SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION


                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT




                     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
                         Securities Exchange Act of 1934

          Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) June 9, 1998


                                BALL CORPORATION
           -----------------------------------------------------------
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


                                     Indiana
           -----------------------------------------------------------
                 (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)


             1-7349                                    35-0160610
- ----------------------------------        --------------------------------------
    (Commission File Number)                (IRS Employer Identification No.)



               345 South High Street, Muncie, Indiana 47305-2326
               (Address of principal executive office) (Zip Code)



Registrant's telephone number, including area code:  (765) 747-6100






                                Ball Corporation
                           Current Report on Form 8-K
                               Dated June 12, 1998



Item 5.  Other Events.

On June 9, 1998, Ball  Corporation,  an Indiana  corporation (the "Company") and
Reynolds Metals Company, a Delaware  corporation  ("Reynolds"),  stated that the
previously announced agreements by which Ball will purchase substantially all of
Reynolds'  global beverage can business will not include  Reynolds' 34.9 percent
interest in Latas de Aluminio S.A.  ("Latasa"),  a South  American  beverage can
manufacturer. As a result, the purchase price of $820 million in that agreement,
which included Latasa,  will be reduced to approximately $746 million,  of which
$50 million may, at the option of Ball, be paid in Ball common stock.

Difficulties in obtaining the third party consents and waivers necessary for the
purchase of Latasa in a timely manner resulted in the decision to remove it from
the main transaction.  Reynolds intends to work with Latasa's other stockholders
to agree upon and  implement a process  that will  permit the sale of  Reynolds'
interest  in Latasa in the near  future.  Ball  continues  to be  interested  in
acquiring those shares.

Ball now will  acquire  Reynolds'  14 can plants and two end plants in 12 states
and Puerto Rico. As previously reported, the sale does not include Reynolds' can
machinery  business or its 27.5 percent  interest in United Arab Can Co.,  which
operates a can plant in Saudi Arabia. Closing of the transaction remains subject
to  certain  conditions,  including  completion  of  financing  by Ball,  and to
regulatory review. Ball and Reynolds have received second requests from the U.S.
Justice  Department for information  relating to the sale. Both companies are in
the process of complying with the second requests,  and based on the normal time
requirements  for completing  second  requests,  both expect the  transaction to
close during the second half of 1998.

The following is filed as an Exhibit to this report.

Exhibit Number 99

Description

Text of Press release disseminated by the Registration on June 9, 1998.




                                Ball Corporation
                           Current Report on Form 8-K
                               Dated June 12, 1998


                                    SIGNATURE



Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.



                                             BALL CORPORATION
                                             (Registrant)



Date:  June 12, 1998                         By:  /s/ A. R. Schlesinger
                                                  ------------------------------
                                                  A. R. Schlesinger
                                                  Vice President and Controller







                                Ball Corporation
                           Current Report on Form 8-K
                               Dated June 12, 1998

                                  EXHIBIT INDEX


Exhibit  Description

EX-99    Text of a press release disseminated by the registrant on June 9,1998.