Neat Sad Story

[Penn Digger]

I am not a collector of milks normally. Joe The Crow and I dug shards of a very rare local milk several years ago. It was a local pint bottle...Clover Leaf Dairy..Bradford...(PA) with a three leaf clover on it....embossed. Mentioned it over the years to several long term die hard bottle and milk collectors and inquired at the local historical society. Supposedly it was only in existence for a year or so around 1915-16.

A few bottle diggers from the 1960's said OHHH...rarer than a hen's tooth..The local milk bottle guru doesn't even have one. I wanted this milk just because it was so rare and nobody had one except a very humble local 60's digger (Ernie Hurd).

Over the last couple of years Ernie's son-in-law would call up and order food to go from our restaurant for Ernie, who was by then homebound. I inquired dozens of times about the bottle with absolutely no reception from him. I did not know Ernie as I only met him once for a brief moment years ago. He was an old time digger who dug all the early dumps from here to Buffalo in the 60's and 70's, rumored to have "thousands" of bottles.

Last Friday morning Ernie was taken to the local hospital by ambulance. He died Saturday night.

On Monday, I was helping with the lunch rush at the restaurant and received a phone call from Ernie's son-in-law. I told him I was sorry to read of Ernie's passing in the paper that morning. He asked how long I would be there and said he would be right down to talk to me about something.

He walked through the door 10 minutes later, sat at the counter, and handed me the infamous Clover Leaf Dairy bottle. He explained that between the trip to hospital and his passing the next night, Ernie made a list of things he wanted. One of them was to give me the bottle I had inquired about so many times. I offered to buy him lunch. He said NO, Ernie wanted you to have it and walked out.

Thank you Ernie and God Bless You. Rest In Peace.

PD

 

[popster]

Very nice story-Thanks for sharing it.
R.I.P. Ernie Hurd

 

[capsoda]

Apparently Tom, You were meant to have it.

I had an elderly gentileman who came into a jewelry store where I did watch and jewelry work every 2 months to get a battery for his watch. I think he was just lonely because there was nothing wrong with the watch but he insisted it needed a battery just the same. He always talked about some old bottles he had in his barn that were for his grand children, nieces and nephews. One day on the scheduled day for his battery change his daughter came in, handed me an old paper bag and told me that a week before he had died in his sleep. After she had gotten him taken care of she got the bottles ready for the kids, each set of bottles in its own bag with the childs name on it in pencil and there was one that said, "Warren the watch battery man". When I opened the bag it had three deco sodas in it and one was a very rare Chero Cola bottle from Pensacola, Florida. It is the only Chero Cola bottle that I know of that has any real value to it and the only other one I have ever seen was purchased by a good friend for 100 bucks. I have the bag sealed in plastic and put away and I have all there bottles and when I go the story, bag and bottles will got to one of my grand children.

Like I said, sometimes your just meant to have it.[]

 

[RICKJJ59W]

Nice story to start the day with []

 

[glass man]

COOL! THE clover leaf milk will always be more than just another rare bottle.

 

[sweetrelease]

nice story! there is an old man who lives across the way from me. one day he saw me out front "washing" some of my dug bottles.he walks over to me and asked what i was doing and i told him. he never said much and just walked away[8|] two days later he knocks on my door and handed me a box,inside were about a dozen bottles. he told me" remember when you cut my grass two years ago when i was in the hospital"? "well ,thank you these are yours". there were some nice local stuff,but the thought that it took from him to give me them was what mattered to me. anyway nice story and hold on to that milk bottle ,matt

 

[JOETHECROW]

Here's the pics Tom...

 

[JOETHECROW]

Another...

 

[Penn Digger]

Thanks again Joe. You're a good friend. Don't forget to bring the bottles back..LOL

 

[Penn Digger]

At our restauant, I have a row of nice antique bottles of varying color in the front window. It has been good advertising, like a flashing light to bring in old bottles. When we first opened nearly two years ago, a man gave us a box of local embossed meds (a few of which I did not have already). Numerous local and far away blobs and hutch sodas have been donated mostly one at a time by customers. A nice early Dr. Wistars too. A lot of plain, clear machine made junk has come in too, but I act like I appreciate it too and give people some pointers on seams, embossing and color. Two weeks ago two seperate blobs were dropped off when I was not there and another fairly rare local painted milk. Last week, the Clover Leaf bottle, but that was different as a I mentioned above. I've had some nice keepers brought in, but I have also turned around and given a few doubles away.

Of all these people coming in, only one asked for money. When I told him what I thought it was worth, he left with it.

There was a guy in a van a year or so ago who saw me downtown near a place Joe The Crow and I have dug many times. He called me over and said "you collect bottles don't you?" He ended up giving me an early whiskey and Albany Glass Works flask. I gave the whiskey to Joe.

People have been generous in giving me antique bottles, including Joe. I am very grateful to have met so many giving people in a world that sometimes seems filled with takers.

P D