Posted 5 years ago
ConnieJo99
(2 items)
This has been in our family for at least two generations, possibly longer. I’ve tried over the years to learn where it came from, what Red-0 means—is it the letter o or the number zero. I don’t see “Ball” on the jar-I see “Mason”. I’m so uneducated regarding the treasures we have been left by our loved ones.
The jar is a Red Key brand not a Ball.
Thanks to all who cleared my confusion-I had looked and looked -never realizing it was a key u Dyer the word “red”—duh! Confirms I’m a newbie!
C
Hi there ConnieJo, If I am reading that correctly, the date says 1858? What ever that date says, is exactly when it's from. That's my understanding of it. At first I thought it said 1813. Had it said that, you may have been double lucky. Almost all canning "jars" with a number 13 anywhere on them were thrown away, for fear of "bad luck". It's something that is actually "rare" to find them with a 13, usually on the bottom if I remember correctly! There's not much one can call 'rare' these days with the internet showing item from around the world.
This jar was made in Redkey Indiana from 1897 to the early 1900s by the Redkey Glass Works. Your example appears to be a nice deep aqua in color with very strong embossing. My guess it would bring $25+ if you were to sell it. More than money, it's a great keepsake handed down through generations in your family. Canning jars carried the "Mason's Patent Nov. 30th 1858" wording well into the 20th century, finally being discontinued around WWI. And, I hate to contradict someone else, but the number 13 thing is a total hoax, home canners were far too frugal to destroy a perfectly good canning jar because of a number.