Digging The Bottle Dump

[Recovering Relics]

Today I went back out to the bottle dump. I found where the older one is. I found a privy, but didn't dig it and I wont until the summer. The newer bottle dump still produced some good finds.

[sodetraveler]

Hello RR,

It's good to see that you have a bonified case of bottle fever!

However, you really should save your efforts for the older stuff.....

The bottles you got there are all machine made (aka ABM) and (with the possible exception of the Coke) are pretty much worthless

I started out keeping ABM bottles too, but once I started finding older stuff I had to throw them out to make room for new additions!

You'll want to start checking the mold seam on the neck of the bottle to determine the age. If the seam goes all the way to the top it's generally ABM (with some exceptions.....). If the seam stops in the middle of the neck - and there is no seam anywhere on the top - you probably have yourself a hand blown bottle (aka BIMAL).

[Recovering Relics]

Yeah, I like the older bottles a lot more!!! I have another bottle dump that has some REALLY old stuff, but I was digging this one just for fun. I did like the Coca Cola! This bottle dump was at an old homesite, I found the homesite on an 1879 map. The people moved out in the 50's. This is the place where they dumped the bottles from the 40's to 50's. I did find a privy though, which I will dig this summer I hope.

[sodetraveler]

Anything earlier than 1915 is usually good!

Does the Coke have anything written on the base? There's allot of Coke bottle fans out there that like to collect Cokes from different locations. Many of the Cokes from that era have the manufacturing location embossed on the bottom.

I'm a Hawaii bottle collector myself and I've seen Cokes with HONOLULU T.H. on the base sell for over $100 on eBay - which is stupid since they are actually quite common. The rare one out here is the MOLOKAI Coke - unless of course you do all your digging on Molokai!

I hope that privy works out for you. I've never dug one myself - but I hear that THEY'RE GREAT!!!

[Recovering Relics]

I collect bottles from New England; Boston, Portsmouth, Hartford, etc.! The Coca-Cola bottle is a Boston, Mass one, it is my second Coca-Cola, and my second Coca-Cola from Boston, Mass!