# River Antiques: guns, grenades, bottles & other found relics



## zack pahl (Mar 8, 2009)

I spend a somewhat ridiculous amount of my free time fishing/exploring the rivers in central Ohio. Around 5 days a week I can be found roaming our rivers after work and on the weekends, tracking down Eyes. And in that time: I've become fascinated with the amount of relics that are beneath my feet while I'm traversing/wading miles of rivers & creeks. 

Last year: I made it a point to start documenting these finds. Each one of these items has its own story to tell. I think that's what I find so fascinating. I've been able to learn a ton about Columbus's history just by paying attention & researching the items that lie beneath my feet. 

Anyhow: Here's some of the things I've come across during my travels. I'd love to see anyone else's antiques, relics, oddities that they've stumbled upon while out fishing! 

Weapons:
Between me and another old guy that I fish with: we've found 12 guns so far. Revolvers, Saturday Night Specials, Glock 45's..And I'm willing to bet that the majority of them didn't just 'fall' into the river. All have been turned into CPD. Except for the grenade. Left it there. I didn't want to make a big spectacle over it and have people "blowing up" my honey hole 










1920's Columbus Soda Water Bottles:
Apparently Columbus was huge in the Soda Water game. Found 5 different company's so far. Columbus, Standard, Capitol, Schille, Ohio, and Wagner.. If anyone stumbles up on any of these, keep them! I'd love to make a trade with ya!









Ohio-made Bricks late 1800's early 1900's: 
There were hundreds of brick manufacturers in Ohio back in the day. I find new pavers/bricks everytime I'm out. 

















Medicine/Milk Bottles late 1800's-mid 1900's
1/2 Pint milk bottle from "Moores & Ross Milk Co., Columbus". Medicines: 'Standard Pharmacy, Columbus Ohio', Emerson Bromo-Seltzer', 'Armour Labratories Chicago'









Rare 1908-1909 amber straight-side Coca Cola bottle, made in Columbus 









Bones/Skulls/Skeltons:









1890's Stoneware Stout/Porter bottle from Edinburgh, Scotland.









Random other Bottles 1920's-1960's:
1950's 7up, Cokes, Mt. dew. 
1920's 'Martens Beverage and Ice Plant, Upper Sandusky, OH' and 'Crystal Ice MFG and Cold Storage'









Random oddities:
Old School Skateboard, Flat Screen, vintage industrial fan blade, 'Abs of Steel' VHS, tons of cell phones, and electric line glass insulators. 









'Davis Vegetable Painkiller' bottle, late 1800's (mixture of Opium and Alcohol)









I've found quite a few of these: Cinderblocks with ropes tied to them with a dead-end rope. This particular one had duct tape stuck to it. Something tells me that these were not boat anchors...


















Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

Pretty interesting stuff you have found. Those bottles may have some value to bottle collectors on Ebay.

You should donate it to the OGF Museum.....JK


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## greatmiami (Feb 4, 2014)

I can't believe all those guns. Looks like you been surf fishing the beaches of Normandy! Have u ever had a metal detector out there?


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## zack pahl (Mar 8, 2009)

greatmiami said:


> I can't believe all those guns. Looks like you been surf fishing the beaches of Normandy! Have u ever had a metal detector out there?


Haha I know right!? The crazy part: we've found them all in the same specific area. I'll find a couple during low water, then the river will rise, and when it recedes there will be 1 or 2 more in that same exact spot. It's unreal. The river always dumps certain materials in specific spots depending on the weight/shape of it. For instance: There's spots where nothing but golf balls wash up.. Or spots where only glass bottles without caps wash up.. This spot is literally just guns. Crazy!


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## Fisherman 3234 (Sep 8, 2008)

Wow, cool share Zack!!!


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## chris1162 (Mar 12, 2008)

Great finds and stories! Thanks for sharing the pics!


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## Deazl666 (Mar 30, 2012)

Cool stuff!!!


