Obear-Nester Glass Company

Figure 1: 1896 blueprints to the Obear-Nester plant in KC

The Obear-Nester Glass Company was established in 1894 following the acquisition of Obear Glass Works (originally named the "Allis & Obear Co.") by the Nester brothers.  While the main bottle manufacturing plant was located in East St. Louis, Illinois, Obear-Nester also opened a manufacturing plant in Kansas City, Missouri (see Figure 1).

Obear-Nester Glass Co. produced prescriptions, vials, beers, minerals, patent, proprietary, liquors, and flasks in flint green and amber.

Dating these bottles is difficult given the apparent lack of dating and/or plant codes.  However, a fairly accurate estimate may be obtained based on the design of the trademark (usually found on the base) and the bottle's characteristics.

For example, like most other bottle manufacturers of that time, Obear-Nester had a variety of "Oval" druggist/prescription bottles in its catalog.

These bottles were rectangular in shape, with rounded sides, so that when looking at the base of the bottle, it appears in the shape of an oval.  Ovals were likely the most popular prescription bottle.  The trademark names of the different Ovals were usually embossed onto the base of the bottles:

From the year 1896 to 1920, Obear-Nester manufactured its Rex Oval prescription bottles.  Lettered Rex prescription bottles were ordered for Wm. N. Budd / Druggist / Bunker Hill, Ill. and C. S. Randolph & Co. / Manufacturing Pharmacists / Ipava, Ills.

From 1899 to 1920, Obear-Nester manufactured its Banner Oval prescription bottles.

The Usona Oval prescription bottle was manufactured from the year 1902 until 1907 [the Usona Oval was used by the Charles W. Rogg Co. in Des Moines, Iowa, for a dispensed prescription on December 31, 1907], when Obear-Nester patented and began manufacturing its Nu-est Oval design.

These Nu-est bottles were graduated in both ounces and cubic centimeters, and were marked Pat'd Sept / 24th 07. After holding a naming contest for the Nu-est Oval bottle in 1908, Obear-Nester decided on Victor Oval as the official bottle design name, with "Victor" blown into the bases of the bottles [Victor Ovals marked H. M. & P. instead of Victor on the base were made for the wholesale house of Hornick, More & Porterfield in Sioux City, Iowa.

Available in either graduated or plain, the graduations were on the bottle's flat side.  The oval side provided a wide space for the label.  In 1911, the Victor Oval was available sterilized, washed, and corked.

In 1937, Obear-Nester patented their "new, original and ornamented" graduated prescription bottle with latticed panels on each side of the graduations.  Example:  for one pharmacy's order, Rexall Drug Store was lettered onto these bottles, had a screw-top, and were machine-made.

The Trademark & Name Change Timeline:

1891 - The Allis & Obear Company is brought into this world in an East St. Louis, Illinois bottle manufacturing plant.  Bottles from this year are likely embossed "A & O" (the "A & O" glass maker's mark resembles no other glass bottle company's mark), but there are no official records to confirm this.

1892 - The company quickly changes its name to Obear Glass Works.

1894 - The three Nester brothers purchases Obear Glass Works and changes its name to Obear-Nester.

Fig. 2

1895 - The "O-N" monogram trademark is introduced, but is used mostly on letterheads and bottle boxes. (Figure 2)

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

Fig. 5

1895-1915 - The trademark "N" in a circle (Figure 3), oval (Figure 4), or oblong (Figure 5) is

used.  Bottles were all handblown during this time.

Fig. 6

1915 - 1980 - The first semiautomatic machines are adopted in Obear-Nester's bottle manufacturing plants.  The trademark is changed one last time to an "N" in a square, which will remain the trademark until the company is shut down in 1980.