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Old Bottles from Goldfields

Submitted: Sunday, Nov 08, 2009 at 16:04

equinox

Hi all,

Over the years I have picked up the odd bottle or two, mostly around the WA goldfields. I do wonder sometimes who drank from them, or used their contents.

Here is a picture of them all:

My Old Bottles
My Old Bottles


Some bottles have wording on them which gives a bit of a hint of their history and use.

Nettle & Nettle - Kalgoorlie
D&J Fowler LTD
Holbrook & Co
Wescotee Honey - The WA Honey Pool - Westralian Farmers LTD
Perth & Fremantle Bottle Exchange
R Mackey & Co - Kalgoorlie
H Jones & Co.

All these mentioned bottles are in the next two pictures from left to right:

Bottles
Bottles


More Bottles
More Bottles


Some of these bottles have been salvaged from old bottle piles in the bush. I'm not sure how these old piles start, why perhaps over 99% of the bottles have been smashed in these piles - a mystery to me!!

Does anyone else have any sort of bottle collection?

Cheers
Alan


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ThreadID: 73618 Replies: 7
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AnswerID: 390493   Submitted: Sunday, Nov 08, 2009 at 17:37

Willem replied:

G'day Alan

Keep those bottles in a safe place as one day you may be able to top up your Super with them when you retire :-)

No, I don't collect anything but see lotsa junk lying around in the bush

Cheers
Karoo Jackal
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Willem

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Reply 1 of 7
FollowupID: 658294   Submitted: Sunday, Nov 08, 2009 at 18:15

equinox posted:

Hi Willem,

Yes I will hold on to them until I retire, perhaps top up the Super :) . I think Doggy Tease (see next reply) will be retiring way before me...

Cheers
Alan

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AnswerID: 390494   Submitted: Sunday, Nov 08, 2009 at 17:38

Doggy Tease replied:

Hiya Alan. We have a fairly good collection that i have picked up from around the city and out bush.
Looking at your photo's it appears that i have nearly all the ones that you have and a few more besides....lol










All good fun tho, its amazing what you find and where you find it.
Discovering the history behind the bottles is what's facinating. :)
There are a few more floating around the house.
doggytease
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on top of the world.............:)
Reply 2 of 7
FollowupID: 658295   Submitted: Sunday, Nov 08, 2009 at 18:17

equinox posted:

You never know when you are going to come across something.

That is an amazing collection Doggy Tease, it must have taken you ages. Many a story there. Thanks for putting up the pictures.

Cheers
Alan

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FollowupID: 658309   Submitted: Sunday, Nov 08, 2009 at 19:07

Member - Lionel A (WA) posted:

Hey there Rick, long time no see.

Hope your keeping ok.


Cheers.......Lionel.

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AnswerID: 390497   Submitted: Sunday, Nov 08, 2009 at 18:18

furph replied:

G'day Alan.
Such history coupled with mystery.
We are always on the lookoout for where old timers may have been, they travelled slower and used all their power of observation. (gold/gem miners that is).
This last winter, about 100km. sw of Eromanga the missus spotted a glint of something a couple of hundred yards off the track.
On going over for a look see there was around 50/60 old beer bottles (crown seal, old style longneck).
But what was interesting is that about 50% were GREEN!
I have never seen a green beer bottle, one I have in front of me has moulded around the base "this bottle made in scotland" with 2 and v inside.
Could have been from a trappers/fencers camp, certainly a long way from the closest opal fields.
A bloke has to ponder how they kept them cold in those days?
furph
Reply 3 of 7
FollowupID: 658296   Submitted: Sunday, Nov 08, 2009 at 18:34

equinox posted:

Hi furph,

I am of the impression that bottles change colour over time. I am told the blue ones are of the greatest value. I had a blue one I found on Lake Goongarrie Peninsular but it broke a few Xmas parties ago.

