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Some of mine

This was a great year for finding marbles!

I retired back in 1998 and a Realtor friend, Landon Daniels, collected marbles and invited my wife and I over to visit him and see his collection. He put a quilt on the table and opened his safe and started showing some rare or HTF machine-mades and handmades, saying this one is $1,000; this one $2,500; this one $600, etc. He also showed me his shooter Peltier Superman and a Vacor Serpent and mentioned a "little bit" of value difference, even though they looked pretty much the same - especially to me since I knew zip at that time. He said there are many others that are hard to tell apart so "learn before buying". We went to a SeaTac Show in Tacoma a couple months later (just on the Saturday show day) and looked around - ended up buying one marble - a Marble King Bumblebee shooter for $5. After that, I started looking online and determined that buying packaging (mainly marble bags by MK, Peltier, etc.) was a good way to learn about marbles. Of course there were some fantasy bags being made around that time but they were not ones made by marble companies so I knew something was off. Alan Basinet and I got together online and communicated about these fake bags and started letting buyers on eBay know that they were bidding on fake bags (back then you could communicate with buyers and warn them). However, as we all know, eBay needs their fees so soon they changed it so you could not communicate directly with buyers through eBay. But, you could still see the ID of who was bidding and figure out how to get ahold of them and still warn them. Six months later or so, eBay found that out also and quit showing the ID of who was bidding, etc. and here we are today with a "buyer beware" mentality of eBay (and other sites). Oh, by the way, bags were "the thing" for me and 4,000 plus later, they still are. I did heavily collect Akro corks, metallics, Ravenswood and various other machine made marbles over these 25+ years.

It started for me in the mid 1980s. Maybe 85 or so. I was visiting my grandparents and my mother went up in the attic and found her old marbles from when she was a kid. There were marbles from the early 1960s on back to turn of the century. I collected anything you can imagine, and knowing they were old interested me. Then when we were at a local antique store, I noticed the owner had some marbles in a case behind the desk. I asked him about them and he loved how much I was interested, so he started telling me about those cool corkscrews I liked so much and others. He sold me a few as I could afford them and I was totally hooked. I asked for old marbles everywhere I went. I thought I had it bad back then... lol if I only knew. But it's just fun, what really matters isn't made of glass.

@Fire1981 mentioned this to me a while back. I have now assembled what I have...21 in all colours and sizes. These are definitely one of my favorites

A few of mine

Master Tigers Eyes

I have had a few pocket marbles over the years but the "magic bean" is the one I've carried ever since I found it digging the Alley Pennsboro site with Nola, Ron and Billy. It's one of my favorite things. 🙂

I would again like to thank all the people that respond to my many posts. I have been off work due to surgery. Today I found out I will be off for another month to recover. Marbles have really been a bit of a savour for me. Therapeutic for sure! I have had down days, and I head down to my office, sort marbles, take pictures and post them here. When I guess one right, or find something really cool, it makes me happy. I have learned so much in a short time on this site. Sometimes I get over zealous and post a bunch in one day. I apologize if sometimes I fill the page. Just know, this is a day I am sitting, and healing in my own way. Thank you again to all that respond to my posts. I have had some dm chats with some of you, and welcome anyone to drop me a message. All the best to all of you. And thank you one more time!

Ultimate Japanese transitional score from the Seattle marble show!!!

A few Alleys found through the years

Very hard to choose, but if I had to . . . A Periwinkle cork on a translucent green base. Akro 🤩

My wife and I collected "slag glass" and McCoy pottery together for many years. Auctions, flea markets, estate sales, yard sales--etc etc. Then one day at an antique mall in Oshkosh WI we found this book by the Hardy’s--What? They made marbles too?? This pushed the limit for me--then I found a book by Everit Grist--off we went. Of course we had friends that collected other things that thought that we were "nuts" about collecting marbles. I had a friend "gift me" a coffee can full of marbles from her ex. I dumped them out and said---oh no--These are too valuable for a gift. About $7,500 later she knew. This was about 30 years ago and they still hold their value. About forty books later--here I am. Then the internet changed it all. I still have the marbles that my mom gave me from her dad--one was beat up like Chads Akro slag ( nice one by the way)--mine was a Oxblood Eggyolk--just a killer old used up marble. Grandpa played marbles---no doubt. Marble--On!!

These are my faves--for today at least. Yep! Akro Patches from Les Jones (rip)--killer marbles--just killer. Marble-On!!

A couple of my favorites.

Some pictures of the display 🎉 Thank you all who made this possible Forever thankfull Marble On Brothers and Sisters !!!! 🙏⚓️♥️

Some cool Ravenswood Novelty marbles dug by David Tamulevich in the late 1990’s

Last bunch

A few more

These are Modern Asian. The type often called Imperial because many were distributed in the U.S. by the Imperial Toy Company. The turquoise one has threads of oxblood. That's a popular thing to find, not uncommon. This family of marbles can be very pretty. And there are variations you might never see more than once. I _might_ have seen this combo one other time. For awhile I hoped it was something other than "Imperial" but I can't think of anything else it could be.

Another shout out to the York Nebraska marble museum and cateye1212 on ebay! Scored these two awesome deep amber pinch pontil Yasudas. One of them even has some nice teal inclusions!

