“BALL PERFECT MASON” fruit jars

The Ball Perfect Mason was a brand of glass fruit jar (canning jar) made by the Ball Bros. Glass Manufacturing Company.  Ball Bros was based in Muncie, Indiana.   (See  Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Company  page, for a brief summary of that glass company).  The BPM was the most popular brand of jar for home canning ever produced in the United States.  Hundreds of millions (probably upwards of a billion or more!) were made, and these jars have been used by home canners throughout much of the 20th century.  

Ball Brothers also made many other styles of fruit jars, such as those marked “BALL IMPROVED”,  “BALL IDEAL”, “BALL MASON”, “BALL SPECIAL”, “BALL SURE SEAL”  and their “BALL STANDARD” (a type known as a “wax sealer” jar).   Those other types of Ball jars are not discussed here as they deserve in-depth articles of their own.

In general, most fruit jars in aqua or “Ball Blue” glass marked “Ball Mason” date from before the introduction of the Ball Perfect Mason.   (Clear jars marked “Ball Mason” were made in the 1960s and 1970s).


(IMPORTANT NOTE:  please see the paragraphs with info farther down on this page describing modern reproductions of this jar, including the “AMERICAN HERITAGE COLLECTION” introduced in 2013,  and the new “Collectors Edition” BALL PERFECT MASON jars being sold as of 2019). 


They are commonly seen for sale on the secondary market at antique malls, farm and estate auctions,  flea markets, thrift stores, rummage sales, yard/ garage sales, and on online auction sites.

The very first jars marked “BALL PERFECT MASON” are believed to date from approximately 1913, with production continuing to about 1960.      Many slight variations in lettering style, glass color, base markings, etc., exist, and this particular type of jar presents a wide field of study for fruit jar collectors, glass historians and even those interested in vintage Americana in general.    Typically, they these jars were made in half pint, pint, quart, and half-gallon sizes.   Several “off-sizes” were also produced, although in much smaller quantities.

Ball Perfect Mason Jars- Half Gallon & Quart sizes
Ball Perfect Mason –  Half Gallon and Quart sizes

Most of the earlier versions were round (cylindrical) in shape, and some of the later types are square (with rounded corners) in design. Some variants have vertical raised lines (“ribs” or “grips”) along the sides,  added to assist in handling the jars while they are wet. The jars with grips were introduced in about 1933.

Molds

Ball Perfect Mason jars were made utilizing steel molds as part of “ABM” (“Automatic Bottle Machine”) i.e. automatic glass container-making machinery. Many different jar molds (thousands) were used over the many years’ time these jars were being produced.

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. Very close inspection and comparison between different older jars (that may appear to be exactly the same) will show that it was very difficult, if not nearly impossible for all of the lettering (including the cursive “Ball” lettering and the “block style” lettering underneath) to be engraved absolutely identical from one mold to the next.   Many slight variations are seen, with the exact lettering orientation just barely  noticeably different from one example to another, such as the spacing, height, width, depth of cut, of individual letters.   Also, there were a number of variations in the way the Ball name logo was written, those changes occurring several times over the space of several decades. (See the chart farther down on this page).


ADVERTISEMENT




Most of the typical earlier Ball Perfect Mason jars in aqua or Ball Blue are marked with a mold number between 0 and 15 on the bottom.   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. Thus, the single digit numbered jars are more commonly found.  A set of molds included numbers above “10” as the higher-numbered molds were typically used as replacements on the machine.

As can be readily discovered, there were many different “sets” of molds used over a period of many years, with this same series of (up to) 16 numbers used over and over again to identify the molds being used on a particular machine.

Thus, if a random sampling of these jars are studied (for instance, just looking at a selection of only those marked with a number “2” on the bottom),  it may be seen that the numbers typically appears slightly different, in fact “unique” in their exact appearance, from one jar to the next.  It may take a while before exact duplicates are found – that is, finding two jars that were both made from one individual, specific mold.

This is one of the aspects of collecting these jars that can be fun and intriguing (or boring to some!)  if you are “into” studying fine differences in these jars –  somewhat akin to the practice of collecting coins and comparing their minor “mold” or “die” variations.


Off-Sizes

Note: for a bit of information about the “off-size”  BALL PERFECT MASON jars that are occasionally found, please check the COMMENTS section farther down on this page, and read the queries from Lee and Michelle, posted November / December of 2015.  Thank you!

Glass Colors

The great majority of the BPM jars were made in bluish-aqua or “Ball Blue” colored glass. (Ball Blue is the standard color of these jars, a somewhat “more blue” shade of aqua).  Later versions,  after about 1936, were usually made in clear (colorless) glass, and some (usually from the 1950s) in brown amber.

Other colors are known,  but not so easily found, including cornflower blue, straw yellow, olive green, olive amber, blackish olive, dark yellow amber, light green and medium green.  Some of these colors might be known under other/different names – depending on who is describing them!  There are various shades and tints of these colors out there.  If you have the opportunity, you might try attending an antique fruit jar and/or bottle show, where some of these unusually colored jars may show up for sale or in displays.


Fake Ball Perfect Mason HALF-PINT size jars in Ball Blue – these can be very deceptive!

(This section was added June 16, 2021 – Some info below is courtesy of Linda White, one of the administrators of the  Reproduction Fruit Jars  discussion group on Facebook.  Thanks, Linda!).

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. Unfortunately, several years ago a number of newly made reproductions of this type and size began to surface in the United States.  This may have first shown up around the year 2010 or thereabouts.    These reproduction (fake) versions were NOT made or sold as official BALL products in regular retail outlets, unlike the modern reissues made by Ardagh Group that I discuss elsewhere on this page.  These reproductions appear to have been produced in a concerted effort to mimic the look of the original c.1913-1923 half-pint jars, and were presumably made in an effort to capitalize on the scarcity of the older ones, and thus deceive jar collectors into believing they were old and authentic.  They are believed to be imports.
There are several minor differences that should be noted carefully as these reproductions can be hard to spot and they look very similar at a quick glance:

1) Although there is a mold number on the bottom (similar in “look” to the mold numbers on the originals) there is no Owens Scar on the new jars. The Owens scar was formed as part of the manufacturing process, and is a somewhat variable but generally rounded scar consisting of a thin, sharp, clearly defined “seam” or “line” that encircles part of the bottom.    The seam may be somewhat “feathered” or “frayed” along the edge. The Owens scar is always present and virtually diagnostic on the original authentic jars. Instead, the base of the new jars is relatively smooth although there may be a faint, poorly defined mold seam.

2) The newer jars (not always, but usually) tend to have a considerable number of micro-bubbles scattered through the glass, which is not seen in the old jars. The old jars might have a few isolated bubbles, but not lots of tiny bubbles throughout all of the glass. The bubbly appearance of the glass is reminiscent of some glass decor items that have been imported to the US from such countries as Mexico, Spain and China. No one seems to know where these repro half-pints were made, but it is assumed they were made outside the US, possibly in China or India.

3) The weight of the new jars is very close to that of the old jars, but in many cases the newer jars are just slightly lighter in weight.

4) The “BALL PERFECT MASON” lettering is somewhat weaker and more “sloppy” or “smeared” in presentation, especially noticeable when comparing the new and old side-by-side.

5) There is virtually no base wear, nor any light scratching on the surface of the glass which would normally be seen (at least slightly) on most old jars (although base wear can be faked).

6) The glass looks shiny and “new”.

Bases of Ball Perfect Mason half-pint jars - one above is fake, the two below are real
Bases of Ball Perfect Mason jars in the half-pint size. The jar on the top is a newer fake/repro, the two on the bottom are authentic old jars from the 1913-1923 period. Note presence of Owens scar on the old jars. (Photo courtesy of Linda White)

Here is a link to a discussion of these jars on the “Reproductions Fruit Jar Page” on Facebook:
Ball Half Pint Repro Jars – Discussion on Facebook


Error Jars

A number of “error jars” are found among the Ball Perfect Mason’s, including examples found with the embossing missing a letter (or letters), or with a word misspelled, such as “PERFFCT”,  “PEPRECT” or “PEREFCT”.

