new guy needing help

[sc delineator]

I am so wet behind the ears with bottle collecting that I am leaving a trail of water behind me. Haha, that was stupid, but you get the picture. Where is the best place to start to find out about….well, where to start? I do environmental work for a living so I am always in the woods coming across a old house from who knows when but just recently I entered the hobby. I have noticed in the past that very near to these old houses there will be a dump area (evident by trace amounts of surface trash) and I figured these areas will be the good for a beginner like me.

I guess im asking what is my first step? I live in myrtle beach, sc and all the land, even undeveloped, is private and u will get shot if you cross the line.

I am doing some environmental work on a property in SC (currently a county baseball field) and recentlt discovered by doing test pits with a trackhoe, that there is about 6 feet of garbage under the surface. After talking with the city folks, i discovered it was an unregulated landfill for several decades. several bottles from teh 50 and 60 were uncovered during our test pits and that, for what ever reason, got me so pumped up about huntin old bottles I cant contain myself. But i want go find older bottles. This is like crack. I have never instantly became so addicted to a hobby in my life.

I am ready and willing to dig to china, but I dont know where to look or how to get on the property.

any help?
Thanks guys

 

[toddrandolph]

It seems we have a few environmental/wetland delineation folks on the forum. Aside from construction/demolition work, it's a great way to find bottles and get paid for doing so. I have found lots of bottles over the years on wetland delineation sites, and gained access to private properties that would otherwise be inaccessible.

So, just look around and always be alert for evidence of dumps. Most of the dumps have been well picked over at least here in Ohio, but those few remaining untouched dumps are often in dense brushy hard to reach areas that as you well know are often at the wetland boundary. If you're doing Phase I ESA work, thats even better with access to old buildings. It never hurts to ask. I have been told no many times, but have gotten the ok on several occasions to take whatever I want from buildings being torn down and have gotten some really good antiques that way.

 

[jesster64]

SC, check the web to see if any digging or metal detecting clubs are in your area. Plus go to bottle shows and just talk to people.

 

[sc delineator]

ORIGINAL: toddrandolph

If you're doing Phase I ESA work, thats even better with access to old buildings.

yep. thats me. do u do the same type of work or do you just know the lingo? Most people have no idea what a ESA is.

 

[toddrandolph]

I do mostly wetlands work with the occasional ESA. Have not done any of them lately. If you're regularly getting inside buildings, I would be much more concerned about what you can find INSIDE rather than outside in dumps. You might come across not just bottles but all sorts of interesting antiques

 

[swizzle]

I use to be a member of the Eastern Sex Association until I realized all the action was down south. []

 

[bottleseeker]

hello are you planning on just digging dumps or are you looking to get into privy digging also-im trying to get into privy digging and what im doing is thru the recent action by my county government all land records are available online so i research all pre1900 homes put the address in my gps drive to them and then with old 1800 maps i try locating the property so when i go ask permission i can tell them whom lived in the house and try to peak their interest

 

[sunrunner]

hi new guy. i think the best place to start is to fined a old city dump. althu,most have been dug out,look up old minits from city consul metings,some times they till you,were,the duping grouns were,at thate time.and just takeing a walk in the woods with a back pake a nd a potato rake,most of the time,who cares.