→ Full physical provenance, glass marks, mold numbers, dating criteria, and collecting notes are compiled in the brand guide: Crystalvac Jars.

This page exists as an anchor for kb_ref: links from the accession ledger. All item-type research lives in the brand guide.

Quick ID:

  • Square cross-section glass — no round coffee jars in this collection
  • Waffle-textured outer walls → pre-c.1940; smooth walls → post-c.1940
  • “Crystalvac” embossed disc on underside of lid; “We Roast It / Others Praise It” on lid top
  • Three Rivers Glass mark (three interlocked circles) on base → c.1932–c.1943; Ball or Owens-Illinois mark → post-c.1943

Quick reference

  • Form: Screw-cap clear or amber glass jar; round cross-section
  • Sizes: ½ lb, 1 lb (launch 1932), 3 lb (added Dec 1932)
  • Manufacturer succession: Three Rivers Glass Co. (1932–1936/37) → Ball Brothers Glass (1936/37) → Owens-Illinois Glass (1940s+)
  • Dating: Three Rivers star mark + 601-N mold number = pre-1937; diamond-oval-I mark = 1940s+
  • Amber jars: Scarcer than clear; documented mold 601-8

Artifacts

In the collection

Reference

Wanted

  • HH-WNT-1932-0001 — 1932 Crystalvac cutout (newspaper detail)
  • HH-WNT-1932-0002 — 1932 Delaware plant (Crystalvac roof promised)
  • HH-WNT-1932-0003 — 1932 Crystalvac news feature
  • HH-WNT-2016-0001 — Crystalvac with Label

Manufacturer

Container (glass): Three Rivers Glass Company, San Antonio TX (c.1932–c.1943) — Three Rivers made the original Crystalvac mold under contract and is documented as the local glassmaker in the 1932 newspaper launch coverage. Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Co. and Owens-Illinois Glass Company produced later examples using the same or similar molds (Duraglas-marked lids appear on post-c.1943 jars).

Lid: Embossed pressed-metal lid; fabricator undocumented. The lid carries the “We Roast It / Others Praise It” slogan in relief — no paper label or lithography on the lid.

See also