How to Dig for Antique Bottles

Before you dig for antique bottles, you have know where to look. You don't need a treasure map. Get your tools and start with the likeliest places.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Small spade
• Spring steel probes of various lengths
• Rake
• Flashlight
• Knife
• Gloves
• Cloths to protect the bottles that you find
• Metal detector

Instructions

1. Educate yourself on the types of places that often hide antique bottles. Read books and articles on the subject. You'll also find some excellent information online at websites sites such as antiquebottles.com (see link in Resources).

2. Decide where you are going to dig. Bottles turn up in many places such as old farm trash pits, outhouses and dumps.

3. Purchase a metal detector if you want to dig for antique bottles in an old farm dump area. In addition to collectible bottles, these old farm dumps also contain a lot of metal trash, such as barrel hoops, old farm equipment, tin cans and jar lids. Once you find an area that reads at high levels of metal and it covers a large area, you have most likely found an old family dump.

4. Make a test hole using a large shovel to determine if you are in an area that contains old bottles. If you are exploring a large dump area, dig a test hole on each side and one in the middle.

5. Dig in a circular pattern if your hole is more than 2-meters deep.

6. Probe the area using a spring steel probe to locate covered bottles.

7. Use a small spade or your fork to carefully remove dirt from the areas where you feel there may be a hidden antique bottle.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that the bottles you find first will be the newer bottles. Dig deeper to find the older bottles.

• Farm dumps were common from the 1700s up to the 1950s. When public dumps became popular, many farm dumps were covered to avoid the cost of cleaning them up. These dumps were often along river banks, ravines, ditches or near swamps.

• Old dairy farms usually make excellent dig locations.

• Bring a digging partner with you. If you are going to dig alone, make sure someone knows your location. Carry a cell phone with you.

• Never tunnel or leave areas of dirt overhead.

Resources

• Excellent information on antique bottles