marble novice

Wow... I just noticed -- a 20% buyer's premium!

Thanks for posting this. I find auctions such as these (with a focused catalog) to be wonderful learning tools -- not only on the subject matter, but on current market prices as well. It will be a fun one to study. Holly

Oh, that's a MAJOR bummer for almost all involved! I would certainly hope the person who received the misdirected package would be honest / good enough to return it.

I was wondering and thinking the same thing.

Yep, I was serious, and in fact just ordered two. I'm the oldest of five girls, with two of my sisters in Texas. The other two (in Washington State and Florida) are flying in to St. Louis on Friday, and we're hitting the road to meet up with the rest of my family in Branson for the weekend. (It's a surprise to my dad and one of my sisters.) I'm hoping/planning to take the two crying towels with me so that I can rub the Cardinals' win in just a bit more. (They were both giving me grief the entire series, absolutely certain that the Rangers were going to win. LOL!)

So, Steph, where can I get a couple of those towels? I have a couple of sisters in need... Pretty awesome series, don't cha think?

First things first ... Welcome, Bob. I'm pretty new to all this as well. Not long ago, Steph directed me to this site, which I've found to be pretty helpful when it comes to descriptive terms. http://www.marblealan.com/FAQ.htm Looks like cold rolls occur with both hand- and machine-made marbles. Holly

If by chance this is a sauerkraut crock, it seems the ceramic balls could've been what was used to "Cover the cabbage mixture ... and weigh down. The use of a weight places a constant pressure upon the cabbage mixture and helps force the juices out of it. " http://www.probiotics-help.com/how-to-make-sauerkraut.html

Sauerkraut... Ick! But I too was curious, so went looking. If you wanna make the stuff, here's something I found: http://www.probiotics-help.com/sauerkraut-crock.html

Something about the lid makes me think humidor (or something along those lines). As for the jar contents, I tend to think they may be ceramic pie crust weights (which keeps the crust from bubbling as it bakes). Holly

Oh, gotcha. Thanks, Steph.

Galen, could you elaborate a bit, since I don't know/understand what should be different but apparently isn't. Holly

Assuming I read the initial post correctly, it sounds like the buyer wants to return those that are not Popeye corks and get reimbursed for the ones that are being returned. My fear would be that your math and his math might be based on a different formula. I'm not sure what you or others here have in mind on a partial refund, but I would almost think/expect that, since about 1/5th of the marbles are being returned, s/he'll be looking for a 20% refund. Personally, I would almost suggest that you have them all shipped back and give a full refund. My thinking/reasoning for that suggestion is that there may have been other potential bidders who noticed these odd ones and didn't bid or quit bidding earlier than they otherwise would have because of the "dead weight" they didn't really want. If the two types had originally been separate out and only the true Popeye corks made available, it may be that the final bid would've been higher, when averaged out per marble. (But then again, maybe I'm off in my thinking on that one.) Based on the one photo I saw above, I would think the size and quality of your photos will allow you to confirm that what you sent is what you get back, should you go the return route -- partial or full return. Holly

Cute towel! I've got two sisters in Texas now trying to convince me I'm gonna need one of those ...

Creve Coeur??? That's in my neck of the woods. (It's a suburb of St. Louis.) So, like, what did I miss, when, and where did I miss it??

ROFL!! I love that cat picture! And it's so like cats, isn't it? We have two - Mishka, who's a snowshoe Siamese, and Mya, who's all black and has everyone convinced she's a princess. (Last February, I lost my oldest, Annie, who was almost 18 and an insulin-dependent diabetic. Broke a piece of my heart away when she died...) But, yep, they pout and make sure you know it.

Uhhh, if you want it, you're gonna have to work for it... Oh, and.... HEY! Where'd you find that little whistler??? I want one of those!

So close (well, 2-1/2 hrs.), but I already have plans to be in Branson...

Yeah, what she said: snicka fricka fracka grrrrrrr lol!

I'mma not gonna say anything 'cuz I have a propensity for jinxing things when I do... :#

For anyone watching the series and knowing some of the history/stories, this is in today's Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203914304576627222452750278.html

Uh, yeah... I was thinking about you yesterday as I was watching the game, cheering on the Cards. (Of course, the night before we were growling at and cursing our pitchers.) Last week I got the pleasure of buying four tickets to tomorrow night's game -- right at the end of the third base line and up a dozen rows. Of course, it was for one of the guys I work with who was tied up all day in depositions. lol!

This afternoon, I picked up a Maglite. Not that I'm (at this point) all that intent on figuring out exactly what the stuff is inside these two marbles, but here's maybe a better peek at what I'm seeing (especially if you click through to the larger versions): And this is just ... well, kewl!

I need someone to explain to me what I'm looking at here (see links below). I have a few mibs, white base with colored ribbons around the center. In trying to figuring out who made them, I'm looking at Peltier Rainbo http://www.joemarble...any%2010-07.htm and Vitro Agate Whitie http://www.joemarble...pany%203-13.htm To me, they look pretty similar, but I do notice subtle differences. My primary challenge (this time ) is that I'm not totally clear on what makes those subtle differences -- is the base glass on one maker's marbles whiter than the other's? Is the ribbon more of a veneer on one, yet running deeper on the other's? Are the clues in the ribbon colors? What are the telltale signs that make these and others like them different? As always, thanks for letting me pick your brains. Holly

Thanks, Clyde & Steph. Just to make sure I'm clear on Clyde's point: (1) Marbles that are similar are better sold individually, unless they're obviously from the same run; and (2) You prefer to be patient and pay a premium for perfection. (How do you like that alliteration??? ) Steph, like you, when I was cropping the photos, I thought "Uh-oh, I thought I'd sorted all of the undamaged ones out." Then I got my jeweler's loupe out. They're harder than heck to photograph, but the stuff looks like... marble rheum. (edited to add: You'll want/need to click/enlarge the photos to even sorta see the stuff)