An Odd Swag Idea, What Do You Think?

[The History Junkies]

Along with caching and other hobbies and interests, I really enjoy digging up antique bottles. I end up with household products and medicine bottles by the hundreds, most of them can fit in the palm of your hand. Some of these bottles are near a century old. People who visit my home comment on the neat bottles I always have around the house. I typically send them home with the ones they like.

 

Now if I were to wrap a 75 year old bottle in paper, put it in a ziploc with a paper explaining the origin and age of the bottle and maybe a copy of a vintage ad for the item, would this be considered swag you would find interesting to find? I am a firm enemy of trash in caches, I don't consider these to be common trash.

 

What is your opinion??

[+BlueDeuce]

I wouldn't take it, but I'm sure others would. Go for it.

[+miss_butterfly]

If i saw it in a cache, with all that detail about the bottle, i'd defo take it and be very pleased with it but then i think you'd have to make sure there's no way the bottle will break, in cases like when the cache gets dropped etc... maybe bubble wrap them?

 

the question is though, if you collect them, how can you bare to let them go!!

[+bike&ski]

Big thumbs up here. I think its a good idea, especially if you can include documentation like you described (provenance?)

[Trinity's Crew]

Sure sounds like a fine trade item to me. Supplying an explanation and the approximate age of the bottle sounds like a good idea as well. Some people won't be interested, but some will. Go for it.

[ATMouse]

I would like it, especially if it was sun-purpled glass!!

[+AuntieWeasel]

Very deeply cool.

 

I don't mean to go all mercenary on you, but wouldn't you rather eBay that stuff? It's more likely to find a loving home with a collector.

[+BomberJjr]

I like it. Swag approved.

[The History Junkies]

Most of the bottles I am considering are a dime a dozen to diggers, but uncommon to non diggers. That's the beauty of it, only a non collector would appreciate them for what they are. Cool.

 

Ebay is overlisted with bottles from this era at 99 cent starting bids and no sales. Couldn't be the 15.00 S&H on them, could it??????

[+bahama97]

I think that is a really cool idea!

[+SmartSapper]

I would like it, especially if it was sun-purpled glass!!

 

never heard that term - what's it look like?

 

and yeah, that sounds like something neat to trade for!

[+wiseye]

WOW!, wish I was caching near you! Go for it.

[+wimseyguy]

Cooler than 90% of the swag I've seen in hundreds of caches, especially with the background info.

Let me know if you plan to stash any quality carnival glass items. I'll make a road trip to W.Pa.

[+Kealia]

Agreed, sounds like cool swag - go for it.

[+Blue Power Ranger]

My only worry would be whether I had something cool enough to justify taking one!

[+Henki]

I'd love to find something like that in a cache.

[+Beffums]

Hmm, I'm sensing that I'll have to use a list of your recent finds as a guide the next time I'm home visiting the parents! Sounds like a really cool idea - I know that that would be a swag item that many adults would like to find.

[+IGJoe]

My only worry would be whether I had something cool enough to justify taking one!

 

Agreed, I'd feel like a total heel for leaving a mechwarrior miniature in its place but I'd take it anyway. Then it would go in my collection of A#1 things I've found in caches ...... you know, with all my yellow & WJTB's

 

Your OP implies these are easy to find if you know where to dig ..... then the obvious question is how do you know where to dig?

Edited July 10, 2006 by IGJoe

[+lindsychris]

Very cool! My dad casually collects bottles (inherited a collection and adds to it...) so I've developed a small interest. Going to have to see which caches you've hit recently--I think you're a little north of us here in Pittsburgh!

[CoyoteRed]

Definitely a cool swag idea.

 

I know of a local, who I've not seen in a while, who would have folks hit caches right after he did just because of his cool swag. Nothing expensive, just neat.

[+4leafclover]

I agree that it is a very cool idea. It's one of the types of things I would love seeing in a cache. I'd be more likely to read the description of it, look at it and show it to my daughter, but then leave it in the cache for another finder to see and appreciate.

[+Team Neos]

I think it's a great idea, also! My husband collects old glass also--so we would be thrilled to find that in a cache for swag.

In fact, do you want directions to some really great caches in my area?

[+The Black Squirrels]

Cool idea.

