UncleBruce
BEER DUDE
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2012
- Messages
- 1,725
- Reaction score
- 2,077
- Points
- 113
- Location
- Show Me State (Missouri)
Lala, you can't go precisely by those ratings. They are subjective. I know of many hutches that have IMO an incorrect rating. Use your own judgement and experience & give them your own evaluation which in the long run is the best way. What is rare or common varies from person to person anyway. It's all a part of the collecting experience to learn about bottles. I might add that just because something is supposedly rare or common doesn't mean it will be DESIREABLE. If no one wants a particular bottle, then it doesn't matter if it is "RARE". If a lot of folks want a particular bottle, then it doesn't matter if it "COMMON". The HUMAN factor cannot be quantified by a rating. The HUMAN factor is affected by the region and the collecting habits of each individual. You're a smart collector Lala use your intuition and learn.
Here is how I would look at a WV hutch: IMO and experience WV collectors are few and most of them are like most other collectors... they have tight purse strings. The collectors that would 'PAY BIG' for a bottle won't tell you that anyway. What works for these hutches is they are from smaller towns. In comparison a Wheeling (city) hutch would likely be more common as the companies probably manufactured more bottles. I can't tell what the condition is, but it doesn't matter as for my part I only collect the hutches that are beer related. For a hutch collector or a WV collector condition will be important. HUMAN factor then becomes the key, and it is relatively impossible to know this unless we get to know the collectors. If they were cheap, I would pick them up to put them into an auction as they are small towns. If I had found them ($0 invested) then I would show them to friends and get their thoughts on it before deciding what to do with them.
So, this would be how I would look at the bottle. You will see how this varies if other collectors weigh in on your question. My suggestion is to trust your gut and your pocketbook. Long answer for a short question so Happy collecting Lala!
