There are several good books out on the pricing and history of fruit jars and dick roller of paris, illinois, edits a monthly fruit jar newsletter. For fruits like grapes that had a skin, i cut in half to make sure i was maximizing the alcohol. Also, i was surprised that this was such a small bookit really is a booklet it. I immediately ordered the red book, which, even though it was a lot more expensive, was much more useful to me. The ball perfect mason was a brand of glass fruit jar canning jar made by the ball bros. Size is also important in determining the value of fruit jars.
It also includes a listing of fruit jar manufacturers as well as a chronological listing of dated jars, line drawings, and makers marks. Whether youre a newbie, or a longtime collector of fruit jars, youll want these latest updates to 2 classic fruit jar guides. Most of my best jars are from the 1860s to early 1900s, but my oldest predate 1850 and the newest were made as late as 2000 by ball and kerr as. The value of an antique ball jar may be of a more sentimental nature as most jars are not worth a significant amount. Larry munsons fruit jar collection featured in red wing magazine. A hundred and fifty years ago, these jars meant survival, authenticity, repurposed, in a mason jar ny times.
More than 41 million gross 5 billion 904 million canning jars were produced by the ball glass company between 1894 and 1961. Reproductions the base mold numbers on these jars often read 1171, 851 or 971. A collectors manual paperback first published in 1969, reprinted in 2005, it is available for a new generation of bottle collectors. Though many of us would like to venture into grandma or grandpas old fruit cellar and discover a jar that is worth several thousand dollars, the odds are.
Hemingray mason patent half gallon fruit jar redbook 1853 stay safe and healthy. Here is a photograph of a nice collection of globe jars. The evolution of fruit or canning jars parallels the science of. Millville atmospheric fruit jars are among the rarest and most expensive glass jars. Red book 12, collectors guide to old fruit jars, 2018, by douglas leybourned jr. Fruit jars wanted we are in search of the following fruit jars. May 03, 2001 size is also important in determining the value of fruit jars. A common zinc screw top ball jar is worth a buck in a pint size, but the same jar in half pint size is worth a 120 times as much. The latest edition of the redbook can be purchased at the website. Red book 9, collectors guide to old fruit jars, 2001, by douglas leybourne jr.
Fruit jars have been made of glass since the 1850s. This is a good little reference book if you just want to know where that symbol on the bottom of your jar came from. The collectors guide to old fruit jars douglas m leybourne on. Alex kerr was cost conscious because of the gold used in the mixture to create the red color. There are many ways to date old ball mason jars, and one of the easiest is to look at the logo. Clear and aqua jars were common, whereas greens, blacks, blues, ambers, and milk glass are rarer. These guides will help you identify which jars you have, and which ones you want to look for. Each listing contains a short description, which includes color, size and price. Swayzees fruit jars the swayzees glass company started producing fruit jars in 1894. The company was located in grant county swayzee, indiana.
Alex kerr was cost conscious because of the gold used in. The red book is an illustrated price guide to fruit jars. The company started making mason jars back in 1880, and many people today still use these for canning, or collect the jars as a hobby. If you are a fruit jar collector this is the must have book. The 1858 date on many jars refers to the patent date and not the age of the jar. A few of the glassmaker attributions included below reflect information found since tfjw was published. Antique fruit jar hall of fame here are some of the best antique fruit jars seen on the internet. Beginning of a dialog window, including tabbed navigation to register an account or sign in to an existing account. Mar 29, 2019 ball mason jars are a type of home canning jar made by the ball corporation. The globe fruit jar closure was patented on may 25, 1886 by robert hemingray, and most globe jars can be found in pint, quart, and half gallon sizes, in shades of lightice aqua, and orange amber. Revisions for this book have been published in the 2001 edition red book 9. Hemingray mason patent half gallon fruit jar redbook 1853. Released in 1915, this item once boasted a rubber lid. This book is very handy and lists a large selection of fruit jars.
