RIBottleguy
Well-Known Member
I recently returned to a large 1940-60s town dump that had previously produced a nice Hero (w. maltese cross) fruit jar. Though lightning doesn't usually strike twice, I wanted to give it another try. The dump surrounds a small swamp, which was dry so I walked the edges. I found a nice looking half gallon fruit jar, which was solidly encased in large roots. Half an hour later I sadly abandoned the stupid thing, and then my digging buddy Mike came.
We moved back to where I had found the fruit jar, and about 25 insulators. Most were Hemingrays and Whitall Tatums with a few Brookfields and Am. Tel. & Elec. Cos. mixed in. This time we removed a large branch that was in the way last time, and I brought my clippers to negotiate with the nasty Japanese barberry which blankets the site. After two salvagable pyro milks, a Coca-Cola, and a few insulators, I ran into a pocket of fruit jar tops. They weren't your average Ball/Atlas tops, but Hero and CFJCo. tops indicating age. The zinc lids were toast, but we saved the nicer porcelain inserts. I also found an aluminum Smalley cap, and a Kline stopper. A Mason's CFJC. Improved w/o the bottom hinted of better things to come.
At one point I turned up a broken olive green whiskey. It was a narrow cylinder and whittled to death. Shortly thereafter I found a whole fruit jar, and when I brushed away the dirt around the top, I found it had a very strange top (which is good!). I pulled it out and couldn't believe I was holding a Sun fruit jar! There was no damage at all. I continued to find about 5 Sun lids, a fancy B.B. Wilcox jar lid, and three newer Sanfords jars with matching lids.
The icing on the cake was a semi-local Barbour's 18 Broad St. Westerly medicine. I didn't notice until I got home that it was the rare error version spelled Nesterly!
Needless to say I'll be coming back to this spot. I have a a feeling there is a bunch of jars under my large pile of tailings!
Quart Sun jar w. matching lid
Sanfords quart, we also found a pint
Wilcox jar lid
Nesterly error medicine
We moved back to where I had found the fruit jar, and about 25 insulators. Most were Hemingrays and Whitall Tatums with a few Brookfields and Am. Tel. & Elec. Cos. mixed in. This time we removed a large branch that was in the way last time, and I brought my clippers to negotiate with the nasty Japanese barberry which blankets the site. After two salvagable pyro milks, a Coca-Cola, and a few insulators, I ran into a pocket of fruit jar tops. They weren't your average Ball/Atlas tops, but Hero and CFJCo. tops indicating age. The zinc lids were toast, but we saved the nicer porcelain inserts. I also found an aluminum Smalley cap, and a Kline stopper. A Mason's CFJC. Improved w/o the bottom hinted of better things to come.
At one point I turned up a broken olive green whiskey. It was a narrow cylinder and whittled to death. Shortly thereafter I found a whole fruit jar, and when I brushed away the dirt around the top, I found it had a very strange top (which is good!). I pulled it out and couldn't believe I was holding a Sun fruit jar! There was no damage at all. I continued to find about 5 Sun lids, a fancy B.B. Wilcox jar lid, and three newer Sanfords jars with matching lids.
The icing on the cake was a semi-local Barbour's 18 Broad St. Westerly medicine. I didn't notice until I got home that it was the rare error version spelled Nesterly!
Needless to say I'll be coming back to this spot. I have a a feeling there is a bunch of jars under my large pile of tailings!
Quart Sun jar w. matching lid
Sanfords quart, we also found a pint
Wilcox jar lid
Nesterly error medicine