# Taller pint-Ball Perfect Mason????



## towhead (Sep 24, 2010)

I have (2) pint size Ball Mason, drop A, double L, Perfect Mason jars.   One has the off center Perfect Mason with a 10F on the bottom, and other has the centered Perfect Mason with an 8 on the bottom.  The off centered 10 F one is about a 1/2" taller than the other.  Also, the neck area is noticably different.  Does anyone know why they are different? (All my other ones are like the #8 centered one.  Thanks for your replys!  -Julie   Pic 1:


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## towhead (Sep 24, 2010)

Pic 2:


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## dygger60 (Sep 25, 2010)

Your jars difference is because the jar on the left ( 10F) is an aquired mold jar.   

  It was formally a DREY jar that Ball Brothers aquired when they bought them out.

  David


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## towhead (Sep 25, 2010)

Thanks David!  Interesting info!  -Julie


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## bobclay (Oct 15, 2010)

Hi Julie and David,

 I don't mean to be disagreeable but this isn't an acquired mould or a Drey mould. The reason one jar is taller than the other is that they were made on different machines. The PERFECT MASON on the left with offset embossing was made c1913-1914 on the early Owen's machine. (smaller base scar) The jar on the right was made between 1915-1923 on a later version of the Owen's machine. (larger base scar)

 Ball bought out Schram (the parent company that produced the Drey jars) in 1925 and none of the acquired Drey moulds were ever made in blue glass, only clear. The Drey reworked moulds have the word PERFECT offset but it is offset to the LEFT of MASON. All of the PERFECT MASON jars with PERFECT offset to the RIGHT were made c1913-1914 from older Ball MASON moulds where they added the word PERFECT wherever it would fit. New moulds were produced for a newer version of the Owen's machine in 1915 and the embossing was centered as we commonly see it.

 Some of the PERFECT MASON jars with the 1910-1923 script style were made on the older Ball-Bingham machine and they are a different height than either of these. When Ball couldn't keep up with customer demand for jars, they often fired up the older machines to help produce the jars needed to fill orders.

 Just another reason Ball jars are so much fun to look for.  []

 Bob


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## dygger60 (Oct 15, 2010)

Intresting information to be sure Bob.

  That I did not know......always like learning something new about old Ball jars.

   Thanks

   David


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## towhead (Oct 15, 2010)

Thanks Again for the great info Bob!!  -Julie


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## jskirk (Oct 16, 2010)

Here are a couple of pint perfect mason jars i picked up the other day, they are also different heights


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## towhead (Oct 18, 2010)

I found another one also.  Both of mine have 10 F on the bottom.  What is on the bottom of yours?  -Julie


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## jskirk (Oct 23, 2010)

The dropped a has 9. F ,the other one has a  4 on the bottom


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## towhead (Oct 26, 2010)

Anyone know what the F stands for?  -Julie


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## madman (Oct 26, 2010)

http://www.sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/owensbottlecompany.pdf


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## madman (Oct 26, 2010)

julie i believe it stands for fairmont w.v.  there was an owens plant there, scroll down to page 57 on the above link


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## bobclay (Oct 27, 2010)

Hi Julie and Madman,

 Sorry I haven't been able to respond more often, but my computer time has been very limited of late.

 Even though there was an Owens plant in Fairmont, WVA these were not made by Owen's. They were made by Ball and in Muncie, Indiana. (where all of the Ball blue jars were made) Almost all of the Perfect Mason jars with offset type embossing have a number AND letter on them. And they were all produced on the early version of the Owen's machine with the smaller base scar. We're not positive what the letters actually stood for, but I suspect the letter referred to the line that was making the jars as Muncie at one time had over 70 lines producing jars. (I'm not sure exactly how many Owen's machines were in use in Muncie c1913-1914 though) I do know that Ball's primary machines were the Ball-Bingham machine (several modified versions were in use simultaneously) and the early Owen's machines (they acquired rights to make jars on in 1909 when they bought the Greenfield Fruit Jar and Bottle Company) up until 1915 when they began using primarily the newer, larger Owen's machines as their productivity was greatly increased over the Ball machines. And most of the Ball-Bingham machine jars also had a number and letter on their base, so perhaps that is how Ball chose to identify the moulds coming from different machines during this time frame.

 I don't have a bunch of these offset PM to actually look at but you could pose the question at the BJCCC (link below) and I'm sure they could shed more light on the subject of what numbers and letters are seen on the bases of this type of jar. Go into the 'Show Room Floor' and post a question. They have the jars they can look at.  []

http://balljarcollectorscommunitycenter.yuku.com/

 Bob


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## bobclay (Oct 27, 2010)

Hi all,

 I have posed the question to the Ball Jar Collectors Community Center regarding what the letters on the bottoms of this particular genre of jars might mean. Give them some time to look at their jars and I'm sure they will have something to contribute to this puzzler.

 Go to the link above to the BJCCC and then click on the 'Show Room Floor' to see general posts. This post is entitled 'Question regarding RB #272 offset embossing style'. Click on that title to see any responses.

 Bob


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## madman (Oct 27, 2010)

thanks bob for the great info !


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## towhead (Oct 28, 2010)

Thanks Mad & Bob!!  Will be watching for more info!  -Julie


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