Care & Cleaning: Dishwasher-Safe. Can you provide me with a little history on this jar? Some dedicated and experienced antique jar collectors will say they think the number 13 jars are just as common as jars as those with other numbers. 10. Ball Perfect Mason the Perfect is slightly to the right. There are few everyday objects more iconic than the Ball Mason jar. Some Canning Jar Terms Another way the engravings on the jar can give you insight is when there is an adjective term somewhere on the jar, usually between the Ball and Mason logos. Most home canners would have paid little or no attention to the markings in the first place. ", http://www.minnetrista.net/blog/2013/06/27/ball-family-history/how-to-date-a-ball-jar/, http://www.livinghomegrown.com/dating-old-canning-jars/, http://www.weststpaulantiques.com/galleryofjars.html, http://www.bottlepickers.com/bottle_articles188.htm, http://www.glassbottlemarks.com/ball-perfect-mason-jars, http://www.glassbottlemarks.com/ball-perfect-mason-jars/, http://www.countryliving.com/shopping/antiques/a36246/canning-jars-collectors-guide/. Most Atlas Mason jars sell for under $15, but there are a few examples that can be worth much more. One reason is that they perfectly characterize good design: innovative, useful, aesthetic, easy to understand, unobtrusive, honest, long-lasting, thorough, environmentally friendly, and involves as little design as possible. Just make sure that you know exactly what you have first before you accept any bids from strangers on the internet. The 2 is a mold number. I dont have specific info on your jar, but in general, many of the earliest BALL PERFECT MASON jars (made beginning around 1913 and for several years afterward) are marked on the bottom with a number/letter combination, not a number only (those with only numbers seem to have been introduced a little later). As mentioned earlier in this article, most Ball-produced jars are typically found with a mold number ranged between 0 and 15, so naturally some percentage of them will carry the number 13. David. Hope this helps out people. ALSO: a very similar jar is known, but it has the word BALL placed above the word MASON. Are My Old Stamps Worth Anything? I purchased bottles at an estate sale. Here is an article about the newer jars being made by Ardagh: https://www.ardaghgroup.com/news-centre/the-perfect-mason, NOTE: NEW BALL PERFECT MASON JARS BEING MADE IN 2019. Sometimes much less, sometimes more. Any advice where to sell them. $15-18.00, Aqua Atlas Strong Shoulder Mason Some of these colors might be known under other/different names depending on who is describing them! Instantly recognizable by avidvintage-lovers, the Nov. 30th 1858 patent dateappears on literally thousands of canning jars produced between1858-1920. Old mason jars are not the highest-priced antiques youll find but they are quite fascinating and beautiful. Some BALL MASON jars have the third L loop (circa 1900-1910), and others do not, which are assumed to be somewhat later into the early-mid 1910s. Good luck on hearing anything from those corporations. David, Albert, the porcelain liners were actually made of milk glass (usually white milk glass, although sometimes tints of other colors can be seen), and many embossing variants are seen. $12-15.00, Unmarked Clear Square Jars If so, what sort of lid might I need to find for it? Although the original pint, quart and half gallon BALL PERFECT MASON jars in aqua or Ball Blue glass are very common and easily found, the original, authentic older HALF PINT size is considered to be quite scarce and difficult to find. There is stippling or knurling (a pattern of raised dots) present along the contact surface/perimeter of the base. I did some research and found that the first edition perfect jars were done like this for the first 2years of production mainly with existing jars. Shoulder Seal: Lid screws right down to shoulder. Hi Nathaniel, Lead glass was the typical glass used for tableware (such as sugar bowls, spooners, tumblers, wine glasses, vases, mugs etc. ) Special: Between 1910 and 1913, Ball mason jars were printed with the words Ball Special Mason in all block letters. I dont know about the jar. My mother said they were old and collectible. You will find some jars with errors like that on them. What does this mean It also has an I on the bottom across from the 13F on the bottom. I have picked a masons jar patent Nov. 30th 1858 with an H362 on the bottom, can you tell me anything about it? David, I have many vintage light blue to dark blue I have one that is the Masons patent 1858 jar a48 on bottom and a snowflake type of embossing on back. Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter. There are thousands of different jars known and I do not have info on every one. The blue or light blue-aqua color of old Ball fruit jars (and virtually all other bottles, jars, insulators and other types of similar soda-lime glass with a bluish or greenish tint) comes from the presence of trace quantities of iron in the sand that was used to make the glass. Those other types of Ball jars are not discussed here as they deserve in-depth articles of their own. Does this make it any rarer, and is it possibly just an earlier one before the Perfect was added? It is the blue/green color and says STANDARD underlined only under STAN. It is seamed and the word THE is in the reverse swirl of the M of Mason. 