# Glass Floats



## David E (Jul 4, 2004)

If this is a repeat I am sorry, can't find it on posts and new at camera. Can't recall where I got these. Will try photos again       Dave


----------



## David E (Jul 4, 2004)

*RE: Glass Floats Pic#2*

Pic#2


----------



## Maine Digger (Jul 5, 2004)

Those are beutiful floats David! The red one is especially sought after by collectors.


----------



## old digger (Jul 6, 2004)

Glassfloats??? What are they, What were they used for??


----------



## Maine Digger (Jul 6, 2004)

They were woven into fishing nets to keep them afloat; especially in the Far East.  On rare occassions, they wash up on the shores of our Northwest.  As I said they are highly prized, and should not be confused with 'Target Balls'.


----------



## Sam_MaineBottles (Jul 6, 2004)

These floats also show up on the East Coast of North America occasionally - the one pictured here I picked up on the shores of the Bahamas 20 some odd years ago - these are said to be from Spain or Portugal.


----------



## Sam_MaineBottles (Jul 6, 2004)

Sorry - can't upload the float pic now - some glich going on - Sam


----------



## Maine Digger (Jul 6, 2004)

Hi Sam, I was in a shop in Brunswick today where everything was outrageously priced[:'(] You might know it, it's on the left headed south on Pleasant street just before you leave town. But anyway, there just so happened to be a dark amber float with a 'pontil' that had a very vague shape of an anchor on it.  It didin't have a price tag and I think I caught the owner by suprise when I asked the price. She said $6.00, and I said I'd be back. I don't know anything about the value of blown floats, this one was fairly crude, and the closure/pontil looked a lot like the green one David posted above. The anchor shape was not stamped, it appears that while the glass was still molten, the maker 'dribbled' the anchor shape. Should I go back and get it for the $6.00 she's asking?


----------



## David E (Jul 7, 2004)

Hey Norm thanks and I would go back and offer her $4.00 a lot of dealer's have figued into 10% of sale.
 Plus tax, and oldtimer's discount.
 Dave


----------



## Sam_MaineBottles (Jul 7, 2004)

Hey Norm - 

 I don't know how floats were actually made but they are interesting to look at - like Dave said, I'd offer a little less and see if you can pick up the amber float.  

 I'll try again on posting the pic of my float - Sam


----------



## Sam_MaineBottles (Jul 7, 2004)

The float pictured above is a dark green and about four inches across.  The knotted string around the float isn't that old as it is made of nylon.

 About 20 years ago while vacationing in the Bahamas I saw several floats in a local restaurant.  When I asked about them I was told that they sometimes washed up on the beach but that they weren't as common as years before.  I was determined to try and find one so I spent many hours during the week checking the beaches - but no luck until my last day there when I happened to find this one half buried in the sand among the sea oat grass way above the high tide mark - I was some tickled to find it.

 - Sam


----------



## ashott (Aug 11, 2004)

My husband has one of these. I thought it was really nothing except something that my husband's Grandmother gave to him with a story of it you found one of these it was meant to be a token of good luck. It was found off the coast of the Keys In FLA.If anyone knows anything else let me know!! I would send a pic but am having trouble i have blue and green floaters and they are in a netting of some kind.


----------



## David E (Aug 11, 2004)

Hi thanks for the good luck thing (I need that).I am in Wasington State just North of Seattle. I know when I was younger we used to search for them on the Ocean Beaches.
 I guess the ways the currants flow, Vancouver Island in Canada is the best place to find them (on the Ocean side). I live in walkinfg distance to Puget Sound but never heard of anyone finding one here, as they would have to come off the ocean and down the Straits of Juan de Fuca into Puget sound. (have make a right turn off the Ocean).
 Believe ours come from Japan, we do have the Trade Winds Here.

 Dave


----------



## ashott (Aug 11, 2004)

Ok so i would send a pic but the kb's are too big like in the 400's. If anyone knows how to get them lower let me know and i will try it.
 thx


----------



## yawningdog (Aug 20, 2004)

much nicer than mine.
 I has 3 green and geen blue, one with a salt water etching that shows where the net was. I got mine in Anchorage in 1995 for $10 for the 3.


----------



## LaidBackJack (Aug 20, 2004)

I fished in AK back in the late 70's-early 80's, and we used to collect those glass floats like driftwood on the beaches in the Aleutians.  Believe it or not, we used them for target practice! I only have a few left, but I kept a nice variety of colors & sizes, yellow,blue, green, aqua, and from 3" to 8" sizes. I sold a few on Ebay, but they didn't bring very much..like 5-8 bucks..so I'll hang on to the rest. I've seen them up to 12" in size.


