On the surface, we inspect our treasure. If you are thinking of getting rich with collection of bottles, you would be better off collecting stamps. While some bottles are worth hundreds or maybe even thousands of dollars, those are rare. Some of the more rare bottles in these parts have W.T. after the name of the city, which stands for Washington Territory. That means they were made before 1889.
Most older bottles are worth a few dollars, depending on how many still exist.
Ever since the days when Washington was a territory, the residents have been dumping their refuse into Puget Sound and local lakes and rivers. Tugboats used to tow garbage barges out into Elliott Bay and dump them. On area lakes, the locals would take their rowboats out and throw sacks of refuse over the side. Glass does not degrade like metals. So even in salt water, many bottles look as new as the day they were cast overboard or tossed from shore.