HutchBook.com

HutchBook.com Project Status Reports detail changes and are frequently updated.  Please bookmark this page and check regularly to track on-going project developments. 

July 4, 2012: I have continued to be extremely busy these past few weeks, but the good news is I have been able to devote considerably more time to the HutchBook initiative, and am once again making substantial progress.  Many hours in June were spent cleaning up the Hutchinson Bottle Directory database and readying it for moving up to HutchBook.com.  I will provide more specifics during the HBCA gathering at the FOHBC Expo in Reno, now just over three weeks away, and in the next Project Status Report.  I am steadily chipping away at the backlog of unanswered EMail.  Hopefully I'll be caught up on all correspondence by this coming weekend.

My current estate-related duties have me working closely with an attorney and a CPA to prepare and file federal income tax forms.  Large or small, the size of an estate doesn't matter; the paperwork seems to be never-ending and being an executor is very time consuming!

I pounded out one more springtime marathon on Memorial Day, and a 10K in mid-June, and my body is now enjoying a summer break from racing.  If/when it ever stops raining here on the "wet side" of Washington state, it will once again be time to bale and stack hay.  There's no rest for the weary. 

The Hutchinson Bottle Directory database has been updated again and revised totals by state, territory, province, and foreign country have been posted on the Bottle Directory pages.  The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 17,111.

May 24, 2012: Yes, I am finally posting another Project Status Report!  My sincere apologies to everyone checking the site for new Home page articles and Project Status Reports, and those whose EMail messages and phone calls are awaiting responses.  I am focused on catching up after what has been a whirlwind year thus far. 

Since the previous report the majority of my time has been dedicated to the numerous challenges I am facing as an estate executor.  I keep reminding myself that most of the estate tasks I am dealing with are one-time activities and they too shall pass.  When the phone rings or EMail lights up and I need to take care of an estate-related issue, invariably it is an instant, high-priority responsibility demanding my full attention.  Consequently, the HutchBook initiative and other far more enjoyable activities have been spending far too much time on the back burner.  With several of the major tasks now almost completed (creation of a 20+ page memorial web site, moving personal effects 2,500+ miles, selling vehicles, cleaning out and selling a home, etc.), I am gradually finding more time for fun projects such as the HutchBook. 

I had hoped to escape for half a day last Friday to attend the Washington Bottle Collector's Association's spring sale near Seattle, but last minute snags presented by the inexperienced staff at a small title INSurANcE (intentional spelling) company in Texas found me spending the day at home on the phone and EMail instead.  I heard the bottle show went well, in spite of the customer who dropped a bottle on a seller's table causing several very rare Washington Hutchinson bottles to roll off the table and die an ugly death as shards on the concrete floor.  Ouch.

Running continues to help me maintain my sanity thru all of the estate challenges.  Since the last report I have pounded out marathons in Yakima, Elma, Tacoma, and Olympia.  I currently have one eye on the weather before deciding go/no go for one last spring marathon on Memorial Day.  I will then begin my summer break from racing to focus on haying season and final preparations for the FOHBC Expo in Reno. 

I am pleased to report that the entire bottle collection has been washed and 200+ boxes of bottles are now displayed on the new bottle room shelves.  I have started placing go-with items on the shelves and will hopefully be able to start hanging signs and other framed items on the walls soon.  Being able to un-box the bottles after they spent two years in storage has been like reuniting with old friends and an enjoyable experience. 

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 17,083. 

March 21, 2012: Here it is late March and I am only now finally addressing HutchBook to-do list tasks that were originally scheduled for completion in January.  A death in the family had me out-of-state and off-line for half of January and February, and I am now up to my eyeballs in dealing with the many duties required while serving as the executor of an estate.  My winter break from racing is also about to end, with the spring marathon season scheduled to start March 31st.  These challenges aside, it is great to be home and actively working on the HutchBook initiative again.  Barring additional unforeseen circumstances, there should be considerable progress to report in weeks to come. 

The new bottle room carpeting was successfully installed a couple of days before I left town for three weeks, but I have yet to start washing and un-boxing bottles since returning home.  That process will hopefully get underway in early April.

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 17,058. 

January 29, 2012: I ran the annual Christmas Marathon the next day after posting the previous Project Status Report, and we were very fortunate to experience absolutely perfect running weather.  I ran well thru the first half and then faded, but even so it was a good finish to the 2011 racing season.  The weeks since that day have been an absolute blur, however, and I have made very limited progress on the HutchBook thus far in 2012... 

Regular readers likely spotted the notice I posted indicating I would be off-line January 5-15 due to a family medical emergency.  That situation necessitated an out-of-state trip and continues to occupy much of my waking hours.  I will likewise be off-line February 9-12 for the same reason.

I returned home to 4" of snow that became a 7" total the next day, and then another foot fell leaving us with a 19" total accumulation.  That might have been okay but for the rains that rolled thru and coated everything with 1/2" of ice.  In short order limbs, trees, and power lines all over Western Washington were snapping like firecrackers on the Fourth.  We were snowed in and had no power for the next five days.  I took advantage of the situation by finishing three of the four books I was reading, starting and finishing another four books, and reading the previous 36 issues of Bottles and Extras and Antique Bottle & Glass Collector magazines.  Since power, telephone, and Internet services were restored I have been scrambling to catch up on 200+ unanswered EMail messages, keep up with the on-line auction sites, etc. 

In between all these other fun activities the new bottle room shelving was installed.  I am hoping the new carpeting we purchased a couple of days ago will be laid this coming week and it won't be long until I am finally un-boxing bottles!

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 17,021. 

December 23, 2011: Hopefully you spotted the "Extra" notice we posted on the Home page 12-07-2011 announcing the cataloguing of Hutchinson #17,000.  As mentioned in that announcement, the 17,000th bottle was a quart from Mitchell, South Dakota, and the only quart we have seen from the state of South Dakota (we have catalogued four quarts from Milbank, Dakota Territory).  Since the announcement, the grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued has grown to 17,011.  They just keep coming!

We are very pleased to announce that Mike Limauro's search for one of his great-grandfather's Hartford, Connecticut Hutchinsons was successful!  Thanks to Zang Wood, our New Mexico/Old Mexico/colored Hutchinson Specialist, the nice Luna Bottling Company Hutchinson we pictured on the Home page is now back in the Limauro family.  If you know someone would be willing to part with another example of this bottle, Mike's cousin, Marino, is hoping to acquire a second bottle for their family.  Mike's EMail address is mlimauro@sbcglobal.net.  Thanks!   

Given the fact we have yet to move the Hutchinson Bottle Directory database (Phase II) up to HutchBook.com, we are granting all current Hutchinson Bottle Collectors' Association (HBCA) members a free year's membership for 2012. 

This month we added Brian Levine from Colorado as a Hutchinson Specialist and the newest HBCA member; welcome, Brian!  Be sure to check out the newly added link to Brian's web site on the "Resources" section's Advanced Bottle Collector Links page.

The list of maverick Hutchinsons declined by one thanks to solid input concerning the REGISTERED (on shoulder) / HOCKMAN bottle we catalogued last month.  Please be sure to review the list and help us continue to identify the unknown mavericks!

The past six weeks have been unbelievably hectic.  I survived the Seattle Marathon in spite of temperatures in the high 30s, pouring rain, and a 15-20 mph headwind.  This year's holiday activities will include hosting family gatherings Christmas Day and again on Monday.  I figure those events will go well as I will probably still be brain dead from running the Christmas Marathon tomorrow.  The weather guessers are predicting rain and a temperature in the low 40s, so it may not be all that much fun. 

A constant parade of sub-contractors have been working on the new bottle room.  Thus far we've survived framing, wiring, insulation, sheetrocking, taping, mudding, priming texturing, painting, and heater and lighting installation.  The shelving is being built now and scheduled for installation the first week of January, with carpeting closing out the process.  Then the fun begins as I wash the entire collection and the bottles hit the shelves to finally be on display again.  Getting the bottles onto their new shelves is the only scheduled activity that will interfere with working on the HutchBook database.

Table reservations for the FOHBC Expo in Reno have been submitted.  Details on an HBCA meeting and/or Hutchinson seminar at the Expo will be announced when the plans are finalized.  I'm looking forward to visiting with many of you at the Expo.

2011 was my eighth consecutive year of non-stop work on the Hutchinson Bottle Directory initiative.  Before diving headfirst into this project I knew it would be a huge and very time consuming challenge.  Even so, I had no idea that eight years later I would have devoted 11,000+ hours to cataloguing over 17,000 different Hutchinson bottles.  During those same eight years I have authored and published two other books, renovated and sold my 1924 home, moved, purchased another home, re-married, and tomorrow's Christmas Marathon will be my 94th marathon during this eight year period.  Although my dance card is pretty full, I continue to thoroughly enjoy coordinating the HutchBook initiative.  Please continue to bear with me, as it hopefully won't be too much longer and we will all be celebrating the launch of the Phase II HutchBook.com database.  

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

November 11, 2011: Happy Veteran's Day to my fellow veterans!

We are continuing to focus on the HutchBook database and steadily progressing toward opening Phase II to the public yet this year, barring unforeseen events.  Although the sore knee continues to nag at me, I pounded out the Halloween Marathon two weekends ago.  Next up is my 31st Seattle Marathon and, health and weather permitting, the Christmas Marathon on Christmas Eve day. 

This afternoon I'm taking a short break from sitting here in front of the PC to attend the Washington Bottle Collectors Association's fall show and sale.  Mark Edward Nelson, a long-time collecting buddy, and I also plan to finalize plans for attending the FOHBC Expo in Reno, Nevada next summer.  Keep checking HutchBook.com for details about a Hutchinson Bottle Collectors' Association gathering we are planning at the Expo.

