| Hutchinson Bottle Directory Overview |
Updated: June 19, 2008
My involvement with this project began when I read the following “Bottle
NewsNotes” item in the January, 1977 issue of Old Bottle Magazine:
HUTCHINSON BOOK(S) PROPOSED – STATE BY STATE: Printer and ex-
commercial photographer Joe Nagy of Oklahoma City has plans for a state-by-
state, comprehensive Hutchinson soda book series. He requests collectors in
Texas and Illinois contact him first for the purpose of cataloguing Hutchinsons
in their particular states…Sounds like a worthwhile project, Joe. Best wishes –
Ed.
Wow; imagine the antique bottle collecting community enjoying the use of a
national Hutchinson Bottle Directory! Although this was exciting news, I was
hard-pressed to believe it would be possible to compile and produce such a
book/series of books. Nonetheless, I quickly wrote to Joe offering to
contribute information on Oregon, Washington, and Washington Territory
Hutchinson bottles. Our initial contact blossomed into a long and enjoyable
friendship (and a tremendous amount of work!).
During the next decade several hundred collectors from across the continent
contributed photographs, rubbings, drawings, detailed bottle specifications,
company and state histories, and other information to the project. Twice I
visited Oklahoma City, spending several days at Joe’s home and office preparing
finished bottle drawings. He also mailed me almost 2,000 rubbings which I
turned into finished drawings and returned to him.
A terrible series of personal and business misfortunes beset Joe in the late
1980s and the Hutchinson Bottle Directory project was placed on hold.
Although he desperately hoped to finish the book(s), Joe lost a valiant battle
with cancer and passed away September 12, 1993. Thanks to one of his very
thoughtful friends, most of Joe’s correspondence and Hutchinson-related files
were saved and I acquired them in 1994.
Based on 30+ years of experience authoring bottle collecting books, I
estimated the Hutchinson Bottle Directory would likely require five years of
steady work in order to get it into print. Although I hungered to re-initiate
work on it, I forced myself to wait until after my 2002 retirement when I
would be able to devote the time required by a project of this magnitude. In
late 2003 I re-prioritized several personal projects and decided to commence
working on the Hutchinson Bottle Directory January 1, 2004.
During the past 4.5 years, I have devoted over 6,000 hours to sorting,
purging, and merging files, gathering additional data, and cataloguing data on
over 16,000 different Hutchinson bottles. Although the project is a massive
undertaking, we are still ahead of schedule. The advent of personal computers
and the Internet have greatly sped the gathering of data we did by hand and
via the U.S. Mail in the 1970s and 1980s. Periodically I marvel at the
quantity and quality of work Joe (and all of us who contributed) accomplished
without the use of PCs.
Our mission is to have the Hutchinson Bottle Directory serve as a widely used
reference source for collectors, historians, and archaeologists. It will
hopefully also be a fitting legacy honoring Joe Nagy and the intestinal fortitude
he showed by tackling a very worthwhile and challenging project that many
thought impossible. After all those years with so many of us contributing
mightily to this project, we can’t let all of that great work go to waste! For
me, completion of the Hutchinson Bottle Directory will be a labor of love, and
hopefully prove to be a major contribution to a wonderful hobby I have enjoyed
for over 46 years.
The information that follows details the highlights of where the project is at
this point and where we’re headed.
PROJECT SCOPE
Joe Nagy’s original concept for the Hutchinson Bottle Directory included
drawings and photographs of as many different Hutchinson bottles as possible,
accompanied by data documenting each bottle’s size, color, rarity, and other
details. Quickly, however, the scope of the project blossomed to include state
and individual company histories, and much more. As information poured in, Joe
was staggered to realize there were 7-10,000 different Hutchinson bottles.
It would have required many volumes to contain all of the information Joe
planned to include.
In order to manage the size of this project, the Hutchinson Bottle Directory
will include these basic elements:
1. A listing of all known Hutchinson bottle variants;
2. Illustrations of each bottle; and
3. Information about each of the state-specific antique bottle books that are
currently in print.
