6/12/24 Report - Considerations for Selling or Keeping Finds. A Very Popular Collectible and How to ID More Valuable Examples.

 

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.

Aqua Ball Perfect Mason Jar.

I did a previous post on canning jars and mentioned how canning jars were used as piggy banks and for burying caches.  A jar full of coins can be detected..  So can empty canning jars having metal closures or lids. Even if they do not contain coins, they can be used to help date your site.

My Atlas jars are probably better than my Mason jars, but Mason jars are common Treasure Coast finds.  Most are not worth much, especially if common or damaged, but some can be worth hundreds of dollars.  I posted photos of some Ball jars found along the Treasure Coast.  

Below is a table that will help you date Mason jars.

Ball Mason, Perfect Mason, Ideal, and Special Wide Mouth Jars.

Looks to me like the aqua jar at the top of this post might fall in the 1933 - 1960 range.  That seems reasonable, especially considering the popularity of canning food during the WW II years.

Here are a couple paragraphs from a good article on the history of Mason jars, and therefore canning jars.

It all started with John Landis Mason, a New Jersey-born tinsmith who, in the 1850s, was searching for a way to improve the relatively recent process of home canning. Up until then, home canning involved using wax to create an airtight seal above food. Jars were stoppered with corks, sealed with wax, then boiled. It was messy, and hardly foolproof. Before canning, people in cold climates relied largely on smoking, salting, drying and fermenting to keep themselves fed through winter...

In 1858, a 26-year-old Mason patented threaded screw-top jars “such as are intended to be air and water-tight.” The earliest mason jars were made from transparent aqua glass, and are often referred to by collectors as "Crowleytown Jars" as many believe they were first produced in the New Jersey village of Crowleytown. Unfortunately for Mason, he neglected to patent the rest of his invention—the rubber ring on the underside of the flat metal lids that is critical to the airtight seal, and made wax unnecessary—until 1868, a full decade later. By this point, mason jars were being manufactured widely. Mason tried to regain control of his invention, but after various court cases and failed business partnerships he was edged out. He died in 1902, allegedly penniless...

And here is the link for much more about Mason jars.

A Brief History of the Mason Jar | Smithsonian (smithsonianmag.com)

And here are a few helpful tips to help you determine if your Mason jar might be worth something.

• The value of Ball mason glass jars greatly depends on their color, condition, rarity, age, and type.
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• If your Ball Mason jar has a rare color, like olive green, amber, or rose-purple (very rare), it’s quite valuable, worth up to $300 or $350!
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• You can easily date a vintage Ball Mason Jar based on the unique embossing of the logo on the body. 
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• Ball Upside Down Mason Jars are one of the rarest and most valuable Ball jars that can fetch over $500, depending on their condition.

And here is the link for more useful information.

Ball Mason Jars: Quick Value & Dating Guide (Rare Finds) (antiquesknowhow.com)

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Is it more romantic to buy a diamond that formed in the bowels of the earth than one grown in a lab? Young American couples don’t think so.

That is awkward for diamond miner De Beers, especially now that it is looking for a new owner. Mining conglomerate Anglo American, which has been a top shareholder in the world’s best-known diamond producer for almost a century, wants to sell or separately list it as part of a radical breakup plan.

The diamond industry is going through a rough patch, so the timing isn’t great. Jewelry sales boomed in 2022 as consumers splurged on luxury goods, but last year they pulled back. Weak demand has sent diamond prices to 2003 levels, says Liberum analyst Ben Davis.

Moreover, traditional diamonds are increasingly being challenged by lab-grown ones, which cost a fifth of the price. In April, 45% of all engagement rings sold in the U.S. had a synthetic stone, according to Edahn Golan Diamond Research & Data. It is impossible to tell whether a diamond is natural or lab-grown with the naked eye, and they have the same chemical makeup.

Here is the link for more about that.

For Diamonds, It Matters Who De Beers Hooks Up With Next (msn.com)

Lab diamonds are next to impossible to tell from mined diamonds.  Another problem with diamonds is the decreasing value even when they are positively identified.

Always remember that what is valuable today might not be tomorrow. That is true of any kind of treasure, but some types of treasure are currently going through big swings.  Gold has been doing well, for example, but diamonds not so well.  That is a consideration when you are deciding what to keep or sell and when.

 A few month ago I did a post on the new lab grown diamonds, as well as the following post on changing values Treasure Beaches Report: Pt. 2. (2020 and Beyond). : 11/30/23 Report - Selling or Keeping Silver, Gold or Diamond Finds: Some Things to Consider. Comparing Escudo Prices Over Time. (tbr2020.blogspot.com).

In that post I showed this chart on diamonds, which shows some price fluctuations but isn't the most current.

 Now you have to consider the market changes in your old diamond finds due to the increasing popularity of lab diamonds.

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Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net