# are engraved and embossed bricks worth anything?



## RazorsEdge

Found this in the river...was completly white....put it is some CLR and voila like new minus some erosion wear. Are bricks like this worth anything because they are so old? This one says Bloomfield, IN. but, i have found a few that say boston brick also. Thanks -Jon


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## wvbottlehead

I'll pick one up here & there too. This one is an old Baltimore co. Don't know if their collectable or not but they don't make em that way anymore so why not........you could always build that bar-b-que...........






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## BRIAN S.

Hi guys ,
 Great bricks ! I believe most of them with the writting on them are paving bricks ( used to pave streets in the old days). Most are larger than your everyday house bricks you get now a days at the brick yard. 
 They are valuable if you have several hundred of them. I have seen several firplace profiles done in these ...... they make a great looking fireplace. And there is a market for them if you get enough to do a profile.
  Brian


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## RazorsEdge

Do they all have to be the same kind of brick? Or can they say diff. things...Also do they have to be the exact same size? And if by chance I saved enough, how many are we talking about, about how much would i get, and how would i go about selling them? thanks - jon


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## GuntherHess

The calvert bricks are pretty common. People do collect marked bricks and some sell pretty good. You'd have to research each type to figure out if its collectible.


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## RazorsEdge

and where would I find information like that? what would i search for...There is no info on bloomfield, in.........


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## wvbottlehead

if you could find enough you could sell them to a salvage co. but they usually want 1000's of them & they probably wouldn't give you enough for your troubles. Collectors are usually looking for the street bricks over a hundred years old. These ones we find usually aren't that old; I would just like to find enough at one time (and where I could get my truck to) for a home project. Best bet would be to run classifieds on them, if they want 'em they'll come..........


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## RazorsEdge

well hell, its not like i go looking for em.....when i stumble on to them from now on i will take them, and eventually i bet i could build a freakin house[]


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## whiskeyman

I collect bricks, but know little about them. I have found bricks with names at old house sites that are being torn down and in the downtown areas when demolition is in progress. I found about 20 older clay bricks along one back alley in an old residential neighborhood...all were marked CHILHOWIE....(Chilhowie,VA.)...neat bricks, as some were distorted from usiong primitive molds. At an old farm house I found about   50 clay bricks with a pattern on one side...color variations were subtle but plainly seen.
 I made a walkway out of most of my bricks and used about 16 at the base of my porch/deck steps....
 I need ta take a few pics and post 'em....heh.


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## whiskeyman

oh, I  also quite often find them digging...


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## wvbottlehead

Whiskeyman they do make great walkways..............see some pics!


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## digdug

I started a 'brick collection' a few years ago. I kept finding different styles of bricks from MINERVA BLOCK (Minerva, Ohio)  These are the paver style bricks, not the house style. I started pulling them out of a creek and everyone laughed about me bringing them home. But, several people approached me wanting one. I gave them away at first, but soon started mounting a pen and pencil set on top. turning it into a desk set and charging for them. I am trying to collect enough for a patio area. I think it will only take me twenty years of collecting them to get enough to do the size I need!


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## whiskeyman

You peeps are pic crazy, ain't ya?...LOL.


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## whiskeyman

more?


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## whiskeyman

more?...


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## whiskeyman

anudder one:


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## whiskeyman

my walkway needed cleaning...


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## whiskeyman

CHILHOWIE...


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## whiskeyman

should I?

 yeah....


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## whiskeyman

I was told the pattern bricks (1st pic), were made by slaves...


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## RazorsEdge

so if i start getting bricks do they all have to be the same or will people still buy a lot of them if they are different?


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## wvbottlehead

cool bricks whiskeyman! I especially like those pattern bricks.........you mighta started somethin here............lol.........got any fer sale?        []


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## whiskeyman

FRANK...never sold the 1st brick yet. The way I understand it, Brick Collectors  just swap with each other...but if some scarce & desirable brick was to come along, I guess they'd make monetary offers....I wouldn't have the slightest idea how to price any brick.

 RAZOR...I imagine if you were to set up at flea markets or have a yard sale, you could sell single bricks....the serious collectors usually only want a single example of a brick for their collection, though they also may purchase more than one of an example as a trader.
 Someone wanting to make a patio or walkway may be looking for multiple examples of the same brick....
 Me...I don't care if they're the same or not...I think assorted types/names/textures/colorations  make for a nice contrast.


