RIBottleguy
Well-Known Member
I called a digging buddy last weekend and he said he was going to check out a cellar hole near where I live. I didn't expect to find much, but I had the itch to get out. The cellar hole was a nice one with a big center chimney, but it was abandoned in the 1950-70s era. I found a nice slope behind the house with sandy soil. Right on the surface I found a pontiled base and piece of a historical flask embossed "Conn." Well, that was enough for me! I started finding shards of mostly 1880s bottles. My digging buddy had to leave early, so I called in another friend to help me out. We took out a small cedar tree, which really opened up the dump. A thin layer of topsoil gave way to a layer of dump a little less than a foot deep. Below that was a layer of midsize stones mixed with glass. Below that was sand, but it also contained the occasional pottery shard.
The first day didn't produce much except a common Geo. B. Harris Centerville, RI medicine and two Dr. Hayne's Arabian Balsams. The criers were a busted half pint Stoddard whiskey and a Cornucopia historical flask shard.
The second day was much more exciting. I immediately found a nice rare local pharmacy bottle (Geo. E. Greene Hope Valley, RI). I proceeded to find almost ten pontiled bases, all mostly aqua. My digging partner for the day (David) turned up a bunch of commons, an earlier W. Brookfield insulator, and a semicommon Enoch W. Vars Pharmacist Niantic, RI medicine. We reached a stone wall at the top of the slope, and dug along it. I found a broken Masonic flask shard, and the base of what appeared to be a pontiled Stoddard medicine (it resembled an unembossed Kimball's Bitters). After shedding a few tears, I finally turned up a whole pontil! It was a Dr. Seth Arnold's Cough Killer. The flared lip was chipped, but it was in otherwise nice condition.
My friend David is going to take some pictures of the shards which I will upload in the future.
Group shot
L-R back: Dr. Seth Arnold's Balsam, slick, Medina's Hair Tinta Lowell, Mass. (damaged), slick, hinge molded slick
L-R front: Geo. B. Harris Established 1860 Centerville RI, Geo. E. Greene Pharmacist Hope Valley RI, Enoch W. Vars Pharmacist Niantic RI, Bixby, Dr. Hayne's Arabian Balsam Providence RI, Dr. Seth Arnold's Cough Killer (front)
My fourth version from this pharmacist, and an unlisted size
Nice and crude!
My fourth dug embossed pontil [
]
The first day didn't produce much except a common Geo. B. Harris Centerville, RI medicine and two Dr. Hayne's Arabian Balsams. The criers were a busted half pint Stoddard whiskey and a Cornucopia historical flask shard.
The second day was much more exciting. I immediately found a nice rare local pharmacy bottle (Geo. E. Greene Hope Valley, RI). I proceeded to find almost ten pontiled bases, all mostly aqua. My digging partner for the day (David) turned up a bunch of commons, an earlier W. Brookfield insulator, and a semicommon Enoch W. Vars Pharmacist Niantic, RI medicine. We reached a stone wall at the top of the slope, and dug along it. I found a broken Masonic flask shard, and the base of what appeared to be a pontiled Stoddard medicine (it resembled an unembossed Kimball's Bitters). After shedding a few tears, I finally turned up a whole pontil! It was a Dr. Seth Arnold's Cough Killer. The flared lip was chipped, but it was in otherwise nice condition.
My friend David is going to take some pictures of the shards which I will upload in the future.
Group shot
L-R back: Dr. Seth Arnold's Balsam, slick, Medina's Hair Tinta Lowell, Mass. (damaged), slick, hinge molded slick
L-R front: Geo. B. Harris Established 1860 Centerville RI, Geo. E. Greene Pharmacist Hope Valley RI, Enoch W. Vars Pharmacist Niantic RI, Bixby, Dr. Hayne's Arabian Balsam Providence RI, Dr. Seth Arnold's Cough Killer (front)
My fourth version from this pharmacist, and an unlisted size
Nice and crude!
My fourth dug embossed pontil [
]