Construction work on my new bottle room is about to commence.  It is exciting to finally have this project coming together.  I am planning to spend several of the upcoming soggy winter days arranging and rearranging bottle room shelves!

Thanks to Sundae Best: A History of Soda Fountains (the book featured on the latest Home page update) more documentation on early usage of the term "pop" has been added to the "Origin of the Term 'Soda Pop'" article posted in the Industry History portion of HutchBook.com.  The latest addition is a quote from an advertisement dating to circa 1849, thirty years before the introduction of Hutchinson's Patent Spring Stopper. 

A special THANK YOU to Ferd Meyer for posting information about and links to both www.HutchBook.com and www.KocaNola.com to his www.PeachridgeGlass.com site.  Ferd does a fine job with his site and updates it frequently; check it out! 

The state, territory, province, country, and unknown mavericks summary page totals have been updated again.  Clicking on the Bottle Directory navigation button in the left hand frame, or the hot link in this sentence brings up those pages.  The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,975.  We're closing in on 17,000! 

October 8, 2011: Work on the HutchBook database is proceeding steadily in spite of seasonal interruptions due to the advent of fall weather.  The sprinkler system has been shut down and the surplus water blown out of the lines to prevent frozen pipes this winter, but the weed patch continues to grow at a record pace thanks to the return of the fall rains.  The sore knee situation continues, probably making the Seattle Marathon in late November my first fall race.  Aging sucks, but any day above ground is a good day.    

The September 11th Home page update included a short feature about the cabinet photo of the cute little girl posed with two Hutchinson bottles.  We were saddened by a report from the GreedyBay seller than the buyer of the photograph, a Hutchinson collector residing in the Bastrop, Texas area, lost his home and entire Hutchinson collection in the recent wildfires that destroyed over 1,000 Texas homes. 

Our sincere condolences to Bob Harms and his family on the recent passing of Bob's wife, Barbara.  We have known Bob and Barb for 30+ years and they have long been one of our most favorite collector couples.  Barb's great smile and quick wit will be missed.

The page listing unknown maverick Hutchinsons has been updated with the addition of a UNION / BOTTLING / WKS. quart that recently appeared on GreedyBay.  Please contact us if you know the origin of this bottle.

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued has grown to 16,963.  It appears we're going to fall just short of posting number 17,000 before year end 2011.

September 11, 2011: Another extremely busy month has come and gone and the to-do lists are slowly shrinking.  This year's hay crop is safely stored in the barn, we attended another bluegrass concert and our high school's season-opening football game (we were trounced; some things never change), Betsy participated in two more car shows (check out the photos on her page at www.SeattleHistoryCompany.com), the closet has a newly installed storage unit, and the gutters are cleaned and ready for the return of the fall rains.  Alas, my fall marathon season has yet to start while I deal with a sore knee which is probably the end result of bucking a few too many hay bales.  Oh well, its a good excuse for devoting even more time to the HutchBook project. 

Opening the Hutchinson Bottle Directory database to the public and constructing a new bottle room continue to be our highest priorities.  It is exciting to have both of these projects scheduled for completion this fall.  The bottles have been in storage since I moved early last year and getting them out their boxes will probably be much like renewing acquaintances with long-lost friends.  We continue to believe people are going to be amazed at the quantity and quality of information included in the HutchBook database.  Our collective efforts will soon come to fruition.

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,951. 

August 14, 2011: The summer is flying by and although much has been accomplished, I am continually wrestling with lengthy to-do lists and too little time.  In addition to finally catching up on HutchBook@yahoo.com EMail, and non-stop work on the HutchBook database, my "spare time" has been devoted to attending our high school reunion and another bluegrass concert, splitting firewood, mowing, pulling weeds, wrestling with a lawn sprinkler system that has a mind of its own, attending funerals, and hauling and stacking hay.  If our streak of good weather lasts awhile longer, we should have the last of the hay safely in the barn this coming week; my aching back and arms certainly hope so.  We're planning to do car shows the next two weekends, the fall marathon season starts on Labor Day, and plans are underway to build out a new bottle room and at last get the collection out of boxes.  There's no rest for the weary. 

If you missed the close of the auction for the PROPERTY OF / TBCo (monogram) / CHESTER, W. VA. / REGISTERED Hutchinson featured on the previous Home page update, it drew 23 bids from nine different bidders and sold for $430.00.  Nice bottle! 

The equally rare M. BOCHART / JEFFERSONVILLE, IND. Hutchinson we also highlighted last month brought but five bids from three different bidders and closed at $22.72.

Ed LeTard returned home from yesterday's Vicksburg, Mississippi bottle show with a nice DISTILLED / SODA WATER CO. / OF / ALASKA Hutchinson.  This Rare bottle from Valdez, Alaska was the final bottle Ed needed to complete his quest to assemble a third 50 state Hutchinson collection.  The bottle was dug in, of all places, New Orleans, Louisiana, this spring by Ed Tardy, one of our Arkansas Hutchinson Specialists.  Congratulations to both Eds! 

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,937. 

July 13, 2011: Whew, another productive month has screamed by.  I had to put on a closing sprint at the charity 5K in order to out-run an eight year old boy, and even though my finish time was 30 seconds slower than last year, I managed to win my age group.  The yard work is semi-under control, Betsy has several new parts (check out the newly-posted car show photos on her page at www.SeattleHistoryCompany.com), we attended two bluegrass performances, a play, and the annual family reunion, yet I still found time to implement more www.KocaNola.com changes, help split several cords of firewood, and help kick off this year's haying season.  In between all of these "fun" activities, we are plugging away on the HutchBook database, and trying to catch up on HutchBook EMail correspondence.  After this weekend's annual high school reunion, our top two July priorities are the HutchBook database and getting the rest of the hay into the barn in between seemingly non-stop rain showers.

In case you didn't follow-up on the CHOPPELL / & / KOPPS / CASLO / B. C. Hutchinson featured in our previous Home page article, it drew 12 bids from nine different bidders.  Three bids in the final 24 seconds boosted the closing price from $510 to $866.  Whew!   

The previous Project Status Report mentioned the new www.FOHBC.org web site and Ferd Meyer's new www.PeachridgeGlass.com site.  If you haven't yet visited these sites, be sure to do so.  In addition to original information, both sites regularly include links to other bottle-related sites.  An example of a site we weren't aware of until Ferd featured it is Findlay (Ohio) Antique Bottle Club's www.finbotclub.blogspot.com site.  Check it out; you won't be disappointed. 

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,927. 

June 16, 2011: We enjoyed almost perfect running weather at the Memorial Day Marathon.  I ran well and didn't do any serious physical damage to my body (the jury is still out on possible mental damage), starting my summer break from marathoning on a very positive note.  I am running a charity 5K this coming Saturday, but that's just an excuse to chow down at the post-race pancake feed.  June has been by far the most productive month I've had this year.  In addition to non-stop yard work, I am getting Betsy ready for several summer car shows (visit www.SeattleHistoryCompany.com if you don't know who "Betsy" is), wrestling with plumbing repair issues, updating Charles David Head's www.KocaNola.com web site (check out the numerous changes), cataloguing new Hutchinsons and updating existing listings, and making solid progress on the HutchBook database.  Haying season approaches, and we're attending several bluegrass concerts this summer, but otherwise, the Phase II HutchBook database is my #1 priority.

In case you haven't noticed, we added Zang Wood's newly published book, Sodas & Shows: Pop Culture in San Juan County, New Mexico, to the list of "Bottle Books For Sale" posted in the Collecting section.  Zang is the author of: Color Hutchinsons; New Mexico Blobs - Hutchs - Mineral Waters; and reprints of the 1889 and 1917 W. H. Hutchinson & Son Catalogs.  He is also our Hutchinson Specialist for New Mexico, Mexico, and several other foreign countries.  Congratulations on your new book, Zang! 

Like a rapidly increasing number of bottle collectors, we routinely follow the postings on several web sites.  One in particular we want to point out in case you haven't seen it is Ferd Meyer's new www.PeachridgeGlass.com site.  There haven't been any news items posted about Hutchinsons yet, but it is only a matter of time until the articles about rare bitters, historical flasks, etc., taper off and the Mineral Water, Soda Bottles, and Soda Water categories see some interesting articles about Hutchinsons!  Ferd's new site is very well-designed and regularly updated; check it out! 

The FOHBC's much-needed new web site launched earlier this week.  It includes unique pages plus many direct links to articles posted at Ferd Meyer's new site.  We have updated the list of Advanced Bottle Collector Links on the Resources page to reflect the   FOHBC's change from FOHBC.com to www.FOHBC.org.  Be sure to add this new site to your list of favorites (or update the URL if you already have it bookmarked).

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,910. 

May 22, 2011: My sixth marathon of the year on Memorial Day will bring the spring racing season to a close.   Other than the upcoming summer haying season, my weary old bones are looking forward to taking a break until this fall.  We enjoyed perfect weather for the Tacoma City Marathon, but record rainfall at last weekend's Capital City Marathon.  Since then the rain seems to be letting up, and the lawn, garden, flowers, and trees are rapidly coming to life.  This morning a big doe with newborn twin fawns wandered thru the backyard so mama could show the babies which shrubs and flowers are the tastiest.  In between such fun activities I'm steadily plugging away on the HutchBook database.

I carved out half a day to attend our local bottle club's spring show and sale on the 13th.  As usual it was fun to swap bottle stories with several collectors I only manage to see two or three times per year.  The quality of glass offered for sale was so-so as the "good stuff" continues to be sold under the table, in the parking lot, and at on-line auction sites.  The ever-increasing price of gasoline will most likely further accelerate this trend.  Once again I eyed the room full of fellow long-in-the-tooth collectors and headed home thinking our club is making a potentially fatal mistake by not focusing on attracting new collectors to our hobby.  Contrary to popular belief, the last old coot standing does not win!

