Those Really Pretty Older Vitros That
Used to be Called “Mystery Patches”
By Chris Carrington
Now, there’s a good example of a
horrible title. It’s also a good
example of a horrible name for a marble!
I should know – that’s what I called some of my favorite marbles for
months before I decided they needed a real name of their own.
I can’t begin to count how many conversations I had that went something
like this; “I sure hope I win that
eBay auction: it has a ton of Those Really Pretty Older Vitros That Used to be
Called Mystery Patches that I love so much”. …. “Wow, that’s one of Those Really
Pretty Older Vitros – you know, The Ones That Used to be Called Mystery Patches!
Photo by Buddy Bowles
Besides being cumbersome and tedious,
it was just a downright lowly way to refer to such an outstanding marble.
I thought they deserved to be called something that would convey their
regal beauty and that was how the name Elite came to mind.
e-lite’ adj. “selected as the
best” Yep, that sounded right.
Or it did to me anyway. I
asked what others thought; I posted about them:
I did some shameless campaigning….and now perfect strangers are asking
how to identify them!
Excellent question!
Well, to begin with, I have to say that the name refers to a category of
Vitros, mores than a specific color combination or pattern.
In other words, Elites would be a “type” in the same way that Parrots or
brushed patches or Conquerors are a type, rather than being a specific style
such as a Sweet Pea. Elites are
basically fancy, elaborate Helmets.
They’re pretty much constructed the same way as Helmets are, but with varying amounts of white that may be solid or wispy. They have one or more areas (ribbons and/or patches) of transparent colored glass, and sometimes opaque colored glass. They often have a clear area, but not always. They will have at least one ribbon, often two (on opposite sides), and occasionally several. Where a Helmet's ribbon is usually one color; the Elites’ ribbons may have striations of color and may even include oxblood. It’s not unusual to see the seams set close together to create gorgeous “V” formations.
I would like to be able to add
something about the history of these marbles, but I have to admit that I know
little. I believe them to be some of
the earliest made by Vitro Agate.
They resemble Akro Popeye-Patches in a lot of ways, and can be confused with
them. (The Akros seem to have
seedier looking glass.) I’ve heard
that some workers from Akro left that company to work at Vitro Agate, and the
Elites possibly evolved out of this transition.
I’m not sure if they were made before the Helmets or at the same time.
I’d almost guess that the Helmets came after as a result of cost control.
Some may balk at a relatively new
collector naming a marble; in fact, some already have.
But my feeling is that a name can only elevate these marbles to the
status they deserve. And if it saves
us from forever using tortuous descriptors like Those Really Pretty Older Vitros
That Used to be Called Mystery Patches, does it really matter who chooses the
name? Besides….one look at these,
and I think most will agree they truly ARE Elite!
This article
first appeared in the
Issue 1
July 2003