l This is the first pre-pro shot glass that I acquired after moving to Philadelphia several years ago.  It was one of a pair that I picked up at a local antique show for around $10.  It's nothing special really - just your  typical "brand-and-owner" glass with the city and state of origin thrown in as a bonus. 

But there was something about it that piqued my interest in what Philadelphia might have looked like in the old days, and about Messrs Humphrey & Martin.  Who were they?  Where did the ply their trade? What other brands did they use that might also have shown up on shot glasses?

Until then, I'd never really thought too much about the mechanics of answering questions like this.  Little did I know that it was going to require considerable amounts of time, effort, and even cash.  And even now, I have only a very sketchy idea about Humphrey & Martin, Distillers and Rectifiers of Philadelphia, PA.

The most frustrating aspect of researching glasses turned out to be that fact that there is no single source of information on how to do it.  I ultimately learned -- and continue to learn -- the hard way, so this and the following pages may at least save you some trauma to cranium and Sheetrock.  The only payment that I might ask in return is to share whatever you find with an intellectual contribution to the pre-pro.com database.

This section of the web is devoted to researching shot glasses and their origins.

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