Confirming a bottlers dump?

[zsmith333]

Howdy! I believe i have found a soda bottlers dump, or someone just REALLY liked Nehi's.

I found a spot along a creek that has bottles and glass just pouring out of the side, mixed with lots of old household trash and old corroded metal. I have found probably 2 dozen Nehi bottles, and hundreds of broken pieces all in a small 5 foot area. How would i go about confirming that it was a bottlers dump, if at all possible? Made some amazing art deco finds there as well, some undocumented ones, and some older meds.

 

[DavidW]

Sounds like whoever used that dumping area liked to drink Nehi. Was there a local Nehi bottling company facility nearby? If not, probably just a regular dump, especially if there are lots of other household items in it.

 

[CanadianBottles]

I agree, two dozen isn't anywhere near enough to be a bottler's dump. Two dozen bottles can be the aftermath of a single party. If you found one with two thousand broken Nehis and practically nothing else, then that would be a bottler's dump. Bottlers' dumps tend to have few intact bottles as well, apart from those of competing companies, since there was no reason to throw out perfectly good bottles unless there was a switch-over to a new style.

 

[zsmith333]

I agree, two dozen isn't anywhere near enough to be a bottler's dump. Two dozen bottles can be the aftermath of a single party. If you found one with two thousand broken Nehis and practically nothing else, then that would be a bottler's dump. Bottlers' dumps tend to have few intact bottles as well, apart from those of competing companies, since there was no reason to throw out perfectly good bottles unless there was a switch-over to a new style.

Makes sense! Just surprised me that almost every other bottle was a Nehi, lol. Still has been a good spot to search, come away with something new every time.

 

[willong]

Makes sense! Just surprised me that almost every other bottle was a Nehi, lol. Still has been a good spot to search, come away with something new every time.

If I were to throw them all into one of the gullies crossing my property, I suppose that someone stumbling upon my empties a few decades hence might ponder why a Spaten Optimator* bottler had established themselves in a rural American locale!

I agree with previous comments--two dozen bottles of a single brand just means someone liked the product enough to purchase more than once.

A more objective answer to your question would be to point out that bottlers normally established their businesses in commercial or industrial neighborhoods of medium to large urban areas. Thus, Sanborn Insurance Maps would be likely to provide the answer.

*German import which I order several cases at a time through an accommodating grocer as it is difficult to find on any store shelves near here.

 

[RIBottleguy]

I've dug one bottlers dump and there were literally thousands of their bottles there. You should be looking at hundreds of soda bottles from the same bottler at least, all dumped in one spot. If I were to guess it just sounds like someone really liked Nehi.

 

[Lacsco]

Howdy! I believe i have found a soda bottlers dump, or someone just REALLY liked Nehi's.

I found a spot along a creek that has bottles and glass just pouring out of the side, mixed with lots of old household trash and old corroded metal. I have found probably 2 dozen Nehi bottles, and hundreds of broken pieces all in a small 5 foot area. How would i go about confirming that it was a bottlers dump, if at all possible? Made some amazing art deco finds there as well, some undocumented ones, and some older meds.

Are you talking about in Livingston Texas?