I am so getting into this.

[HunterGatherer]

When I was a kid I wanted to be a paleontologist. I knew every dinosaur in every book I read by its scientific name and I took great pride in being able to pronounce them correctly. Flash forward to a few years later. All that information lay dormant until earlier this week. I was hunting and just about tripped over some old bottles. Suddenly the desire to dig up old things came rushing back. I'm already hooked on this; what other hobby would let me uncover the past, but hardly leave my own backyard? So I'm new and learning, and I want to get things together. I suppose my question is: what tools are useful to the new bottle collector? I know I need a probe and a shovel, but from there I'm pretty lost.

Also, how do you find a decent dig site? I hardly think the parents would approve of me digging in their sandy (probably bottle-less) back yard, and my college home is in a big city.

 

[madpaddla]

Hunter:

Welcome to the hobby. Its great and very rewarding. Without going into detail here is some help:
old maps, rivers, mills, railroad tracks, old houses, know your local glass, go to where you know best so you dont cause trouble, look for bottles where the seam ends before the lip (that is a good era of bottles to look for), use this forum and others to find out many ideas, and most importantly have fun. Enjoy. Ben

 

[towhead]

Trowel, cultivator (Small hand rake), leather or other thick gloves. Some type of sack or back pack- with newspaper to wrap- to put your bottles in....Beverages, of course. Patience. []

 

[towhead]

....and oh yeah, where I've been digging, I'm usually sitting on a pile of broken glass-digging the side of a slope....so, for me, it's nice to have an old mat or rug to sit on....[]

 

[capsoda]

I carry a couple of 5 gallon buckets and a couple of gallons of water especially in the summer. I dig a hole large enough for the wife to get in and as she pulls the bottles out I give them a little cleaning before I put them in the bag. Bottles that have been burried for 100 plus years especially clear ones and heat treated ones like sodas and food/fruit jars tend to do weird things like falling apart in the summer heat.

 

[bikegoon]

Welcome to a awesome hobby!

Be warned though, there is no 12 step process to kick this habit! you are hooked for life![]

 

[HunterGatherer]

Ok, So I have access to all the tools, but I'm having trouble getting started. The only place I know for sure I can dig is some 6 hours away, and I'm not sure about how to find other sites. Can you help me out here? Thanks for being so helpful so far.

 

[KentOhio]

What state are you in? I'm sure someone here knows your area and could help you find a place.

 

[HunterGatherer]

Florida. My hometown is Leesburg, but I go to school in Jacksonville.