----------



## Tandy (Aug 20, 2004)

[] Years ago, I often used to visit our South East, and stay at a town called Robe. At Robe, the isd a long beach called, appropriately Long Beach, and it is from this beach that a few large glass balls were picked up. In those years, I was not interested, but I think I'll go back and see what I can find.

 To give you an idea where I am takling about, look at this URL, and the towns of Kingston, Robe and Beachport. I think our glass balls probably came from Asia.

 http://www.ozhorizons.com.au/sa/map.htm


----------



## LaidBackJack (Aug 20, 2004)

Most likely Japanese in origin. The Japanese used millions of them for their drift gillnetting operations throughout the Pacific Ocean. We used to find individual drift gillnets that were several miles long!  They would still be catching fish, anything that got in their way...so we would sink the floats to put a stop to the destruction. The fishing boats would cut the nets loose & skeedaddle if they thought the Coast Guard was coming after them. As the nets rotted away, the floats would come loose, drift with the currents, and finally haul up on some beach. They can be found on most any beach, anywhere in the Pacific, but the Japan current favors Alaska, British Columbia, and the US Pacific NW.


----------



## ashott (Aug 20, 2004)

So where would they have come from if they were found in the Keys off Florida?


----------



## LaidBackJack (Aug 20, 2004)

Couldn't say. Glass floats are old technology, but at one time their use was world-wide with the commercial fishing fleets.  The Japanese continued to use them much longer than most.


----------



## diggerjeff (Aug 20, 2004)

these floats can travel very great distances on the ocean currents. i have always thought most were from japanise fishing . could have come from any international waters.


----------



## leebran20 (Aug 21, 2004)

Hey gang: I'm by no means an expert on floats, but I do know they're very collectible and attract some very serious collectors -- from Hawaii, to the U.S. West Coast, Japan and Europe, etc. My digging partner -- who also owns an antique shop -- is very knowledgeable on these and is the trader that one particular Hawaii collector uses to build his collection. I was at my partner's shop this week when he showed me a package that just came in, which he secured for this collector, and in it were just two, very special floats, that totaled nearly 3 grand. One was a heavily embossed specimen w/ characters never seen before, and the other was in a color never seen before. This guy regularly competes with about a handful of others in the world for floats like these -- so both the serious collectors and the serious floats are out there.

 I prefer to dig and collect bottles, but I do have some floats and on this day at the shop I did happen to spend 80 bucks for two smaller floats (and this was heavily discounted because he's my bud). This is the first time I've bought floats. Both have sea water trapped inside of them -- the smaller one, about 4 inches across, is about a 1/3 full -- and those are the ones that I really like right now.

 Sam, great story and float. Terrific good fortune, and that's a pretty good one in my semi-knowledgeable capacity, with its sandblasted quality and real dark green color.

 You rarely find them on Hawaii's beaches these days, but quite a while back they would not infrequently turn up. I did find one at a beach on Oahu's east shore as a young kid with my dad, and though a common type, I of course still have it and have treasured it all the while. I much more recently dug one in a trash pit way back in a valley, which was a nice surprise.

 If you're interested to learn more, go to eBay and search "glass fishing float" in title and description and about seven pages will regularly turn up. On one of these pages, you can also find the book "Glass Float" by Walt Pich. It's the newest book on floats, and supposedly incorporates all of the latest found since the original bible on this hobby was published by Amos Wood quite a while ago. I, of course, bought the book off eBay the same day as I bought the floats. Go figure, huh. I feel another sickness coming on.[&:]


----------



## leebran20 (Aug 21, 2004)

Here's a pic of the smaller float I bought on Tuesday.


----------



## leebran20 (Aug 21, 2004)

sorry gang, having problems and my girlfriend is hungry. be back later.