Speaking of long-time collectors, I received two interesting telephone inquiries this week:

The first caller was a Midwesterner who dug and collected bottles many years ago.  He specialized in Hutchinsons and was working on assembling a 50 state collection when work and family matters caused him to box everything up and stash it in a closet.  Twenty five years later he is retired and his leisure interests have changed, and he has decided to finally part with his Hutchinson bottles.  He found HutchBook.com by searching the 'Net and called hoping we could provide him with some current bottle values.  We don't do appraisals, of course; it's tough enough trying to manage a catalogue listing almost 17,000 different bottles without also trying to capture moving targets like values (I'd rather herd cats).  He has 45 of the 50 states and although I could tell he might be tempted to try to obtain the missing five states, rather than selling what he has, I gave him names and contact information for several very experienced collectors.  In weeks to come I expect to hear his almost-complete 50 state collection has a new owner.

The other caller was a local fellow who was actively digging and collecting sodas during the 1980s.  Since retiring he is contemplating moving somewhere where it doesn't rain all the time and his spouse informed him the bottles won't be making the trip with them.  I put him in contact with a local collector who sells a lot of bottles at an on-line auction site, the collection has been sold, and another assortment of bottles will soon be scattered to the wind. 

We also received an EMail message from Michael Miller, author of A Collector's Guide to Arizona Bottles & Stoneware: A History of Merchant Containers in Arizona, letting us know he has updated his fine book.  Complete information on the 2011 edition can be found in the "Collecting" page's "Bottle Books For Sale" section.  While you're there, be sure to click on the link to the Miller's web site and enjoy the nice photos of their Arizona and other bottle collections.  

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,902.  With digging season now underway, we expect to catalog Hutchinson #17,000 yet this year.   

April 29, 2011: This has been another extremely busy month.  In addition to working on a multitude of HutchBook activities, in between seemingly non-stop rain showers I mowed the weed patch a couple of times, prepared the garden for late planting, and pounded out a lot of training miles.  We lucked out and caught an almost rain-free day for the Easter Marathon, and are hoping for similar weather at Sunday's Tacoma City Marathon and the Capital City Marathon (Olympia, WA) on May 15th. 

That beautiful, dark green NORWAY / BREWERY Hutchinson we featured on the Home page earlier this month brought $534.35 (+$18.00 P&H) at auction.  We are sure the new owner is quite happy to have added it to his incredible collection of colored Hutchinsons.

Yesterday's mail brought a Hutchinson Bottle Collectors' Association membership application from Bill Connell, a new Hutchinson collector in Indiana.  Welcome to the HBCA, Bill!

This site has been up for 20 months now, and several of those maintaining sites we are linked to still haven't converted their links from www.SeattleHistoryCompany.com to www.HutchBook.com; PLEASE IMPLEMENT THIS CHANGE TO HELP MORE FOLKS FIND HUTCHBOOK.COM!

A tip o' the Hutchinson hat to Laton Bare, our Florida Hutchinson Specialist, for pointing us to two very interesting on-line videos:

The first clip is from the Society for Historic Archaeology (www.sha.org) and features Michael J. Owens and one of his early Automatic Bottle Machines.  It is just over 1.5 minutes in duration: 

http://www.sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/michaelowens.mpg

The second clip is a YouTube video entitled "Michael Owens: A Revolution In Glass."  It was prepared by OurOhio and includes a portion of the Owens film mentioned above, plus additional information about Libbey Glass and the development of the glass manufacturing industry in Toledo, Ohio.  This very well produced clip is just under eight minutes long and definitely worth watching:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ifa0U9vF6ds&feature=related

Another example of those miserable foreign siphons with a fake etching recently sold as GreedyBay # 350456531480.  This one was etched Pepsi:Cola / BOTTLING CO. / RENO NEVADA.  No doubt the con artist who sold it is quite pleased with the 22 bids that drove it up to $167.49 (+$15.75 P&H) at closing.  After years of warning people about these fakes we are now beginning to wonder which is worse, the crooks faking and selling these bottles, or naive buyers who don't take/make time to learn more about the items at which they're throwing money.  P. T. Barnum was definitely right!

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,885. 

April 6, 2011: I just finished editing the current Home page feature and while doing so thought it seemed like the house was growing colder.  Sure enough, I peeked out the window to discover it is hailing like mad.  Our cold, unusually wet winter weather has provided a perfect backdrop for spending too much of the past month dealing with family health issues, income tax preparation, a nasty sinus infection, and yet another chipped tooth necessitating a crown.  Last weekend I ventured thru the Cascades between chains-required snowstorms for my 11th consecutive Yakima River Canyon Marathon.  The spring racing season is underway with marathons every other weekend until early June. 

We haven't heard a peep in response to the question posed in the previous Home page feature about the B. F. HUMESTON / NEW BEDFORD / CONN. Hutchinson possibly being an error version of a B. F. HUMESTON / NEW MILFORD / CONN. bottle.  If you have an example of the New Milford bottle, please EMail and help us resolve this issue.

I just prepared yet another Caveat Emptor blurb about siphons with faked labels.  I couldn't resist commenting on the two featured bottles, given that both situations turned my stomach.  Obviously I need to spend less time trying to save my fellow collectors from being defrauded and devote more time to building the HutchBook database. 

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,880. 

March 10, 2011:

As mentioned in the December 31, 2010 Project Status Report, we anticipated reducing the frequency of posting Home page updates and Project Status Reports during 2011 and that is indeed what is happening.  I was hoping doing so meant I would be creating more time to work on the HutchBook Phase II database, but so far that hasn't been happening.  Since early January we've been sidetracked due to on-going family health issues, but hopefully we'll soon be back up to full speed.   

We are very pleased to report that our offer of FREE 2011 HBCA membership to collectors age 30 or younger inspired Connor Rush, a 15 year old blob top and Hutchinson collector, to join the HBCA ranks; welcome!  Connor specializes in soda and beer bottles from Essex County, NJ.  His membership application mentioned "I really like Hutchinson bottles and would like to learn more about them."  That, folks, is exactly the type of youthful enthusiasm our hobby needs!   We think accessing www.HutchBook.com for information about Hutchinsons is a great place for Connor to start.  Ask yourself what you are doing to promote our hobby, and if you don't like the answer, do something! 

In addition to the Home page feature about the newly identified maverick Hutchinsons and the mysterious "New Bedford, Conn." bottle, today's round of updates includes another Caveat Emptor piece.  We also updated the totals on the state, territory, province, country, and unknown mavericks summary pages.  Click on the Bottle Directory navigation button in the left hand frame, or the hot link in this sentence to review those pages.  The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,865. 

February 17, 2011: We awoke to 1/2" of snow on the ground this morning, a minor nuisance compared to those of you who have been contending with up to two feet of snow.   The weather guessers predicted rain and/or snow for last Sunday's Valentine's marathon, but we lucked out and caught a few hours with no precipitation and a bit of sunshine.  I hadn't raced since late November and didn't run all that well, but that was okay because at my age I'm into quantity rather than quality anyway.  In between getting ready for and recovering from the marathon, HutchBook activity has picked up considerably, with several very nice new bottles catalogued.  We particularly like the VILLAGE / BOTTLING / WORKS Hutchinson currently pictured on the Home page and look forward to the day it moves from the Unknown Mavericks list to the proper state file.  Be sure to check out the seller's other listings, as he is also offering a rare Hutchinson from Florence, AL, an amber Koca Nola crown top, and a slew of Coca Cola items. 

Although we still haven't added any new 30 or under HBCA members (see the February 4 and January 11, 2011 Project Status Reports below), we are encouraged by this message from Brandon DeWolfe, our New Hampshire Hutchinson specialist: "I went to the Jackson, MS show in January and besides the stuff I sold to dealers at the show, almost everything else I sold went to young folks…let’s say under 40.  I primarily sold relatively inexpensive stuff at the show, and it went extremely well.  I sold over 300 bottles, including probably 150 canning jars in the $10 and less range.  Hopefully this bodes well for younger people getting interested and involved."  Thanks for the input, Brandon; let's hope this is indeed a trend! 

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,848. 

February 4, 2011: HutchBook progress slowed considerably while I was out-of-town, and we are only now getting back up to full speed.  It also appears the nasty winter storm hitting much of the continent has people shoveling snow and dealing with ice-related issues, rather than listing Hutchinsons at on-line auction sites, submitting bottle information via EMail, etc.  I'm definitely not complaining, however, as the Pacific Northwest has been very fortunate thus far weather-wise not to deal with much more than the usual non-stop winter rains.  I am on track to do the Valentine's Marathon 2-13 and am ready to don my water wings/snowshoes if necessary.

After composing and posting Project Status Reports I often sit back and wonder if anyone actually reads these comments.  It has been almost a month since my January 11, 2011 report (still posted below) offered FREE HBCA 2011 membership to any bottle collector age 30 or under.  The fact we have received zero/zilch/nada applications suggests no one is reading these reports, HBCA membership doesn't offer attractive benefits, or, heaven forbid, I am right that the ranks of our beloved hobby doesn't include any younger members.  Whatever the reason(s), the lack of response is very disappointing.  We're not giving up, however, and have a couple of other ideas cooking on this topic.

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,842.  

January 24, 2011: The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued has crept up to 16,841 particularly thanks to newly identified, Rare bottles from Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania (of course), and Texas.  We hope to feature a couple of these on future Home page postings. 