A listing of many of the Ball Perfect Mason jar variations,  including error jars,  can be found in the “Red Book”, a price guide used by fruit jar collectors.  In general, Ball Perfect Mason variants are listed in the Red Book from  #270 to #295-6.  (I am using the No. 11 edition. Older editions of the Red Book have different numbers assigned to the jars, in the 300 range).  There are no doubt minor variants/errors that are not currently listed in that guide.

Some jars have embossing that is unusually faint (sometimes, all of the embossing, or just one or two letters within a word) and this might be due to accumulated debris (such as remnants of accumulated mold paste) having partially filled the engraving of the lettering on the mold itself at the time the jar was produced.


ADVERTISEMENT




Clear "Ball Perfect Mason" jar, square type.  This particular "Ball" logo style dates it between 1933 and 1962, but this example is probably from the 1930s or 1940s.  No vertical ribs, with mold number 3 on base.  The closest type I see in the "Red Book" (price guide used by collectors) is listed as jar #287-5.
Clear “Ball Perfect Mason” jar, square type.  This particular “Ball” logo style dates it between 1933 and 1962, but this example is probably from the 1930s or 1940s.  No vertical ribs, with mold number 3 on base.  The closest type I see in the “Red Book” (price guide used by collectors) is listed as jar #287-5.

Number “13” Jars

Some Ball Perfect Mason jars are found with the number “13” on the bottom. 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”.  Rumors have circulated for years (and have especially been promoted on auction sites and by flea market and antique mall dealers) that superstitious distillers of illegal whiskey (“moonshiners”) were hesitant to use jars marked with a 13 on the bottom.  According to the stories, they threw them away, or intentionally broke them, fearing their enterprise could otherwise be met with bad luck.  Sometimes the story accuses ordinary housewives of having done the same thing if they were especially superstitious.

Personally, I think most of the stories are hogwash, although I wouldn’t doubt that it happened on a very occasional basis, and just often enough to provide impetus for an urban legend (rural legend?).  Most myths and legends are based on a kernel of truth, and this may be no exception to the rule.      (However, keep in mind that fruit jars cost money, and the average farmer or housewife, often continually stretched to the limit with their household budget, would have never destroyed a jar merely because of the number on the bottom).  Most home canners would have paid little or no attention to the markings in the first place.

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.  I don’t think this is true. There is a definitely noticeable difference in the numbers of #13-marked jars compared to the other numbers — they ARE somewhat less common.  I’ve 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. However, the mild scarcity, in my opinion is NOT REALLY STRONG ENOUGH to warrant the high prices which are often asked for these jars on online auction sites. Of course, value is a very subjective thing and many collectors may not agree with my opinion on this subject.

Also, it seems evident that the mold numbers 12 through 15 are ALL somewhat scarcer than mold numbers 0 through 11.   This is presumably because fewer molds were produced with the mold numbers 12 through 15 — thus fewer total jars made.   I believe that many if not most of those higher-numbered molds were replacement molds on the jar making machines.

It seems evident that many of these jars are now saved by non-collectors or casual glass collectors (and “culled” from large groups of common jars) merely because of the number on the base. This culling out of #13 jars from among the “general population” of jars (and stashing them away) has certainly increased the perception of their scarcity.

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 public’s 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.


 

New “REPRODUCTION” Ball Perfect Mason Jars:  the “AMERICAN HERITAGE COLLECTION”

NOTE: In recent years (beginning circa 2013) a new type of BALL PERFECT MASON jar has been issued, primarily sold through department/grocery stores such as Walmart, Target, Kroger, and others,  and online venues such as Amazon. These commemorative jars are being produced in a lighter, brighter blue color— not quite the same shade as the original jars. 

These jars as being sold in sets of 6, and come in pint size only (as of this writing).  They are marked (on front) “BALL PERFECT MASON”,  on rear  “1913   1915 / 100 YEARS OF / AMERICAN / HERITAGE / MADE IN U.S.A.” .  Also, there are volume/weight measurements embossed along the side of the jar, including cups, milliliters and ounces.  They are being sold along with modern screw bands and lids.  The glass is a bit thinner and lighter than the original Ball Perfect Mason types. 

(NOTE: in 2014, medium green glass quart size jars were issued, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the “PERFECTION” jars (introduced in 1914)…….the word “PERFECTION” is embossed underneath the cursive BALL.    A third color (purple) was issued in 2015 for the 100th anniversary of their “Ball IMPROVED” jars (1915), and is embossed “IMPROVED” underneath the name “BALL”. The purple jars are made in pint and quart sizes). 

New issue Blue glass Ball Perfect Mason jars, "American Heritage Collection" in pint size.
New issue Blue glass Ball Perfect Mason jars, “American Heritage Collection”, set of six jars in pint size.

These jars are being sold for actual canning use, but also for “rustic” or “retro” decorative appeal; are being used as containers for liquid soap dispensers (some ebay or etsy sellers are selling them with special lids for this use);  for use in candle making, and for similar Americana “primitive” and crafts projects.  Not to mention their appeal as a collector’s item which is virtually guaranteed because of the great popularity of the older jars .

The “1913 1915” embossing (given above) readily identifies these as new production.   As time goes on, however, their provenance might be somewhat less obvious to beginning fruit jar collectors. 

According to the Ardagh Group website, they are made by that glass manufacturing company for distributor Jarden Home Brands.  Here is an article about the newer jars being made by Ardagh: 

https://www.ardaghgroup.com/news-centre/the-perfect-mason


ADVERTISEMENT




 

NOTE: NEW “BALL PERFECT MASON” JARS BEING MADE IN 2019

(This paragraph added April 12, 2019).

New “Collectors’ Edition” BALL PERFECT MASON jars (with the cursive font style used in the 1910-1923 period) have appeared in grocery stores and department stores recently. They are sold through Hearthmark (Jarden’s Home Brands).  As of the time of this writing, I have examined some PINT size jars, but I don’t know if they are (or will be) producing quart and/or half-gallon sizes.  They are being sold in packs of four.  There are a few differences between the new ones and the old originals which can be easily seen.  (They are the same, typical “Ball Blue” or blueish-aqua color seen in most of the originals.)  There is a small “circled R” underneath the “BALL” logo on the front of the new jars. The reverse side of the new jar bears the embossed phrase “MADE IN U S A”, and below that, along the “heel” of the jar, is a series of raised dots.  The base carries a mold number along with the glass manufacturer’s mark used by Ardagh Group, the maker of the jars. This mark may be faint, and resembles a horseshoe or odd letter “U”.  (See this mark illustrated in the “U” listings of he alphabetical bottle mark listings on this site). There is stippling or knurling (a pattern of raised dots) present along the contact surface/perimeter of the base. The new pint jars appear to be very slightly lighter in weight than the older ones, but this may not hold true on all jars, since there was some variability in the older jars. Out of curiosity, I weighed a new jar and old one, and the new jar weighed 10.375 ounces, the old jar weighing 10.75 ounces. 

UPDATE 5/20/2021:  Just a note that there are also new BALL PERFECT MASON jars in both the quart and half-pint (8 ounce) sizes available.  The markings and characteristics are similar to the Pint size jars described above.  At the present time (2021) I haven’t seen any in Half-Gallon size, although perhaps they will eventually be made in that size as well. 


NOTEArdagh Group – North America is currently (2021) the owner of most of the former Ball Bros Glass Company  plants .  (Ball Bros>>>> Saint-Gobain Containers>>>>> Verallia>>>>> and now Ardagh Group. )   

The Ardagh plant at Winchester, Indiana (where many of the new “Ball” brand jars are being made) is a former Anchor Glass Container Corporation facility that was acquired by Ardagh.