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

Notice how well the glock held up


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## zack pahl (Mar 8, 2009)

Saugeye Tom said:


> Notice how well the glock held up


That's the first one I found. Came out of the Olentangy in 2012. Boy, I caught a lot of flack from my buddies for turning that one in! I didn't know at the time how easy it was to restore those back to working order. But, out of all of them that I've found: it's still the one that I feel best about turning it into the police.. I found it in a very obscure area off of the beaten path, and it was very clear that someone had thrown it in the river in an attempt to cover something up. That's not a gun that you typically just toss in the river for fun!


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

zack pahl said:


> That's the first one I found. Came out of the Olentangy in 2012. Boy, I caught a lot of flack from my buddies for turning that one in! I didn't know at the time how easy it was to restore those back to working order. But, out of all of them that I've found: it's still the one that I feel best about turning it into the police.. I found it in a very obscure area off of the beaten path, and it was very clear that someone had thrown it in the river in an attempt to cover something up. That's not a gun that you typically just toss in the river for fun!


Lol. You sir are right


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

zack pahl said:


> That's the first one I found. Came out of the Olentangy in 2012. Boy, I caught a lot of flack from my buddies for turning that one in! I didn't know at the time how easy it was to restore those back to working order. But, out of all of them that I've found: it's still the one that I feel best about turning it into the police.. I found it in a very obscure area off of the beaten path, and it was very clear that someone had thrown it in the river in an attempt to cover something up. That's not a gun that you typically just toss in the river for fun!


I have 4 glocks ...never throw em in the drink unless they're in my holster


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

Saugeye Tom said:


> I have 4 glocks ...never throw em in the drink unless they're in my holster


Fall outa my yak


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

zack pahl said:


> I spend a somewhat ridiculous amount of my free time fishing/exploring the rivers in central Ohio. Around 5 days a week I can be found roaming our rivers after work and on the weekends, tracking down Eyes. And in that time: I've become fascinated with the amount of relics that are beneath my feet while I'm traversing/wading miles of rivers & creeks.
> 
> Last year: I made it a point to start documenting these finds. Each one of these items has its own story to tell. I think that's what I find so fascinating. I've been able to learn a ton about Columbus's history just by paying attention & researching the items that lie beneath my feet.
> 
> ...


All your finds are sweet


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## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

zack pahl said:


> That's the first one I found. Came out of the Olentangy in 2012. Boy, I caught a lot of flack from my buddies for turning that one in! I didn't know at the time how easy it was to restore those back to working order. But, out of all of them that I've found: it's still the one that I feel best about turning it into the police.. I found it in a very obscure area off of the beaten path, and it was very clear that someone had thrown it in the river in an attempt to cover something up. That's not a gun that you typically just toss in the river for fun!


DId you ever check back with the police? Seems if it wasn't tied to a crime and needed for evidence it should be yours.


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## cbutz (Aug 23, 2013)

Is that an early generation glock????


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## ducky152000 (Jul 20, 2005)

very cool! ive found a few of them blue medicine bottles. any value? what type of medicine was they?


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## cbutz (Aug 23, 2013)

Yea check with police because if any of them r reported stolen/lost it could cause an issue


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## zack pahl (Mar 8, 2009)

Snakecharmer said:


> DId you ever check back with the police? Seems if it wasn't tied to a crime and needed for evidence it should be yours.


Nah, I haven't. I really don't have any interest in them. Personally, I feel better about turning them in and forgetting about them. I think there's part of me that kinda just doesn't want to know, ya know? The first few I found and turned in I was pretty curious, but then they just kept piling up.. Kinda scary. Now It's more of a headache when I find them.


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## zack pahl (Mar 8, 2009)

cbutz said:


> Is that an early generation glock????


No idea, you tell me! I really don't know much about them. I'll have check on my old phone and see if I still have a couple other pics of it.


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## zack pahl (Mar 8, 2009)

ducky152000 said:


> very cool! ive found a few of them blue medicine bottles. any value? what type of medicine was they?