My immediate focus is on a family medical emergency.  I will be out-of-town with no EMail or Internet access until Sunday, January 30, 2011.  Feel free to EMail us, but please understand responses will be even slower than usual for awhile.

January 11, 2011: The new year is off to a flying start even though I am still recovering from the holidays and don't yet have all of the to-do lists under control.  Distractions aside, we are focused on finishing and posting Phase II, the Hutchinson Bottle Directory data base as soon as possible. 

As previously indicated, I renewed my subscription to Antique Bottle & Glass Collector magazine.  I like the long overdue changes John Pastor is implementing and encourage you to support John (and our hobby!) by subscribing to AB&GC.  I'm still not convinced the FOHBC ship has been righted, but somewhat reluctantly renewed Bottles and Extras too, betting another year's membership fee the promised changes will come to fruition. 

Now that I'm in my fiftieth year as a bottle collector, I'm long enough in the tooth to speak from a position of experience and continue to have a nagging fear that we as a group are making a terrible mistake by not establishing specific objectives designed to promote and perpetuate the hobby we all love.  Here's my question: what are you, your local bottle club, the bottle magazines, and the FOHBC doing to attract new members?  The answer, sadly, is almost always either "nothing" or "not much," and certainly "not enough!"  If you don't believe declining involvement is a problem, check out the ever-increasing number of bottle collector obituaries listed in the magazines, or simply check hair color at bottle shows.  Rather than just whining about it, the Hutchinson Bottle Collectors' Association can at least do something: we'll give a FREE HBCA 2011 membership to any bottle collector age 21 or younger.  Okay, forget 21; make it 30 or younger.  If you know a bottle collector 30 or younger who is interesting in Hutchinson bottles, please direct them to the HBCA portion of the Collecting pages so they can learn more and submit an application.  Young collectors are not "competition for the good stuff;" they are our hobby's future!

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,835.  

December 31, 2010: What a year 2010 has been, both for the HutchBook project and personally.  Here are a few numbers that touch on the highlights:

16,825: The pages showing totals by state, territory, province, country, and the unknown mavericks have all been updated.  Click on the Bottle Directory navigation button in the left hand frame, or the hot link in this sentence to review those pages.  The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued at year end 2010 is 16,825. 

3,000: Pennsylvania is only five short of hitting the 3,000 level.  No doubt we'll be pulling together a feature on PA bottle #3,000 soon.

25: This is the 25th Project Status Report we've posted in 2010 (the previous 24 are still posted below), and we've also composed and posted 25 different Home page features.  We are doing our best to keep everyone involved/interested in this project informed about what is going on.   Putting these updates and features together takes considerable time, and while we will continue to post reports in 2011, we may reduce the frequency as we focus on getting the Phase II database work completed and the bottle listings moved up to HutchBook.com so the public can access them.

7: Today completes seven years of non-stop work on the Hutchinson Bottle Directory initiative.  We have invested just under 10,000 hours into this project since 01-01-04 and it still continues to be great fun. 

9: This year my total number of marathons fell to only nine, the fewest I've run since re-starting the HutchBook project.  I've been averaging 13 per year, but missed two in February due to moving, missed one in September thanks to an inexperienced race director who cancelled a race the day before it was scheduled, and missed another one because I stupidly noted the wrong date on my calendar.  Aging isn't always pretty! 

4,500-5,000: That's how many hay bales we hauled and stacked into my father-in-law's 1864 barn this summer.  We also made time to attend our 45th high school reunion and note how all of our classmates except us has aged considerably.

90: Labor Day weekend we celebrated my new father-in-law's 90th birthday at his 1861 farmhouse.  As long as we had the entire family all gathered together anyway, Nancy and I seized an opportunity to have her brother-in-law, a minister, marry us.  Life is good.

212: Between mid-June and Christmas Day I partnered with Nancy's Dad to conduct oral interviews, transcribe tapes, do considerable original research, and coordinate completion of his just-published 212 page book entitled Sentiment For This Land: A History of Littlerock, Washington and the Rutledge Family.  This project was a ton of work, but it was incredibly rewarding to document so much historical information for generations to come. 

2011: Given that Phase II has yet to be moved up to HutchBook.com, we are granting all existing Hutchinson Bottle Collectors' Association members a free year of HBCA membership for 2011.  This past month we added Clifton Beith from Mississippi as the newest HBCA member; welcome, Clifton!

50: Whew; typing "50" makes me feel old!  Today completes my 49th year of collecting bottles, and tomorrow starts year #50.  When I found that first square inkwell in 1961 I had no idea whatsoever that half a century later I'd be celebrating this milestone and as enthused as ever about this wonderful hobby of ours.  What a fun ride this has been.  I'm looking forward to celebrating year #75 in 2036!   

December 8, 2010: Fortunately the weather warmed up just in time to melt the snow and provide a window of opportunity for running the Seattle Marathon without getting soaked or frozen.  This was the 30th time I've run that race and I somehow finished only two minutes slower than when that was my very first marathon in 1978.  Post-race recovery took longer than usual, however, although I put the time to good use on HutchBook activities.

My December, 2010 AB&GC magazine arrived late last week and it is encouraging to see the numerous changes new owner John Pastor is implementing.  I like the new, cleaner format, focus on bottles and glass, and the use of a spell-checker.  John is holding the line on current subscription rates and I am planning to renew. 

The FOHBC, however, is yet another matter.  Although I continue to support the idea of a federation of bottle collectors, I am leaning toward non-renewing my membership until the newly elected powers-that-be have the organization sailing in the right direction.  I am very disillusioned with all of the recent political infighting and want to see and support an organization that is focused on promoting and supporting our hobby. 

I recently finished The Glassmakers Revisited, a 2010 corporate history of Owens-Illinois, Inc., by Jack K. Paquette.  The first portion of the book provides an interesting and detailed look into the early history of the firm, including Michael Owens' development of his fully automatic bottle blowing machine.  I obtained my copy thru amazon.com.

Following up on the four rare Hutchinsons featured in the 11-23-10 Home page update, here's how those GreedyBay auctions ended:

The amber A. K. CLARK / PITTS. Pa. sold for $161.37 to an advanced collector of colored Hutchinsons;

The JOHN TREBER / DEADWOOD / DAK. didn't sell and has been relisted at the same $1,800 opening price.  It continues to draw nothing but lookyloos;

The Wm AYLMER / FARGO / D.T. topped out at $711.01 without meeting the reserve.  It was relisted and closed with seven bids and sold for $895.00; and

The REGISTERED / SPRING BOTTLING WKS. / G. RUSTICUS / PREAKNESS, N.J. languished for several days before someone nabbed it at the $20 Buy-It-Now bargain (in my opinion) price. 

Given the rapidly quickening pace of holiday activities, including the 12-18 Christmas Marathon, it may be the month end before the next Project Status Report is posted.  The year-end wrap up will include an update of the totals by state, territory, province, and country, plus a look forward into 2011, my 50th year of collecting bottles.

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,817.  

November 23, 2010: This has been a wild week weather-wise in the Pacific Northwest.  While finishing uploading last week's Home page update and the Project Status Report, the first of two windstorms blew thru taking out a pair of small alders and knocking out our power for 12+ hours.  We then settled back into daily torrential downpours until Sunday morning.  Just after I finished a long training run, a cold front heading south out of Canada met up with a rainstorm coming in from the coast and the ground started turning white.  We awoke to 2-3" of snow Monday morning, followed by more of the same well into the evening.  I did this morning's two mile run in 7-8" of fluffy white stuff.  Bright sunshine this afternoon was balanced by temperatures in the low 20s.  We enjoyed watching a big doe with twin fawns spend this afternoon grazing and snoozing under the large evergreens adjacent to the backyard.  The leaves on blackberry vines are apparently quite tasty when one gets cold and hungry enough!  All of this weather stuff to say the HutchBook didn't get quite as much attention this week as I had planned!  Anyway...

I made time to page thru the November-December issue of the FOHBC's journal.  Regular readers of these Project Status Reports won't be surprised to hear I am thrilled to learn Bottles & Extras finally has a new editor.  Alas, the August 6th board meeting minutes included mention of a proposal to increase FOHBC individual and club membership dues; say, what?  Fortunately this suggestion was turned down (they're increasing First Class mailing fees by $10 instead).  How about a different approach: discontinue production and distribution of this very expensive hard copy journal, post the same material on the FOHBC web site instead, lower the annual dues, and grow FOHBC membership!  I have served terms as membership director of both our local club and the FOHBC, and the challenges are quite similar.  Many avid bottle collectors aren't members of their local club and/or the FOHBC.  Finding them isn't all that difficult; the challenge is creating and maintaining an organization that offers membership benefits.  It appears our local club is either going to implode or simply fade away as members (continue to) die off.  Far too many long-time collectors seem to view new members as "increased competition for the limited amount of good stuff," rather than seeing them as a way to grow and perpetuate a hobby we all love.  So, what are you doing for the benefit of our hobby?

Although the hours devoted to HutchBook activities declined a bit this week, we continued to add more data and catalog additional new Hutchinsons.  We also devoted considerable time to HutchBook-related correspondence.  The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,802. 

November 15, 2010: The past 10 days flew by while I chipped away on HutchBook activities, mixed in considerable work on an unrelated writing project, spent time on early preparations for the holiday season, and pounded out long training runs in preparation for the Seattle Marathon scheduled for the Sunday after Turkey Day.  This year's race will mark my 30th running of the Seattle Marathon.  Given our unusually soggy fall weather, I better plan to take my wet suit and flippers.

