Old turn of the century farm site discussion

Woodsman · Mar 1, 2017

Hello, I'm new to the site here, and hope to contribute in any way I can.
I know of a forested place that contains hundreds of old bottles that are scattered around on the surface over a large area along with other artifacts from the early 1900s to I'd say the 50s. That's just the tip of the iceberg I imagine as the majority of it is buried. The oldest aerial view map I could find shows there was what looks to have been a farm there. I'm assuming this was the place they used for dumping. I'd like to save as much as I can of value and historical significance before It's too late. I've definitely been enjoying the excitement of treasure hunting and the exercise it provides is also a benefit of course. As far as bottles are concerned, what should I be looking for in general, and what should be a priority? All I've done so far are collect bottles that have identifying marks such as brand names, contents, etc... I felt those are more important over the nondescript ones.

I appreciate any suggestions you may have.

hemihampton · Mar 1, 2017

Welcome to the site. The older the better. But if your finding 1930's-50's stuff look for ACL (painted label) soda bottles & milk bottles. Post pics of what you found? LEON.

Woodsman · Mar 4, 2017

I've never given it too much thought but no bottles I've found yet have any surviving trace of labeling left. I'm sure I'll come across something that does though eventually. When I mentioned early 1900s, I meant around the year 1900 and on which is why I titled the thread "turn of the century." It's funny, there can be an antique buggy/wagon spring laying on the ground, and 10 feet away will be an old Rustoleum aerosol can. It's a cornucopia of stuff. I'll definitely be posting pics of finds from time to time. I'll be going back sometime this coming week when the weather warms up a bit.

sandchip · Mar 4, 2017

Best of luck. We look forward to seeing what your site produces.

Woodsman · Mar 8, 2017

I took advantage of the unseasonably warm day today to search for more bottles. I brought back several things such as a small Noxzema jar, Ace shoe polish bottle, and Mount Vernon bottle. I also took two large hourglass shaped Crisco oil bottles. Last but not least I took a heavy brown jar with a textured finish. It contains remnants of a dense gooey substance almost like Crisco shortening.

CanadianBottles · Mar 9, 2017

Sounds like that's all mid-century stuff. Unfortunately not really of interest to collectors, I think every farm has a dump somewhere that's full of that sort of thing. There could be milk bottles and sodas there too though, those are definitely of interest to collectors. Generally for that era it seems that the best finds are non-bottle items - usually advertising things like enamel signs. If you live in a state that used aluminum license plates those are always cool finds as well and seem to be plentiful on farms.

When it warms up you might try digging down into the dump, sometimes those dumps go deeper into older, better layers of bottles.

Woodsman · Mar 10, 2017

That's just what I found on that particular trip. I've gotten soda and milk bottles in the past. There are definitely gems to be had. Many of the bottles found so far may not be of interest to collectors but thankfully they're not the only ones buying these items. What I have put on eBay so far in the way of bottles have brought between $5-$30. The non-bottle items I've found so far in which I've sold have netted between $50-115 so you're right on that aspect.

I've been going to this spot for almost 5 years now, and everything I've pulled out so far has been on the surface. I imagine there might be better items below the surface like you mentioned. When you walk you can hear trash and glass making noise from your weight. Some spots you even start to sink a little bit into it. I always try to tread as lightly as possible as to not break anything potentially of value that's underground. As of right now I'm mainly focused on surface items since they're the most vulnerable to breakage being completely exposed. It's a shame as there are a lot of nice bottles that have already met their demise.

This place can really only be picked in the late winter to mid spring. In the late spring and summer the ground is completely blanketed by ferns that are loaded with ticks. So not only can you no longer see the ground well enough to hunt for things, you risk getting Lyme disease which I've already gotten from there. In the fall after the ferns die off, everything is buried in a deep layer of leaves. Then of course during winter everything is under the snow.

hemihampton · Mar 10, 2017

Is there any old rusty Beer Cans in this dump? I collect those & some have value if rare. Let me know. THANKS, LEON.

Woodsman · Mar 12, 2017

Nothing yet besides an all green Tudor Cream Ale can in poor shape. I'll definitely keep an eye out. Seemingly everything that's metal is badly decomposed. Although there are still some diamonds in the rough. For example, I found a nice American Standard iron wall hanger sink bracket I got $45 for. It was something that could be repurposed as a neat door handle pull. Recently I found a buggy/carriage leaf spring assembly in good enough shape to warrant keeping. There's just random bits strewn all over away from the main area. Deeper in the woods there are sections of wrought iron railings that are half rotted away but they do have some intact flowers on them that might be worth something in the way of architectural salvage. The problem is I couldn't pull the sections out of the ground, and even if I did, they might be too heavy and awkward to carry back. The terrain in this forest is pretty treacherous so It's hard to maneuver with anything big.

hemihampton · Mar 13, 2017

New England had lots of rare beer cans in the 1930's-40's. The Tudor is extremely common & there color seems to hold up good but you never know when you'll find something Rarer like a Kent? LEON.

Old turn of the century farm site discussion

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