PLANNED BOOK FORMAT
Our original intention was to publish the Hutchinson Bottle Directory in
landscape fashion on 8.5" x 11" paper with spreadsheets listing bottle details
and the facing page displaying illustrations for the bottles itemized on that
specific spreadsheet page. As the project progressed, it became painfully
obvious our initial estimate of 7,000 - 10,000 bottles was significantly low; we
are now at 15,600+ listings and the number continues to grow. This many
listings equates to over 1,200 paper pages, requiring the book to be at least
two or possibly three volumes in length. The associated production costs would
push the break even price far beyond the reach of most collectors, and a
Hutchinson Bottle Directory that collectors can't afford is of no value. During
2005 we began to explore alternative means of publication including CD ROM
and the Internet.
Publishing the Hutchinson Bottle Directory via paper would provide a "snapshot"
of data at a specific point in time. Unfortunately, hard copy books do not lend
themselves well to updating and the Hutchinson Bottle Directory contains data
that by its very nature begs to be continually refined, corrected, and
enhanced. After a thorough investigation, it was decided that publishing the
Hutchinson Bottle Directory via the Internet offers an incredible opportunity to
deliver what is essentially a "living" book with substantial benefits and only a
few drawbacks. Thanks to the assistance of a professional web designer whose
specialty is database design, the home page has been built, and the bottle
database is currently under construction.
The Hutchinson Bottle Directory is being built out in the open, with frequent
project updates so everyone involved/interested can follow progress and share
in the excitement of knowing delivery of the Hutchinson Bottle Directory data
is rapidly approaching. We have reserved www.HutchBook.com and will soon
begin to move existing data to the web site, continually add in new listings and
data, and incorporate the illustrations as they are completed. When the new
site is up, we will announce its availability. Additional thoughts on publishing to
a web site and “frequently asked questions” are posted at www.
SeattleHistoryCompany.com on the “HutchBook” page.
HUTCHINSON BOTTLE VARIANTS
Most collectors understand and agree on obvious bottle variations such as round
vs. horseshoe-shaped plate molds, and round versus ten panel bases. Beyond
these basic differences, however, the definition of “variant” quickly becomes
fuzzy. Some collectors differentiate between base, shoulder, and top shapes,
shades of aqua, and bottle sizes, and defining variants is a point upon which not
all collectors agree. The definitions utilized for the Hutchinson Bottle
Directory are the ones I've evolved into using for my own collection and the
bottle books I have authored. Here is the definition of variant being utilized
for the Hutchinson Bottle Directory:
• Bottles with different plate mold shapes, e.g. round vs. horseshoe-shaped
vs. private molds, are variants.
• Bottles with different base shapes, e.g. round versus 10 panels, are variants.
• Bottles with totally different color glass, e.g. aqua vs. flint (clear) vs.
cobalt blue, are variants.
• Specific shades of aqua are noted, e.g. “light aqua” versus “blue aqua,” but
no matter the shade, aqua variants of a particular bottle will receive only one
total spreadsheet listing.
• Flint (clear)/sun-colored-amethyst is one variant.
• Bottles made by different glass manufacturers are variants. Even though
the embossing may appear to be identical, punctuation often varies, lettering
and plate molds are frequently different sizes, etc.
• Size differences between bottles will not be noted if the embossing is
identical, with the exception of the large, approximately 28 ounce bottles often
incorrectly referred to as “quarts;” they will have their own listings.
BOTTLE LISTINGS
The bottle listings are sorted by country/state/territory/province and then
alphabetically by city and bottler. Individual listings include all available data
on front, back, and base embossing, mold, glass color, height, diameter, plate
mold shape, base shape, and rarity. Additional thoughts:
1. Each bottle has been assigned an alpha two byte code, e.g. WA (for
Washington State), and a number to facilitate communication about specific
listings.
2. The draft spreadsheets include an “X” column indicating we have a
photograph, rubbing, or drawing of the bottle that can be utilized to prepare
the finished illustration.
3. Embossing is shown in capital letters with slash marks representing line
breaks in the lettering, e.g. “CENTRALIA / BOTTLING WORKS /
CENTRALIA, WASH.” means the word “CENTRALIA” is above the words
“BOTTLING WORKS” all of which are above the words “CENTRALIA, WASH.”
4. Punctuation is shown exactly as each bottle is embossed.
5. Mold type is specified (usually two versus four piece molds).
6. Height and diameter are shown in inches as decimals.
7. Base shape is specified, e.g. round vs. 10 panels. Completed illustrations
will accurately reflect the actual shape of each bottle.
8. Rarity classifications have been simplified to: “Rare” = less than 10 known;
“Scarce” = 10-100 known, and “Common” = 100+ known.
