How do you split the finds?

[jagee44]

The way I do it with my digging partner is whoever is the one that digs that bottle gets to keep it. Is that how you guys decide who keeps what? Or do you split the finds equally no matter who digs it. What if you dig a great bottle then what do you do? If you sell a bottle that was dug to you split the money with your digging partner?

 

[PhilaBottles]

ok rick

 

[lexdigger]

We always decide what we're going to do before the dig. Usually in a dump we will work together to open a large hole and keep it cleaned out, but we keep what we dig. This usually works well and everyone ends up getting some good ones. In a privy we will usually split the finds. The reason being is that digging a privy is more of a group effort. A deep pit takes at least two or three people all working together to get it done. More often than not the bottles will be all together in a trash or use layer. What if you dug, bailed water, and pulled buckets all day and never dug a good bottle, but your partner hit a nest of them in the bottom corner? Would it be fair for them to keep everything and you get a few slicks? LOL. We also usually will agree that the permission getter or whoever probed out the pit gets first pick. If something really rare or valuable is dug we will decide a buyout price or sell it and split the money. We try to make it fair for everyone as well as fun. To me it's as much about spending time with friends and enjoying a hobby. I'd just as soon give up my first pick as I would have any bad feelings between friends. Chris

 

[Jim]

My digging buddy and I alternate back and forth for first pick on each pit. Sometimes one of us will do really well while the other doesn't, but it works out. We both end up getting good bottles regularly.

For a very high-priced find, we would either sell and split, or one buy out the other if it something that one of us want to keep. As long as you have a good digging partner and you can be fair and honest with each other, any picking/splitting of the finds will be much easier however you decide to do it. ~Jim

 

[idigjars]

Hello All

I think being fair should be the top priority. It's all supposed to be for fun anyway right?

When my buddy Bill and I used to dig alot we would dig all spring and summer long and split up the common stuff and all the better stuff I would take to my house and clean.

Then about in February when the snow was about 3 foot deep he and his wife and my wife and I would meet them somewhere halfway between his house(Traverse City) and my house(Niles Mich) and split the bottles alternating picks. Our wives enjoyed getting out of the house and not having to cook!! Everybody was happy.

I would stick as many of the bottles in the window of the hotel so he could see them pulling in. They would always hurry into the hotel!

Bottles are so much fun aren't they?

We would both ended up with something nice and because they were all cleaned there were no surprises, you knew what you were getting and that you could sit it right on your shelf when you got home. Take care all and good luck digging, Paul

 

[madpaddla]

Great Topic:
All the posts before are dead on. Stress on fun and finding bottles.

One thing left out, and is commonly done, is that when one digger hits it big in a dump and the other doesnt do so well. The better off gives a couple to other guy so his efforts weren't wasted. And it helps out if the better off hits a bad streak a week later.

Now Tigue give me that Willington Pickle you dug ! !
Madpaddla

 

[idigjars]

Madpaddla, WoW what a pickle! Awesome. Yes the dump splitting you mentioned sounds fair also. One hand washes the other so to speak and.............. you never know when you might be the guy with the dry spell next time. Just have fun doing it!! Paul

 

[tigue710]

alright alright, I'll rip it down the middle....

 

[jagee44]

Great replies do far, the reason I made this post is becaue me and my partner dug up a pretty valuable bottle a while ago and we kind of got in an argument. We were arguing about who should keep it. Yall have posted some great ideas. I will talk with him the next time about what you guys have said so far and from there we will decide who will keep what.

 

[Oldtimer]

With my diggin buddy, it's "first to lay a hand on it keeps it!"...and sometimes we box for a while over a good one. If one finds a bunch, and the other don't, the one who found gets to crow and lord it over the other for at least a week, maybe more. Dug bottles offered up to a skunked buddy don't fly, it's "I don't want that, I didn't dig it!". It's just how we are. We have a blast even when we both get skunked.