Dating Old Canning Jars?

[sweetproserpina]

Some Canadian made canning jars, particularly the "Improved Gem Jar" made by Dominion Glass/Domglas/Consumers Glass have a year number (e.g. 53) stamped into the bottom, but I haven't seen this with most other canning jar manufacturers. Sometimes you can get a year range by the style of logo used, or the jar shape, as these have changed a bit over time.

Cool! Now I gotta go around my house and peek at all my gem jars- my toothbrushes are sitting in one as I type... Thanks moolie!

 

[moolie]

Some Canadian made canning jars, particularly the "Improved Gem Jar" made by Dominion Glass/Domglas/Consumers Glass have a year number (e.g. 53) stamped into the bottom, but I haven't seen this with most other canning jar manufacturers. Sometimes you can get a year range by the style of logo used, or the jar shape, as these have changed a bit over time.

Cool! Now I gotta go around my house and peek at all my gem jars- my toothbrushes are sitting in one as I type... Thanks moolie!

Glad to be of help, I wish all my jars had dates--I know I have quite a range with the oldest Gem from sometime in the 40s and most from the 50s, plus lots of 80s and 90s Consumers jars (not dated but I know when they were purchased). I also have 6 cool older Crown jars that could be about 100 years old, still haven't found the exact jars anywhere online so I'm just guessing based on the "strong shoulder" style.

We use old mugs for toothbrushes, I think hubs and mine are in a Christmas theme mug.

 

[sweetproserpina]

So I started turning over my Crown jars too... and some on the pints had dates on the bottom, some from the forties, some the fifties.. My larger quart blue tinted Crown that I'm currently using as a lamp shade in the kitchen doesn't have a date I have yet to venture down to my cold cellar and check my other larger jars.. I wonder if the dated ones are the 'newer' ones, and the undated are older?

 

[moolie]

You got it

I've never seen dates earlier than the 40s, everything prior to that was (likely) undated.

The coloured ones (blue, green, amber for European jars) are the really old ones.

 

[NorthboundBear]

I have a Canadian Improved gem that has 1933 on the bottom! I am quite excited to have found it in the cellar. It is in perfect condition and even has the tin ring and the glass insert top.

 

[WendyJ]

For info on Ball jars, this might be useful. It doesn't help me too much, I seem to be finding lots of older brand names for companies that were probably gobbled up by Jardin at some point or another.

http://www.minnetrista.net/blog/2013/06/27/ball-family-history/how-to-date-a-ball-jar/

 

[sumi]

I have a Canadian Improved gem that has 1933 on the bottom! I am quite excited to have found it in the cellar. It is in perfect condition and even has the tin ring and the glass insert top.

That's a great find!

 

[JohnIvanovs]

I found an Improved Gem in the cellar with a 14 on the base. Does that mean it was made in 1914? I'm not a collector so this will probably end up on Kijiji.

 

[Britesea]

I have no idea. It would be cool if it was that old