RIBottleguy
Well-Known Member
After all of the epic flooding, I figured walking riversides would be an excellent way to find some artifacts. I found plenty of shards at first, but then remembered an old mill site. I had found a bunch of old buttons dating from the Civil War to WWI and a little newer. The dump is a steep slope that was heavily dug in areas. I divided the dump into three sections. The first part contained buttons, the second buttons and coins, and the third bottles. A ways down the river was another heavily dug dump that was all 1940s-1960s, so I didn't miss much. At my spot I found a bunch of buttons, which I'll post sometime under unexpected finds. In the second dump section I was surprised and delighted to find some nicer coins! I've only found some wheat pennies before, so when I found a 1912 Barber dime, 1920 Walking Liberty quarter, and a 1904 Liberty nickel, it was a good day.
I returned a week later and found two Mercury dimes (1917, 1919), a 1908 Indian head, some wheaties, and an illegible Buffalo nickel. Some of the coins were in rough shape, but I don't complain about finding beat up coins...yet lol
Once I was satisfied all of the coins were safely in my pocket, I opened a hole in the bottle dump. I found a nice local ABM soda the previous week, and it wasn't long before bottles started coming out. The dump dated to the 1920-30s, which was good for sodas and milk bottles. Sure enough I pulled a nice milk out in a few minutes! It was embossed Geo. F. Angell, Apponaug, RI. No damage, so I was souped. Sadly the dump didn't produce many more keepers. At one point I hit a pocket of federal law whiskey flasks...ugh. The dump goes down a few feet, I went down three feet and there were more bottles below that. There's promise! I plan to visit it again once I finish school for the semester.
Here's a video of my hole:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uwiitaw__E
My hole
The slope, heavily dug then eroded by the flood
Close up of button dump
The nicer coins
The milk bottle
I returned a week later and found two Mercury dimes (1917, 1919), a 1908 Indian head, some wheaties, and an illegible Buffalo nickel. Some of the coins were in rough shape, but I don't complain about finding beat up coins...yet lol
Once I was satisfied all of the coins were safely in my pocket, I opened a hole in the bottle dump. I found a nice local ABM soda the previous week, and it wasn't long before bottles started coming out. The dump dated to the 1920-30s, which was good for sodas and milk bottles. Sure enough I pulled a nice milk out in a few minutes! It was embossed Geo. F. Angell, Apponaug, RI. No damage, so I was souped. Sadly the dump didn't produce many more keepers. At one point I hit a pocket of federal law whiskey flasks...ugh. The dump goes down a few feet, I went down three feet and there were more bottles below that. There's promise! I plan to visit it again once I finish school for the semester.
Here's a video of my hole:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uwiitaw__E
My hole
The slope, heavily dug then eroded by the flood
Close up of button dump
The nicer coins
The milk bottle