This past weekend I attended our local bottle club's last show and sale for 2010.  After 49 years of collecting I have learned to lower my expectations, as I often return home from shows empty-handed.  Although I didn't nab any Oregon or Washington Hutchinsons, I did manage to obtain a nice paper-labeled quart, plus a clear, circa 1897-1900 Spokane, Washington, pedestal-based siphon bottle featuring an etched Star of David. 

While at the show, I enjoyed visiting with collectors I have known for several decades, although I continue to be quite concerned that the building was predominately filled with fellow white-haired folks and I see little/no effort being expended to attract new blood into our hobby.  Apparently the last old guy/gal still standing wins because they'll end up with all of the bottles? 

One of our club members recently passed away and, not surprisingly, several other collectors quickly contacted his widow to inquire about the disposition of his collection.  I'll spare you the ugly details, but it sounds as if the deceased club member hadn't devoted much/any time to estate planning and his widow is clueless as to the value of her late husband's bottle collection.  If you could imagine such a scenario happening to you, I encourage you to visit www.SeattleHistoryCompany.com and take advantage of the free Estate Planning Guide posted there.  This form allows one to type in the information, print it, and provide written instructions to the executor of your estate.  Do your survivors (and personal representative) a favor; make sure your Last Will and Testament is current, and put together a written estate plan!

This past week's EMail brought a thought-provoking message from one of our long-time Hutchinson Specialists concerning the ever-popular subject of fully disclosing a bottle's condition, especially when listing a bottle for sale via an on-line auction site.  A beautiful, colored Hutchinson was recently relisted on GreedyBay after selling to a buyer who wasn't happy about the bottle's condition once it arrived in the mail.  The buyer's negative feedback comments and the seller's displeasure over a deal that fell apart weren't pretty.  I have addressed this subject with this paragraph in the Hutchinson Bottle Sales Guide:

CONDITION: Hutchinson bottles were usually refilled and reused many times, so evidence of handling wear is normal.  An accurate description fully disclosing a bottle's condition is critically important to Hutchinson collectors; sales listings should detail all damage including cracks, chips, nicks, flakes, pitting, bruises, dings, scratches, case wear, stains, dirt, water deposits, sick glass, etc.  Be sure to disclose any repairs, polishing, and/or professional cleaning.  If a bottle has been irradiated, include and explain that the color has been permanently altered; failure to disclose a bottle has been irradiated is, in my opinion, fraud.

If you have suggestions on how we can strengthen this paragraph, please let me know.

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,798.  

November 5, 2010: We have catalogued an additional 14 totally new Hutchinsons since the previous Project Status Report, two of which are featured on the current Home page.  These two were somewhat frustrating, as in the middle of preparing the Home page piece it was brought to my attention the seller had pulled one of the listings.  My best guess is someone convinced him (in spite of GreedyBay's non-stop attempts to prevent buyers and sellers from contacting each other) to cancel the auction and sell the bottle outside of GreedyBay.  I have experienced this same situation before and it is incredibly frustrating; play by the rules and end up empty-handed while those who ignore the rules pillage and plunder.  Having seen considerable GreedyBay competition for rare Missouri Hutchinsons before, even though the seller may be happy with the price he obtained, I'm betting he left considerable money on the table.  We'll likely never know the rest of the story... 

This has been yet another extremely busy week for working on HutchBook tasks.  We have fielded several phone inquiries and enjoyed numerous EMail exchanges.  Alas, we are still way behind on EMail and only slowly catching up. 

Snail mail brought the catalog for American Bottle Auctions' Sale #51.  Included are    quite a few nice sodas, particularly Hutchinson and Baltimore Loop Seal bottles from Montana.  The catalog may also be accessed on-line at www.AmericanBottle.com.

The mail also brought the November, 2010 AB&GC magazine.  The next issue is scheduled to be John Pastor's first as new owner and I am still hoping we will see major changes.  If the December issue includes more articles about coins, paper money, and fire fighter hats, I will not be renewing my nearly 40 year continuous subscription.

In case you missed my mid-week posting, check the Home page for the 11-01-10 feature on the 1,000th Ohio Hutchinson bottle we recently catalogued. 

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,794.  

October 26, 2010: Hopefully you have already read the newly posted Home page piece concerning the five rare Hutchinsons currently for sale via an on-line auction site. There were two other rare Hutchinsons that I would have liked to feature, but the seller refuses to support the hobby and assist fellow collectors by sharing information, so I figure the least I can do is reciprocate by not promoting his sales.  To each their own, but after 49+ years of collecting I can safely say that those of us who define "collecting" as sharing information with others are enjoying our hobby far more than the closet collectors.  

Auction site Hutchinson postings have been hit and miss this month; last week we went four days in a row with no new listings (most likely that's a first since re-starting this project 01-01-04), yet in the past two days we've catalogued eight totally new bottles.  Although we will likely fall short of my prediction that we will hit 17,000 total listings by year end 2010, we won't miss it by much.  One of the most frequent questions we hear is "How many total Hutchinsons do you think exist?"  I honestly don't have a clue.  I think/hope we have 95%+ of them catalogued at this point, but I also believe new ones will continue to turn up long after those of us collecting them today have moved on to Hutchinson Heaven/Hell (I wanted to include the fraud artists nuking Hutchinsons).  Earlier today I was corresponding with Sam Fuller, a long-time Hutchinson collector, author of Maine Bottlers and Their Bottles, and our Maine Hutchinson Specialist.  Sam mentioned he is still chasing seven Maine Hutchinsons, "but the hunt is what makes it exciting," and I agree completely!  By coincidence, seven Oregon Hutchinsons (out of 67) continue to elude my personal grasp.  Rather than fretting that I may never acquire them, I choose to actively continue the search; after all, the next Oregon Hutchinson I find may be one of those seven and then there will be only six to go!

I'm not bothering to post another whining Caveat Emptor report on the siphons with faked etchings that are once again showing up at on-line auction sites.  One that drew nine bids and sold for $87.79 is a faked Susanville, California Coca-Cola.  If you have a strong stomach, check out GreedyBay 280576932936 and note this "Top-Rated Seller's" 100% rating and the other fakes he/she has for sale!  Another currently listed siphon is GreedyBay 310264895742, a foreign bottle with a faked South Bend, Indiana Coca-Cola etching.  If you think the junk the previous fraud artist is peddling is bad, this one is even worse!  Be careful out there and let only the closet collectors waste $$$$ on these fakes.

I managed to survive the Portland Marathon in spite of non-stop rain.  This past weekend's Halloween Marathon featured two nasty rain showers, cold temperatures, and 15-20 mph headwinds.  Hmmm...it may be time to re-think marathoning and get back to spending my Sunday afternoons in some sane pursuit, such as digging privies?  I'm not planning to pound pavement again until my 30th Seattle Marathon the Sunday after Turkey Day, and between now and then I plan to make considerable progress on the HutchBook.

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,780.  

October 7, 2010: September 30th marked the first anniversary of moving HutchBook.com Phase I to the 'Net.  Wow, what a busy 12 months it has been!  In addition to cataloguing 271 totally new Hutchinsons and thousands of bits of new data for existing listings, we have invested 1,100 more hours into this initiative.  Somehow I also managed to pound out another 10 marathons, prepare, list, and sell my long-time home in Seattle, buy a new home and move to Littlerock, Washington, spend a month hauling and stacking hay and, oh yeah, I got married!  There's no rest for the weary; Saturday we're headed south for my 29th consecutive Portland Marathon.

My October, 2010 AB&GC magazine arrived this week.  As usual, it is chock full of typographical and grammatical errors, and although gasoline signs, thermometers, baseball cards and gloves are interesting collectibles, I fail to understand what they have to do with antique bottles and glass.  I also found it interesting that Jim Bender's letter to the editor concerning the recent FOHBC election was printed by AB&GC magazine, rather than Bottles and Extras.  I am hoping new owner John Pastor will breathe new life and editorial professionalism into AB&GC.  As for Bottles and Extras, it seems to me this publication is long overdue to be moved to the FOHBC web site, rather than continuing the expensive publication and distribution via hard copy.  This would seemingly reduce expenses considerably, probably allow for a reduction in the rather steep FOHBC annual membership fees, and maybe even foster increased FOHBC membership.  Changes (and announced intentions) I see via both publications by year end will determine whether or not I renew my 35+ year OBX/AB&GC subscription and continue FOHBC membership.   

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,767.  

September 27, 2010: HutchBook activities during the past two weeks have continued to focus on updating the database and answering correspondence.  I am still dreadfully behind on correspondence and am contemplating devoting an entire day to nothing but HutchBook EMail.  If you have pending inquiries, please continue to bear with me!

As mentioned in the first of the two current Home page articles, the FOHBC's September-October 2010 Bottles and Extras magazine arrived today.  Included is a message from FOHBC president Gene Bradberry which doesn't include much "meat" as far as outlining plans for the FOHBC's future direction.  I am desperately hoping we'll soon see increased emphasis on attracting new collectors to our hobby.  Big hint: if the hobby isn't growing, it is dying!  There is also a piece on the sale of AB&GC magazine to John Pastor.  It seems a sad (but somewhat ironic) commentary that the text of the AB&GC article cites 26 years of ownership for the former publisher, while the accompanying photo caption specifies 20 years.  Alas, yet another typographical error; it has in fact been 26 very long years and our hobby is long overdue for this change of ownership.  Good luck, John!

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,762.

September 15, 2010: In addition to cataloguing newly identified Hutchinsons, updating existing listings, and converting the HutchBook database, we have been sneaking in all sorts of other activities this month.  The return of cooler weather signals an early start to fall and hopefully less time spent chasing the lawn mower and pulling weeds.  Several of my longer training runs went to waste when late last Friday an inexperienced race director pulled the plug on a local marathon I was set to run the next morning.  Oh well, I should be extra-ready for my 29th consecutive Portland (Oregon) Marathon 10-10-10.  I also attended a funeral, several birthday gatherings, and a wedding.  The nuptials occurred on Labor Day and rearranged many priorities, given it was my wedding!  Since then we've been focused on moving Nancy's household contents to our new home.  Life is good.

