Saturday, June 25, 2011

Vintage Ball Mason Jars!

I had never found antique Ball jars during my earlier thrift adventures, but I am happy to report that I collected three of them over the past couple of weeks! Ball jars were produced between 1888 and 1961, so it is a real treat to find these in such good shape.


My first discovery was at a new-to-me thrift store I happened to pass by with my sister. The little charity shop located in Ladner had a large box full of mason jars, and I grabbed the one Ball Jar for 50¢. My non-thrifting sister was shocked to see on our way out that someone had purchased the rest of the box! Close call...


The next two were waiting for me just the other day at my local thrift store that's about 8 blocks from my house. They usually have some neat glass pieces, but nothing like these beautiful old mason jars. One of them even had its original zinc lid ring.


All jars of a certain size are priced the same, so I paid 35¢ each for my loot. Can you believe that used Miracle Whip jars were selling for the same price??


I learned that some mason jars were coloured to better preserve the nutrition and flavour of canned goods. It was thought that blocking the light would slow the foods from breaking down. Clever!

One of my jars has a light blue tint, and another has a brownish hue. It's the dark colours that are most valuable to collectors, so mine are on the ordinary side. It's perfectly fine with me though, I love how the volume markings are on the side of the jar, making them practical and nice to look at!


If you're interested in checking out the beautiful Super Le Parfait vintage jars I found in the past, please check out my post here!

Linking up to ATG's Thrift Share Monday and Her Library Adventures' Flea Market Finds!

18 comments:

  1. Sweet! I lucked out a few years ago and I have 8 of these that I keep my dried beans in on one of my kitchen shelves. I love the way they look. Although, the old Mason jars with a star on them are still my favorites. Wish I could find more of those.

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  2. I love Ball jars and you got some at a great price. They are so useful also. Good pics! hugs, Linda

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  3. Last I checked they are still making Ball jars- I usually end up buying a case or two every year!

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  4. Saw my first one the other day. Don't think I'll ever buy one, but you never know. I only noticed it from people buying them on their blogs. Didn't have a lid & I forgot to check out the price!

    Toddles.

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  5. Love the jars. I am a sucker for buying many a jar as I love them for storage. I even have my Oxyclean in the laundry room in one. Oh and the measuring spoons are awesome too!

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  6. I love Ball jars, too. Glad to see you found some at reasonable prices!

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  7. Yes I think it's the storage aspect that I like, and of course their potential to be a beautiful vase too.

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  8. Excellent finds! These come in handy for so many things, you can never have enough. You don't have to try hard to fill 'em up!

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  9. Love those. I can't resist them, either. I buy them whenever I see them.

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  10. They look stunning, I like that they some of them have colour tints in the glass. Great price too!

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  11. I just found some 2 qt. jars at a garage sale here in SoFla. They were the first I'd ever seen. Way cool!

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  12. I love these jars too and have collected several of them. They're so useful that they can't be passed up. Your photos are awesome.

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  13. Thanks Flo! I really struggle with photographing glass items, but I was glad to be able to capture the script writing.

    It turns out that modern Ball jars can be purchased! Not sure what I have here, but I still get a kick out of their stylishness.

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  14. Used Miracle Whip jars? Strange. Definitely not as good as those mason jars. Isn't it fun finding a new thrift shop!

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  15. I grab the vintage jars whenever I find them. They're so cool and I love the history. Plus very functional. Oftentimes around here you'll see them for sale in bulk for very, very cheap.

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  16. I haven't quite decided what to use them for... Perhaps one for rice with a nice vintage measuring cup scoop like these aluminum ones?

    http://sixballoons.blogspot.com/2011/02/aluminum-measuring-cups.html

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  17. Update... If the "B" in the logo has a loop in it, the jar is from 1960 or before!

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