That's a gorgeous lid and it definitely is good luck to find for a garden! I would try to make an ornament out of it and hang it up in your garden somewhere....maybe hanging from a little metal post.

That looks like a glass insert (goes with a metal band) for a Ball Perfect Mason jar. The jars were made until the early 1960's and at various times were sold with the glass insert-metal ring combo, porcelain lined zinc lids and the standard two part flat and ring we use today.

I'm no collector; I don't know where in that chronology the glass inserts with bands stopped being made, but I'd guess in the 1950's. I have some Presto jars with those inserts of the same vintage.

Here's a picture of a Ball jar with a Presto glass lid insert. Kind of cool, really.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Ball Jar with Glass Insert and Metal Ring

Thanks, it's cool to see how it worked!

I should have mentioned it's actually a three-piece affair as there's a rubber seal or gasket under the glass somewhat like the present-day Weck jars from Germany.

Obviously you can't get a seal with a glass lid as it's not going to "suck down" the way a metal flat will.

I'm guessing the original arrangement was a substitute for the rubber gasket + glass cap + wire bail arrangement on the older jars. The metal ring could be a little speedier if you were doing lots of canning.

Carol