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[Poeticallyinsane]

Thanks everyone for your helpful information. I never knew all that about bottles. I've checked them and the seam seems to go on the lip. Kind of makes me dizzy with all this new knowledge, lol. One of the sad things is I have no idea where I dug those bottles. Usually I walk around a huge field and dig at random...probably have 20-50 spots I've dug out there and long since filled back up. It almost fits that saying about finding a needle in a hay stack....it would be very hard to locate some of the areas because I make is so nice after I've dug or at least I try. They also didnt all come from the same hole in the ground. [&o] The good news though is I DO know that they were dug right near my house so I could try and find where they came from. [] I have a lot of time on my hands though so maybe Sunday I'll go hole hunting. Thanks lobeycat for that link. I may have been to this site before but only briefly. I'll check it out and read it.

 

[cordilleran]

Did William Painter put the cart before the horse? Given his legacy as the inventer of the crown cap closure, it appears he did.

Irish immigrant William Painter (born 1838) filed for a patent in 1890 and received U.S. patent no. 468,258 for the "crown cork" in 1892. Afterward, in 1894, he received U.S. patent no. 514,200 for the bottle cap lifter, commonly referred to as a bottle opener today.

Painter started his own manufacturing business, the Crown Cork and Seal Company, in Baltimore, MD and worked diligently to convince reluctant bottlers that the crown cap was practical and cost-effective. No small feat considering crown cap bottles had to be made a specific way for the caps to work properly. What's more, mechanized crown cap application technology was lacking altogether; technology allowing bottlers to press the caps onto the bottles evenly and efficiently. Without such technology proper force could not be applied to seat the seal without breaking the bottle. As a result Painter's novel invention was looked upon more as a curiosity than revolutionary.

Painter rose to the challenge. By 1898, he had created a foot-powered crowner device to sell to bottlers and retailers so that they could seal the bottles with his caps quickly and easily. As one might suspect, this helped drive acceptance of his bottle caps rather quickly around the world. By 1906, Painter's catchy "horse and cart" bottle sealing combination revolutionized the industry with crown cap manufacturing plants opening throughout most of the the industrialized world.

 

[cobaltbot]

Krystal those are nice newbie bottles and there's nothing wrong with keeping some of your first dug stuff. I would move on however from that place and not look for more of those. That doesn't mean there might not be different ones you'd like to keep or some different stuff down deeper. I'm a good one to talk with the stuff I keep, Ha!

Keep at it and youll be finding better and better bots!

 

[cordilleran]

Ditto keeping what you find. I've bottles (and other "collectibles" I've treasured for the last 40 years). It may be not worth anything to others, but I get a kick out of looking at these dusty relics. Keep in mind that if something brings joy to you it is priceless. And good God knows, joy is in short supply these days. Remember also that we don't own anything here on Earth other than our good will to others (that's a gift intended for giving away); we're just borrowing these things for awhile. The greatest joy I've captured for more than a fleeting moment is giving my joy to others. In the end I suppose my unwritten epitaph will be: he didn't amount to a hill of beans financially, but he gave a wealth of goodwill and honest friendship to others. The smile on a child's face is priceless and children -- regardless of their age -- are the closest to heaven any of us will get in this dog-eared world.

 

[tigue710]

ORIGINAL: cordilleran

Did William Painter put the cart before the horse? Given his legacy as the inventer of the crown cap closure, it appears he did.

Irish immigrant William Painter (born 1838) filed for a patent in 1890 and received U.S. patent no. 468,258 for the "crown cork" in 1892. Afterward, in 1894, he received U.S. patent no. 514,200 for the bottle cap lifter, commonly referred to as a bottle opener today.

Painter started his own manufacturing business, the Crown Cork and Seal Company, in Baltimore, MD and worked diligently to convince reluctant bottlers that the crown cap was practical and cost-effective. No small feat considering crown cap bottles had to be made a specific way for the caps to work properly. What's more, mechanized crown cap application technology was lacking altogether; technology allowing bottlers to press the caps onto the bottles evenly and efficiently. Without such technology proper force could not be applied to seat the seal without breaking the bottle. As a result Painter's novel invention was looked upon more as a curiosity than revolutionary.

Painter rose to the challenge. By 1898, he had created a foot-powered crowner device to sell to bottlers and retailers so that they could seal the bottles with his caps quickly and easily. As one might suspect, this helped drive acceptance of his bottle caps rather quickly around the world. By 1906, Painter's catchy "horse and cart" bottle sealing combination revolutionized the industry with crown cap manufacturing plants opening throughout most of the the industrialized world.

good bit of research, thanks...

 

[Poeticallyinsane]

I recently removed about 55 bottles from my collection....leaves me with 130ish....I cant help but keep most of what I find. I dig with my 5 yr old son and the look on his face when I find a bottle or even when he finds a bottle is just pure happiness. He understands that we cant keep them all but he also shows how let down he is when I tell him we have to leave one behind or throw it away later. I'm supposed to take him with a friend of mine to do some digging along the Arkansas river this afternoon, maybe we will find something good in the bottle sense. I already know we'll find smiles and a good time walking.

 

[cobaltbot]

Thats what its all about Krystal, in that case keep finding "treasures" in your yard. Do get a metal detector and turn them on to that too. Most of us wish we could appreciate the world and our finds as if we were five again!

 

[Poeticallyinsane]

I really want a metal detector but I know nothing about them or which one to buy. I've checked them out online before and they're all so expensive. My younger brother had one when he was 10 and in order to find anything it would have to be 1 inch from the surface and the detector had to be literally pressed against it... it was cheap but still. Are they all that "touchy"?

 

[jamus]

Here's a forum that should give you good advice on purchasing a metal detector: http://metaldetectingforum.com
The most popular metal detector at the moment is the ACE 250 ( about 200 dollars).

 

[cordilleran]

Krystal:

Technology has changed drastically since those slim days of the late 1960s when I wielded a unit that detected only pulltabs and empty Prince Albert tobacco tins. Metal detectors today can tell you not only what is concealed beneath the sod but also how deep it is and accurately pinpoint the target to boot.

I would recommend purchasing a metal detector new and one that costs in the $200 to $300 range for starters. Metal detectors, depending on their application and accessories, can exceed $1,000. I do not advise you to shop for a metal detector at your local pawn shop and its a crapshoot when buying a detector second-hand.
Check for local dealers in your area. Not only are they a goldmine of information regarding the hobby, they can also inform you if there are like-minded detectorheads to share your newfound passion. Given your Internet accessibility, enter "metal detector dealerships" and traipse among the multitudes of businesses all vying for your patronage. Kellyco comes to mind. This exclusive metal detecting dealership markets virtually all metal detecting brands and they stand by their products. They even lend expert advice and will offer trade-in value for your detector should you decide to upgrade equipment in the future.

No matter what brand or type of detector you choose, you'll need at least 100 hours' operation time to familiarize yourself with the unit. But be forewarned, metal detecting is addictive.

Given humankind's proclivity to lose valuables and secret away objects of great price, there's no shortage of goodies to be found. I recently detected a field that has been gone over countless times by metal detecting enthusiasts and found an 1876 Seated Liberty half dollar. Understand also that you'll likely expand your collecting interests through what you find. I started out sweeping a mine detector as a combat engineer and now collect everything from marbles to barbed wire.