Q&A for How to Date Old Ball Mason Jars

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  • Question
    I have an old mason jar that reads "Boyd's". How can I tell its worth?
    Community Answer
    It may be worth something, but that will be determined by the size, color, age, and top. Check eBay for jars with descriptions or pictures that match yours and see what they've sold for in the past by searching "Completed Listings".
  • Question
    I have a Mason Jar with the word Perfect mispelled as Perfeot. Is this a fake or reproduction?
    JARSLW
    Community Answer
    This is not a reproduction. You will find some jars with errors like that on them.
  • Question
    What do the numbers on the bottom of the ball jar mean?
    Community Answer
    The number is the number of the mold used to make the jar.
  • Question
    I have a half gallon, ball blue, ideal wire side, with the dropped A. Any value?
    Linda.White
    Community Answer
    The dropped a without an underline is quite uncommon. If it has an underline, it is common.
  • Question
    What do vertical ridges on a jar mean?
    JARSLW
    Community Answer
    Those gripper ridges were first applied to jars in 1932 by Brockway, then Ball. They help you grip the jar.
  • Question
    I have a half gallon aqua mason jar with Mason's N Patent Nov 30th 1858 on it. Is this a rare jar?
    Purplecakecaroline
    Community Answer
    I'm afraid your jar is not rare. There are many of them for sale online, and are not hard to find.
  • Question
    Are square jars older than round ones?
    Community Answer
    Most of the square jars were made starting in the 1940's. More modern made jars are a rounded square shape.
  • Question
    Does 13 on bottom of a blue mason jar mean anything?
    Community Answer
    Some people collect these because they believe they are scarce. It is a myth that they were destroyed by superstitious moonshiners or housewives. This story was started by retailers trying to inflate the prices.
  • Question
    I have an old ball canning jar that says "Sanitary Sure Seal" on the front below the word Ball. How old is it?
    Community Answer
    If the jar is blue, then it's like from the early 1900s. More specifically, the jar is probably from between 1905 and 1915. The price of the jar will depend on the size and the condition. Most of them being sold online seem to be priced in the neighborhood of $20.
  • Question
    On #13, the bottom of the Ball Perfect Mason jar the 1 is backwards. Is this common?
    Linda.White
    Community Answer
    Errors in the molds are common in old jars because of how the molds were created.
  • Question
    I have a pint square jar that has clean sides, no writing at all. How can I identify it so I can determine its age?
    Community Answer
    Determine if the glass has a bubbly appearance, suggesting blown glass. Look for mold seams along the sides and/or a round seam on the bottom suggesting newer manufactured glass. Date of manufacture, job number, plant location, and other writings suggest the piece is newer, often 1960s to today.
  • Question
    I have a jar that is just marked "O N" with the number 11 on the bottom. Any idea?
    Linda.White
    Community Answer
    This is likely some kind of modern product jar and is not a canning jar. More information is needed to make that determination.
  • Question
    How can I find out the value of a blue glass Ball jar from 1908?
    Linda.White
    Community Answer
    The 1908 date is just the patent date and is not the date that the jar was made. The Red Book, A Collectors Guide to Old Fruit Jars, is a good resource. It can be found online at redbookjars.com.
  • Question
    Did they make baby food jars?
    Linda.White
    Community Answer
    Ball made many different containers from glass, plastic and metal. They were in business for a long time, so it is likely they also made baby food jars.
  • Question
    When did they start using the jars with the wire tops?
    Linda.White
    Community Answer
    These are known as "lightning style" tops. These were first made in about 1877.
  • Question
    Can I microwave mason jars?
    Linda.White
    Community Answer
    I would not put any old jar in a microwave. It might crack. Check the manufacturer's instructions on the new jars.
  • Question
    How old is a purple Foster Sealfast quart mason jar?
    Linda.White
    Community Answer
    The purple color is intense, it may be a jar that has been artificially irradiated. If the glass has manganese, it will turn a light lavender color in the sunlight. Foster Sealfast was made between 1908 and 1925 by various glassmaking companies. It takes the bail type closure with a straddle lip glass lid. It is not a mason jar because it does not have the screw on style neck that was patented by John L Mason.
  • Question
    When did they stop putting the grip pattern on the Ball jars?
    Community Answer
    Brockway was issued the patent for the gripper ribs in 1932. Ball acquired the patent from Brockway shortly after that. Other companies used the gripper ribs later on, and they appeared on jars for many years. They were used at least through the 1960's.
  • Question
    I have a very light blue jar that only says MASON. I'm not finding any info - any ideas?
    Linda.White
    Community Answer
    There are many different jars that just say Mason on them. There are Facebook groups you could join to get some help identifying your jar.
  • Question
    I have an old ball jar about 1 liter in size, with a glass lid and rubber gasket. Under the word "ball" is the mason -- it is an aqua color. Can you tell me the age?
    Linda.White
    Community Answer
    This was made between 1900 and 1910 at the Coffeyville KS plant, which is the old Mason Fruit Jar Co plant.
  • Question
    I have one with a star on it, what could it be?
    Linda.White
    Community Answer
    The Mason Star Jar was made in the 1970's by Owens Illinois Glass Company of Toledo OH in Alton IL.
  • Question
    How old is a jar that says "Mom's mason jar"?
    Linda.White
    Community Answer
    Mom's Mason Jar was made in 1975 by Glass Containers Corporation of Fullerton, CA and Owens Illinois Inc of Toledo, OH.
  • Question
    I have a clear pint jar with the only lettering the bottom "233-16 A16". Haven't seen this before - any ideas?
    Linda.White
    Community Answer
    This jar is probably some kind of product jar and not a jar made for home canning.
  • Question
    How can I tell if my jars are rare?
    Community Answer
    The Redbook A Collectors Guide to Old Fruit Jars by Douglas Leybourne is a good resource. The current edition is #12.
  • Question
    I have a 60 oz jar with bubbled glass and a lower ring on top forming an E loop. How do I date this?
    Community Answer
    This jar was likely blown between 1915 and 1985. The seams along the side top to bottom suggest after 1915. The rippled effect was caused by molten glass blown into an iron or steel mold that was not properly pre-heated. The glass solidified too quickly.
  • Question
    How do I date a frosted green Ball Mason jar? Was it created that way, or did it get green while it was stored?
    Linda.White
    Community Answer
    Green would be the color it was made. If the glass is rough, the jar is stained/etched from being in contact with contents, water or dirt.
  • Question
    I have a blue ball Mason jar. It does not have the word "perfect" on it. How do I date this?
    Linda.White
    Community Answer
    Blue jars were made by Ball until 1937. There is a chart available online that will identify most of the logos that Ball used. Also, join some groups on Facebook to help you identify your jars.
  • Question
    I have a jar that only says Mason on it. Is it rare? Its lid says Ball on it, though.
    Community Answer
    Lids are generally interchangeable. It just means someone put a Ball lid on it at some time after it was made.
  • Question
    I have a blue ball mason jar. The number 84 is on the bottom. What does that mean?
    Linda.White
    Community Answer
    The number on the base is the mold number. Mold numbers allowed the manufacturer to identify which mold was used to make the jar.
  • Question
    Are bottles with IX on the bottom as well as having indented grips to hold the drink rare?
    Linda.White
    Community Answer
    This description does not sound like a canning jar. More information would be needed to answer this.
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