Guest Column: Collecting Antique Ball Jars
June 26th, 2008
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By Bruce Wayne Schank (Copyright 2008)
In this article, collector Bruce Wayne Schank talks about collecting antique Ball jars (fruit jars), and the history of the Ball jar. Based in Pompton Plains, NJ, Bruce can be reached via his website, Balljars.net.
One of the most common fruit jars ever produced is the lowly Ball jar. Historical figures show that from between Sept 1, 1894 until Dec 31, 1961, 41,256,856 Gross jars were produced by the Ball Glass Mfg Co. A staggering number, what this suggests is that Ball jars should be a readily available commodity and very easy to find, making collecting Ball Jars a somewhat easier venture since more of these jars exist then probably any of the other Mfg’s combined. Yet with all that glass out there to be found, it has become a colossal challenge to categorize, date and fully understand the minutia of variants produced by the Ball Glass Mfg Co. Plus, there is a sub-minutia of variances in the entire differing genre of Ball jars, to make matters even more convoluted.
Perfect Mason ball jar
Now, who hasn’t at one time or another, whether at a garage sale, antique store, Grandma’s basement or in some hole-in-the-wall come across a Ball jar whether a PERFECT MASON, IDEAL, SURE SEAL, IMPROVED, SPECIAL or one of the myriad of other varieties of jars produced over the last century plus by the Ball Glass Mfg Co. Incredibly though, many people have failed to recognize the true importance these jars played in our nation’s history. And believe me when I tell you, Ball jars are a quintessential part of American History and as much so as apple pie or ice cream.
Imagine this, the Ball jar was at one time not so long ago actually, reviled by the vast majority of the Collecting world as worthless and a complete waste of time, money and energy. Yet, a small group of collectors just happened to see the beauty, value and future in collecting Ball jars and so much so that yes, amazingly despite all the odds and over many years; Ball jars have now blossomed into one of the most highly sought after collectables in the jar hobby today.
Perfect Mason ball jar
Why is this so? Why the drastic change? Well, coming from a 30 year perspective in the hobby, I can say simply a few things; 1) there are many more collectors now than ever before vying for the few good jars known to exist or being discovered. 2) Most of the highly sought after truly historical jars are out of reach financially for the vast majority of collectors. 3) Most of the few prized Historical jars are already in someone else’s collection. 4) The few Historical jars still left intact and found are not readily available for the average collector to even consider purchasing. 5) With the advent of eBay the playing field has leveled somewhat but the ultimate overall cost still is a huge factor for the average collector because overall, eBay is not a bargain.
Now on the other hand, as we have already previously established, Ball jars are a readily available commodity. Plus, the wonderful character of the glass, the myriad of beautiful breath taking colors and hues, the varying closures types, myriad of embossing styles, re-worked and modified moulds ad infinitum make Ball jars a huge viable alternative to collecting other much more expensive jars. And yes there is without a doubt out of all those millions of jars produced many one-of-a-kinds, rare as well as very scarce Ball jars worth considerable amounts of money. Yet I personally consider some of the $1 jars in the collection to be just as pleasing and desirable as the expensive ones. The passion that truly drives a Ball Collector on is that around any corner is the possibility of a new discovery, a totally different and unknown variation, a possible piece of the puzzle solved or a really crude masterpiece…
Improved ball jar
I truly consider myself a very fortunate and lucky person that I just happened to be one of those few collectors who recognized long ago the intrinsic value, beauty and history of Ball jars when they were objects of disdain or simply overlooked by so many others. I’m so grateful I had the foresight to collect Ball jars because despite the fact many of the good ones in my early years were financially and geographically out of reach, I still managed to acquire through knowledge, insight, persistence, patience and hard work, a very small but desirable collection.
But, what I have truly gained over the years besides the wonderful jars in my collection is something far more intrinsically valuable, namely the many great people who befriended me, taught me, reasoned and bantered with me, traded with me, sold jars to me and shared their lives with me. For that I am truly ever grateful. I can honestly say that collecting Ball Jars has been one of the most satisfying adventures in my entire life time and something I will never regret doing as long as I live and in which I will continue to the very end.
Do you have an article you’d like us to publish as a guest column in The Collectors Weekly? Let us know.
I WAS GIVEN A BOX OF OLD CANNING JARS(MINUS LIDS) ONE BEING BLUE BALL PERFECT MASON JAR #13 AND # 11. THERE WAS ALSO MAGIC MASON JAR # 25…2 I (IN A CIRCLE) 8. A ‘SAMCO GENUINE MASON JAR AND A LAMB MASON JAR. WOULD ANYONE KNOW IF THERE IS SOMEWAY TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THESE JARS?
Rosalie:
I would suggest you go to the FruitJars Group on Yahoo which I am a Moderator.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fruitjars/
There you can get many questions answered plus you can search yourself through the huge database of info going all the way back to Sept of 2000.
Ya hit the nail square on the head Bruce. I have over the past 15+ years gone after many a differnt fruit jars….but in the end…I have always been drawn back to Ball Brothers jars.
And as with you….I managed to get a few jars when they were well, not considered. I always look to the hunt..the flea market, estate and garages sales.
I have been fortunate enough to obtain a few nice Ball jars from two pioneer collections now being liquidated. And I see it as was once said…We are not collectors, but guardians of a piece of history.
Thanks for the great article.
