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Sulfides


glass man

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does any one have some sulfides they could show. I am pretty sure I will never own one [unless some of you good hearted people might remember me in their will] at least I can see some! THANK YA'LL from a advanced moron! BY the way can someone tell advanced moron how to get the icons where I want them! [not quite as advanced as I thought I was!]

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Hey Glass man, I had a bunch of sulphides, long ago. I decided I really didn't like 'em, so I sold all but one... This one is near & dear to me...

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(Thanks to Buddy for the outline ;) )

If you watch ebay, it's possible to get a decent sulphide for a reasonable price... They're not as popular as one might think, unless they're a very unusual figure, colored or in colored glass...

By icon, do you mean the emoticon?? If so, just click where you want it and click on the emoticon.

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Cool!

Here's one I saw on eBay last month. I've been wondering if it was "real".

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Here's what the seller said about it:

Original 1858 dated Liberty Seated quarter sulfide marble. This is quite a rare subject for a sulfide marble. The marble is made with clear glass. Our photos were taken on a black background thusly making the glass look very dark. There are some tiny insignificant moons & a few insignificant scratches on the surface. There are no chips. The diameter is 1 1/2". The bottom edge shows an area where the pontil was smoothed down in the making.

The center has a fairly accurate white sulfide rendition of an 1858 United States quarter. The "quarter" in the marble is larger than an actual quarter of this period. The "quarter" in the marble has a diameter of 1 5/16". The 1858 date clearly shows on the side with the figure of Liberty Seated. There is a bubble in the glass which is over about 1/2 of Liberty. So, you must hold the marble at an angle to see the details of this part of Liberty under the bubble. The reverse with the eagle can be viewed completely looking straight on.
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I'm not positive, but I believe I've seen this in a sulphide before.... Something in the back of my brain is saying Bert Cohen had one...

That's not to say it may not have been copied... The glass of this one looks very slick.... But, that may be the photography... The description of the pontil sounds good, but I'd wanna see it...

The only way they could really tell if the figure was bigger than an actual quarter, would be to put it in water... Otherwise, the glass magnifies the figure to look far bigger than it actually is... I can't imagine that a mold was painstakingly carved to perfection, when the actual coin could be caste... That process would probably produce a dried figure that is slightly smaller than the original...

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LOL @ Andrea!!!

OK, I don't know whether your being smug, or not!!! :lol:

If not... YES!! A human figure is better than most... if not all.... animal figures. I would think most inanimate objects would come in higher than most human figures. Colored figures or colored glass ranks next and I would think, 2 or more figures (as long as we're sure they are old) would rank as rarest...

But, that's just "Basic Rule." Each individual marble, depending on condition, clarity and uniqueness may or may not break ranks....

A baby crawling is a GOOD thing!!! :D

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Sue, I was half serious, wasn't trying to be too smug. (Just a little bit maybe.... :rolleyes: ) Sulfides, along with many handmades, have fallen into disfavor with many collectors. I've held onto the human figure one I have, plus a nice eagle sulfide. I've seen pretty nice sulfides get ignored at live auctions, although regular antique dealers like them because they can safely identify them. Not that there have been any live auctions with marbles in this neck of the woods for eons.

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All of above info is correct. It seems strange that they are so out of favor today. The early collectors ( 50's and 60"s) treasured the sulfides above all other marbles. I think part of the reasoning was that it took a team of 2 people to insert the figure and fold over the glass.

To get the figure centered and without bubbles required a lot of skill, for sure.

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The handmade market is showing softness right now - which to me means "BUY!". I would buy mint sulphides with good figure placement and detail without hesitation. I bought a really nice handmade last weekend at the New Philly that would have cost me twice the price in an average market - so I see the soft market segment as an oportunity.

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