ILLUSTRATIONS
At this point, obtaining high quality photographs of each bottle simply isn’t
practical. Additionally, a survey of many long-time Hutchinson collectors
indicates they prefer line drawings to photographs because accurate drawings
usually show far better bottle details, e.g. punctuation, plate mold shapes,
pictures, monograms, etc. I have successfully used line drawings for my
Oregon and Washington soda books with few complaints. The web site will
accommodate photographs, so in years to come we can convert the illustrations
should we desire to do so. The illustrations are being prepared using PC
graphics software. This is speeding up the illustration process and facilitating
the production of top quality, professional drawings.
OTHER BOTTLE BOOKS
I am aware of bottle books containing varying degrees of Hutchinson bottle
information for Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii, Utah, Nevada,
Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas,
Mississippi, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio,
Baltimore, Maine, Alabama, Florida, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia.
Hopefully collectors will inform me of others that are available. Including
advertisements for these books in the Hutchinson Bottle Directory will provide
those desiring additional information an easy means of obtaining it.
I am continuing to pursue written permission from other authors in order to
utilize basic bottle information from their books in exchange for providing them
with free advertising in the Hutchinson Bottle Directory. By “basic bottle
information,” I am referring to size, color, plate mold shape, and embossing
details, not illustrations. All Hutchinson Bottle Directory illustrations will be
originals.
I fully understand how much effort it takes to put bottle books together and
have absolutely no intention of doing anything that would inhibit the sale of
other bottle books. My intention is to have the Hutchinson Bottle Directory
increase the availability (and sales) of state bottle books for each of us!
HUTCHINSON SPECIALISTS
The Hutchinson Bottle Directory project can’t be properly completed without
the valued support and contributions of Hutchinson collector specialists from
across the continent. As each specialist has been identified, I have been
sending them copies of their geographical area’s spreadsheet detailing the
information gathered thus far. We are then working together to decide how
best to gather missing information, obtain data on additional bottles, and edit
and quality control the finished spreadsheets and illustrations. If you are
interested in contributing to the Hutchinson Bottle Directory initiative, please
contact me! Thank you.
Ron Fowler
© 2008 Seattle History Company
My involvement with this project began when I read the following “Bottle
NewsNotes” item in the January, 1977 issue of Old Bottle Magazine:
HUTCHINSON BOOK(S) PROPOSED – STATE BY STATE: Printer and ex-
commercial photographer Joe Nagy of Oklahoma City has plans for a state-by-
state, comprehensive Hutchinson soda book series. He requests collectors in
Texas and Illinois contact him first for the purpose of cataloguing Hutchinsons
in their particular states…Sounds like a worthwhile project, Joe. Best wishes –
Ed.
Wow; imagine the antique bottle collecting community enjoying the use of a
national Hutchinson Bottle Directory! Although this was exciting news, I was
hard-pressed to believe it would be possible to compile and produce such a
book/series of books. Nonetheless, I quickly wrote to Joe offering to
contribute information on Oregon, Washington, and Washington Territory
Hutchinson bottles. Our initial contact blossomed into a long and enjoyable
friendship (and a tremendous amount of work!).
During the next decade several hundred collectors from across the continent
contributed photographs, rubbings, drawings, detailed bottle specifications,
company and state histories, and other information to the project. Twice I
visited Oklahoma City, spending several days at Joe’s home and office preparing
finished bottle drawings. He also mailed me almost 2,000 rubbings which I
turned into finished drawings and returned to him.
A terrible series of personal and business misfortunes beset Joe in the late
1980s and the Hutchinson Bottle Directory project was placed on hold.
Although he desperately hoped to finish the book(s), Joe lost a valiant battle
with cancer and passed away September 12, 1993. Thanks to one of his very
thoughtful friends, most of Joe’s correspondence and Hutchinson-related files
were saved and I acquired them in 1994.
Based on 30+ years of experience authoring bottle collecting books, I
estimated the Hutchinson Bottle Directory would likely require five years of
steady work in order to get it into print. Although I hungered to re-initiate
work on it, I forced myself to wait until after my 2002 retirement when I
would be able to devote the time required by a project of this magnitude. In
late 2003 I re-prioritized several personal projects and decided to commence
working on the Hutchinson Bottle Directory January 1, 2004.