David
i have a wax seal old blue ball standard quart jar which looks like it has 3 l’s but it is a loop after the second l and the a in ball is a written a that resembles a p because of a line going up into the a as it was written and on the bottom of this jar it looks like 3 straight lines like one one one inside of a quarter size circle, you can run your fingers across all three and feel them, just wondered if anyone knew anything about this jar…..thanx Teresa
I also have a seal ball quart jar that says only ball standard and has the three ones on bottom mine is green or aqua lots of bubbles and ball has a extra loop at the end written differently than any other I have seen. Can you help Identify? is it rare? Thanks Kelly
I have a jar that says Mason’s Improved on it .The cap screws down on a glass lid.The lid has the trademark C.F.J imbossed on it.Also on the front is embossed a cross (like an Iron Cross) Can someone tell me something about this jar.Much appreciated.Thanks
I have found, while cleaning out my basement a collection of ball perfect mason blue jars, I was wondering the value of some of the jars. where can I find this information?
thank you for any help
Could someone tell me if the word perfect is misspelled on a mason jar if it is rare or if there was alot of these out there???????????
Hi. We have what I call a prism colored Ball Mason Jar. on the bottom of the jar–Genuine sculptured Ball Jar. Then in the middle– 62 Mason Jar C5
What can you tell us about the jar? To me, it has the appearance in the light somewhat like carnival glass. Bluish orange and red.
Thank you.
I came across a ball jar in my grandmothers cabinets. It says ball standard on the front and an M or W circled on the bottom. The only thing I could find out about it on the net was the logo appeared to be apart ot the 3l time range. It has a wide mouth and wax seal top to it. Any help I appreciate it. Thanks.
Curtis
I have and old jar with Ball across the top and Mason at the bottom on front of the jar. I would like to know more about this. Can you tell me.
Thank you.
I am a current collector of the Blue Ball Perfect Mason Jars!!! I have loved them for a long time. I think they are beautiful and I try to collect as many as I can. I have several and I hope to collect more. Good Luck to all who collect!!!
I have a lamb Mason Jar. Do you know anything about these? If so would you please letme know and about the history of them? Thank you so much.
Great Column, Bruce! You hit it right on with your comment about the anticipation of what’s around the next corner. It’s what got me out of bed Sunday mornings to scan the flea markets in MA and NH. I was never a fan of collecting something so expensive that you could only add a couple to your collection each year … I’d much rather come back from every trip with SOMETHING! You have a gorgeous collection and a fine Web site.
Regards,
Michael
I have several blue ball canning jars passed to me through generations of lovingly preserving God’s bounty. I have many old jars and am curious to know the history/value of my treasures. I believe most of the blue ball jars I have are the no underscore type 1923-1933. I am curious to know what the numbers mean on the bottom. I have a multitude of numbers from 1-13. If you would inlighten me, I would really appreciate it. Thank you. Laurie
P.S. I don’t want to sell my jars, since I use them for canning.
My mother collected anything God ever made 2 of. AVON and Fruit jars were her largest collections. When I boxed up her house after she passed, there were 34 cases of vintage fruit jars and 60+ on AVON. My son has the AVON and I am bringing the fruit jars out of storage. She tagged every piece she collected with a code, where she got it, how much she paid, and the current value from the collectors books, EACH YEAR, updating. She was amanzing (we told her she was crazy). I remember in 2004, when I boxed it all, there was a brand of jar I hadn’t heard of and got on line in a chat room and was told it was a Texas mgf who made such a quality jar for less, that either Ball or Mason bought them out and shut it down. Anyone know what the manufacturer was? I know there were quite a few. Let me know, ok? Thanks! Karen
I have a few Perfect Ball jars and one of them I have collected has come with the original lid and has a spelling error. Instead of saying “perfect” it very obviously says “pepfect”. I was wondering if this spelling error made a difference in what I have collected. If anyone can let me know if this is of value that would be great!
I recently purched a blue ball one and one half quart jar.Does anyone know when these were made.I can find noone that has ever seen them and I have taled to people in their 80….Thank You
I have a small collection of blue Ball canning jars that I’ve picked up one by one at garage sales. I’m considering selling them as we need the space. Any interest and what is their value? What should I look for that would indicate a rare piece?
Thank you!
I was given a Ball Ideal jar that has a patent date of July 14, 1908 on it. it has wire side printed on top and it has the wires for the lid. Unfortunately It doesnt have the lid. Can anyone tell me more about this one? I also have 2 Drey jars that have the wire tops. Can anyone help?
I have a very large assortment of old canning jars. When our children were small we had a huge garden and canned all summer long. Since I no longer can, I am interested in selling these jars. Many of them are green or blue ball, kerr, and mason jars. I know that many of them are very old since they had been used by my grandmother and by my mother-in-law. How do you recommend that I go about selling these jars?
I have acquired a blue Mason jar with just the word “Ball” in script, nothing else, on it. Does anyone know anything about this jar?
I have a very small Ball jar and it says ball perfect mason on the front of it. Its only 2 3/4 inches high and has a zinc lid on it. I think it might of been a sample jar I was wondering if you could tell me anything about it and if its worth very much.
I’m downsizing and ready to let go of some of my Ball Blue jars. I was trying to figure out dates, etc. I noticed on two of the jars, one quart and one half-gallon, that the “Mason” lettering is not centered under the “Perfect” lettering, i.e., it begins more to the left than the Perfect above it. Both seem to be from the 1922-1933 years. Does anyone know anything ab out this. Thanks.
I’m not a jar collector, but I found about a 1/2 gallon jar that is all clear and etched to look like a wood barrel. Its base is 4in. and widens to 51/2in. with a 41/2in. screw on tin lid. The yellow lid has red writing that says
NOW! fresher tastier peanut butter. The only other writing is on the bottom of the jar and it says 830-63
A2
Ball (Ball is written in cursive with the all underlined and looks like 93 under that)
I can’t seem to find anything about peanut butter jars. I’m wondering if that means it’s extremely rare. If anybody has any knowledge about these or know where to get it,that would be appreciated. Thanks.