New here & to collecting - But found great dig sites what got me started

Hi everyone.. Yeah, I new at this. Been getting the crash course in Bottle & jar collecting. Learning all about them. We do flea market selling in summer and other stuff. In winter & spring do strap metal. And if we find anything old & cool we save for our flea market & yard sale. We have too much stuff. But we found woods that was old dump sites in 1910 to 1940 era. I mean Old dump sites. They was loaded with metal, and metal gets good prices by us.. signs no one been there for ages... But 4 of them was also Bottle dump sites.. I mean, millions and millions of bottles.. And the Mason Patent Jars started to get our attention... So we started bringing all the old cool ones back home (only when we seen them while getting the metal out). Then Washing them up and see how cool they are, started liking them alot... Then found the purple jars.. then really getting to like even more... First 3 places, mainly just scouted really fast on surface. we need to go back soon... But this 4th place... someone (a while back, not recent). dug 12 foot deep trenches, a few them all over... and I mean the walls are all Bottles.. and go deeper then that... no end in site... Everything we pulling out is emblossed or late 1800's. Found like 20 of the Round bottom (that lay on side) bottles. I still looking things up and figuring out the rough dates. But cool ones after cool ones.. and this place is huge (I bet 5 aces sq, of all bottles and all the trenches we found are deep.. and no end of bottles in site.)... I not kidding when I say, Millions & millions of bottles.. Someone started and quit digging.. I bet because they had no more room for any more... there so many. I think we up to maybe 20,000 bottles & jars this month and that wasn't really trying to dig many out.. That spend little time, pull some of the cool ones.. and bring back some.. we can fill truck loads in a hour.. So my questions is: we broke some old ones by accident with the little hand shovels.. And hard to dig them out by hand, Because bottles on top of bottles and there many broken ones in the ground too... Is there better way to dig them, while being careful with them? Or do you just accept some get broke by accident.. and get what you can? Trying to figure a better way to dig them out carefully. 2.. I done the ebay sales.. That takes work, Used to do high volume of sales ( my feedback was over 50,000)... I got burnt out on that. Do you think opening a store or antique store booth of just old bottles would make money? Because I swear I can come up with millions of 1920's and earlier bottles & jars... And I like them. But where in heck going to put all them.. Like have to sell them, Just to make the money to keep ones I want.. I really do like them.. see why others collect them... So now trying figure where I going to put all them or if they worth just opening something to sell them... so I can keep digging them up and bringing more home.. I need a pole barn..lol

find any old coca colas keep me in mind.thanks greg

Excellent spot. You're going to have some breakage if stuff is packed in tight. A small pick, like maybe a gold crevice tool could be helpful for scratching out dirt between objects to loosen them enough to pull out. Selling that many bottles could be a huge hassle even with your own store. There's overhead too. Maybe you could try to figure out how to wholesale them to someone else. Like sell by the pound if there are that many items. I don't know who will buy that many but there probably is someone or some company. Try Craigslist. The Ads are free. See if you get any interest. Since you're digging down to older stuff, 19th century stuff, you might want to forget the bulk sales and look for primo bottles that are worth more money like embossed whiskey and bitters bottles. Keep your eyes open for embossed sodas, especially Coca-Cola. If you cherry pick that deeper material you might make more money with fewer bottles and less hassle. Good luck. Please post some pictures of future finds. Steve

