Collectors: Glass Fruit Jars
I found this really interesting...hope some of you do, too! Just FYI!
Collectors Corner: Glass Fruit Jars
By Michele Alice
EcommerceBytes.com
October 09, 2011
You don't need to practice home canning to appreciate glass fruit jars. Many people use them around their homes to hold kitchen utensils, as decorative elements on counters and windowsills, and even as soap dispensers (for a description on how to make your own check out slide number three in this CountryLiving.com slideshow ).
Also referred to as a Mason jar, Ball jar, or just plain "canning jar," the modern fruit jar is one of the evolutionary results of mankind's millennia-long search for ways of preserving food for transport or for periods of want.
The earliest jars, sealed with a flat lid and wax, were messy and often unreliable. The first major improvement in design came in 1858 when John Mason of New York City patented a machine for the manufacture of threaded lids. A rubber ring, instead of wax, provided the seal.
Others soon began marketing their own designs. Many proved to be commercially short-lived, while others enjoyed substantial commercial success. One successful design was for the Lightning jar, invented by Henry Putnam of Bennington, Vermont, in 1882. This consisted of an all-glass lid that was clamped to the jar by means of a wire bail. The Atlas E-Z Seal was a popular brand of this type of jar.
Another enduring design was the Kerr jar based on a 1915 patent for a two-part lid system - a flat piece with a permanently attached seal and a threaded piece used to hold it firmly in place on the jar. This is, in fact, the same system in use today.
Though it is unknown exactly how many glass canning jars have been manufactured over the last 150 years, it's probably safe to say they number in the millions, so it is not surprising that many have survived to this day. Most specimens you see are of the common clear-glass or aqua-blue varieties and are worth no more than $1 to $5 or $6 each, but serious collectors have been quite willing to pay up to $500 for some jars, and several thousands for the rarest.
In general, a vintage or antique jar may be more valuable if it
is an odd shape or size, i.e. square rather than round, or a half-pint rather than the ubiquitous quart;
is from an obscure manufacturer;
was originally available in limited numbers for a very short time;
was a "first";
exhibits a unique design or odd spelling molded into the glass;
is an unusual color like amber or olive green. Purple is often an indicator of age since glass manufactured prior to World War I contained manganese dioxide that would cause clear glass to change to purple when exposed to sunlight over an extended period of time. But beware of especially dark or brilliant colors as these are often indicative of reproductions or fakes.
Of course, condition is always a factor when discussing values, but all is not lost if you've found an old jar at a yard or estate sale and the glass is cracked or broken. Believe it or not, but the lid itself could be worth a considerable amount to a collector searching for a replacement.
Would you like to learn more about this popular collectible? Check out the resources listed below, and
Happy Hunting!
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