popeyecollector

Took another look at those “Bulgarian” marbles that Craig pictured recently. Their sufaces seem similar to a very large and diverse assortment of marbles that a sewage plant worker had for sale - only his were quite surface cloudy like surf glass. I figured that his collection of marbles had been flushed then tumbled miles down iron or tile pipes ending up at the bottom of a sewage treatment pond. No, these were not the European marbles that Craig showed. These were a few agates, some German swirls, cat eyes and many American machine mades. Nothing remotely exotic or worth a Leroy treatment. In some parts of the USA, England and possibly Bulgaria - water and sewage pipes were made of wood staves. This less abrasive sewer pipe would have been easier on the surface of this diverse collection of “Bulgarian” marbles. Just a thought . . . Big Indian -- no braid

That looks like a cow's tail.

I recognize this as a single pontil marble cut off a broken cane. The clear jagged edge and uneven length colored threads were pressed back by the wood cup to form the marble's looping single pontil. Sometimes the second marble off that same came was distorted too but it had two pontils. Frequently they were rejected but are now being dug from the glass dumps near Lauscha. They are then cleaned up, doctored and sold to collectors. Most are small - less than 3/4"- mainly Lats but I have seen Indians, Lutzes and a few Clams in this eye appealing style. Twenty-five years ago they were quite rare and expensive but now not so much. Big Indian

Until recently I had never encountered the term -- "gapey pontil mark" -- . Is this what one looks like on your group picture at the 6:00 position? Or ... New term?? Thanks Big Indian

Anyone go?

I can not find the name for this bottle but similar glass shapes were used to draw out infections and boils beneath the skin. The glass was gently heated - then the open end was placed over an infected area. As the heated glass and the air in the jar cooled a partial vacuum was genrated - hopefully drawing out a localized infection. Big Indian

I have a small assortment of African trade beads (Hansel has a large collection) that resemble German cane cut swirl marbles. One is more than 1.5" in diameter. All of my beads were either formed on a mandril or show an indentation where the hole was formed by pushing through when the glass was still soft. Your marbles look like they were drilled later. Looks to me like they were for some other purpose. Big Indian

These marbles are for sale? Oops, found your web site and answered my own question.

This is what I was talking about ... Big Indian no braid

Looks to me -- an appropriate way to mark the loss of honored members of our collecting community would for each of us to remember their positive contributions and act the same. Big Indian - no braid

Do not know if it is true -- but -- an Akro collecting friend told me that the pattern of stripes in an Akro ashtray was created by putting a gather of glass into a mold after it had gone through a spinner cup. Makes sense to me ... Big Indian

Just my opinion, but $300 was a hefty price to pay for a 7/8" polished marble that still has some scratches. It might be OK to call it a small clown style onionskin on clear glass but never a Guinea ! Big Indian

greg11, Please fill me in. -- What do you mean by your comment about Morphy's, Canton and the torch work golden rebel? It got an "LOL, awesome" from catfish. Big Indian (NFS)

Any reports on how the Morphy auction of Baumann's marbles went on Saturday?

I am surprised how many people do not understand how snipe bidding works. For me, it takes the worry and emotion out of bidding - never forget about when an item is coming up, can set a price early and do not get swept up in a foolish bidding war. What is the base color of the marble on this thread: opaque? or transparent? Sure looks European to me rather than Peltier or Marble King. Agree, a call via pictures are risky ... Big Indian

Great to see that such beautiful examples of items we may have in our collections have been preserved as a display. So often quality pieces are tucked away and probably hoarded in drawers, boxes or other unsafe storage sites. Sure, i realize that security is essential and a concern for most of us - but these gems deserve to be in the limelight. Big Indian (locked in a safe)

Alan, In your opinion which marbles in the box photo do you not consider to be original? And, why? Are they later Alley back fill or something else? Please share your knowledge and help us learn ... Frankly, in my view, the Akro salesman's box is a real show piece that can stand on its own without any explanation or conjecture. Respectfully, Big Indian

To my knowledge -- these are participation pinback buttons. The pictured ones were given out by the Harrisburg Teiegraph newspaper in the 20's and 30's . The previous year's winner was featured on the button. One year a girl won! I know of seven in the series with other years having metal participation pins. Prices depend on rarity with the red 1927 probably the rarest, while common ones go for round $150.00 depending on what two bidders are willing to pay. Big Indian - Locks of Love got my braid ...

