Vintage kitchen glass
Mason jar
American glass fruit jar
A heavy glass canning jar with a threaded neck made to take a lid and (classically) a zinc cap and milk-glass liner. “Mason” refers to the 1858 threaded-jar patent; Ball, Kerr, and others are makers, not the invention itself.
Visible identification features
- Thick molded glass, usually pint or quart scale
- Continuous threads on the neck
- Embossed maker or “MASON” / capacity marks on the side or shoulder
- Older closures: zinc lid + glass lid; later two-piece metal canning lids
What the photo can and cannot prove
A jar photo can support “fruit jar / Mason-type.” Color (amber, aqua), mouth style, and exact embossing are what collectors sort on. A single side photo is not a date or a value.
Lookalikes
- Depression glass
Depression glass is usually thinner tableware (cups, plates, bowls), not a threaded storage jar.
Next steps
- Photograph the side embossing, the base, and the lid separately.
- This is identification, not an appraisal. Condition of the rim and originality of the lid change interest more than “it’s old.”
Sources
- Mason jar — Encyclopaedia Britannica
Updated 2026-08-19. Claims are limited to these sources.