Welcome! I'm a bottle digger just across the river from you in Abbotsford.
Congratulations, those are amazing finds! Pretty much any B.C. ginger beer is a good find these days, but the Meikle Bros. "Standing Bear" is in another league! I've never dug one, but a digging buddy of mine dug one...
Good to know. I figured that if anyone here had dug one, it would be you.
No one else had posted this one on the forum, so I was unsure how common it was.
That's a good price. I use a product called Lime OUT which costs significantly more.
It never occurred to me to mix anything with it, but I usually follow up with a slurry of coarse salt and vinegar. Shake vigorously, let it rest for a while, then shake some more. I usually do this for about...
Agree with those who posted on the left and middle bottles.
Dominion Glass bottles with a single digit on the base are almost always pre-1940 based on my observations. I would guess late 1930's for the one on the right. Someone who better knows the history of Wishing Well bottles could...
Thanks for the info Canadacan... and nice collection!
I will keep you in mind if I find any more of either bottle.
Actually, I'm just across the river from you. However, this particular dig site is quite a distance away and not easily accessible. I've been meaning to look around in Mission...
If there is no maker's mark, then you would need to research which company Pond's contracted to make their jars. Some large companies actually bought machines and made their own. Once you figure that out, you could try to decipher the numbers on the base.
I've found many similar jars, and they...
Good research. Owens-Illinois introduced Duraglass in 1940, so it must date from 1940 or later. There was some overlap in switching from single digit to two digit date codes. Beer and soda bottles made between 1943 and 1946 may have either type of code. Since it has the single digit code, one...
Yeah, I'm only familiar with the later designs for Whistle. I did search Google, but I could only find the smaller (6.5 oz) version of this particular bottle. I did come across one 32 ounce that was clearly a later design, lacking the ribbing.
I believe the mark on the bottom is Southern Glass...
They're decently attractive as far as modern bottles go. I used to drink it fairly often in my late teens, but I didn't bother saving any. I'd agree there's some potential collectibility. Given the time period, most bottles were probably recycled or buried deep in landfills.
I have saved a...
Dug the other day... any info appreciated. Shown with Felix (10 oz?) bottle. Both were dug in the same area, but I think the Whistle is the oldest of the two.
It's prime digging season here. Finally starting to dry out and not too overgrown yet. Already had encounters with bees and mosquitoes, though.
In a month or so the blackberries will be thick and it will be very difficult to explore a lot of areas.
I've found the small version in clear, dated 1945 and made by Owens-Illinois. Same texture, same everything except for the color. I'd assumed mine was soda, but I'm just guessing.
I was surprised to learn that they were making these No Deposit bottles as early as the 40's.
That style of maple syrup bottle was registered in 1933 (the base should say "RD 1933"), but they didn't switch to a screw top until many years later. The early ones had a crown top and thicker glass in the base. Yours probably dates from the 1950's to 1960's.
The one in the middle is probably...
Yeah, that's pretty much my thoughts. There was lots of evidence of 60's stuff and not much else, including on the fill wall beside the road.
What I do know is that this road didn't exist in 1922, at least not in its present form. The dump was on someone's property and the access was from...
I haven't been back to this place in over a month, but here's one bottle I didn't post before.
It appears to be a miniature whiskey bottle with a (crude) tooled top and a rounded base. It's just under 6" tall, no mold seams. There are no markings on it, so I don't know the age or anything else...
Did you happen to know Wayne J. Wagar? Sadly it appears he passed away not long ago, but he had an impressive collection of Vancouver Island and BC bottles that he dug. I did not know him, but I enjoyed browsing his blog: http://theouthouse.ca/outhousewp/
I was out following some leads on Sunday and I located a town dump that dates back to 1922. I poked around a bit and dug a couple feet down, but didn't find much more than 1960's shards. I found some broken NDNR sodas: two 7-Ups and one intact slick that I left behind, and a couple of broken...
Yeah, you're right. The most likely dumping spots near the center of towns are already built over top of. I generally look within a 1-mile radius of the main intersection. I know of two dumps that go back to the 1910's... one of them isn't really dig-able, but the other one may be if I can find...