Welcome to HutchBook.com!
Permission to cite HutchBook information is granted only if the source is listed, including the HutchBook.com URL.
◄◄HutchBook.com Links►►
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For information on specific Hutchinson bottles, visit the HutchBook Bottle Directory database listing over 21,000 different Hutchinsons.
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To contact knowledgeable individuals concerning specific Hutchinson bottles, here's a link to a list of Collector Specialists.
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If you aren't sure your bottle is a true Hutchinson, link to the Hutchinson Bottle Sales Guide to review the illustrations and descriptive information.
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Our Contact Us page includes HutchBook.com guidelines and contact information.
◄◄ HutchBook.com News►►
Updated: November 6, 2023
Pennsylvania's HutchBook.com Total Hits 4,000...
Joe Nagy founded the Hutchinson Bottle Directory initiative in 1976 intending to catalog all known Hutchinson bottles. He estimated there were a total of 7,000 to 10,000 different Hutchinsons. Although skeptical such a huge project was doable, I helped Joe gather and process data for the next 17 years. After his passing in 1993 I acquired most of his Hutchinson files and stashed them until retiring. In late 2003 I realized the advent of personal computers and the Internet greatly improved the odds of seeing this project thru to fruition. Although it was apparent there were likely far more than 10,000 different Hutchinsons, in early 2004 I went public and announced rebirth of the initiative that evolved to become HutchBook.com. I was quickly contacted by an experienced Pittsburgh collector who politely questioned my sanity for tackling such a huge challenge. When he informed me "Pennsylvania has at least 4,000 different Hutchinsons," I told him that wasn't possible. A month short of 20 years later, today I ate my words for lunch. Thanks to an EMail submission received this morning from BonSubstance, a long-time GreedyBay seller and contributor of HutchBook data and images, we just catalogued PA2467.5, a newly identified Hutchinson from Pulaski, PA (check the Bottle Directory to see the listing). This one boosts HutchBook.com's grand total number of Hutchinsons catalogued to 21,350 with 4,000 originating in Pennsylvania. On to 5,000? Ron F.
Updated: December 31, 2022
Wrapping up 2022...
We've had a very busy and highly productive 2022, our 19th year for maintaining HutchBook.com. Here's the annual review of statistics covering the previous six years:
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
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Listings updated: 924 2,024 1,465 618 1,669 1,412
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Newly catalogued: 240 281 249 173 342 286
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Total catalogued: 19,906 20,167 20,399 20,552 20,872 21,141
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Total images posted: 18,285 19,518 20,671 21,284 22,500 23,501
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Images added/replaced: 992 1,233 1,153 613 1,216 1,001
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Hours invested: 430 1,073 767 475 1,430 1,149
A sincere THANK YOU to everyone contributing Hutchinson data and bottle images to the HutchBook initiative. Your strong support is why we are continually improving both the quantity and quality of HutchBook.com information.
My total investment in the Hutchinson Bottle Directory project during the past 46 years has increased to just under 22,500 hours. Maintaining HutchBook.com continues to be an interesting and enjoyable challenge.
Continually updating and maintaining HiresBook.com (Hires to You! The Illustrated History of Hires Root Beer) consumed another 161 hours this year. The site now has a total of over 2,800 Hires images posted.
On to HutchBook.com's 20th year!
Ron F.
Updated December 31, 2022
Please Help Us Kill These Hutchinson Myths!
An index to the "Archived 2013 Hutchinson Highlights" articles is included in the "HutchBook.com Development" listings at the bottom of this Home page. Scroll down and click the link to the articles, search the index for the topic you are seeking, and click the title for a quick link to the article. These articles were re-posted because so many people continue to repeat tired Hutchinson myths rather than reading, comprehending, and sharing factual information with fellow collectors and the public. Click this link to the Archived 2013 Hutchinson Highlights index to view articles concerning Hutchinson myths:
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Hutchinson Myths That Just Won't Die
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Hutchinsons Were NOT Used For Bottling Beer
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Pure Food and Drugs Act of 1906 did NOT "ban" usage of Hutchinson bottles!