The smaller blue ones are the most common ones. 'Bromo Seltzer' was an antacid. 'Vicks Vatronol' is another real common blue one. They're not really worth anything because they were mass produced. Maybe $1 a piece. However: the big blue bottles are fairly valuable, especially if they are stamped with local pharmacy/druggist names.


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## cbutz (Aug 23, 2013)

It's some cool stuff though I always say I'll find a body eventually along the river lol but you got some cool stuff for sure


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## zack pahl (Mar 8, 2009)

cbutz said:


> Is that an early generation glock????


Here's a bigger pic of it


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## zack pahl (Mar 8, 2009)

Forgot about this one, haha


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## breakwater (Mar 10, 2015)

Simply amazing! Your photos are great as well. I'd seriously contact a local publisher and turn this into a book...!


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## zack pahl (Mar 8, 2009)

breakwater said:


> Simply amazing! Your photos are great as well. I'd seriously contact a local publisher and turn this into a book...!


Thank you! I'd definitely like to do something like that with all of these pics. I have a couple hundred more items I've taken pics of. I photograph pretty much everything I come across. I might have to look into it!


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## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

Awesome post man. Keep updating all season !!!!


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## cbutz (Aug 23, 2013)

Looks like it!!


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## ruffhunter (Dec 10, 2005)

Gen II glock


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

ruffhunter said:


> Gen II glock


X2


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## cbutz (Aug 23, 2013)

Where glocks belong


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

cbutz said:


> Where glocks belong


Wth...you a ruger man?


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## flathead10 (Dec 23, 2007)

That is crazy what's under our feet while fishing! A hand grenade! That is something. Great post.


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## zack pahl (Mar 8, 2009)

Here's a few items I stumbled across yesterday when I was deep into the woods, including a perfectly constructed Hobbit Hole, lol


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## cbutz (Aug 23, 2013)

Lol I mean I do own a ruger or 2 but I'm a m&p performance guy! I was only joking figure there had to be a couple glock fan boys in here lol glocks are great guns as I'm sure you know


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## Draggin along (Nov 8, 2012)

Fascinating. Glad you didn't snag that grenade,


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

cbutz said:


> Lol I mean I do own a ruger or 2 but I'm a m&p performance guy! I was only joking figure there had to be a couple glock fan boys in here lol glocks are great guns as I'm sure you know


Got ya!...I'm a glock boy.....lol


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

Saugeye Tom said:


> Got ya!...I'm a glock boy.....lol


Found these in a small crick...


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

zack pahl said:


> Here's a few items I stumbled across yesterday when I was deep into the woods, including a perfectly constructed Hobbit Hole, lol
> View attachment 204831
> View attachment 204832
> View attachment 204833


Man you find some cool stuff...I'm in envy


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## cbutz (Aug 23, 2013)

lemme know what crick that is lol


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## Bassthumb (Aug 22, 2008)

Really cool post! Thanks for sharing your pics. +1 for turning in the guns. Id wager more often than not they don't end up there by accident. Probably tough to get evidence of any substance off of it after a while submerged (which is why I gather criminals throw them in), but still those efforts may result in a criminal getting his just desserts or maybe just tying up a loose end for a victims family. You are doing the right thing. Bravo.


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## HookBender (Apr 2, 2012)

Neat piece from the river tonight.


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## zack pahl (Mar 8, 2009)

HookBender said:


> Neat piece from the river tonight.
> View attachment 207353


That's sweet, haven't seen that one before!


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## odell daniel (Nov 5, 2015)

zack pahl said:


> Haha I know right!? The crazy part: we've found them all in the same specific area. I'll find a couple during low water, then the river will rise, and when it recedes there will be 1 or 2 more in that same exact spot. It's unreal. The river always dumps certain materials in specific spots depending on the weight/shape of it. For instance: There's spots where nothing but golf balls wash up.. Or spots where only glass bottles without caps wash up.. This spot is literally just guns. Crazy!


really interesting stuff, thanks for sharing.I also wade alot north of columbus now i will be scanning for stuff too.


