Those old Mason jars with rusty zinc lids? They are among collectors’ favorite pieces of vintage glassware, and plenty of households still have a few on a shelf.
Not all old-looking Mason jars are the same; some are worth hundreds of dollars, while others might fetch just a few bucks. Most everyday clear and aqua canning jars sit at the few-bucks end. Rare colors, early closures, and odd embossing are what push an old jar up to $500 or more.
This guide lists 17 of the rarest old Mason jars, and what they sold for, then shows you how to date a jar, spot a reproduction, and tell which features really make one valuable.
17 Rare Old Mason Jars Worth Money (With Real Sold Prices)
Each jar below has its maker, color, and embossing, so you can match them against the jars on your own shelf.
1. Amber Mason’s Patent Consolidated Fruit Jar
- Brand: Consolidated Fruit Jar Company
- Color: Amber
- Embossment/Marking: Mason’s/monogram/Patent/Nov 30th/1858
Dark brown Mason jars are collectible on their own, and this is a good example. It’s also an authentic Mason’s Patent Nov 30th 1858 jar made by Consolidated Fruit Jar Company: see the company monogram embossed between “Mason’s” and “Patent” on the front.
The Consolidated Fruit Jar Company was already in business in the 1870s, when it owned some of John Mason’s jar patents and lost a case over one of them at the U.S. Supreme Court (Consolidated Fruit-Jar Co. v. Wright, 1876 term). That makes this jar a true antique. Amber jars, especially in good condition, are quite rare to find, so you can expect their worth to be $200-$800+.
2. Antique Moore’s Pint Mason Jar
- Brand: Moore’s
- Color: Aqua
- Embossment/Marking: “Moore’s/Patent/Dec 3 1861”
Moore’s Patent jars are in demand today, and this one, with its complete original closure system, sold for $550. It has a clamp top finish with an applied top, which makes it rare.
You can spot these jars by the “Moore’s” and “Patent/Dec 3 1861” embossing on the front and bottom. Rare patent variations like this, with their original closures and hardware, sell for $200 to $600 or more.
3. Rare Brown Amber Mason’s Patent Jar
- Brand: Unbranded
- Color: Light Amber
- Embossment/Marking: Mason’s/Patent/Nov 30th/1858
Another amber Mason patent jar, but this one is an early piece with a cross embossed above the “Mason’s” text. The rich brown amber color makes it particularly desirable, which helps explain the $520 sale, even without the lid.
Amber and green are among the rarest colors and can easily make antique Mason jars worth $300 or more. Another example is this yellow-green jar bought for over $560.
4. Kerr Anniversary Self Sealing Mason Jar with Factory Error
- Brand: Kerr
- Color: Clear & Dark Blue
- Embossment/Marking: Kerr/Self Sealing/Mason
Cobalt blue is among the most sought-after colors in Mason jars. This vintage Kerr Mason jar features a unique cobalt blue and clear streaked glass body.
Second, this has a manufacturing error – some cobalt glass “dripped” across the jar during manufacturing. This created a small divot on the outside, a drop on the inside, and a thin glass string across the interior. There’s also a dent along the seam.
The seller lists it as a 1968 anniversary jar. Kerr marked its 65th anniversary with jars embossed ‘1903-1968’, made in limited quantity for collectors, according to the Society for Historical Archaeology’s history of Kerr Glass. Together, these features make this jar rare, which explains the $395 price.
5. Olive Trademark Lightning Mason Fruit Jar
- Brand/Maker: Henry W. Putnam
- Color: Light Olive Green
- Embossment/Marking: Trademark/Lightning
Three features make this jar rare and valuable: the yellow-olive color, the full wire bail top seal with a straddle lip glass lid, and the “Trademark Lightning” embossing.
In some variations, you may also find “PUTNAM” embossing, along with a mold number. Some Trademark Lightning jars also carry the initials “H.W.P” for Henry W. Putnam.
Lightning jars are named for their quick-opening wire bail. In rare colors like this one, they’re valuable, and jars marked “Trade Mark” are worth more.