RESOURCES

For a detailed, comprehensive article with tons of background info on the Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Company, written by author/researcher Bill Lockhart (with input from several other collectors/researchers), check out his article ~  (This article also includes an expanded chart of  BALL logo variations and estimated date ranges used over the years, as compiled by jar researcher Vivian “Granny” Kath).  Click here:    Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Company


Dating-The-Ball-Jar-chart-from-Karen-M-Vincent-webpage-article
Dating a Ball Jar (Illustration from Karen M. Vincent’s webpage article, link below)

Karen M. Vincent’s informative article on dating Ball jars:

How to Date a Ball jar


Bob Clay’s article with a timeline on “How to Date Ball Fruit Jars” appears here near the bottom of this page:
http://www.weststpaulantiques.com/galleryofjars.html


General discussion forum for Ball fruit jar collectors: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/balljarcollectorscommunitycenter/


“Ball Jar Collectors” discussion group on Facebook  (this is a private group and requires an OK by the moderators before posting).  There are over 10 thousand members so far: Ball jar Collectors on Facebook


For information on values, you might check out the Redbookjars.com site,  where the “Red Book” fruit jar price guide for collectors is available for purchase. (I’ve been told that the current edition is sold out, but a NEW updated edition is scheduled to be released in January of 2023!) 

Interesting overview article posted on the Ball.com site:
Ball History and Timeline


Basic article about antique fruit jars, written by Dave Hinson

Here is a very good, basic yet rather comprehensive “Question and Answers” article with lots of general information about collectible fruit jars, written by jar collector and researcher Dave Hinson.  This covers info on many brands of fruit jars besides Ball.  (The original URL of this article seems to be “dead” but I’ve found an archived version of the webpage at the “Wayback Machine” internet archive, and it can be accessed at this web address:          Fruit Jars – Questions and Answers – Dave Hinson

 

 


Please click here to go to my alphabetical mark listings, starting with “page one”: Glass Bottle Marks .

Click here to go to my website HOME / WELCOME PAGE.


ADVERTISEMENT




153 thoughts on ““BALL PERFECT MASON” fruit jars”

  1. I have an aqua Ball jar with 5 dots (arranged like the dots on dice) on the bottom. What’s that about?

    1. Clint, that sounds like a mold identifying mark, serving the purpose of a mold number. I doubt that it has any significance other than identifying a particular mold (part of a series of otherwise more or less identical molds) being used on a jar-making machine.

      Hope this helps,
      David

  2. I haven’t found anything specific as far as dating for the ball perfect mason jars where the “perfect mason” part is offset. Could you help me with that? Thank you!

    1. Hi Heather,
      Honestly, I am not sure about that. My vague impression was that those were among the first of the BPM jars to be produced, perhaps sometime in the 1913-1917 period. But that is only a guess, so don’t quote me. If you haven’t already, you might try joining and posting on the “Ball Jar Collectors” discussion group on Facebook. There are lots of knowledgeable antique jar collectors who are members of that group, and maybe someone would have better information there for you.
      Thanks for writing, and take care,
      David

      1. I have a blue colored ball perfect mason jar with what looks like a 1 on the bottom but right below the 1 looks like a side way 1 or maybe an (under score ) below the one? Any info on this?

        1. Hi Michelle,
          I think you are seeing a Perfect Mason jar with an “underlined mold number 1”. Many Ball Perfect Mason jars do have underlined mold numbers on the bottom. The underline may look somewhat crude or sloppy – like a slash. I often see “9” and “6” underlined which presumably clarifies which number is meant. However, I have also seen other numbers with underlines, so I’m not certain what the purpose of the line would be in those cases – perhaps merely to differentiate/identify the molds (of a particular mold set being used on a certain jar-making machine) from those molds installed on another machine within the same factory, or at a different Ball factory location? I really don’t know.

          Best regards,
          David

  3. I have several old Ball mason jars , I heard that the blue colored ball jars were unsafe for canning food due to something in the color leaching into the food. Is this true? Thank you so much . I have probably more than 500 Ball jars, with all my others I have approximately 1100 total 😁

    1. Hello Debra,
      No, that is not true. 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. This is what might be called “natural glass” or “common glass” as produced by man. Virtually all sand worldwide contains trace quantities of iron.

      Most so-called “common” or “natural glass” will appear in some shade of light blue, aqua or green. Modern clear glass is created by decolorizing the glass (“masking” or counteracting the bluish color caused by the iron) by adding another ingredient (element) in very small quantities to the glass batch.

      The iron is “locked into” the glass. Although it is possible a few atoms of iron will leach away from the glass into the food over long periods of time, this would not be harmful. (Iron is an essential trace element required by the human body). Because if that were harmful, everyone should stop using steel pots and pans, and iron skillets, which, during ordinary use, release many more atoms of iron than the glass ever could. I hope this helps.

      Best Regards,
      David

  4. I started canning and fell in love with the jars! I have many aqua jars I use for canning and dehydrated food. I was just gifted a straight shoulder quart (1896-1910) Ball Mason with what appears to be an upside down “s”!

  5. 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. It is unlike my other mason jars. What age, etc?

    1. Mom’s mason jar with picture engraved on one side it is clear measurements in cups and ounces this one is 3 cups or 24 ounces. Made in USA under the picture. On the bottom it says Home Products & Columbus Ohio around the edge of the bottom in the center of the bottom it only has these numbers 75 19 what does these numbers mean?

  6. I have a wide mouth half-gallon jar with the registered trademark symbol, says Genuine Sculptured Glass on the bottom, but is missing the B on the Ball logo. Is this a common mishap?

    1. Hi Charlotte,
      Yes, it is pretty common to see embossing on a bottle or jar which is very faint or partly illegible. Sometimes during production the molten glass (that was blown under pressure into the inside of a mold) didn’t fill in all the engraving perfectly, leaving “missing” portions on the finished piece. In some cases “mold paste” clogged up the engraving in the mold, causing a portion of the embossing to be missing or “flattened”. In other cases the molten glass was slightly cooler than it should have been, and did not “fill in” the engraving completely. There are likely other reasons. In some cases the mold engraver actually made an error and did not engrave a word, name or phrase correctly, but I don’t think that is the case here.
      Hope this helps,
      David

  7. I have various (old) Ball (Perfect Mason) jars used for storing dried foods, several are 1/2 gal. Anything older than this I have put away but a 1/2 gal caught my attention while cleaning – it is a 3L Ball Mason with a straighter shoulder design. The mold mark on the bottom is in Roman numerals, IV – which I haven’t seen before. Any info anyone might be able to share would be great.

  8. I have a ball perfect Mason w/ 8 in the middle of the bottom and just off to the side a small 8. Any idea?
    PS it blue round 1923/1933 era

    1. Hi John,
      For some (unknown) reason some of the BPM jars were marked with a smaller “repeat” of the mold number. I can’t really say why!
      David

  9. I have an antique canning jar that holds almost 8 cups that I think might be rare because I have searched online and Ebay and have never seen one like it due to the unusual LOGO. It is round, clear uncolored glass, wider circumference at the bottom and a regular-mouth lid will fit the narrower top. Written across diagonally, the logo says “Standard” in cursive writing and below it, also diagonally, it has what looks sort of like a banner with the word MASON (all in capital letters) written within the banner.

    Would you know 1) if this jar is rare? 2) about how old it is, 2) and if it has lead in it? I would like to refrigerate cold juice or leftover liquid coffee in it, if it has no lead in it. Thank you so much for your time and knowledge.