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## wvbottlehead

anyway they make a great conversation piece & it's nice you've put them to use and on display at the same time!  [&:]


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## whiskeyman

FRANK...you really want a brick that badly? [&:]

 I'll send ya one if ya pay shipping....
 (I think this is why the collectors mostly swap...too expensive to ship.)


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## wvbottlehead

no, but thanks fer the offer whiskeyman!, I just keep pickin em up as I find em....maybe someday we can do some trades.........


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## diggerjeff

try contacting  the  IBCA  INTERNATIONAL BRICK COLLECTORS ASSOCIATION.  my father has been a member for about 15 years. it is an interesting group of people who have 4 or 5 swap meets per year. we hosted one at my fathers house several years back. dad has 3 or 4 thousand bricks from all over the world. this group of people have tried to keep this hobby free ,meaning they would preffer to trade bricks rather than sell them. i have noticed that a few pop up on ebay from time to time, but very few will ever realize high dollar because most are very common. if anyone is interested in this organization let me know and i will get you some contacts!!!


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## diggerjeff

here is a link to the brick collectors web page.
http://www.tlgwindpower.com/tweety

 <url updated>


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## whiskeyman

Thanks for all the info, DIGGERJEFF....I'll checkout that site.


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## wvbottlehead

Thank you for the info diggerjeff! All google searches came up empty & here there is a WHOLE IBCA out there!


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## KentOhio

Hey DigDug,
 What's a Minerva, Ohio block doing in Atlanta? That's weird.

 On Ebay a few weeks ago I spotted a lead thing, like a stamp. Turns out it was for putting the impressions on paving blocks. It was for a well-known block that seems to be everywhere, the 1893 Columbian Exposition block. The stamp sold for about $50.


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## whiskeyman

KENT..I have several Peebles Block & Portsmouth bricks I picked up around here...they were once used as street pavers. Will take a pic & post later...I think they are both Ohio bricks....memory fails me at the moment.[&:]


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## digdug

Hey KentOhio, Well- I imported the Minerva Blocks to Atlanta. I have family in Minerva, whenever I go up I look for bottles, etc., but usually only end up with bricks!  I have actually seen Minerva Block and other Ohio bricks on ebay a few years ago.  I didn't bid because postage was a killer on it! Heavy items to mail!


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## BRIAN S.

Hi 
 Minerva Ohio !  Think this Bitters could be from Ohio ? It's unlisted and one of a kind .... I have not been doing very well on locating it's origin.


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## whiskeyman

Nice Bitters,BRIAN...even better: it's unlisted.[]

 KENT...here's those Brick pics


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## whiskeyman

another Brick...


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## whiskeyman

this one says UPS...but means: Union Paver System.
 I have another one around here somewhere that says, Union Paver System/Sciotoville (NY)?...mind drew a blank ( again)...HA!


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## RazorsEdge

lol i have a knack for sparking these ongoing posts[] and not even on purpose....Neat bricks though


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## trussin

I met collectors in Iowa that are looking for anything that says Ft Dodge.  Paying top dollars too.  Joe B


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## Gunsmoke47

Hey Ya'll,  I dug this awhile back at an 1870's-1880's site in Texas. It was under 4 feet of dirt at a Military Fort. Just curious if any of ya'll have ever seen one. The only Bristol bricks I could come up with is over the big pond and that sure is a long way from Texas. Any and all info on this brick is appreciated.  Thanks, and Happy Diggin,[] Kelley

 P.S.  What's a bath brick?


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## whiskeyman

All I could find seemed to point to England also...says it's some kind of "scouring brick."

 http://www.answers.com/topic/bath-brick


 (uh...don't look at that Erotic Art in Pompeii link)...[8|]


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## Gunsmoke47

Thanks for your research Whiskey.  Makes you wonder how it got over here to Texas. Happy Diggin,  Kelley

 P.S.  I didn't look at that Erotic Art in Pompeii link.[][sm=rolleyes.gif]


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## bigkitty53

Hi Kelley,
 Bath is a City I know very well. [] It's about 7 miles East of Bristol,S.W.England, and it's renown for it's Georgian architecture in yellow sandstone.Manufactorers started making bricks to imitate the sandstone,and Bristol was/is a manufactoring and shipping center.
 Both the bricks and the real stone were(and still are!) often used as whetstones for sharpening knives and such.I have a couple myself.Never heard of them used as scourers,at least not over there.Your brick has a gritty feel it?In fact looking at the photo again,it looks as if the top edge is saddlebacked.Has it been worn down smooth,like from metal?That might be why it ended up in Texas. []

 Hope this helps,

 KAT

 You can see these bricks used on this building in Bath.


