First Permissiom

[No gold in NY]

A woman has offered me permission to dig in a dump. She lives in a Victorian house with an older empty home on the property. Perhaps good detecting also. I have not dug in forty years and then it was with heavy equipment. Do I go at it with a #2 shovel or do you guys use something more discreet.

 

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[glass half fool]

I start with a good pair of gloves and often use something to kneel on .Perhaps a piece of carpet or cardboard .Having some type of saw or pruners helps .Long sleeves if poison ivy is there along with bug spray . I have a 3 prong garden tool with dull tines to scratch slowly as I remove broken items and what other debris is there . If I listen as I work I can tell where a tine hits the surface of something that is unbroken .I am probably still doing it the hard way and maybe other will make better suggestions than how I do it

 

[No gold in NY]

Much thanks for the info glass half fool. I gathered up the items you mentioned and included loppers and my knee pads. I'll still bring my #2 shovel to get a hole started. Your hard way is likely the best way to avoid breakage. Then there is the bucket loader. Thanks again, Richard

 

[glass half fool]

Yes I have an area that I just might get a bucket loader to get me a good start without to much damage in the process .If you go that route get one with air conditioning so you can stay nice and cool if you do any breakage of a really good bottle

 

[Goldenplug]

A woman has offered me permission to dig in a dump. She lives in a Victorian house with an older empty home on the property. Perhaps good detecting also. I have not dug in forty years and then it was with heavy equipment. Do I go at it with a #2 shovel or do you guys use something more discreet.

I just use a short handled shovel. You will absolutely need a shovel. There is no way to scratch your way to the bottom of a dump unless its only a foot deep in my opinion. Good luck and if you want or need any help I live in Schenectady and would be happy to assist in the digging!

 

[No gold in NY]

First permission findings so far...I did a couple test holes for the dump. One yielded two nails. The second all there was is rocks. That was kind of promising because the area is shale and no natural rocks. Many years ago they had a dozer come in to clear the fallen down woodshed. I think they turned up some bottles. There were some boxes with old bottles in the barn loft. She said we could take anything from the barn that we wanted. in addition there were cases and boxes of canning jars, chairs, dishes, cast iron frying pans, old bicycles, it just kept going. There was a small suitcase packed with small delicate cut or etched glass ware. The house contained old cutter sleighs stacks and stacks of roofing slate, and up stairs a big surprise...two baby turkey vultures. My next visit will be strictly metal detecting. I'll try to locate the bottle dump later.

 

[Crusty Shellback]

Very promising. Has that racoon got himself an old bottle?

 

[No gold in NY]

Very promising. Has that racoon got himself an old bottle?

Yes, the siding is falling off the barn and the canning jars are falling from the loft.

 

[Megalodon]

Nice site. I think going with the detector is the right move. I know guys who locate hidden bottle dumps with their detectors. Those old zinc canning jar lids really sound off. Plus, you can find coins and relics. I used to discount old barns for coins and once told my wife to "not bother" around one. Naturally, she didn't listen and came back with a handful of old silver coins...And so, the teacher becomes the student.

 

[glass half fool]

That could turn out to be a great area to find a number of different items. Remember those old barns where built by hand .Using pulleys , rope, and horses and lots of old fashioned manpower .They took some time to build and once they where finished where a main center of attraction throughout the year . There for there was a lot of human traffic in and around the barn itself .People had coins fall from their pockets while sitting and drinking beverages .The empty bottles where thrown in a hole along the foundation or a nearby groundhog hole .Horses where hitched to equipment so any kind of harness might also be found

 

[No gold in NY]

That could turn out to be a great area to find a number of different items. Remember those old barns where built by hand .Using pulleys , rope, and horses and lots of old fashioned manpower .They took some time to build and once they where finished where a main center of attraction throughout the year . There for there was a lot of human traffic in and around the barn itself .People had coins fall from their pockets while sitting and drinking beverages .The empty bottles where thrown in a hole along the foundation or a nearby groundhog hole .Horses where hitched to equipment so any kind of harness might also be found

There are some harnesses, a cutter sleigh and some small wagon bodies stashed in the house. I found a 3/4 inch rotten rope to lower some of the old bottles down from the loft.

 

[No gold in NY]

The bottles I found in the barn were probably found by the owners husband when the collapsed woodshed was pushed out
back. Story has it he found whiskey bottles in the shed. Going further back in history, the woman of the day had 20 children. When the time came, she would go to the woodshed with a bottle of whiskey and deliver the child herself. I know women were tough then but....

I love the amber three piece mold whiskey bottles. The dark one on the right has no seam. The aqua in the left is loaded with tiny bubbles.

The large one on the left is from Wilkes barre, PA. the green one is a Coca-Cola. Never saw one like that.


Also found three pair.


I know none these are very old, but I'm hoping to get into better stuff later.

 

[Crusty Shellback]

Wow, nice bottles and you're not even digging yet? Sounds like there should be lots more to come!