One side effect of maintaining HutchBook.com is the need to devote time to a wide variety of inquiries.  The number of messages submitted, particularly via EMail, is increasing dramatically as people are discovering and directing others to HutchBook.com.  Most of the questions received are along the lines of "I found a such-and-such bottle and can't find anything about it on the Internet, so it must be very rare and valuable, right?"  "How old is it?"  And, of course, "How much is it worth?"  It is generally fun to provide whatever answers we can (we do NOT do appraisals!) and/or direct people to Hutchinson specialists who have additional information.  An interesting down side is the rising number of folks who don't realize how much time it takes to find answers to their questions and prepare responses, and then they don't have the courtesy to even say "Thank you."  Pffft!

The Hutchinson Bottle Directory database has been updated again and revised totals by state, territory, province, and foreign country have been posted on the Bottle Directory pages.  The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,750. 

September 3, 2010: In case you missed the closing of the auction for the maverick MEREDOSIA / BOTTLING / WORKS. Hutchinson (from Illinois) featured on the Home page last week, it drew nine bids from eight bidders.  Two sniping bids in the last 10 seconds drove it up from $61 to a closing price of $203.99 (+ $6.00 P&H).  GreedyBay's masking of user IDs prevents knowing who won the auction, but our congratulations to the new owner!

The phone rang earlier this week with the news that a second example of the rare L. L. DAUS / SODA WATER WORKS / BAKER CITY, / OR. Hutchinson was recently dug.  I lucked into obtaining the first known example 25+ years ago and was beginning to think we might never see another one.  Like my example, the newly discovered bottle has some damage (thanks to being found by a contractor using a backhoe), but even so it will likely bring big bucks when it changes hands.  This bottle is the subject of the "Researching Oregon's Rarest Hutchinson Soda" chapter in Collecting Soda Pop Bottles (yes, another shameless plug for one of the books I have for sale!).

Speaking of nice finds, we were intrigued with an on-line auction listing for a previously unknown O. J. OLSON / N. P. / JUNCTION / MINN. quart Hutchinson.  We've been unable to obtain data on the bottle other than knowing it is a two leaf mold, aqua, and has a WISC. G. CO. / MILW. maker's mark embossed on the round base.  It drew 25 bids and closed at $504 without meeting the sellers' obviously high reserve.  We would like to feature this bottle with a future Home page article if/when it ever ends up in the hands of a collector willing to share additional information about it.  Meanwhile, one of our Minnesota Hutchinson specialists is busily researching the bottler.

EMail brought news of the resignation of the FOHBC's Western Region Director.  Otherwise, we've seen/heard nothing from the slate of newly elected FOHBC officers, nor anything on plans for AB&GC magazine changes.  Heavy forbid either of these entities is planning for "business as usual!"  It seems to me both should be making enthusiastic noise about ways to bring new blood into our hobby's rapidly aging membership base.  Big hint: if the hobby isn't growing, it's dying!

This has been another very busy week working on the Hutchinson Bottle Directory database, attending another car show (see new photos at SeattleHistoryCompany.com), pounding out long training runs, and dealing with seemingly endless yard work.

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,742.

August 24, 2010: My feet appreciate the fact I have planted myself back in front of this PC after a very busy weekend spent pounding out a long training run, too much yard work, and another car show (see photos on the "Bringing Betsy Back" page at SeattleHistoryCompany.com).

We are continuing to clean up the Hutchinson Bottle Directory database while adding still more new listings such as the nice MEREDOSIA / BOTTLING / WORKS. maverick currently featured on the Home page.  Fortunately the origin of this bottle was identified from the get go, rather than having to add it to the list of unknown Maverick Hutchinsons. 

In case you missed the auction closings for some of the Hutchinson bottles we've recently featured on either the Home page or Caveat Emptor pages, here are the results:

• The listings for those four nice Coca-Cola Hutchinsons start closing today.  So far, none of them have been purchased via "Buy It Now" or have offers pending.

• The nuked DAVE MORNINGSTAR / SALEM / OHIO / REGISTERED Hutchinson drew one bid and sold for $9.99 + $7.25 P&H.  Most likely this Rare bottle would have commanded a much higher price had the glass color not been permanently altered via irradiation.  The seller continues to peddle nuked bottles with no mention they have been irradiated and GreedyBay continues to facilitate FRAUD!

• The Baltimore Loop Seal emerald green W. A. FRENCH & CO. / N.J. / RED BANK beer solicited 13 bids and closed for $256.13 + $7.00 P&H. 

• The GANNETT & MORSE / DIAMOND (inside diamond) / AUGUSTA, ME. Roorbach Floating Ball Stopper bottle didn't sell and has been relisted.

• The beautiful, cobalt blue W.H.H. / CHICAGO blob top closed with 12 bids at $31.00 + $8.00 P&H.  Someone obtained a very nice bottle at a bargain price.

• That nuked LEONARD BOTTLING CO. / (crossed flags) / TRADE MARK / REGISTERED / BALTIMORE, MD. blob top drew no bids at $7.95.  The seller has since relisted it with an opening price of $1.50 + $10.55 P&H and someone has placed a bid on it.  Caveat emptor!

• The very nice MINERAL SPRINGS / BOTTLING / CO. / HUMBOLDT, IOWA. true Hutchinson (with an attached Lightning Stopper) brought five bids and sold for $52.23 + $7.00 P&H.   

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,732.

August 15, 2010: While continuing to invest considerable time into the Hutchinson Bottle Directory database, I also made time to attend a local bluegrass concert, participate in a large and fun car show, mow, pull weeds almost as fast as the new ones are growing, and start boosting my running mileage.  We have set record high temperatures each of the past two days here, and I'm increasingly ready for the arrival of fall weather.

The current Home page feature on bottle closures that are often confused with bottles blown for use with Hutchinson's Patent Spring Stoppers is another topic not unlike my Don Quixote-like efforts to put an end to the irradiation of antique glass.  I am trying not to wear people out by continually harping on this subject, but just can't stand by while so many bottle closures are incorrectly identified.  Please help out by using the correct nomenclature, and directing others to the numerous HutchBook.com pages specifically designed to explain closure patent differences.

EMail messages the past week brought considerable bottle-related news.  The recent FOHBC elections are over and the slate of newly elected/re-elected officers has been announced.  Hopefully the highly unproductive, nonsensical, political infighting will now stop and the FOHBC's mission will return to promoting and perpetuating our hobby.  I also noted an announcement that AB&GC has been sold.  Hopefully the new owner will return the magazine's focus to antique bottles and glass; I've grown weary of articles about guitars, baseball gloves, cigar store Indians, coin auctions, flags, a columnist's love life, and other non-glass-related topics.  I am also hoping we'll see the application of genuine editorial judgment as to what does/doesn't get published, articles about Hutchinson bottles, and who knows, maybe even the use of a spell checker!

Check out the latest Caveat Emptor posting concerning painted embossings.

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,724.

August 8, 2010: The last bale of hay went into the barn hours before our streak of 30+ days without rain mercifully ended.  My tired muscles are enjoying a return to this chair and the increased time I am again devoting to the HutchBook initiative.  During the dog days of August when many folks are busy wrapping up summertime activities, the time devoted to Hutchinson-related activities often ebbs.  I am planning to do some serious catching up on delinquent EMail responses and focusing on the database.  Then again, the August calendar includes several car shows, concerts, and a return to longer training runs as the fall marathon season looms.  I best get busy. 

Here's an update on the maverick Hutchinsons posted on the 07-29-10 Home page:

• THE HOME / BOTTLING CO. from Toledo, Ohio closed with no bids.

• The FRANK / S. / WALDO & CO. from San Francisco attracted only two bids and is leaving Australia as, in our opinion, a real bargain at only $13.00. 

• That nice CURRIER'S / SARSAPARILLA drew four bids and sold for $86.71 to one of our Hutchinson specialists we know is very pleased to add this one to his extensive collection.  We're hoping that one day someone will figure out where this bottle and the companion CURRIER'S / ROOT BEER originated.

• The double star/flower maverick produced for/used by William Franzen & Son in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is still available for bidding as GreedyBay #140291732256.

I have posted another Caveat Emptor blast, again tackling the fraud artists who continue to permanently alter glass colors via irradiation, and also taking a shot at poorly prepared sales listings.  Please send your suggestions on how we can improve these situations.

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued has crept up to 16,721.

July 29, 2010: The Hutchinson Bottle Directory database has been updated/corrected and revised totals by state, territory, province, and foreign country have been posted on the Bottle Directory pages.  The corrected grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,717. 

July 27, 2010: The GreedyBay listings for the five Hutchinsons featured on our previous Home page posting have all closed.  These auctions were interesting to watch and strongly suggest competition for nice Hutchinson bottles is very much alive and well in spite of the struggling U.S. economy.  In case you missed our Home page posting and/or the auction results, here are the bottles, number of bids, and closing prices:

• REGISTERED / LUNA BOTTLING CO. / (man in moon and stars) / 34 FRONT ST. / HARTFORD, CONN. = 35 bids (27 by the bidder who finished in second place, five by the winner) and $169.39.  We asked if anyone could identify the "A.L." base initials and Tod von Mechow used his superb research skills to discover Hartford City Directory listings for Argeo Limauro, proprietor of the Luna Bottling Works from 1906-1910.  Limauro was located at 34 Front Street in 1908.  Thanks, Tod!

