Cobalt mini-jug

[Pettydigger]

Hello everyone I am new to this forum, this is a very helpful site for the bottle diggers of the world. I live in Iowa and have been digging privys and dumps for about 6 years now. Found alot of bottles/crocks in an old city dump that was uncovered by construction of a new sewer pumpstation, the area was huge 30+ foot hole and trash layers at various depths. As all great things do not last forever I was only able to dig for a couple weekends before they covered all of it up. These guys doing the work smashed thousands of bottles and stoneware crocks. I salvaged alot of stuff though all from 1880's to 1920's era. I will try to get a picture of a little jug I was really proud of along with a stoneware ink I believe, has anyone seen the ink or blue jug before, are they rare? Please excuse any mistakes I have made this is my first time. Thanks
Josh

 

[Flaschenjager]

Hi Josh - Welcome to Antique-Bottles.Net -
Very nice items! I love the blue jug. Show us more when you can.

 

[BRIAN S.]

Hi Josh and welcome to the forum !
Some great finds you have there ! Does your stoneware pieces have any writing or stamping on them ?
I like your Blue mini jug also ! Thanks for sharing the pics with us ! Brian

 

[Pettydigger]

Hi Brian, unfortunately no markings on either of the stoneware I know that makes it very difficult to place a value or any idea of who made them. The layer these 4 items came out of is early 1900's. I will post more stuff from my digs when I figure out just how to post everything correctly on this site. Tommorow I have a dig set up and it looks good just from the surface findings. Here in Iowa the winter gets rid of all vegetation making easier to locate the old dumps. Still have a little frost in the ground but that will not slow me down much.

 

[KentOhio]

The poison bottle is worth about $5 to $10, and the Hostetter's is about $15. That mini-jug is very unusual; I've never seen anything like it. It is probably pretty valuable, but I wouldn't know how much. It could be unique. Those inkwells can go pretty high as well. That must have been a good spot!

 

[Pettydigger]

Hello KentOhio this spot was the best place I had ever dug, It was only about 3 blocks from my house. I only wish I had more time to be able to dig there. The site is now fenced in and a big building on top of it. I got at least 100 good bottles from it and a dozen crocks whole! The construction guys obviously did not know anything about antiques, found two crocks just lying on top of dirt piles!!!!!!!!!! It is a shame that development will some day coverup are precious areas which we can dig.
Josh

 

[snake oil]

Not all construction guys . I'm a construction guy who collects bottles .[] Most of the jobs I go to don't have any bottles , but once in a while I find one that does . That's how I got started collecting bottles . I would say most contruction guys don't give a hoot about old bottles , I came to a job once and saw the bricklayers having a rock throwing contest , using old milk bottles for targets , while they were waiting for thier materials to be delivered . []

 

[Pettydigger]

Hey snake oil, ya that is a shame that most workers don't have a care in the world about old stuff like that, If I was on the job at the dumps work would have been shut down for the day![]

 

[Pettydigger]

I decided to take a pic of this ink I found by itself. The age of glass around it in the dump was 1890 to 1920. Has anyone seen one like this before, I can't find any info on it. Thanks Pettydigger