Alpine Herb Bitters

  Here is a nice western bitters which comes in both tooled top, and applied top. The references I have reviewed over the years indicates that the Alpine herb Bitters ( T.T. & Co monogram on reverse) ranges from extremely rare ( Wilson 1968) to scarce ( Ring/Ham) with only the tooled top version being listed in the former. In Ring/Ham this bottle is listed as "extremely rare" with an applied top, and I have only seen a handful in this configuration. Supposedly this bitters had a very short life and was produced only for a year or so. I wonder then why the difference in top treatment? Does anyone have a handle on the ratio of tooled top and applied? This is one of a few bottles from the Thomas Taylor Company which includes the ever popular "Virginia N." fifth and sixth, slug plate fifth from the later 1880s and the pint shoofly flask in clear from Virginia City. I would be interested to know also the distribution area of this bitters and where they have been dug.
 DM