When I was a young man of 10 years old, I had a blast digging for old cork top bottles. You may ask, “What are cork top bottles?” They are bottles made and used in America in the 1700’S, 1800’S and early 1900’S. They usually had a long neck and the glass was full of bubbles and imperfections. In the 1700’S glass was hand blown. In the 1800’S bottles were crudely manufactured. Probably most of the old bottles you will find in your town will be the ones made in the 1800’S and early 1900’S. I am going to help you learn how to locate old bottles in your area. Digging for old bottles can be a rewarding experience. It can also be profitable. You can sell old bottles on Ebay and make some “sweet” spending money.
First, How can you locate old bottles? Most houses have been established from fifty to over one hundred years ago. When your parents ask you to take out the trash, more than likely, you put the trash in a plastic container with a lid on it. The sanitation truck comes by once a week to collect it and take it to a land fill. Landfills were unheard of in the olden days. People did not pay much attention to environmental issues back then. They usually had a place behind their houses where they dumped trash. It may have been a small creek bed or place between two hills where they tossed their messy stuff. After years of erosion, the messy stuff is gone and only the glass remains. The best way to find those old trash dumps is to ask Grandma and Grandpa.
Another resource is the surveyors in your town . Surveyors may be able to tell you if they noticed old trash dumps while doing their work. Another good source are hunters and fisherman. People that spend a lot of time outdoors may be able to help you locate old bottles. If you cannot find information through practical resources, you can do some “cold” bottle hunting. Find an old house in your neighborhood. Talk to the owner and ask permission to do some bottle hunting. You may offer to give him one of your finds if he allows you to hunt. Remember to go about thirty to 40 yards in back of the property. Folks did not like to walk very far when they took out the trash. They did not desire to sit on their back porch and smell rotten garbage either.
How do you know you have located a trash dump? You will start seeing shards of glass scattered on top of the ground. Often they will be colored light green,light brown, or clear. Some times you will find the tops of bottles protruding out of the ground. I always got excited when I found protruding tops. Usually I was disappointed because you find the top and no body connected. So how do you find the good ones? You are going to have to dig for them. Most of the time they are no more than two to six inches under the surface.
What are the best tools for digging old bottles? A long handled shovel from your dad’s garage would be great. Time and weather can make it difficult to read an old bottle. It would also be wise to take along a magnifying glass so you can read the fine print. The manufacturing date will be located on the bottom of the bottle. Another valuable tool is a cloth bag or back pack to carry your bottles. Old cork tops will be fragile. Take some newspaper sheets to wrap your bottles. Hiking around may cause them to break.
A paint brush can be helpful when you need to get dirt off your bottle. What types of old bottles are common finds? Dr. Caldwell medicine bottles seem to be the most prevalent. They are usually light green and light blue in color. I have actually found Caldwell bottles with the corks still in them. A little medicine was in the bottom. Of course, never try to taste or drink the medicine. It could be deadly.
The next most common bottle is vanilla extract bottles. They are extremely thin, clear cork top bottles. Other common finds include old whiskey bottles and perfume bottles.Some times I have found bottles that are considered very rare. One bottle in particular was a Singer Sewing Machine oil bottle. It had a crooked neck and bubbles in the glass. The imperfections in the bottle made it valuable.
Next time you are in the book store ask for a book about old bottles.This will help you get an idea of what to look for in your hunt. Pick a book that is full of colored pictures of the rare bottles to help you identify them. I hope by you are getting excited about digging old bottles. It is a great hobby. Plus, it pays to go bottle hunting. Are you ready to go? Get out there and start digging!