# Alex Zipperer South Bend Ind



## spyderdezigns (Nov 22, 2009)

Hello, Yes I am a newbie. I found this bottle at a thrift store in Southern Michigan. I am wondering if it is a soda bottle or what? If anyone can help me with this I would greatly appreciate it. 

 On the bottom are the initials A.Z.


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## surfaceone (Nov 22, 2009)

Hello Mark,

 Welcome to the forums. That is a nice looking Hutchinson Soda bottle.

 I found a couple bottle references to Alex Zipperer from Wisconsin. Adding to the mystery is the first one:





 "1725 ? Alex Zipperer Eau Claire, Wisconsin
 Here is another antique soda bottle from Dan Gross. Thanks, Dan. It is a green tinted blank slug plate with bottom embossing of the letter Z. Because of where it was found (and because of the person that found it), Dan believes that this is an Alex Zipperer from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The glassmaker is IGCO. At the side near the base, there is embsossing of, "THIS BOTTLE IS NEVER SOLD". Short of contrary evidence, I think that the bottle belongs in the gallery!" From the excellent Mr. Bottles site.





 "Zipperer, Alex Ashland, Wis.
 This is a pint sized clay beer from Ashland Wisconsin stamped ALEX ZIPPERER ASHLAND WIS."  It is salt glazed with a cobalt ring around the neck.  It probably dates from the 1880's."  From Mr. Bottles again.

 There's 3 Zipperer listings from Ashland:
 "ASHLAND            14-S-  -WI- -   -"ZIPPERER & FOSTER B/W"            

 ASHLAND            14-S-  -WI- -   -"ZIPPERER & WITTMAN B/W"           

 ASHLAND            14-B-  -WI-A- 8 -"ZIPPERER, ALEX B/W"               Found over here.

 I'm not too good in the geneology department, but did find this reference:

 "Zipperer, Alexander  of  was buried at Cedar Grove on 
 2/4/7 at age 67 yr: v31it5deaths " Found here.


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## spyderdezigns (Nov 22, 2009)

thanks for the pix & info. I can assume they are one in the same? Funny how he was bottling in South Bend too. I hope others can help answer the questions. Has anyone else heard of him & what other state was he bottling in, Illinois etc?


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## blobbottlebob (Nov 23, 2009)

Hey Spyderdezigns,
 The bottle is a hutchinson soda (which you've probably figured out already). It was sealed by a metal piece with a rubber stopper on it that originally fit into the neck and blob. There definitely was an Alex. Zipperer in Wisconsin. However, by the early 1890s, he apparently left that Ashland bottler. I wonder if there is any manufacturing markings on your hutch (like ABCo or IGCo or SB&GCo or WF&S or AGWL or ROOT or RGCo etc...) It might help date it. Check the hub and the bottom carefully.


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## spyderdezigns (Nov 23, 2009)

Thanks for the help. I will look tonite to see if there is any other markings on the bottle.

  To a collector, would this be worth anything? I am not a collector but would be willing to sell.


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## blobbottlebob (Nov 23, 2009)

It is an antique. It is collectible and it has value. The value depend quite a bit on the rarity. If that bottle were from Ashland, my guess is that its worth at least $50 even in that condition. That is because there are almost no bottles that say ALEX on them except the stoneware beer bottles. However, if the Indiana bottles are common, it may be worth only a few dollars.


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## spyderdezigns (Nov 23, 2009)

ok, how do I find out how common they are?


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## blobbottlebob (Nov 23, 2009)

Maybe someone here will know?

 In Wisconsin, several authors have gone through the trouble of making a 'rarity scale' of the relative rarity of every known antique soda or beer. I'm guessing you may have something similar. You could also try to contact Ron Fowler at seattle history. He is compiling a national database of every known hutch variant. He will know both the rarity of the bottle and the names of books and authors to learn more.


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## spyderdezigns (Nov 24, 2009)

I was emailed by some one in Michigan that said that this bottle is one of the hardest to find especially because it has the name Alex.


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## marjorie040 (Nov 25, 2009)

spyder...
 Alex Zipperer was born in Austria in 1840. He and his wife and children came to this country in June of 1871.
 In the 1800 census he is listed in Ashland as "miller"
 There is no census for 1890
 In 1900 he resided in Portage, Indiana and was listed as "pop maker" in the census.
 He died in Ashland in June of 1907 He had a son who was his namesake but he worked at the post office and as a printer.
 Regards,


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## MINNESOTA DIGGER (Feb 6, 2013)

alex zipperer was in eau claire wis as well


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## cmulliganNWI (Feb 21, 2013)

There is also an Otto J. Zipperer bottler from South Bend. The Otto bottles appear to be older. Father or uncle maybe?

 Chris


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## cannibalfromhannibal (Feb 21, 2013)

There is currently an OTTO for sale on ebay with no bids at 19.95, and another OTTO recently sold for 9.99 with what appears a complete lightning style stopper and bail. (These appear to be beer bottles to me and are amber.) They are all cool looking....Jack


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## cannibalfromhannibal (Feb 21, 2013)

Found a mention that Alex moved to South Bend from Wisconcin in 1888, began bottling Muessel beer around the toc located at 418 W Madison St., passed away in 1899 and his son Otto took over at that time. Kinda dates the Wis. bottles prior to '88. Also give a rough limit to about 10 years for the Alex bottles, unless they kept the soda embossing the same? I would suspect the blank slug hutch was a labeled Otto soda, and no embossed ones made with Otto? Hmmm.....  Jack


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