What do numbers on bottom of Mason jars mean?
Many Ball mason jars have a number printed on the bottom of the jar, but this is a mold number that does not indicate the year of production. Rather, the mold number tells you where the jar was positioned on the glass-making machine that was used to produce it.
How do you date a Ball jar?
If you have a Ball jar, you can date most of them just by looking at the logo. Every few years, the Ball Manufacturing Co changed the logo and if you compare yours to a reliable chart, you know how old it is.
How do you tell how old your ball jars are?
Use The Logo To Find An Approximate Age First check the logo, which changed fairly frequently until about 1962. The earliest logo was the intertwined BBGMC—Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Company—used on jars made in Buffalo, New York. Rejoice if you find one of those; Buffalo jars are pretty rare.
What are vintage Mason jars worth?
The smaller and more common vintage jars usually sell for less than $20. However, the vintage green jars or those with special wire carriers can sell in excess of $300.
How do you date a crown Mason jar?
Age
- Pontil marks or indented rings in the bottom of the jar mean it was hand finished by a glass blower.
- Seams also help determine the age of your jar: Seams that go all the way up the jar indicate it was machine made, probably between 1895 and 1915.
- Color can also help date your jar.
How much are Mason jars worth?
Nowadays, you can even buy a big flat of Mason jars for pretty cheap at your local craft or household goods store — but the older ones can fetch much higher prices. Typically, the smaller or more common antique jars can go for about $20 apiece, but the more rare versions can sell for as much as $300.
How do you know if a Mason jar is valuable?
If you have a jar with one of the older logos, it will likely be worth more than one with a newer logo. Next is the color. Clear and pale blue are the most common colors, but jars of all colors were produced. Yellow and amber jars were common.
Why are old Mason jars blue?
Feeling Blue Those blue mason jars were mass produced until 1937 using sand from around Lake Michigan. It was that sand that gave the glass its blue hue.
How do I know if my mason jars are valuable?
Where can I find a list of ball perfect Mason jars?
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.
What is the number on the bottom of a mason jar?
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”.
How much is an old mason jar worth?
Some have already sold for as much as $54, like this pale blue wire lock Mason jar from the early 1900s. Some even have logo “misprints,” such as this Ball jar that has three Ls on the front.
What are some examples of error jars in Mason 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”.