# Clear HG Ball Perfect Mason



## grimesco (Feb 19, 2012)

Hi!
 I am very new to jar collecting. I guess I got bitten by "the bug" when my husband and I found a bunch of old jars in a barn that our neighbor was tearing down. I have been reading everything I can on the internet, but the best information seems to come from haunting your forum. I am just trying to soak up a fraction of your vast knowledge and expertise. 
 I have been reading some old threads here (and elsewhere) about clear Ball Perfect Mason jars. 
 I have been going to auctions buying box lots of jars, and I came across a clear Ball Perfect Mason Half Gallon Jar. It is a rounded shape with no ribs. The script has the dropped "a" and the perfect is clearly offset to the left of "ball" (not to the right like many of the aqua offset jars I've seen).  There is no underscore, but it looks as if one was supposed to be there. The embossing is smooth, and not nearly as pretty and sharp as some that I've seen. The glass has kind of a wavy look to it.
 I apologize in advance for being a very ignorant rookie with a (probably) stupid question about a common jar.
 I will try to post pictures if anyone thinks this might be a jar worth looking at.
 Thank you again for your time!!!


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## deenodean (Feb 19, 2012)

Welcome to A-BN, there are many pro's on this site who know their stuff...I also have a jar collection...some jars ( most of mine )  are worth pennies , some are worth $20,000.00 or more ( not any of mine ) ..well a picture is worth a 1000 words, if you can post some pics someone will assess them...


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## digginthedog (Feb 19, 2012)

I'm not a Ball jar expert , but sounds like Redbook of Fruit jars #285-1, look at it close , is there an erased word (DREY) beneath the word BALL ?, This jar is described as having PERFECT offset left, and a partially ghosted underline, this particular jar only came in the clear 1/2 gallon size, Hope that helps ! JB


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## grimesco (Feb 19, 2012)




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## grimesco (Feb 19, 2012)

Thank you for your replies!!
 This is the only way I could figure out how to post links to pictures. My files wouldn't fit. 
 No, there is no "Drey" apparent anywhere. 
 I really have to get a Red Book! 
 Again, thank you for your patience with a newbie...


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## carobran (Feb 19, 2012)

You pretty much _have_ to have a Red Book if you're going to collect jars.You can get them off their website for around $40 I think.


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## capsoda (Feb 20, 2012)

It is definitely a reworked mold.


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## grimesco (Feb 20, 2012)

I am going to try to order a Red Book this evening. I was still trying to research the resources that I needed (my antique dealer friend recommended a different resource). I do have the little green "1000 Fruit Jars" book, but it doesn't seem to address the myriad of variations.
 Is this jar pretty common?  Thank you!


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## deenodean (Feb 20, 2012)

go to redbookjars.com .....over 10,000 entries of American , Canadian and Austrailian jars and variations of each...excellant book..


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## epackage (Feb 21, 2012)

Here's the link to your pic's, I'm too lazy to post the actual pic's...Jim[]

 https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=3A2210BFF92CAA9B&id=3A2210BFF92CAA9B%21111#cid=3A2210BFF92CAA9B&id=3A2210BFF92CAA9B%21108


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## dygger60 (Feb 21, 2012)

That is a nice jar....I agree with JB above....it is a reworked Drey mold.....I have had a few of these pass through my hands.

     And yes....the RB is a priceless investment for helping to identify jars.....but then again...just plain ole experiance will in time help also.....

     I dont know if it is proper to do this, I dont wanna take anything away from this excellent site and promote another...

     When you get your Red Book....go to Ball Jar Collectors Community Center....towards the bottom of the home page there is what is 
 called the "Red Book Companion"  it has pictures of mostly all the Ball jars listed in the Red Book...so you can cross reference what you read in the Red Book.....

     There is also a couple of fruit jar colleting groups on Yahoo...just search the groups section....

     Good luck and welcome to the wonderful world of fruit jar collecting......


     David


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## grimesco (Feb 21, 2012)

Thank you so much for all of the helpful information! Thank you for posting the link to the pictures (I need more experience with jars AND computers... jars are just far more interesting).

 I came across that jar at the estate auction of a local physician. His wife was a jar collector. There were over 100 jars. The auctioneer pulled out all of the aqua jars, and a few of the more interesting clear jars and pieced them out. Antique dealers got a few (they have deeper pockets), but I think I got most of them (I paid $6.00 or less per jar). At the end of the sale, they put three large boxes of clear jars on the table, and I bought the boxes for $2.00 each. I am pretty sure this jar was in one of those boxes. 
 I did end up with a nice apple green (it is definitely green) HG Boyd jar. The auction barn was so dimly lit you couldn't distinguish it from the aqua jars. 
 I went back last Saturday (the sale had to be conducted on two separate days) and bought one large and two small boxes of jars for $1.00 a box. I think there are some interesting clear pint jars in that lot. The previous owner had taken some masking tape and described some of the variations on the jars (such as the glass maker and date). Unfortunately I can't read most of what she wrote because the ink is so badly faded. 
 I can't wait to study them in the Red Book...
 Thanks again!!!!


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## creeper71 (Feb 21, 2012)

> ORIGINAL:  grimesco
> 
> Thank you so much for all of the helpful information! Thank you for posting the link to the pictures (I need more experience with jars AND computers... jars are just far more interesting).
> 
> ...


 SHOW US A PIC OF THE APPLE GREEN  HG BYOD JAR PLEASE


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## grimesco (Feb 22, 2012)

https://skydrive.live.com/?qt=share...0BFF92CAA9B&id=3A2210BFF92CAA9B!114&sc=photos
https://skydrive.live.com/?qt=share...0BFF92CAA9B&id=3A2210BFF92CAA9B!116&sc=photos
https://skydrive.live.com/?qt=share...0BFF92CAA9B&id=3A2210BFF92CAA9B!115&sc=photos

 I am not terribly good at photographing color, but the color is definitely different than my aqua jars...


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## coreya (Feb 22, 2012)

Thats a nice Boyd's, would love to see pictures of the other jars.


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## grimesco (Feb 24, 2012)

I added several pictures of various jars. I tried to do a closeup of one of the pints because I think it might have a little bit of amber color in the glass? I didn't notice it until I put it in the window to take a picture. With my luck, it's probably an 80-year-old spaghetti sauce stain...
 The first set of pints are still dirty because I didn't want to remove the tape with the handwriting of the previous owner.
 I truly appreciate your time!
https://skydrive.live.com/#cid=3A2210BFF92CAA9B&id=3A2210BFF92CAA9B!117


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