6. Olive Amber Ball Perfect Mason Jar
- Brand: Ball Corporation
- Color: Olive Amber
- Embossment/Marking: Ball/Perfect Mason
Most Ball jars are a common aqua blue. Ball Perfect Mason jars in rare colors like this olive amber sell for $200 to $350 or more, as this one did.
The original metal screw-top lid, which looks to be in good condition, adds to the value.
7. Sun Barstow Aqua Clamp Mason Jar
- Brand: JP Barstow
- Color: Aqua
- Embossment/Marking: “Sun/Trade Mark”
This rare Sun Barstow Mason jar shows how popular jars from small regional companies were. It has a wire clamp and glass lid closure, which makes it antique and rare in itself.
You can spot this jar by the clear sun-shaped embossed motif encircling the “SUN” text and the “JP Barstow” marking on the bottom. You may also find some numbers on the metal clamp.
Jars like these, especially with the original clamp mechanism, are in demand with collectors and often sell for $150 to $250 or more.
8. The Mason’s Improved Jar
- Brand: Unbranded
- Color: Amber
- Embossment/Marking: The/Masons/Improved
This is a Mason’s Improved jar, named for its improved glass lid and metal band system. These jars were among John Mason’s later innovations, made to seal better.
The design itself is desirable, but the apricot amber color makes this jar rarer and more valuable, as there are only a few in that color. This piece sold for over $220, and jars like it average $120 to $250.
9. Dark Purple Mason Fruit Jar
- Brand: Unbranded
- Color: Dark Purple
- Embossment/Marking: Mason Fruit Jar
Purple mason jars are a favorite with collectors. They started out as clear glass: glassmakers added manganese to remove the green tint, and years of sunlight later turned that glass purple. That’s why purple jars usually date from before World War I, when manganese was replaced.
Be careful with purple that looks unusually dark and perfectly even, though, since some jars are darkened artificially today; check the logo and seams too.
The jar itself is embossed “Mason Fruit Jar” (only the zinc lid says Atlas), and jars in dark purple colors like this command much higher prices than clear or aqua versions. Plus, the large half-gallon size makes it even more special. Rare colors combined with large sizes can fetch upwards of $300.
10. Strittmatter’s Pure Honey Mason Jar
- Brand: for F.J. Strittmatter & Wife
- Color: Blue
- Embossment/Marking: “Strittmatter’s/Put up by/F.J. Strittmatter & Wife”
This aqua blue Mason jar was made for F.J. Strittmatter & Wife from Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, around 1908-1920. Apparently, this is a honey jar, with an embossed honey bee on the front.
According to his daughter, F.J. had been married five times and just put “& Wife” on the jar so he wouldn’t have to keep changing the mold. You’ll see the “Strittmatter’s/Put up by/F.J. Strittmatter & Wife” embossing on each jar. These rare honey jars bring between $80 and $300 today.
11. Antique Wax Sealer Mason Jar
- Brand: Ball Corporation
- Color: Green
- Embossment/Marking: “F.H./6” on the bottom
This jar is antique: it has a wax seal closure. The raised “Ball” logo on the front confirms it’s a piece from Ball Corporation.
The aqua color makes this jar common. Wax sealers were competitors to the threaded Mason jars and used wax around the rim to create the seal. But there aren’t many pieces available, which makes them sought-after.
12. Mason’s Union Fruit Jar
- Brand: Unbranded (Union)
- Color: Aqua
- Embossment/Marking: “Mason’s/Union”
Large Mason jars often bring more, like this half-gallon jar. Apart from the size, this tall aqua Mason jar is worth over $250 because of its “MASON’S UNION” embossing and prominent shield badge.
These markings indicate the jar could belong to a specific regional company or union that contracted for these jars. Since there are not many Union Mason jars around, this one is a rare find.
13. Red Wing Union Stoneware Mason Fruit Jar (c. 1900)
- Brand: Red Wing Union Stoneware Co.
