Late 1800's dump still producing...

plugcutter84

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Oct 6, 2013
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Hi everyone. It's been a while since I last posted but I wanted to share some recent finds. I was up at my 92 year old grandmas house in upstate ny for thanksgiving and had a great time. Saw family, ate good food, drank good beer, etc... But the main thing I was dying to do was hit a late 1800's dump I found a few years ago.
This area is loaded with history, and while we had always found broken glass in the creek I had never narrowed down the source. Until two years ago when I hiked the creek about a mile back from grandmas house, and scaled a steep, wet, slate filled ravine. While going up I started finding broken glass, and by scratching the sides I started pulling out whole bottles. Nothing phenomenal but they were by far the oldest complete bottles I had found so it really got my blood boiling! Fast forward to a couple weeks ago.
I've hit this dump twice before and I know it's gotta be pretty big. I believe it was probably a town dump because there is a road at the top of the hill and it would've been an easy place to unload a wagon full of trash. The hillside is on land owned by my dads high school buddy and we have permission to be there, but he also allows hunters on his land... And the NY firearms season had just begun. I talked to him on Friday though and he told me nobody would be in that area so my girlfriend and I braved the hike in.
Thoughts of blobs and pontil scars filled my mind. I couldn't wait to see if the site looked the same as last year since they had a significant flood in the spring. We dug a good number of bottles including some black glass ales, a squat whiskey, some meds, and a strap side flask. I also kept two ketchups, which I don't nomally keep but one has a pat. Date 1898. And I put ketchup on everything so it makes sense that I should have one or two in my collection. The black glass bottles were a first for me, and by the end of my trip I had a 6 pack! One has a sand pontil, one is etched which has me curious, one is three piece mold, and two are embossed CH Evans ale. image.jpg image.jpg
I also found my first (mostly) complete stoneware crock, a nice turn mold squat whiskey, a pretty green wine, and a platts chloride. image.jpg
Next I got the nice aqua apothecary, a strap side flask, a couple sauces, one is marked Heinz but it looks like a Lea and perrins..., some meds, a couple are local, and the bromos. The one on the far right is the darkest bromo I've ever seen! image.jpg image.jpg
Next are some of the screw tops I kept, mainly because they've gotta be old. I'm guessing they're inks? And the one on the far right looks like cut crystal. Maybe a perfume? image.jpg
Next I got a pretty Amber strap side style, not sure if it's actually a flask. Also an amber casters ink, my first cone ink ever! image.jpg
Lastly are two nice pipe bowls and a couple group shots of everything. image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg
By the end of the first afternoon there my girlfriend was tired and cold so we headed back to the house. But I couldn't stop thinking about what else might be there, so I bought a $6 headlamp and headed back up the following night, after dark and all the hunters were out of the woods. Ultimately I was there for about 5 hours total between the two days. I'm pretty happy with the haul and I can only imagine what else might be lying under that dirt! Can't wait for the next trip to grandmas!
 

diggingthe1

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What a great bottle dump, no wonder you went back. It would be hard to leave that one. It doesn't get any better, besides visiting with Grandma! Great post and bottles!! Those Bromos sure come in a lot of different shades. Glad you got a few local medicines!
 

sandchip

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Tear it up, brother. Those are some great looking finds and I can't wait to see what else you uncover!
 

NJKLAGT

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Whoosh, what a haul! I already like your Grandma.

You did awesome. Such a great variety of finds. That etched black glass is kinda neat, don't know if I've seen that before. I like that big aqua chem, the amber ink, and the crock. Which bottle has the sand pontil? Second from the left? If it is indeed a pontil, I'd be going deeeep if I were you. Unless it's a late throw, who knows. Either way, I'd be more than happy with a fraction of what you've got here. Congrats!
 

Crusty Shellback

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Wow, nice digs! Might be time to spend a few more days at Grandma's!
 

OP
OP
plugcutter84

plugcutter84

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Thanks for looking everyone! I took a couple close ups of what I believe is the sand pontil, but I'm by no means an expert! This particular bottle has no mold seams, and it looks like the top was applied starting below the shoulder. The base appears to have dimples from sand.
image.jpg
image.jpg
Also took some close ups of the etched bottle. I was really
Surprised when I saw the design on it, I can only imagine how old it might be.
image.jpg
image.jpg
image.jpg
 

NJKLAGT

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I think it's probably a turn-moulded bottle. No pontil. I think the dimpling is from the pasty crud they line the mould with to keep the glass from sticking. But I'm no expert either! Someone else will know for certain.
 

sandchip

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I don't think it's pontiled either, but I think you still stand a good chance of finding some in there.
 

Bass

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Wow, you are definitely in a great location that’s very promising. That’s a nice variety of finds you have there. I like the etched glass as well the 2 twin ales, nice looking patina on those 2. You definitely need to work that place over.
 

Harry Pristis

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Feb 5, 2009
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mineralwatergreen.jpg That appears to be a promising dig! The tall, green "wine" bottle appears to me to be a mineral water bottle. The screw-top, "cut glass" bottle appears to be a salt shaker.


 

califteacher

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What a great dig! I am quite jealous of the opportunity you had. You worked hard and reaped the reward of your work. The collection of bottles is terrific and one that you will enjoy looking at. The really cool thing about all this is that time has literally turned "trash" into "treasure." Congratulations!
 

yakker

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Well done! Having lived in MD (Eastern Shore) I recognize a number of those bottles from the dumps I'd hit. Awesome variety. Now go back and visit Grandma!
 

epackage

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Thanks for looking everyone! I took a couple close ups of what I believe is the sand pontil, but I'm by no means an expert! This particular bottle has no mold seams, and it looks like the top was applied starting below the shoulder. The base appears to have dimples from sand.
View attachment 1524278
View attachment 1524279
Also took some close ups of the etched bottle. I was really
Surprised when I saw the design on it, I can only imagine how old it might be.
View attachment 1524280
View attachment 1524281
View attachment 1524282

Not pontiled, these are 1880-90's Export Ale bottles with hops plants acid etched into the glass, they were made in Europe which is why you sometimes find them with applied crown tops even though they were made into the 1900's. There were never any applied crown bottles made in the US but these come with applied crown tops often
 

Oct 5, 2014
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Awesome bottle recoveries, congratulations! :notworthy:
 

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