A New Distilleries Database!
Ever wondered about where the shot-glass folks got their liquor from?  Ever wondered whether there was a list of distilleries identified by their RD numbers?  Ever wondered which states had distilleries in pre-Pro days? 

A new distilleries database hopes to answer these questions.  The database was made possible by Bob Snyder who had several tattered old photocopies or IRS records among the many boxes of paper that I purchased from him a couple of years ago.  The database as it stands now is basic scaffolding - full listing pages will be created for each of the 2,500 or so distilleries that we have a record for.  Check it out and help the cause by sending me info if you have it!

Google is Everywhere...
You'll notice that Google ad bars are appearing on the database pages in an attempt to generate support from the genealogists and information hunters that routinely cruise the site.  The database gateway pages are also being updated to give them a more modern and professional feel.   

Dick Bales on Old vs. New glasses, Part III!
The latest issue of Common Stuff by Dick Bales contrasts pre- and post-Prohibition versions of glasses from distillers and dealers that survived the long dry spell.  Check it out!

Meet Jack Sullivan!
Jack Sullivan should be a familiar name to readers of any of the bottle mags because he's a regular contributor to many of them, including the FOHBC's Bottles and Extras, Potomac Pontil, and Ohio Swirl.   Jack has a knack for telling stories about the old distillers and dealers, often using a jug, bottle, or piece of advertising as a kicking-off point  for an interesting tale.  He's published several hundred articles over the years and self-published three books, including his latest offering "Mostly Whiskey: Bottles, Jugs & Whathaveyou" (order here: only $23 shipped!).

Jack has graciously agreed to let us make his articles available here at www.pre-pro.com in searchable electronic format.  At present, only a handful of his articles are available, but in time all 200+ will be incorporated and linked into relevant dealer listing pages. 

You can browse and search Jack's work within his mini-web: "Whiskey Men, by Jack Sullivan".

"Found in the Wild":  see what your colleagues have brought home from the hunt!
If you've found something worth writing home about, drop me a line and I'll list it for you in the "Found in the Wild" section: latest neat find comes from Brad Allin (nuffbarn): check it out!
 

Happy New Year!
Welcome to 2008!  With the new year comes a new sales area -- a shot-glass mini-mall that will provide anyone with glasses to sell with their own sales booth.  Up until now, collectors with dups or traders have had to send me their glasses or pics of glasses and then have me list them for sale.  The new area will make collectors autonomous and will allow them to list their own glasses much as one does on eBay.  The advantage is that glasses can stay online until they sell rather than appearing and disappearing in a week.  The mini-mall is still in the beta-testing phase, but if you're interested in setting up a seller's account, drop me a line at glassmaster@pre-pro.com.
 

Paul Gronquist adds 130 glasses to the database!
Paul Gronquist collects Kansas City.  He kindly wrapped 150 or so of his shots, boxed them and took them on the road with him to Collinsville for me to photograph.  About 130 glasses from his collection of around 200 were added to the main shot database, bringing it up to 3,221 total.  I'm now working through two huge binders of paper and a box of KC corkscrews, penknives and other memorabilia to add to the city directory pages (see the Kellerstrass page, for an example of how the material is used).  Many thanks to Paul for helping out and entrusting his collection to me for documenting!
 

City Directories Database:
Latest addition is Louisville.  Check it out.

My box of directory copies (the generous donation of Jack Sullivan) is now down to New Orleans and I'm missing information on several important areas of the country.  If you have access to directories or are willing to make a trip to your local library, I'd very much appreciate any information on any of the New England cities and towns: Boston, Hartford, New Haven etc., and Washington DC. 

If you don't see it listed on the city directory entry page, then I could use information. I'm happy to cover costs, so please consider helping out.

Contact me at glassmaster@pre-pro.com.    
 

Sales Database is Up and Running
The pre-pro shot sales database is now open for access. You can find more details about membership levels and instructions for registration using the links from the login page.

As of writing (January, '08), the database contains records of 12,853 individual sales spanning 7 years. It includes approximately 4,400 unique glasses, the majority of which are not recorded in the free-access databases. Approximately 250 new records are being added each month so the scope and accuracy of the data are improving constantly.

The database is made available to help the community determine the true value of glasses and collections, and to provide a sense of how the pre-pro market is moving over time. It's also a powerful tool for determining appropriate snipe levels. Indeed, I'm hoping no-one applies for membership because it will significantly impact the glassmaster's competitive advantage on eBay!

In coming weeks, we're going to start adding in sales data from fixed price sales and incorporating images that come without sales data. This will add to the research potential of the database and help determine the true rarity of glasses that have been seen only once in the life of the database. Stay tuned for more information!

A pre-pro Reference Library 
The latest addition to pre-pro is an online library.  This area was created to help visitors find reviews of recent books, find out what books are available on various subjects, and to read books and articles online (Bob Snyder's articles from Old Bottle Magazine, for example).  As with many areas of the site, this is a work in progress so please forgive the dust and debris!

Take a look and see what you think.  If you have a pile of old bottle mags or books you'd like to get rid of, please consider donating them to help the library grow!  Thanks!

A Final Word:
This site is changing continually and is getting so large that it's becoming a real challenge to stay on top of every page and link.  If you run across typos, errors or broken links, please help me out by dropping an e-mail to  glassmaster@pre-pro.com.  Thank you!!