Blue Canning Jars

I love old blue canning jars.  Ball, Atlas, Ideal, Mason, doesn't really matter the brand or the age.  Most of mine are Ball jars - probably because they are the most common, and I live in Indiana (the Ball factory was in Muncie, IN).   I just love the color and the functionality of them.  I started collecting them a few years back, all bought from garage sales and thrift stores.  I think the most I have paid for any one is about $2; most were bought for less than $0.50 each.

 I don't collect them because of any real value they may have or with the plans of selling them and making big money in the future.  I collect them because I like them and I use them.


I use them as display pieces...

I use them to store things...

I have one I use as a table lamp...

... and even used 3 of them to make a chandelier for our home office...

I probably have about 30 of them and have often wondered about the different marking on them.

So just for fun, I bought this book recently...

1000 Fruit Jars

It has drawings of all the different canning jar markings, descriptions, and estimated values (as of 2007 I believe). 

It has been fun looking at all my jars and figuring out which ones are worth what.  I won't get rich on my collection should I tire of it and decide to sell (most are worth about $3, a few are worth $10, and I have 2 worth about $35 each),  but the book is fun and interesting.

If you have a canning jar collection or are thinking of starting one, it is definitely worth the $6 as a handy reference guide.  I even picked up an extra copy for my "junking buddy" Lori at Fresh Picked Whimsy.  I think I probably scored 1/3 of them with her one day when she and her family were visiting at the lake and we went to a barn sale.  They had boxes of them and were selling them for $0.50 each!  But SHHHH  don't tell her I got her a copy - its a surprise!