Yes, it is my first one. I found the remnants of a tiny privy in VA a few years ago, and got some few CW items out of it. The glass was already gone, but I got some minies, a belt keeper and other stuff.
Tommybuckets found a deeply buried iron kettle, which he didn't recover at one of my permissions last week. I had told him previously what a privy looks like, the dirt, that is and I went back the next day to dig 'er up. About 12" down I started running into broken clear glass medicine bottles, LOTS of them and then MORE broken ca 1880-1890 stoneware dishes. As these dishes can still be purchased whole inexpensively I didn't keep any but a few with the maker's name on the bottom to give to the landowners. The folks who own the land will get some nice bottles this week, as soon as everything is done being cleaned up.
I wound up digging 4 days, having to fill in the hole each day. An old cat can't dig all that much. I was digging through a lot of junk and then out pops two (I suppose) opium bottles. They are tiny, hence the give away that was what they were used for. Ca 1880.
I was stoked! I rarely dig old bottles of any kind! Then, out comes this little guy!
So after some more digging I see what I believe is an amber flask peeping out of the hole.
And another pic.
And finally out it comes in perfect condition! An amber strap sided flask with odd pontil mark, ca 1870's.
And here she is all cleaned up!
That ended the first day. The second day I dug back to where I had finished. By now I had a 5 gallon bucket of broken pottery and glass. Now far from the bottle I pulled some nice medicine bottles 1870's-1890's.
I had found a lot of broken pieces to fruit jars and finally got lucky! Mason's patent 1858!
As I got deeper, I found three magnificent ink bottles!
In the picture is a traveling ink, with sheared top, my first one ever! An "umbrella" ink with crude glasswork and a J&IEM turtle or igloo ink bottle. These were patented 1865. I'm not getting closer to the CW ear stuff. I had to quit for the day and put all kids of chairs and tools in the hole to keep anyone from falling in it.
The third day was a real bonanza!
All three pieces are CW period or earlier. The smaller green bottle is a CW beer bottle. The larger one an Ellenville Glass Works whiskey (I think it had whiskey), and I have found bottoms to these bottles on CW camp sites. The jug is nearly identical to one I already had. It is probably 1820-1840 period. I found a couple CW period marbles in the hole, some leather, no coins. No buttons. Although 1' from the hole after the hard rain I found a dropped CS Gardner minie ball! I have some stuff in the truck uncleaned still including some brass items
I found a lot of shards also:
Redware with green manganese glaze on it, blue glazed stoneware jug pieces, 1870's yellowware pieces The redware is probably 1840's or so and the jug 1850's to 1860's. The blue feather edge is probably 1820's to 1850's. I find these on CW sites. There is also a piece of 1880's or so flo blue china there. I'm giving the decorative pieces to the owners.
Last bottle of the dig is one we got yesterday. 1890's medicine bottle from an upper layer we had left before.
Tommybuckets found a deeply buried iron kettle, which he didn't recover at one of my permissions last week. I had told him previously what a privy looks like, the dirt, that is and I went back the next day to dig 'er up. About 12" down I started running into broken clear glass medicine bottles, LOTS of them and then MORE broken ca 1880-1890 stoneware dishes. As these dishes can still be purchased whole inexpensively I didn't keep any but a few with the maker's name on the bottom to give to the landowners. The folks who own the land will get some nice bottles this week, as soon as everything is done being cleaned up.
I wound up digging 4 days, having to fill in the hole each day. An old cat can't dig all that much. I was digging through a lot of junk and then out pops two (I suppose) opium bottles. They are tiny, hence the give away that was what they were used for. Ca 1880.
I was stoked! I rarely dig old bottles of any kind! Then, out comes this little guy!
So after some more digging I see what I believe is an amber flask peeping out of the hole.
And another pic.
And finally out it comes in perfect condition! An amber strap sided flask with odd pontil mark, ca 1870's.
And here she is all cleaned up!
That ended the first day. The second day I dug back to where I had finished. By now I had a 5 gallon bucket of broken pottery and glass. Now far from the bottle I pulled some nice medicine bottles 1870's-1890's.
I had found a lot of broken pieces to fruit jars and finally got lucky! Mason's patent 1858!
As I got deeper, I found three magnificent ink bottles!
In the picture is a traveling ink, with sheared top, my first one ever! An "umbrella" ink with crude glasswork and a J&IEM turtle or igloo ink bottle. These were patented 1865. I'm not getting closer to the CW ear stuff. I had to quit for the day and put all kids of chairs and tools in the hole to keep anyone from falling in it.The third day was a real bonanza!
All three pieces are CW period or earlier. The smaller green bottle is a CW beer bottle. The larger one an Ellenville Glass Works whiskey (I think it had whiskey), and I have found bottoms to these bottles on CW camp sites. The jug is nearly identical to one I already had. It is probably 1820-1840 period. I found a couple CW period marbles in the hole, some leather, no coins. No buttons. Although 1' from the hole after the hard rain I found a dropped CS Gardner minie ball! I have some stuff in the truck uncleaned still including some brass items
I found a lot of shards also:
Redware with green manganese glaze on it, blue glazed stoneware jug pieces, 1870's yellowware pieces The redware is probably 1840's or so and the jug 1850's to 1860's. The blue feather edge is probably 1820's to 1850's. I find these on CW sites. There is also a piece of 1880's or so flo blue china there. I'm giving the decorative pieces to the owners.Last bottle of the dig is one we got yesterday. 1890's medicine bottle from an upper layer we had left before.
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