adelaide. South Australia. June National http://www.angelfire.com/rock3/rickirving/AHBC.html (in reply to David E) Post #: 17

RE: Glass Floats - 8/20/2004 9:51:36 AM    LaidBackJack   Posts: 64 Joined: 8/4/2004 Status: offline Most likely Japanese in origin. The Japanese used millions of them for their drift gillnetting operations throughout the Pacific Ocean. We used to find individual drift gillnets that were several miles long! They would still be catching fish, anything that got in their way...so we would sink the floats to put a stop to the destruction. The fishing boats would cut the nets loose & skeedaddle if they thought the Coast Guard was coming after them. As the nets rotted away, the floats would come loose, drift with the currents, and finally haul up on some beach. They can be found on most any beach, anywhere in the Pacific, but the Japan current favors Alaska, British Columbia, and the US Pacific NW. (in reply to David E) Post #: 18

RE: Glass Floats - 8/20/2004 10:04:50 AM    ashott   Posts: 35 Joined: 8/3/2004 From: roxboro, nc Status: offline So where would they have come from if they were found in the Keys off Florida? (in reply to David E) Post #: 19

RE: Glass Floats - 8/20/2004 10:27:30 AM    LaidBackJack   Posts: 64 Joined: 8/4/2004 Status: offline Couldn't say. Glass floats are old technology, but at one time their use was world-wide with the commercial fishing fleets. The Japanese continued to use them much longer than most. (in reply to David E) Post #: 20

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