# how i got started digging



## schermdog (Jun 18, 2018)

i grew up in a small town in southern ny and was part of a group of poor town kids that ran all over town exploring backyards. this was in in the early 70's and bottle collecting was at a peak. at the same time the township also started running public sewer lines and digging up every ones yards. right next to where I lived they must have hit a privy and bottles just rolled out of the dirt. I still have a green Larkin with the stopper from this time. As kids this was treasure hunting for us and at the same time a fellow opened a bottle collecting store in town. He was an avid hunter, seller and buyer. Every couple weeks the gang would ride our bikes to the shop and share our finds which were amazing. From blobs to hutches and marbles and gingers. We even found and dug a local bottling works dump that we had found! It would not be uncommon for us to get $40 to 50 everytime we saw him and then go immediately to the 5 and dime and load up on candy, comic books and baseball cards. Little did we know the shop owner was giving us about 20% value on all we brought in.

I still have the bug today at 57 yo. but these early days of adventure were some of the most memorable times of my childhood.


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## Robby Raccoon (Jun 18, 2018)

Nice story. I usually like all sorts of testimonies for all sorts of things. I especially like conversion testimonies and those on how people got started in hobbies-- particularly collecting what other people threw out a long time ago.

I started as a teen when I thought, "Well, I wonder how deep the water is if I cut across the bend rather than follow it", and my foot slipped on something, and I picked it up: voila, a mid-century Coca-Cola. My mom said it was modern, and to throw it away, but I hid it in my tackle-box till we got home and I looked it up online: thus introducing me into antique bottles. Mind you, I'm not much older now: it's been only 5 or so years, but I've learnt much!


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## bottlecrazy (Jun 20, 2018)

Great story.  I started at age 11, and am now 56.  Still have the serious bottle bug!


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## sandchip (Jun 21, 2018)

My sister and her fiance liked to go out rambling, and one day when they got back, they spread their finds out on the kitchen table.  I picked up an old hobble-skirt Coke and her boyfriend said, "They don't make 'em like that anymore."  I thought to myself, "You know, he's right.  The letters are painted on, now," so I hightailed it out to the cowbarn and found one for myself, and I was hooked.  That was when I was 14.  I'm 58 now and still nuts about 'em.


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## mikeodigs (Jun 21, 2018)

I started at age 11, We used to hop on a train ride it for a few miles and jump off before it sped up, and so when I jumped off once into a bush of vines, under the vines were lots of soda bottles and cans, I could only carry a few bottles home at a time. . it was a great childhood for me and my friends. growing up in the 70's was the best. 

mike


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## hemihampton (Jun 22, 2018)

I started collecting around 1974 when I was like 10 years old. BUT, In those days & my neighborhood every body was collecting Beer Cans. Didn't get into bottles until much later. LEON.


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## Mr. Sniper Relic Hunts (Jun 22, 2018)

I started digging when i was 10 (im 14 now). These two guys asked if they could search our land for bottles. The curious kid i was i followed them and we found two dumps, one from the twenties and one from the late 40s and 50s. Thats where i dig to this day.


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## hemihampton (Jun 22, 2018)

Mr. Sniper Relic Hunts said:


> I started digging when i was 10 (im 14 now). These two guys asked if they could search our land for bottles. The curious kid i was i followed them and we found two dumps, one from the twenties and one from the late 40s and 50s. Thats where i dig to this day.




Curious, you ever find any old Beer Cans in the 40's-50's dump? Curious as I collect those. LEON.


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## schermdog (Jun 23, 2018)

great stories by everyone. happy to see my original post got so much feedback. I invite all others to share their early bottle hunting expereinces and how they got the bug


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## TexasDeere (Jun 28, 2018)

Circa 1984, I was in middle school and lived in a town of 4000 people in North Texas.  All summer, I would ride my bike all over town.  We would drop in on small mom & pop businesses where we knew the owners or a retail store to just escape the heat for 30 minutes or so.  One day we happened to stop in an antique store in town.  While the manager/owner was friendly and welcoming, I am sure he was nervous we would pick things up we were not supposed to pick up or maybe accidentally break something.  So he would walk around with us and and make conversation.  We stopped and were looking at the older style hillbilly Mountain Dew bottle.  My friend explained he knew a place that had tons of bottles and several just like that one.  The gentleman was interested and told us if we brought him good specimens (not broken and good labels) he would buy them from us.  So we saw dollar signs.  I've always been a treasure hunter so I was especially pumped for this endeavor.  The next day we went to "bottle creek".  Turns out bottle creek is the old city landfill that ran from '45-'63 or so.  A great age of soda pop bottles and more.  We ended up loading our backpacks full.  We never sold any to the antique store.  We kept and traded our better specimens.  I would send my extras or duplicates with my dad when we sold items at a couple auto part swap meets each year. I took a break from it all when I got to high school as girls and drinking beer became more important.  I rekindled my collecting 10 years ago and still reflect on my old early years of digging in the old dump.  Great memories.


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## PlaneDiggerCam (Jun 28, 2018)

I started only 4 years ago. I was exploring and came across an old home site where I found a small trash pit with an old 30s canning jar. I had only heard about bottle dumps through watching people on YouTube find them and thought I should see if there were any close by. Sure enough I stubled across my first bottle dump, which is still the oldest bottle dump I have ever found. Before I knew it I was digging and found a local drug store bottle. I had been bit by the bottle bug and I have been digging ever since then.


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## Mr. Sniper Relic Hunts (Jul 18, 2018)

I find them but they crumble in my hands too rusted out. 
I have no information on this bottle and i dont know how to make a post. Cna you help me out please ?


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## hemihampton (Jul 19, 2018)

I got that bottle in a hutch or hutchinson bottle. it's from Michigans upper Penninsula, probably dates around 1910 roughly. LEON.


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## mikeodigs (Jul 19, 2018)

Mr. Sniper Relic Hunts said:


> I find them but they crumble in my hands too rusted out.
> I have no information on this bottle and i dont know how to make a post. Cna you help me out please ?
> View attachment 183677



Yes , go to digging and finding front page, at the top left of page it says : ( post new thread ) click that and get started. .


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