Come on people... -- ffrob 10 -- would like an honest opinion on what he bought. To me -- 3:00 looks like a 50 cent Mexican Vacor rather than a high dollar Peltier Superman!

Very nice thread on probable CAC “2 seam slags”, “exotics”, “layered sand” or whatever you call them. Always good to see the embers stirred once in a while. One event that has not been mentioned is the hand full of marbles that came from gb in Lauscha several years ago. They resemble exotics in seam construction and patterns but the color palate is slightly different. They were quickly snapped up by American collectors and some were pictured in a recent book as CAC. Alan has offered them with a cautionary note. So what about those German exotics ???

Two (of many) lessons that I have learned over my marble collecting years Save time while room hopping Take a note book and jot down every room number that you visit as well as who and what was there - or - not there. This will save time when you try to locate a person or collection that you want to revisit or skip. Always wait for quality Most marbles were made by the millions -- even if most became slingshot ammo or an anvil. Be patient - mint gems can still be found. Once you find a mint+ example that you like - seriously consider buying it -- haggle! Many times I have gone to a marble convention visiting 60+ rooms, returning home with only one or two marbles! Remember -- mint gems will always sell. And, it is never fun to store or try to sell your early novice purchases of damaged “bargain examples.” At a recent garage sale - a fellow right behind me eagerly snatched up up a 5/8” clam broth with many - many - many chips for $20.00. I saw the marble earlier, but passed. Enough said ... Big Indian no braid

Marbles as ballast in sailing ships? No but ... After the agate mines in Germany that supplied the Idar-Oberstein agate processing industry in the region played out in the mid 1700’s a suitable source of agate geodes and nodules was discovered in Brazil. The stones were mainly from baseball to football size, an ideal ballast material. What a deal! -- ship slaves from Africa to Brazil, unload the slaves, pick up agate ballast in Brazil shipping it to the German agate craftsmen and then ship and trade their products for slaves in Africa. Some documented facts: • While the British and Americans outlawed their ships from transporting slaves after 1806, other countries transported African slaves to Brazil until after the American Civil War. • The British cotton textile industry was dependent on American slave harvested cotton and cruel child labor in the textile mills. • American cotton was cultivated and processed by slave labor long after the transportation of slaves was outlawed. • African slaves in Brazil were used in the sugar, gold, silver and diamond industries - all hard on the health and reproductive success of the slaves. • That, was not the fate of the African slaves in North America. Big Indian

Question --- Why did you think what you saw at Amana would be the only run? My answer -- The story going around was that a notice had been posted by JABO that the company was considering liquidation. ... AND ... After lengthy negotiations with the owners - a group of investors had financed a private run. They refurbished one of the marble making machines and purchased colored glass from Italy. The marbles produced were sold as an opportunity to own a final piece of marble history. With that story circulating in the Amana Holiday Motel -- the feeding frenzy was on ...

I share MARBLEMISER’s views and experiences with the private run JABO marbles. The first (and I thought last) JABO run caused a wild eyed frenzy at an Amana show several years ago that reminded me of sales boom and busts involving Jim Beam bottles, Cabbage Patch Dolls and the like. An investment? Hardly. Those JABO marbles are not that beautiful -- they are a mass product of a multitude of randomly mixed colors not an artistic creation that you see in the work of contemporary glass artists. Marbles should not collected as an investment you say? Old time collectors and or/their widows who liquidate marble collections are not interested in giving away their collections. They push to get the best price and will be extremely disappointed at any less or loss. I doubt that any of the experienced collectors will leave their widows with any more than a handful of JABOs among their valuable marble collections.

My marble tournament collection is not as complete as Hansel’s but there are some conclusions that I can make: a) The dated shield medals were no longer made after the start of WW-II (1941’s exist.) The brass Barry Pink Marble King Champion shield was not dated but looks to be from the 50’s. Within his collection of medals Hansel has a group of the known reproductions - most are stamped “sterling.” There seemed to be two national marble tournaments. A smaller one sponsored by the VFW with a final tournament at changing locations around the country. And, another larger tournament frequently sponsored by local newspapers with the championship usually played in New Jersey (Steph has the exact locations and dates.) The Great Depression did not kill these tournaments or the interest in marble shooting. Looks to me like paved streets, gravel playgrounds and air conditioning had a negative impact on marble playing. Kids at that time did not need funding for a coach, uniform, glove, bat or a play schedule to knuckle down any time a group gathered. Big Indian