Thursday, May 10, 2012

Treasure Hunt produces some "Old Blues" - My Nickname for the Blue Ball Mason Jars

My normal flea market adventures are usually interrupted during the summer months because of our seasonal business at the coast.  But even there, Saturday mornings find me browsing yard sales or frequenting the little roadside flea market on Holden Beach Road.  I usually find a few vintage things and Saturday's adventure found me smiling.  Smiling because I found some "old blues".  That's what hubby and I call the vintage blue Ball canning jars.  You can tell I love those things by my blog header photo.  It's the color of the glass that appeals to me - such a pretty blue.  Inside the glass appears blue, but outside in the sun it looks green.  A Chameleon of sorts, changing color to blend in with the great outdoors.

I found one quart jar and two pints - they all have their original lids. I grew up in a farm family and our pantry was full at the end of the summer with canned fruits and vegetables and almost empty by the time harvest time came around the next summer.  It was a very thrifty way to feed a family of nine.  I still love to can jellies and jams - it gives me a thrill to see the fruits of my labor.

The style of the embossed BALL logo on these jars reveals that they were made between 1910 and 1923.  The identification information at the bottom of this page comes from a website on How to Date Ball Fruit Jars by Bob Clay.

I have found these harder to find lately.  You could once find these in old barns everywhere.  We have even unearthed one on the property where our house has been standing for 92 years.  They are tough old jars that have withstood the test of time.  I paid more for these than I normally pay for flea market / yard sale goods but I'm planning on keeping these and not re-sell.  I paid $20 for all three.  I have paid as little as $1 for them when I'm lucky.

I found one more little find at the flea market - nothing really special - but I'm a sucker for old books.  This little book was $1 and it's copyright was 1927.  It's one volume of a series of THE WORLD'S ONE HUNDRED BEST SHORT STORIES [in ten volumes] with this volume being Volume Nine - Ghosts.  It has stories by James Hopper, Sir Walter Scott, and Washington Irving, to name a few.  The first story was The Red Room by H. G. Wells and of course I had to stop what I was doing and read it.  I love to read stories by these famous wordsmiths - it's almost like reading poetry.


Stop by again next week to see what new treasures I may find.  Until then, happy treasure hunting!


Ball Jar Logo Guide



Linking this week to Vintage Thingy Thursday. And also Thrifty Things Friday.  Stop by and see some neat vintage things.










6 comments:

  1. Thanks for your nice comment and now I have discovered your blog(s). It helps to know how old those jars are so you won't over pay (or maybe get a great deal!). I like to fill them with a little sand, shells and a candle. Better than anything you can buy in a store!

    Robin
    Robin Flies South

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    1. Yes Robin - the shell theme is a wonderful way to fill them. The color reminds me of the ocean anyway.

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  2. I love old mason jars as well. The blue Ball mason jars look so pretty when they are lined up in a row.

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  3. Love Mason jars, especially the blue ones! Cool finds!

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  4. You did very well on this find. Those are great old jars to be in that good condition.

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  5. I love the blue/green Ball jars. I have a few and would love to have more! Thank you for joining TTF this week and have a wonderful weekend and a very happy Mother's Day!

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I love to hear your comments!