1st Chicago Bottle Club

Home
United States
Hinsdale, IL
1st Chicago Bottle Club

“We're happiest when we're down in the dumps” It is open to people of all walks of life whose common bond is the sharing and appreciation of antique bottles.

The 1st Chicago Bottle Club is a not–for–profit fellowship organization of antique bottle collectors whose goal is to promote, foster, and encourage all activities toward the betterment of bottle collecting.

06/19/2026

Hopefully you’re all enjoying this summer and getting in some digging time! Our “throwback” this week features some photos from a dig done by a club member of ours from the late 1990s and early 2000s. These privies were dug in the western Chicago suburbs and are dated early 1870s and one pontiled 1860s based on the various items pulled from the hole. 👍 Good finds, and good times!

06/17/2026

🗓️Reminder: Monthly club meeting this Friday (June 19)!

Program: Pickled products of any kind, bottle or jar

Door prizes and auction!

Hinsdale Covenant Church, 412 S. Garfield, Hinsdale, Illinois 60521. Doors open at 7 pm.

Can't wait to see you all there!

06/12/2026

For tonight’s “Throwback Thursday”, check out our club’s commemorative patch from 1984 celebrating our 15 year anniversary! It’s always great seeing these around whether they are sewn onto bags, shirts, jackets, and so much more! Share pictures of how you sport these wonderful club patches in the comments below! 👍

06/10/2026

Welcome to the fifth edition of our club’s “Meet Our Members” profile! This will introduce our club’s amazing members to our awesome followers (you), so you can learn more about the fantastic people in our club! This edition is extra special as it is a double-feature, highlighting the awesome father-son pair: Kevin and his son, Hunter!

We had the chance to interview Kevin and Hunter recently, and we’d love to share their passion for digging and bottles with you all. Hopefully it’ll inspire you to grab a buddy and go searching for some great glass!

Club Members Since: 2025

What got you started in collecting bottles?: (Kevin) - “While walking along Salt Creek one day, my son and I found a 60’s Pepsi bottle. Our minds were blown! We went back a few weeks later and found more bottles. Hooked ever since.” / (Hunter) - “When my dad and I found a Pepsi bottle and we found more and more.”

What do you collect?: (Kevin) - Vintage soda bottles. / (Hunter) - “Any cool bottles!”

Favorite acquisition experience: (Kevin) - “I’ll always remember the first Coca-Cola bottle my son pulled out of the muddy water. So iconic! It was from 1949 - I’m pretty sure - the year my dad was born.” / (Hunter) - “When I found a very old Hutchinson bottle! I was so happy!”

Favorite part of the club’s annual fall show: (Kevin) - “I have yet to take a fall show in, but I look forward to it!” / (Hunter) - “I have not done that yet.”

Strangest item you have acquired: (Hunter) - “A very creepy doll when I was looking for bottles.”

Most prized item(s) you have acquired: (Kevin) - “A 1920’s Art Deco style soda bottle in damn near perfect condition. ‘Big Premier’ is all it says. I love Art Deco. Beautifully crafted design for a soda bottle! Proof they don’t make ‘em like they used to.” / (Hunter) - “My 8-sided bottle because it looks cool and it is really old.”

Hopes and dreams for the club: (Kevin) - “I would love to see the club documented in some way. A book, a film, or something.” / (Hunter) - “That the club gets $1,000,000 and buys a lot of cool bottles.”

Favorite club memory: (Kevin) - “Frank once showed me this booklet that listed all the Chicago bottling companies. It was typed on a typewriter - I thought it was awesome!” / (Hunter) - “When they (fellow club members) said the ‘Big Premier’ bottle was rare and they have never found it.”

Favorite digging tool: (Kevin) - A hoe. / (Hunter) - “My hands.”

Historical figure you wish you could meet: (Kevin) - “Would love to sit down and have a beer with Jesus.” / (Hunter) - “A cave man.”

What is your “Holy Grail” item that you are searching for?: (Kevin) - “Pre-Prohibition beer bottles or old metal advertising signs.” / (Hunter) - “A Hutchinson that is from 1483.”

Where/how do you display/show off your collection?: (Kevin) - “The bottles have taken over a few shelves in my office. They look great in the morning light.” / (Hunter) - “I put them on shelves.”

Other fun facts about you: (Kevin) - “I love spending time outdoors. Trail running, camping, backpacking, gardening, and grilling in my backyard.” / (Hunter) - “I love, love, love, love bottles! I like metal detecting. I have a big treehouse. I collect Pokemon cards. I have the coolest mom and dad!”

Thanks, Kevin and Hunter, for sharing all about yourselves! We are thrilled to have you both in our club!

06/06/2026

Now that we’ve started our countdown to our club’s upcoming annual show this year, for this week’s “throwback”, let’s check out our show flyer from 1987!

05/28/2026

The countdown begins! We’re so excited! See official flyer for more details in the comments.

05/27/2026

Welcome to the fourth edition of our club’s “Meet Our Members” profile! This will introduce our club’s amazing members to our awesome followers (you), so you can learn more about the fantastic people in our club! This edition features our club’s very own: Frank! He is a longtime member of our club, our resident Lemont expert, and a milk bottle enthusiast!

We had the chance to interview Frank recently, and we’d love to share with you all some great background on this awesome member of our fine club!

Nickname: “Milk King”

Club Member Since: 1973

What got you started in collecting bottles?: “Early in 1969, while helping my ex-father-in-law clear brush and trees, I found a quart pyro milk bottle (Brandt Dairy, Barrington, IL) which was a long way from home - but how it got all the way to Tinley Park, IL?”

