As regards angifoggs post..

[Marbleguy]

As regards angifogg's post..

It's rare we just find one bottle laying on the ground or dug. To ascertain bottle date one must use associated items. Experts I suppose can scope a bottle a mile away with binoculors and say "Oh gosh that's an extremely rare Codfish bottle made in 1728 after the battle of whatever. Well big damn congratulations to the experts. Most of us are'nt bottle-divas. The best way to ID your newly found bottle if you're Joe of Jane Doe from Hooterville is to pay LOTS of attention to associated materials. Look for what I call 'art glass'. Pieces of green McKee Jadite,Akro Agate,etc. Right there tells you if your site is mid 1930s or mid 1940s. With a little bit of practice,curiosity and web searching you can use associated artifacts to nail down your site's era very,very close to actual date.

 

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[gleaner1]

Re: As regards angifogg's post..

Bottles are tough to learn. Takes many years. It's a very broad field, covering 200+ years here in the USA. There are very few true experts, and the ones that are experts usually focus on one or two types of bottles, perhaps historical flasks or bitters or fruit jars or whatever category, write books, have web sites, auction sites. There really are no experts in "bottles". Too broad of a field. I like to refer to experts as specialists. It's comparable to Medical Doctors. No medical doctor is an expert in "medical". But he may be an expert at heart surgery. If you meet an expert in almost anything, he really is a specialist. He cannot possibly be an expert in all categories of his subject. Can he? I, personally, have been fooling with bottles for 40 years, and I have no regrets saying that I am not an expert nor am I a specialist. My interests cover a broad range, because I am a digger. If I dig a good one, I know its good, but that does not make me an expert. Just a bit experienced.

Almost all people know that old bottles can be valuable. So they need experts. Or specialists. Or experience. And they turn to the forum for answers. That is why Tnet is so powerful.

 

[Harry Pristis]

Re: As regards angifogg's post..

I have a slightly different take on this. I think there are really two tracks for bottle collectors.

"Newbie" --------------->Digger------------------>"Advanced Digger"

"Newbie" --------------->Collector---------------->"Advanced Collector"

You advance along either or both tracks by accumulating experience and knowledge. You can be an "Advanced Digger" and not be an "Advanced Collector." Me, I'm an "Advanced Collector" on the second track, but merely a "Digger" on the first track (I've done much more diving than digging).

It's uncommon to encounter a bottle collector who confuses being an "Advanced Collector" with being an "Advanced Digger."

It is more common to encounter an "Advanced Digger" who is confused about his status on the collector track. Finding bottles is not the same as knowing about bottles.

 

[Marbleguy]

Something we've all encountered..

Does'nt matter if it's bottles,tokens,old marbles,indian artifacts,etc. You bust your butt for hours,days or longer and find something. A stranger stops by,asks what you're doing. You reply "Digging up old stuff". Stranger asks what you've found. You reply "An antique widget,took me a week of digging to find it". Stranger asks "How much is it worth?". You reply "Well,uh,maybe twenty bucks". Stranger scoffs,says you're an idiot. Nobody would do what we do for the sole purpose of making money. I know that everyone who posts at these forums has been alone in remote location,dug up something perhaps of little montary value but immense historical value and fought to hold back tears comprehending what the artifact means.

 

[ivan salis]

Re: As regards angifogg's post..

it often takes a good bit of time and study (and in many cases money) to gain knowledge and be well versed in any subject matter -- be it art , bottles , coins or any other subject.

some folks merely want to "find stuff" --lots of it to sell as soon as they can ----sadly often they have no ideal as to how to ID or value it properly (many simple "seller" digger types)

some folks "know" about stuff and can ID it once shown it -but do not want to do the grunt work needed to find stuff (many collectors)

then theres the rare person who not only "finds stuff" but wants to know exactly what hes found and the true fiscal value of it ---(either to add to their collection or to sell without getting hosed) -- (digger and advanced seller / collecter)

this not only applies to bottles but to many other things in general --- knowledge of true worth and how to extract the money value out of a item -- is a art form in itself.

 

[Harry Pristis]

Re: As regards angifogg's post..

The posts from 'Marbleguy' and 'ivan salis' have the ring of "truthiness."

I would resist creating a third track for "advanced seller," though. It seems to me that being either an Advanced Digger or an Advanced Collector is a prerequisite to being an "advanced seller." It's an option to become a seller, but it needn't affect your status on either of the two tracks.

Anyone on either track can figure out market value easily enough. There are books ("collector's guides") that will give clues to value or rarity. A bottle show is an educational opportunity for those - Advanced Digger or Advanced Collector - who want to make money from their pursuit. eBay auctions sample a broad market.

In any case, "advanced seller" skills are not as apparent or useful on this forum as is digging knowledge or bottle knowledge.

 

[gleaner1]

Re: As regards angifogg's post..

Sorry Marbleguy, after re-reading your original statement, I can see I steered this topic way off coarse. I guess that some people can tell what year some glass is from, whether it be bottle glass or marble glass. The point I am trying to make is that I do not have a clue as to what McKee Jadite is, nor Akro Agate, or how you can date a dump with it.

It is easy for me to date a bottle dump by looking at the bottles or the shards. I can honestly say that I am an expert in this area.

 

[Harry Pristis]

Re: As regards angifogg's post..

I am certain you're pretty good, 'gleaner1'; but, can you scope out a 1728 codfish bottle from a mile away??

I've done that many times, but I'm too modest to call myself an "expert."

 

[gleaner1]

Re: As regards angifogg's post..

I am certain you're pretty good, 'gleaner1'; but, can you scope out a 1728 codfish bottle from a mile away??

I've done that many times, but I'm too modest to call myself an "expert."

I could spot 1728 codfish bottles from a mile away, many, many years ago. My eyesight is getting tired, so nowadays I'm down to maybe 200 feet. Have you ever noticed, at say a garage or estate sale, how very illusive a really nice bottle is, hidden amongst the common pieces. You have to really look close or you might walk right by it without noticing. It's like not being able to see the tree because the forest is hiding it.