# Todays Privy Dig. KILLER FIND OF UNKNOWN BOTTLE. OMG.



## hemihampton (Oct 15, 2017)

Today started out slow & not looking good like a lot of our Privy digs. Just digging duds but all it takes is one good privy late in day to turn it all around. I probed a nice crunchy spot next to a fence. First good bottle out of the hole was a killer rare exposition bottle. LEON.


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## hemihampton (Oct 15, 2017)

Then came another good one. the Elusive Amber American bottle. more commonly found in Aqua but really not commonly found at all in any color. LEON.


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## hemihampton (Oct 15, 2017)

The Amber American still even had part of the original paper label on back. Found a few 1890's B. Strohs & Strohs with paper labels & embossed but all broke but 1 & that one did not have a label


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## hemihampton (Oct 15, 2017)

OK, Now the best bottle I or we ever found in my opinion is this totally unknown never seen before Frauce and Donnelly from Detroit with a bizarre bulge neck & had a wire around neck with stopper missing. not sure what kind of stopper was on it? We had some highly experienced old timer Michigan bottle collectors digging with us & they never seen or heard of this bottle before. A Google book search showed nothing, zero, nada for info on this obscure unknown bottle. LEON.


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## hemihampton (Oct 15, 2017)

Group Shot of the goods. LEON.


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## UncleBruce (Oct 15, 2017)

Thanks for sharing. Looks like a fun dig and good time.


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## RelicRaker (Oct 15, 2017)

You're killin' it lately, Leon. Congrats!


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## carling (Oct 16, 2017)

Simply awesome.  That bulge neck is incredible, I'm guessing that it is a soda bottle?


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## MichaelFla (Oct 16, 2017)

That neck bulge is similar to a D. T. Sweeny bottle from Key West, FL that is embossed on the bottom "Made By / John Matthews N.Y. / Pat / June 11 / 1872." I was trying to find a pic of one to show you but am unable to.


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## nhpharm (Oct 16, 2017)

Awesome bottle!  With the tie wire I am guessing beer.  Harry J Frauce was active in Saginaw and Detroit from about 1900-1920 working various jobs (shipyard worker, machinist, clerk in a grocery store, clerk in a saloon, etc.)...I wonder if during this period he partnered with someone and tried to make a go at something himself?  Pure speculation but that is a pretty distinctive name.

Doesn't look like the Matthew's 1872 closure bottles I have seen...I think it is a different closure.  I need to take a look at my closure book tonight but not one I have seen for sure!


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## hemihampton (Oct 16, 2017)

Thanks for the info. I didn't get a good pic of the top wire closure. Another digger with us was playing with the wire & broke it off when I wasn't looking. Here's the only good pic I got of it, which aint much. LEON.


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## hemihampton (Oct 16, 2017)

Another pic of it lightly cleaned. almost afraid to tumble such a rare bottle. LEON.


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## nhpharm (Oct 16, 2017)

It looks like it could have been a standard lightning closure.  Maybe they had the bulge simply to keep the tie wire from dropping down when the bottle was open?  I've seen other bottles where they did this by tooling an indent below the blob or by molding a small ring below where the tie wire would go (I've seen the ring mostly on Citrate bottles).  It looks like the spacing was exactly what was needed to allow the loops to be flush with the neck of the bottle.  Speaking of Citrate bottles...this one almost has this look with the diamond embossing and the trade mark designation as well as the lack of any sort of "this bottle not sold" marking.  Are there any marks on the heel or base of the bottle?


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## MichaelFla (Oct 16, 2017)

Here is a pic of one similar to the Key West bottle with the Matthews top. I think it's different from but similar to your blob neck bottle. 

Here is the patent for this bottle.


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## botlguy (Oct 16, 2017)

Well Leon, as usual you keep us all entertained with your digging finds. It's good to see after all the "goodies" you've found you still get excited about them. Congratulations on all counts. I'm curious, who got the rarity and how do you decide?
Jim S


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## Robby Raccoon (Oct 16, 2017)

What an exciting dig and such great finds!


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## hemihampton (Oct 16, 2017)

The bummer is the rare Exposition had some slight damage but worse yet is if your ever lucky enough to find one it's only one out of a hole with 20 other common ones. This hole probably had 5 Expositions but all heavily damaged & broke except one with slight damage. To see a pile of broken Exposition shards real depressing, and once in a lifetime experience as that will probably never happen again. The 2 different Pre Pro beer bottles with partial labels must of been rare labels because none of them pictured in Bob Kays label book. LEON.


P.S. All the bottles found in that one hole date from around 1895-1905.


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## Ken_Riser (Oct 17, 2017)

hemihampton said:


> Today started out slow & not looking good like a lot of our Privy digs. Just digging duds but all it takes is one good privy late in day to turn it all around. I probed a nice crunchy spot next to a fence. First good bottle out of the hole was a killer rare exposition bottle. LEON.View attachment 179946


What's that bottle say old eyes lol!?


Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk


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## DanielinAk (Oct 18, 2017)

Outstanding Leon. Congratulations. Killer finds for sure. I never get tired of your digs. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## hemihampton (Oct 18, 2017)

danielinak said:


> outstanding leon. Congratulations. Killer finds for sure. I never get tired of your digs.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iphone using tapatalk




thanks.


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