• REEDER BOTTLING WKS. / REEDER / N.D. = 18 bids and $180.49.

• HANS IVERSEN / (anchor) / COLD SPRING STATION, L.I. = 2 bids and $47.99.

• ARTESIAN / BOTTLING / WORKS / DE SOTO, MO. = 3 bids and $23.76.

• BATESVILLE / BOTTING / WORKS / BATESVILLE, ARK. = 16 bids and $102.50.

I spent 0800-1700 hauling and stacking hay yesterday, and my aching arms and shoulders are reminding me why I left the farm 40+ years ago!  We'll be back at it again early tomorrow morning, so I'm doing some catch-up HutchBook activities today.  I've also been assisting Charles David Head with research for several articles he has prepared for publication at www.KocaNola.com, or in Bottles and Extras or AB&GC magazine in months to come.  Several of his articles feature Hutchinson bottles, so be watching for them.  The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,719.

July 22, 2010: Last weekend's high school reunion events were great fun, although they definitely knocked a hole into progress on HutchBook.com.  I'm squeezing in this brief Project Status Report prior to spending this afternoon stacking still more hay.  So much hay, so little time!

Thanks to a tip from long-time bottle buddy Mark Nelson, we motored down to Toledo, Washington last Sunday afternoon to check out a "collectibles sale" he spotted on craigslist.com.  The property owner had several acres covered with trucks, pickups, cars, and tractors in various states of disrepair.  In addition to stoneware, blacksmithing tools, signs, tins, and assorted junque, he really did have the "1,000s of bottles...including Huchisons (sic)" mentioned in his ad.  It was quite surprising to be able to paw thru 100+ Hutchinsons.  Most were very common examples from NY, PA, and WA, and considerably over-priced.  I did manage to rescue a rare CRYSTAL / SODA WORKS / PORTLAND OR. that is mint but for a nasty base chip.  I also went thru hundreds of blob top, BIMAL, ABM, and ACL crown top sodas, plus beers, whiskeys, milks, and medicines, but found nothing else worth dragging home.  It was refreshing to unglue myself from the PC for a couple of hours.

The July 13, 2010 Home page item concerning nuked Hutchinson bottles has been moved to the Caveat Emptor page and an update posted as a post mortem on the on-line auctions for the pictured bottles.   

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,718.

July 13, 2010: Steady work continues on the Hutchinson Bottle Directory database in spite of interruptions to participate in a Fourth of July BBQ and car show (photos posted on the "Bringing Betsy Back" page at www.SeattleHistoryCompany.com), yard work, attending a tractor show/pull, and haying season.  Yes, after a 40 year respite, I've been throwing bales again.  This week's schedule includes high school reunion events. 

The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,714.  The Bottle Directory pages listing totals by state, territory, etc. have been updated again.

I couldn't resist climbing up on the anti-irradiation soapbox again and putting together the present Home page comments.  This material will be moved to the Caveat Emptor page when it is time to update the Home page.    

July 1, 2010: Yikes, what happened to June?  Somewhere in the midst of wrapping up the sale of the Seattle house, continuing the seemingly never-ending unpacking process at the new digs, working on two non-bottle-related writing projects, and pounding out a sixth spring marathon, I managed to add considerably more new bottle data and catalog 61 new listings for the Hutchinson Bottle Directory database.  The grand total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued is now 16,694 and still growing.  As practice for the on-going management of the new database, I have been keying in all new information as soon as it is acquired.  This approach is going quite well and supports my belief that continuous updating will be a major advantage of the decision to publish to HutchBook.com instead of paper. 

These Project Status Reports now have their own HutchBook.com page.  I moved them from the Home page to this newly created page in order to free up space for posting information about Hutchinson bottles that isn't project-related, e.g. the bottles pictured on the Home page currently offered for sale by R. J. Brown and Paul Hoste.  Please be sure to regularly check this Project Status Reports page for newly posted information.  The link at the top of the Home page will display the date of the most recently posted update. 

The acid-etched J. N. VICARIO Hutchinson from Port Washington, Long Island, New York (recently featured on the Maverick Hutchinsons page) found its way to a GreedyBay listing two weeks ago and drew no bids.  It has been relisted (see 260626467165) with an opening price of only $ .99 (plus $15.30 P&H) and has no bids with just over two days left on the auction.  Collectors out this way would be all over such a bottle if it were Western in origin, but in New York, with 1,374 different Hutchinsons, this listing isn't even drawing flies.  What a shame.  Speaking of mavericks and state totals, revised totals by state, territory, province, and foreign country have been posted on the Bottle Directory page.  

May 21, 2010: Recovery from last Sunday's Capital City Marathon is going well.  One more marathon in early June and my tired body and brain will enjoy a much-needed summer break from racing.  It looks like sale of the Seattle house will close late this month; yee haw!  In spite of these other distractions, early this morning I finished updating the Hutchinson Bottle Directory database.  Revised totals for the states, territories, Canada, foreign countries, and mavericks have been posted on the Bottle Directory page.  The new grand total number of Hutchinsons catalogued is now 16,633.

Oops; correct the total to 16,634 Hutchinsons and climbing.  We just spotted a newly-posted GreedyBay listing (270582116470) for an E. FISHER / WAHOO / NEB.  Although it has a damaged top, it is nice to see the seller recognized the bottle's rarity and is making it available to other collectors. 

The "J. N. VICARIO" unknown maverick Hutchinson we recently listed has been identified, thanks to expert sleuthing by Tod von Mechow.  Learn where this bottle originated on the Maverick Hutchinsons page.

Word was recently received that Reno, Nevada has been selected as the site for the once-every-four-years FOHBC National Expo in 2012.  It is tentatively scheduled for the last week in July.  We will be holding a Hutchinson Bottle Collectors' Association meeting in conjunction with Expo 2012, so mark your calendar and plan to be there! 

May 12, 2010: If "busy hands are happy hands," I am definitely wearing a broad grin.  The past two weeks have flown by thanks to running a marathon and preparing for another one this coming Sunday, maintaining two houses and yards, negotiating with potential buyers for the Seattle house, and countless hours spent updating the Hutchinson Bottle Directory database.  Thank goodness for HutchBook activities that are helping me maintain my sanity!  As soon as the database review is completed, I will update the totals on the temporary lists posted on the Bottle Directory page. 

I am continuing to correspond with collectors from across the continent adding newly-identified Hutchinsons, and filling-in missing data on others.  Speaking of which, we just added another unknown maverick.  Check out #34 on the Maverick Hutchinsons page.

The phone rang last week and it was a voice from the past.  Jerry Pickel from PA found the HutchBook.com site while searching the 'Net and was excited to discover we have resurrected Joe Nagy's Hutchinson Encyclopedia initiative.  Jerry was a major contributor to the project early on and the files I inherited from Joe's estate are chock full of rubbings and bottle data submitted by Jerry.  Welcome back to the future, Jerry; you are our newest listed HBCA member and Hutchinson Specialist.

I took a break last weekend to attend our local club's spring show and sale.  Although I didn't add any new Hutchinsons to my personal collection, lots of nice examples were offered for sale.  The rarest one I spotted was a BONANZA BOTTLING CO. / DAWSON, N.W.T. that reportedly changed hands for $1,000 after having been acquired at a flea market in California for but $20.  Obviously I'm not going to the right flea markets!

April 27, 2010: Posted updates to the Hutchinson Specialists, and Hutchinson Bottle Sales Guide pages.  The Sales Guide changes were inspired by EMail exchanges with a GreedyBay seller who doesn't take the time to prepare more than one sentence long, inadequate bottle descriptions with poor photographs, yet he has time to complain because people aren't paying him big bucks for his bottles; go figure. You can lead 'em to water, but you can't make 'em drink!

We have posted Hutchinson bottle #16,600 and the total is still climbing.

April 22, 2010: Last weekend's Wenatchee Marathon went quite well.  The trip included relaxing stops at two large antiques malls that have historically given up several nice additions to the collection.  This year I was skunked thanks to many booths that were totally empty, and others filled with leftover garage sale junque.  I'm seeing the same effect at the on-line auction sites with far too many "extremely rare" 1930s Clorox bottles and 1960s Alka-Seltzer bottles being listed. 

This week's HutchBook activities have included cataloguing more newly identified Hutchinsons, continuing to whittle away at EMail messages requiring action, identifying two more unknown maverick Hutchinsons, and initiating a complete update of the Hutchinson Bottle Directory database.  It feels good to again be devoting considerable time to the project. 

April 15, 2010: Although this would be an ideal opportunity for an essay concerning the seemingly never-ending process of readying a house for resale, sorting, weeding, and packing 60+ years worth of "stuff," loading and unloading moving vans, unpacking hundreds of boxes, changing contact information with 40+ separate entities, managing two houses, etc., I won't bore you with gory details.  Here's the "executive overview:" the Seattle house is still on the market, I am living at the new house, the bottle collection is boxed and will remain so until the new bottle room has insulation, sheetrock, lighting, heat, carpeting, and shelving, and the spring marathon season is underway.  I survived the recent Yakima River Canyon and Easter Marathons, and am scheduled for marathons in Wenatchee, Tacoma, Olympia, and Port Angeles every other weekend thru June 6th. 

Although the bulk of my time the past four months was primarily spent on house and moving-related activities, I also devoted considerable time to the Hutchinson Bottle Directory initiative.  My sincere thanks to those who have sent EMail messages and continue to patiently await responses.  In the past few days I have whittled the number of messages requiring action down to "only" 46.  Some of these inquiries can be answered quickly, while others will require several hours of research.  I am a one man band, so please continue to bear with me.