This little jar is what was left of the red glass used to run the 750 red commemorative kerr bell jars. Fruit jars were produced primarily in clear and ball blue aqua, but some amber, cobalt, and even milk glass examples can be found out there in the wild, and they are likely worth upwards of several hundred dollars. The collectors guide to old fruit jars for sale online ebay. The purpose of the red book is to identify, list, and provide pricing guidance for all known fruit jars, a. Unfollow red book jars to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. As one of the most common fruit jars, they are readily available.
Download red book 9 the collectors guide to old fruit jars. The midwest fruit jar and bottle club puts on a bottle show twice a year featuring many great jars and usually a fruitjar get together where collectors come to share jars, stories and information. The purpose of the book has never changed, to list and describe, as accurately as possible, all the known varieties of fruit jars as well as provide guidance in the valuation of same. The evolution of fruit or canning jars parallels the science of food preservation, which itself was an attempt to address a critical need. The evolution of fruit or canning jars parallels the science of food preservation, which itself was an. See ball brothers glass company page, for a brief summary of that glass company.
Ball mason jars are a type of home canning jar made by the ball corporation. This community is being built for all those interested in ball fruit jars, from the most experienced to the novice collector. If you are going to drink from your mason jar, you are better off using smaller fruits. European storage jars often date into the 16001700s but the modern fruit jar, as found in this country, began to appear about 18401850 with the introduction of cork and wax seal jars and their tin top cousins. Download red book 9 the collectors guide to old fruit jars by.
Red book 10, collectors guide to old fruit jars, 2007, by douglas leybourned jr. The lid of this 1880s jar made in canada has a metal band with a glass topthe result of the government deem ing it unsanitary for metal to directly touch canned foods. Fruit jars details the types of containers used for canning fruit, lists jars alphabetically with markings found on the jars and denotes embossing, color, shape, closure and base markings. On some jar variants, such as the first ball embossing variant on these jars, logo 5 in chart shown below, used circa 191923 on bpm jars, the number may be accompanied by a letter to the right, such as a or c. Doug is the publisher of the redbook price guide series for antique and collectible fruit jars. A good value guide is the collectors guide to old fruit jars red book 9 by douglas m. Most valuable fruit jars digger odell bottle price guides. An illustrated price guide to old fruit jars red book.
Glass jars with this embossed marking was the most popular jar for home canning ever produced in the united states. Bottle and jar collector want to know which are the most valuable. For centuries, rural farmers and the poor struggled to find ways to preserve food for the winter. There is very little information about jars, specifically, and the pricing doesnt seem to be up to date. This book is no longer is print, but it is avaialble on secondary markets and you can get descriptions and basic values of your jars. Fruit jars red book 9 by dougles m leybourne i bought this book because i found a cellar on our property, and it was full for fruit jars. How to date old ball mason jars with pictures wikihow. Along with the numbers and letters, you have the monograms of the various manufacturers, for example, jars embossed. Fruit jars glass insulators collectors reference site. Any masons patent 1858 midget pints in strong colors. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. History of the home canning jar and collecting antique. If you are going to take the fruit out and eat it off a toothpick, you might want to use bigger chunks.
Most of the typical ball perfect masons are marked with a mold number between 0 and 15 on the bottom. The jars are listed in alphabetical order and by catalog number for easy reference. The library a great place to catch fruit jar fever. Although fruit jars were mainly handblown until they became massproduced around 1910, his search includes jars that were made up to the 1920s, as rare examples still exist from that period. A hundred and fifty years ago, these jars meant survival, authenticity, repurposed, in a mason jar. The collectors guide to old fruit jars by douglas m. This section of the redbook includes all varieties of ball mason jars. History of the home canning jar and collecting antique mason. Larry munsons fruit jar collection featured in red wing. The monogram the company used was the sgco which can be found on some masons patent nov 30th 1858 fruit jars. Digger answers your questions about antique and old fruit jars. If you are an aspiring collector, you may want to pick up a copy of redbook 9, available on amazon. I started watching the sales on ebay and became overwhelmed with all the different information needed to make a good description.
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