- Color: Cream
- Embossment/Marking: “Stone/Mason Fruit Jar/Union/Stoneware Co./Red Wing, Minn”
Red Wing Union Stoneware mason jars from Minnesota are highly collectible, with large sizes like half-gallon and gallon fetching $200 to $250 in mint condition. These stoneware jars were sold by Union Stoneware Co., the sales company Red Wing’s stoneware makers set up in 1894, so they’re true antiques.
The seller dated this jar to 1899, and you can spot it by the crisp stamped Union Stoneware Co. label on the front. Unlike glass jars, authentic pottery Mason jars are much rarer today. Red Wing is better known for its stoneware crocks.
14. Rare Double Seal Mason Fruit Jar
- Brand: Unbranded
- Color: Clear
- Embossment/Marking: “Double Seal/Mason”
What makes this clear glass jar special is its double seal mechanism – featuring a flat metal disc with a rubber gasket and a screw-on metal lid. The jar has the “Double Seal/Mason” embossing on the front.
Double seal technology was developed to create better airtight storage, making these jars innovative for their time and collectible today.
15. Mason’s Patent “1885” Date Error Jar
- Brand: Unbranded
- Color: Aqua Blue
- Embossment/Marking: “Mason’s/Patent/Nov 30th/1885”
As you saw with the Kerr jar (example 4), production errors can make any common jar rare and collectible, and this is another example. It’s a Mason’s patent jar but with the reversed date, “1885” instead of “1858.”
Other manufacturing errors on Mason patent jars, like backward numbers or letters or misspellings, can also make them much more interesting and valuable. That’s why this aqua Mason sold for $100 despite its common color and small size.
16. Atlas Special Mason Jar
- Brand: Atlas
- Color: Clear
- Embossment/Marking: “Atlas/Special”
Atlas Special Mason jars are easy to identify because they clearly say “Atlas Special” right on them. These jars came in round and square shapes and in multiple sizes and used antique rubber seals rather than modern lids.
Atlas Special jars typically sell for $10-$50 individually, but pairs can command higher prices, like this set that sold for $260. Atlas Special jars in colors other than clear, such as aqua or green, are scarcer and usually bring more.
17. Atlas Cornflower Blue Strong Shoulder Mason Jar
- Brand: Atlas Jars
- Color: Cornflower Blue
- Embossment/Marking: “Atlas/Strong Shoulder/Mason”
Cornflower blue Atlas Strong Shoulder Mason jars are among the most collectible Atlas jars you can find, with some selling for up to $125 to $130. Atlas made these jars from the 1920s to the 1940s, named “strong shoulder” for a design meant to prevent breakage during sealing.
Because of their popular design and original zinc lids, even common blue Atlas Strong Shoulder Mason jars can easily be worth up to $100, even more for larger sizes, rarer colors, and better condition.
How to Tell If an Old Mason Jar Is Valuable
If you’ve already found a rare jar that’s not in this list, here’s how you can find out whether or not it’s valuable.
Generally, the actual worth of an antique Mason jar comes down to a few key factors, with rarity and condition being the most important ones.
Condition of the Jar
It’s no rocket science that an old Mason jar in perfect shape will always beat a damaged one in value. But how do you assess the condition? Here are the key things to look for:
- Chips and Cracks: These flaws kill value fast. Even tiny nicks or hairline fractures can seriously hurt what a jar’s worth. The lip is especially vulnerable since that’s where most damage happens.
- Cloudiness: Cloud or “sick” glass happens because of mineral deposits (usually from being buried). It happens inside the glass and is tough to remove, thus lowering the value of a jar considerably. To clean an old jar, wash it by hand in lukewarm, soapy water rather than in a dishwasher; if the haze remains after it dries, it’s most likely sick glass, not dirt.
- Missing Lids: The presence of the original lids means a lot for valuing a Mason jar. Jars with intact lids (especially in good condition) can be 20-30% more valuable than those without lids.
Rarity Factors
If there’s something that matters as much as or more than condition, it’s rarity – it drives the big money. These features make a jar rare:
- Errors: Errors are among the most prized features in vintage jars. Common errors, such as misspellings in the embossing (like “Masn’s” instead of “Mason’s”), double-stamped logos, or other manufacturing mistakes, make a common jar rare and expensive.
