Why does it say “Mason” on many of Balls canning jars?
In the mid-1800s, John Mason invented the screw-top closure – which includes the glass “threads” and lip at the mouth of a jar – that is common on glass containers today. He patented his design in 1858, which is why many Ball jars read “Mason Patent 1858.” Ball bought Mason’s patent in the late 1800s, and included his name on its jars to signify that the jars used the then-unique Mason design. As result, home canning jars today are almost universally referred to as Ball or Mason jars.
