 <p>Just use:</p> <pre><code>alert(item.id); </code></pre> <p>This: <code>$(item.id)</code> wraps item.id into a jQuery object, that's why you get 'Object object'</p> <p>PS</p> <p>What you're creating is an object in <a href="http://www.fotiweb.com/2006/12/13/javascript-object-literal-notation/">object literal notation</a>, that is a set of comma-separated name/value pairs inside curly braces. </p>