My find

[Jholeah]

I purchased 4 beautiful 1/2 gallon ball jars. All but one say "Perfect Mason" and the other just says "Mason" and is a little different shape. Just wondering if that means anything. I attached pictures. Jar 1 is the one that is a little different. Thanks in advance. This is my first post.

 

[jarsnstuff]

Ball jars are not particularly my area of expertise, but I can give it a go. Jars 3 and 4 were produced 1923-1933 and are fairly common for half gallons. Jar 2 dates 1912-1923 and were the earliest version of Ball Perfect Masons. Jar 1 was originally a Ball Mason (predecessor of Perfect Mason) that was a shoulder seal jar. It appears the top area of the mold was reworked to add a "bead". This updated the old mold so they could continue to use it after the bead seal became the standard for Ball.

 

[Jholeah]

Ball jars are not particularly my area of expertise, but I can give it a go. Jars 3 and 4 were produced 1923-1933 and are fairly common for half gallons. Jar 2 dates 1912-1923 and were the earliest version of Ball Perfect Masons. Jar 1 was originally a Ball Mason (predecessor of Perfect Mason) that was a shoulder seal jar. It appears the top area of the mold was reworked to add a "bead". This updated the old mold so they could continue to use it after the bead seal became the standard for Ball.

Thank you so much. How interesting!! I am new to all the old jars. All I know is I love the colors and shapes. I want to use these to store dry goods. I am not sure what a shoulder seal jar is but I will google it. lol

Oh and they did come with the metal lids. I had just washed them and were drying so I forgot to get a pic of them.

I have a question. On one of the jars, the rim is a little chipped on the inside of the jar. Is there a way to sand that smooth or something?

 

[jarsnstuff]

A chip is a chip forever, sorry. Fortunately, a small chip on the lip is annoying but on the plus side, the lid covers it.

The jar on the left is a bead seal, on the right, a shoulder seal. Hope that helps

 

[Dogo]

There were millions millions of Ball jars made over a long time span. As molds wore out, new ones would be made but since they were hand made, variances would slip in. Jar collectors look for those variations. You will be amazed when you see the subtle differences and how they affect the value of the jar. If you do not already have one, you need "The Red Book of Fruit Jars" by Douglas Leybourne.

 

[Jholeah]

A chip is a chip forever, sorry. Fortunately, a small chip on the lip is annoying but on the plus side, the lid covers it.

The jar on the left is a bead seal, on the right, a shoulder seal. Hope that helps

Thank you again. Well darn. So can I use the jar safely to store dry goods?
Yes that helps. I have seen a shoulder seal jar before just did not realize it was different. lol

 

[jarsnstuff]

Thank you again. Well darn. So can I use the jar safely to store dry goods?
Yes that helps. I have seen a shoulder seal jar before just did not realize it was different. lol

Absolutely! If it's important to keep it air tight, be sure to use either a rubber or silicone jar ring.

You're welcome!

 

[farmkiti]

I like your jars. I concur with the age & seal info others have mentioned here. I've only been collecting fruit jars a little while, but there's a decent amount of info on the net. I like collecting them in various shades of aqua, especially the deeper shades.

 

[Nickneff]

I purchased 4 beautiful 1/2 gallon ball jars. All but one say "Perfect Mason" and the other just says "Mason" and is a little different shape. Just wondering if that means anything. I attached pictures. Jar 1 is the one that is a little different. Thanks in advance. This is my first post.

Those ball jars are nice and clean but the ball jars you looking for it'll have a number 13 on the bottom the reason why the number 13 are so good because Moonshiners that hauled moonshine they used ball jars and if they turn the ball jar over and seen 13 they would bust it number 13 superstitious unlucky number that's why the number 13 is more valuable jar

 

[Jholeah]

Those ball jars are nice and clean but the ball jars you looking for it'll have a number 13 on the bottom the reason why the number 13 are so good because Moonshiners that hauled moonshine they used ball jars and if they turn the ball jar over and seen 13 they would bust it number 13 superstitious unlucky number that's why the number 13 is more valuable jar

Thanks. I was not looking for value. Just why that one jar was a little different. I wanted the jars to use them to store dry goods in. And I just think they are beautiful. lol