During the past 4.5 years, I have devoted over 6,000 hours to sorting,
purging, and merging files, gathering additional data, and cataloguing data on
over 16,000 different Hutchinson bottles. Although the project is a massive
undertaking, we are still ahead of schedule. The advent of personal computers
and the Internet have greatly sped the gathering of data we did by hand and
via the U.S. Mail in the 1970s and 1980s. Periodically I marvel at the
quantity and quality of work Joe (and all of us who contributed) accomplished
without the use of PCs.
Our mission is to have the Hutchinson Bottle Directory serve as a widely used
reference source for collectors, historians, and archaeologists. It will
hopefully also be a fitting legacy honoring Joe Nagy and the intestinal fortitude
he showed by tackling a very worthwhile and challenging project that many
thought impossible. After all those years with so many of us contributing
mightily to this project, we can’t let all of that great work go to waste! For
me, completion of the Hutchinson Bottle Directory will be a labor of love, and
hopefully prove to be a major contribution to a wonderful hobby I have enjoyed
for over 46 years.
The information that follows details the highlights of where the project is at
this point and where we’re headed.
PROJECT SCOPE
Joe Nagy’s original concept for the Hutchinson Bottle Directory included
drawings and photographs of as many different Hutchinson bottles as possible,
accompanied by data documenting each bottle’s size, color, rarity, and other
details. Quickly, however, the scope of the project blossomed to include state
and individual company histories, and much more. As information poured in, Joe
was staggered to realize there were 7-10,000 different Hutchinson bottles.
It would have required many volumes to contain all of the information Joe
planned to include.
In order to manage the size of this project, the Hutchinson Bottle Directory
will include these basic elements:
1. A listing of all known Hutchinson bottle variants;
2. Illustrations of each bottle; and
3. Information about each of the state-specific antique bottle books that are
currently in print.
PLANNED BOOK FORMAT
Our original intention was to publish the Hutchinson Bottle Directory in
landscape fashion on 8.5" x 11" paper with spreadsheets listing bottle details
and the facing page displaying illustrations for the bottles itemized on that
specific spreadsheet page. As the project progressed, it became painfully
obvious our initial estimate of 7,000 - 10,000 bottles was significantly low; we
are now at 15,600+ listings and the number continues to grow. This many
listings equates to over 1,200 paper pages, requiring the book to be at least
two or possibly three volumes in length. The associated production costs would
push the break even price far beyond the reach of most collectors, and a
Hutchinson Bottle Directory that collectors can't afford is of no value. During
2005 we began to explore alternative means of publication including CD ROM
and the Internet.
Publishing the Hutchinson Bottle Directory via paper would provide a "snapshot"
of data at a specific point in time. Unfortunately, hard copy books do not lend
themselves well to updating and the Hutchinson Bottle Directory contains data
that by its very nature begs to be continually refined, corrected, and
enhanced. After a thorough investigation, it was decided that publishing the
Hutchinson Bottle Directory via the Internet offers an incredible opportunity to
deliver what is essentially a "living" book with substantial benefits and only a
few drawbacks. Thanks to the assistance of a professional web designer whose
specialty is database design, the home page has been built, and the bottle
database is currently under construction.
The Hutchinson Bottle Directory is being built out in the open, with frequent
project updates so everyone involved/interested can follow progress and share
in the excitement of knowing delivery of the Hutchinson Bottle Directory data
is rapidly approaching. We have reserved www.HutchBook.com and will soon
begin to move existing data to the web site, continually add in new listings and
data, and incorporate the illustrations as they are completed. When the new
site is up, we will announce its availability. Additional thoughts on publishing to
a web site and “frequently asked questions” are posted at www.
SeattleHistoryCompany.com on the “HutchBook” page.
HUTCHINSON BOTTLE VARIANTS
Most collectors understand and agree on obvious bottle variations such as round
vs. horseshoe-shaped plate molds, and round versus ten panel bases. Beyond
these basic differences, however, the definition of “variant” quickly becomes
fuzzy. Some collectors differentiate between base, shoulder, and top shapes,
shades of aqua, and bottle sizes, and defining variants is a point upon which not
all collectors agree. The definitions utilized for the Hutchinson Bottle
Directory are the ones I've evolved into using for my own collection and the
bottle books I have authored. Here is the definition of variant being utilized
for the Hutchinson Bottle Directory:
• Bottles with different plate mold shapes, e.g. round vs. horseshoe-shaped
vs. private molds, are variants.
