# Mason Patent 1858 Real or Repro?



## Crazyhippie

I recently acquired this jar from a deceased family member who collected mason jars, and am wondering whether or not it is a reproduction or not. And what is the general worth of it. I would also like to know the general time of manufacture if possible. 
 It reads 
*
 MASON'S
 PATENT
 NOV 30th
 1858*

 On the bottom it is stamped "7"


















 Ball Zinc lids fit it snuggly if that helps any.
 I can get better pictures if needed
 Thanks


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## epackage

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## epackage

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## epackage

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## surfaceone

Howdy Spencer,

 Welcome. Boy, those are not tiny pics. Please do Resize Them. One has to use the lowercase brackets: 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 in these parts. 

 Could'ya try that again, in natural light, showing the entire jar, without the lid. Is the lip ground? What is the capacity of the jar? Could you show the markings on the side by "Patent," please.




From.


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## digginthedog

I think repo... I read an article on the net recently about reproductions (Bob Clay)... No period after NOV with the base #7 as repops... Hope I'm wrong... Even the repo's have some value... The early (70's) half gallons bring decent money and the fantasy color midget jars are popular as well... JB


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## epackage

> ORIGINAL:  digginthedog
> 
> I think repo... I read an article on the net recently about reproductions (Bob Clay)... No period after NOV with the base #7 as repops... Hope I'm wrong... Even the repo's have some value... The early (70's) half gallons bring decent money and the fantasy color midget jars are popular as well... JB


Bob's writeup...

 Just very recently (11/03) another batch of reproductions have been imported from China. They're getting better at making these hard to spot. This batch consists of pints and quarts embossed: MASON'S PATENT NOV 30TH 1858 (note no period after NOV) and 1/2 gallons embossed: MASON'S (Hero Cross) PATENT NOV. 30TH 1858. The pints all have the number 44 embossed on their base and the *quarts have a weakly embossed number 7*. The half gallons even have the correct Hero base embossing of PAT NOV 26, 67 on them, but the letter spacing is very crude. And the mould number for these 1/2 gallons is 469. These repros have been reported in six colors; cobalt blue, dark amethyst, olive green, emerald green, amber and red. The lips on these jars seem to be machine ground and VERY smooth, not like a true ground lipped jar. I'm positive these will be appearing in large numbers soon, so be very wary of any jar that meets the above criteria, no matter what a seller may say about them. I'm sure there will be good pics of these posted here so check back often.


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## grimesco

I bought a jar just like this one last week. I am almost 100% certain that it is a reproduction. It has the mold #7 on the base. The embossing on one or two of the letters is weaker (like some of the real jars). The glass has an almost oily texture to it. It's a pretty jar, and I picked it up really cheap. It was a close match to the RB description of a reproduction. I think it was valued somewhere between $5.00 to $10.00? A friend of mine has a really nice amber midget pint reproduction with a reversed S in Mason. The lip actually looks ground. I think the RB value of it (even as a reproduction) was well over $100.00 (please forgive me if I'm mistaken, I don't have my book with me at the moment).


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## dygger60

Now that was a GREAT bit of information that epackage had there....I jotted that down to carry with me when I am out an about....

    Thanks

    David


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## jarsnstuff

Just adding my 2 cents...  When in doubt, look for wear on the base of the jar.  This jar appears to have none - therefore it's gotta be a repro.  It does seem to fit all the criteria of a modern Chinese repro.


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## Crazyhippie

Thank you all very much for the feedback. I figured it was a reproduction, but wanted another opinion. I'm an amateur collector and I was unaware of all the reproductions on the market. Again, thank you all for the warm welcome!


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