Mason Jars: Can You Sell Them on Online Auctions??
Do They Sell?
Do people really buy old jars on auction? Can I sell them one at a time? Do they sell better if I have a lid on them? Do they sell better if .... Okay. Let's start by analyzing the situation.
I have a canning room full of mason jars. Mason jars is a name or brand, like Kleenex has become a name for nose tissue. Mason is a brand, not unlike Ball or Kerr.
On Online Auction
As of yesterday, I noticed that there was a variety of jars being sold. It was interesting, since there was a 4 gallon jar being sold for eighty dollars and some salt and pepper shakers, jar shaped, selling for $5. The auctions had not ended when I was looking and I did not add them to my watch list to see what the ending price was.
I just know that they were definitely selling. Green is the key.
Years Ago
I listed a couple jars individually a few years back. One jar received a question. The woman was an invalid, living in a apartment and needed a container for her colloidal silver medical cream. The cream was light sensitive and needed a jar that was opaque.
I offered to prime and paint a jar for her, so that the jar would be dark. Hopefully that worked out for her, since she decided that two jars would be wonderful.
Canning
Back in the day, so to speak, people would pick their tomatoes, cucumbers, fruits and onions and they would make things to use later. Things like canned tomatoes for use in chili, soups and stews. Things like pickles. Salsa. Jams.
They also used the jars to can meat, like venison or beef roast. For the meat, it required a pressure cooker. Jars in a pressure/steam canner.
We Still Can
I still make things in jars. Lately, it's been mostly things like pickled mushrooms, pickled cucumbers, salsa, chili mix. I even tried my hand at pickled seafood. I had been making pickled fish, and I have made poor mans salmon upon occasion.
Pickled eggs, smoked eggs and pickled vegetables.
Self Sealing
The jars self seal with the heat of the foods inside, but it is safer to pressure cook or water bath can your foods so that bacteria doesn't kill you later when you eat the food inside.
What Kinds of Jars Do I Have
I notice that I have Kerr, Ball, Canadian Jewel and Mason jars. In the shed, I know that I have jars made of the blue glass. I will probably list them on online auction.
Lids
There are different types of lids. I have boxes of unused zinc caps that require a rubber seal. I also have two types of ring caps. The ring caps have two sizes. Regular and wide mouth. There are two brands of ring caps. Ball and Kerr. They both work the same. You have your hot food inside. It creates a vacuum pressure seal. The middle of the cap sucks in when it seals. If it doesn't seal, the middle of the cap will buckle in and out.
After you take the jars out of the hot water bath, as the cold air hits the jars and creates the vacuum, you will hear an audible 'pink' as they suck down.