WE did find Many & many old Coke bottles. Those I have not looked into figuring year etc just yet. Or any of old soda bottles yet. All this is new to me.. Started learning about the Ball Glass jars. Then Clorox Bottles. then cobalt blue bottles.. Then jumped into figuring out some of the old 1800's bottles I have as I got them... Kinda glanced at some the milk bottles.. The Coke bottles I know have hundreds of the small greenish glass ones with all kinds of cities name on them... No clue on the years yet. I'll look into them soon. Figure out what I have.. Right just stacked them in the old metal Coke coolers I have, all dirty.. haven't even washed any them yet.. (I got tons of stuff in general) Kinda just been learning how to tell dates and etc.. No even so much the pricing yet... Should looked at that first... Bring home the stuff that price good... Instead just been trying to bring home old (older is better theory) or stuff haven't seen yet. --- we all ways bringing home old stuff (loaded with misc stuff). so old bottles just fits in with other things we have... all the steel Milk boxes I have, now got bottles to fill them up with correct ones.. Same with all the soda coolers... and all the antique Glass cabinets I have.. the Old glass bottles looks so cool in them all lite up.. I thinking I can make a cool shop... just no time & lack money.. Maybe antique booth, where they sell the stuff, we stock and set up the booth... Just worried, if it doesn't sell good.. can't afford bad months... But I have way too much stuff for the 6 to 10 flea shows we do a year... That not making dent in space any more... Now that I like the digging and finding the old glass... the glass is cool, makes things look better.. just adding more stuff to the mess I all ready have..lol I think I becoming a hoarder..lol )atleast, t not garbage.. mostly cool old stuff). I going have to do something as in store or selling space... soon... I get some pictures up of my glass soon.... Redoing 2 houses (whole house) for people at moment... taking most my days.. and nights is learning about the glass we finding.. Next thing I have to do is start cleaning the bottles better... so far old been washing them with normal dish soap... Lot of this stuff needs cleaned better.. Need to hire a maid... Boy I have a shock for her.. when I tell her I need all the old glass washed and cleaned...lol

I'm Interested in old Hutch or Hutchinson bottles. Have you found any of those? Sample pic below. LEON.

Leon, I Have not ran across any of those yet. --- Just got me thinking (never thought about it, until now). I got a house in MI trying to sell. which right now, just rent out, until it sells. Been cleaning it up all week for new renters... But way back on property in the woods there, there an very old 1800's house that burnt down in 40'sor 50's., making moon shine (neighbor told me all about it). Probably a good place to dig... if can get thru all the tree's and wild grape vines.. I know it loaded with glass bottles back there. But all 30's & 40's I think from when built house in front. But I never dug back there, that just on surface. They started to dump all the glass in it, like fill. But with all the vines.. Can't even see the house until on top of it or about to fall in the basement.. But think with all the trees and vines. would make one hard dig. even tho it sandy ground. But know for a fact they buried all the garbage of both houses back there. --- I might just poke around back there this week.

Thousands of bottles in a dump is not a good thing to me,"way to new" I am not saying you couldn't find a good bottle or two, but the chances of you opening a store to sell all of them and make a fortune is nil. What you need to do is look around that 1800's house for a dump. The dump in that area will not be as big as your 40s dump so it will be harder to find.

glad you have a new hobby,but if you are just in it for the money,then you are missing the point.you will be disappointed,if think you are going to get rich with bottles.the big money stuff is far and in between .if money is your mane goal,stay a junkman.

I not kidding when I say, Millions & millions of bottles..

Click to expand...

I'd look into one of those HUGE mining trucks and see what you can get per ton of glass. There aren't that many of any real value that were ever made. Sure, pick through but in the long run it may not be worth it.

Anyone who Collects Stuff.. It never just about the money... But takes money to improve or change your collection or even find space for it... ME - I collect Many of things... I Like Old things, period. I have many of collections... Room is what I need! Why I really need to just open a store or a Large booth at an antique mall.... Good thing about a store - it still yours, until it sells.. Can display the way I like it and show off my collections and get room back in my house... I getting to be like a hoarder - but of cool old things.. lol But a person like me, who like many of things and like collecting anything I like.. Money all ways tight... If someone tells me their grand parents past away and they want someone to buy everything in the house... have to take all & there things I really like & price is right... I buying it all, if it takes every cent I have... I just have to sell the stuff I like the least and make my money back... so I can keep the things I like... And room to add, when I find something I like better to replace things.. I really liking the Old 1800's glass now... But like some of the newer glass 1900' to 1960's... Just goes with my other stuff I have like coolers and advertisement signs, the old coke machines etc... make that stuff look better with glass items to go with it.. It all cool to me.. I like old things... But too many things, not enough space... So Soon I make up mind... Open store or booth somewhere.. why pay storage fee's, when can display it and sell it... Keep my favorite stuff for myself at home.. --- But have do it, where not taking lost each month... Can't afford bad months... So trying figure what I want to sell & where. Ebay used keep me swamped, never could go out and find more stuff & could not list it fast enough to clear out room fast enough.. Finding it - Is part of the fun... Some of the stuff I like, Can go to new home.. Gotta turn all my collections and other stuff into a Nice display somewhere so sell it and replace it... so can keep my collections growing... It not all fitting at my house.. I like too many old things..