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## bigkitty53

Bath station...ALL Stone,for comparision.


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## Gunsmoke47

Hey Kitty,  we haven't heard from you in awhile. Nice to have you back. I believe you hit the nail on the head. I took a closer look and I believe a whetstone is exactly what it was used for! I guess every Military man carried a pocket knife so that part makes sense. I can even make out some faint blade marks on the saddled top part. Thanks buddie, []  Kelley


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## bigkitty53

Thanks Kelley,
 Had a particularly NASTY spyware infection that kept me offline for about a month before I was able to get rid of it.[]

 RE:Your brick. I think it was most likely part of the company/fort carpenter's toolkit.(Or _possibly_ the sappers') A regular size brick is not exactly pocket-sized. []

 Nice piece with a story and one you can use.

 KAT


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## whiskeyman

Hi KAT...thanks for the info.
 The link I posted refers to it being used as a scourer in Bath...Actually I don't care what it was used for...I want one cause it has Bristol on it...[]


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## Gunsmoke47

Hey Whiskey, we got kicked out of that Fort. (Narrowminded new land owner[]) If we ever get back on there I'll keep a sharp eye out for you one. We have found numerous bricks there but that's the only debossed one. Happy Diggin,  Kelley


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## bigkitty53

Big Shame, Kelley,
 I was going to suggest taking a metal detector to the site-in case there are any old carpenters' tools in the vicinity.(They're worth a bit change!)Maybe you should take the brick instead and try negotiate with new owner.(You can always beat him into submission with it if he still refuses![])

 Hope it works out mate!

 KAT


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## bigkitty53

Hi Whiskey,
 Tried to quote you but doesn't appear to cooperate.Why do you want "Bristol" markings?I'm sorry but I'm still trying to catch up on this forum after an involuntary L.O.A.

 "Bristol",England, produced LOTS of merchandise so I'm sure something will turn up sooner or later over on your side of the pond!

 KAT


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## bigkitty53

DUHH-UH![][][]

 Sorry Whiskey,

 Just took note of your signature!(Don't I feel like an ass![X(][8D][])

 KAT


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## whiskeyman

KELLEY...thanks for keeping an eye out. Hope you can get back in the Fort.


 KAT...no need ta feel that way...LOL. I do the same thing myself: get all caught up in the question and forget about/overlook the rest of the post...HA!!
 Glad to see you're back...[]


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## relicman33

whiskeyman  youre  gonna  make   me  have  to  work  on  my  day  off.  nice  walkway  gives  me  ideas   what  to  do  with  al l   my  bricks  now.  heck   with  it   going   to   go  digging


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## whiskeyman

I finally got around to taking some more brick pics...Most of these I found while digging or looking in old areas for digging sites. Someone had earlier asked about their purpose. Just from looking at some of mine, I think  bricks were made to serve several different functions:
 These two for instance: Kind of wedge shaped and Marked No.2 Key and No.3 Key ( and the 3 is backwards).


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## whiskeyman

Another example: No.1 Arch


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## whiskeyman

No.1 Wedge


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## whiskeyman

This one is rather small and slender...


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## whiskeyman

Larger size...


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## whiskeyman

Next two have numbers...no idea what they represent..
 This 1st one has 188...I thought it was an incomplete date...but all the brick is there.


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## whiskeyman

This one is about to fall apart...
 5-456


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## whiskeyman

Next two also served a purpose besides for building...
 St Louis Furnace


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## whiskeyman

St Louis Laclede


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## whiskeyman

These two merely have a Cross in the center and are of soft brick...


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## whiskeyman

Names:
 DEBC Kimberly...


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## whiskeyman

Evens & Howard


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## whiskeyman

Howard & Parks


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## whiskeyman

Eli


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## whiskeyman

DBFC DIXIE


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## whiskeyman

Aetna


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## whiskeyman

Diamond


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## whiskeyman

Missouri Flint


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## whiskeyman

Mex-R-Co


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## whiskeyman

LFB  Works Louisville...and I quit.
 Very interesting all the varieties of bricks one can acquire while out seeking bottles...[]


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## Bixel

Now you just have to get one of the coolest bricks of all. The ones that say " Do not spit on sidewalk".. those are awesome.......


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## cobaltbot

Besides the posts that this one follows, here's another of the great oddball threads about unexpected discoveries which is for things other than bottles that turn up and some of us oddball's also collect some of this stuff:
https://www.antique-bottles.net/forum/m-70265/mpage-1/key-bricks/tm.htm#71951


 Here's some of mine:


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