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During the late 1830's flavored soda water became the rage. Soon cities across the country were producing an incredible variety of sodas and mineral waters. The Biggest producers of course were in the largest cities: New York, Philadelphia, Charleston, Pittsburgh, and New Orleans had dozens of companies and today collectors prize soda and mineral water bottles from this period. Soda was contained in strong vessels of glass or pottery. As competition increased, the decorative nature of the bottles and crockery as increased as well. Colored bottles and those with designs, logos and pictures were popular. The earliest sodas and mineral waters had corks secured with a wire wrapped under the blob top of the container. Early glass soda bottles have pontil marked bases. The form of the early soda was a typically a sloped shouldered shape. "Squat sodas," as they are called by collectors, were primarily produced in aqua glass; those in green, teal or cobalt are much rarer and more highly desired by collectors. Over the course of nineteeth century, the shape of soda bottle changed. Although still made of heavy glass with thick walls, the shoulder became more pronounced and then with the invention of newer closures the style of soda bottles changed to the "hutchinson" style. This newest soda bottle price guide by Digger Odell contains over 350 photographs and descriptions of these high quality bottles.