What do you collect?: “I started collecting Chicago milk bottles (I was born in Chicago) and raised in Lemont, and I collected all Lemont bottles and go-withs, and I started doing research on the history of Lemont.”

What is something that fellow club members know about what you collect?: “They know they would like to find some of these bottles.”

Favorite acquisition experience: “1. I dug 5 Paige & Vail aqua blob sodas with Joliet spelled wrong: ‘Joilet’. 2. Orland Park Bottling Works mint, aqua hutch (rare).”

Favorite part of the club’s annual fall show: “Displays (separate from the sale table) - these were done years ago.”

Strangest item you have acquired: “Fossils of trilobites and others.”

Most prized item(s) you have acquired: J.B. Bolton & Co. pottery; J.G. Bolton amber mineral water quart; J.G. Bolton amber ring top quart; J.G. Bolton aqua gravitating stopper; J.G. Bolton cobalt blob soda, and J.G. Bolton cobalt hutch soda.

Hopes and dreams for the club: “To get a lot more people interested in collecting bottles and joining the club. This hobby is educational and fun. Also they can meet a good deal of people.”

Favorite club memory: “Club dig at Pullman dump.”

Favorite digging tool: Pitchfork

Historical figure you wish you could meet: James B. Bolton (father), and John G. Bolton (son)

What is your “Holy Grail” item that you are searching for?: “A stash of gold coins.”

Where/how do you display/show off your collection?: “My pictures are in an album and I used to do the displays years ago at our club’s annual bottle show.”

Other fun facts about you: “I’ve given talks at different historical societies and displayed bottles, marbles, clay pipes, sodas, beers, inks, whiskeys, milks, coins, tokens, and miscellaneous glass items. I also tell jokes.”

Thanks, Frank, for sharing insight into your love of collecting, and thanks for being a part of our club!

05/24/2026

April Meeting Recap! Here is what went down!

Door Prizes: The raffle table was loaded with goodies, including Chicago beers, crown-top sodas from Peru, IL, a paper-labeled Watawax Polish bottle, and a classic Mason’s Root Beer ACL soda.

High-Bidding Action: The Auction! Mario P. was our auctioneer for the night, hammering down some incredible, diverse pieces:

-An eerie and unique Undertakers Supply embalming fluid bottle

-A vintage tube of milk bottle caps from Moline

-A rare Wyckoff Beverage Co. soda with a "priof" closure lip from Bloomington, IL

-A classic Ball Mason's Patent jar, a Stroh beer, and a cool 1976 FOHBC Houston Expo commemorative Hutchinson!

Show & Tell Highlights! Our members brought some absolute stunners to show off this month:

-Adrienne went international with some gorgeous pottery beers, including a stenciled Welsh ginger beer, an internal thread Smith & Co. beer, and a classic Codd closure.

-Eric brought the heavy hitters with four Chicago cobalt blob sodas (JAL, G. Lomax, Hutchinson & Co., and an EKB Aerated Soda).

-Terry shared a lineup of Wacker & Birk and Birk Bros. beers, plus a rare, broken-necked Wheeling Brewing Co. from Wheeling, IL.

-Frank wowed the room with a deep, dark amethyst Ball Improved commemorative jar.

-Ray showed off a tiny, unique 6oz seltzer bottle all the way from Austria!

The Main Event: "Colored Beers (No Aqua)"! The presentation theme brought out some of the most vibrant glass we've seen in a long time. The Chicago and Midwest history on display was incredible!

-Frank started strong with amber Peter Hand and Wm Pfeifer bottles.

-Mike H. brought a massive amber lineup, including Hoffman Bros., Val Blatz, Bohn’s Weiss Beer, M. Brand & Co., and a beautiful squat Wacker & Birk.

-Eric showcased an awesome amber Chicago Consolidated Bottling Company from Charles Place.

-Ray dominated the Lomax category, bringing a jaw-dropping spectrum of J.A. Lomax bottles in squat teal, green, teal green, teal blue, and a holy-grail true-cobalt-blob Famous Weiss Beer!

-Mario P. rounded out the display with a deep green Paul Pohl, a light green Wm Pfeifer, an amber Berliner Weiss Beer KP, and a green Columbia Weiss Beer Brewery.

05/18/2026

For our “throwback” this week, let’s have some fun with a bit of a game. Can anyone guess which club member is pictured here in this vintage photo peeking out from his diggin’ hole?! Leave your guesses in the comments! Good luck!

05/14/2026

Attention bottle fans! This upcoming meeting is always a favorite, and has been a long time tradition of our club!

🗓️Reminder: Monthly club meeting this Friday (May 15)!

Program: Annual Dug and Acquisition Awards (please note that there is a limit of 2 bottles, per category, per person). Categories judged are: ACL’S, BEERS, BITTERS, FOODS, FRUIT JARS, HOUSEHOLD, INKS, LIQUORS, MEDICINES, POTTERY, SODAS, MISCELLANEOUS, and BEST OVERALL.

Door prizes and auction!

Hinsdale Covenant Church, 412 S. Garfield, Hinsdale, Illinois 60521. Doors open at 7 pm.

It’s going to be a great evening! See you all there!

Address

Hinsdale, IL
60521

Website

https://www.1stchicagobottleclub.com/contact

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when 1st Chicago Bottle Club posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to 1st Chicago Bottle Club:

Shortcuts

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Hinsdale?