    1. Hi Dianne,
      Your jar is not rare, but it is certainly not that common either. It is a type that shows up occasionally at antique jar and bottle shows and on ebay. The value in the “Redbook” price guide shows it as in the $10-25 dollar range, assuming it is in good condition. These “STANDARD” jars with the word “MASON” enclosed in a pennant or banner, were made in three sizes, pint, quart and half gallon. The quart is the most common and valued less, the pint and half gallon are scarcer and valued somewhat more.
      The catalog number in the “Redbook” guide assigned to that style of jar is #2712. According to “The Fruit Jar Works” volume 2, written by Alice Creswick, those jars were made by Illinois Pacific Glass Company, of San Francisco, and could date sometime in the 1902-1925 time period.
      I found two examples on ebay [at the time this was posted], one pint and one half gallon. Here is a link to an ebay Keyword Search string to find jars that fit that description (although some of the search results will not be relevant) :
      https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=standard+mason+jar+%28pint%2C+quart%2C+gallon%29&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_osacat=0&_odkw=standard++mason+jar+%28pint%2Cquart%2C+gallon%29

      Those jars are usually found in a very pale light green glass.

      BTW, fruit jars were virtually never made with lead in the glass formula. Lead was added to the recipe for high-quality “flint” glassware such as crystal stemware to increase the brilliancy of the glass. Lead glass was the typical glass used for tableware (such as sugar bowls, spooners, tumblers, wine glasses, vases, mugs etc. ) until around 1860 when the new “Soda Lime glass” formula came into widespread use since it was cheaper to make.

      ‘Common’ lower-grade glass items such as bottles, fruit jars and insulators were typically made with ”soda lime glass” which doesn’t contain lead.

      That said, since most glass was made with some percentage of cullet (broken and scrap glass) there is always a tiny chance the cullet used might have contained small traces of lead……but even if there was any, it would certainly not be enough to cause any concerns.

      Hope this helps, David

  10. Can anyone tell me about a 3 pint blue Ball jar? It’s not listed on the size or identification charts.

  11. I emailed the Ball Corp. and Ardagh Group about the date for my jar.

    Still waiting…

    …does anyone know what date the marking “B17” was imprinted on the mason jars?

    Has “B17” on front below “PERFECT MASON” and “B17” on bottom of jar. The jar has grips but no measurements. The jar also has “MADE IN U.S.A.” on lower back end of jar. The jar is clear.

    Looks old.

    Found it about 3 miles into the woods.

    Here is a picture: https://ibb.co/z6ttmn6

    Thanks!

    1. Hi Steven,
      The “B17” is probably a mold number, so that in itself gives us no information on age. I can say that the clear Ball Perfect Mason jars all date after 1937, when the color was changed from aqua or “Ball Blue” to clear glass. Beyond that, I can’t speculate on the exact year of manufacture on any of the later clear jars. However, just guessing, I’d estimate your jar dates from sometime in the 1940s or 1950s. Longtime, knowledgeable (“Serious”) Ball fruit jar collectors might be able to give us better information on dating, and I invite anyone landing on this page to chime in if they have ANY clues to help narrow down this age range.
      Good luck on hearing anything from those corporations. I strongly doubt if you will ever hear from them. (I have sent inquiries to other glass companies with no responses.) 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.
      Much of this kind of information including “finer details” about jars like these were never kept by company officials or employees, IF they were ever even documented at the time.
      That said, there may be info out there somewhere that could help with dating. Take care and thanks for your post. Also, thank you for including a link to your jar you are asking about.
      Best regards,
      David

      1. Fruit Jar Annual is updated every 1-2 years and contains info on most jars including circa dates. Most of the info is from Standard Fruit Jar Reference which was last published in 2011. 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. You could probably visit your local library and have them borrow a copy for you to search. Hope this helps.

        1. Hi Medolark,
          Thank you very much for your post and info. I don’t have all of the very latest editions of these books and had not perused them closely to see if we could narrow down the date range for the jar. Hopefully Stephen and other collectors can come up with better info from studying the information published there.
          Take care,
          David

  12. My friend inherited some Ball jars from her mother in Minnesota. We have not been able to find anything on one clear glass wide-mouth jar in particular.

    The markings on the bottom are:
    1st line: 715-17
    2nd line: Ball 9
    and 3rd line: A11

    The front has markings from 2 thru 12 oz. The back has markings from 1/4 thru 1 1/2 cup. The Ball logo is post-1962. Do you know where might I be able to find information on this jar or where I can find more of them?

  13. My Mother in Law unloaded a bunch of “treasures” at our house. One of the treasures I stumbled upon was a jar. I can’t find the exact one when doing any research and was hoping maybe someone could help??? It is the old shaped Mason fruit jar. It is the very light blue color that has been described as the classic Mason jar shade of blue. It has the rough seams and there are bubbles in the glass. The part where the lid screws on is rough as well. The lettering on the jar is raised. It has an S, then says Mason’s Patent 1858. The lettering is spelled correctly and the “S” does NOT look like a Z as mentioned in some of the Asian replica’s. The bottom of the jar has the mold number A-3 on it. There are no other markings in it. From what I have been reading I feel like it should have “Ball” somewhere on the jar. Any thoughts would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

    1. [I replied by direct email to this question, and received pics of her jar and the base. I will publish my reply here also].
      Hi Davina,
      Thanks for taking the time to send me the pics! I looked up your jar variation in the reference book “The Fruit Jar Works” by Alice Creswick (1995) and the jar is listed officially as Jar #1770 in those listings. So, needless to say, any collectors using that book and it’s accompanying price guide “The Red Book for Fruit Jars” would use that catalog number to describe that particular jar variant when communicating with other collectors.

      The notation in the book also reads “MAKER UNKNOWN” so I can’t say what glass company would have made it. Lots of these kinds of jars were made by many unidentified bottle/jar makers. Just by the general “look” of your jar, I would guess it dates from sometime in the mid-1870s into the early 1890s, but that is just my guess. The letter/number on the base is a mold identifier, and doesn’t really give us any info on maker or age. The color of the glass is classifed as “aqua”, the most commonly seen color of those kinds of jars.

      BTW I am pretty sure it has nothing to do with the Ball Bros Glass Company, and it might even predate their existence.
      Hope this helps!
      David

    2. Further research on this jar shows that the Ball logo is post-1962. 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. I think this jar may be one of these.

  14. Hello. I have several Ball jars that are off size and I cannot locate seals and rings or lids to purchase. They hold approximately 8 oz. and read Ball Quilted Crystal U.S.A. Are the seals and rings still available? There are no grooves for a rings to screw onto. Is there some other type of seal available? Thank you for any information you can share.

    1. What you may have are jelly jars that were made to seal with paraffin. Some had a metal cover that just sat on top of the glass with a lip that went down the side of the jar just enough to not slide off. I have a few of them that I bought in the 70’s for my jelly.

  15. I have a Ball THE Mason, green tint, pint jar. It is seamed and the word THE is in the reverse swirl of the M of Mason’. Irregular screw sizing. Any info would be appreciated. For those who still preserve, do not use older flat lids to process with. I bought some older lids at an estate sale, not that old, probably from the 60’s. The rubber from the jar lids deteriorated in the water bath and the jars did not stay sealed. I just refrigerated and ate the beans and threw all the lids away. Probably could have used them for dry storage but didn’t think just tossed, I didn’t want to mix them with good lids.

    1. Chris,
      I have answered other queries about those “The Mason” jars, either in the comments section of this page, or the comments under the “MASONS PATENT NOV 30Th 1858” webpage. Sorry I don’t remember where they are! And thanks for the hints on the lids. Good advice! Those older lids are only good for collecting and displaying with the older jars, but definitely not actually using them for canning!
      Take care,
      David

      [Edit – May 15, 2021: Please check out my reply to a comment on a similar jar, at this URL: https://glassbottlemarks.com/#comment-15098 ]

  16. Has any one heard of canning jars with ” little narrower mouth food jars”? I bought some at a garage sale and the lady gave me a ton of lids but only 3 bands. I found 1 box on ebay of bands but cant find any more in fo on these. One box of lids says v 63 arro on it all the others say #63.

    1. The ‘63’ lid and band were made to be used on product jars so they could be canned in during the war years. They are no longer available but I have picked up a number of boxes at yard sales and vintage sales.