Updated: December 31, 2022
Improving Your Hutchinson Bottle Sales
It is encouraging to note the increasing number of sellers routinely incorporating HutchBook.com data into their listings. Doing so takes minimal extra time and fuels the added benefit that many of these sellers are enjoying almost 100% sell thru. Check out the GreedyBay sales success enjoyed by sellers "Rosie17" and "jays-emporium" as examples. Unfortunately, numerous sellers continue to do a very poor job of describing the bottles they are listing and are left wondering why their bottles don't sell. We often see Hutchinsons classified as beers (they were NOT used for bottling beer!), whiskeys, milks, medicines, and other incorrect categories. Another common mistake is describing Hutchinsons as "Huch" or "Hutchison" bottles; potential bidders won't find your listings when searching if Hutch or Hutchinson isn't spelled correctly! We clearly understand the challenge facing sellers with little or no bottle collecting knowledge, but wonder why so many experienced collectors don't take the time to accurately describe their bottles. Understanding the basic types of soda closures isn't rocket science, even for those styles often confused with bottles that utilized Hutchinson's Patent Spring Stoppers. We frequently see Gravitating Stopper, Floating Ball Stopper, and Baltimore Loop Seal bottles described as Hutchinsons. If you are interested in improving your sales, review the "Hutchinson Bottle Sales Guide" in HutchBook.com's Collecting section and consider incorporating the suggestions into your bottle listings. Here's a link to the page:
HutchBook.com Development
HutchBook.com is designed to serve as a widely used reference source
that will benefit collectors, historians, archaeologists, and other
interested users. The Hutchinson Bottle Collectors' Association
(HBCA) sponsors free public access to HutchBook.com. HBCA members
support and promote historical research by collecting, preserving,
studying, documenting, displaying, communicating, and sharing
information about the antique bottles that utilized Charles G.
Hutchinson's Patent Spring Stopper.
Since the Hutchinson Bottle Directory initiative's founding in 1976, over 1,000 people have contributed bottle data and related information for this project. The following portions of the site document the project's historical development:
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Hutchinson Bottle Directory Overview (Updated: January 28, 2013)
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HutchBook.com Announcement (January 4, 2006)
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Hutchinson Bottle Directory Updates (July 17, 2004 thru September 30, 2008)
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HutchBook.com Updates (October 31, 2008 thru October 2, 2009)
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Project Status Reports (September 30, 2009 thru July 4, 2012)
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Archived Hutchinson Highlights (December 31, 2012 thru December 1, 2013)
HutchBook.com Implementation
Phase I: Hutchinson History (launched September 30, 2009)
HutchBook.com Phase I focuses
on historical development of the
North American soft drink industry
during the 1879 to World War I Hutchinson Era.
Site content includes extensively researched, factual
documentation concerning: the origin of the term "soda pop;" the
evolution of bottle closures, including 30+ stopper patents often
confused with Hutchinson’s Patent Spring Stoppers; a history of the W.
H. Hutchinson and Son company; Hutchinson's lawsuits; the American
bottling system; pre-Hutchinson Era bottling; Hutchinson bottles; the
Hutchinson bottling process; and much more.
Printed out, the content is 300+ pages in length!
Phase II: Bottle Directory (launched August 1, 2012)
HutchBook.com’s
newest feature is the Hutchinson Bottle Directory, a fully
searchable, free access database cataloguing extensive data on
over 21,000 different Hutchinson bottles. The powerful new
“Hutchinson Search” engine is a gateway to detailed data about the
To access the database and its related features, click on the Bottle Directory link located in the left side navigation bar on any HutchBook.com page.
Phase III: Bottle Illustrations (commenced August 1, 2012)
Phase III is the addition of photographs, scans, and computer-assisted drawings to accompany individual Hutchinson bottle listings. Over 24,000 images are now posted on-line, with more being continually added.