Newer jars were made by different companies after Hazel-Atlas stopped manufacturing them within the Sixties, but the oldest jars are among the most precious. Ball Bros was the best-known fruit jar (canning jar) manufacturer in the world, but additionally made a broad variety of other glass containers for the packaging business throughout its lengthy historical past. (See this page on Ball Perfect Mason jars, their best identified and most heavily-produced jar). A number of separate buildings coated the grounds of the facility on the top of their glass production.
How are you able to date your vintage ball mason jars?
The Ball Company, initially established in Buffalo, NY moved to Muncie, IN in 1887 to higher reap the advantages of the natural fuel reserve and to develop their expanding business. Jar accumulating is unquestionably not an activity the place one can purchase a varsity letter jacket, but still is a cool interest. Mason jars are molded glass jars used for canning fruits and vegetables and likewise utilized by moonshine makers. Production of Mason jars began around 1880 and continues today. Older Mason jars aren’t beneficial for canning as a end result of the glass is prone to shatter; however, they can be collectible. The logo is the finest way to date previous Ball jars, however you may must seek the advice of a value pricing guide to search out out accurate information.
Instead, the bottom of the model new jars is relatively easy though there could also be a faint, poorly defined mold seam. Usually, the automated jar-making machine had eight or ten mildew cavities or “positions” for the molds. A set of molds included numbers above “10” because the higher-numbered molds had been usually used as replacements on the machine.
They’ve been around for 100+ years and are nonetheless going strong! Not solely have they got a wonderful, timeless design, but they can even assist save the world. You may even use a Mason jar lid to make the proper breakfast sandwich. If your grandma left you an old canning jar, the possibilities are that it’s price a fortune. However, if you do not know tips on how to inform how outdated a mason jar is, you’ll have the ability to at all times get it appraised professionally. Another thing you want to ignore is the mildew quantity on the jar.
How do i know if my ball jars are valuable?
When you’re relationship the ball mason jars listed right here are the belongings you want to look at first. Many of those generic “packer jars” carried the cursive “Ball” emblem on the underside. For example, the photograph beneath reveals the markings on the bottom of a jar used to package deal honey. Four years later, the brothers started manufacturing glass home-canning jars, the product that established Ball as a household identify. The Ball Perfect Mason was a brand of glass fruit jar (canning jar) made by the Ball Bros. (See “Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Company” page, for a quick abstract of that tumbler company).
Look for phrases like those Match Ocean beneath that may assist identify the 12 months of your jar.
The Buffalo Jar in amber is even rarer; solely 4 are identified to exist. What is light blue to at least one particular person may seem aquamarine to another. You can see quite so much of colors on the Hoosier Jar Color Page.
Those other kinds of Ball jars usually are not mentioned right here as they deserve in-depth articles of their own. Do you think you have an outdated Ball mason jar, however you’re not sure? There have been a quantity of replica releases on antique/vintage Ball mason jars. Knowing just a little bit in regards to the logos will likely inform you if your jar is really vintage or classic versus a reproduction jar. ColorBlue glass jars had been only produced until 1937, although the corporate has recently began to manufacture a copy jar utilizing a more vibrant teal blue color within latest years. Along with different colours, you’ll find jars in various shades of blue from pale teal to deep cobalt.
How do you inform if a mason jar is a reproduction?
The clear jars are the oldest and most valuable, adopted by the blue jars, with the amber being the least useful. However, all three types of Ball Mason jar may be fairly collectible and may be price a big amount of money depending on their condition and age. Many factors can affect the value of outdated canning jars, however finally, rare jars in good condition will fetch essentially the most money.
See my web page on the SG mark, with a bit more info on Saint-Gobain Containers, Verallia , and (the present owners of these glass plants) Ardagh Group. Verallia North America (VNA) was acquired by Ardagh Group (based in Luxembourg) as of April eleven, 2014, and all of these glass manufacturing services are currently (2021) beneath that banner. Although the company was evidently already known as merely “Ball Bros” within the circa 1882 to 1886 time period, the enterprise was formally included as “Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Company” in 1886. Some of the earliest jars made by Ball are marked with simply a “BBGMCO” monogram. A only a few of those jars are marked “BALL / BBGMCo (monogram) / FRUIT JAR” across the front. Virtually all of these so-called “Buffalo” jars are believed to have been manufactured in the course of the 1884 – time-frame.
