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October, 2018 The Antique Shoppe Page 31
What’s Selling on eBay?

by Deborah Abernethy and Mike McLeod

$4,339 (12 bids, 6 bids): Mason 1858 Fruit Jar Tudor Rose Light Amber
Golden Yellow Quart A62. Tudor Rose Mason fruit jar in the very rare light amber
or golden yellow color. The bottom is marked “A62”.
Condition is excellent, just one shallow chip and
minor roughness to ground lip. There may be a few
light surface scratches. There are many bubbles of
varying sizes. There is a line of very fine bubbles, or
could be a soot trail, that traverse about two-thirds of
the distance around the jar. It starts around the Tudor
Rose and angles down around the front and ends
under the “TH”. Because of the line of bubbles and
other manufacturing process imperfections, this will $3,377 (6 bids, 5 bidders): 1887 Felt & Tarrant Mfg. Co. Comptometer
be a very distinguishable and one-of-a-kind jar. The Adding Machine Calculator. This old 14.25-inch long machine has two patent
color is very even throughout jar. The zinc lid is just dates of 1887. I am not familiar with how these machines work, and I don't want to
a generic Ball lid. (Photos courtesy of eBay seller break anything trying to find out, but I did push some buttons, and they did turn the
idahoantiqin.) bottom numbers. It has some wear to the patina but not bad overall. This has to be one
DBA: This must be a record. There is a vast range of the earlier models. Sold as you see it.
of prices for similar jars. The light amber is less DBA: The 1887 date is the patent date, not the date of manufacture. The first
prevalent in the market, but most prices for similar manufactured comptometer were wood box types. This one looks like the metal box
jars are $1,500 and $1,700. Beware that there are that was used from 1907 to about 1915. Actually, the first one built by Mr. Dorr Felt
modern 1858 jars that mean it is in the 1858 jar shape, was a macaroni box, and this one is in the Smithsonian at present. Modifications in the
not that it is an 1858 jar. The modern 1858 light amber design of the comptometer made it useful into the 1960s, really until calculators and
fruit jar can be found for $10. Big difference! computers became the instruments of choice.
John Landis Mason received a patent for his Lots of businesses had these machines and similar ones can occasionally be found
invention with the threading process for the closure at various auctions. Based on those auction results, the seller really made out well.
on bottles and jars. This patent was awarded on Many of those auction records were also using the 1887 patent as the date when clearly
November 30, 1858. He did not make jars and bottles at that time. His improvement most were later models. It’s like the Barbie doll mark of 1959 stamped on the upper
revolutionized home canning in the United States. Two things were important: the jars back of Barbie dolls. That does not mean that it is from that first year of production!
were re-usable, and the lid had barriers which eliminated the metallic taste.
Bottle collecting is a big market in America, both at the high end and inexpensive Deborah Abernethy is a certified appraiser with the International Association of Appraisers. She can be
low end of the market. contacted at 404-262-2131 or Deborah@expert-appraisers.com. Her website is www.expert-appraisers.com.

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