Value of Ball Mason Jars

History

• The Ball brothers began the manufacture of glass canning jars in Buffalo, New York in 1880. The company expanded with the acquisition of other glass manufacturers including the Mason Glass Company in 1909. It continues to produce canning jars to this day.

Function

• Ball Mason jars are used to preserve food through the canning process.

Types

• Today's Ball jars are clear, but in the past they could be found in colors including purple, amber, and blue.

  The first Ball jars were called wax sealers because wax was used to seal the ingredients into the jars. Later jars had zinc tops. Today, Ball Jars have a two-piece screw-on lid. These jars come in different sizes from the wide-mouth quart jar to small jars with a quilted texture, used for jams and jellies.

Value

• Ball Jar collectors identify a jar's age in a number of ways including color, type of lid, shape, mold and production marks, ( numbers on the bottom and side of a jar ).

  A jar's condition and age also help determine its value.. The rarer the jar the more it is worth. Most vintage Ball Mason jars can be acquired for a few dollars. For example, vintage Ball jars with the original zinc lid are worth around $18.

  Jars in amber, cornflower blue, and olive green are rare because fewer of them were produced. They are in demand by collectors, making them worth more than clear jars.

Potential Expert Insight

• "Red Book #9, A Collector's Guide to Old Fruit Jars," by Doug Leybourne, is considered by collectors to be the definitive guide in helping to determine the value of vintage fruit jars including the Ball Mason jar.