2 Vintage Blue Ball Perfect Mason Glass Jars w/ Zinc Lids Quart & Pint Sold for $14.95 from 54canthisbeit on It is a number 7. Here, as embossed on the base of a small cobalt blue Bromo-Seltzer bottle. Sorry about answering so late. Age is far from the only factor at play here and the exact type of glass, design, and even color of the jar can also be crucial. there are many minor variations of Ball jars (aside from the variety of colors found) and values can depend a lot on how scarce a certain variation is. (By the way, for a bit of clarification, the great majority of hand-blown jars and bottles of American make were also produced in a glass factory by skilled glass workers). According to info published in The Fruit Jar Works by Alice Creswick (1995), page 116, she writes that that jar is attributed to the Mason Fruit Jar & Bottle Company of Coffeyville, Kansas, and dates from circa 1907-1909. Since it is estimated many hundreds of millions of BALL PERFECT MASONs were made over many years, they have relatively low market value in the most common colors, and there is no logical reason why anyone would reproduce them. Cleaning antique mason jars isnt all that complicated as long as youre careful not to break them. Often there is a cursive BALL logo on the bottom. did I read somewhere that sometimes when ball bought out another company that sometimes they redid the competitors jars and put Balll on them? The jar has grips but no measurements. Quart, Shoulder Seal, c. 1890-1915 Antique Mason jars have isolated micro-bubbles in the glass. Ive noticed this through looking at the bases of hundreds if not thousands of typical Ball Perfect Mason jars while browsing at antique and collectible malls and flea markets over the last 20+ years. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. (Clear jars marked Ball Mason were made in the 1960s and 1970s). Quart, ShoulderSeal, c.1900-1910 They usually do sell on auction sites (if priced low enough) for several reasons- but typically because of the belief in the rumors, along with the general publics fascination with the number 13 and its connection with the dark side of life, the theme of being unlucky, and the perceived connections with the supernatural, the occult, etc. A rubber ring tucked inside the lid created the sealnecessary to preserve the contents. Sorry I dont remember where they are! Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. The sun jar is a frosted glass container with a glass seal that houses solar power and lights up the environment beautifully. These amber-colored jars with an imprinted beaver are rare. Still, these hermetically sealed glass wonders can be priced by collectors if they are old enough or if they have some specific and rare features. How Much Are Old Ball Mason Jars Worth? Nowadays, you can even buy a big flat of Mason jars for pretty cheap at your local craft or household goods store but the older ones can fetch much higher prices. Typically, the smaller or more common antique jars can go for about $20 apiece, but the more rare versions can sell for as much as $300. #9 on the bottom. It is logo 7, so 1933 to 1962. As far as values, you might try searching ebay over a period of time and noting ACTUAL COMPLETED AUCTION ENDING PRICES, not the sellers asking prices, minimum bids or Buy it now prices. Owens-Illinois Glass Company I inside an O trademark, Diamond-Oval-I trademark used by Owens-Illinois Glass Company. It was also helpful to know which markings to ignore. David. have a jar (square) with MASON on all four sides at top of jar.on two sides of jar there are indented markings of 1/2 , 3/4, and pint, with room above for probably 1/2 cup more but not marked. I believe that it is considered a packer jar, where glass companies make jars to the specifications of a food packing company like Hormel Foods when they contracted with Ball Company to make their glass Skippy jars between 1962 and 1964. It is the old shaped Mason fruit jar. This is not a reproduction. Have you seen jars with error numbers on the bottom? And thanks for the hints on the lids. These are actually made of zinc and milk glass. The iron is locked into the glass. Thanks for taking the time to send me the pics! To learn other ways you can date an old Ball mason jar, keep reading! There were also some brown amber jars produced in the 1950s, but most of the jars produced after the 1940s were made of clear glass. From what I have been told by my ancestors and their friends, some of them wouldnt use them but they came as lots and at the store checked the numbers before they bought them and my great-grandfather used to laugh at this myth, he would say heck I was more worried Id get a couple cracked jars then anything else, we were so poor I even made special crates with fabric between each jar, packed right to make sure they didnt break. Hi Donna, Yes, Zinc-coated steel and Milk glass. The first design was an error, but the Ball brothers turned it into a coffee dispenser. Is this true? until around 1860 when the new Soda Lime glass formula came into widespread use since it was cheaper to make. Take care and thanks for your post. I havent studied this question in depth and dont know if other letters are also commonly seen!) Hi Tim, There are many, many variations of mold numbers on the base of those jars. She writes The 40 oz. The logo says Mason with a The in the M stylus. Chris, PS it blue round 1923/1933 era, Hi John, $25-30.00, Lightning Registered U.S. Patent Filed The Red Book of Fruit Jars is updated each year and has some info on many jars and an approximate value but does not always give dates of manufacture. Learn more Ball mason jars are a type of home canning jar made by the Ball Corporation. There are tiny bubbles in the glass.. are they worth much? Copyright 2023 MasonJars.com. Read more. They can be found in large quantities in almost any antique store or flea market especially throughout the Midwest and Eastern states. Original relics were handcrafted, so its unlikely theyd have uniform designs. Made in USA under the picture. Ball Perfect Masons (Quart). The notation in the book also