As for keeping the beer cold? I think any beer is better than no beer :))

Cheers
Alan

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FollowupID: 658347   Submitted: Monday, Nov 09, 2009 at 06:41

furph posted:

Agree about the turning blue Alan, my best one is a Commonwealth Jam jar which had turned a real "kerosene"blue.
Found in the bush near Yarram, Vic.

The beer bottles mentioned are however a quite deep green, very similar to green wine bottles except for the crown seal.

Those pics. posted of the different collections are great. Thanks.
furph

FollowUp 2 of 2
AnswerID: 390499   Submitted: Sunday, Nov 08, 2009 at 18:45

Member - Brian (WA) replied:

Hi Alan. Yes you do find a lot of old stuff out there. If I find a hole bottle I will
bring it home. Give them to my son as he picks some up through diving
around Freo. I have got some Knifes.Forks Spoon's. Couple of old Dingo traps
Cow bell, old chain for horses harness, Horse shoes. Boot shoes. Often got
home and said, should fetched that home. Yes lots of old stuff out there.
Brian
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Reply 4 of 7
FollowupID: 658320   Submitted: Sunday, Nov 08, 2009 at 19:47

equinox posted:

Hi Brian,

I never thought of diving as a way to get bottles :)

I found a silver spoon with stamps near Agnew, and I also have found a fully operational dingo trap.

Yes much to find out there, it is good fun to find things though.

Cheers
Alan

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AnswerID: 390517   Submitted: Sunday, Nov 08, 2009 at 19:34

Member - Michael J (SA) replied:

Alan,

Seems that bottle collecting is an interesting hobby.

Doggy certainly has a few. I have just spoken to my son who
collects bottles and at the moment he has between 2500 - 3000....

Some are quite rare and the history is intriguing too.

Have you traced the history of yours??


Cheers
Michael
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Reply 5 of 7
FollowupID: 658319   Submitted: Sunday, Nov 08, 2009 at 19:41

equinox posted:

Hi Michael,

No, I haven't researched my bottles at all. It sounds like there may be a bit of info out there.

Your son must have a bit of spare space at his place, I wouldn't know were to put 2500 of them :)

Cheers
Alan



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AnswerID: 390542   Submitted: Sunday, Nov 08, 2009 at 21:23

get outmore replied:

just an aside

you hear many people say how littering out bush just gets worse
- i always correct them. As is shown by your collection the biggest litterers out bush were the old timers. They never took a thing with them.

except now they such as woodcutters camps people go along way to see them
Reply 6 of 7
AnswerID: 390552   Submitted: Sunday, Nov 08, 2009 at 22:36

replied:

G'day equinox, it is my understanding, the oldest bottles are the hand blown ones which do not have a vertical seam or any identifying markings such as the green one eighth from the left in the back row of your display. I have two of these collected from out Kalgoorlie way and if I could prove Paddy Hannan or C.Y. O'Connor drank from them they would be truly a collectors investment. The last time I saw one for sale at a country market they were marked at $10.00 each and no one was queing up for them. I will probably pass them onto my grandkids in the hope they will eventually become seriously collectable. My mother held onto a couple of carnival glass fruit bowls fom the 1940s which have been passed on and are now seriously collectable. With regard to how the drinks were cooled, they were probably wrapped in wet hessian, kept in a Coolgardie Safe, lowered in a cage into cold water in the bottom of a well or kept in a makeshift cellar. It's not that long ago people on the move kept their water cool in canvas water bags mounted on brackets on their vehcle roo bars. A small amount of water would continually seep to the outside and evaporate causing an eventual cooling of all the water in the bag. Happy days. Pauper.
Reply 7 of 7
FollowupID: 658457   Submitted: Monday, Nov 09, 2009 at 21:24

equinox posted:

Hi Pauper,

You have a keen eye; the bottle would seem to be as you described:

Green Bottle
Green Bottle


Green Bottle
Green Bottle


It matters not what it is worth now, as I'm keeping it but who knows for the future.

I remember the old water bags that were hung form the front of the vehicles - very rare to see these days....

Cheers
Alan

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