How many types of Mason jars are there?

The most common mason jar sizes are half-pint, pint, quart, and half-gallon. Jars are categorized in 2 ways: Capacity–measured in ounces. Mouth diameter–regular or wide.

What is the difference between a ball jar and a Mason jar?

Are there different types of canning jars?

There are two commonly used types of canning jars: regular-mouth jars, and wide-mouth jars. Each jar is best used for certain canning methods and foods.
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Regular-mouth canning jars work well for pourable foods, such as:
  • Jams,
  • Jellies,
  • Salsas, or.
  • Pie filling.

What are the different brands of Mason jars?

After Mason’s patent expired, many other manufacturers produced glass jars for home canning using the Mason-style jar with labels such as Ball, Kerr, Atlas, Drey, Mason, Globe, Mom’s, Knox, and Golden Harvest.

What are the most valuable Mason jars?

The most valuable mason jars are:
  1. Van Vliet Improved Jar, $23,500.
  2. Black Amber Magic Star Fruit Jar, $3,000. …
  3. 1933 Ball Upside Down Error Jar, $1,000. There are two types of Ball upside-down Mason jars. …
  4. The 1870 Chief Mason Jar, $800. (Photo: gregspurgeon.com) …
  5. 1858 Willoughby Stopple Jar, $500. (Photo: hoosierjar.com) …

Which is Better Ball or Kerr Mason jars?

What are the best Mason jars to buy?

The 6 Best Mason Jars
  • Loew-Cornell Ball Collection Elite Pint Mason Jar.
  • Ball Jar Heritage Collection Pint Jars.
  • Ball Regular Mouth Elite Collection Half Pint Mason Jars.
  • Ball Mason 32 oz Wide Mouth Jars.
  • Ball Mason “PINT” Jars Wide-Mouth Can or Freeze (Our Top Pick)
  • Jarden Ball Mason Wide Mouth Quart Jars.

Are all Mason jars the same?

All Mason jars are not created equal. They are remarkably similar to commercially used jars, but the biggest difference is that real Mason jars have a wider rim that gives them a better sealing surface.

Are Kerr jars still made?

What consumers didn’t know was that canning lids (around since 1884) and canning jars (around since 1858) are no longer being made by Ball and Kerr, the two big manufacturers of American canning supplies. A few years before the pandemic, these companies had sold out to a mega-corporation called Newell Brands.

What makes a jar a Mason jar?

A Mason jar is essentially a clear glass jar with a screw-on lid. John Landis Mason designed and patented the product in 1858. In the days before refrigeration, cooks used these iconic items to preserve just about everything from fruit to vegetables.

Are all Ball jars safe for canning?

Currently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture doesn’t recommend using anything other than the standard pint or quart sized jar to process foods in. The shape and size of a jar does have an effect on the safety of the canning process, and on how the heat penetrates the jar.

Why do mason jars have two lids?

Mason jars with two-piece lids are a classic time-tested choice for canning and preserving at home. Two-piece lids allow you to reuse the canning ring many times over while replacing only the recyclable flat plastisol-lined lid between uses.

Are old Mason jars worth any money?

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.

What do the numbers on the 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.

What is a ball perfect Mason jar worth?

An antique Ball brand perfect Mason jar sold on eBay for about $80, likely because its deep olive green color is relatively rare. According to Country Living, an upside-down Ball canning jar designed to rest on its lid is relatively rare and made between 1900 and 1910. It’s valued at about $1,000.

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. Those blue jars are not rare.

Are Kerr Mason jars valuable?

Collectors covet Mason jars, especially the rare ones. The 1881 Van Vliet is the most expensive brand ever sold at $23,50o, with a starting bid of $1,000. The cheapest is the Self-sealing jar by Kerr at $40 (you’ll get half-price for a lost lid.) and E-Z Seal by Atlas at $60.

How old are Atlas Mason jars?

The Hazel-Atlas Glass Company, famous for its depression glass, made the Atlas mason jars and operated from 1902 until 1964. The company had the Ball Brothers and Kerr as their major competitors, especially in the 1940s and 1950s.

What is the oldest canning jar?

In 1858, a 26-year-old Mason patented threaded screw-top jars “such as are intended to be air and water-tight.” The earliest mason jars were made from transparent aqua glass, and are often referred to by collectors as “Crowleytown Jars,” as many believe they were first produced in the New Jersey village of Crowleytown.

What colors do Mason jars come in?

Each mason jar is made from high-quality stained glass in a variety of different colors. These colors include purple, green, pink, blue, amber, red and clear.