The One Type Of Mason Jar You'll Regret Leaving At The Thrift Store If You Spot It

Thrift stores can be full of all sorts of treasures to add to your home decor, from commonplace items like old baskets and tins to more collectible glassware that occasionally can be worth far more than the resale tag on the bottom. This includes old mason jars, which often weather the years well, with many still in use that were manufactured in the late 19th and early 20th century, passed down like heirlooms from generation to generation. While mason jars are plentiful, one particular design may be something you want to grab from the shelf next time you see it. The relatively rare upside down Ball mason jar can be identified by what looks like an upside down logo, but which is actually a unique design with the lid at the bottom that was meant to be stored and used that way.

The value of vintage and antique mason jars can vary widely. They can typically be identified by their logos and design, which can, with a little research, give you insight into manufacturers and years of origin. Other qualities, like lid formation, color of the glass, and shape can help further narrow down designs and manufacturers, especially when it comes to rarer jars that can sometimes be quite valuable in the collector market.

Ball, one of the chief manufacturers of canning jars, designed its inverted jar in the early 20th century to dispense coffee beans from the bottom through a wall mounted grinder. In production from 1900-1910, it is often mistaken for one of the even rarer jars from Ball with a manufacturing error, in which the Ball logo was printed upside down. While these mistake jars are very rare and can go for over a thousand dollars, even the intentionally inverted jars can be a valuable find for both its novelty and its value to collectors, which can exceed several hundred dollars, with one find fetching $475 at auction. The jars can be found in both clear and a number of other colors, including blue and lavender.

If you see one of these jars at secondhand venues like thrift stores and estate sales, swipe them up, even if you are just looking for a jar to use in your home and don't plan on turning a profit. The inverted design can be perfect to use in a project that repurposes old mason jars, like making lanterns, candle holders, and centerpieces, which allow you to place a faux tealight or LED in the lid at the base for a soft glowing mason jar lantern that will cozily illuminate your indoor or outdoor space. They would also look stunning adapted with a hole in the lid and wiring to serve as globes for chandeliers and sconces with a lot of vintage flair, without having to drill through the bottom. Or swap out the existing lid with a dispenser-style one and turn the inverted jar into a luxe DIY mason jar feeder.