History of the Ball Amber Buffalo Fruit Jar by Dick Cole

The Making of the Reproduction Amber Ball Buffalo Jar by Dick Cole

Screen shots and and excerpt from Dick Cole's article in the December 2012 Glass Chatter (newsletter of the Midwest Fruit Jar Club) 

The original fruit jar from which the reproductions were made still exists, safely housed in the Heritage Collection at Minnetrista in Muncie.  

Bill Brantley and Rosemary Martin, Product Manager at Ball, decided that a reproduction of this rare jar would be a marketable item.  Ball had released its Bicentennial series of jars with much success. 

Fruit jar collecting was a newly developing hobby, and the opportunity was ripe for the company to take full advantage of its history. The idea was that the reproduction jar would not only appeal to serious fruit jar collectors, but also to those interested in its decorative aspect.  With the coming of the country’s Bicentennial, attention was focused on historical items, and ―retro‖ objects had become the rage for home décor.

Thus, under the guidance of Bill Brantley, Ball made arrangements to produce replica amber fruit jars like the ones that they had made almost a hundred years earlier.  Paul Bredwell was in charge of the project.  A glassblower by the name of Joe Miller was contracted to make the jars. 

Read the entire article, full of photos and history -- click here for the pdf. 

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Findlay Antique Bottle Club
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