My family were pickers long before the History channel made picking mainstream. We learned as kids to rush down the flea market tables long before they were dealers, when they were just individuals bring their stuff to get rid of. We would taught what was good, from old glassware, to gold and silver in the jewelry boxes. Always on the hunt for antiques at garage sales.
Or years digging old dumps, home sites, outhouses, going in old barns anything to find things of value. Or pay a home owner to let us bring in a backhoe to dig up their back yard to get all the old bottles, of course we would back fill the hole. My uncle had old homestead topographical maps that we would use and take the four wheel truck in the mountains of CA. and find what were once old home sites and find where they threw their trash in some gully back in the 1800's. Finding old antique bottles, is like find gold in them hills!