- Limited Production: Collectors highly seek jars made only for a short time or in small batches. The “Van Vliet” and “The Chief” are perfect examples of rare, valuable jars.
- Unique Color: The rarer the color, the more a jar is worth. For Mason jars, some of the rarest colors are cobalt blue, deep greens, and black. These examples can actually bring hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
- Unique Shape: Most jars have a round body and a narrower neck. A Mason jar with an unusual shape, like the offset “Marion Jar”, can get collectors competing for it and bring high prices.
Size of the Jar
The larger the jar, the higher its value. Standard quart jars are the most common sizes that sell for average prices of $15-$150 for common jars.
Half-gallon and gallon jars are much rarer and more valuable because they were harder to handle, and finding one in good condition is quite difficult.
Then there are miniature jars, which stores often used for samples or promotions. Collectors want these too.
How to Date and Identify Real Vintage Mason Jars
When you’re looking at a Mason jar, you need to check five key things to confirm whether it’s a real vintage item, a replica, or a fake:
The Unmistakable Brand and Markings
This is your most important clue. The company name and logo tell you almost everything you need to know about the age and value of a mason jar. But reading these markings can also get a bit tricky, as companies changed their logos multiple times over the years.
To tell the year of a jar, start with the maker’s logo, then check the seams, the lip, and the closure described below; together they usually narrow it down to a decade or two.
Here are some popular Mason jar manufacturers and their key markings/embossments:
Ball Jars
Ball Corporation is one of the biggest names in the Mason jar world. The earliest Ball jars (1885-1886) say “B,B,G,M,Co.” for “Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Company.” These jars were made in Buffalo, New York.
From about 1896 to 1910, Ball used a script logo whose last “L” has an extra loop, so it looks like three L’s, aka the “Triple L” logo. The most common Ball jars say “Ball Perfect Mason” and were made from 1913 to about 1960. These are still collectible, especially in rare colors.
Atlas Jars
Made by Hazel-Atlas Glass Company, Atlas jars are recognizable by names like “Atlas Strong Shoulder Mason” or “Atlas E-Z Seal.” Here are the most common embossments you’ll find on Atlas jars:
- “Atlas Strong Shoulder Mason” on jars with a reinforced ridge to prevent cracking
- “Atlas E-Z Seal” on the lightning-style closure with wire bail system
- “Atlas Special Mason”
- “Atlas Mason’s Patent” on jars that referred to the original Mason patent
- “Atlas Good Luck” on square-shaped jars with this unique name
- “H-over-A” trademark, with a large “H” with an “A” underneath it, on authentic Hazel-Atlas jars. The mark dates from 1923 on, per the Bottle Research Group’s table of glass makers’ marks, so earlier Atlas jars (Hazel-Atlas formed in 1902, and the Atlas Glass Company dates to 1896) don’t carry it.
Kerr Jars
Kerr’s earliest jars, from 1903, just said “Economy” in script; “Kerr” was added above it from about 1915. From 1904, Kerr also sold the classic “Kerr Self-Sealing” jar, with that name embossed on the front, often with “Trademark Reg” or “Reg. U.S. Pat. Off.” underneath, according to the Society for Historical Archaeology’s Kerr Glass history.
You’ll also find patent dates, like “Pat. 1915,” “March 3, 1903,” or “Nov 18, 1913” on many examples. Some post-1969 examples may also show “AHK” on the bottom for Alexander H. Kerr. The wide-mouth variations often say “Kerr Wide Mouth Self-Sealing”
Mason’s Patent Jars
Apart from the above key players, you’ll find dozens of different companies that made jars with “Mason’s Patent Nov 30th 1858” embossed on them. These reference John Mason’s original patent, but were made for decades after 1858, so the date tells you the jar’s style, not its age.
Other key signs of these original Mason jars are the hand-finished ground lip, especially in early ones (1858-1900). Also, these jars typically feature a zinc cap screwed down onto a rubber ring on the jar shoulder.