  17. Today I found a Ball jar in an old cellar….it’s a pint jar and it says “THE Ball Mason”. Both Ball and Mason are in cursive. Any idea where I can find more information on this? Thank you for your time.

    1. Nan, I believe there are several jars known that fit that description. However, one of them in particular has been asked about before, and is described in a comment/post on the Mason’s Patent Nov 30th 1858 Jars -Summary” page. Within the comments section at the bottom of the page, please check out my response to “Hannah” on June 11, 2018. Thank you!
      David

  18. I have a Ball Perfect Mason jar that is different from all others I have seen. It is logo 7, so 1933 to 1962. It is clear. Oddly, the mold number is not on the bottom. It is clearly on the front about 3/4″ below the word “Mason”. It is a number 7. There is no number on the bottom. Everything else looks normal. Does anyone know when they made that jar?

    Thanks, Michael

    1. I have some blue jars which are in the Logo 5 category according to the chart. They say “perfect mason” – most have the
      words centered but two are aligned on the left. Is there any significance to the alignment of the words “perfect mason”? Thanks,

      1. Laurie, in my opinion there is very little significance. Hundreds of different molds were used to produce those jars and sometimes the mold cutter engraved the lettering in slightly different positions relative to the top line of text.
        ~David

      2. I want to comment on your message about the unlucky number 13 blue ball mason jars. I’m from the mountains of VA/WV. I run into old moonshine stills all the time. I rarely find one without broken glass all over the place. Of course some blue glass still remains and the most common number I find broken to hell and back is the 13. The old timers, God rest they souls, swore every 13 was broken as soon as their hands touched it. Everyone around here broke them, my grandmother remembers her grandfather breaking whole cases of unlucky jars simply cuz they had 13 stamped on the bottom.

        1. Hi Nathaniel,
          Thank you very much for your post! That is very interesting and I appreciate it. I would love to hear from more people who have comments or information on this subject as well. Take care,
          David

          1. I grew up shining in these mountains, never seen a shiner waste anything. Some were Superstitious but most of them weren’t, and they were poor and of great faith. From what I have been told by my ancestors and their friends, some of them wouldn’t 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 I’d 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 didn’t break.
            He also said a Appalachian wife is not going to let you waste whether 13 is on it or not, as they are very Christian and won’t have a lack of faith like that being passed to the kids. She would use the jar and make it known that God is all you fear.
            Knowing my grandma and Mom I believe this to be more the case and the truth. 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. Hope this helps out people.

          2. Hi Jeremy,
            I really appreciate your post on the site! Thanks for taking the time to tell us about your experiences concerning the “#13” jars.
            Take care!
            David

  19. Thank you for this comprehensive information. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge! I found a blue jar in my woods that seems to fit the 1910-1923 model description. To be clear, the newer “Heritage” reproductions would say 100th anniversary on the back? I want to be sure I found an original, not a replica. I also found a milk glass Boyd’s Porcerlain Liner near it.

    1. Hi Casey,
      I am 100% sure the one you found in the woods is an older type of jar. Also, the older jars tend to be somewhat thicker, heavier glass than the new, modern Ball jars.
      Another note: Just recently (2019) new BALL PERFECT MASON jars have been issued and are for sale at various department stores. (I saw them at Meijer and Walmart). They are a typical “BALL BLUE” (blue-aqua) color and are slightly lighter in weight than the originals. They have the words “MADE IN U.S.A.” on the back, and the glass manufacturer’s mark used by Ardagh Group embossed on the base. (See that mark pictured in the “U” alphabetical bottle mark listings.) Hope this helps!
      ~David

  20. You could show a picture of the timeline…. shows all logo styles beginning in late 19th century… that way there is no guessing….on the jar era.

    1. Hi Misty,
      I had two links to that chart posted on this article, but I have now inserted the chart itself on my page. I hope this will be of help to collectors. I also hope everyone will follow the link to the entire article written by Karen M. Vincent, which includes more detail and context in addition to the chart.
      Best regards, David

    1. Hi Christine,
      May I ask who told you? I mean, an antique dealer, a fruit jar collector, a friend? I doubt that’s true, but you never know! There are lots of rumors and stories that float around the country for many years, sometimes passed down from older people, and sometimes they have truth in them, sometimes not. Your guess is as good as mine! 🙂
      David

  21. I have a blue Ball perfect mason jar with what looks like a capital I with a line underneath it. No numbers.

  22. Hello, I have just got a collection of jars (house dates back to 1920s) and a lot of jars. Here’s a test on 1, BALL perfect mason 3n on front, an T 65 3N on bottom, made in USA on back, and side ribs. Is this jar made in 1965?

    1. Hi Charles, I don’t know about the date coding system used on the relatively recent Ball jars (or if there was a date coding system). I’m sorry but I don’t know what year the jar was made, or if it is possible to glean that info from the numbers on it. Perhaps someone else has more definitive info for you.
      David

    2. I believe all Ball “ribbed” jars are post 1935 as that is when ribs (or grips as they were called) were developed.

  23. Hi! While cleaning my mother-in-laws basement I found a glass bottle with grape and grape vine designs on it. The embossed letters on the bottom clearly say “Wine’ and on one end it looks like the infamous “Ball” logo. Did Ball make glass bottles?
    Thanks Sue

  24. Hi David! Today I just found a blue number 13 jar in a basement ,but the number is in Roman numerals. My boss told me to research it but I am not finding anything !

    1. Melinda, I don’t have any specific info on your jar. I suppose there are Ball jars with various Roman numerals on them as well as “normal” numbers.
      David

  25. Hey Lee, I’m from Brazil and searching Google about perfect mason. I found you. My grandfather gave me this jar with Ball perfect mason made in usa (A9) . He was in 2nd World War. Can you share some details about the a9 series please. This will give me more history about. Thanks and brgs.

    1. Luiz, I’m sorry but I don’t have specific information on that jar. I think most of those Ball Perfect Mason jars with the letters along with the numbers (which are mold identification marks) were made sometime in the 1930s-1960s, but that is only a guess, and I can’t narrow down the date range any better.
      best regards, David

  26. I have a 3 L Balll Mason quart and the embossing seems very “Hand Scribed” or “Hand written”. did I read somewhere that sometimes when ball bought out another company that sometimes they “redid” the competitors jars and put Balll on them? Thanks for any info in advance!

  27. Hello David,
    I am hoping you are able to cast some light on my mystery Ball jar. It is a pint size clear class, squared with waffle grid and a flat rectangular space on one side. A small Ball logo with the curled extender on the “B” and an end loop that doubles back to underline the “all” in Ball appears on the bottom only along with the number 5014 and another raised mark that looks like a stretched-out skinny number “6”.
    I am trying to find a zinc lid for this charmer but a regular standard lid is too large. The outside top rim measures 2 3/8″ across, not counting and threads. It LOOKS like to should take a standard lid but they are too large.
    Do you think this a “packer” jar? If so, what sort of lid might I need to find for it? It certainly is from the zinc lid era and the threads on the top are spaced such that all commercially-made-for-market tin lids I have ever seen would be more closely spaced. Thoughts?
    P.S. I have SO many of these great old grid jars that I used for pantry storage already…I guess I just really love a challenge. Bless your heart for any time you have left over to address the inquiries you receive on your site.
    Best, Kathy

    1. Hi Kathy,
      I’m afraid I don’t know a lot about the minor variants of those “Grid” jars. Hopefully someone who collects them can chime in and offer more info for you.
      David

  28. I have a couple ball perfect mason jars from 1910-1923 era with severe offset where the p in perfect is over the s and o. I understand the word was purposely indented. I’m just wondering if this is a valuable flaw before posting for sale. Thank you in advance for any information.

    1. Tiffany, I am under the impression that most of those jars have little additional market value compared to others with the “normal” orientation.
      David

  29. Hi, I have 2 pale blue jars. one quart and 1 pint with distinctive seams. The logo says Mason with a “The” in the M stylus. No other markings. The only info I found was a comment from someone that said he thinks they were made between 1885 and 1900. Is this accurate? Thanks for all your work on answering others questions.

