270:, tobacco pipes, military relics like bayonets and gun barrels, musket balls, uniform buttons and other buttons, marbles and an assortment of other items. A high percentage of these dump discoveries are routinely found in severe states of decay, damaged or broken altogether. In many cases, even items which have remained reasonably intact have little if any monetary value; however, cases where well-preserved items have been found which are significantly valuable have motivated dump diggers to continue their work. Culturally-significant items can be found by the process of dump digging.
258:
129:
188:
32:
165:
is done by searching areas where it is likely that older garbage was deposited. Diggers generally look for clues of pre-1920s junk piles in the woods or down embankments, places where old houses or businesses stand or once stood. Hiking along waterways and swampy areas, particularly during droughts,
248:
Dump digging for potentially valuable collectibles is at least as old as the
Pharaohs. For practical reasons, dump diggers often use a much less forensic style than academic archeologists or museum curators would on their projects. Not unlike the privies, cisterns and wells that other historical
273:
Through the common process known as tipping, vast amounts of refuse generated by towns and cities were dumped into harbors, along marshy shorelines and other areas while forming viable real estate cheaply. Excavating in these areas is also a form of dump digging. Elusive and often deep, small
278:
dumps are sometimes rediscovered during major development projects. Enormous quantities of a given location's everyday trash were deposited into these often difficult to reach locales. The bulk of this garbage has never been investigated, and at present, much of it is still undiscovered.
173:
or "tips", places where enormous quantities of trash were deposited in the past, intended to free up additional acres of viable real estate. It can take many months of searching each of these locations for a decent dig area to be found.
150:. These dumps are sometimes centuries old, but often date to the late 19th century or early part of the 20th century. Among other things, the practice of dump digging is directly linked to antique bottle collecting and
265:
Dump digging can yield different items and artifacts in each location. A town dump can be somewhat different than a farm dump or a railroad dump, but in each case there could be industrial-age pottery,
249:
diggers explore and salvage in, dumps are typically temporary sources. They are often located on properties which are in the process of being permanently altered by major development and other factors.
282:
For centuries, active waterways were also frequently converted into major dumping spots for household and industrial refuse; but they are generally impossible to reach without expensive equipment.
358:
Campbell and the others call themselves "dumpdiggers," shoveling for signs of the past – pottery, bottles, buttons, cutlery, moustache cups – wherever people once tossed garbage.
434:
407:
235:
115:
161:
which involves long hours working with a shovel, pick and other hand tools. Finding evidence of potential antique bottle dumps or
142:
is the practice of locating and excavating old garbage dumps with the intent of discovering objects which have potential value as
449:
213:
53:
96:
209:
49:
68:
198:
75:
464:
217:
202:
42:
82:
257:
321:
64:
454:
296:
158:
459:
430:
403:
151:
133:
306:
89:
20:
396:
311:
128:
443:
301:
352:
331:
187:
143:
31:
370:
326:
291:
267:
427:
Have You Got the Bottle? a basic guide to bottle collecting & digging
275:
170:
147:
316:
261:
A clay pipe discovered while excavating an old bottle dump (ca. 1870)
162:
166:
can also produce important clues and lead to good discoveries.
398:
Fat of the Land: Garbage in New York: The Last Two
Hundred Years
371:"Historic Glass Bottle Identification & Information Website"
181:
25:
169:
Additionally, many coastal cities are surrounded by
16:
Excavating garbage dumps to find objects of interest
56:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
395:
132:Glassware and pottery found in an old dump in
8:
216:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
236:Learn how and when to remove this message
116:Learn how and when to remove this message
256:
127:
342:
429:. London: London League Publications;
402:. New York: Four Walls Eight Windows.
7:
214:adding citations to reliable sources
54:adding citations to reliable sources
350:"Dumps are a window into history".
14:
186:
30:
41:needs additional citations for
1:
375:Glassmaking & Glassmakers
481:
18:
253:Items found and locations
19:Not to be confused with
274:portions of these ashy
450:Historical archaeology
425:Woodhams, John (1998)
322:Tucson Garbage Project
262:
136:
260:
131:
356:. January 23, 2009.
210:improve this section
50:improve this article
394:Miller, B. (2000).
297:Historical digging
263:
159:historical digging
137:
465:Urban exploration
246:
245:
238:
126:
125:
118:
100:
472:
414:
413:
401:
391:
385:
384:
382:
381:
367:
361:
360:
347:
241:
234:
230:
227:
221:
190:
182:
157:It is a form of
134:Meaford, Ontario
121:
114:
110:
107:
101:
99:
58:
34:
26:
480:
479:
475:
474:
473:
471:
470:
469:
440:
439:
422:
420:Further reading
417:
410:
393:
392:
388:
379:
377:
369:
368:
364:
349:
348:
344:
340:
307:Landfill mining
288:
255:
242:
231:
225:
222:
207:
191:
180:
122:
111:
105:
102:
59:
57:
47:
35:
24:
21:Dumpster diving
17:
12:
11:
5:
478:
476:
468:
467:
462:
457:
452:
442:
441:
438:
437:
421:
418:
416:
415:
408:
386:
362:
341:
339:
336:
335:
334:
329:
324:
319:
314:
312:Metal detector
309:
304:
299:
294:
287:
284:
254:
251:
244:
243:
194:
192:
185:
179:
176:
124:
123:
65:"Dump digging"
38:
36:
29:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
477:
466:
463:
461:
458:
456:
453:
451:
448:
447:
445:
436:
435:0-9526064-8-8
432:
428:
424:
423:
419:
411:
409:1-56858-172-6
405:
400:
399:
390:
387:
376:
372:
366:
363:
359:
355:
354:
346:
343:
337:
333:
330:
328:
325:
323:
320:
318:
315:
313:
310:
308:
305:
303:
302:Privy digging
300:
298:
295:
293:
290:
289:
285:
283:
280:
277:
271:
269:
259:
252:
250:
240:
237:
229:
219:
215:
211:
205:
204:
200:
195:This section
193:
189:
184:
183:
177:
175:
172:
167:
164:
160:
155:
153:
149:
145:
141:
135:
130:
120:
117:
109:
98:
95:
91:
88:
84:
81:
77:
74:
70:
67: –
66:
62:
61:Find sources:
55:
51:
45:
44:
39:This article
37:
33:
28:
27:
22:
426:
397:
389:
378:. Retrieved
374:
365:
357:
353:Toronto Star
351:
345:
332:Beachcombing
281:
272:
264:
247:
232:
223:
208:Please help
196:
168:
156:
144:collectibles
140:Dump digging
139:
138:
112:
103:
93:
86:
79:
72:
60:
48:Please help
43:verification
40:
152:glassmaking
455:Collecting
444:Categories
380:2011-07-15
338:References
178:Background
76:newspapers
327:Sea glass
292:Garbology
268:stoneware
226:June 2020
197:does not
171:landfills
106:July 2021
460:Landfill
286:See also
276:landfill
148:antiques
218:removed
203:sources
163:middens
90:scholar
433:
406:
317:Midden
92:
85:
78:
71:
63:
154:.
97:JSTOR
83:books
431:ISBN
404:ISBN
201:any
199:cite
69:news
212:by
146:or
52:by
446::
373:.
412:.
383:.
239:)
233:(
228:)
224:(
220:.
206:.
119:)
113:(
108:)
104:(
94:·
87:·
80:·
73:·
46:.
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