----------



## LaidBackJack (Aug 21, 2004)

Just for the heck of it, here are three floats I picked off a beach on Kodiak Island in 1982.  The 3" yellow was not a real common find. I never found a red one, but a crewmate did on Unimak Island. On one beach not far from Dutch Harbor, three of us picked up 40 or so in a couple hours. Those were the days. Other times we would look for Aleut artifacts, walrus ivory, and WWII relics. The floats & other maritime flotsam became de-facto favorites, because we could almost always count on finding some any time we went ashore in those islands. BTW, the "weather" in the Aleutians is unbelievable. We weren't strolling along sun-kissed beaches, picking up the goodies we found. It was always windy, & I mean windy! And usually raining/sleeting/snowing. You wore rain gear 24/7 and 365 days a year where I found my floats. We would only drop the hook in sheltered spots, and those are far & few between in the Aleutians, so we took advantage of any chance to go ashore in the skiff, & a few times we were able to cruise around all day exploring seldom visited beaches. I'll bet the beaches of the Aleutian Islands are still well stocked with glass floats, for anyone who could afford an expedition, & put up with the constant discomfort & flat-out danger.  The outer islands are very seldom visited, if at all. Many of them cannot be safely landed on, I imagine some of them would be virtual jewelry boxes. I was young then, and figured to be immortal. I wouldn't try what I did back then.....now. But I still have these floats & a few others, and an assortment of other artifacts, to remind me of that time. If only I knew then what I know now...etc...


----------



## leebran20 (Aug 21, 2004)

Jack: those floats are beauties -- but especially the yellow one of course. The islands to the west of the main Hawaiian Islands, like Midway and Kire and the like, are also still gold mines for floats and other nautical artifacts. Most of the regular folk like me don't get chances to go to these islands -- some of them are bird sanctuaries, marine research areas, etc -- but a friend of mine who works with Fisheries does and he has a TON of floats. A lot of common ones, but the sheer numbers are mind-boggling.

 Sorry had to run off last night before successfully posting pic of my float. Gotta go to work, but hopefully tonight i can.


----------



## LaidBackJack (Aug 21, 2004)

Looking forward to your latest score.  Even though I wasn't particularly interested in glass back then, I saved every glass float that I found, except regrettably, some really big ones that I didn't want to pack back to the states. I had a half dozen 12" or so absolute beauties, including an emerald green one... that I traded for worthless junk before I left, what a dummy!  I never made it out to the Andreanofs, or the Rat Islands, but I've been told by a military friend who was stationed on Shemya, that those islands are treasure chests for all kinds of booty. It's all about the ocean currents, and where the mostly Japanese fleets operated. The Aleutians are like a magnet for anything caught in the Japan current...but usually only the south & west sides of those islands. You can look a long time on the north side before you'd find anything.  I was in the Bering Sea, Herring fishing, and spoke with guys who had gone ashore on the Pribolofs. They found old campsites with bottles dating back to the sealers in the early to mid 1800's, but not a single float. I distinctly remember turning down trades for some of those bottles, lord knows what they were? I had scores of floats, & I wouldn't trade for those crummy old bottles....ha ha...what an idiot!  Still, it was great being young and dumb...but only because I survived it.  I have another story about a friend who went to Cocos Island, looking for buried pirate treasure, and instead he came home with crates full of 17th & 18th century bottles. He's been retired for a long time now, and he just has one or two of those bottles left. The rest helped pay for his spread. I keep in touch, you never know, he might decide to go back if the stock market tanks, or his wife divorces him...and I'm going with him, you can bet. Cocos Island isn't the Aleutians...palm trees, tropical breezes....17th century pirate bottle dumps.....We grow too soon old, and too late smart.


----------



## leebran20 (Aug 22, 2004)

So true, Jack. Here's the pic of the smaller float -- I hope. It's actually 3" across. If this is successful, I will then post pic of the bigger float -- about the size of a softball -- I also got that day. It has only about an inch and a half of water, so is less valuable, but I like it a ton too. My partner told me that most-full float he's come across was a small one -- less than 3" across -- 3/4 full, and it predictably ended up in the "museum" of that serious collector I mentioned.

 Good luck, whenever the chance actually comes, on finding pirate's booty. I'd love to get the chance at what you're talking about too. BTW, also really enjoyed the pics of your recent finds in the Sierra Nevadas. Any more news on that spot? Take care.


----------



## leebran20 (Aug 22, 2004)

OK, I think I'm getting better at this. Now interfacing w/ my iPhoto and Photoshop. Roger should be pleased, if this is successful.


----------



## LaidBackJack (Aug 22, 2004)

Brandon,  Pardon my stupidity, but were water-filled floats made that way? Or does the water somehow get inside later?  I have never found a float with liquid inside! To what degree does this amplify their value? 