[+sbell111]

I would like it, especially if it was sun-purpled glass!!

never heard that term - what's it look like?

linkie

[+OHMIKY]

depends on the product the bottle once contained - whether there is interest besides being an old bottle. I do collect old beer bottles, and would grab one of those posthaste - but I would not turn down a neat honey bottle or a patent medicine with amusing label claims

[Hogosha]

I'm going to give the idea a big thumbs up! I certainly would not mind finding such an unusual "treasure" in a cache. My kids can take the toys/trinkets, I would take the bottle! My only problem would be having a good trade for something that nice!

[+Furious_T]

As a collector and an archeologist, i say go for it, i would love to get meaningful swag like that.

[+What rock?]

I'd grab that swag in a heartbeat! Do you have any bottles from Barbour county WV?

[bug and snake]

If everyone thought like you do then the whole problem of cache-trash would vanish. It doesn't need to be valuable in the money sense to be worth while, it just needs to be worth while.

Excellent idea!

Edited July 10, 2006 by bug and snake

[+ct_alt_del]

Along with caching and other hobbies and interests, I really enjoy digging up antique bottles. I end up with household products and medicine bottles by the hundreds, most of them can fit in the palm of your hand. Some of these bottles are near a century old. People who visit my home comment on the neat bottles I always have around the house. I typically send them home with the ones they like.

 

Now if I were to wrap a 75 year old bottle in paper, put it in a ziploc with a paper explaining the origin and age of the bottle and maybe a copy of a vintage ad for the item, would this be considered swag you would find interesting to find? I am a firm enemy of trash in caches, I don't consider these to be common trash.

 

What is your opinion??

I would love to find something like that in a cache. Unfortunately, I doubt if I would be packing anything around even close to the same value to leave in its place. Maybe you could "pardon" the cacher who took it somehow.

[+Colorado Cacher]

If you leave one of those blue poison bottles with the skull & crossbones on it I will take from the cache container. $$$$$$$$$

[+fly46]

I think it sounds like a good idea, too, but I want to second the bubblewrap idea. Granted, the bottles in question survived 90+ years in the ground, being used, etc... but my luck would be I'd find one, trade for it, get it home, and discover that when I accidentally dropped my pack at the cache after.. I broke it or something..

 

Bubblewrap it!

[+ZSandmann]

My only worry would be whether I had something cool enough to justify taking one!

 

Agreed, I'd feel like a total heel for leaving a mechwarrior miniature in its place but I'd take it anyway. Then it would go in my collection of A#1 things I've found in caches ...... you know, with all my yellow & WJTB's

 

Your OP implies these are easy to find if you know where to dig ..... then the obvious question is how do you know where to dig?

 

Yes I would also like to know how you know where is the place to dig. I have a ton of really old soda bottles at my parents house that I dug up when I was a kid. Turns out my 'Fort' was built on the familys old garbage dump. Made for interesting excavations.

[wheetree]

I always liked finding old bottles in dumps. My favorite were the square "Big Chief" Cola bottles. I sold my collection for beer money when in college

I also really like the green or purple colors some glass gets when it has aged.

[heckle]

I would like some of them as swag. How abotu making some into travel bugs?

[The History Junkies]

Well it seems I have an overwhelmingly positive response, I thought I may get some resistance on this. Thanks very much to everyone who has responded.

 

In answer to some questions posted:

 

1. I am really not concerned with what gets traded for one of my bottles. The concern stated here about not having a worthy trade item is something sorely lacking in the game these days. I do genuinely wish that it inspires some cachers to reconsider some of the marginal items that I have been finding recently. I just want to improve the cache with my trade. (Marginal, how's that for diplomatic)

 

2. Unfortunately nothing from Barbour County WV. I'm a liitle too far north.

 

3. Colorado Cacher, Poison with skull and crossbones?? This is ultimately only a game ya know!!!

 

4. How do you find where to dig? In the first half of the twentieth century, if it was liquid, it was in glass. Urban areas had city dumps to get rid of it all, but the rural folks had to dispose of it best they could, typically in a dump on a farm, or a dump used by a number of families in a rural community. Alot of them went down the privy hole and were buried. Personally, I would never touch another bottle if I had to dig 20 feet down an old outhouse hole to find them. Talk to some of your local old timers, I bet they remember where they were disposed of, maybe took a couple barrow loads there themselves.

 

Thanks again all