Orraden,
Best of luck digging. It is a great hobby. Permissions are the hardest part of the game. I will agree that your youth may be a disadvantage. But don’t let that stop you. I have been told “no” a million times. It hurts at first, but thirst for bottles will motivate you past that.
I am willing to share some tried and true techniques, the only thing I ask is that you always do what is right and I fully expect you to report back with all your finds.
1. Shy away from small towns and big cities. Small town folk are wary of strangers. It seems very hard to get permissions there. The big cities I live around have been hit savagely by diggers since the 1970s. There is nothing like busting butt to get a permission only to find out the pits in the yard have been dug in the past.
2. Empty lots are dynamite. If you are willing to dig a privy I know you are not afraid of hard work. I have scored many an empty lot in exchange for a lawn mowing or two.
3. Talk about it. People at work think I am crazy to dig old crappers. I hear about it all the time. I like nothing more than somebody to bring it up at lunch so I can go on about. It has lead to quite a few friend of a friend digs. Let your friends and family spread the word and network permissions.
4. Landlords. Drive around Saturday or Sunday morning early. You will typically see them working on their rentals. An exchange for lawn mowing has worked plenty for me. Once your foot is in the door with him you will have permissions on the rest of his properties.
5. Bank owned repossessed houses that are for sale. Typically they have the for sale sign out front. Call the realtor. I hate to beat the lawn mowing thing to death, but there again I have landed many a permissions in exchange for a lawn mow. Typically the realty outfit mows the lawn for the bank. If you can save the realtor time and money he will gladly let you dig. This can lead to more digs when you find the other houses he has listed. I want to add too that I have lots of luck making phone calls. I have been told by my wife and others that I look mean. I would like to think that I am a nice guy and people should not judge you by the way you look. But, I may intimidate or scare people when I knock on the door. I would like to think my niceness comes out over the phone, and that is why I have good luck doing it.
6. Contact your local historical societies and explain what you do, sell the history angle, and invite them to sponsor a dig at a members house. The members love history and most own historic homes. This has lead to some good digging, but you will have to be willing to part with bottles.
7. Parlay. I have gotten the most permissions from neighbors who are curious to what you are up to when they see you probing or digging in the back yard. Chat them up, wave to them, joke around when you see them. It is hard to sell the concept of digging. When they can see for themselves what is up and how you return the yard back to predug condition the permission will sell itself.
8. Safety, Safety, Safety. This really isn’t a permission tip, but in my mind is the golden rule of digging. There are bottles out there that are worth a lot intrinsically and monetarily. But, they are not worth your life or serious injury. Never dig over your head. Never dig tunnels. Never dig alone. You need to use a location service to mark underground utilities before you dig. If you stab a gas line or an electric line you will risk getting hurt and taking a big financial hit. Not to mention the bad reputation when the utility has to come in did a big hole in the yard to fix your mistake. Careful where you dig. It is not worth getting robbed or hurt in the crappy parts of town. Use a dust mask when digging. Silica, ash, etc is not good for the lungs and will cause serious health problems.
I would like to add a couple pointers. I typically refer to the bottles being in “trash pits” in the back yard and how they did not have garbage pick up in the old days and this is how some folks got rid of their trash in pits in the back yard. It seems people have a hard time rationalizing that houses did not have plumbing and you had to poop outdoors. And if they do believe they crapped out doors they find it disgusting that you would be willing to dig in an old pile of poop. I suggest too to never talk about what bottles are worth. People are afraid you are going to get rich off of them. If you are getting into digging thinking that you are going to get rich you are sadly mistaken. These treasure hunting TV shows that have been running the last couple of years are a total joke and 99% are fake. I have busted my butt digging and detecting. If there was money in it I would have quit my job years ago. You could get a minimum wage job at your local fast food joint and be way ahead monetarily. Last bit of advice is to share the bottles with anyone interested. That too has lead to permissions for me. You will start out hording every little bit of glass you find. Next thing you know you will have buckets and boxes full of slicks and commons. It was hard for me to want to give anything up when I first started. But, it goes a long way when the owner who let you dig gets to share in the booty.
Good luck!
