Fruit Jar Rambles: The Vacuum Seal Jar

By Tom Caniff — Photos by Deena Caniff

THE VACUUM SEAL JARS

In April 1931, THE GLASS PACKER, a trade magazine, ran the photo in Figure A of two VACUUM SEAL jars. The VACUUM SEAL jar, the accompanying article explained, was an all-glass container with a glass lid that had proved its merit for many products over a period of years. Arrangements had recently been concluded between Owens-Illinois Glass and the Vacuum Seal Company of New York whereby Owens-Illinois became the sole manufacturer of the Vacuum Seal jars.”

This family of base-embossed VACUUM SEAL jars, with roots dating back to the early 1900s, has always seemed a bit confusing to me. A number of VACUUM SEAL jar variations exist, in a number of sizes, but their history is hard to track. The jars are obviously named and embossed VACUUM SEAL, but “Vacuum Seal” is also a descriptive phrase identifying a jar that has the air expelled in the sterilization process, creating a vacuum in the head space below the sealed lid.

Use of the term in this fashion makes it difficult to research the VACUUM SEAL fruit jars. Between 1911 and 1959 many fruit jars were described as “Vacuum Seal” jars, including the GOLDEN STATE (1911), the SCHRAM (1913), the EUREKA (1919), the IMPROVED EVERLASTING (1921), and various Ball, Kerr, and Presto fruit jars. Identifying these named jars is easy, but things get murky when the ads offer fruit jars for sale, listed only as “Vacuum Jar Quarts,” or pints or whatever. Dating by these references is meaningless.

Gray Staunton, of Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, and Muskegon, Michigan, was issued numerous jar sealing patents from 1906 through 1913, as noted in Dick Roller’s STANDARD FRUIT JAR REFERENCE. The Staunton Jar Corp., of Buffalo, New York, sold Vacuum Seal jars around 1917, and in 1925, the Vacuum Seal Co., Inc., of Alden (near Buffalo), New York, advertised Vacuum Seal jars; by 1926, the company had moved to New York City.

Staunton’s Jan. 2, 1912 Patent #1,013,230, for a “Vacuum Packing Apparatus” is noted on the jar baseembossed VACUUM SEAL JAR COMPANY, INC. NEW YORK, PAT’D OCT.10.11 JAN.2.12 DEC.17.12 NOV.25.13 DEC.12.16 JAN.16.17. Photo 1 shows the typical style VACUUM SEAL base, bearing Staunton’s Jan. 16, 1917 patent number.

In March 1928, MODERN PACKAGING reported that the “Vacuum Seal Co., Inc., 154 Nassau St., New York City calls attention to ‘Vacuum seal’ jars in an 8-page folder recently issued. These jars are all glass –– no metal cap nor fiber–– and offer the advantage that the complete package can be thoroughly sterilized and vacuumized to a high degree. The jars are made of clear flint glass, with flushfitting glass covers, and are obtainable in a variety of sizes ranging from 4 oz. to 32 oz. They are shipped complete with glass caps and rubber rings and packed in re-shipper, corrugated cartons.”

It was likely these Vacuum Seal jars referred to in an article in the Sept. 5, 1932 ST. LOUIS (Missouri) STAR AND TIMES, which stated that “A new straight-sided glass container is now on the market for use in canning. This vacuum seal jar comes in 16- and 24-ounce sizes... The flat glass top is easily pressed down to close the jar. It has a double rim and a little U-shaped cut where a file or paring knife can be slipped in to raise the lid...” When the same and similar articles were carried in several different newspapers across the country, it was common for some to capitalize “Vacuum Seal” and others to print it as “vacuum seal,” in lower case.

FIGURE A: Two VACUUM SEAL jars from the 1932 GLASS PACKER.

PHOTO 1: One variation of VACUUM SEAL jar base.

The jar in Photo 2 is interesting in that its label is for “Mechling’s Oleate Coated Arsenate of Lead,” which “Kills Japanese Beetles.” From the Mechling Bros. Chemical Co., in Camden, New

By Tom Caniff — Photos by Deena Caniff

PHOTO 2: VACUUM SEAL jar with Poison label.

FIGURE B: Staunton's 1917 patent drawing.

Jersey, the back of the label displays an impressive skull and crossbones over an inverted triangle, superimposed with the word “Poison.” For some reason this jar had crossed metal clamps on it when we discovered it; it doesn’t seem correct, but we left it intact. Maybe they were concerned with the poisonous contents escaping.

