Unbelievable craigslist snag...still amazed!!!

[Kiros32]

I responded to an ad on craigslist for a vintage bottle collection. There was a picture of 20 or so bottles. So I met the guy and he opens his trunk and there were 2 large cardboard boxes...FULL of bottles and insulators. The price...$20!!!!!!!! I didn't realize exactly what I had until I got them home and laid them all out. I can't believe what was there. Tons of medicine bottles, cold cream jars, old beer bottles, wine bottles, stoppers, flasks, soda bottles, poison bottles, and several different insulators, including one that appears to be ceramic.Take a look.

 

[roswellborn]

Good grief! "Impressive" comes to mind. Congrats, you did great!

Can't you just see it, some shmoe, cleaning out the late Grandma's basement, and may even have a bet riding on that sale... "I TOLD you I could sell it to some chump!" - like that. I'd say you did mighty fine!

Nan

 

[treasurefiend]

Hey, I will give you $40 right now, think about it... You can double your investment....lol....

 

[Mental Granny]

Very very lucky you did real good there congrats on a terrific deal I think that the stopper is really pretty I am in hopes some day to find one of those myself unbroken all of it is really cool!

 

[Harry_Morant]

Nice one! - I can't imaging the hours it took to get them all clean, definitely worth the twenty.

 

[Kiros32]

Wonder WHO he stole them from? Seriously, he had to have ripped someone off for these, because no collector would EVER let them go for a lousy 20 bucks. Some people spend their whole life gathering a collection like this.

He told me he dug them from a dump site at an old farm next to his home. He doesn't collect, just found the dump site one day. He was cleaning out his basement and decided to just sell them since they were just sitting in boxes. Many still have dirt and plants in them, all were dusty, so I believe him.

 

[Kiros32]

Astounding! Are the blue ones VapoRub? I recognize several of the pop bottles; I used to be a bit of a bottle digger myself. Seeing this post reminds me that I need to look in some of the other areas for a picture of the foundation site you posted about.

Yep, the blue ones are Vaporub. There are also a few Bayer bottles and a vaseline jar.

And I am itching to get out to the foundation to get some pictures man, time and weather have just not been on my side lately.

 

[Kiros32]

Thanks again everyone, I am looking forward to setting up a display somewhere...just have to find a big enough place in my little apartment.

 

[Leon]

Great snag indeed, Congrats!
There is some really nice looking glass in that pile...
Continued Good luck, & Happy hunting~

 

[ringfinder]

Wow, you never know where you will find treasures at, Congrats on this neat find, you lucky dog!!!

HH, Ringfinder

 

[Kiros32]

Wow, you never know where you will find treasures at, Congrats on this neat find, you lucky dog!!!

HH, Ringfinder

I have become a craigslist addict! I bought my jeep, found my job, and gotten some great deals using craigslist. You definitely never know where treasure lies.

 

[mastereagle22]

Just hope they weren't really stolen from someone else.

Those are really cool, glad you got so lucky...

 

[fistfulladirt]

i've got tons of those Hemmingray insulators that i just give away...i give away many bottles like that, they have little collector value, mainly sentimental.

 

[Lookin]

Whatcha gonna put in them bottles? Ha, great buy!

 

[cam9457]

WOW, I just put a huge container like that on EBAY myself, looking at the responses you got I shoulda put a reserve on it lol!!!!! I know nothing about bottles or glassware but have a spot near me that was used as a dump from colonial days up untill about the 1930's or so. There is always new bottles after every rainstorm thanks to urban runoff and a small creek. If anyone lives near Philly and knows bottles and would like to excavate with me send me an email. WAY TO GO BUD!!!!!!!

 

[Kiros32]

i've got tons of those Hemmingray insulators that i just give away...i give away many bottles like that, they have little collector value, mainly sentimental.

Did I piss in your cereal or something? Why the negativety? They are still worth more than $20 and your post. Thanks dude.

 

[Trezurehunter]

I'm not positive, but you may have come out ahead on that deal !!

 

[tommyd]

mos def worth 20.00 bucks.
hell ~ im sure theres more than 20.00 worth of work finding them.

i retrieved (its been a while since i counted them) over 35 porcelain insulators
incl. hemingways from a fire pit where a telephone worker (former home owner)
would burn old cross arms for heat. i was digging the pit up to put a fish pond in it.
it was filling up with water anyways. felt one and retrieved 35 until dark. and there were
still more in there broke ! lol ................

its good to know craiglist isnt all weirdos ~

 

[lou423]

Just the time used to put together such a collection was worth more than the $20.00 you paid...Good for you.

 

[allen]

looks like you made a good deal...

 

[MLseverson]

heck those purple tinted insulators are worth more than $20 because they have to sit in the sun and collect UV rays for 50+ years

good score