New Dump with some Early Success

[NJKLAGT]

Hey Everyone,

First of all, if you haven't checked out jihunter's recent posts about sifting through golden mounds of dirt for pontiled stunners, do so. Some absolutely gobsmacking glass.

Anyway, last summer a friend and I went on this big bike ride, ending up in a small town of about 100 people. We passed through the main drag and onto a dirt trail continuing south, ending up at a ravine. There were some massive piles of modern junk, bricks, brush, etc. We did discover some older pieces of glass though, but since we didn't have any tools at the time (he's not really into digging), until now I could only wonder what was underneath.

Yesterday I returned. I started right where the older shards were, and didn't have to dig much deeper than a foot to get to the goods. But I'll keep this story short, so here's what I got:

My second ground lip flask, clear. A machine-made beer or something, super bubbly but I think quite modern, think I'll get rid of it in some way. A tiny blown amber slick. An A.E. Burke soda from Brantford. An interesting ground lip perfume of some sort, R&M on the base, rummaged around for a lid that fits (keep those lids, my friends). An early ABM whiskey with some patina. A 'Sutherlands Crystal Waters' quart from Hamilton, Owens scar, probably the find of the day. A big ol' Milk of Magnesia. A clear blown ink. A 'Frontier Asthma Co.' bottle from Buffalo. And a blown amethyst oil type of bottle.

So that's it! I dug these in about an hour, it was one of the quickest digs I've had. Usually I'm searching for days for one decent bottle to take home, but I got off work early this time and could enjoy the rest of the day at home with my brother. I plan to return tomorrow or the day after. There were some much earlier glass and pottery shards that have me curious.

Have a great day,


NJ

 

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[NJKLAGT]

I guess I'll keep the beer. I thought it might be English, and it is, but older than I expected, made closer to 1910-1920, Edgar Breffit & Co, makes sense based on the other finds. I thought that the seams and the super clean and wavy glass and just about everything else about it were very strange, and I guess that's because it was made on an 'Ashley' machine - never even heard of it until now.

 

[Obsessive]

Those look super nice. Did you clean them with anything special? I've tried denture cleaner (the fizzy stuff) but with limited results.

 

[NJKLAGT]

Thanks! Shoot, you know what? I just realized now that I don't use anything but water to clean my finds. I've used dish soap once or twice when I was cleaning a couple bottles full of sticky black sludge, but aside from that I usually just fill a wash bucket with water and use a variety of cloths and brushes.

 

[RelicDude]

Congrats on a great hall. I really like the ground lip flask did you find it with the cap?

 

[NJKLAGT]

No 'Dude, this one I had to match a lid to. Luckily it fits a fairly common cap size, so it wasn't too hard.

 

[jihunter]

NICE! Thanks for the shout out

 

[4x4x4]

.....There USED to be a massive glass dump in Valencia California within sight of Magic Mountain (Six Flags). I had been checking soil strengths and pore pressures on a contiguous lot and noticed the parcel had been capped with 8" of red clay , unusual for the area. Further investigation found glassware being pushed up wherever vegetation pushed through or an animal tried to burrow.
My 1st foray saw a rivulet with the banks packed tightly with bottles in Clay more than 3 feet deep ! The area was appx. 4 acres square and yielded only pre war to pre prohibition bottles , pitchers , doll heads and fountain pen bodies ! I loaded my truck and headed to the hotel and began cleaning my treasures in the bathtub. "OH , CRAP! The red clay stained the boutique hotel bathtub! I swear it looked like a dismemberment crime scene! In 10 years I visited 5 times collecting around 4 tons of these treasures . The site was a time warp of glassware with my last dig yielding 60 stoneware jugs , crocks and 3 piece bottles.....MAN , what a site !
Alas...the last visit saw an industrial/office building on the property. Try as I might , I could not find where the contractor took the overburden.... treasure lost again.
With the easy pickins gone , I took one load of common bottles to a college swap meet, rented 3 spaces and sold a pickup truck load for a buck a piece..... around $2800 later I was heading home , a happy man indeed.
Anyone ever been to or heard of the Valencia site ?
Mark.

 

[NJKLAGT]

Great story 4x, I imagine that kind of thing happens every day, treasure being buried underneath parking lots and everything, it is kind of tragic in a way...

You should start a new thread with this story so that it will get more exposure, and maybe someone else will be able to swap a story! All I can say is that I wish I was in Valencia with my shovel right about now!

 

[4x4x4]

Great story 4x, I imagine that kind of thing happens every day, treasure being buried underneath parking lots and everything, it is kind of tragic in a way...

You should start a new thread with this story so that it will get more exposure, and maybe someone else will be able to swap a story! All I can say is that I wish I was in Valencia with my shovel right about now!

Please accept my apologies...your great finds stirred my emotions... I didn't mean to hijack your thread.
Great finds and nice restoration.
Please continue to share.
Mark.

 

[NJKLAGT]

No hijacking here, I really don't mind at all! A good story is a good story, no matter where you hear it!