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## Daego Doug (May 31, 2009)

hey just read this old post,any updates with pictures?


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Daego Doug said:


> hey just read this old post,any updates with pictures?


Check his ig page


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## zack pahl (Mar 8, 2009)

I didn't get out as much as I would have liked in the second half of 2016, but the times I did, I always ran across stuff. Found a couple more guns, including a rifle. Here's some of the more interesting finds: 

































I also started collecting old street-paving bricks out of the river. Gonna eventually make a patio with them. If anyone has any info on where to find old bricks please let let know! I'll take as many as I can get! Here's just a few small portions of my collection: 

















And a few catches, just because:


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## SMBHooker (Jan 3, 2008)

Cool idea with the river bricks


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## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

Keep this thread up! Very cool


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## Fisherman 3234 (Sep 8, 2008)

Very Nice!!!


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## jman (Jun 9, 2014)

I saw an article about this Brick Collectors Club a while back. Here's the website:

http://www.ibcabrick.com/default.htm


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## I_Shock_Em (Jul 20, 2008)

Can put you on some good "brick streams" in the Cleveland area if you are ever up this way


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## zack pahl (Mar 8, 2009)

Awesome, I will most definitely take you up on that offer next time I'm up that way! You don't find Cleveland-made bricks down this way. Need to get some!


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## Weekender#1 (Mar 25, 2006)

In the last years I have found many interesting things in the Woods/Creek bottom that the owners allow me to hunt and poke around. The farm is one of the first outside of town and the first side road off of a State Route is a bridge over the creek. In the exact same spot I have found 2 safes, busted open, 2 newspaper boxes that were busted open. Yes I called the police and they eventually showed up and retrieved them. The creek is only a foot deep but muck, I am going to find someone with a detector to check that area for guns. Recently someone from town dumped a few chairs and couch down there, what pigs.


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## Fisher4Life12 (Aug 12, 2010)

ruffhunter said:


> Gen II glock





ruffhunter said:


> Gen II glock


that's a gen 3 glock


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## hatteras1 (Jan 18, 2011)

cbutz said:


> It's some cool stuff though I always say I'll find a body eventually along the river lol but you got some cool stuff for sure


Some years ago we were at CJ Brown on the northeast, near the camp ground. We we're heading south towards the cabins as i wanted to fish the trees in the water. I couldn't though as there were 3 teenagers wading the beach near the cabins. I quit not long afterwards. 
That night, on the news, it was reported that 3 teens had found a womans body at CJ Brown, near the shore. I never heard about it again, but i've always wondered. I rarely fish there now.


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## elkcow (Jul 18, 2009)

Hey, I do a lot of the same ,walking and wading creeks fishing in summer and scoping out new spots for fishing in winter . Couple weeks ago after high water in raccoon creek ,found this signed crock 1800's Brownsville fragment and this drowned buck under log. Brought bucks head home and is the ground for European mount lamp. 2nd buck i have found down there and there's lots of bottles from an old farm dump by the creek. Last years lamp is small compared to this rack i just buried. This is my 1st post. Hope I didn't get too windy


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## polebender (Oct 29, 2011)

Great job on the lamp!


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Fisher4Life12 said:


> that's a gen 3 glock


Yep...Gen. 3 for sure. 

And love that lamp


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## Sciotodarby (Jul 27, 2013)

Did you have any trouble getting a tag for that buck?


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## FOSR (Apr 16, 2008)

One time we were paddling the Scioto along Klondike Rd and we stopped for a break. After a few minutes we thought something smelled bad, and we realized there was a dead half-rotted buck on the bank about 12 feet away from us. We moved on.


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## Tim67 (Mar 21, 2013)

Very cool and interesting items you've found. I collect antiques of all sorts, and like yours many found where you'd never expect. Thanks


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