    1. Hello David,
      You have what is catalogued as Jar #1651 (in the RED BOOK of fruit jars used by antique jar collectors). 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. That jar factory was purchased by Ball Bros Glass Company in 1909 and closed down in 1911. ALSO: a very similar jar is known, but it has the word “BALL” placed above the word “MASON”. That jar is listed as #266. Hope this helps!
      David

  30. I don’t see anything oabout numbers on the front of jars. I recently found some mason jars in an old barn and after cleaning them up they have no markings on bottom but a number 2 under perfect mason and one had number 3. These are larger size mason jars

    1. Hi Sheila,
      Because i have a regular job and have been VERY, VERY pressed for time. There are thousands of different jars known and I do not have info on every one. The “RED BOOK” Lists thousands of variations.
      Please send pics to my email address (noted on bottom right of any page on this site) and I will see if I can be of any help. However, no guarantees. Thanks for your patience.
      David

  31. I have a half gallon Ball Perfect Mason on front and 2 on bottom. Would it be rare or valeuable?

    1. Renee, your average quart and half gallon Ball Perfect Masons (in the most common aqua or Ball Blue colors) are typically valued at around 1 to 2 dollars each. They may be priced much higher at antique shops, flea markets and on online sales/auctions sites. The “2” is a mold number. The older types of BPM that date from the 1910s-1930s in aqua or blue were made in the hundreds of millions over many years, so they are considered extremely common.

      Best regards,
      David

    1. Hello Angel, most of the later clear Ball jars are very common and don’t have much collector value, although they still have (of course) “practical”, “useful” value for canning. They are found with various mold numbers on the bottom. I don’t know how common the “41” jar would be, compared to other mold numbers seen.
      David

  32. Hi . I have a 1900-1910 blue ball jar without a number on the bottom. Would you happen to know what that means? Thanks!

    1. Liz, all Ball jars are not necessarily marked with mold numbers. I can’t give an exact reason why some are marked with numbers but others are not.
      Best regards,
      David

  33. I have many vintage light blue to dark blue I have one that is the Mason’s patent 1858 jar a48 on bottom and a snowflake type of embossing on back

  34. In the above article, it states that the new reproductions are Perfect Mason but I purchased a set of the new amethyst pint jars and the side has a dropped A underlined Ball with IMPROVED beneath.
    Reverse: 1913 – 1915
    100 years of
    AMERICAN
    HERITAGE
    MADE-IN-U.S.A.

    Standard and metric measure on one side.

    1. Hi Medolark, Thanks for bringing that to my attention. When I first wrote most of the text for this page, the only “Heritage” jars in production were the aqua-blue colored “Ball Perfect Mason” jars issued in 2013 for the 1913 100th anniversary of the Ball Perfect Mason.
      Since then, (2014) the medium green jars were issued, with the name “PERFECTION” on them, and the purple jars were issued in 2015, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the “IMPROVED” jars first issued in 1915. I will edit my text shortly to help reduce confusion on the exact wording on those later colored jars. Best regards,
      David

    1. Keegan, Ball Brothers Glass Company made a wide variety of containers besides their better-known fruit jars. Often there is a cursive BALL logo on the bottom. Ball made liquor bottles, food bottles and lots of containers for other products as well. The “4” is probably a mold number. Please check out my article on this site about the Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Company.
      David

  35. Hi I have a Ball jar that dates between 1933 -1962 based on the Ball logo. It stands 20″ tall and is around 30″ round. It has its lid, wire closer and rubber gasket. Is it some sort of store display?

    1. Pamela, I’m not sure, but I would guess it was meant as a pickle jar or a large-size store display for commemorative or decorative purposes. Perhaps a reader can give us some feedback on it!
      David

  36. I have a Ball perfect mason jar with the 13 on the side. Is it a rare jar? I can’t seem to find any info on it because everything says the number is on the bottom.

    1. I also have a quart size Ball Perfect Mason, square, with 13F on the side and bottom. What does this mean… It also has an I on the bottom across from the 13F on the bottom. Can anyone tell me about this style jar?

  37. Are there reproduction Ball porcelain lids? I found some lids at an antique store in mint condition. They looked too good to be true and $2.00 a piece???

          1. Hi Donna, Yes, “Zinc-coated steel” and Milk glass. And, yes, I’m guilty of getting into the habit of calling them “porcelain” liners just because of the wording on many of the discs, even though technically they are not made of porcelain (except perhaps for a few very early liners, circa 1869). Have you checked out my webpage on the “BOYD” milkglass liners?
            Best regards,
            David

    1. Lisa, they are “NOS” (new old stock). Lots of them are still around, boxes of them having been found after long storage in pantries, closets, warehouses, etc, in “never used” condition.
      If a zinc lid contains a “porcelain” (milk glass) liner, they are likely “original” lids (the BALL lids were made over many decades, many of them sold as replacements). If there is no “porcelain” liner, it is probably a repro.
      David

  38. I have picked a masons jar patent Nov. 30th 1858 with an H362 on the bottom, can you tell me anything about it? Thank you

    1. Bryan, it’s one of the recent repro jars. The embossing looks “odd” (smooth rounded lettering, shallowly, poorly formed) compared to the authentic, early jars from the 1858-1920 period, and the jars are typically in pristine condition with no base wear or scratching. The glass is oily or “slick” and shiny. There are several different base molds found so far, and some of them start with an “H” followed by three numbers. These new jars are being imported from China, India and other countries in Asia.
      David

  39. I just found 2 Ball jars with measurements on the other side 2 1/2 cup. They have A13 on the bottom. I can’t seem to find anything about them.

  40. Hello. I have a jar I believe to be half gallon size. It is very faint blue. The front is marked Root Mason. The bottom only has the letter A. The glass has some air bubbles in it, but otherwise is in excellent co dition.The shape of the jar is nothing like the shape of the Ball jars. Can you provide me with a little history on this jar?
    Thanks
    Kelli

  41. Hello, I found a box of old Ball jars and two of them have the # B18 and the other has 18 but on the bottom says A18 and the one has B18 on bottom. My question is that a mis print?

  42. I found a green Ball perfect Mason pint jar. I have purchased hundreds of the old blue jars. This one is different because the word BALL is in print not cursive. It also has a extra line around the top of the jar. Any idea on age and why it’s different?

    1. Julie,
      I don’t know about the jar. There are many minor variants of Ball jars, sometimes found in various shades of true green (not aqua). You might try posting a query on the antique-bottles.net site, where a lot of fruit jar collectors discuss jars on the JARS discussion forum there.
      Best regards,
      David

  43. Hello, I have a jar where the Ball logo dates it between 1910-1923. It has only the word ‘Mason’ below it. Every one I see on Ebay or mentioned in web sites for this period are ‘Perfect Mason’ jars. Does this make it any rarer, and is it possibly just an earlier one before the ‘Perfect’ was added?

    1. Tanya, the jars marked “BALL MASON” were probably introduced around 1901 (according to info by highly respected fruit jar researcher and historian Dick Roller – although author William F. Brantley wrote “about 1895” in his book “A Collector’s Guide to Ball Jars”) and were made in large quantities from the early 1900s into the c.1910-1915 period. In a very general sense, most of them appear to pre-date the BALL PERFECT MASON’s, but there was evidently a gradual phasing in of the BALL PERFECT MASON jars so both the BALL MASON and the BALL PERFECT MASON were likely being made simultaneously for at least some period of time.
      Keep in mind Ball had more than one factory producing fruit jars, and there are many slightly different variations of the BALL MASON jars out there. 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.

