Any other Bottle Diggers

[supernova1965]

This is from a recent Bottle dig behind the Memorial Pool in mackay

[Shep]

Great finds, I've never done it but it bet its surprisingly fun to see what you find digging them up!

[PCH]

Hey Warren,

I'm not really a bottle digger. However whilst renovating a house a few years ago, and whilst digging outside, I uncovered a bottle with the "Poison" markings on right alongside a few bones.

From the markings on the bottle, I was able to identify it as from the 1930s, but the connection with the bones - if there was any - remains a mystery.

I kept the bottle as a souvenir.

Cheers :thumbsup:

[supernova1965]

Could you show a picture my wife can probably ID it

[Mick]

Here are a few that were dug from the same location as yours over 30 years ago.
My grandfather use to take me all over the district digging for them at old dump locations. His collection has some beautiful specimens including ginger beer bottles with colourful glazed necks. The most striking I think are the marble, vinegar and caster oil bottles.

[Mick]

Warren the local Historical Society and Museum web site has a lot of interesting info about local soft drink manufacturers, thirsty lot up here in the north. :hi:

Link to Barron bros
http://www.mackayhistory.org/research/softdrink/barrons.html

[GrahamL]

We did a bit about 20 years back near a local pub on the banks of the richmond river,,, found some nice bottles ,, as you know when you dig them , a lot are broken , the most robust we came across where skittles , the most deilcate where the square sided ones most every one was broken.

[Davros]

I have a skittle shaped Cascade Brewery beer bottle here that is dated 1907 on the base. Dug out of an old tip in Tassie.

[GrahamL]

Some of ours

The clear one is a nice piece it reads wm radams microbe destroyer
and though its hard to see the representation on the glass below is of a guy with a club with nails sticking out of it about to bash a startled skeleton.

The deep black one reads around each of the sides d soule hop bitters

the green one aromatic snapps

and a few skittles

[Paddy de Klerk]

A rare breed we are indeed.This thread has prompted me to try & recall my first find.No idea I confess.Seems like foreverthough.The first I do when having to crawl under floors is to check out corners etc where the little treasures hide.3 -400 pieces cover a part of the shed wall.All finds with no monies.A parrallel just comes to mind.Look up see stars ,look down and see more stars.

[Jules76]

Wow to be honest I never really thought of Bottle Digging being a hobby. But now that I think about it, that explains why you see such items in Museums and Antique shops. They had to come from somewhere (or someone)!

Gives new meaning to the phrase "one man's trash is another man's treasure". :)

Very interesting. I wonder, what is the oldest bottle any of you guys have ever found? Davros mentioned he has one from 1907. Has anyone found anything earlier?

[supernova1965]

I can't give you an exact age but this bottle was made between 1887-1909

[Mick]

http://www.aussiebottledigger.com.au/bottledating.html

[erick]

My Mum used to love old bottles and would often be seen ducking behind buildings for a "poke around" in the dumps when we travelled.

But she also liked new bottles with interesting shapes and bought many strange liqueurs because she liked the bottles!

When I got into the roof of my house back in the early 90s, I found about 20 empty dust-covered VB bottles! Thanks to the builders or the insulation installers :rolleyes:

Also, when I had to break up a concrete path, I found so much broken glass under the concrete (yes, VB bottles again) the lumps were dangerous to handle.

Great stuff, glass - it lasts so long and can be restored quite well. Very interesting examples here. Great hobby because, if you have the inclination and willingness to travel and fossick, a great collection can be obtained for free. :thumbsup:

[GrahamL]

http://www.bottlebooks.com/basics.htm
My oldest would probably from around 1860 maybe a little earlier
but definatly not before 1850, the richmond was first explored in 1828
with cedar getters arriving in 1842, the site where we dug a lot from
(river bank) upriver was were the wharves that the cedar was loaded
were located , the crew on the coasters would drink there fill and throw the bottles into the soft mud on the river bank.

Interestingly what probably saved a lot of the older ones was land clearing silted up the banks over time and buried the old ones quite a way up the bank..

good fun it is :)

The history you can find on some of the bottles you might have is also pretty interesting.. The one below made its maker a lot of money as it did
help with pain relief and generally made sick people feel a little better.....
or not care to much.. probably because of all the opium in it :)