My first complete Iron Pontil, and a dandy to boot!

[woody]

That's a beauty. Nice pickle.
I'd like to see some pictures of it in the daylight to get the true color.
It has everything going for it.[]

 

[blobbottlebob]

Wow. What a peach - Plumb,

That thing is 1850s at the latest. Super sweet. Congrats!

 

[potstone]

That is a really nice find. Good Show!!! I think
you have a really special bottle there. According to the
book Ketchup, Pickles, Sauces by Betty Zumwalt that
E.H.V.B. stands for Elias H. Van Benschoten.
He operated a dry goods in New York at 68 Spring Street about
1842. He changed his line and began the Pickle manufacture in
1849 at 252 Front Street. After 1854 there is no mention of him.
The bottle comes in two sizes and is extremely rare.
Less than ten known.

 

[baltbottles]

Nice bottle I would suspect the Kovels price to be a bit high. Pickles and bottles in general are a bit down at the moment. But if you had it cleaned I would ask $3500 for it if I was selling it.

Chris

 

[bottle_head9]

Good for you![]

 

[Plumbata]

Wow, thanks a million for all the good words and information. It really helps me out a lot!

It is a sliver over 9 inches tall rockbot.

Just dig it, haha, she will understand. She has put up with my bottles so long that she has come to terms with the fact that they will be around until I die. It would be nice to not have to worry about bills for a while, (and get some killer locals) but I can to wait. Also, you are dead-on about the small feet to level it. One is on the base proper and another kinda sticks out diagonally from the junctrure between the base and panel Took some more photos of it.

When I came back to the Apt. I told my gal that I had found something probably worth at least 3 or 400 bucks, which even then would have been the most valuable bottle I've dug. I almost can't believe that a TOC dump digger like myself would up finding something so rare and desirable, especially when I wasn't even there more than 20 minutes, with most of the time being spent rubbing off the dirt and admiring the piece (I called my dad to relay the news too, hehe).

Antiquenut, after it came out I scratched around for a few more minutes but nothing but rusted out can hollows and a few china shards appeared. This bottle was actually right behind a large piece of a TOC stoneware mixing bowl, and I easily could have broken it. Even more, I was impatient with it so I pried it out without exposing the neck and the top! [>:] It shouldn't have been there to begin with, and since it was, it should have at least been damaged or broken, but neither I in my haste nor a century of entombment did this piece in. Hard to believe, eh? I will go back to poke around, but since it was a solid 1905-1910 layer i doubt i will find anything else nearly as old. The neighborhood that probably dumped it wasnt even built until the 1870s or 1880s!

Thanks for the tip Ant, I will have to see about contacting the fellow. If I sell it I will be able to afford coming to get that jug asap! []

And potstone, many thanks for transcribing that information, that is some info i was looking for! so it is 1849-1854 and less than 10 are known? Killer! [] Is that less than 10 total of all colors and sizes, or less than 10 in the 9 inch size and green color?

Baltbottles, I always respect your opinion and i appreciate your estimate even if it may be higher than it should be considering the economy. You know your glass infinitely better than I know mine.

So you would like some daylight shots Woody? Here they are! It is 100% overcast outside but I'd say the images do the bottle a tad more justice than the others. I also moistened it to downplay the hazing so the color could shine more true (still tough to capture, it is lighter near the top and a nice emerald in the bottom third where the glass is thicker):

Crappy shot of the corner mold alteration

 

[Plumbata]

hey floridarecycled, what are the magic words you use?

mine go something along the lines of:

"Oh mighty spirits of the lost ages of glassblowing, I call to you on my shaky and soiled knees, humbly requesting a blessing of colored locals"

If after a while that doesn't work, it typically degenerates into something like this:

"Awlright you fickle bottle-gods, I've been paying my dues for hours and all you offer me is a lousy Castoria!? You don't want me going to give my offerings to the gods of mini-jugs instead, do you?"

 

[FloridaRecycled]

ORIGINAL: Plumbata

Well, before I went digging today I told my gal that I would find something awesome, perhaps something that would help pay the incessant bills.

I had no idea that my casual statement would actually come true.

I was referring to what you said before you left to go and dig - it's quite simply the power of positive thinking!

Keep it up!!

 

[IllinoisDigger]

Plumbata,
way to go! Thanks for sharing.
Almost as exciting as digging it myself.

p.s. do you still have any of those TUCKER pharm bottle(s) for sale?
let me know because I'l lbe in CU this Saturday for my kids soccer game.
thanks
John Connor

 

[ancientdigger69]

dude........wow!!!!

If you sell that, i will beat you like a red headed step child!! im not messin' stephen!!!