      The BALL MASON jars are commonly found, but definitely not as abundant as the BALL PERFECT MASON’s which were made in TREMENDOUS quantities!
      To sum this up, there are still a lot of uncertainties involving the many BALL fruit jar varieties to be found, and I am certainly not an expert on those jars!!
      David

  44. Hello, I recently inherited an aqua glass jar with the Mason patent 1858. There are no other markings anywhere. The glass has an extreme rippled look to it. I know it’s machine made due to the seams down the sides. I can find nothing about it. All websites talk about number embossing to determine batch or manufacturer location. Since there are no numbers or any other kind of embossing I was hoping you might help me determine the age. I have no intention of selling and have no interest in the value. Can you help me?

  45. My brother has ball jars that are hand blown. There are tiny bubbles in the glass.. are they worth much?

    1. Jeremiah, most jars bearing the BALL brand name are not handblown – they are machine-made (either on semi-automatic machines – from the 1890s – or fully-automatic, early 1900s). For instance, ALL “BALL PERFECT MASON” jars are machine-made.
      Lots of bubbles can be found in some jars even into the 1920s and ’30s or later, although the bubbles typically aren’t nearly as numerous or noticeable in later jars.
      To be honest, your questions are rather ‘general’ and very hard to answer with precision. 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”.
      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. Hope this helps,
      David

    1. Hello Bill,
      This is a case where the moldcutter engraved the numbers in the wrong order so they appear as “51” instead of “15”. This is seen occasionally on the base of some Ball Perfect Mason jars. Thanks for writing!
      David

  46. My grandmother gave me many Ball fruit/ perfect mason jars. Ive been searching the internet to find information on reproductions. 8+ of them are Ball perfect Mason without the underline. I read these should be from around 1930s era? How do i know if they are repros?

    1. Caitlin,
      The only repro BALL PERFECT MASON Jars that I know of are smaller, recently made jars (so far, in the years 2013-2016) made of thinner, lighter-weight glass and they are not in the original blue-aqua color. I described them in the text on this page. They are (so far) made of light cornflower blue glass, amethyst and true green.
      The original BALL PERFECT MASON jars are typically of heavier, thicker glass, most often found in pint, quart and half-gallon sizes. Usually in aqua, Ball blue, or clear glass.
      To look for signs of originality, look CAREFULLY under a bright light for tiny scratches in the sides, base wear (network of high point scratches and scuffs on the bottom which is noticeable on almost all older jars that were used over a long period of time).
      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. They can be found in large quantities in almost any antique store or flea market especially throughout the Midwest and Eastern states.
      I am sure your jars are not reproductions. Sounds like the type made circa 1923-1933. Please check out this chart showing logo changes, courtesy of the Minnetrista website:
      https://www.minnetrista.net/blog/blog/2013/06/27/ball-family-history/how-to-date-a-ball-jar
      Hope this helps,
      David

      1. I have a collection of porcelain liners,and I would like to know what was embossed on the porcelain liners for ball mason jar lids,so i know what they are like the next time i go to a dump.

        1. Albert, the porcelain liners made for the jar lids marked “BALL” were made in TREMENDOUS numbers over many years, and there are probably a number of variations out there. I don’t know what they all are, but just checking a few, I can say that some have just a mold number (one or two digits) placed in the center of 3 or 4 concentric circles (but with no other markings); others have the exact embossing “<> GENUINE ZINC CAP <> FOR BALL MASON JARS” The <> indicates two “diamond” marks placed between those phrases. Others are blank (no lettering of any kind).
          There are probably other variations out there. They should be the most commonly found type of porcelain liner. If you have access to a local flea market or antique mall that stocks Ball jars with lids (most have at least a few!), you might unscrew the lid and check the porcelain liners and see what you can find.
          Best regards,
          David

        2. 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. Please check out my page about the “Boyd Porcelain lined cap” on this website.
          Best regards,
          David

  47. I recently cleaned out my great grandmothers home and found a large (almost the size of a 2 liter) jar. It is the blue/green color and says STANDARD underlined only under STAN. The word standard also is written at angle. There is a 2 on the bottom but there is no Ball or any other writing.. I can’t find anything on the Internet and I am very curious about the history behind this jar. Any details would be greatly appreciated!

    1. Bri,
      That’s one of the later, machine-made types of “Wax Sealer” fruit jars. The wax sealer jars have a “grooved ring” around the top of the jar instead of threading to accommodate a metal screw lid. You have the half-gallon size. That type marked “STANDARD” was made by Greenfield Fruit Jar & Bottle Company, Greenfield, IN (c. 1890-1909) and some were also made by Ball Bros Glass Company circa 1909-1912 (Ball bought the Greenfield factory in 1909). Your particular jar variation is listed as #2711 in the “Redbook” fruit jar guide used by serious jar collectors. Information on attribution from page 200 of “The Fruit Jar Works Volume 1” by Alice Creswick. The “2” is a mold number. 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.
      Hope this helps~
      David

  48. Hello David, I recently found a triple L, light green Ball jar. It is marked on the bottom with ‘R’ and two dots. It’s has bubbles and is beautiful. Can you tell me anything about it?

    1. Debra,
      All I can tell you is the jars marked “Ball Mason” were made throughout the c. 1901-1913 time period by Ball, and is the immediate predecessor of the “Ball Perfect Mason” jars. The markings on the base identified that particular mold.
      David

  49. I found a faint green jar with “Ball Mason” on it. There are no other numbers on it. The emblem is like no others that I can find. It is underlined with a long loop after the “LL”. There is no loop in the middle of the BB. There is a line in front of the A leading into it. The bottom of the A is more pointed than curved. The glass has several large bubbles and the writing is very faint(it does not protrude as far off the glass as others. Any ideas?

    1. Kylan,
      Your jar is one of many slightly different variants of the more common type of screw-lid “Mason” jar produced by Ball just BEFORE they started producing the ubiquitous “Ball Perfect Mason” jars. Many of them have quite lightly-embossed lettering. The “BALL MASON” jars are generally believed to have been made between around 1895 and 1910. (Source: A Collector’s Guide to Ball Jars, William F. Brantley, 1975, page 53). However, longtime fruit jar researcher and glass company historian Dick Roller stated that the “Ball Mason” jars date from approximately 1901.
      Your jar has the “third L” type of lettering (loop) which was common after around 1900 up to the introduction of the Ball Perfect Mason. Your jar (and it’s many variants) are listed from #279 to #296-10 in the “Redbook” used by antique jar collectors. (I think yours would probably be #280). Many if not most of these jars have at least a few bubbles in them.
      Best regards,
      David

  50. My name is Connie Chapman. I purchased wide mouth quart jars 12 in the box, 7 only wide mouth the other 5 were regular. The lids were all wide mouth. My email is (address obscured for privacy concerns). Could you please tell me who to get in contact with?

    1. Connie, you misunderstand this site. This site is about background historical information for glass collectors. I have absolutely no connection with the current distributors of any fruit jars, including those marked “BALL” or any other brand name.
      Best regards,
      David

    1. Catherine, they are probably “packer jars” or “product jars”, originally containing some type of item and sold retail (as opposed to jars sold empty for home use). Many common food jars (such as originally used for mayonnaise, etc) would fall in that category, and those types of jar are often called “packers” within the glass industry, and have been made by many glass companies.
      David

  51. Hi there –

    I cleaned out my parents barn in Indiana last month and found my Grandmother’s canning jars. Among them were several Blue or Aqua (?) Ball Jars (detailed below). My mother said they were old and collectible. After 35+ years in a barn, they cleaned up fairly well and I was planning on using them for an indoor herb garden. However, if they’re valuable, maybe I should reconsider.

    I have the following in Blue/Aqua (10 total):

    1.) Ball Perfect Mason – the “Perfect” is slightly to the right. #7 on the bottom (Quart)
    2.) Ball Ideal Pat’d July 14, 1908 – This one has a glass lid and rubber ring (Quart?) #8 on the bottom.
    3.) Ball Perfect Mason with lines going down the sides (Quart). #9 on the bottom.
    4 & 5.) Ball Perfect Masons (Quart). #7 on the bottom
    6 – 9.) Ball Perfect Masons (Quart). #8 on the bottom
    10.) Smaller Ball Perfect Mason (Pint?). #9 on the bottom.