 The Sierra dig is going strong, I'll be back at it tomorrow. We only work it during the weekdays in order to avoid  any weekend tourist attention. Partner Melvin is camped right on the spot, and one look at his huge, dirty, hairy presence is usually enough to repel any visitors. A bit of subterfuge of this type is necessary, unfortunately. Truth is he's the nicest guy in the world, wouldn't hurt a flea. Best of all, he has no interest in glass. He just wants rusty metal, & especially any old shell casings we turn up. He's an expert with his metal detector. I will definitely take pics of some finds after I get them cleaned up & sorted out. Right now I don't have the time. The Carnrick's is the best so far, AFAIC. I've found two good applied tops, but both are unembossed amber spirits bottles, no pontils. About 20 good tooled bottles, mostly food or condiments, with a few meds or cures.  This dump was apparently used from at least the 1870's until the 1960's. Then it was buried by the highway improvement. The cartridge casings we find are definitive dating aids, with Mel's encyclopedic knowledge of that subject. To the present day, the spot is a favorite place for target shooting. If anyone else has ever picked it, we haven't seen any signs of it yet. It's so large & spread out that it will take a long time to cover it all. So we're planning to re-bury our excavations & continue next season...thus the need to stay under the radar of any interested observers. From November to May this spot is buried under several feet of snow & completely innaccessible. The road is closed 10 miles down the hill. I can't wait to get back tomorrow & see what Mel has uncovered! The only problem is that he has no regard for bottles, and takes no care with them when left unsupervised!  Aaaaarrgghh! To Melvin, bottles are literal targets for his plinking addiction!  I have taught him to discern the difference between ABM & BIM, but it's not a sure thing. Thus I always return with supplies, prepared for anything. So far, he hasn't demolished any serious keepers.  Best Regards,  LBJ.


----------



## leebran20 (Aug 23, 2004)

LBJ: Best of luck tomorrow -- in fact, it is already there for you, though you likely have at least a few more hours left of sleep. Keep us posted with news at least if the photos have to wait. Sounds like you have a good plan on harvesting the goodies. I, too, have engaged in subterfuge when necessary.

 On the floats w/ sea water in them, no pardon need be requested for the explanation. Again I'm not an expert, but I do know that authentic ones with water trapped inside them are the result of working floats suffering damage during their time at sea or in other use -- you know, knocking up against the boat, maybe from being thrown around the deck.  A key to discerning a real float of this type is looking for such a damage on the float in the form of small spider-web type "cracks" to the surface of the ball, or even more significant damage to the pontil seal (this area of course being able to handle it better). In the course of them working or perhaps even floating in very rough seas to their final destination, the water pressure is great enough that the water gets in, but when they've settled to the resting place to be found the water no longer comes out and it doesn't evaporate. It's quite cool. I like them because they're like an adult and antique-glass lover's version of those things with the "snow" and liquid inside that you would shake up real good and then watch it all fall over the decoration inside.

 Yes, water greatly adds to the value of the floats. The two I have would be common $5 floats without the water, but the smaller one I have with just over a third or so of water in it retails quite quickly for around a $100, maybe a bit more. The other one with about an inch and a half of water is worth about $40. Careful though if you do start thinking about buying these types of floats: Look for the trademark damage characteristics first before buying. Shady people do try to "make" these floats by tending to drill the pontil area and then patching it.

 Talk to you soon.


----------



## Roger (Aug 24, 2004)

> Roger should be pleased, if this is successful.


 
 Great pictures [] and terrific thread but more importantly please include me on the Cocos Island trip []


----------



## leebran20 (Aug 24, 2004)

Thanks Roger. Yeah, I wanna go too.[]

 BTW, LBJ, just wanted to let you know that I checked with my partner because I wanted to make sure I had my explanation exactly right about how the water gets in. The part I had right is that it does happen from damage to the float as I described, and then the float being put back to work. When the nets caught something, particularly a heavy load, these floats would then be pulled under water to a level deep enough that the water pressure was great enough to push water in, but once float comes back up, pressure is no longer sufficient to let water in or out. So the wrong part was about the rough seas and resulting journey to land. My partner told me that the float can travel for years and years on surface of ocean and in all types of conditions obviously and never take in more water.

 Hope you had a good diggin' day.


----------



## bythesea (Mar 7, 2009)

We have a great site dedicated to sea glass collectors and beach lovers and would like to invite some float collectors. It is Sea Glass Lovers, Shard Id, Locations to collect sea glass, many photos, please stop by for a visit!


----------