Charlie and I have been wanting this for some time now and we got on ebay and we can't wait till it comes in. Just so awesome! I'm excited very excited. We love it! Have a blessed day. GOD IS SO SO GOOD!!!🙏✝️🙏

I agree, Winnie's are the most beautiful examples! 😊✨ Then I will add several more from the Seike family. Back in December 2021, Reiko Seike sent me a box full of marbles being passed down in the family. Some got 3 ribbons, some stretch like vanes. These below are a local find.

Here is a picture of some Figure 8's posted by Winnie from The Netherlands (RIP) back in 2010.

Fun Friday Facts. Akro’s are cool!

The weirdest thing yet that I have pulled from an assorted net bag. This is a totally veneered pattern with a bit of an amber glow in the transparent base when held to light. It is 21/32. I have heard older Vacors are sometimes found in net bags? Well anyway, I have never seen anything that remotely resembles this marble that came from Mexico. I thought "What's a Vitro Tri-Lite doing in here?" but this is so odd. And I do think it is actually very pretty.

Recent Alley Addition. 1”!!!

"Superboy" 0,70

Finally. Friday...

Ok, it's not a marble, but it is big- just over 6 inches. Megladon tooth.

@crashbelt @Royal3 @Alta @Chad G. Wow, you've been posting some great marbles since I was last here! Here's an 11/16" marble I've never seen before. I'm calling it a Caramel Ribbon Swirl with Mica. Caramel Swirls with Mica are a thing, but the ribbons in this one are very similar to what you would find in a clear glass ribbon lutz. No lutz here, unfortunately, but it's a pretty rare find and pretty cool IMO. I thought about adding "end of cane" since the ribbons thin out and lose their structure before they reach the faceted pontil. I even considered "end of day" since it's such an oddball - no sense getting carried away though. 😉 Please let me know if you've seen another or think I might be off with my description. 🙂

Scored these popeyes and corkscrews for $35. One popeye has oxblood

Well, when did you start marble collecting ?? what ?? why ?? and who got you started. You can include your favorite type if you like. I started in the mid 80's, German handmades were my go to, my Mother gave me the spark as a child when she gave me her favorite shooter, I still have it from when she gave it to me in the late 60's during a move.

Multiple views of one of my favorite

It's with great excitement and anticipation that I am now FINALLY able to enable the site for ordering! *Be sure to follow the instructions when ordering so that we can match the book order to the Paypal or Venmo payment when it comes through* When submitting payment, be sure to put the unique order number in the notes for your payment of Venmo or Paypal so we know which payment matches the order. We have the site set to 1 or 2 book orders (many folks want one to use for study and one to keep mint). If you want more, you can order as many times as you like or if you want combined shipping, contact me and I'll get it figured depending on how many books you get. If you need to mail a payment then message me. We also plan to have books at the Des Moines show in a couple weeks. Thank you! Here is the link: wvswirls/ This is a quality, durable hard cover book with about 277 pages made of one hundred pound gloss paper with a super strong sewn binding. There are approximately 14,000 photos compiled and separated into their respective factories and in the case of Alley Agate, separated by factory location. Images are sharp detailed offset printed in Canada and the publishing itself was done here in the USA in South Carolina by Palmetto Publishing. The cover has a gloss lamination protectant and the book is about three and a half pounds, ~1 inch thick and 9x11. The quality is that of a reference book and the print is that of an art book. The book is $115 shipped with insurance or $218 for two. If you have trouble ordering or can't pay with the methods offered, feel free to message me.

Blood pool

Most of us here have been around for quite a while. The very oldest Marble Board on Planet Earth. Many of us have decided to retire and quit or move on to death---not me. You know what. We have a responsibility to pass on the knowledge that we have acquired. The knowledge that we have is not achieved without another one or two or several behind us. There are kids at five years old that love marbles as much as we do at 25 or 105 years old. Let’s keep this thing going and pass on the Marble knowledge that we all know. I challenge you all to be teachers as well as collectors and be willing to be informed and challenged without any remorse or bad feelings. Marble—On!!

It's a happy new Thuringen Thursday and I am re-posting a marble from 54 pages ago. 🙂 I gave it to a friend at the Ft. Wayne show last year - he likes the oddities even more than I do and it was totally worth it just to get a peek in his keeper box - jumpin' jimminy, man! That's all I've got to say. 🙂

vacor love…

Scored a .88" early onionskin with oxblood and jelly for 45 dollars

Akro Friday 1. Red, Orange, and Blue Special 5/8" 2. Red and Orange Special 3. Double stream Orange and Yellow on an Amber base 19/32" 4. Orange Spiral 5/8" 5. Orange, Yellow, and Lavender 21/32"

Marble King 😍 Enjoy 😁

@VaMarbles Great action in a few of those! @disco005 Crazy bright colors! Here's a 3/4" twofer this Slag & Swirl Saturday . . .

More RN

Just acquired this mib in a lot . took it into the sun for some pics Has an a crazy base glass like opal with some blue tint or something the cork I thought was black but it is dark dark purple . I got some shots of the blue tint it is crazy it's like 2 marbles when the light shines through the blue.