The Physical Appearance (Size & Shape)
Early Mason jars looked quite different from the standardized containers we see today. Before 1900, jar shapes were all over the place – some had bigger bottoms, others weren’t quite symmetrical, and many had unique proportions.
But later on, Mason jars came in standard sizes: half-pint, pint, quart, and half-gallon. But actually, it’s the weird sizes that bring the most money. Generally, larger sizes are much rarer because fewer were made.
The Glass Color
For Mason jar identification, color can be a key clue. Here’s what different jar colors mean:
- Aqua is what you’ll see most on older Mason jars. That blue-green tint comes from the iron content in the sand they used to make glass back then.
- Clear glass is quite common today, but it only became popular after 1900 when manufacturing got better at removing impurities.
- Amber ranges from pale honey to deep molasses brown. They used this color for light-sensitive contents since it blocks UV rays.
- Green comes in various shades from light olive to deeper emerald. True green Mason jars are actually less common than you’d think compared to aqua.
- Amethyst is clear glass that turned pale purple from sun exposure. This happens because of manganese, a decolorizing agent they used before World War I.
- Cobalt Blue and Black are exceptionally rare and worth serious money to collectors. If you’re wondering which blue Mason jars are valuable: the pale aqua blue is common, cornflower blue is scarcer, and deep cobalt is the one collectors pay most for (the Kerr jar in example 4).
Sometimes you’ll find jars with swirled colors or streaks of different hues mixed in the glass. These weren’t intentional – they happened when different colored glass batches were mixed in the furnace. Error pieces like this are worth more.
Glass Quality & Features
The glass itself is a true indicator of authenticity. It shows certain features that will help you quickly confirm whether or not it’s vintage and how old it is. Here are the key things to look for:
Seams
Seams are your biggest clues for old jars (the same test works for dating old glass bottles). Before automatic glass-blowing machines came along around 1915, jars had seams that stopped at the neck. If the seam runs all the way up and over the lip, it’s machine-made and newer.
Some very early mouth-blown jars don’t have side seams at all as they were hand-blown; they have pontil marks at the bottom instead.
Bubbles and Imperfections
While these sound like red flags, imperfections like small bubbles, waves, or that “whittled” texture are actually good signs for age. They show older manufacturing processes, confirming that your Mason jar is vintage.
The glass in modern jars is flawless and uniform – too perfect, really.
Closure/Lid Types
Notice how the jar closes – the closure style can actually tell you about its age. Here are the common closures and lid types found on real Mason jars:
- Screwtop Zinc Caps with milk glass liners were the original companion to Mason’s threaded jars and stayed standard for decades.
- Glass Lids with Wire Bails got popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s. These have glass lids held by wire clamps – the “Lightning” jar is the classic example.
- Two-Piece Metal Lids and screw-on bands were introduced by Kerr in 1915. Ball adopted them later, and they became the industry standard.
Base Clues
The base of a Mason jar can also hold significant identification clues. You may find:
- Mold Numbers: You’ll often see numbers from 0 to 15 embossed on the bottom. But these aren’t dates – they’re mold identification numbers. Each glassmaking machine had multiple molds, and numbers helped track which mold was producing defective jars.
- Maker’s Marks: In some jars, you may find the maker’s mark on the bottom. Look for symbols like the “H-over-A” for Hazel-Atlas or various manufacturer initials or full names, such as “JP Barstow.”
- Pontil Evidence: Pontil marks are rough, raised spots left where the pontil rod was. A pontil mark points to an early hand-blown jar, but check it together with the seams, lip, and embossing, since a pontil alone doesn’t prove a jar is old.
Final Words
So, before you put that old jar back on the shelf, turn it over and hold it to the light. The maker’s mark, the seams, the closure, and the color will tell you whether it’s a few-dollar canning jar or one of the rare ones above. Then check eBay’s sold listings for the same embossing and color before you price it.
Mason jars are only one part of the old kitchen: our guide to collectible vintage kitchenware covers Pyrex, cast iron, and other pieces that can be worth money.
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