Numerous changes have been added to HutchBook.com, primarily as a result of incorporating my new contact information.  I have also updated the tables listing the number of bottles catalogued by state, territory, province, and country, plus the unknown mavericks.  The grand total number of bottles catalogued is now 16,581 and I still believe (fear?) we will hit 17,000 by year end, 2010.

January 27, 2010: Added Dave Gilson to the HBCA Membership Directory page.  Dave specializes in Hutchinsons from Pennsylvania towns, plus Pittsburgh.  Welcome, Dave!

I'm smack in the middle of changing households.  The new home purchase closes today and I can now start the moving process.  Meanwhile, I'm furiously working on readying my current home for listing with a realtor.  I am trying to minimize disruption to HutchBook activities, but keep falling further and further behind at responding to EMail messages.  It will be a couple of weeks before I'm settled in enough to start catching up; bear with me!  The grand total number of Hutchinsons catalogued is now at 16,561.  

January 13, 2010: I haven't added new information for several weeks, so I'm posting this note to confirm I'm still kicking.  I survived the holidays and two more late year marathons, and for added excitement I'm readying my house for resale while packing to move to a new home located 75 miles south of Seattle, near where I lived from 1961-1970.  Having to box up a 49 year collection of bottles and books has been a good reminder it is time to start taking more stuff out of the house than I bring in (and no, none of the bottles are for sale!).  We're still cataloguing Hutchinsons, particularly since New Year's when on-line auction sellers started having at it again.  The grand total number of Hutchinsons is now at 16,550 (PA is at 2,949 and may hit 3,000 by year end!).  As soon as I'm moved I'll update my contact information and refocus on HutchBook Phase II.  Happy 2010!

HBCA members: See important announcement on the HBCA Membership Directory page!

December 11, 2009: Added Wayne Loschen to the HBCA Membership Directory page.  Wayne and his sons collect Hutchinsons from Louisiana, South Arkansas, and East Texas.  Welcome to the HBCA!

November 27, 2009: Added Montana Hutchinson collector Aaron Bliss to the ever-growing HBCA Membership Directory page.  Welcome, Aaron!

If you have yet to check out the newly rebuilt www.SeattleHistoryCompany.com site, please do so.  Rebuilding the site took considerably longer than estimated.  Looking into the crystal ball, the holidays, two more marathons this year, and other personal developments are combining to push launch of the Hutchinson Bottle Directory beyond the 12-31-09 target implementation date.  I am hungering to make the Hutchinson bottle database available to the public, but there simply aren't enough hours in the days that remain this year.  Bear with us; the end result will be worth the wait. 

November 7, 2009: The Caveat Emptor ("Let the buyer beware!") information previously posted at SeattleHistoryCompany.com has been moved to HutchBook.com and added to the "Collecting" page as part of the "Hutchinson Bottle Sales Guides" section.

October 30, 2009: Now that the Hutchinson Bottle Directory material previously posted at SeattleHistoryCompany.com has been consolidated into HutchBook.com, the original files have all been deleted from SeattleHistoryCompany.com.

Reminder for web site owners whose sites are linked to SeattleHistoryCompany.com: if your site is linked because of the Hutchinson Bottle Directory initiative, please revise your link to point to www.HutchBook.com and ensure the link is functional.  All of the bottle collecting-related links previously posted on the SeattleHistoryCompany.com site have been moved to HutchBook.com.  They can now be found on the "Resources" page under the heading "Advanced Bottle Collector Links."  

During November, SeattleHistoryCompany will be rewritten in MS Expression Web 2 and moved from Yahoo to GoDaddy for hosting.  Today completes 30 consecutive days of adding material to HutchBook.com.  Following tomorrow's Halloween Marathon, our primary focus switches to construction of the Hutchinson Bottle Directory database.  Additional information will be added to the site in weeks to come, but not on a daily basis.

October 29, 2009: Added the illustrations accompanying Charles G. Hutchinson's 1880 Bottle Filling Machine patent to the "Hutchinson Filling Head" page in the "Bottling Process" portion of the "Bottling" page.  Added numerous more listings to the "HutchBook.com Resources" portion of the "Resources" page.  Edited the "Credits" and "Resources" portions of the introductory material on the "Resources" page.   

October 28, 2009: Changed the "Sources" page title to "Resources" and added introductory material for the "Credits" and "Resources" portions.  Started listing individual references on the new "HutchBook.com Resources" page.  Many more will follow.

October 27, 2009: Added the remainder of the "Hutchinson Bottle Directory Updates" and the entire "HutchBook.com Updates" material to the Home page.  The consolidation of all Hutchinson Bottle Directory files at HutchBook.com will conclude with removal of the original files from SeattleHistoryCompany.com.

October 26, 2009: Added "Hutchinson Bottle Directory Updates" and "HutchBook.com Updates" links to the Home page.  This continues the process of moving and archiving Hutchinson Bottle Directory developmental material from SeattleHistoryCompany.com to HutchBook.com.  Check tomorrow's Project Status Report for more information. 

October 25, 2009: Reorganized and expanded the "Hutchinson Bottle Directory Database" portion of the "Bottle Directory" page to include comments about variants, data definitions, and illustrations, and added pages listing the total number of Hutchinson bottles catalogued for each state, territory, province, and foreign country, plus the unidentified mavericks.  The grand total number of Hutchinsons catalogued is 16,506.   

October 24, 2009: Expanded the Home Page introduction to add hyperlinks to the new "Hutchinson Bottle Directory Overview" and "HutchBook.com Announcement" pages. 

October 23, 2009: Added the remaining listings to the "Bottle Books For Sale' portion of the "Collecting" page. 

October 22, 2009: Added five more listings to the "Bottle Books For Sale" portion of the "Collecting" page.

October 21, 2009: Added another five listings to the "Bottle Books For Sale" portion of the "Collecting" page.

October 20, 2009: Formatted and started adding content to the "Bottle Books For Sale" portion of the "Collecting" page. 

October 19, 2009: Added an electronic "HutchBook Bottle Data Submittal Form" to the "Bottle Directory" page.  Data can be keyed directly into the form, including tabbing from field to field.  We are working on facilitating fully electronic submission of the form. 

October 18, 2009: Added content to the "Advanced Bottle Collector Links" portion of the "Sources" page. 

October 17, 2009: Added content to the "Maverick Hutchinsons" portion of the "Bottle Directory" page, including the current list of "Unidentified Maverick Hutchinsons." 

October 16, 2009: Added content to the "Hutchinson Specialists" and "Hutchinson Bottle Sales Guide" portions of the "Collecting" page.  

October 15, 2009: Added content to the "Hutchinson Bottle Collectors' Association" portion of the "Collecting" page.  If you have yet to become a HBCA member, please review the benefits and consider joining.  

October 14, 2009: Added content to the "Contact Us" page.  Added section headings to the "Bottle Directory," "Collecting," and "Sources" pages.  Content will be added to these pages as time permits during the weeks to come.  Our highest priority and current focus is on meeting the December 31, 2009 target date for implementation of Phase II.

October 13, 2009: Added content to "The Hutchinson Bottling Process," completing this section of the "Bottling" portion of the site.  Changed the "Soft Drink History" navigation button and section heading to "Industry History."  Reorganized the "Industry History" section's structure to facilitate faster downloading and access to desired material.    

October 12, 2009: Added considerable content to "The Hutchinson Bottling Process" section of the "Bottling" portion of the site. 

October 11, 2009: Added content to the "Hutchinson Bottles" section of the "Bottling" portion of the site.

October 10, 2009: Added content to the "Hutchinson's Patent Spring Stopper" section of the "Bottling" portion of the site, including a separate page for "Transitional Bottles."  Readers will likely find much of the information in this section totally new and (hopefully) enlightening in terms of better understanding basic Hutchinson stopper functionality.   

October 9, 2009: Added content to all pages in "The American Bottling System" and "Pre-Hutchinson Era Soft Drink Bottling" sections of the "Bottling" portion of the site.  

October 8, 2009: Updated the Home page introductory comments and description of Phase I topics.  Updated the Bottling page to include introductory comments for each major topic included in this section.  The "Water and Filtering Systems" page is the first page with an active link; other individual topic pages will follow.  The Bottling portion of the site is approximately 165 (printed) pages in length.

October 7, 2009: Added the last three patents, including William Painter's 02-02-1892 "Crown Seal."  This completes the list of patents featured at HutchBook.com.  Next up on the to-do list is starting into the "Bottling" section.

October 6, 2009: Added another two stopper patents.  Details on the remaining featured patents will be posted tomorrow. 

October 5, 2009: Added five more stopper patents, including William Painter's 09-29-1885 "Baltimore Loop Seal."  Bottles that utilized Baltimore Loop Seals are frequently mistaken for Hutchinsons.

October 4, 2009: Added the 1885 and 1886 William Stewart Floating Ball Stopper patents.  They have individual patent list entries, but the patent data and illustrations for each were combined into one page, along with my comments and trade publication advertisements and illustrations.  

October 3, 2009: Added seven more patents.  Improved the illustration spacing for several previously posted patents.  Additional patents will be posted tomorrow evening, assuming survival of Sunday morning's Portland Marathon!   

October 2, 2009: Added five more patents.  Announced the launch of HutchBook.com on SeattleHistoryCompany.com, and posted a final HutchBook project progress update.

October 1, 2009: Added copyright notices to all pages.  Added several more patents, including Charles G. Hutchinson's two earliest bottle stopper patents.

September 30, 2009: HutchBook.com has been moved up to a GoDaddy server, allowing initial user access to a portion of the information developed thus far.  This includes most of the content for the "Soda Pop History" pages.  Material for those patents with hyperlinks is in place; more will follow yet this week.  As the content of other pages is moved up, "under construction" notices will be removed and this status report page updated.