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dmckee

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Story: In the late 1970's my Dad and I would go on metal detecting day trips around central Alabama where we lived, he would detect and me being a kid would dig targets, play or explore. This particular day we were at a road intersection in Pickens county at a dilapidated two story wood building supposed to be a stagecoach stop. The building was on stone pillars which put the floor at my eye level, he was detecting and I was perusing around the building. I pulled some loose hanging boards off at floor level and found this curious mortar brick with tiny bottles within it. I've been holding it as a keepsake for the last 40 years or so, we talk about every few years and how he wished we would have kept pulling boards to see what else was there. The site has long been gone and now a busy intersection. What date would you guess? any value? Leave intact or try and separate them?
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nhpharm

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1840's pontiled puffs. I would definitely keep it intact and as-is...bottles are common and not worth much but intact it is pretty neat!
 

JustGlass

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Cool find. Very uncommon and something you don't see very often. Bet there is a few empty opium bottles in there. I love it.
 

hemihampton

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I see a open pontiled bottom. Can't tell if Puff, puffs are very thin glass like a light bulb but with what looks like a thin flared lip on the one they could be. Most likely unembossed that would then have little value, but for me I'd carefully separate them because I would be curious if any were embossed. Dates probably 1840's to early 1860's. Nice finds. Congrats. LEON.
 

sandchip

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I agree with Leon, because there may be a rare embossed med hiding in there. You never know. You're gonna have to be very patient and careful though. If it's lime mortar, it may not put up a real big fight. I'd pick at a few places and see if it crumbles off fairly easily. If you can get them separated and picked fairly clean, I'd finish with a muriatic acid bath and gentle scrubbing with a stainless scouring pad. Such a neat and unique find that rocks just the way it is. Part of me wants to see what's in there, but the other part would want to put it on display just the way it is. I beat myself up too for not checking out sites in younger days that are long gone now.
 

CanadianBottles

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I agree, keep it as it is. Pontilled puffs are not uncommon, but I've never heard of another brick with whole bottles in it, especially of that age. It's unlikely that any are embossed anyway, since they're all so small and likely came from the same source.
 

sandchip

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Okay, I've quit waffling and I agree with the last few posters that it should be left alone. I love old bricks and I'll bet nobody has another one like this! I'd have that thing in a special spot on the mantle or bookshelf. I can't help but to keep wondering what else was under that old building, in the attic, walls, etc...
 

dmckee

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The glass is "light bulb" thin and I've sorta always doubted if they could be extracted without destroying at least some of them. I'm surprised that me as a kid didn't break them just because I could. My Dad and I also wonder why they got put there? Just a 175 year old mystery I guess.
 

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