reads MAKER UNKNOWN so I cant say what glass company would have made it. M in a circle mark used by Maryland Glass Corporation. The primary purpose of a mason jar was the storage of fruits and vegetables before the refrigerator became a thing. By the way, similar wax sealer jars but marked BALL / STANDARD on the front were made by Ball Bros Glass Company sometime in the circa 1895-1912 time period. David. Its common for its lever-like lid. David. It is unlike my other mason jars. (Photograph courtesy of Penny Garcia), (Photo courtesy Frances Riley, Prince Rupert, BC). The first edition I found has the the number 4 mold mark in the center of the Owen ring but it has an F just outside the Owen ring. David, I found a Ball Perfect Mason jar that has grippers, cups and ounces on it and says made in USA on back. I was just gifted a straight shoulder quart (1896-1910) Ball Mason with what appears to be an upside down s! The glass is oily or slick and shiny. To be fair, email inquiries may end up in the inbox of someone in an office who simply has no useful information concerning questions of company history and certain jars made many decades ago. (Photo courtesy of Dan Goorevitch), R inside a sun representation. I have SO many of these great old grid jars that I used for pantry storage alreadyI guess I just really love a challenge. This bottle base has 1949 date code to right. I found some lids at an antique store in mint condition. 11 edition. That is very interesting and I appreciate it. Each mold was hand-cut (hand-engraved) with the lettering incised backward into the inside surface of the mold, which of course resulted in the embossing (raised lettering) which is seen on the surface of the jar. The price is so astronomical because only a few such jars exist today after a fire in the Van Vilet factory in 1885. Antique Mason jars come in different forms, from Cylindrical to round-cornered squares. I find thirteen on a lot of Mason jars and I save them, after tax time list them and sell them, most people pay more cuz of this myth, especially Appalachia a lot of the people up here have lost touch with their heritage and know little of the truth and ways of their ancestors. David. Those older lids are only good for collecting and displaying with the older jars, but definitely not actually using them for canning! I found a clear ball jar with 41 on the bottom. As time goes on, however, their provenance might be somewhat less obvious to beginning fruit jar collectors. (Remove underscore within first part of address). Thank you very much for your quick reply. Pint, Lightning Seal, c. 1900-1910 $15-18.00, Aqua Masons Patent Sounds like the type made circa 1923-1933. Those jars are usually found in a very pale light green glass. For instance, ALL BALL PERFECT MASON jars are machine-made. I would like more info on that one too. Sandra, please check your email, including any spam/trash folders. Thanks, Karen, there are many slightly different BALL PERFECT MASON jars and I am not familiar with many of them. Laura, thanks for your post! Although today they are used as candle holders, memento jars, juice cups, and decorations in the 19th-century, these jars were your best bet for storing foods. The Ball Perfect Mason was a brand of glass fruit jar (canning jar) made by the Ball Bros. Glass Manufacturing Company. Would you know 1) if this jar is rare? Collectors covet Mason jars, especially the rare ones. Hi, I have 2 pale blue jars. Instead, the base of the new jars is relatively smooth although there may be a faint, poorly defined mold seam. 2.) I have a 1900-1910 blue ball jar without a number on the bottom. oz. Perhaps someone else has more definitive info for you. The exact cursive style changed slightly several times over the years. Information on attribution from page 200 of The Fruit Jar Works Volume 1 by Alice Creswick. Are there reproduction Ball porcelain lids? Probably could have used them for dry storage but didnt think just tossed, I didnt want to mix them with good lids. On second look you can see a faint 13 in the background as well. The addition of a glass liner under the metal cover made the new mason jars airtight. ~David. David. Pamela, Im not sure, but I would guess it was meant as a pickle jar or a large-size store display for commemorative or decorative purposes. Have you checked out my webpage on the BOYD milkglass liners? This is the first time I have ever seen an F embossed on the bottom. $5-8.00, Aqua Atlas E-Z Seal These new jars are being imported from China, India and other countries in Asia. David. ), Ball: History & Timeline interesting overview article posted on the Ball.com site: People also reused the containers because they were effective storage jars. The quart is the most common and valued less, the pint and half gallon are scarcer and valued somewhat more. Some Mason jars are worth well over $1,000. I found you. On some jar variants, (such as the first BALL embossing variant on these jars, Logo 5 in chart shown below, used circa 1913-1923 on BPM jars), the number may be accompanied by a letter to the right, such as A or C. Usually, the automatic jar-making machine had eight or ten mold cavities or positions for the molds. If you have a mason jar with this logo, it was manufactured between 1885 and 1886. The word Sanitary is in all capital letters, is italicized, and appears below the Ball logo. Older Ball jars are very easy to date by following this method, however just compare your jars logo with these logos and youll know when it was made. By Alice Creswick, there are tiny bubbles in the background as well pint half. Imported from China, India and other countries in Asia Between 1910 and,... 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ball mason jar value guide