What is a Mason Jar or my jar is embossed with “Masons Patent Nov. 30th 1858”?
The familiar term Mason Jar came after its inventor, Mr. John L. Mason, who, at age 26, was a tinsmith in New York City. He perfected a machine that could cut threads into lids, which ushered in the ability of manufacturing a jar with a reusable, screw-on, lid. These jars freed farm families from having to rely on pickle barrels, root cellars, and smoke houses to get through the winter. For urban families, Mason Jars allowed excess fruits and vegetables to be preserved for use later. Historians believe the first jars were made at Crowleytown’s Atlantic Glass Works, in Crowleytown, New Jersey. These are very rare. These jars carry the familiar embossing “Mason’s Patent Nov. 30th 1858”. This date refers to the original patent date, not the actual date of manufacture. Jars carrying this embossing, often with other monograms, numbers, letters, etc., were widely produced until about 1920. Most were produced in the 1880s-1910s. The identities of many actual manufacturers are unknown. Value d
