I'm a new digger!!!!!

[Digging Up Bottles]

Hey guys. It's great to be here finally. I've actually dug bottles since I was 13 in a local dump, but nothing to the extent of what I've seen you guys pull out. The dump I've dug is from 1890-1950. Obviously, it's not THAT old. I've come to the age now where I can drive myself around to potential digging spots. I have plans to dig privies over the summer and have all my gear and safety equipment ready. If anyone can give some tips to a rookie digger, please do!!! I would love to hear some tips on how to find dumps (especially town dumps) and privies.

Just to give you an idea of what I've found...
1) 1890's Royal canning jar, clear
2) 1895 Robert Portner Brewing Co., aqua
3) 1920's Harper's Ferry Soda Works, clear
4) Late 20's or Early 30's Keyser, WVA dairy bottle, clear

So, you get the idea. I have over 200 bottles from this era, but I want to take this to a whole nother level. Sorry there are no pics. I haven't taken any yet.

Again, tips and comments are welcome!!!

 

[deenodean]

Welcome D.U.B. and welcome to the madness...1st rule of thumb is to provide pictures of your bottles...epackage will give you lots of tips on how to use photobucket.. members will give you pro tips on the privies...remember a picture is worth more than 1000 words...[8|]

 

[DIGGIN DOC]

WELCOME TO THE FORUMS, GLAD TO HAVE YOU ON BOARD!

CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU'VE FOUND....GET THAT CAMERA CLICKIN'.....PLEEEEEEASE!

 

[epackage]

Welcome, as Daniel said Pic's are the best thing when looking for help here. I look forward to your posts.....enjoy...Jim

 

[Digging Up Bottles]

Thanks guys! I'll try to get pictures on when I get the chance.

 

[Diggin4Togas]

Hi Tim, Welcome to all of us kind and sometimes crazy but helpful people. Randy

 

[RED Matthews]

Hello Digging Up Bottles; Welcome to this FORUM. At least we know you are interested in old bottles. The thing I don't recognize is how much you know about bottles. So I am sending this following material for your review. It may help you know the best old bottles in the 200 you have already acquired. Good Luck - because I have been into glass making for 76 years.


This is a collection of material information for newbee's in the hobby of Historic Bottle Collecting. There are several approaches to bottle collecting, and every one has a different interest, that keeps them going after bottles that represent their interest. My interest in putting this together; is to look at the development of bottle making and the methods that were used when the bottles were Hand-Made and Mouth-Blown. This is intended to mainly cover the bottles that were made in the development of the American Glass Making Industry, the first industry in our country.. New diggers and collectors, need to realize how to identify bottles that were made by Hand and Mouth-Blown vs the bottles that were made on an AUTOMATIC BOTTLE MACHINE (ABM). These glass items can be left for future collecting objectives; or recycled into the batch additive to today's glass production. If there are two vertical seams on the finish of the bottle, leave it or recycle it. The logic is the value isn't going to be worth taking it home; unless it is an unusual figural or fancy bottle. There are a lot of interesting bottles made later, but ones interest has to become more specialized. For example I have a bitg collection of large advertising bottles – that were never even filled. Whiskeys, beers, perfume, Coca Cola and many products. Multiple finish Wolfe bottles, and bottles that were made with special mold designs. So you can’t leave justification for saving others also.
The number one thing to learn is how to identify and know Mouth Blown Bottles. One of the best things to learn is how to identify the pontil marks.
#1 When a bottle has a round ring of glass on the bottom, it is telling us that the ring was made by having an empontiling done with the previous blow pipe with neck glass left on the end of that blow pipe. The diameters (inside and outside) will be about the same as the neck of the bottle under the finish. So this is a Blow pipe or Open Tube Pontil, on the bottom of your bottle. That previous blowpipe was laid on a rack by the glory hole to keep that glass tube end hot enough to stick to the next bottle. These are often referred to as: an open pontil but that is up to the collectors’ use of words.
#2 When the bottle has a contact mark on the bottom that illustrates that what was used to empontil it, that mark will be a round form with different textures in the mark. The mark is made by an iron punty rod and the diameter and style is different for: small to huge heavy glass bottles. These heated punty rods were often soft coated with a sticking agent like: graphite, red lead or white lead . The coated punty is then placed in; an open boxes with: powdered iron, glass chips, glass dust, sand, to mention the main ones. It is then stuck on the bottom of the new bottle to become a handle for the bottle-maker to apply glass to the neck of the empontilled bottle.
Some punties are even just coated with some hot glass from the melting crucible. Identifying the exact method of empontiling is not as important as just realizing it has been on a punty rod.
#3 Now the last thing to look at is the finish on top of the bottle you are thinking of keeping. If the finish was applied hot glass it will be just a ring of glass or it might have lines going around it and down on the neck of the bottle indicating that a pinch action tool had been inserted in the neck and the hot glass rotated to shape the hot glass, that was put on the neck. In this looking at your bottle or jar – if you see two vertical mold lines on that finish – then it was made on an ABM (Automatic Bottle Machine) and left for a future collector. The only exception is if the bottle is a unique figural or has some other indications of being a collectors item. This will come after you have more experience. This is no doubt enough to get you on a good road. RED Matthews <bottlemysteries@yahoo.com>

 

[cc6pack]

Welcome, nhere's another site that is very helpful if you have not already discovered it.

http://www.sha.org/bottle/index.htm

 

[Digging Up Bottles]

I really appreciate all of the replies guys. Keep the tips coming!