The Lowly
Jar!
One
of the most prolific fruit jars ever produced in the history of the
world is the lowly Ball jar. Historical figures show that from between
Sept 1, 1894 until Dec 31, 1961 that 41,256,856 Gross jars had been
produced by the Ball Glass Mfg Co. A staggering number to say the least
and what this suggests is that Ball jars should be a readily available
commodity and very easy to find. This makes collecting Ball Jars a
somewhat easier venture for many people since more of these jars exist
then probably any of the other Mfg’s combined. Yet, with all that glass
out there to be found, it has become literally a colossal challenge to
categorize, date and fully understand the minutia of variants produced
by the Ball Glass Mfg Co. Plus, there is literally a sub-minutia of
variances in the entire differing genre of Ball jars too to make matters
even more convoluted.
Now, who
hasn’t at one time or another, whether at a garage sale, antique store,
Grandma’s basement or in some hole-in-the-wall come across a Ball jar
whether a PERFECT MASON, IDEAL, SURE SEAL, IMPROVED, SPECIAL or one of
the myriad of other varieties of jars produced over the last century
plus by the Ball Glass Mfg Co. Incredibly though, many people have
failed to recognize the true importance these jars played in our
nation’s history. And believe me when I tell you, Ball jars are a
quintessential part of American History and as much so as apple pie or
ice cream.
Imagine this, the Ball jar was
at one time not so long ago actually, reviled by the vast majority of
the Collecting world as worthless and a complete waste of time, money
and energy. Yet, a small group of collectors just happened to see the
beauty, value and future in collecting Ball jars and so much so that
yes, amazingly despite all the odds and over many years; Ball jars have
now blossomed into one of the most highly sought after collectables in
the jar hobby today.
Why is this so? Why the drastic
change? Well, coming from a 30 year perspective in the hobby, I can say
simply a few things; 1) there are many more collectors now then ever
before vying for the few good jars known to exist or being discovered.
2) Most of the highly sought after truly historical jars are out of
reach financially for the vast majority of collectors. 3) Most of the
few prized Historical jars are already in someone else’s collection. 4)
The few Historical jars still left intact and found are not readily
available for the average collector to even consider purchasing. 5) With
the advent of eBay the playing field has leveled somewhat but the
ultimate overall cost still is a huge factor for the average collector
because overall, eBay is not a bargain.
Now on the other hand, as we
have already previously established, Ball jars are a readily available
commodity. Plus, the wonderful character of the glass, the myriad of
beautiful breath taking colors and hues, the varying closures types,
myriad of embossing styles, re-worked and modified moulds ad infinitum make Ball jars
a huge viable alternative to collecting other much more expensive jars.
And yes there is without a doubt out of all those millions of jars
produced many one-of-a-kinds, rare as well as very scarce Ball jars
worth considerable amounts of money. Yet I personally consider some of
the $1 jars in the collection to be just as pleasing and desirable as
the expensive ones. The passion that truly drives a Ball Collector on
is that around any corner is the possibility of a new discovery, a
totally different and unknown variation, a possible piece of the puzzle
solved or a really crude masterpiece...
I truly consider myself a very
fortunate and lucky person that I just happened to be one of those few
collectors who recognized long ago the intrinsic value, beauty and
history of Ball jars when they were objects of disdain or simply
overlooked by so many others. I’m so grateful I had the foresight to
collect Ball jars because despite the fact many of the good ones in my
early years were financially and geographically out of reach, I still
managed to acquire through knowledge, insight, persistence, patience and
hard work, a very small but desirable collection.
But, what I have truly gained
over the years besides the wonderful jars in my collection is something
far more intrinsically valuable, namely the many great people who
befriended me, taught me, reasoned and bantered with me, traded with me,
sold jars to me and shared their lives with me. For that I am truly ever
grateful. I can honestly say that collecting Ball Jars has been one of
the most satisfying adventures in my entire life time and something I
will never regret doing as long as I live and in which I will continue
to the very end.
Happy Hunting and
Most Importantly Sharing,
Bruce Wayne Schank aka BallJarz
