New to Collecting Ball Pat Jars & others - have questions

[DeepDown]

I tried to take pictures. But the came out HORRIBLE. will try taking outside later this week... But finding the 1858 jars out in the woods. Got loving the old jars and old glass bottles.. For only 1 1/2 months collecting, and all been dug or laying in woods found. Been doing the crash course learning about them online. Learned a lot already. But haven't got a redbook yet (one day soon). But I have few Misc questions. If anyone can help. --- all the questions are about the old green ones or purple mason. And my typing sucks..lol so does my picture taking, why not even trying to show them now.. I'll try again. 1. How do you know with type of Zinc Ball lids go on each year jar? I can't find info about lids. I have 600+ old green perfect Masons I just going to end up selling. Only going to collect the 3L's, Pat ones and other real old or odd ones.. Figure I put the Lids on them...and get correct ones on the ones I keeping for My personal collection.. Got 100's of them with ball on it and with no name on them and difference in sizes and shapes... But not sure what goes on what. other than just seeing if it fits. And have no idea what goes on the 1858 ones. --- have not figured out the lids yet. 2. I never remember what the sizes are called.. in my head the common sizes is large ( 2 1/2QT?), medium (Qt?) & small (pint?).. and tiny and odd. ---- On my small size Ball Ideal July 14,1908 pat.. all my 20 of my medium size ones has Pat on front side. of the 14 small I have: 13 has the Pat on the front & 1 has it on the back side.... Is that Common? or Common error? or Just an error? I only have 1 like that... And I Have 1 Ideal with No Pat on it... But the top does not have the side holders for the wire. To me it looks likes they was not sure if it going to screw top or a wire flip glass top... Just looks way different to me... But it only 1 I have with no Pat date... So Not sure if that common for them or not.. a plain Ideal Green one. 3. I have a Purple MASON (all it has worded on front, MASON) Looks like 3L era to me, similar shape... But read there is different colors and they rarer. But also read some color changes are due to weather exposure, they should not be odd colors... So trying to figure out what my odds are with mine.. since I did find my out in the wood half buried in dirt. Is it really Purple or due to weather made it that way. 4. Then I have small BOYD PERFECT MASON.. Cool as heck with all the bubbles... But the side seem lines at an angle.. you can see a faint straight seam Line where should be.. But the bold seam line at top starts right and goes straight down in an angle, ends about 1 inch away from where it really should be... Like it moved in the mold while making. I mean it way off.. Looks weird...... Is the common error stuff you find on the Old Jars? I an guessing that makes it even better collectible? I know I really like it... And I only have 1 Boyd so far... Are they harder to find? == But in my 1 1/2 months of searching in woods and digging. After finding my 1st 1858 Mason Pat jar which got me liking old glass a lot, enough to start collecting them.... and finding more & more and seeing how awesome the look. Got me hooked on them and got me into bottles too.. Started finding them too, while looks for the jars. Never realized until then how cool old glass is.. Got Plenty of Bottles 1800's oldies to show off later.. so far I found... and have for collection... aprox 100 Mason 1858 Pat ones in 2 different sizes. I think about 20 has the weird S. None of the Star ones made it home (long sad story, had some nice ones).. Close to 50 in Ball IDeal 1908 Pat ones. about 100, maybe a few more of the Ball 3 L's. Those I have 3 different sizes. ----- not bad for New Collector. Also why I going sell the more common perfect mason ones I have. Started collecting them.. But OMG I have tons of them.. I know over 600 of them.. I know the women at flea market will buy them up, next time I set up there...

 

[dygger60]

Wow, where do ya start with this....LOL First you need to get a Red Book, it will help you identify your jars...get to know them so you don't sell anything rare to "the women at the flea market"...LOL It sounds like you are sorting them already, keep doing that....THAT'S ALOT OF JARS...wow Try to get some pictures, get someone to help you if you are having trouble with that... we could do ALOT more for you is you had pictures. What your asking is SO vast and varied it is hard to explain. You said you have over 100 Mason 1858 jars in two sizes. That alone is a loaded question my friend. A single jar in those could be worth from $1 to $1,000 and up....pictures. Where are you from? And yes that is a lot of jars....get us some pictures and I will help ya how ever I can. David

 

[DeepDown]

I know the pictures would help a lot... I have a very good camera. But I dropped it a couple yrs ago and now you have to hold certain ways and squeeze certain spots to get it shoot. It all ways think battery door open. And I never think about taking it to get fixed, until I go to use it. It a pain in butt now, especially when using the AC plug adapter.. and lighting bad in here... Soon as I get some batteries and take the pictures outside... should get some good pictures. I'm from Indiana. And my 4 bottle spots.. each just sickning loaded with Glass, acres and acres and acres of it - each place. No one been in these woods for over 50+ years.. mostly 30's and earlier. I can honestly say we did not have search hard to find that many. -- On very first day, we had about 50 more of them set a side (1858 Mason Pat Jars.. Large ones too). We was getting scrap metal and had my brothers friend (whose mental off since coming out of army). we pulling the metal and having him run it back to our piles, so we could pickup with truck later.... and he tossed all the metal on top of them... crushed every one of them... Those Jars we kept stepping over first few days. ... So next day made a new pile of them, Then Looked at them more closely, figure get them in truck right away this time.. we take them home and look them up... seen they sold good... washed them up and set by window... Been hooked with them since... So we grab them when we see them... And started our collection of them... But there no Question we finding tons of them... And we haven't even put a dent in searching these places.. we will have great collection soon... Ones we did find so far... there also lots of the with small knicks or small cracks in them.. Not all of them, But they all not perfect either... And I just learning about them & about the cleaning of them.. Lot of them has to be cleaned better. --- but from what I learned so far... I know many of good jars & bottles. I know I be getting many many more... I have to get all the different books..