Ball Jars and Moonshiners

The Prohibition era of the 1920s and early 1930s generated plenty of colorful stories about rumrunners, bootleggers, and speakeasies. Moonshiners—those savvy entrepreneurs who produced their own high-proof distilled spirits—have their very own colorful Ball canning jar stories.

One is that Ball made square canning jars with the moonshiners in mind. Because they were square, the jars could be packed tighter together and more would fit into the trunk of a car or bed of a truck. Ball did indeed start making square jars in the early 1920s, but the reason is not known. Maybe square jars were just easier to pack into shipping boxes.

Another common story is that Ball produced jars that looked like half-gallon jars, but only held 56 ounces of fluid, instead of the normal 64 ounces. What a good way to dupe the customer, providing a higher profit margin for the seller. Ball did make some jars with a 56-ounce capacity, and most likely, moonshiners took advantage of those jars to take advantage of their customers.

Last but not least is the unlucky “13” story. The story goes that moonshiners were a superstitious lot, so they broke the jars with a number “13” on the bottom. Those jars are now rarer than those with a single digit number on the bottom, and sellers often charge more than they would for a comparable jar with a different number. Unless you’re just anxious to have an unlucky jar, however, don’t pay extra. The number on the bottom refers to the mold used to make the jar, and most machines had eight to ten molds. Higher numbers were used when a mold had to be replaced. Knowledgeable collectors don’t consider the number on the bottom to make any difference in value.

There is absolutely no evidence that Ball Brothers Company ever produced special fruit jars for the moonshine industry. Those who knew the five brothers personally say that it is most unlikely that they did so.