H and H Aqua Crystalvac Jar

A large H and H Crystalvac coffee jar in aqua-tinted glass. The front panel is embossed “H AND H” in block letters with the “Crystalvac” script above a straight underline, set into a heavily pebbled, frosted background that gives the jar its soft, almost icy cast. A dark metal screw lid is stamped "WE ROAST IT" / Crystalvac VACUUM PACKED / "OTHERS PRAISE IT" and carries a wire bail with a turned wooden grip for lifting. The base shows the Owens-Illinois diamond-and-oval maker’s mark alongside “Crystalvac CONTAINER / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF” and a mold number — the later Owens-Illinois production run, after Three Rivers Glass Co. stopped making Crystalvacs. An aqua example answers the question left hanging on the small amber jar post: Owens-Illinois did in fact run these in colors beyond clear.

The wire bail with turned-wood grip matches the jar illustration in the 23 December 1932 San Antonio Light “SPECIAL OFFER — 3-lb. Handy Glass Jar” ad — the H&H Crystalvac 3-lb. introductory bundle (post). The ad’s drawing shows the same bail-handled jar profile, dating the form to the brand’s first holiday-season push within a month of the 29 Nov 1932 trademark registration. The collection’s Colleyville-found Crystalvac with wooden handle shares the same construction — two surviving examples now confirm the wire-bail-with-wood-grip as a stock H&H form rather than a one-off.