New detector technology for future archaeology

[DaveP]

You've done beer cans, bottle tops and shotties - now look what the future holds:-

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55573129

[Oxgirl]

It’s sad isn’t it? But I guess the only good thing from a future archeologists perspective is most plastics will still be in good condition in 500 years time

[Kenleyboy]

There was a very good TV documentary a few years ago about landfill . Frightening stuff . They dug up a tip from the 80s and despite being buried for almost 40 years , many items such as clothing could be washed and worn again as there was no signs of decay and looked as if it had been thrown out the week before .
There are collectors who are now collecting washing up liquid bottles from the 60s and 70s and certain brands are fetching silly money . Tomorrows plastic collectibles .

[Dave The Slave]

Although not likely to be found by Archaeologists in good condition, crisp packets, sweet wrappers from the 70`s can fetch good money, 80`s less so but still sellable.
I collect Smarties lids, used to find quite a few on the shoreline in the seaweed a few years ago but hardly any in the last 5 years.
Best investment % wise was buying a box that contained several thousand Orange lids for 30 quid, probably made around £500 profit, selling sets of the alphabet to nostalgia buffs every so often.
Another type of wrapper going for good money are the ice lolly wrappers that you used to get from the ice cream van in the 70`s.
If only we had known then what would be collectable now..
Keep `em peeled
Dave.

[Bors]

I often wonder why we get these compulsions to hang on to past "things" enough to want to have lots of different ones even?
It puzzle's me enormously ! I can understand collecting precious metal collections of coins or bullion and or Collecting fine Art in paintings or pottery maybe which has taken a professional person to make it , those, collected, I can get my head around , but Smartie Caps REALLY ?
Yes,In a little way I can understand collecting things such as Coins or stamps even because there are some nice coins and stamps to be collected but unless its primarily for the sake of making profit by buying or selling them I`m still baffled by collecting just for collecting`s sake . I mean you see people with a room full of Pigs made from all sorts of things and ends up with the collection taking over the complete room.

On the other hand, I`ve heard people say, " this Coin or this stamp is worth £1000." !
Trouble is that`s only true when the money passes from A`s hand to B `s hand, then it becomes worth a £1000 . But , until that actually happens, while its tucked away in a dark drawer in the bedroom its worth absolutely nowt.
The fact there are some people out there that collects Smartie caps,& lolly wrappers beggars belief . WHY !!!! would anyone want to start collecting just the caps and or bits of printed paper which encased an Ice lolly
Just Bits of plastic which some one ,some where down the line ,had this marvelous brainwave one morning, when they arose from their bed,and declared, " I know I`ve got this brilliant brainwave, I`m going to collect Smartie - tube Caps ! "
I`m flabbergasted by the things people find to collect and I`d be interested to know why they started in the very first place,and I don`t mean the many people out there that do. I mean the very first person who decided they were going to collect smartie caps or iced lolly wrappers. but I think no one would own up to it somehow ?
However we all have funny little quirks and I suppose smartie caps and Iced lolly wrappers are just the tip of an enormous weird collecting market out there.
Thanks for revealing this anyway, its fascinating if nothing else ,and its made me realise the dull boring fact that I collect absolutely nothing .

[Dave The Slave]

Bors, not collected as a nerdish thing but as an investment.
No longer available and Genuine collectors will pay big money.
Just taking them out of circulation at cheaper prices to flog on later to supplement the pension, when that time arrives.
Bit like those who gamble but i will not be losing out, already made enough so that any future outlay is covered, which can then be sold on, a specific futures market, where even if they became worthless still made enough to have paid various bills etc.
Cheers,
Dave.

[Bors]

I take your point Dave I`ve never ever heard of collecting those Items though , is there a "special" place you go to , as I never see any on eBay being sold or bought. There again I`ve never put "smartie Caps" in the search box to find out

[Dave The Slave]

I take your point Dave I`ve never ever heard of collecting those Items though , is there a "special" place you go to , as I never see any on eBay being sold or bought. There again I`ve never put "smartie Caps" in the search box to find out

Smarties lids will show you and have a look at the Sold results.
Like finding 20/50p pieces especially the older Rowntrees ones.

[Saffron]

Try these three sites as well

https://www.classaxe.com/smarties/uk/lids
https://www.smartielidsonthebeach.co.uk ... ef-history
http://smartiescollector.com/northerntr ... _LIDS.html

Hundreds of time I have said about always learning something new when following up on detecting threads, but surely plastic smartie caps has to be one of the weirdest.

Evan

[Easylife]

It’s estimated that no more than 10 percent of plastic produced has ever actually been recycled. The plastics industry publicly promoted recycling as the solution to the waste crisis — despite internal industry doubts, from almost the beginning, that widespread plastic recycling could ever be economically viable.