Fruit Jar Rambles Extra By Tom Caniff — Photos by Deena Caniff
THE GLENSHAW JARS Photo 1 shows a clear round quart jar embossed GLENSHAW-in-a-beveledcorner-rectangle G-in-a-square) MASON. They were made by the Glenshaw Glass Co., of Glenshaw, Pennsylvania. The stippled bases of the pint GLENSHAW jars are embossed with a mold number, which varies from 4 to 25, above the G-in-a-square trademark. Beneath this is the number 1955, which looks suspiciously like a date, but it is, in fact, just a size identifier; the quart bases carry a 1255 size identifier. On April 16, 1943, one of the stories carried in the FORT WORTH (Texas) PRESS was entitled “New Glass-Top Ready For Canning.” The story heralded the proposed use of what collectors refer to as the “World War II glass lids,” produced in response to government restrictions on the use of steel for certain specified items. The glass lids were touted as “a steelsaving glass-top closure now being produced in quantity for the first time in the United States.” The article continued, “Production of 634,000,000 of these glasstop (sic) seals this year is an important part of the government’s and industry’s efforts to assure adequate supplies of jars and tops for the anticipated record home canning program and at the same time to save as much steel as possible for military and industrial needs.” It is one of these World War II-style glass lids that is known as a closure for the GLENSHAW G MASON jars (Photo 2). The clear lids are embossed the same as the jars, GLENSHAW G-ina-square MASON, on the underside, to be read through the top. There’s also a metal top-seal lid lettered in black: GLENSHAW
G-in-a-square MASON, exactly the same as on the glass lid and the jar. The G-in-a-square “trademark” is prominent on these GLENSHAW jars and on the World War II vintage glass lids. A January 1945 ad in the GLASS PACKER, advertising Glenshaw’s unembossed, generic-style “Victory Jars” for packers, patriotically urged, *Back The Attack Buy War Bonds* Glenshaw Glass Co., Inc. Glenshaw, Pa. Glenshaw Bottlers,” featuring a small square-G trademark. For some reason, Glenshaw doesn’t appear to have applied for its GLENSHAW above G-in-a-square trademark (Figure A) “For Glass Bottles” until March 22, 1955, claiming that it had been used by the company since 1904. The registration was granted by the Patent Office as trademark #631,783 on July 31, 1956. Glenshaw Glass reportedly dates back to 1894, and in 1895, the May 8, 1895 issue of CHINA, GLASS AND LAMPS reported that an addition was to be built on the Glenshaw Glass Works plant, at Glenshaw, Pennsylvania, on the Pittsburgh & Western R.R., near Pittsburgh. The company was reported as being a co-operative firm, consisting of former employees of the Tibby flint house at Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania. Over the years, fruit jars were sporadically listed among the glass company’s wares, but only two jars are known to be Glenshaw’s, the GLENSHAW G MASON and the SQUARE G MASON. PHOTOS (from top): Quart GLENSHAW G-in-a-square MASON. GLENSHAW World War II glass lid. Glenshaw Glass Company's 1956 square-G trademark. Half-gallon, quart and pint SQUARE G MASON jars.
January 2020
17
