# How long ago was it that folks canned with zinc lids?



## Honey Berry (Oct 22, 2005)

I was fortunate enough to share in a bunch of free canning jars. Someone local passed away and the contents of his cave are not wanted by the new owner. A friend of mine was offered all the jars she wanted for free, so she shared some with me. These jars are filled jars, sealed with a rubber ring and a zinc lid. Some jars are blue, most are clear. They are mostly 2-quarts, quarts, and pints, but some are odd sizes in unusual shapes. You can make out what most of the contents are. I've recognized peaches, pears, blackberries, grapes, cucumber pickles, tomato juice, a bean soup concoction, mystery meat. My friend said that many of the jars in the cave were sitting on the dirt floor; when she tried to pick them up many of them broke and quite a few more were already broken. All the jars on the shelves were in good shape.

What do you suppose the age of these jars might be?


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Just the other day I saw some pictures of someones canning that they just got done canning and they used the zinc lids. Cave, now that sounds interesting. Did this person live in a Cave, or did they just store their canning in it? I wounder if the ground froze and that's why the jars froze and cracked. That or vibration.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Hard to tell. I remember that type of glass was becoming rarer in the 1950s. Mom used a glass bail lid, so dunno on the zinc.


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## Pelenaka (Jul 27, 2007)

I wanna say zinc lids & rings were the bridge between wire bail to what we use now say the 1930's up til 1950. I know in my 1949 Ball Blue Book there are pics of all styles of jars wire bail & screw ring, along with jelly jars that required wax. 
Here's a link to a pic of http://thirtyfivebyninety.blogspot.com/2011/04/got-balls.html
The jars pictured in the Ball add are all clear.

I can't see using zinc lids in this day & age unless my back was up against a wall. 


~~ pelenaka ~~


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## judylou (Jun 19, 2009)

I agree with the mid-1950's as that is when Boyd, the primary manufacturer, closed down. I'm sure some copies or reproductions may have been made in the late 50's as you see them now and then at auctions and such without the name on them. Unfortunately there are probably some people out there still using them just because they have done it that way for 50 years and nothing will convince them to change.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

I have lots of zinc lids and can still get the rubbers. We were still buying zinc lids in the mid and late 1960s. However, we only used them for pickles and sauerkraut.

Martin


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## Honey Berry (Oct 22, 2005)

7thswan said:


> Just the other day I saw some pictures of someones canning that they just got done canning and they used the zinc lids. Cave, now that sounds interesting. Did this person live in a Cave, or did they just store their canning in it? I wounder if the ground froze and that's why the jars froze and cracked. That or vibration.


I wasn't aware that you could still get zinc lids. I thought they were a thing of the past.

This was the kind of cave where you store your canned goods and root crops and take shelter from storms. You may be right about the jars freezing and breaking, maybe the floor was wet at some point.


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## Honey Berry (Oct 22, 2005)

Pelenaka said:


> I wanna say zinc lids & rings were the bridge between wire bail to what we use now say the 1930's up til 1950. I know in my 1949 Ball Blue Book there are pics of all styles of jars wire bail & screw ring, along with jelly jars that required wax.
> Here's a link to a pic of http://thirtyfivebyninety.blogspot.com/2011/04/got-balls.html
> The jars pictured in the Ball add are all clear.
> 
> ...


There were a few jars with with wire and bail closures. I got one of those. 

I guess these jars were canned up around 60 to 80 years ago. Thanks everyone, for your replies.


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