The lid of our poison jar was embossed TO OPEN INSERT PIN OR KNIFE POINT AT NOTCH, and its base was lettered VACUUM SEAL PAT. 1,212,274 PATS. PEND., with the Owens-Illinois OI-diamond logo. This patent number refers to Gray Staunton’s Jan. 16, 1917 patent. (Figure B)

On May 1, 1934, Randolph H. Barnard, of Toledo, Ohio, was granted patent #1,956,555 for “Closure Means For Hermetically Sealed Jars,” which he assigned to the Vacuum Seal Co., of New York, N.Y. This patent is cited on the jar base-embossed VACUUM SEAL PAT 1,956,555 PAT’S. PEND.

Bernard’s patent, which was an improvement on Staunton’s June 16, 1917 patent #1,212,274, dealt mainly with the “packing ring,” which was compressed between the bottom angle of the glass lid and the tapered ledge within the jar’s mouth. The jar’s glass lid, secured by a flat metal clamp, had from one to three notches for inserting some pointed object to break the gasket seal. The lids may be found in either of two embossing styles, or unembossed.

The 1934 GLASS FACTORY DIRECTORY listed R. H. Bernard as vice president and general factories manager of the OwensIllinois Glass Co., in Toledo, Ohio. Not surprisingly, Bernard’s jars were made by the Owens-Illinois Glass Co. for the Vacuum Seal Co.

VACUUM SEAL jars were possibly more popular with packers than with home canners. In March 1935, Photo 3 was shown in THE GLASS PACKER, claiming that “A 44 per cent sales increase the first week resulted from a change to glass, according to Brewster, Gordon Co., Inc., packers of Veteran brand coffee... Housewives like the jar for its re-use possibilities.” The jar’s label reads, “Veteran Vacuum Jar Coffee All Purpose Grind... Distributed By Brewster, Gordon Co. Inc., Rochester, N.Y.” (This company also sold the VETERAN fruit jars.)

THE EVENING LEADER, of Corning, N.Y., carried on Aug. 29, 1935 the ad in Figure C by Associated Stores offering “Something New for Home Canning! Vacuum Seal Jars Pint Dozen 79¢ Quart Dozen 89¢. The Vacuum Seal Jar is the only preserving jar in which a high vacuum can be produced in the Home as well as in the canning factory, without the use of special machinery.”

In the “Label Space,” March 1994, we featured 7 1/2” tall and 6 1/4” tall variations of the VACUUM SEAL jar, with bases embossed VACUUM SEAL PAT 1,956,555 PATS PEND. The jars had labels for “Red Turkey Vacuum Jar Coffee… J. B. Maltby Inc., Corning, N.Y.” and “Hostess Pantry Pears… James McCreery & Co.,” respectively.

By Tom Caniff — Photos by Deena Caniff

And in the August 2001 “Fruit Jar Rambles,” we showed the jar in Photo 4, also base-embossed VACUUM SEAL PAT. 1,956,555 PAT’S PEND., with the Owens-Illinois Glass Co. logo and date code for either 1936 or ’46. It’s unique in being pyroglazed, rather than embossed, on the side with STONE HOUSE FARM (scene of a house, farmer and animals) DURHAM, N.H. Durham is a small town in Stafford County, New Hampshire, and in 1940, its population was a modest 1,533.

Yet another member of the VACUUM SEAL family is shown in Photo 5 with a partial label. Its base is simply embossed VACUUM SEAL PATS. PEND., around the Owens-Illinois Glass Company’s OI-in-a-diamond logo. This jar has the remnants of a label for “... Porto Rico Molasses Full Quart Providence Public Market Co., “a company which in 1949 considered themselves “Competitors” of The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company.

Photo 6 shows a small, 3 1/2” tall, slightly-tapered, half-pint, single-notched lid, Vacuum Seal jar with unembossed lid and base. A companion piece to this jar, reported as being 3 3/4” tall, has its lid embossed TO OPEN INSERT PIN OR KNIFE POINT AT NOTCH, and its base lettered VACUUM SEAL PAT. 1,212,274 PATS. PEND., with the Owens-Illinois OI-diamond logo.

I’m not at all sure just how many different sizes of VACUUM SEAL jars there are, but a collection of the different sizes, variations, and labeled examples would make a good specialized project for some ambitious jar collector. The only way to really understand some of our collectible jars is for some enterprising collector to corral the variations together for comparison. It’s surprising the differences you’ll find when comparing even rare jars side by side. And while it must be admitted that the VACUUM SEAL jars themselves aren’t terribly striking, many, if not all, of the variations could likely be found with original labels with diligent hunting. That would be a truly impressive collection!

FIGURE C: 1935 ad for VACUUM SEAL jars.

PHOTO 5: VACUUM SEAL jar with partial Molasses label. PHOTO 4: Pyroglazed STONE HOUSE FARM jar.

PHOTO 6: Half-pint Vacuum Seal jar.

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