• Bottles with different base shapes, e.g. round versus 10 panels, are variants.
• Bottles with totally different color glass, e.g. aqua vs. flint (clear) vs.
cobalt blue, are variants.
• Specific shades of aqua are noted, e.g. “light aqua” versus “blue aqua,” but
no matter the shade, aqua variants of a particular bottle will receive only one
total spreadsheet listing.
• Flint (clear)/sun-colored-amethyst is one variant.
• Bottles made by different glass manufacturers are variants. Even though
the embossing may appear to be identical, punctuation often varies, lettering
and plate molds are frequently different sizes, etc.
• Size differences between bottles will not be noted if the embossing is
identical, with the exception of the large, approximately 28 ounce bottles often
incorrectly referred to as “quarts;” they will have their own listings.
BOTTLE LISTINGS
The bottle listings are sorted by country/state/territory/province and then
alphabetically by city and bottler. Individual listings include all available data
on front, back, and base embossing, mold, glass color, height, diameter, plate
mold shape, base shape, and rarity. Additional thoughts:
1. Each bottle has been assigned an alpha two byte code, e.g. WA (for
Washington State), and a number to facilitate communication about specific
listings.
2. The draft spreadsheets include an “X” column indicating we have a
photograph, rubbing, or drawing of the bottle that can be utilized to prepare
the finished illustration.
3. Embossing is shown in capital letters with slash marks representing line
breaks in the lettering, e.g. “CENTRALIA / BOTTLING WORKS /
CENTRALIA, WASH.” means the word “CENTRALIA” is above the words
“BOTTLING WORKS” all of which are above the words “CENTRALIA, WASH.”
4. Punctuation is shown exactly as each bottle is embossed.
5. Mold type is specified (usually two versus four piece molds).
6. Height and diameter are shown in inches as decimals.
7. Base shape is specified, e.g. round vs. 10 panels. Completed illustrations
will accurately reflect the actual shape of each bottle.
8. Rarity classifications have been simplified to: “Rare” = less than 10 known;
“Scarce” = 10-100 known, and “Common” = 100+ known.
ILLUSTRATIONS
At this point, obtaining high quality photographs of each bottle simply isn’t
practical. Additionally, a survey of many long-time Hutchinson collectors
indicates they prefer line drawings to photographs because accurate drawings
usually show far better bottle details, e.g. punctuation, plate mold shapes,
pictures, monograms, etc. I have successfully used line drawings for my
Oregon and Washington soda books with few complaints. The web site will
accommodate photographs, so in years to come we can convert the illustrations
should we desire to do so. The illustrations are being prepared using PC
graphics software. This is speeding up the illustration process and facilitating
the production of top quality, professional drawings.
OTHER BOTTLE BOOKS
I am aware of bottle books containing varying degrees of Hutchinson bottle
information for Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii, Utah, Nevada,
Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas,
Mississippi, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio,
Baltimore, Maine, Alabama, Florida, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia.
Hopefully collectors will inform me of others that are available. Including
advertisements for these books in the Hutchinson Bottle Directory will provide
those desiring additional information an easy means of obtaining it.
I am continuing to pursue written permission from other authors in order to
utilize basic bottle information from their books in exchange for providing them
with free advertising in the Hutchinson Bottle Directory. By “basic bottle
information,” I am referring to size, color, plate mold shape, and embossing
details, not illustrations. All Hutchinson Bottle Directory illustrations will be
originals.
I fully understand how much effort it takes to put bottle books together and
have absolutely no intention of doing anything that would inhibit the sale of
other bottle books. My intention is to have the Hutchinson Bottle Directory
increase the availability (and sales) of state bottle books for each of us!
HUTCHINSON SPECIALISTS
The Hutchinson Bottle Directory project can’t be properly completed without
the valued support and contributions of Hutchinson collector specialists from
across the continent. As each specialist has been identified, I have been
sending them copies of their geographical area’s spreadsheet detailing the
information gathered thus far. We are then working together to decide how
best to gather missing information, obtain data on additional bottles, and edit
and quality control the finished spreadsheets and illustrations. If you are
interested in contributing to the Hutchinson Bottle Directory initiative, please
contact me! Thank you.
Ron Fowler
© 2008 Seattle History Company
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