    The truth is, I can hardly tell one from another. I’ll gladly post or send pics.

    1. Hi Chip,
      They sound like typical Ball jars that were made in very large numbers, and although they are old and considered collectible, since they are common they have only minor value to collectors, perhaps 1 to 3 dollars apiece in good condition. If I were you, I’d go ahead and use them for your herb garden, or as kitchen canisters, vases, containers for marbles, buttons, etc, or as general home décor. Hope this helps!
      David

    2. Those all sound like lovely run-of-the-mill antique ball jars. I have many many of these the Red Book (Leybourne) values them at $1-4 depending. I will continue to buy them at a reasonable price even though I have have many. I keep and collect them to admire, use for dry goods storage and I use the smooth lip mason type for canning. I know this isn’t recommended but if there are no cracks and the lip is in good shape I cannot imagine why I shouldn’t, the glass is twice as thick as the new canning jars and I’ve never had an old jar break in processing but I’ve had new ones break many times.

      1. Laura, thanks for your post! Your experiences (indicating the old jars as more sturdy and less prone to breakage) gives clues as to why so many of the older Ball Perfect Mason jars are still around! And I’m sure many of them were used over and over again for many decades!
        David

  52. I found a Ball Perfect Mason jar that has grippers, cups and ounces on it and says made in USA on back. Research about those details and the word “Ball” tells me it’s date is between 1956-1960. I’m curious though about the letters “HI” printed underneath the word Mason next to the bottom of the jar. I’ve searched but cannot find anything about it. The jar has what swirl marks on the bottom but also a line all the way from top to bottom. Is it hand blown or factory made? It has a what looks like a J17 on the bottom also. Thanks

    1. Karen, there are many slightly different BALL PERFECT MASON jars and I am not familiar with many of them. Don’t know what the “HI” would be. The “J17” is a mold number. ALL Ball Perfect Mason jars were machine-made by Ball at one of their several glass factories. (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).
      David

  53. I have a Masons patent November30 1858 with a 45 on the bottom a lead lid and a rough rim and is light green. I see lots of prices so am curious as to value.

    1. Hi Michael,
      A huge number of MASON’S PATENT NOV 30TH 1858 jars were made over many years by over 100 glass companies. Many of them bear mold numbers on the bottom, usually one, two or three digits. Many cannot be identified as to exact glass factory source. The most common color is light aqua.
      For current values, check ebay auctions over a period of time to get a “feel” for how much they sell for. Typical value ranges for aqua are in the 5 to 15 dollar price range. Sometimes much less, sometimes more. And shipping costs has to be accounted for when scrutinizing ebay final bid prices. Prices can be very erratic, unpredictable, and one particular jar might sell higher than another for no apparent reason. Sometimes it just so happens that two people land on a particular jar auction, become interested in a particular jar and a ‘bidding war’ erupts. Condition is always very important.
      In general, mold numbers do not have any relevance to the worth of a particular 1858 jar, although some Hemingray 1858-type jars can be identified by their particular “look” of the mold numbers, very, very large and ornate on the base.
      I am assuming you have an older, authentic 1858-type jar, but please be aware there are an increasing number of fake/repro jars on ebay, in unusual colors such as shades of true green, and cobalt blue. Some have a mold number “46” on the bottom, and they are almost certainly recent imports from China.
      If there is NO BASE WEAR at all on an 1858 jar, it is probably a new, imported repro jar.

      Hope this helps,
      David

      1. Hi Michele (and Lee),
        Sorry about answering so late. I didn’t really know much about these “in-between” sizes of the Ball Perfect Mason, but finally did a little research in my books on jars. Here is some info I found:

        In the reference book “The Fruit Jar Works, Volume 2” by Alice Creswick (published 1987), there are several not-so-often-seen “off-sized” BALL PERFECT MASON jars that are lumped together under the jar listing #351.
        She writes “The 40 oz. jars were used to pack coffee. The 42 oz. or “short half-gallon” jars were popular with bootleggers during Prohibition (1920s and early 1930s)”. Other sizes mentioned are 36 ounce, 56 ounce, 58 ounce and 66 ounce. Again, the listing is such that all those sizes are catalogued under one jar identification number. The same number (#351) appears in the accompanying REDBOOK price guide (“The Collector’s Guide to Old Fruit Jars”).
        I’m using an older version of the accompanying “Redbook” price guide so I don’t have up-to-date information on values. I would assume they are worth perhaps 20 dollars or more apiece today, but I really don’t know.
        Hope this helps,
        ~David

        1. I found a 1913-1915 Ball Perfect jar where the perfect is offset. 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. The Ball is the triple L style. They began production of the centered Perfect sometime in 1915. 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. Do you have any idea what the F represents or where I can find information on that? This is the first time I have ever seen an F embossed on the bottom.

          Thank you

          1. Hi Natasha,
            I don’t 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). I mention those number-letter marked jars in the third paragraph under the subheading “MOLDS” in my article.

            To be honest I have not paid much attention to those jars, but I believe the letters seen include A through at least H. This seems to be just a variation in the way the molds for that type of jar-making machine were marked. In fact I think that marking orientation may be diagnostic for a specific type of jar manufacturing machine that was in use at the time.
            Just at a glance, I can document jars marked “10 A”, “7 C” and “8 H” among a few jars in my own collection. (So I assume there are lots of jars out there with those letters as well as “B”, “D’, “E”, “F” and” G”.) The jars I have at hand all have the word “MASON” centered (as normal) under the word “PERFECT”.

            I am assuming that many other molds were made and some of those molds had the MASON offset to the left (or “PERFECT” offset to the right, which is the way they are usually described). If you do an ebay search and zoom in and look at gobs of auction photos, I am sure you will see other, similar Ball Perfect Mason jars with various letters from A to H on the bottom. (If any readers have seen jars with letters AFTER “H”, please let us know! I haven’t studied this question in depth and don’t know if other letters are also commonly seen!)
            Take care and I hope this helps a bit,
            David
            PS. Are you sure that is the “3 L” variation? All of the “LOGO 5” jars have only 2 “Ls”, not three.

  54. I purchased a triple L Ball jar with a 13 mold number – in Roman numerals. I didn’t notice Roman numerals on my other jars. Is it a reproduction?

    1. Hi Tim, There are many, many variations of mold numbers on the base of those jars. I am sure it is not a reproduction. However, you might try posting your query on the http://antique-bottles.net site, where there is a special category for discussion on antique fruit jars. Perhaps someone can elaborate more on the Roman numerals on those jars.
      ~David

  55. I found a jar that is a Mason’s patent Nov. 30 th 1858 tha has a number on the bottom that appears to be 113. On second look you can see a faint 13 in the background as well. I have collected bottles and jars for years but not profesionally. It appears to be old glass and not a reproduction. Have you seen jars with error numbers on the bottom? Are they harder to find or common?

    1. Lee, that’s an example of “ghosting” or “ghost embossing”, it is seen fairly frequently on older glass insulators, and on the base of some jars and bottles, mostly on older handblown bottles before, generally, 1920 or so. The phenomenon occurs on bottles when the molten glass was blown into the mold, and the glass shifts slightly before settling into it’s “final resting place”, and in that split second the molten glass can ‘pick up’ part of the lettering before it shifts again and solidifies into place, causing a double image, or faint secondary image of part of the embossed lettering. (I compare it to blowing a large bubble gum bubble, partly sucking it in for a split second, and blowing it back out). A keyword search of “ghost embossing” on google might bring up better info. It is mentioned elsewhere on this site as well. (No, bottles with ghosting are not rare, and there is usually not much premium value put on bottles with ghosting, although some collectors might pay more for a certain piece that has a particularly legible instance of ghosting.) ~David

Leave a Reply, Comment or Query

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.